news Sealand Hackers Have Taken Control over Sealand's Website A threat actor has hacked the website of the Principality of Sealand, a micronation in the North Sea, and planted malicious code on its web store, which the government is using to sell baron, count, duke, and other nobility titles. The Record | 8 Dec 2021 news Jammu & Kashmir India Arrests Activist in Kashmir India’s anti-terrorism agency arrested Khurram Parvez, a prominent human rights activist in Kashmir. Parvez is the program coordinator for the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, that for decades has monitored and investigated human rights violations in Kashmir, a Muslim-majority enclave claimed by India and Pakistan. Washington Post | 23 Nov 2021 news Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia State of Emergency over Mapuche Conflict Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has announced a state of emergency and deployed troops to two southern regions where clashes have broken out between Mapuche indigenous people and security forces. The Mapuche are demanding the restoration of their ancestral lands and self-determination. Al Jazeera | 20 Oct 2021 news Taiwan Taiwan national day: we will not bow to China, says president amid tensions Tsai Ing-wen condemns China’s plans for Taiwan and says island will continue to build its defences. The Guardian | 10 Oct 2021 news Catalonia Judge Delays Ruling on Extradition Request for Puigdemont Former Catalan separatist leader says he is ‘very happy’ after walking free from Sardinian court. The Guardian | 4 Oct 2021 news Greater and Lesser Tunbs Iran, UAE rehash tensions over contested islands The UAE deputy foreign minister’s address to the United Nations stirred up the territorial dispute, which has long been at the very core of tensions between the Arab state and the Islamic Republic. AL-Monitor | 29 Sep 2021 analysis Nagorno-Karabakh A Year after the War One year after the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, there is nothing that would carry even a faint promise of reconciliation and co-existence. Open Democracy | 27 Sep 2021 news Kosovo Tensions Rise in Kosovo's Licence Plate Dispute Kosovo deployed special police units as Serbs blocked roads near border crossing points with Serbia after the Pristina government imposed new rules forcing them to switch to temporary Kosovo licence plates when entering the country. “This is a direct threat to our people”, local protesters say. Balkan Insight | 20 Sep 2021 news Taiwan Why Taiwan Matters to the United States Washington has strategic, economic, and normative reasons for safeguarding the island from Chinese coercion. The Diplomat | 23 Aug 2021 news Northern Cyprus Unease as Cyprus ‘Ghost Town’ Rises from the Ruins of War Varosha, once a chic resort, is being rebuilt in the latest move of Turkey’s power play in the eastern Mediterranean. The Guardian | 18 Jul 2021 news Biafra Separatist Leader Arrested The fugitive leader of a prominent Biafra secessionist group has been arrested and extradited to Nigeria, in a move likely to inflame separatist unrest in south-east Nigeria. Nnamdi Kanu had been wanted by Nigerian authorities since 2015, when he was charged with terrorism offences and incitement, after broadcasts aired on Radio Biafra, a digital station he founded and ran from his home in Peckham (UK). The Guardian | 30 Jun 2021 news Hutt River Micronation Hutt River hits the market If you’re looking to find a safe haven from lockdowns, you might be in the market for an entire micronation. Elite Agent | 29 Jun 2021 news Nagorno-Karabakh First time in Karabakh These stories of life in the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic are told by journalist Diana Gasparyan who went there to meet local residents and learn first-hand what is happening there after the second Karabakh war. During the trip, she kept a travel diary for JAMnews. JAMNews | 28 Jun 2021 maps Ukraine's Euro 2020 football kit provokes outrage in Russia A new kit for Ukraine’s football team, showing a map including Russian-annexed Crimea, has provoked anger in Moscow. BBC | 7 Jun 2021 maps Liancourt Rocks South Korea Erupts in Outrage Over Tokyo Olympics Map The South Korean government and activists alike expressed deep regret toward a map marking disputed islets as Japanese territory. The Diplomat | 2 Jun 2021 news Ceuta & Melilla ‘Come On In, Boys’: A Wave of the Hand Sets Off Spain-Morocco Migrant Fight Spanish officials say Morocco increasingly sees migrants as currency for financial and political gains after it let up to 12,000 flood into a Spanish enclave in North Africa over two days. The New York Times | 2 Jun 2021 news Ceuta & Melilla Migrants reach Spain’s Ceuta enclave in record numbers At least 6,000 migrants have reached Spain’s Ceuta enclave from neighbouring Morocco, a record number over