8.4C Contested Borders

• • There are many contested borders and not all nation states are universally recognised -> For instance, Taiwan is not recognised as a sovereign state by China
  • This can lead to both potential conflict and population movements
  • The Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 was a secret deal between France and Britain, to divide parts of the Middle East between themselves
  • This agreement continues to influence the borders of today's nation states, including Iraq
• Causes for contested borders include:

  • One state wishing to take over another (Russia v Ukraine)
  • A wish to unite culturally and ethnically similar populations

  -> Turkey, Iraq and Syria promised a separate state

  • A desire to obtain access to valuable resources

  -> China is claiming the Eleven-dash line
• Ukraine / Russia / Crimea:

  • Crimea was considered part of Russia for many centuries, but in 1954 it became part of the Ukraine
  • In 2014, the then pro-Russian Ukraine president was forced out, and Russia annexed Crimea 
  • Crimea's population voted to re-join Russia, however, few countries recognise Russia's claim
  • They argue that all of Ukraine should have voted, not just Crimea
  • Crimea is a strategic area of the Black Sea with vast reserves of oil and gas