Sao Tome and Principe
Discovered and claimed by Portugal in the late
15th century, the islands' sugar-based economy gave way to coffee
and cocoa in the 19th century - all grown with plantation slave
labor, a form of which lingered into the 20th century. Although
independence was achieved in 1975, democratic reforms were not
instituted until the late 1980s. Though the first free elections
were held in 1991, the political environment has been one of
continued instability with frequent changes in leadership and coup
attempts in 1995 and 2003. The recent discovery of oil in the Gulf
of Guinea is likely to have a significant impact on the country's
economy.
Saudi Arabia
In 1902, ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al Saud captured
Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian
Peninsula. In the 1930s, the discovery of oil transformed the
country. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia
accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while
allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the
liberation of Kuwait the following year. A burgeoning population,
aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum
output and prices are all major governmental concerns.
Senegal
Independent from France in 1960, Senegal joined with The
Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982.
However, the envisaged integration of the two countries was never
carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. Despite peace
talks, a southern separatist group sporadically has clashed with
government forces since 1982. Senegal has a long history of
participating in international peacekeeping.
Serbia and Montenegro
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was
formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929.
Occupation by Nazi Germany in 1941 was resisted by various
paramilitary bands that fought themselves as well as the invaders.
The group headed by Marshal TITO took full control upon German
expulsion in 1945. Although Communist, his new government
successfully steered its own path between the Warsaw Pact nations
and the West for the next four and a half decades. In the early
1990s, post-TITO Yugoslavia began to unravel along ethnic lines:
Slovenia, Croatia, and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia all
declared their independence in 1991; Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992.
The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new
"Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" (FRY) in 1992 and, under President
Slobodan MILOSEVIC, Serbia led various military intervention efforts
to unite Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." All
of these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. In 1999, massive
expulsions by FRY forces and Serb paramilitaries of ethnic Albanians
living in Kosovo provoked an international response, including the
NATO bombing of Serbia and the stationing of NATO, Russian, and
other peacekeepers in Kosovo. Federal elections in the fall of 2000,
brought about the ouster of MILOSEVIC and installed Vojislav
KOSTUNICA as president. The arrest of MILOSEVIC in 2001 allowed for
his subsequent transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for
the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague to be tried for crimes against
humanity. In 2001, the country's suspension was lifted, and it was
once more accepted into UN organizations under the name of
Yugoslavia. Kosovo has been governed by the UN Interim
Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since June 1999, under the
authority of UN Security Council Resolution 1244. In 2002, the
Serbian and Montenegrin components of Yugoslavia began negotiations
to forge a looser relationship. These talks became a reality in
February 2003 when lawmakers restructured the country into a loose
federation of two republics called Serbia and Montenegro. An
agreement was also reached to hold a referendum in each republic in
three years on full independence.
Seychelles
A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for
the islands ended in 1814, when they were ceded to the latter.
Independence came in 1976. Socialist rule was brought to a close
with a new constitution and free elections in 1993. The most recent
presidential elections were held 31 August-2 September 2001.
President RENE, who has served since 1977, was re-elected.
Sierra Leone
Since 1991, civil war between the government and the
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has resulted in tens of thousands
of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (well
over one-third of the population), many of whom are now refugees in
neighboring countries. After several setbacks, the end to the
11-year conflict in Sierra Leone may finally be near at hand. With
the support of the UN peacekeeping force and contributions from the
World Bank and international community, demobilization and
disarmament of the RUF and Civil Defense Forces (CDF) combatants has
been completed. National elections were held in May 2002 and the
government continues to slowly reestablish its authority.
Singapore
Singapore was founded as a British trading colony in 1819.
It joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but separated two years
later and became independent. It subsequently became one of the
world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading
links (its port is one of the world's busiest) and with per capita
GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe.
Slovakia
In 1918 the Slovaks joined the closely related Czechs to
form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of World War II,
Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern
Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in 1989 and Czechoslovakia once
more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate
peacefully on 1 January 1993. Slovakia was invited to join NATO and
the EU in 2002.
Slovenia
The Slovene lands were part of the Holy Roman Empire and
Austria until 1918 when the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in
forming a new nation, renamed Yugoslavia in 1929. After World War
II, Slovenia became a republic of the renewed Yugoslavia, which
though Communist, distanced itself from Moscow's rule. Dissatisfied
with the exercise of power of the majority Serbs, the Slovenes
succeeded in establishing their independence in 1991 after a short
10-day war. Historical ties to Western Europe, a strong economy, and
a stable democracy have assisted in Slovenia's transformation to a
modern state. In December 2002, Slovenia received an invitation to
join NATO, and it is scheduled to accede to the EU along with nine
other states on 1 May 2004. In a March 2003 referendum on NATO and
EU membership, Slovenes voted 90% in favor of joining the EU and 66%
in favor of joining NATO.
Solomon Islands
The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon
Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II
occurred on these islands. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and
independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government
malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil
society.