a single day, Spanish officials say. BBC | 18 May 2021 stamps Chagos Archipelago UN favours Mauritian control over Chagos Islands by rejecting UK stamps Refusal to recognise British Indian Ocean Territory stamps is latest move to assert Mauritian sovereignty. The Guardian | 16 May 2021 news Fergana Valley What Is Behind the Escalation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik Border? A conflict over natural resources has flared into serious border skirmishes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. By Andrea Schmitz & Dumitru Minzarari. Fair Observer | 10 May 2021 analysis Leaving Our ‘Troubles’ Behind? Rioting, masked protestors, buses set alight, attacks against police officers and journalists—scenes that were once all too familiar have become a reality once again on the streets of Northern Ireland. Is a return to violence an inevitable reality? Leiden Security and Global Affairs | 15 Apr 2021 podcast Liberland I Built My Own State and It’ll Be a Tax Haven Exactly five years ago, Vít Jedlička created his own state: Liberland. It’s located between Serbia and Croatia and designed to be a minarchist state—with as minimal government as possible. Listen to President Jedlicka speaking of his philosophy and bold plans. Through Bastiat's Eye | 13 Apr 2021 news Ukraine’s President Visits Donbass as Tensions Mount Kyiv has raised the alarm over a buildup of Russian forces near the border between Ukraine and Russia, and over a rise in violence along the line of contact separating Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine’s Donbass region. Reuters | 8 Apr 2021 photography Nagorno-Karabakh The Impact of War Russian photographer Valery Melnikov is nominated with this image for the World Press Photo of the Year 2021. He documented the people that left areas that were to return to Azerbaijani control following the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: this Armenian family is just about to leave their home. De Facto | 30 Mar 2021 news This Is What It’s Like to Live in a Country ‘That Doesn’t Exist’ Today in Europe there are 6.5 million people living in countries that, according to the rest of the world anyway, do not exist. These would-be republics’ borders, born out of the chaos of the fall of the Soviet Union, are unrecognized by the international family of nations, as is their legal right to dictate the shape of their futures. VICE | 24 Mar 2021 interview Citizenship in Contested Territories What does it mean to be a citizen of Abkhazia, South Ossetia or any other de facto state? Are the people living in such territories stateless? What are some of the precarious situations they are faced with? An interview with our esteemed explorer Ramesh Ganohariti, a PhD student from Dublin City University. Dublin Law and Politics Review | 8 Mar 2021 news Loyalist Paramilitary Groups Renounce Good Friday Agreement Loyalist paramilitary groups have told the British and Irish governments they are withdrawing support for the Good Friday agreement in protest at Northern Ireland’s Irish Sea trade border with the rest of the UK. The Guardian | 4 Mar 2021 maps Kosovo Maps Matter Even if you don’t know much about the Balkans, you might know that borders and maps are a rather sensitive issue there. But Miroslav Lajčák, the EU’s top official for the region, seemed caught by surprise when a map in his office sparked a storm of criticism from Kosovo and further afield. Politico | 25 Feb 2021 news Catalonia Separatists Boost Majority Separatist parties in Catalonia have boosted their parliamentary majority in the regional elections, held amid a third wave of coronavirus. The pro-union Socialist Party, led by former health minister Salvador Illa, won the most votes to claim a narrow victory, but will struggle to form a government. Euronews | 15 Feb 2021 news Kosovo Stay Tuned for Kosovo's Snap Elections Voters in Kosovo will cast their ballots in snap parliamentary elections—the sixth such poll in 14 years—which analysts have predicted will be a much tighter race than usual. Stay tuned for all the latest developments, election results and reactions as Kosovo citizens head to the polls to elect a new government. Balkan Insight | 14 Feb 2021 news Catalonia Litmus Test for the Separatists Elections in Catalonia this week are poised to change the political landscape of the region as the ultranationalist party Vox is set to enter its parliament for the first time. Vox is campaigning on a hardline anti-separatist ticket. The Times | 10 Feb 2021 food & drinks Paracel Islands Vietnamese Brewery Names Beers After Disputed South China Sea Islands A brewery in Vietnam has waded into one of the most contentious maritime disputes in the world by naming craft beers after islands claimed by China in a hops-flavored act of patriotism guaranteed to irritate Beijing. Vice | 2 Feb 2021
