Senegal
Independent from France in 1960, Senegal was ruled by the
Socialist Party for forty years until current President Abdoulaye
WADE was elected in 2000. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the
nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982, but the envisaged
integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the
union was dissolved in 1989. A southern separatist group
sporadically has clashed with government forces since 1982, but
Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa.
Senegal has a long history of participating in international
peacekeeping.
Serbia
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 each other as well as the invaders. The group headed by Josip
TITO took full control of Yugoslavia upon German expulsion in 1945.
Although Communist, his new government and its successors (he died
in 1980) managed to steer their 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, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were
recognized as independent states in 1992. The remaining republics of
Serbia and Montenegro declared a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
(FRY) in April 1992 and, under President Slobodan MILOSEVIC, Serbia
led various military intervention efforts to unite ethnic Serbs in
neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions led to
Yugoslavia being ousted from the UN in 1992, but Serbia continued
its campaign until signing the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. In
1998-99, massive expulsions by FRY forces and Serb paramilitaries of
ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo provoked an international
response, including the NATO bombing of Belgrade and the stationing
of a NATO-led force (KFOR), 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 from the
UN was lifted, and it was once more accepted into UN organizations
under the name of the Federal Republic 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, pending a determination by the international
community of its future status. In 2002, the Serbian and Montenegrin
components of Yugoslavia began negotiations to forge a looser
relationship. In February 2003 lawmakers restructured the country
into a loose federation of two republics called Serbia and
Montenegro. The Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro
included a provision that allowed either republic to hold a
referendum after three years that would allow for their independence
from the state union. In the spring of 2006, Montenegro took
advantage of the provision to undertake a successful independence
vote enabling it to secede on 3 June. Two days later, Serbia
declared that it was the successor state to the union of Serbia and
Montenegro.
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 in 2001; President RENE, who had
served since 1977, was re-elected. In April 2004 RENE stepped down
and Vice President James MICHEL was sworn in as president.
Sierra Leone
The government is slowly reestablishing its authority
after the 1991 to 2002 civil war that resulted in tens of thousands
of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (about
one-third of the population). The last UN peacekeepers withdrew in
December 2005, leaving full responsibility for security with
domestic forces, but a new civilian UN office remains to support the
government. Mounting tensions related to planned 2007 elections,
deteriorating political and economic conditions in Guinea, and the
tenuous security situation in neighboring Liberia may present
challenges to continuing progress in Sierra Leone's stability.
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. Singapore subsequently became one of
the world's most prosperous countries with strong international
trading links (its port is one of the world's busiest in terms of
tonnage handled) and with per capita GDP equal to that of the
leading nations of Western Europe.
Slovakia
The dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close
of World War I allowed the Slovaks to join 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 joined both NATO and the EU
in the spring of 2004.
Slovenia
The Slovene lands were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire
until the latter's dissolution at the end of World War I. In 1918,
the Slovenes joined the Serbs and Croats in forming a new
multinational state, which was named 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 by 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. Slovenia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring
of 2004.
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 this archipelago. Self-government was achieved in 1976
and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government
malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil
society. In June 2003, Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the
assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the
following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to
restore peace and disarm ethnic militias. The Regional Assistance
Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been very effective in
restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions.
Somalia
Britain withdrew from British Somaliland in 1960 in order to
allow its protectorate to join with Italian Somaliland and form the
new nation of Somalia. In 1969, a coup headed by Mohamed SIAD Barre
ushered in an authoritarian socialist rule that managed to impose a
degree of stability in the country for a couple of decades. After
the regime's overthrow early in 1991, Somalia descended into
turmoil, factional fighting, and anarchy. In May of 1991, northern
clans declared an independent Republic of Somaliland that now
includes the administrative regions of Awdal, Woqooyi Galbeed,
Togdheer, Sanaag, and Sool. Although not recognized by any
government, this entity has maintained a stable existence, aided by
the overwhelming dominance of a ruling clan and economic
infrastructure left behind by British, Russian, and American
military assistance programs. The regions of Bari, Nugaal, and
northern Mudug comprise a neighboring self-declared autonomous state
of Puntland, which has been self-governing since 1998, but does not
aim at independence; it has also made strides toward reconstructing
a legitimate, representative government, but has suffered some civil
strife. Puntland disputes its border with Somaliland as it also
claims portions of eastern Sool and Sanaag. Beginning in 1993, a
two-year UN humanitarian effort (primarily in the south) was able to
alleviate famine conditions, but when the UN withdrew in 1995,
having suffered significant casualties, order still had not been
restored. The mandate of the Transitional National Government (TNG),
created in August 2000 in Arta, Djibouti, expired in August 2003. A
two-year peace process, led by the Government of Kenya under the
auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD),
concluded in October 2004 with the election of Abdullahi YUSUF Ahmed
as Transitional Federal President of Somalia and the formation of a
transitional government, known as the Somalia Transitional Federal
Institutions (TFIs). The Somalia TFIs include a 275-member
parliamentary body, known as the Transitional Federal Assembly
(TFA), a transitional Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed GHEDI, and a
90-member cabinet. The TFIs are currently divided between Mogadishu
and Jowhar, but discussions to co-locate the TFIs in one city are
ongoing. Suspicion of Somali links with global terrorism further
complicates the picture.
South Africa
After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in
1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found
their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold
(1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the
subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British
encroachments, but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The
resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid
- the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to
apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule.