The New York Times on phantom states
On the occasion of the 3rd anniversary of independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, The New York Times published an article on the menace the "phantom states" are posing to the world.
The phantom states are "places that field military forces, hold elections, build local economies and educate children, yet inhabit the foggy netherworld between de facto existence and international legitimacy."
Twelve unrecognized states with a total population of about 40 million are existing in the world now. In the post-Soviet area they are Nagorno-Karabakh and Transnistria; in Europe, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; in the Middle East, the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and the self-functioning territory of Somaliland.
"Indeed, most phantoms survive in part because of external support. Moscow is the power broker in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, while Armenia holds sway over Nagorno-Karabakh," the newspaper writes.
"Phantom countries frequently emerge from wars, and are sustained by the threat of further fighting… [They] stoke wars, foster crime, and make weak states even weaker…Phantom governments are often corrupt, run by warlords and plagued by drug trafficking and other illicit trade."
"If phantom governments behave well, they should be offered a path toward legitimacy by the world’s major powers," the newspaper writes, citing the example of Taiwan.
"By insisting on territorial integrity, the United States and other countries forgo the chance to turn phantom states into responsible players. So long as phantoms are denounced as separatists or outposts of illicit commerce, the international community has little opportunity to hold their leaders accountable. And treating them as mere eccentricities means that phantom states have little reason to care about the international order.
"Even when a phantom state becomes a genuine state, the problems don’t necessarily end…To avoid another Eritrea, the international community should push phantoms to reform rather than focusing exclusively on seeking statehood. Otherwise, millions of the world’s citizens will linger in legal and political limbo — rebels with a cause and soldiers with a ready-made grievance — while their neighborhoods remain at risk of war," the article reads.
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