United States:
The United States became the world's first modern
democracy after its break with Great Britain (1776) and the adoption
of a constitution (1789). During the 19th century, many new states
were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the
North American continent and acquired a number of overseas
possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's
history were the Civil War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the
1930s. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the
Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful
nation-state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low
unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
Uruguay:
A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement, the Tupamaros,
launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to agree to
military control of his administration in 1973. By the end of the
year the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to
expand its hold throughout the government. Civilian rule was not
restored until 1985. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are
among the freest on the continent.
Uzbekistan:
Russia conquered Uzbekistan in the late 19th century.
Stiff resistance to the Red Army after World War I was eventually
suppressed and a socialist republic set up in 1925. During the
Soviet era, intensive production of "white gold" (cotton) and grain
led to overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies,
which have left the land poisoned and the Aral Sea and certain
rivers half dry. Independent since 1991, the country seeks to
gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture while developing its
mineral and petroleum reserves. Current concerns include insurgency
by Islamic militants based in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, a
non-convertible currency, and the curtailment of human rights and
democratization.
Vanuatu:
The British and French who settled the New Hebrides in the
19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which
administered the islands until independence in 1980.
Venezuela:
Venezuela was one of the three countries that emerged
from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being
Colombia and Ecuador). For most of the first half of the 20th
century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military
strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social
reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since
1959. Current concerns include: drug-related conflicts along the
Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption,
overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price
fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are
endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.
Vietnam:
France occupied all of Vietnam by 1884. Independence was
declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until
1954 when they were defeated by communist forces under Ho Chi MINH,
who took control of the north. US economic and military aid to South
Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the
government, but US armed forces were withdrawn following a
cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later North Vietnamese
forces overran the south. Economic reconstruction of the reunited
country has proven difficult as aging Communist Party leaders have
only grudgingly initiated reforms necessary for a free market.
Virgin Islands: During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848.
Wake Island:
The US annexed Wake Island in 1899 for a cable station.
An important air and naval base was constructed in 1940-41. In
December 1941 the island was captured by the Japanese and held until
the end of World War II. In subsequent years, Wake was developed as
a stopover and refueling site for military and commercial aircraft
transiting the Pacific. Since 1974, the island's airstrip has been
used by the US military and some commercial cargo planes, as well as
for emergency landings. There are over 700 landings a year on the
island.
Wallis and Futuna:
Although discovered by the Dutch and the British
in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was the French who declared a
protectorate over the islands in 1842. In 1959, the inhabitants of
the islands voted to become a French overseas territory.
West Bank:
The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim
Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13
September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding
five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain
powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which
includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January
1996, as part of interim self-governing arrangements in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for
the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4
May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and
in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28
September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997
Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23
October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm
el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain
responsibility during the transitional period for external security
and for internal security and public order of settlements and
Israeli citizens. Permanent status is to be determined through
direct negotiations, which resumed in September 1999 after a
three-year hiatus. An intifadah broke out in September 2000; the
resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
Israel's military response, and instability in the Palestinian
Authority are undermining progress toward a permanent settlement.