Names of Cambodia
How many names of Cambodia have there been? This is a bit of a tough question! Essentially Cambodia is a translation of the actual name of the country (Kampuchea). Also there have at various times been at least two competing countries, with competing names claiming legitimacy.
The late King Sihanouk was an extremely interesting character for a number of reasons, not least because as a monarch he remained close friends with communist leaders such as Kim Il Sung and Chairman Mao, but also because he holds the world’s record for the person who had the most “head of state titles”. As well as king, he was a Prime Minister, President, Head of State and even led the government in exile. His country itself was to go through even more changes, with it changing regime and name almost every decade!
Let’s look at all the name changes Cambodia has been through in, say, the life of one person A 90 year old Cambodian today would have been born in 1930 – at the height of French colonial rule in Indochina. At the time whilst Cambodia was officially still a kingdom, its title was the:
Names of Cambodia
1) The French Protectorate of Cambodia (Khmer: ប្រទេសកម្ពុជាក្រោមអាណានិគមបារាំង)
This began in 1867, and was to continue until 1940, when it was taken over by the Vichy government of France, and ally of Japan during World War 2. Something that was to become important later on.
2) Kingdom of Cambodia (Japanese protectorate) 1941-45
Although technically still part of France for most of this period – Japan was (officially) at least promoting Asia for the Asian under their ideology of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and gave Cambodia its ”independence”. While it had its own sovereign sounding name, breaking away from the French colonial name, Cambodia had minimal autonomy and actually was occupied and part of the Japanese Empire.
3) The French Protectorate of Cambodia (Khmer: ប្រទេសកម្ពុជាក្រោមអាណានិគមបារាំង) 1945-53
Following the end of World War 2 French Indochina was again part of the French Empire, something that would lead to first Indochina War, and the eventual independence of North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
4) The Kingdom of Cambodia – 1953-1970
The seventeen years of Cambodia as a kingdom began with King Sihanouk as king, which he remained until abdicating in favour of his father so he could stand as Prime Minister in 1955. When his father died in 1960, he became prince, and thus head of state. The country still remained officially named the Kingdom of Cambodia (without a king).
5) Khmer Republic 1970-75
In 1970, whilst Sihanouk was outside of the country, Lon Nol led a right-wing pro-American coup, which led to the formation of the first Khmer republic. Sadly this was all to happen during the ongoing Vietnam War and the Cambodian civil war. King Sihanouk, a favorite of Beijing, was convinced to strike an alliance with the communist Khmer Rouge, something that was to have profound effects on the next name changes.
6) Democratic Kampuchea 1975-79
The most notorious of the various names of Cambodia. The reign of the Khmer Rouge and the era of Democratic Kampuchea was to be the most severe in recent Cambodian history, with up to a fourth of the population dying of hunger, exhaustion or executed. It was one of the worst episodes in global history, and in all but name a genocide. Kampuchea is Cambodia in the Khmer language. Officially an atheist one-party communist state – in reality it was a platform for Pol Pot to test out the most extreme version of communism ever seen by mankind.
7) People’s Republic of Kampuchea 1979-1989
Following the Vietnamese overthrow of the tyrannical Pol Pot regime, Cambodia was redesigned on more of a Soviet model, and some semblance of normality returned, although the Khmer Rouge continued a brutal landmine-filled civil war. They were supported by western governments until late into the 90s (they also controlled the UN seat). In this case there were actually two competing states at the same time: one had de facto control, while the other was the recognized government.
8) Government in exile – Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea 1982-89
Officially a coalition, but in reality the rump remnants of the Khmer Rouge who controlled not only a large part of Cambodia, but also the seat in the UN. They were supported by notorious people‘s warrior Margaret Thatcher. Need I say more? During this time they ironically kept the flag of Khmer Rouge.
9) State of Cambodia 1989-93
During the eventually successful peace process, Hun Sen changed the name of the country to the State of Cambodia. Doing so, he also reintroduced some pre-communist era state symbols, and began to loosen up the government’s control on the country and grant more freedoms. This eventually led to free and fair elections in Cambodia (which were won by the son of King Sihanouk) and the restoration of monarchy.
10) Kingdom of Cambodia 1993 – present
The latest in the names of Cambodia. Nowadays, Cambodia is technically a constitutional monarchy and a democracy. The reality is more that the king is powerless. The country can at best be described as a dominant party system and one that is more influenced by China than Vietnam.
So, there you go, our 90 year old man has lived through 10 different states in Cambodia. Pretty crazy! And they are the ten names of Cambodia. We are pretty sure we did not leave any out.
