The end of Soviet power resulted in a number of “frozen” conflicts that birthed political entities with varying degrees of recognition: Transnistria in Moldova, Abkhazia and S. Ossetia in Georgia, and Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan. The existence of these quasi-states raises a host of questions related to statehood, sovereignty and political authority. In the 21st century, who decides whether a state is recognized as such? Must political dominion over a territory be recognized? Formal recognition aside, how do these unrecognized polities legitimate themselves to constituents? This talk will look at how performances of statehood in Transnistria makes an otherwise unfinished statehood seem less so.