One week ago, on November 10, a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement was signed by the president of Azerbaijan and the prime minister of Armenia, ending six weeks of warfare over disputed territory in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. As the handover date approached last weekend, some villagers set their own homes on fire before fleeing to Armenia.

The leader of a pro-independence group in Western Sahara declared war on Morocco, shattering a three-decade-long cease-fire and threatening a full-blown military conflict in the disputed desert territory in northwest Africa.

With the election of the conservative Turkish Cypriot Ersin Tatar, many anticipate a hardening of Turkish Cypriots’ position in negotiations over the final status of the island. An analysis by the Glasgow University lecturer Adrian Florea.

The president of Azerbaijan has said his troops have captured the strategically important city of Shushi—a claim refuted by Armenia. At least 1,000 people have died in Nagorno-Karabakh since fighting broke out.

De Facto is looking for an intern who can join our team. Specifically, we are looking for someone with a background in Political Sciences. As the internship will be remote due to covid-19, the student can do his/her work from all over the world.

A rightwing hardliner who has long advocated closer ties with Turkey has won a presidential runoff in the Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus. ‘We are the voice of Turkish Cypriots, we are fighters, we are fighting to exist within the TRNC,’ the newly elected leader said after his victory.

The long-term reasons for the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh are well known. But what caused such an extensive military intervention as the one we are seeing these days, over 25 years after the ceasefire? And what can and should be done now? An analysis by Giorgio Comai.

An area of eastern Ghana has declared itself a sovereign state. The region known as Western Togoland has had secessionist attempts in the past.

Since September 27, large-scale military operations have continued around Nagorno-Karabakh and on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Stepanakert is under attack, and on October 4, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced the capture of Talish. For live updates, videos and photos, follow JAMnews, the independent media platform from the Caucasus.

Are you interested in pursuing research on de facto state patron-client relations? The Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and the Department of Politics, University of York, are seeking a postdoctoral researcher to join the team of researchers on the project ‘Dynamics of de facto state patron-client relations (DeFacto)’. They are looking for a candidate with experience and ability to conduct empirical studies and field research.

One of the world’s oldest conflicts, a territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, has re-erupted with the heaviest clashes in years.

Plea to remember ‘birds do not know borders’ amid spat between Taiwan’s largest bird conservation group and UK-based BirdLife International.

Announcing the re-launch of the Kosovo recognition updates series! PolGeoNow will now once again be providing timely reports on when countries recognize—or un-recognize—the disputed Republic of Kosovo.

This property is not so unique for its land, but for its uncommon history as most would know it as the Hutt River Province, Northampton.

New design aims to avoid confusion with mainland, says government, though opposition criticises ‘ideological move’.

“Resign! Resign! Resign!” These were the words heard on the evening of Friday 28 August on the main square of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia. The words were addressed to its President Anatoly Bibilov. His position suddenly seems more insecure than ever before. What happened to imperil the regime so severely?

Fifty years ago, this remote micronation declared independence in a story of princes and princesses, taxes and treason and wheat quotas and war.

International relations and sport have become increasingly intertwined, with sport and sports events being used for various diplomatic and political goals. Yet, membership of FIFA and the IOC is largely organised along lines of sovereign statehood. What about CONIFA, the alternative for contested territories? An academic analysis by Ramesh Ganohariti and Ernst Dijxhoorn.

On the 23rd of July, Abkhazians celebrated their National Flag Day. On this date in 1992, Abkhazia declared itself independent.

BIRN has discovered more evidence of Kosovo institutions lobbying for a land swap with Serbia: a Le Monde journalist states that Kosovo Ambassador to France Qendrim Gashi advocated for territory exchange, while an American academic has revealed that Hashim Thaci asked him to prepare a paper endorsing the plan.

Today, Somaliland celebrates Independence Day to mark the polity’s unilateral proclamation of independence from the Somali Democratic Republic in 1991. However, its status remains unrecognized the world over. Find out more about this unique place on our website.

On 12 May 2014, the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics declared independence from Ukraine. In the photo book War in Ukraine, multimedia journalist Pierre Crom has documented the highly explosive situation in the Crimea and the Donbas region. With his pictures, he brings us closer to the people who got trapped in the chaos of war.

Almost all de facto states that survive for some time have a powerful ‘patron’ that provides security guarantees and economic support. Too often this has resulted in the de facto states simply being brushed off as hapless pawns in their patron’s power play.

Measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus have created an odd situation in a village straddling the Dutch-Belgian border where opposite sides of the road are in different countries. One store even had a ribbon down the middle of its premises, marking the border, with the Belgian section off-limits.

Extinguished Countries is the first guidebook series about countries that no longer exist. They don’t follow today’s borders but take us on a journey through time and space to lost kingdoms, republics and empires, looking for what unites us rather than divides us.

Abkhazia and South Ossetia closed their borders with Georgia after Georgia confirmed its first case of coronavirus infection. Abkhazia stated the Ingur border crossing will remain closed until 7 April. The closure of local checkpoints between South Ossetia and Georgia is indefinite.

Dozens of Greek and Turkish Cypriots protested against a government decision to temporarily close four checkpoints on the Green Line as part of measures to prevent an outbreak of coronavirus.

Exactly six years after multimedia journalist Pierre Crom witnessed the very beginning of the annexation of Crimea, Subjectio is launched: an experimental online storytelling project about methods used by superpowers to control and manipulate the representation of the truth.

What is Brexit? Is it a case of secession? Or should we think of it in other terms? In this video, James Ker-Lindsay (London School of Economics) explores how we can best define the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union.

Artist Sipa Labakhua travels the land of his birth, Abkhazia. His father was an idealistic politician who was forced by the war with Georgia to flee to Moscow. Now, his son has returned home and collects memories and reflections of a colourful community. A poetic road movie by director Ineke Smits.