During the armed rebellion, or as the result of war, the recognized government may lose effective control over part of its territory. It may then happen that some states recognize one authority and some the other as the sole government of the state, as, for example, in the cases of Germany and Vietnam. It is probably not possible for one state to recognize two governments in the same state without whereby recognizing two separate states unless the second body is recognized de facto, or as in insurgent or belligerent. During war-time, or in other exceptional circumstances, governments may be recognized while yet being unable by force majeure to operate within, let alone control, the territory of the state. Such a government is nevertheless considered by the recognizing state able to represent and enter into undertakings on behalf of the whole state, since it is assumed that these will be honoured once the government resumes control of its territory. It is thus enabled to speak for and exercise public authority over its nationals outside the territory of the state, and in particular within the territory of the recognizing state.
|