Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: Self-determination and secession in international law : perspectives and trends with particular focus on the commonwealth of independent states / Christian Walter and Antje von Ungern-Sternberg -- The Kosovo Advisory Opinion: What it says and what it does not say / Christian Walter -- International law and self-determination: peoples, indigenous peoples, and minorities / Joshua Castellino -- The role of recognition and non-recognition with regard to secession / Stefan Oeter -- Secession and the use of force / Antonello Tancredi -- The principle of uti possidetis juris: How relevant is it for issues of secession? / Anne Peters -- Secession in the CIS: Causes, consequences, and emerging principles / Thomas Burri -- Transnistria / Bill Bowring -- South Ossetia / Christopher Waters -- Abkhazia / Farhad Mirzayev -- Nagorno-Karabakh / Heiko Krüger -- Kosovo / James Summers -- Western Sahara / Sven Simon -- Eritrea / Gregory Fox -- Postcript: Self-determination, secession and the Crimean Crisis 2014 / Christian Walter.