International Recognition: Controversies Around The Globe

On Thursday the United Nations recognized South Sudan as its 193rd member state, turning the country officially into the world's youngest nation. And on Friday, the United States joined dozens of nations in formally recognizing the Libyan Transitional National Council as the legitimate government of that nation, rejecting Muammar Gaddafi's claims to power.

While some nations and governments are easily granted legitimacy in the eyes of the world, others are caught in controversies for decades. Take a look at some places arond the world that have announced their independence but remain in national limbo:

1 of 8

Nagorno-Karaback

1 of 9

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

Supported by neighbor Armenia, Nagorno-Karabkh's ethnic Armenian majority claimed independence from Azerbaijan after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. By then, Armenian secessionists had already been fighting the Azerbaijani state for 3 years. Both parties reached a truce in 1994, yet Azerbaijan refused to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as a separate state.

Anders Behring Breivik Trial: Adrian Pracon, Last Island Survivor, Testifies

Yemen Al Qaeda Websites Hacked By U.S. State Department, Clinton Says

Turkey: Drones To Be Bought From United States

Shakil Afridi, Pakistan Doctor Who Helped Find Osama Bin Laden, Sentenced To Prison

Pakistan: U.S. Drone Fires Missiles Into Compound, Killing 4 Suspected Militants

Secret Service Scandal Did Not Result In Security Breach, Director Says

Supported by neighbor Armenia, Nagorno-Karabkh's ethnic Armenian majority claimed independence from Azerbaijan after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. By then, Armenian secessionists had already been fighting the Azerbaijani state for 3 years. Both parties reached a truce in 1994, yet Azerbaijan refused to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as a separate state.

comments(12)

Total comments: 12 | Post a Comment

1 of 9

Comments

[Serbian American]

10:52 PM on 07/19/2011

The fact that Kosovo (and Metohija) was "accepted as a member of the World Bank and the IMF" hides the fact that IMF and World Bank decisions are result of votes that are disproportionately delegated to member states. There is no democracy what so ever when it comes to IMF and World Bank decision making process.

And by the way, Serbia was not against Kosovo (and Metohija) joining some international institutions such as IMF and World Bank.

Many (probably half) of the 70 countries that recognized Kosovo (and Metohija) independence, were countries that actually participated in NATO bombing of Yugoslavian back in 1999. That bombing campaign was not approved by UN or UN security council.

Kosovo "fight for independence" was mostly about taking land and property from farmers and land owners. Also, Serbian government property in Kosovo and Metohija was taken away and illegally "privatized", sold among leaders of KLA and other "honored" and special people for very low price. BTW, few decades ago, about 50% of Kosovo and Metohija population was Christians. How many Christians are there now in Kosovo and Metohija? How many Serbs now live in Pristina?

[MichaelTurton]

01:19 AM on 07/18/2011

Is it possible to get this error fixed? 1949 has nothing repeat NOTHING to do with any sovereignty debate over Taiwan. Taiwan had not been ruled by any government based in what is now China since 1895. in 1949 Japan owned Taiwan, not China.

Michael Turton

[stopgeorge]

03:32 PM on 07/17/2011

As Michael Turton correctly asserts below, this presentation gives a false history of Taiwan. Editors: Please correct this.

[Michael Le Houllier]

10:34 PM on 07/16/2011

Michael Turton is correct in his comments. Taiwan was given to Japan by the Qing Empire in 1895 as per the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki. Under international law, territory can only be transferred from one state to another state via a treaty. The treaty that ended the Second World War in the Pacific, the San Francisco Peace Treaty, did not effectuate a transfer of sovereignty to China. It left Taiwan's status undetermined. This left Taiwan's situation akin to Western Sahara (now claimed by Morocco and the SADR) when it was left by Spain, but not assigned to a successor, as well as East Timor (now known as Timor Leste). The latter was illegally annexed by Indonesia and was later given a chance to have a referendum and declarate itself independent. The right of Western Sahara to choose its own future is recognized by the African Union and in several United Nations General Assembly and Security Council resolutions.