news Sealand Hackers Have Taken Control over Sealand's Website A threat actor has hacked the website of the Principality of Sealand, a micronation in the North Sea, and planted malicious code on its web store, which the government is using to sell baron, count, duke, and other nobility titles. The Record | 8 Dec 2021
news Jammu & Kashmir India Arrests Activist in Kashmir India’s anti-terrorism agency arrested Khurram Parvez, a prominent human rights activist in Kashmir. Parvez is the program coordinator for the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, that for decades has monitored and investigated human rights violations in Kashmir, a Muslim-majority enclave claimed by India and Pakistan. Washington Post | 23 Nov 2021
news Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia State of Emergency over Mapuche Conflict Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has announced a state of emergency and deployed troops to two southern regions where clashes have broken out between Mapuche indigenous people and security forces. The Mapuche are demanding the restoration of their ancestral lands and self-determination. Al Jazeera | 20 Oct 2021
news Taiwan Taiwan national day: we will not bow to China, says president amid tensions Tsai Ing-wen condemns China’s plans for Taiwan and says island will continue to build its defences. The Guardian | 10 Oct 2021
news Catalonia Judge Delays Ruling on Extradition Request for Puigdemont Former Catalan separatist leader says he is ‘very happy’ after walking free from Sardinian court. The Guardian | 4 Oct 2021
news Greater and Lesser Tunbs Iran, UAE rehash tensions over contested islands The UAE deputy foreign minister’s address to the United Nations stirred up the territorial dispute, which has long been at the very core of tensions between the Arab state and the Islamic Republic. AL-Monitor | 29 Sep 2021
analysis Nagorno-Karabakh A Year after the War One year after the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, there is nothing that would carry even a faint promise of reconciliation and co-existence. Open Democracy | 27 Sep 2021
news Kosovo Tensions Rise in Kosovo's Licence Plate Dispute Kosovo deployed special police units as Serbs blocked roads near border crossing points with Serbia after the Pristina government imposed new rules forcing them to switch to temporary Kosovo licence plates when entering the country. “This is a direct threat to our people”, local protesters say. Balkan Insight | 20 Sep 2021
news Taiwan Why Taiwan Matters to the United States Washington has strategic, economic, and normative reasons for safeguarding the island from Chinese coercion. The Diplomat | 23 Aug 2021
news Northern Cyprus Unease as Cyprus ‘Ghost Town’ Rises from the Ruins of War Varosha, once a chic resort, is being rebuilt in the latest move of Turkey’s power play in the eastern Mediterranean. The Guardian | 18 Jul 2021
news Biafra Separatist Leader Arrested The fugitive leader of a prominent Biafra secessionist group has been arrested and extradited to Nigeria, in a move likely to inflame separatist unrest in south-east Nigeria. Nnamdi Kanu had been wanted by Nigerian authorities since 2015, when he was charged with terrorism offences and incitement, after broadcasts aired on Radio Biafra, a digital station he founded and ran from his home in Peckham (UK). The Guardian | 30 Jun 2021
news Hutt River Micronation Hutt River hits the market If you’re looking to find a safe haven from lockdowns, you might be in the market for an entire micronation. Elite Agent | 29 Jun 2021
news Nagorno-Karabakh First time in Karabakh These stories of life in the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic are told by journalist Diana Gasparyan who went there to meet local residents and learn first-hand what is happening there after the second Karabakh war. During the trip, she kept a travel diary for JAMnews. JAMNews | 28 Jun 2021
maps Ukraine's Euro 2020 football kit provokes outrage in Russia A new kit for Ukraine’s football team, showing a map including Russian-annexed Crimea, has provoked anger in Moscow. BBC | 7 Jun 2021
maps Liancourt Rocks South Korea Erupts in Outrage Over Tokyo Olympics Map The South Korean government and activists alike expressed deep regret toward a map marking disputed islets as Japanese territory. The Diplomat | 2 Jun 2021
news Ceuta & Melilla ‘Come On In, Boys’: A Wave of the Hand Sets Off Spain-Morocco Migrant Fight Spanish officials say Morocco increasingly sees migrants as currency for financial and political gains after it let up to 12,000 flood into a Spanish enclave in North Africa over two days. The New York Times | 2 Jun 2021
news Ceuta & Melilla Migrants reach Spain’s Ceuta enclave in record numbers At least 6,000 migrants have reached Spain’s Ceuta enclave from neighbouring Morocco, a record number over a single day, Spanish officials say. BBC | 18 May 2021
