HOLIDAYS IN PLACES THAT DON’T EXIST
By Michael Idato
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
March 9 2006
Examines in detail a collection of small countries which are not
officially recognised.
TypeDocumentaryChannelSBSDateFriday March 10Time7:30 PM An illuminating
series that examines in detail a collection of small countries which
are not officially recognised, leaving them in a cloud of uncertainty
when it comes to international relations, foreign trade and financial
aid.
Some are well known, such as Taiwan, but others sound like works of
fiction – Transdniestria, South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Nagorno-Karabakh,
all in eastern Europe.
Tonight, presenter Simon Reeve (a British journalist, not the
Australian one) visits the Republic of Somaliland on the Horn of
Africa, which declared its independence from Somalia in 2001. Its
struggle for that independence is a compelling story – its people
now grapple with a terrible drought and their precarious place in
international politics leaves them with few options in terms of
foreign aid.
What makes the story of Somaliland so interesting is that as country
and culture it presents itself as fully formed. It has a stable,
functioning government – something many recognised nations cannot
boast – as well as its own economy and currency, national flag and
national anthem. In a world where international borders too often
seem remade by force and the spread of democracy is often escorted
by tanks and soldiers, there is a powerful lesson to be learned here.