Taiwan did not split from China. It was never a part of it. Both China and Taiwan were conquered by the Manchus, who established the 'Great Qing Empire". Prior to that, Taiwan was partly controlled by the Dong Ning kingdom of half-Japanese Koxinga and his successors and before that by the Dutch and Spaniards. Taiwan has never, NEVER been part of a state called "China."

I also find it interesting that your photo of the flag includes the words "Taiwan Republic" on it, and nothing to do with "China".

[taiwanjohn]

03:48 AM on 07/18/2011

> Taiwan has never, NEVER been part of a state called "China."

While I agree with you generally, I'd pick a nit with this point. My understanding is that the Qing Empire did attempt to claim/tame Taiwan in 1683, not because they wanted the territory, but simply to prevent others from using it as a base to attack the mainland, as Koxinga had done. IOW, they still regarded it as a "useless ball of mud beyond the sea," but they tried to administer it as part of Fujian province, and later declared it a separate province in 1885.

However, they never controlled more than about half the territory of Taiwan (the main island), and never had firm control of even that part. In the meantime, it was proving to be more trouble than it was worth. And when the Japanese demanded it as war booty in 1895, they were just as happy to be rid of it.

As for the name "China"... perhaps the Qing Emperors didn't use that term, but that is certainly what it was commonly called in English at the time.

[Michael Le Houllier]

10:53 AM on 07/18/2011

I am going to be even more nitpickey for the sake of accuracy. The Qing were Manchus and they conquered China prior to conquering Taiwan. The Manchus were regarded as foreigners, even by the revolutionaries of the late 19th and early 20th century. One of their slogans was "expel the Qing, restore the Ming". They used language that clearly indicated that they considered the Qing and the Manchus foreigners. Thus, you can say that Taiwan was part of the Manchu Empire, as was Mongolia, Tibet and many other places, but not a part of China as China was merely one part of the Manchu/Qing Empire.

[ChinoBlanco]

10:30 PM on 07/16/2011

"move away from China in 1949" is a useful bit of historical fiction in some parts but I'm surprised to see it parroted here at HuffPo

[Gathled]

08:26 PM on 07/16/2011

Taiwan needs to declare independence from the Republic of China in Taiwan before anyone will take them serious...

[Michael Le Houllier]

09:04 AM on 07/17/2011

Why does it need to declare independence from an entity that it is not legally a part of???

[MichaelTurton]

07:20 PM on 07/16/2011

Here are some suggestions for what the Taiwan piece should say:

"In Taiwan, strong public sympathy for independence is opposed by a local political party allied to China, which seeks to annex the island, whose independent status has never achieved international recognition."

"Taiwan: China threatens to attack the island if it formalizes its independence and fights to suppress recognition of Taiwan in the international arena."

or similar.

Michael Turton
The View from Taiwan

[MichaelTurton]

07:13 PM on 07/16/2011

Editor:

The international status of Taiwan is tricky but there is no excuse for getting it wrong as this presentation does. Taiwan did not "move away from China in 1949." In 1949 Taiwan was part of Japan as it had been since 1895 and would be until 1952 when the San Francisco Peace Treaty came into effect. Under the SF Treaty Taiwan's status was left undetermined by the Powers and remains so to this day. The current policy of the US is that Taiwan's status is undetermined. No internationally recognized document anywhere says that Taiwan is part of China.

In 1945 troops of the Republic of China occupied Taiwan on behalf of the wartime Allies. The government of the ROC claimed that Taiwan had been "returned to China", a position echoed by the Communist government but not recognized by any major power (to this day). This claim was made despite the fact that for all of Chinese history Taiwan had been considered to lie outside China. It was only in the late 1930s that some Chinese leaders began to imagine themselves annexing the large and prosperous island owned by the Japanese. China's current "claim" is purely an act of annexation, legitimated by reconstructing Chinese history, like all current Chinese claims to the areas around China that Beijing seeks to expand into.

Please rewrite your presentation here to reflect (1) current US policy (2) history (3) international law.

Michael Turton
The View from Taiwan