Patriotic Education in Post-Soviet De Facto States: Identities and Practices

The article considers specific features of official patriotism and patriotic education in post-Soviet de facto (unrecognized) stated. It discusses the question of how the official patriotic discourse reflects the issues of international recognition deficit and of scarcity of available resources. The author attempts to conceptualize patriotic upbringing in the light of de facto statehood, analyzes specific features of those identities that underlie the patriotic education in the context of de facto statehood as well as some aspects of implementation of patriotic education concepts in post-Soviet de facto states. The author concludes that the deficit of international recognition, scarcity of resources and uncertain prospects for future development make propagation of patriotic values more complicated while strong influence of a patron state and prevalence of double citizenships erode patriotic loyalties to some extent. Among specific features of patriotic education in post-Soviet de facto states are also the enhanced role of militarized practices and commemoration of “wars for independence”.

Somaliland's authoritarian turn: oligarchic–corporate power and the political economy of de facto states

Somaliland's endurance as Africa's longest de facto state has for decades preoccupied scholarship on state formation and democratization. The prevailing democratic success narrative has, however, downplayed the complex internal political dynamics and crises that have characterized Somaliland's independence since 1991. Relying on a number of robust resources, including 110 interviews and archival work conducted in Somaliland from 2015 until 2021, this article examines at close range Somaliland's political economy and provides a more cautious assessment of Somaliland's democratization trajectory. It argues that the political authority of cross-border oligarchic–corporate structures and the securitization of aid created an ‘oligopolistic state’ and ‘peaceocracy’ rather than a national, democratic government. This analysis highlights how de facto states struggle to balance political control and financial hardship generating creative and uneven governance structures. This study also raises important questions about how donors in the Gulf and in Asia provide new opportunities for recognition through Islamic finance and business that may affect de facto states' commitments to democratization. Finally, it contributes to theorizing about the ideologies of privatized governance that emerge in peripheral and developing economies and the political consequences of perennial non-recognition.

Review of a book: T. Hoch, V. Kopeček, De Facto States in Eurasia, Routledge, London-New York 2020

The following text is a review of a recent book devoted to the problem of so called de facto states (quazistates) in contemporary Eurasia.