New kids on the block It is the name of a American boy band.But here,with this title i would like to give a list of ten new independent sovereign countries which accoring to my futuristic perception, may be a reality by 2016.The list is given below 1) country name-Kosovo It may be the last sovereign country from the Balkan peninsula.Out of the 28 EU countries, 23 already recognised it.Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008.Already all major international financial institutions like World bank and IMF recognised Kosovo. In brief-Capital-Pristina,Population- around 20lakhs Ethnic-Albanian majority 2) Nagorno-Karabakh Republic A defacto independent, land locked territory in Central Asia,lying between Armenia and Azerbaijan.According to the UN it is a territory of Azerbaijan.The prospect of its international recognition brightened with several states in USA recognised it as a sovereign country in recent times.Functioning as a unrecognised country since 1994.Latest news from this topic is that,only two days back Russian President Vladimir Putin held a trilateral meeting with Armenia and Azerbaijan to solve the question of Nagorno-Karabakh in a peaceful manner Capital- Stepanakert,Population- around 150000 Ethnic- Armenian majority 3) Scotland It may be curtains for a 300 year old association with the United Kingdom when Scotland go for a referendum on 18th September,2014.The British goverment of David Cameron already agreed for the referendum and call it a legitimate process.The North Sea oil and gas and the income generated from it is a major economic consideration for promoting the idea of independence.Scotland contribute 9% of the total economic output of UK.Scotland also contribute 20% of Europes fisheries catch and 60% Europes oil reserve with hardly 1%of Europes population.Politically the victory of Scottish Natioanl Party win in 2011 in Scottish parlimentary elections fastened the process for referendum.But future relations with EU and NATO may be a question to answered in the years to come Capital-Edinburgh,Population 53 lakhs Largest city-Glagow(Recently the city hosted the Commonwealth Games in which Scotland secured fourth position in the overall medal tally with 19 gold medals with splendid performance in Judo) 4) Kurdistan The recent military advances of the ISIS in Northern Iraq offers a historic opportunity for realising the independent Kurdistan for the 40 million Kurdish people in Mesopotamia,Turkey and Iran.In spite of years of struggle of PKK (Kurdistan workers Party and arrest of its leader Abdullah Ocalan the Kurdish people did not meterialise their dream of independence.But the current situation may be a watershed in their history.The future Kurdistan will provide a buffer for Turkey against the ISIS and Northern Iraq Capital-Erbil Ethnic-Kurdish 5) Somaliland It is a self declared independent state in Eastern Africa.Internatioanlly recognised as a autonomous region of Somalia.Somaliland fuctioning as a independent country from 1990s.Somalia is a country without any central goverment for the last 20 years and is a typical example of a failed state(now Al-Shabaab is the major militia in Somalia).Remittances from the large Somali diaspora which come to about $1 billion annually, is the major economic lifeline of Somaliland Capital-Hargeisa,Population around 35 lakhs 6) Catalonia The ever rising economic hardships and bleak employment generation senario may provide further energy to the Catalonian urge for freedon from Spain.The November,9.2014 referendum may decide the peoples choise in Catalonia.The Spanish goverment of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will use all mesures to block the process as it is a existentail threat for Spain Capital-Barcelona,Population around 75 lakhs 7) Basque If Catalonia say goodbye to Spain,The Basque county will also move forward with their independence.ETA(The militant movement fighting for the freedom from Spain) declared a permanant ceasefire and armed activity in 2011.But the Catalonian independence may be a trigger for the Basque aspirations. Capital-Vitoria-Gasteiz,Population around 30 lakhs 8) Abkhazia (de jure territory of Georgia) 9) South Osstia( Internationally recognised as part of Georgia) 10)Transnistria(de juree territory of Moldova) The prospect of freedom and sovereignty of the last three will depend on the pro active stand of Russia in international politics.These three teritories depend on Russian political,economoc,military and strategic support for their survival as de facto independent countries in a hostile environment nb.i make these assesments only from an acdemic perspective.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 14:49:50 +0000
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