by Daniel Nardini
The United States has diplomatic relations with 194 countries. In other words, this country recognizes almost every country that exists in the world today. We even recognize countries that have few diplomatic relations because of political contentions. One of these is Kosovo. The Republic of Kosovo is recognized by 96 countries in the world, including the United States. It is of course not recognized by Serbia, Russia or China. It is the duty and obligation of the United States to recognize and be as inclusive of as many countries in the world as possible.
That all said, there are five countries in the world that the United States does not recognize (it used to be six, but complete diplomatic relations with Cuba will be reestablished on July 20th). These are the five countries still not recognized by the United States:
Bhutan—the Kingdom of Bhutan, tucked away in the Himalayas between China and India, strangely enough has chosen not to have formal diplomatic relations with the United States. It lets India handle much of its foreign affairs. Why Bhutan has chosen to not have relations with the United States and much of the world has to do with its history. For a good part of its history it had remained isolated. It chooses in so many ways to remain isolated. Besides letting India handle almost all of its foreign relations, Bhutan has a military treaty of defense with India.
Iran—The United States has had no diplomatic relations with Iran since its Islamic revolution in 1979. Both countries have been adversaries since largely because Iran backs Shiite extremist groups like Hizbollah and the Houthis in Yemen. America’s main allies in the Middle East are Israel and Saudi Arabia (both Iran enemies), so both America and Iran have been opposite sides for decades. This, and Iran’s interest in developing nuclear weapons has kept both countries from dealing with each other, never mind wanting to officially recognize each other.
North Korea—Officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the United States has NEVER recognized North Korea since it was established in 1948. This pretty much has made America and North Korea blood enemies. The United States has long had sanctions against North Korea, has troops and military bases in South Korea to defend it against North Korean aggression, and with North Korea trying to develop nuclear weapons as well as chemical and biological weapons, America and North Korea could not be further apart.
Syria—This one is relatively recent on America’s list of non-recognized countries. The U.S. government wants the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. At first, the United States tried to provide financial and material aid to the Syrian rebels, but now the U.S. government is equally fighting the Islamic State rebels in Syria as it is Assad. This has in fact helped Assad stay in power, and Russia clearly is also helping Assad stay in power. To put it mildly, this is a messy situation.
Taiwan—Officially known as the Republic of China, has been a de facto independent country since 1949. The People’s Republic of China (Mainland China) claims control and ownership of Taiwan, and that Taiwan is a rebel province. This is not true, since the Republic of China on Taiwan was once the ruling government for all of China, and the now ruling Communist Party of China was once the rebel party. America has maintained what is called the “One China” policy whereby America recognizes the People’s Republic of China, but that Taiwan is not a part of China. In my view, this policy works in favor of China, but is unfavorable to the United States in every way. Besides, Taiwan is a multi-party democracy that truly represents the people of the island. America’s policy towards Taiwan is long overdue for a significant and fundamental change.
These are all of the countries not at this time recognized by the United States. They are now only a handful in the world not recognized by the United States. Could this all change? Most certainly. After all, it was not so long ago when America did not recognize a whole lot more countries than now.
Countries Unrecognized by the United States
by Daniel Nardini
The United States has diplomatic relations with 194 countries. In other words, this country recognizes almost every country that exists in the world today. We even recognize countries that have few diplomatic relations because of political contentions. One of these is Kosovo. The Republic of Kosovo is recognized by 96 countries in the world, including the United States. It is of course not recognized by Serbia, Russia or China. It is the duty and obligation of the United States to recognize and be as inclusive of as many countries in the world as possible.
That all said, there are five countries in the world that the United States does not recognize (it used to be six, but complete diplomatic relations with Cuba will be reestablished on July 20th). These are the five countries still not recognized by the United States:
Bhutan—the Kingdom of Bhutan, tucked away in the Himalayas between China and India, strangely enough has chosen not to have formal diplomatic relations with the United States. It lets India handle much of its foreign affairs. Why Bhutan has chosen to not have relations with the United States and much of the world has to do with its history. For a good part of its history it had remained isolated. It chooses in so many ways to remain isolated. Besides letting India handle almost all of its foreign relations, Bhutan has a military treaty of defense with India.
Iran—The United States has had no diplomatic relations with Iran since its Islamic revolution in 1979. Both countries have been adversaries since largely because Iran backs Shiite extremist groups like Hizbollah and the Houthis in Yemen. America’s main allies in the Middle East are Israel and Saudi Arabia (both Iran enemies), so both America and Iran have been opposite sides for decades. This, and Iran’s interest in developing nuclear weapons has kept both countries from dealing with each other, never mind wanting to officially recognize each other.
North Korea—Officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the United States has NEVER recognized North Korea since it was established in 1948. This pretty much has made America and North Korea blood enemies. The United States has long had sanctions against North Korea, has troops and military bases in South Korea to defend it against North Korean aggression, and with North Korea trying to develop nuclear weapons as well as chemical and biological weapons, America and North Korea could not be further apart.
Syria—This one is relatively recent on America’s list of non-recognized countries. The U.S. government wants the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. At first, the United States tried to provide financial and material aid to the Syrian rebels, but now the U.S. government is equally fighting the Islamic State rebels in Syria as it is Assad. This has in fact helped Assad stay in power, and Russia clearly is also helping Assad stay in power. To put it mildly, this is a messy situation.
Taiwan—Officially known as the Republic of China, has been a de facto independent country since 1949. The People’s Republic of China (Mainland China) claims control and ownership of Taiwan, and that Taiwan is a rebel province. This is not true, since the Republic of China on Taiwan was once the ruling government for all of China, and the now ruling Communist Party of China was once the rebel party. America has maintained what is called the “One China” policy whereby America recognizes the People’s Republic of China, but that Taiwan is not a part of China. In my view, this policy works in favor of China, but is unfavorable to the United States in every way. Besides, Taiwan is a multi-party democracy that truly represents the people of the island. America’s policy towards Taiwan is long overdue for a significant and fundamental change.
These are all of the countries not at this time recognized by the United States. They are now only a handful in the world not recognized by the United States. Could this all change? Most certainly. After all, it was not so long ago when America did not recognize a whole lot more countries than now.