Denying the Spoils of War

Download or read book Denying the Spoils of War written by O'Mahoney Joseph O'Mahoney and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book was released on 2018-01-15 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite being proven ineffective as a coercive tool or deterrent, the international community has actively withheld recognition in numerous instances of territorial conquest since the 1930s. Joseph O'Mahoney systematically analyses 21 case studies - including the Manchurian Crisis, the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and Russia's annexation of Crimea - to explore why so many states have adopted a policy of non-recognition of the spoils of war. By drawing on historical sources including recently declassified archival documents, he evaluates states' decision-making. He develops a new theory for non-recognition as a symbolic sanction aimed at reproducing common knowledge of the rules of international behaviour.