Questions tagged [territorial-dispute]

Questions relating to disputes between two or more states regarding who territory belongs to.

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Why is Belize divided into two parts in this map?

I was reading the Wikipedia article for Quetzaltenango and the first thing I looked at was the map: As you can see Belize is at the eastern side. Its western and southern borders are showed with a ...
Snack Exchange's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
124 views

Is today's Israel/Palestine dynamic unique? [closed]

We currently have a situation in the Middle East in which both parties fighting for a piece of land have committed some truly atrocious actions, but more powerful nations and coalitions are waffling ...
Carduus's user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
675 views

Why doesn't India claim this portion of Kashmir?

India claims the entirety of the territory of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir on the basis of the princely state's Instrument of Accession, signed by Maharaja Hari Singh in 1947. ...
StarfishPrime's user avatar
23 votes
3 answers
5k views

Why is the town of Olivenza not as heavily politicized as other territorial disputes?

Olivenza is a town near the border of Portugal and Spain. Spain controls it but Portugal does not recognize it as Spanish. Unlike other disputes around the world such as Gibraltar in Spain vs UK, it ...
rn99310's user avatar
  • 239
2 votes
3 answers
251 views

Is it common to have territorial claims that exceed by the limitations established by the UNCLOS?

China’s demands exceed the legal claims established by UNCLOS, even though that treaty was ratified by Beijing. The PRC claims are based in a map named ‘Map of Chinese Islands in the South China Sea,’ ...
Sayaman's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
428 views

Has the Taiwan / Republic of China (ROC) government ever made any territorial claim on areas in Arunachal Pradesh, India, like the Chinese PRC Govt.?

The BBC's April 4, 2023 Arunachal Pradesh: India rejects China's attempt to rename disputed places led me to read Wikipedia's Arunachal Pradesh. The introduction of that article, until a few days ago, ...
uhoh's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
245 views

What is Pakistan's position on Eastern Ladakh/Aksai Chin?

Eastern Ladakh/Aksai Chin is a Himalayan Region. It is administered by China since they won the 1962 Sino-Indian war. However, it is claimed by India as a part of the Union Territory of Ladakh (within ...
whoisit's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
339 views

Did "Novorossiya" have a de facto control over its declared territory between 2014 and 2015?

Did the self-proclaimed "Novorossiya" have control over the territory it claimed during the time it existed (22 May 2014 to 20 May 2015)?
Probably's user avatar
  • 1,501
11 votes
1 answer
381 views

Does international law allow war to reclaim internationally recognized territory?

As a recent example, the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh was recognized to be a part of Azerbaijan by the UN and most countries but de-facto controlled by Armenia. Does this mean that Azerbaijan's war ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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16 votes
6 answers
3k views

Would it be possible for Russia to "unannex" parts of Ukraine?

How easy is it now for Russia to undo their annexation of the parts of Ukraine that they recently took or at least laid claim to? e.g. if there was a change of leadership to someone not in favour of ...
komodosp's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Is there any theory regarding a colony's natural evolution into independence?

From a layman's perspective, it seems that the fate of most colonies is to evolve into an independent nation. At least those colonies that are, at a particular point in human technological evolution, ...
Mindwin Remember Monica's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
428 views

What are the possible mechanisms that can be used to settle territorial disputes between Ukraine and Russia should the hostilities cease?

What are the possible mechanisms that can be used to settle territorial disputes between Ukraine and Russia should the hostilities cease? I heard that most disputes are settled through bilateral ...
Sayaman's user avatar
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-4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Can the aggressions of Russia against Ukrainian territory be understood in a politico-historical light? [closed]

With the Crimea occupation and the further rather aggressive steps it seems as if Russia tries to annex parts of Ukraine, and it is unclear whether the Crimea is already an annexation of the Ukraine ...
ETathome's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
692 views

Why didn't Russia annex Abkhazia and South Ossetia?

Russia's initial recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia occurred in the aftermath of the Russo-Georgian War in 2008. Why didn't Russia annex Abkhazia and South Ossetia?
user366312's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
626 views

Territories claimed by the PRC but not the ROC

The Republic of China (ROC, often known simply as "Taiwan") and the People's Republic of China (PRC) both claim to be the sole legitimate government of all of China. But the two polities ...
Psychonaut's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
130 views

What are some examples of amicable inter-state border dispute resolution?

What are some examples of amicable inter-state border dispute resolution? By state, I mean a state as in US states like Texas, California, etc. Or, Assam, Mizoram in India. What comes in my mind are ...
Gary 2's user avatar
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2 answers
695 views

How is Russia responding to non-military maritime traffic in the legally recognized shipping lane passing within Crimea’s territorial waters?

From the video BBC journalist reports from British warship as Russia “fires warning shots” - BBC News in June 2021 here are some screenshots and transcribed audio (mine but based on BBC's closed ...
uhoh's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
247 views

Which place is claimed by the most countries? [closed]

According to the Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World, fifteenth edition 2018,. the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea are claimed by Brunei, China (PRC), Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan (ROC), ...
gerrit's user avatar
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8 votes
5 answers
595 views

What is China's objective in militarizing the South China Sea?

