Territorial Disputes

5 of the World's Most Worrisome Disputed Territories

Many such areas have long existed without incident, but others are poised to flare into violence.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...ors_picks=true

Quote:

---

When it comes to territorial disputes across the globe, the list is long and ever-changing. There are now more than 150 disputes under way that involve territory, mostly in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific region, but also in Europe and the Americas. Some disputes are on the distant horizon (Antarctica), some are long-simmering (Jammu and Kashmir), and others—like Crimea—are at their boiling point.

---

I knew there were several, but had no idea there were over a 100 territorial disputes.

Found this one to be especially interesting.

Quote:

---

Transdnistria proclaimed independence from Moldova and allegiance to Moscow in the early 1990s and has been considered a "frozen conflict" ever since, but with an ongoing Russian military presence there. After Russia's recent actions in Ukraine, local leaders expressed their firm desire to be annexed next. NATO's supreme commander in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, said that request would give Russian President Vladimir Putin a pretext to send in troops, as he did in Crimea.

---

I wrote about it in 2009 (2), there are indeed many such disputes even in Europe. Often it's the "agreed to disagree" kind.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_V7Ehj7eG65...Europe.svg.png

Yesterday I read both posts, the links and the two Wiki contributions. Many of the disputes are very old, mostly stable and very few are consistently "hot". Even Kashmir is quiet compared to a few years ago.

There are disputes due to legal / territorial causes, but those where conflict is possible, if not latent are when an economic harvest is possible - oil & gas discoveries often. More potent are those disputes where large numbers of people from one nation have moved - in recent times - across the boundary into another where land can still be occupied.

That is why the long running disputes over the Bangladesh-Indian border come to the top of my list to watch as they are joined by large scale population moves, often into India's 'tribal' or 'minority' areas.

Crimea was no highlighted territorial dispute until recently either. In fact, it was officially no territorial dispute and IIRC not present on the Wikipedia list of territorial disputes until recently.

About Ivangorod and Petseri.

Quote:

---

Estonia, Russia Sign Border Treaty

18.02.2014

---

http://news.err.ee/v/politics/a64a99...5-dbc6b961cf13