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@2028 Background
Afghanistan
Afghanistan's recent history is a story of war and civil
unrest. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979, but was forced to withdraw
10 years later by anti-Communist mujahidin forces. The Communist
regime in Kabul collapsed in 1992. Fighting that subsequently
erupted among the various mujahidin factions eventually helped to
spawn the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that
fought to end the warlordism and civil war which gripped the
country. The Taliban seized Kabul in 1996 and were able to capture
most of the country outside of Northern Alliance srongholds
primarily in the northeast. Following the 11 September 2001
terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and Northern Alliance military
action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. In late
2001, a conference in Bonn, Germany, established a process for
political reconstruction that ultimately resulted in the adoption of
a new constitution and presidential election in 2004. On 9 October
2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president
of Afghanistan. The new Afghan government's next task is to hold
National Assembly elections, tentatively scheduled for April 2005.
Akrotiri
By terms of the 1960 Treaty of Establishment that created
the independent Republic of Cyprus, the UK retained full sovreignty
and jurisdiction over two areas of almost 254 square kilometers in
total: Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The southernmost and smallest of these
is the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area, which is also referred to as
the Western Sovereign Base Area.
Albania
Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic
Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The
transition has proven difficult as successive governments have tried
to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated
infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks with links to high
government officials, and disruptive political opponents.
International observers judged parliamentary elections in 2001 and
local elections in 2003 to be acceptable and a step toward
democratic development, but identified serious deficiencies. Many of
these deficiencies have been addressed through bi-partisan changes
to the electoral code in 2003 and 2005, but implementation of these
changes will not be demonstrated until parliamentary elections in
July 2005.
Algeria
After more than a century of rule by France, Algerians
fought through much of the 1950s to achieve independence in 1962.
Algeria's primary political party, the National Liberation Front
(FLN), has dominated politics ever since. Many Algerians in the
subsequent generation were not satisfied, however, and moved to
counter the FLN's centrality in Algerian politics. The surprising
first round success of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) in the
December 1991 balloting spurred the Algerian army to intervene and
postpone the second round of elections to prevent what the secular
elite feared would be an extremist-led government from assuming
power. The army began a crack down on the FIS that spurred FIS
supporters to begin attacking government targets. The government
later allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate
religious-based parties, but did not appease the activists who
progressively widened their attacks. The fighting escalated into an
insurgency, which saw intense fighting between 1992-1998 and which
resulted in over 100,000 deaths - many attributed to indiscriminate
massacres of villagers by extremists. The government gained the
upper hand by the late-1990s and FIS's armed wing, the Islamic
Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000. However, small numbers of
armed militants persist in confronting government forces and
conducting ambushes and occasional attacks on villages. The army
placed Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA in the presidency in 1999 in a
fraudulent election but claimed neutrality in his 2004 landslide
reelection victory. A number of longstanding problems continue to
face BOUTEFLIKA in his second term, including the ethnic minority
Berbers' ongoing autonomy campaign, large-scale unemployment, a
shortage of housing, unreliable electrical and water supplies,
government inefficiencies and corruption, and the continuing -
although significantly degraded - activities of extremist militants.
Algeria must also diversify its petroleum-based economy, which has
yielded a large cash reserve but which has not been used to redress
Algeria's many social and infrastructure problems. Algeria assumed a
two-year seat on the UN Security Council in January 2004.
American Samoa
Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was "discovered"
by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries
in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899
treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago.
The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern
islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year.
Andorra
For 715 years, from 1278 to 1993, Andorrans lived under a
unique co-principality, ruled by French and Spanish leaders (from
1607 onward, the French chief of state and the Spanish bishop of
Urgel). In 1993, this feudal system was modified with the titular
heads of state retained, but the government transformed into a
parliamentary democracy. Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous
Andorra achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through
its tourist industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are
attracted to the thriving economy with its lack of income taxes.
Angola
Angola has begun to enjoy the fruits of peace since the end
of a 27-year civil war in 2002. Fighting between the Popular
Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose Eduardo
DOS SANTOS, and the National Union for the Total Independence of
Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas SAVIMBI, followed independence from
Portugal in 1975. Peace seemed imminent in 1992 when Angola held
national elections, but UNITA renewed fighting after being beaten by
the MPLA at the polls. Up to 1.5 million lives may have been lost -
and 4 million people displaced - in the quarter century of fighting.
SAVIMBI's death in 2002 ended UNITA's insurgency and strengthened
the MPLA's hold on power. DOS SANTOS has pledged to hold national
elections in 2006.
Anguilla
Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650,
Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th
century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants -
was incorporated into a single British dependency, along with Saint
Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two
years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this
arrangement was formally recognized in 1980, with Anguilla becoming
a separate British dependency.