I was reading a presentation from Capt James Fanell (retired director of intelligence and information operations at U.S. Pacific Fleet) on China's Navy: He made this statement which caught my ...
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0 votes
1 answer
276 views

Good Friday Agreement and WTO rules

WTO 'equal treatment' rules were not mentioned anywhere in the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) when it was first formulated in the late 1990s. But do Global Trade rules implicitly and automatically ...
Pat-S's user avatar
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25 votes
6 answers
9k views

Why are the territories gained by Israel in 1967 not internationally recognized?

It seems that, prior to WWII, lands conquered in war were considered legitimately part of the winning state. After WWII, the international doctrine changed that territories acquired in an aggressive ...
dotancohen's user avatar
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7 votes
4 answers
952 views

What is the CPC's intention behind expansionism?

The Communist Party of China has provoked territorial disputes with almost all of it's neighbours. In the recent past, they had one of these with India, but are currently engaged with India to de-...
CaWo's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
521 views

Is there an international law in regards to the ownership of a river that is located in multiple countries?

Apologies for my previous question, it might have been built on a wrong belief, which I hope will be clarified by answers to this question. Few years ago, when the dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia ...
Mocas's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
248 views

Is China still in control of the Galwan Valley in Ladakh?

In the beginning, I read that China encroached 60sqkm land inside India near the border. Then they killed 20 Indian soldiers. Then Indian PM declared that China never occupied any land. Now, I see ...
user366312's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
846 views

Why has China suddenly decided to station troops in the disputed Ladakh / Aksai Chin region?

The northeastern part of India known as Ladakh in India and Aksai Chin in China is a disputed territory between India and China. There is no international border between India and China in that region,...
user366312's user avatar
15 votes
8 answers
4k views

What are some possible downsides about a one-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict? [closed]

Reality on the ground - Much of Israel is developed with cities and infrastructure. That is not going anywhere. West Bank has Israeli and Palestinian settlements so inextricably tangled that you ...
NonPartisanObservor's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
382 views

What is the position of the EU on Northern Cyprus?

Northern Cyprus is the part of the island of Cyprus that has been occupied by Turkey since its invasion of Cyprus in 1974. As far as I can tell, the Republic of Northern Cyprus is only recognized by ...
CDJB's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
420 views

How can a sovereign state legally annex land belonging to another state?

Is it possible under international law for a country to legally acquire territory belonging to another sovereign country by force? What are the preconditions for this action to be legal? Is it just a ...
CDJB's user avatar
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7 votes
4 answers
2k views

If Taiwan declares independence, would that mean they are relinquishing their claim over mainland China?

Preface Ever since the communist revolution in China, Taiwan aka the Republic Of China (ROC) has maintained that they are the rightful government of mainland China. The People's Republic of China (...
holaymolay's user avatar
26 votes
6 answers
11k views

Would Taiwan and China's dispute be solved if Taiwan gave up being the Republic of China?

A recent ABC article quotes National Taiwan University political scientist Shimin Chen as saying "If Taiwan's diplomatic relations reach single digits or even zero, it represents that the ...
curiousdannii's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
496 views

What causes long-running disputes over sovereignty?

There are many disputes that appear pointless in my eyes. These are disputes that seem to have an easy resolution, but which the countries involved continue to fight over. A couple examples: Taiwan ...
Jim's user avatar
  • 39
0 votes
1 answer
691 views

Why does India say that Kashmir is an integral and inseparable ('atoot ang') part, but then refuse to talk about Kashmir on an international level?

India has claimed that Kashmir is its integral part but then refuses to discuss it in international forums (the latest being "Kashmir is an internal issue" by Sushma Swaraj at the OIC). If ...
ITguy's user avatar
  • 384
2 votes
1 answer
141 views

Does the international community accept either nation’s claim in the US–Haitian Navassa Island dispute?

Navassa Island lies between Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti, and is claimed by both the United States and Haiti. Have any other countries recognised either claim, or is the status of the international ...
gerrit's user avatar
  • 47.7k
0 votes
1 answer
626 views

Why did Morocco invade the Spanish Perejil island in 2002?

Morocco invaded Spanish Perejil island in 2002. Why (political intention) they did it?
Ulysses's user avatar
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9 votes
7 answers
2k views

What is the point of countries not recognizing the physical reality of who controls a certain territory?

There has recently been a lot of controversy regarding President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. However it seems odd to me that this is a point of contention in the ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
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23 votes
8 answers
14k views

Why is Palestine not a state yet? [closed]

Why hasn't a country named Palestine been created yet? Why does Israel from time to time build and destroy settlements in those areas? What is the fundamental problem between Israel and Palestine?
user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
265 views

Why does Guyana let international companies explore resources in territory reclaimed by Venezuela?

From what I know, one of the major issues between Guyana and Venezuela is that the Guyanese government has started negotiations with Exxon-Mobil to drill and produce oil in disputed territory, as you ...
Alberto Bonsanto's user avatar