Commentary
A previous opinion piece discussed how the world had treated the Republic of Kosovo differently to the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. This different treatment reveals the existence of a double standard with regard to secession and self-determination of ethnic groups under international law.
While the West welcomed the secession of Kosovo from Serbia, it opposed the declaration of independence of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, which were only recognised by Russia and Syria. In contrast, as of March 2020, Kosovo has been recognised by 115 member countries of the United Nations, but 15 of these have since been withdrawn….