stamps Chagos Archipelago UN favours Mauritian control over Chagos Islands by rejecting UK stamps Refusal to recognise British Indian Ocean Territory stamps is latest move to assert Mauritian sovereignty. The Guardian | 16 May 2021
news Fergana Valley What Is Behind the Escalation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik Border? A conflict over natural resources has flared into serious border skirmishes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. By Andrea Schmitz & Dumitru Minzarari. Fair Observer | 10 May 2021
analysis Leaving Our ‘Troubles’ Behind? Rioting, masked protestors, buses set alight, attacks against police officers and journalists—scenes that were once all too familiar have become a reality once again on the streets of Northern Ireland. Is a return to violence an inevitable reality? Leiden Security and Global Affairs | 15 Apr 2021
podcast Liberland I Built My Own State and It’ll Be a Tax Haven Exactly five years ago, Vít Jedlička created his own state: Liberland. It’s located between Serbia and Croatia and designed to be a minarchist state—with as minimal government as possible. Listen to President Jedlicka speaking of his philosophy and bold plans. Through Bastiat's Eye | 13 Apr 2021
news Ukraine’s President Visits Donbass as Tensions Mount Kyiv has raised the alarm over a buildup of Russian forces near the border between Ukraine and Russia, and over a rise in violence along the line of contact separating Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine’s Donbass region. Reuters | 8 Apr 2021
photography Nagorno-Karabakh The Impact of War Russian photographer Valery Melnikov is nominated with this image for the World Press Photo of the Year 2021. He documented the people that left areas that were to return to Azerbaijani control following the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War: this Armenian family is just about to leave their home. De Facto | 30 Mar 2021
news This Is What It’s Like to Live in a Country ‘That Doesn’t Exist’ Today in Europe there are 6.5 million people living in countries that, according to the rest of the world anyway, do not exist. These would-be republics’ borders, born out of the chaos of the fall of the Soviet Union, are unrecognized by the international family of nations, as is their legal right to dictate the shape of their futures. VICE | 24 Mar 2021
interview Citizenship in Contested Territories What does it mean to be a citizen of Abkhazia, South Ossetia or any other de facto state? Are the people living in such territories stateless? What are some of the precarious situations they are faced with? An interview with our esteemed explorer Ramesh Ganohariti, a PhD student from Dublin City University. Dublin Law and Politics Review | 8 Mar 2021
news Loyalist Paramilitary Groups Renounce Good Friday Agreement Loyalist paramilitary groups have told the British and Irish governments they are withdrawing support for the Good Friday agreement in protest at Northern Ireland’s Irish Sea trade border with the rest of the UK. The Guardian | 4 Mar 2021
maps Kosovo Maps Matter Even if you don’t know much about the Balkans, you might know that borders and maps are a rather sensitive issue there. But Miroslav Lajčák, the EU’s top official for the region, seemed caught by surprise when a map in his office sparked a storm of criticism from Kosovo and further afield. Politico | 25 Feb 2021
news Catalonia Separatists Boost Majority Separatist parties in Catalonia have boosted their parliamentary majority in the regional elections, held amid a third wave of coronavirus. The pro-union Socialist Party, led by former health minister Salvador Illa, won the most votes to claim a narrow victory, but will struggle to form a government. Euronews | 15 Feb 2021
news Kosovo Stay Tuned for Kosovo's Snap Elections Voters in Kosovo will cast their ballots in snap parliamentary elections—the sixth such poll in 14 years—which analysts have predicted will be a much tighter race than usual. Stay tuned for all the latest developments, election results and reactions as Kosovo citizens head to the polls to elect a new government. Balkan Insight | 14 Feb 2021
news Catalonia Litmus Test for the Separatists Elections in Catalonia this week are poised to change the political landscape of the region as the ultranationalist party Vox is set to enter its parliament for the first time. Vox is campaigning on a hardline anti-separatist ticket. The Times | 10 Feb 2021
food & drinks Paracel Islands Vietnamese Brewery Names Beers After Disputed South China Sea Islands A brewery in Vietnam has waded into one of the most contentious maritime disputes in the world by naming craft beers after islands claimed by China in a hops-flavored act of patriotism guaranteed to irritate Beijing. Vice | 2 Feb 2021