Burma:
Despite multiparty elections in 1990 that resulted in the
main opposition party winning a decisive victory, the military junta
ruling the country refused to hand over power. Key opposition leader
and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG San Suu Kyi, under house arrest
from 1989 to 1995, was again placed under house detention in
September 2000; her supporters are routinely harassed or jailed.
Burundi:
Between 1993 and 2000, wide-spread, often intense ethnic
violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions in Burundi created hundreds
of thousands of refugees and left tens of thousands dead. Although
some refugees have returned from neighboring countries, continued
ethnic strife has forced many others to flee. Burundian troops,
seeking to secure their borders, have intervened in the conflict in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Cambodia:
Following a five-year struggle, communist Khmer Rouge
forces captured Phnom Penh in 1975 and ordered the evacuation of all
cities and towns; over 1 million displaced people died from
execution or enforced hardships. A 1978 Vietnamese invasion drove
the Khmer Rouge into the countryside and touched off 13 years of
fighting. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some
semblance of normalcy, as did the rapid diminishment of the Khmer
Rouge in the mid-1990s. A coalition government, formed after
national elections in 1998, brought renewed political stability and
the surrender of remaining Khmer Rouge forces.
Cameroon:
The former French Cameroon and part of British Cameroon
merged in 1961 to form the present country. Cameroon has generally
enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of
agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry.
Despite movement toward democratic reform, political power remains
firmly in the hands of an ethnic oligarchy.
Canada:
A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada
became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the
British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has
developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across
an unfortified border. Its paramount political problem continues to
be the relationship of the province of Quebec, with its
French-speaking residents and unique culture, to the remainder of
the country.
Cape Verde:
The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by
the Portuguese in the 15th century; they subsequently became a
trading center for African slaves. Most Cape Verdeans descend from
both groups. Independence was achieved in 1975.
Cayman Islands:
The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by
the British during the 18th and 19th centuries. Administered by
Jamaica from 1863, they remained a British dependency after 1962
when the former became independent.
Central African Republic:
The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari
became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After
three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments
- a civilian government was installed in 1993.
Chad:
Chad, part of France's African holdings until 1960, endured
three decades of ethnic warfare as well as invasions by Libya before
a semblance of peace was finally restored in 1990. The government
eventually suppressed or came to terms with most political-military
groups, settled a territorial dispute with Libya on terms favorable
to Chad, drafted a democratic constitution, and held multiparty
presidential and National Assembly elections in 1996 and 1997
respectively. In 1998 a new rebellion broke out in northern Chad,
which continued to escalate throughout 2000. Despite movement toward
democratic reform, power remains in the hands of a northern ethnic
oligarchy.
Chile:
A three-year-old Marxist government was overthrown in 1973 by
a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET, which ruled
until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound
economic policies, first implemented by the PINOCHET dictatorship,
led to unprecedented growth in 1991-97 and have helped secure the
country's commitment to democratic and representative government.
Growth slowed in 1998-99, but recovered strongly in 2000.