ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role of national and supranational parliaments in the recognition of states. The first part of this chapter situates parliamentary recognition activities within the broader debate on the role of parliaments in foreign policy, with particular reference to the legislative–executive relationship and parliamentary diplomacy. State recognition has been overwhelmingly discussed as a matter of executive authority, so much so that most debates on the issue do not deal with the role of parliament at all. This chapter does not challenge the view that executives dominate the state recognition and non-recognition processes. It asserts, however, that ignoring the more limited role of parliaments, both national and supranational, misses an interesting element of the story around recognition. The second part of this chapter explores the role of national parliaments’ recognition activities, and finally the role of supranational parliaments and assemblies. The chapter argues that parliamentary activism can occasionally be a challenge to executive authority; on other occasions parliaments can play the role of entrepreneur, opening a public debate or gently pushing an executive, but stopping short of a direct dispute with government; finally, parliaments can be used by executives as a first interim step, or as a means of testing international opinion, or as a way of responding to domestic pressure for full recognition, without the full consequences of such a move.
