What does it take for a country to get US diplomatic recognition?

COL (Join to see) that makes sense. But, Liberland hasn't split from anyone. It was a no-man's land before Liberland set up there. The neighboring countries of Croatia and Serbia both deny any claim to it.

They need to petition the UN.

COL (Join to see) - Is that just the fastest way to widespread recognition, or has someone decided that it's the only way to become an official country? I personally dislike the UN, and I don't see any reason a state couldn't unilaterally recognize another state.
Does the US recognize any states not recognized by the UN?

SPC Margaret Higgins do you know anyone who might?

SPC Elijah J. Henry, MBA - No. And, I apologize for this.

SPC Margaret Higgins Not many willing to say "I don't know." in today's world.

SFC (Join to see) - What am I supposed to learn from Western Sahara? Or what aspect of its situation do you want to draw my attention to?
Who is to define the boundaries of a state? Is it not -- first and foremost -- the state itself? If a state says a piece of land doesn't belong to them, who is to contradict them?

Land claimed, but not claimed, by two states and left in deliberate limbo and unrecognized as an independent state despite having a population of 500,000 and being relatively autonomous in governing itself....ya...nothing to learn there I guess. The borders of a state are not -- first and foremost -- dictated by that state. They are proposed by that state and only become official if recognized by other states either by threat of force, mutual treaty, or some other form of international relation.

Once again...it is the international community who defines whether a state is a state, not the state itself. It is the international community that defines borders and boundaries. Feel free to pick up a book on Maritime Law to see how often a state's self-declared boundaries are made null and void if they do not conform to international law.

If you are so confused by these concepts there are a number of colleges that offer studies in international relations. I recommend starting with Intro to International Relations Theory as a primer then moving on to International Law.

SFC (Join to see) - I missed this in my notifications, and just saw it. Thanks for answering my questions. You seem to be saying that the Montevideo Convention is irrelevant entirely. So, what is the prevailing document in international law for this stuff?

Also, my OP is about what it takes for the US to diplomatically recognize a state. I understand that there might not be much in it for the US to recognize Liberland, but the US has recognized other tiny countries like Iceland, Monaco, Liechtenstein. Why did the US choose to recognize those?

I do note that Liberland is the only state to claim its territory. Neither Croatia nor Serbia lay any claim to it, whatsoever.

If the U.S. recognizes a state, all it does is normalize relations between the U.S. and the state it recognizes. It still has no bearing on that state being recognized as a state by the international community. Most of the time when this happens it is because it is a political gesture, however recognizing a state carries with it certain obligations.

The Montevideo Convention was based on just one aspect of international relations theory, and it has not aged well because it states that states can declare themselves, but in practice a state only becomes a state if recognized by the international community. A state is not only considered a sovereign entity, it is an actor in international relations and if other states don't participate with you, then you do not exist as a state.