The fact that the world is rapidly changing, perhaps, everyone saw. Even Jen Psaki, the constant "mouthpiece" of the White House, does not deny that something like this "hovers over the planet." In this regard, the question becomes quite relevant: how many countries have the status of independent states? It is not as simple as it seems at first glance. After analyzing, for example, the vote at the UN on the Crimean resolution, one can come to very disappointing conclusions. But let's talk about everything in order.
What is an independent state?
Before we move on to the main topic, let's figure out what we will count. This is a very specific question.
It is impossible to understand how many countries have the status of independent states without giving a definition to this concept. As it turns out, there are many territories on the planet. Not all are states. It is best to understand, starting from the UN Charter. The organization is well-known, having the most respected status in the world. It is clear that its members will not be easy there with some incomprehensible formations. After all, only its main members can admit a state to the UN. And they do this only by recognizing the independent status of their colleague and neighbor. Today, the UN has only one hundred and ninety-five members. Two more states are observers. This is the Vatican and Palestine. However, when trying to find out how many countries have the status of independent states, the last country is not taken into account. The fact is that Palestine is not recognized by all members of the world community. Yes, and many more such territories exist, and more and more appear over time.
How many countries are there in the world now
It's even more interesting when you start counting countries. For many, even quite large and stable ones, the status is determined, frankly, in such a way that there is no question of independence. For example, everyone considers Canada to be a completely independent country.
However, she is not. Officially it is ruled by the Queen of Great Britain. That is, Canada is actually a colony! And there are still a lot of such legal surprises in the world. Can the colony be considered independent? No, most likely. So try to determine how many countries have the status of independent states. It turns out that without very deep knowledge in the field of international law and history, nothing will come of it. Or take Germany. This country is considered the leader of the European Union. HoweverHowever, recently it has been revealed that it has secret relations with the United States, which differ little from colonial ones. So, they say that each newly elected German chancellor (the person who determines the country's foreign policy) signs a special Act with the United States, which severely limits his powers. What kind of independence and independence under such conditions can we talk about?
Five examples of independent states
Immediately, anyone will name several countries, in his opinion, completely independent. We wouldn't be wrong. It is probably best to start with our Motherland. Russia is indeed independent. This is evident in foreign policy today. You can also safely talk about China. They try to reckon with this state, fearing its power and huge population.
But with the United States you can "finger into the sky" to get. Let this state be considered the sole hegemon in the world. But it is connected with Great Britain by the same relations as Canada. Some experts do not even hesitate to call the States a satellite of England. Let's leave it up to them. The Western world is generally interesting. In the UN countries are represented quite independently. And you get into the documents, it turns out that the British queen controls everything. Surely, no one will deny that Great Britain is an independent state, since it secretly rules half the world. And the last example is France. Although this state is forced to reckon with partners, it is completely independent.
Unrecognizedcountries
A very big problem for the world community are territories that have declared their sovereignty. A lot of them. The closest examples to our borders are in the south (Abkhazia and North Ossetia) and in the west (Transnistria, DPR, LPR). All of them aspire to become independent states. The problem is recognition. For example, Russia recognized Abkhazia, while the rest of the world decided that it was a piece of Georgia. There are many such countries in Africa. And Europe is no exception. There are also unrecognized countries on its territory. Northern Cyprus, for example. They do not want to accept this territory into the club of "independent countries", although it has been quietly living and developing for several decades.
Why are new countries emerging?
The world, as it turns out, is unstable. Let the UN try to protect the state integrity of its members, but the trend towards changing borders is becoming more and more frequent. The process is objective. People strive to live in their community, not obeying those who are considered tyrants. Such self-proclaimed countries are trying to obtain the status of independent states. Republics that emerged in the east of Ukraine, for example. Only this is not a quick thing.
It is not enough to have the support of the population and all the attributes of statehood. It is also necessary to obtain the recognition of the neighbors on the planet. And each of them thinks not about people, but about their own political interests. So it turns out that countries and territories that are true independent states remain unrecognized in the world.
