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news Jammu & Kashmir

For Kashmiris, resolution to decades of conflict remains a distant dream

When Indians mark 75 years of independence this month, poet Zareef Ahmad and others in Kashmir may feel there’s not much to celebrate.

NPR | 23 Aug 2022

analysis Abkhazia

Reflections on Abkhazia

August 2022 is the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the war between the Georgians and the Abkhazians in the decades-long dispute over ownership of the small territory known to the autochthonous Abkhazians as Apsny and to the Georgians as apxazeti. This project aims to bring together different points of view on Abkhazia.

Abkazia.co.uk | 22 Aug 2022

exhibition

Statecraft (and Beyond)

At the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (EMST) the international group show Statecraft is still on show till October 30. The exhibition explores the underlying mechanisms at work in the engineering of the nation-state and the challenges it faces in today’s globalized, networked world. Curated by Katerina Gregos.

19 Aug 2022

conference

Pushing the Boundaries

Statehood and sovereignty continue to be contested in a variety of ways throughout the world, resulting in protracted violent and latent conflicts in pursuit of self-determination, secession, and international recognition. At a conference in Innsbruck (August 22-26), scholars will interact about these themes in conceptual debates across various research traditions.

ECPR | 17 Aug 2022

analysis Kosovo

Europe Keeps a Wary Eye on Kosovo, Serbia

Panic has subsided — for now, at least — after a border dispute last week fueled fears that Kosovo and Serbia might be careening toward another war on European soil. Yet, locals downplay such possibilities. What happened, and what to expect next?

Politico | 9 Aug 2022

news

Lamb, the World’s Newest Micronation

Thirteen years after he bought it, Uri Geller, a master of the grand gesture, has decided to elevate Lamb’s status from a private Scottish island to that of a country, with a flag, constitution and anthem. Settlement on the island itself is not allowed, its only inhabitants being puffins, guillemots and an assortment of other seabirds - and until recently a solitary rat.

BBC | 7 Aug 2022

news Nagorno-Karabakh

New Tensions Explode over Karabakh

New tensions erupted over Nagorno-Karabakh on Wednesday as three soldiers were killed and Azerbaijan said it had taken control of several strategic heights in the disputed region.

France 24 | 3 Aug 2022

analysis Taiwan

In Visiting Taiwan, Pelosi Capped Three Decades of Challenging China

From her first days in Congress, Nancy Pelosi was willing to confront China’s leaders. As she looked toward her legacy, the California Democrat was not about to back down this time.

The New York Times | 2 Aug 2022

news Kosovo

New Tensions on Kosovo-Serb Border

Kosovo’s government has postponed the implementation of new rules that would force people in majority ethnic Serb areas to swap their Serbian-issued car number plates for Kosovan-issued ones. This decision follows on clashes in protest over the new rules.

BBC | 1 Aug 2022

event

Intriguing Stories at De Facto Live #4

De Facto explores the realm of unrecognized states, fictional countries and curious border zones. On July 13 we had a great evening with talks, art and film at De Roode Bioscoop in Amsterdam.

De Facto | 28 Jul 2022

long read Eurostaete

A Country of Seven Billion Outhabitants

In 2006, Gerard Beukeveld declared the independence of a piece of land less than three thousand square meters in size — a sovereign state on an industrial area in Coevorden (the Netherlands). Support poured in, but in short order the battle intensified. A curious encounter with the founders.

Jorie Horsthuis | 22 Jul 2022

report Donetsk People’s Republic

In Crimea and the Donbas, Organized Crime Reigns Supreme

Since they first separated from Ukraine in 2014, a nexus of crime, corruption and rebellion has flourished in the Russian-backed Donetsk and Luhansk ‘People’s Republics’ as well as Russian occupied Crimea, a new report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime found.

OCCRP | 15 Jul 2022

flags Luhansk People’s Republic

NASA issues rebuke to Russia for using space station as war propaganda

In a statement, the space agency said it ‘strongly rebukes using the International Space Station for political purposes to support its war against Ukraine’.

The Washington Post | 7 Jul 2022

documentary Somaliland

A Somali refugee in Finland moves his family back home in search of gold

Mustafe decides to leave his quiet life in Finland when copper and gold are discovered in his ancestral land, Somaliland.

Al Jazeera | 6 Jul 2022

opinion

Could new countries be founded – on the internet?

Coinbase’s former chief technology officer Balaji Srinivasan wants to use social networks to create states. What doesn’t fit into his vision are things like poverty, illness and ageing.

