Brunei
The Sultanate of Brunei's influence peaked between the 15th
and 17th centuries when its control extended over coastal areas of
northwest Borneo and the southern Philippines. Brunei subsequently
entered a period of decline brought on by internal strife over royal
succession, colonial expansion of European powers, and piracy. In
1888, Brunei became a British protectorate; independence was
achieved in 1984. The same family has ruled Brunei for over six
centuries. Brunei benefits from extensive petroleum and natural gas
fields, the source of one of the highest per capita GDPs in the
developing world.
Bulgaria
The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the
local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first
Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with
the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the
end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman
Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of
Bulgaria became independent in 1908. Having fought on the losing
side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of
influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist
domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty
election since World War II and began the contentious process of
moving toward political democracy and a market economy while
combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. Today,
reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual
integration into the EU. The country joined NATO in 2004.
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved
independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the
1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early
1990s. Burkina Faso's high population density and limited natural
resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its
citizens. Recent unrest in Cote d'Ivoire and northern Ghana has
hindered the ability of several hundred thousand seasonal Burkinabe
farm workers to find employment in neighboring countries.
Burma
Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886)
and incorporated it into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered
as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate,
self-governing colony; independence from the Commonwealth was
attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to
1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and
later as political kingpin. Despite multiparty legislative elections
in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National
League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the ruling
junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize
recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who was under house arrest from 1989 to
1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned in May 2003 and is currently
under house arrest. In December 2004, the junta announced it was
extending her detention for at least an additional year. Her
supporters, as well as all those who promote democracy and improved
human rights, are routinely harassed or jailed.
Burundi
Burundi's first democratically elected president was
assassinated in October 1993 after only one hundred days in office.
Since then, some 200,000 Burundians have perished in widespread,
often intense ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions.
Hundreds of thousands have been internally displaced or have become
refugees in neighboring countries. Burundi troops, seeking to secure
their borders, briefly intervened in the conflict in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo in 1998. A new transitional government,
inaugurated on 1 November 2001, signed a power-sharing agreement
with the largest rebel faction in December 2003 and set in place a
provisional constitution in October 2004. Implementation of the
agreement has been problematic, however, as one remaining rebel
group refuses to sign on and elections have been repeatedly delayed,
clouding prospects for a sustainable peace.
Cambodia
Most Cambodians consider themselves to be Khmers, whose
Angkor Empire extended over much of Southeast Asia and reached its
zenith between the 10th and 13th centuries. Subsequently, attacks by
the Thai and Cham (from present-day Vietnam) weakened the empire
ushering in a long period of decline. In 1863, the king of Cambodia
placed the country under French protection; it became part of French
Indochina in 1887. Following Japanese occupation in World War II,
Cambodia became independent within the French Union in 1949 and
fully independent in 1953. After a five-year struggle, Communist
Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh in April 1975 and ordered the
evacuation of all cities and towns; at least 1.5 million Cambodians
died from execution, enforced hardships, or starvation during the
Khmer Rouge regime under POL POT. A December 1978 Vietnamese
invasion drove the Khmer Rouge into the countryside, led to a
10-year Vietnamese occupation, and touched off almost 13 years of
civil war. The 1991 Paris Peace Accords mandated democratic
elections and a ceasefire, which was not fully respected by the
Khmer Rouge. UN-sponsored elections in 1993 helped restore some
semblance of normalcy and the final elements of the Khmer Rouge
surrendered in early 1999. Factional fighting in 1997 ended the
first coalition government, but a second round of national elections
in 1998 led to the formation of another coalition government and
renewed political stability. The July 2003 elections were relatively
peaceful, but it took one year of negotiations between contending
political parties before a coalition government was formed.
Nation-wide local elections are scheduled for 2007 and national
elections for 2008.
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. Canada's paramount political problem is
meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care and
education services after a decade of budget cuts. The issue of
reconciling Quebec's francophone heritage with the majority
anglophone Canadian population has moved to the back burner in
recent years; support for separatism abated after the Quebec
government's referendum on independence failed to pass in October of
1995.
Cape Verde
The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by
the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cape Verde subsequently became a
trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and
resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Following
independence in 1975, and a tentative interest in unification with
Guinea-Bissau, a one-party system was established and maintained
until multi-party elections were held in 1990. Cape Verde continues
to exhibit one of Africa's most stable democratic governments.
Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused
significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result,
Cape Verde's expatriate population is greater than its domestic one.
Most Cape Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents.
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the
British during the 18th and 19th centuries. Administered by Jamaica
since 1863, they remained a British dependency after 1962 when the
former became independent.