The Ghost Nations You
Never knew existed.
BY LAURA SECORUN PALET

if a tree falls in the forest and
nobody hears it, does it
make a sound? Similarly, if a
country declares its
independence but nobody
acknowledges it, is it
independent?
This is not a theoretical
question but a dilemma
affecting a handful of
wannabe nations that, despite
having their own
governments, flags and
anthems, are not recognized
as sovereign states by the
international community.
Sometimes, these
independence hopefuls
comprise an ethnic minority at
odds with the majority
population.
Don’t go feeling sorry for all
of them. The latest to join their
ranks is the Islamic State,
which is wreaking havoc and
destruction in Iraq and Syria.
Only global jihadists have so
far recognized it. Everyone
else just wishes it would go
away.
No region knows
more about phantom
states than the
Caucasus, where the
Soviet Union’s fall left
frozen conflicts and
orphan nations.
The definition of state seems
straightforward. According to
the 1933 Montevideo
Convention: “The state as a
person of international law
should possess the following
qualifications: (a) a permanent
population; (b) a defined
territory; (c) government; and
(d) capacity to enter into
relations with the other
states.” That last one is the
trickiest.
Take the case of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus
on the northern side of the
Mediterranean island. It
declared its independence in
1983 after the Turkish
invasion. Although it is de
facto separated from the
Greek side of the island, all
countries except Turkey
consider it part of the
Republic of Cyprus.
Having only one country
acknowledge you might not
make you independent. But
how about 84? That’s the
number of countries that
accepted the Saharawi Arab
Democratic Republic, which
was proclaimed in 1976,
during the war with Morocco.
Two years later, the U.N.
recognized the right of the
Western Sahara people to self-
determination, but that’s
where progress stalled. The
Saharawi republic’s
government controls only a
fourth of the Western Sahara
territory and operates in exile
from refugee camps in
Algeria.
Police officers marching
during the day
SOURCE: CORBIS
New police officers practice
for their passing-out
ceremony in Madhera,
Somaliland, a self-declared
independent country in the
Horn of Africa.
While Western Sahara is much
poorer than Morocco,
Somaliland, on the contrary, is
richer than the country it
“belongs to” — Somalia.
Occupying the eastern flank
of the turbulent nation,
Somaliland proclaimed its
independence in 1991 and
has its own administration
and police force. While it has
informal contacts with
neighbors like Djibouti and
Western nations like the U.S., it
continues to be seen
internationally as the
autonomous region of the
world’s archetypal failed state.
But no region knows more
about phantom states than
the Caucasus, where the fall of
the Soviet Union left a bunch
of frozen conflicts and orphan
nations.
The small nation
on the eastern coast of
the Black Sea went to
war with Georgia in
1992 — and it actually
won.
Remember South Ossetia?
That’s what Russia
temporarily invaded in 2008
when it went into a five-day
war with Georgia. South
Ossetians declared their
independence from Georgia in
1990, which led to a yearlong
war in 1991. After the
ceasefire, South Ossetia went
unrecognized until, in the
wake of the 2008 conflict, its
sovereignty was
acknowledged by a rogues’
gallery composed of Russia,
Nicaragua, Venezuela and
Nauru.
These countries are also the
only ones to consider
Abkhazia an independent
state. This small nation on the
eastern coast of the Black Sea
also went to war with Georgia
in 1992. It actually won and
chased Georgians away, but
that didn’t make a difference
in terms of international
support.
Still, it could be worse. Two
other phantom countries in
the region are unrecognized
by anyone.
The Pridnestrovian Moldavian
Republic, also called
Transnistria, is a strip of land
on the eastern Moldovan
border with Ukraine. After its
declaration of independence it
too went into a brief military
conflict in 1992. Today
Moldovans consider it their
“autonomous territorial unit,”
despite having its own
government and even
currency — the Transnistrian
ruble.
Likewise, the Nagorno-
Karabakh Republic claims to
have been sovereign since
1992, but Azerbaijan
considers it part of its
territory. This
unpronounceable nation is
accepted only by its buddies
Abkhazia, South Ossetia and
Transnistria. These four have
actually established an
umbrella organization, the
Community for Democracy
and Rights of Nations ,
something of a mutual
comfort society.
Understandable. Not easy to
be snubbed by everyone else.

Nna e..e remain small biafra republic 4 join this group form their own united nation..

Very interesting! There are other small independent nations around the world that are not recognised by the international body e.g. Vanatua et al. Biafra is not yet in the class of such nations fa!!!

christejames: Very interesting! There are other small independent nations around the world that are not recognised by the international body e.g. Vanatua et al. Biafra is not yet in the class of such nations fa!!!

venatua is a small but independent con3..size is never a determinant factor..dem ghost nations are either partialy recognized or snobed by ever other nation..fyi.. biafra was once a ghost nation..

dubienatti: venatua is a small but independent con3..size is never a determinant factor..dem ghost nations are either partialy recognized or snobed by ever other nation..fyi.. biafra was once a ghost nation..

wow! Thanks for the information.

Amazing

What about amukoko and ijora badia with banana and plantain island?

Wonderful formatting. Highly readable