The practice of non-recognition and economic sanctions: The case study of Ukraine, Manchuria and South Africa.

This article examines the principle of collective non-recognition in international law, particularly its application and relationship with economic sanctions in response to unlawful situations such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It traces the historical development of non-recognition from the 1930s Manchuria crisis and the anti-apartheid campaigns against South Africa, highlighting that non-recognition has traditionally involved declaratory and institutional measures rather than economic sanctions. The article argues that economic sanctions, while politically prominent, are neither a legally required nor reliable component of non-recognition and often overshadow other effective legal and diplomatic tools. It concludes that non-recognition functions as a normative legal process grounded in customary international law, distinct from economic sanctions, which remain optional and unpredictable instruments within international relations.