Introduction

The introductory chapter outlines the need to develop a robust conceptualisation of the social system that de facto states inhabit and its relationship with the international society they are excluded from. It situates the book in the wider de facto state literature and signposts the key elements of International Relations Theory that will be synthesised to develop a framework of normative standing: the English School, constructivism and legitimacy. The chapter provides an overview of the approach and methodology, including the reasons for selecting Nagorno Karabakh, Somaliland and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq as the empirical case studies to illustrate the framework’s application and utility. Finally, it outlines the structure of the book’s subsequent chapters.