The stabilisation dilemma: conceptualising international responses to secession and de facto states

De facto states challenge traditional concepts of statehood, the territorial integrity of their metropolitan states and the stability of the international system. This article argues that international organisations (IOs) and states face one major dilemma in their responses to such disputed entities and the protracted conflicts around them - the "stabilisation dilemma". The stabilisation dilemma explains why the international community struggles to respond to unilateral secession and as a consequence acts ambiguously. By developing and applying this dilemma to Ukraine and beyond, this article contributes to the conceptualisation and better understanding of international responses towards (evolving) de facto states.