De Laugh & Smile

Claims: Georgia vs. Republic of Abkhazia and Republic of South Ossetia
Both Abkhazia and South Ossetia are breakaway republics from Georgia in the Caucasus. The two little known territories have battled for independence from Georgia since the 1920s, but are still unsuccessful in their claims. As a result of the Russian Revolution in 1917, under the Soviet Union, Abkhazia and South Ossetia became part of Georgia as two autonomous republics. However, Abkhazia and South Ossetia declared independence from Soviet Georgia in 1923 and 1922 respectively, after wars in the 1920s. Further troubles started in the early 90s, during the demise of the Soviet Union, when Georgia declared independence from the USSR, and adopted its old constitution. Many believed the old constitution would eliminate the autonomy of the regions, but in fact it didn’t. The troubles eventually led to wars in 1992 and 2008. After the 2008 war, Russia officially recognized the countries as two, separate and individual states, and along with Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru and Vanuatu is one of the only countries to officially recognize the states. The UN, EU and NATO, however, refuse to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as sovereign states.


Claims: Republic of Serbia vs. Republic of Kosovo
Here we have another, more famous dispute, regarding land that once belonged to a socialist republic. This time however, it involves the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia has a long and interesting history, but we will be concentrating on the decline of the socialist state in the 1990s. During the demise, 5 new states were formed: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and FR Yugoslavia. FR Yugoslavia also contained the autonomous region of Kosovo. War broke out in 1998-99 when the “Kosovo Liberation Army” fought for independence against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The UN was very much on the side of the KLA, and helped with the bombing of FR Yugoslavia. After the war, FR Yugoslavia relinquished all claims to Kosovo and accepted it as a UN controlled region. FR Yugoslavia then split into two individual states, Serbia and Montenegro, in 2006. Kosovo then declared independence from Serbia, on 17th February, 2008, with its capital city as Pristina. It is officially recognized by 80 UN member states, plus Taiwan. It is a member of the IMF and World Bank Group; however it is still, technically, a partially recognized state.


Claims: Kingdom of Morocco vs. Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
We now move from Europe to the disputed African territory of the Western Sahara, bordered by Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania. It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly consisting of desert flatlands. The population is estimated at just over 500,000 – many of whom live in one city. According to the UN, it is a non-decolonized territory on the “List of Non-Self-Governing Territories”. Originally belonging to the Spanish Empire, it is now claimed by both Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, after the Madrid Accords, in 1975, when Spain agreed to end its presence in the area. The SADR controls 20-25% of the territory, with Morocco controlling the rest. 58 states officially recognize the SADR as the government of the Western Sahara, 22 have withdrawn their recognition and 12 have frozen it pending a UN referendum. The Arab league is the main and only support for Morocco’s claim to the territory. The SADR joined the African Union in 1984, leading to the withdrawal of Morocco, making them the only African Nation not in the union. To this day, the UN doesn’t recognize the West Sahara as a sovereign state ruled by the SADR.


Claims: Kingdom of Spain vs. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The territory of Gibraltar has been fought over for years, due to its ideal position on the Gibraltar strait. The strait provides access to the Mediterranean and the Suez, and is of major importance for international shipping and trade. Military control of the strait currently lies jointly with the UK and Morocco, as opposed to Spain, even though Spain has significant military bases near the Strait. This decision was made by NATO and is thought to be because of the special relationship between the US and UK, and the status of Gibraltar as a “British Overseas Territory”. An Anglo-Dutch force originally captured Gibraltar in 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession. The territory subsequently ceded to Britain by Spain forever under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. Since the territory was handed over, the Spanish have tried three times to recapture the town through sieges, but none were successful. It now holds a claim to the territory, although it still remains British. Referendums were held, in 1967 and 2002, to return Gibraltar to Spain, but 99% of the population voted to remain a British Territory on both occasions. No great tensions lie between Spain and the UK over the joint claim, but nonetheless, it still remains an interesting political situation as Spain shows no signs of relinquishing the claim.


Claims: Argentine Republic vs. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Closely linked to the Falkland Islands (see below), these islands have also been the focus of the rift between Argentina and the United Kingdom since the pioneers sailed to the area in the 18th century. The United Kingdom claimed sovereignty over South Georgia in 1775, after a voyage by James Cook, and the South Sandwich Islands, in 1908. In 1908, the United Kingdom annexed both South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The Argentine claim originated when an Argentine-registered whaling company set up operations on South Georgia, in 1904. In 1906, the company signed a lease with the Falkland Islands government, and, following the 1908 annexation, the company started to use British whaling licenses and started looking to the South Sandwich Islands for expansion. Following the Argentine claims, the UK repeatedly (in 1947, 1951, 1953 and 1954) offered to take the matter to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, but this was turned down by Argentina. The islands briefly came under Argentinian control during the 1982 Falklands War, but were returned to UK control after the war. In 1985, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ceased to be Falkland Islands dependencies and became a separate British overseas territory. Argentina continues to claim sovereignty over South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, to this day, the most recent development coming in 2010 when the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, called on Queen Elizabeth II to give the Falklands and South Georgia to Argentina.