what should happen with Somaliland

[dead0man]

I say we recognize them.  It's interesting that the currently most successful country in the Horn of Africa isn't really a country.

[CumbrianLefty]

I agree it should be recognised, but it isn't without its own problems - there have been recent protests over alleged election rigging that have resulted in fatalities.

[PSOL]

Independence

[TheReckoning]

If we recognize Somaliland, wouldn’t that mean we would have to recognize places like Transnitria and South Ossetia too? What’s the difference?

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

If we recognize Somaliland, wouldn’t that mean we would have to recognize places like Transnitria and South Ossetia too? What’s the difference?

Well, you see, one is an independence movement, and the others are Russian invasions in sovereign countries meant to undermine those countries' territorial integrity and pro-western diplomatic alliances.

[PSOL]

Transinistria is rightfully Moldovan territory and should be reunified peacefully once there is an electoral change of government in Moldova. Abskhazia and South Ossetia should allow a right of return for Georgians who lived there and be recognized as independent.

[TheReckoning]

Transinistria is rightfully Moldovan territory and should be reunified peacefully once there is an electoral change of government in Moldova. Abskhazia and South Ossetia should allow a right of return for Georgians who lived there and be recognized as independent.

In your opinion, should Taiwan and China formally split? What about NK/SK?

[gerritcole]

transnistria is romanian and is eu soil

[PSOL]

Transinistria is rightfully Moldovan territory and should be reunified peacefully once there is an electoral change of government in Moldova. Abskhazia and South Ossetia should allow a right of return for Georgians who lived there and be recognized as independent.

In your opinion, should Taiwan and China formally split? What about NK/SK?

The split happened in 1949, Taiwan is not China nor apart of China. Same with the Koreas.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Transinistria is rightfully Moldovan territory and should be reunified peacefully once there is an electoral change of government in Moldova. Abskhazia and South Ossetia should allow a right of return for Georgians who lived there and be recognized as independent.

In your opinion, should Taiwan and China formally split? What about NK/SK?

Funny enough, Taiwan and Somaliland actually have some equivalent of an embassy.

[TheReckoning]

If we recognize Somaliland, wouldn’t that mean we would have to recognize places like Transnitria and South Ossetia too? What’s the difference?

Well, you see, one is an independence movement, and the others are Russian invasions in sovereign countries meant to undermine those countries' territorial integrity and pro-western diplomatic alliances.

Just because a country is set up by a foreign government, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t recognize it. Otherwise, Somalia (set up by British and Italians) shouldn’t be recognized!

[Flats the Flounder]

Maybe there's some diplomatic rule against this that I'm not aware of, but countries should be more willing in general to recognize nations that exist de facto.

There are multiple countries like Somalia with borders drawn up 100 years ago by colonial powers that functionally don't exist as a unified state today, and yet international organizations still like to keep up the facade for whatever reason.

Not saying this should happen with all disputed territories, but Somalia hasn't functionally existed for like 30 years. I think it's time we face reality on this region at least.

[Zinneke]

It should be recognised, for the sake of the security situation in the region. But the problem then becomes it's relationship to Ethiopia.

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

probably Option 5 for now.

[GMantis]

If we recognize Somaliland, wouldn’t that mean we would have to recognize places like Transnitria and South Ossetia too? What’s the difference?

Well, you see, one is an independence movement, and the others are Russian invasions in sovereign countries meant to undermine those countries' territorial integrity and pro-western diplomatic alliances.

No, the difference is that South Ossetia and Transnistria (and Abkhazia) have foreign support. Georgia committed atrocities in both places and expelled thousands of Ossetians from its territory. Both of these countries would want independence regardless of whether Russia supported them, only Georgia would've reconquered them long ago without this support (and likely expelled the "wrong" ethnicities in the process). Transnistria has less hostile relations with Moldova, but then again Transnistrian claim to independence is hardly any less valid than Moldova's.

[Lord Halifax]

If we recognize Somaliland, wouldn’t that mean we would have to recognize places like Transnitria and South Ossetia too? What’s the difference?

Well, you see, one is an independence movement, and the others are Russian invasions in sovereign countries meant to undermine those countries' territorial integrity and pro-western diplomatic alliances.

No, the difference is that South Ossetia and Transnistria (and Abkhazia) have foreign support. Georgia committed atrocities in both places and expelled thousands of Ossetians from its territory. Both of these countries would want independence regardless of whether Russia supported them, only Georgia would've reconquered them long ago without this support (and likely expelled the "wrong" ethnicities in the process). Transnistria has less hostile relations with Moldova, but then again Transnistrian claim to independence is hardly any less valid than Moldova's.

the ethnic cleansing always goes both ways in such conflicts and the atrocities committed by the Abkhaz were far worse than what was done to them. The Abkhaz were a minority of less than 20% in their region in Soviet times while nearly half of the population were Georgian. There was a clear Georgian majority in the eastern parts of South Ossetia, and Georgians made up 30% of South Ossetia's population back then. If you're going by national self-determination Abkhazia should have remained Georgian and South Ossetia should have been partitioned.

[EastAnglianLefty]

Abkhazian nationalism and desire for independence has been a thing effectively for well over a century. South Ossestian nationalism hasn't been, because it's a much smaller population and the interactions with their Georgian neighbours were much less fraught than Abkhaz-Georgian relations were. Up until the Russian invasion, the Georgian government viewed it as less of a threat than Mingrelian separatism.

[GMantis]

If we recognize Somaliland, wouldn’t that mean we would have to recognize places like Transnitria and South Ossetia too? What’s the difference?

Well, you see, one is an independence movement, and the others are Russian invasions in sovereign countries meant to undermine those countries' territorial integrity and pro-western diplomatic alliances.

No, the difference is that South Ossetia and Transnistria (and Abkhazia) have foreign support. Georgia committed atrocities in both places and expelled thousands of Ossetians from its territory. Both of these countries would want independence regardless of whether Russia supported them, only Georgia would've reconquered them long ago without this support (and likely expelled the "wrong" ethnicities in the process). Transnistria has less hostile relations with Moldova, but then again Transnistrian claim to independence is hardly any less valid than Moldova's.

the ethnic cleansing always goes both ways in such conflicts and the atrocities committed by the Abkhaz were far worse than what was done to them. The Abkhaz were a minority of less than 20% in their region in Soviet times while nearly half of the population were Georgian. There was a clear Georgian majority in the eastern parts of South Ossetia, and Georgians made up 30% of South Ossetia's population back then. If you're going by national self-determination Abkhazia should have remained Georgian and South Ossetia should have been partitioned.

You're right about the Abkhaz, but then again they won. If the Georgians had managed to defeat them, there probably wouldn't be many Abkhaz left in Abkhazia. Or many people of the other nationalities living in Abkhazia for that matter, since for the most part they were against Georgia as well.

As for South Ossetia, there was exactly such a separation before the 2008 war, but Georgia wasn't satisfied with this arrangement. In fact, while they've recognized Abkhazia's autonomy, Georgia has insisted on disregarding South Ossetia's existence, so it's difficult to understand why the Ossetians should favor re-incorporation in Georgia over the status quo.

But all of this is beside the point, which is that both of these independence movements are genuine, however imperfect they are in their methods.