The Guardian | 5 Jul 2022

news Ceuta & Melilla

Death Toll Rising After Thousands Storm Spain’s Wall in Africa

The death toll among those who attempted to scale the fence into the Spanish enclave of Melilla last week continues to mount. With 29 dead, mostly sub-Saharan African, the figure, if confirmed, is among the worst-ever disasters for the Spanish enclave on the north Moroccan coast.

EU Observer | 27 Jun 2022

event

De Facto Live #4

De Facto explores the realm of unrecognized states, fictional countries and curious border zones. On July 13 we organize a live evening with talks, art and film at De Roode Bioscoop in Amsterdam. Join us!

De Facto | 20 Jun 2022

news Hans Island

Canada and Denmark Settle ‘Whisky War’

Canada and Denmark resolved a half-century-old border dispute, splitting the ownership of Hans Island, a 1.2-square kilometer mound of rock halfway between Nunavut and Greenland. The new border will divide the island roughly in half, following a natural ravine from north to south.

Politico | 14 Jun 2022

news Taiwan

China Warns Taiwan Independence Would Trigger War

China has warned the US that any attempt to make Taiwan independent from China will trigger military action by Beijing’s forces. Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe met his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of an Asian security summit in Singapore.

BBC | 12 Jun 2022

news Northern Cyprus

Cyprus to UN: Turkey seeks full control of breakaway north

Cyprus will lodge a complaint with the United Nations over Turkey’s new financial assistance deal with breakaway Turkish Cypriots that demonstrates Ankara’s “complete control” over them, the president of the ethnically divided island nation said Monday.

The Washington Post | 6 Jun 2022

news Somaliland

Why Taiwan has found an unlikely friend in Somaliland

The small African state of Somaliland legally doesn’t exist. But Taiwan has spied an opportunity to make its mark.

ABC news Australia | 5 Jun 2022

event

De Facto Live in a Sold Out Roode Bioscoop

After two years of Covid, De Facto could finally go live again. It was a great evening, with talks, art and music.

De Facto Hester den Boer | 1 Jun 2022

analysis Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh in the Shadow of Ukraine

As the ripples of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine pulse outward, they have left one region especially volatile: the South Caucasus. The Ukrainian conflict has paradoxically raised the likelihood of both further fighting and a negotiated peace in this area between the Caspian and Black Seas.

Foreign Affairs | 30 May 2022

news Jammu & Kashmir

India’s Kashmir sees upsurge in violence

Indian security forces have killed six militants in Kashmir in the past 24 hours while militants shot dead a female TV performer and a police officer, officials said on Thursday, following the conviction of the region’s best-known separatist.

reuters | 26 May 2022

event

Sold Out

Our De Facto LIVE #3 in De Roode Bioscoop (Amsterdam) is sold out. We are looking forward to this evening with talks, art and music. No tickets? Don’t worry, the next event will be on July 13. The program will be announced soon. Stay tuned!

De Facto | 24 May 2022

history Minerva

The Brief Life and Watery Death of a Libertarian Micronation

A wealthy American wanted to build an island republic. The king of Tonga had other ideas.

Slate | 21 May 2022

photography Somaliland

Art with Heart

Photographer Mustafa Saeed sees the potential of all art forms as therapy in a post-war nation, moving towards collaborative efforts to make this happen in Somaliland.

Forbes Africa | 11 May 2022

news Transnistria

Ukrainian War Casts Shadow over Transnistria

Moldova raises concerns over suspected destabilisation campaign in Russia-backed breakaway region.

Financial Times | 3 May 2022

art Sealand

Behind the Scenes at a Surreal NFT

A look inside at how the artist Robert Alice and their team pulled off an exhibition of NFTs and crypto art in the wildest setting imaginable, while at the same time taking these stories out of the confines of the screen and into the world.

Sotheby's | 21 Apr 2022

news Abkhazia

Georgian diorama artist protests against Russian aggression

Artist Tamuna Ianvarashvili uses the dioramas as a form of peaceful protest against Russia’s occupation of Georgian regions and its brutality in invading Ukraine in February.

AGENDA.GE | 19 Apr 2022

long read Nagorno-Karabakh

Stepanakert’s memory hotel

A small hotel in the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh unites several families who fled their homes during the recent war and provides a space to rekindle their hopes of finding a place to call home again.

OC Media | 18 Apr 2022

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