The State and the Nation 135ognized as a state, despite its attempt to further its status in international bodies, as
described above. Possessing territory is so impor tant that states try to extend their
territory. China, for example, asserts its claims in the South China Seas by dredging
sand and building landmasses on reefs in the contested Spratly Islands, in an attempt
to solidify access to oil and gas reserves.
Most states have a stable population, but mi grant communities and nomadic
peoples cross borders, as the Maasai peoples of Kenya and Tanzania do, undetected by
state authorities. Most states have some type of institutional structure for governance,
but whether the people are obedient to it can be unknown due to lack of information.
Such a structure might also be problematic, if the government’s institutional legitimacy
is constantly questioned. A state need not have a par tic u lar form of government, but
most of its people must acknowledge the legitimacy of that government. In 2010, the
people of Egypt told the international community that they no longer recognized
the legitimacy of the government led by Hosni Mubarak, leading to demonstrations
and ultimately the downfall of his administration.
Fi nally, other states must recognize the state diplomatically. But, how many states’
recognition does it take to fulfill this criterion? The Republic of Transkei— a tiny
Officers of the Philippine Marine Corps watch as a Chinese surveillance vessel cruises past
Philippine- claimed territory in the Spratly Islands. China’s building of small artificial islands in
the South China Seas, an area contested by Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines, signals its
intention to extend territorial jurisdiction.