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Socialist Countries Past Present and Future
Monument to LeninCommunist countries Socialist Countries Which countries are still socialist and are there any communist countries left in the world We take an in depth look at the contemporary situation of leftwing countries socialist countries and ask the big question Are there any communist countries in the worldSocialism may be something of a faroff concept for younger readers The Soviet Bloc collapsed from the late 80s to the early 90s the other socialist systems of the world fell with it Many had to ask has socialism ever worked Socialism and communist countries loomed over the entire world Then it simply Disappeared But did it really Its no secret that we here at YPT have some interest in socialist and communist countries see also our logo Still it may be worth running through exactly what socialist systems or potential future ones exist in the world today What countries are socialist How many nations are socialist Lets find outBuckle up and lets get into socialist countries Table of ContentsCommunist Countries or those that claim to be The Fallacy of Communist Countries What are Socialist nations List of Communist countriesExisting Socialist Nations of the world Democratic Peoples Republic of KoreaNorth Korea Republic of Cuba MarketRevisionist SocialistCommunist Nations Peoples Republic of China Socialist Republic of VietnamLao Peoples Democratic Republic ReformistQuestionably Socialist Nations So how many communist countries are there Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Republic of Nicaragua Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal Syrian Arab Republic NonSocialist Nations Socialist Parties Russian Federation Communist Party of the Russian Federation Republic of Belarus Communist Party of Belarus Republic of South Africa Economic Freedom Fighters Hellenic Republic Greece Communist Party of Greece Plurinational State of Bolivia Movement for Socialism NonSocialist Governments Revolutionary Movements Republic of Colombia FARC Republic of India Naxalite Movement AND Kerala Republic of the Philippines Communist Party of the PhilippinesNew Peoples Army Republic of Peru Communist Party of Peru Shining Path Non Socialist Systems with a Constitutional Reference to Socialism Peoples Democratic Republic of Algeria Peoples Republic of Bangladesh CoOperative Republic of Guyana Republic of India Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka United Republic of Tanzania Portuguese RepublicCommunist Countries or those that claim to beMarx Engels Lenin Stalin and Mao often considered the primary thinkers with regard to communismWhich countries are communist in 2022 When it comes to socialist countries a lot of people probably have something on their mind already What about communist countries that are communist not just socialist ones Heres the thing its often claimed that many claim to be communist countries and arguing that they arent is a No True Scotsman fallacy This is not at all the case Which countries are communist In fact no countries claim to be communist at all from what I can tell I can understand this must be confusing because the USSR was communist right Well Yes and no let me explainWhen the USSR claimed to be a communist country this was not to say that they were living in communism This simply meant that their goal was communism They had a communist party in that it was a party of communists but in order to achieve that communism they had to first undergo socialism meaning being a socialist country before they could be a communist country What is a communist party Exactly that It is a party that aspires to communism but must first have socialism There are no countries currently with communism in fact going by this metric there has never been a communist country What does this mean exactly and what are the differences between socialist countries and communist countriesIn Marxs day socialism and communism were used somewhat interchangeably but there was still a clear delineation that became more pronounced as the years went on What Marx referred to in his lifetime was the difference between the lower stage of communism and the higher stage of communism Countries that claim to be communist are at the biggest stretch referring to this lower stage as they all fundamentally fail to fulfill the criteria for the higher stage A better question is then which countries are socialist not which countries are communist but hey well get there soon Marxs writings on the differences are extensive but a few sources could be handyIn a higher phase of communist society after the enslaving subordination of the individual to the division of labor and therewith also the antithesis between mental and physical labor has vanished after labor has become not only a means of life but lifes prime want after the productive forces have also increased with the allaround development of the individual and all the springs of cooperative wealth flow more abundantly only then can the narrow horizon of bourgeois right be crossed in its entirety and society inscribe on its banners From each according to his ability to each according to his needs Marx Critique of the Gotha Program 1875What Marx expresses here is that in the higher stage of communism the individual is no longer subordinated to labor but is instead liberated to enjoy it in its full This means being free in working as you please without the constrictive grasp of a bourgeois property owner who merely buys your labor Labor is no longer something a worker does simply to receive a pittance to survive but is rather something a worker does for their own satisfaction and to receive the full benefit from it as is referred to when Marx speaks of the springs of cooperative wealth The difference between the lower and higher stages is most clearly marked by the statement from each according to his ability to each according to his needs Which is to state that in higher stages of communism wealth and goods are provided as a matter of what one needs rather than merely in return for the output of ones work In such a society development is high enough and goods so abundant that wage labor has ended in its entiretyAnother important remark in here is the reference to bourgeois right This is referring to the laws of the bourgeois state which in the lower stage of communism are not crossed out in full due to the inability to jump straight to the higher stages Lenin would go on to explain these differences in greater detailAnd so in the first phase of communist society usually called socialism bourgeois law is not abolished in its entirety but only in part only in proportion to the economic revolution so far attained ie only in respect of the means of production Bourgeois law recognizes them as the private property of individuals Socialism converts them into common property To that extentand to that extent alonebourgeois law disappears However it persists as far as its other part is concerned it persists in the capacity of regulator determining factor in the distribution of products and the allotment of labor among the members of society The socialist principle He who does not work shall not eat is already realized the other socialist principle An equal amount of products for an equal amount of labor is also already realized But this is not yet communism and it does not yet abolish bourgeois law which gives unequal individuals in return for unequal really unequal amounts of labor equal amounts of products This is a defect says Marx but it is unavoidable in the first phase of communism for if we are not to indulge in utopianism we must not think that having overthrown capitalism people will at once learn to work for society without any rules of law Besides the abolition of capitalism does not immediately create the economic prerequisites for such a change Now there are no other rules than those of bourgeois law To this extent therefore there still remains the need for a state which while safeguarding the common ownership of the means of production would safeguard equality in labor and in the distribution of products The state withers away insofar as there are no longer any capitalists any classes and consequently no class can be suppressed But the state has not yet completely withered away since the still remains the safeguarding of bourgeois law which sanctifies actual inequality For the state to wither away completely complete communism is necessary Lenin The State and Revolution Chapter 5What this rather long quote demonstrates is that the first phase known as socialism has a great many differences from communism itself Bourgeois law remains in many senses only being initially abolished in the sense of converting private property into common property but it still greatly remains with regard to many other aspects of life Lenin understands that there is a process of development here That for socialism to emerge into communism we must not indulge in utopianism and must instead look at material conditions practicallyMost importantly here is the reference to a state This is where the biggest fallacy emergesThe Fallacy of Communist Countries vs Socialist Countries There are no countries with communism right now as in there are no communist countries or countries that claim to be communist merely ones run by communist parties there are though socialist countries As Lenin states for communism to occur the state must wither away You might have noticed that the USSR was still absolutely a socialist state and any countries that claim to be communist are automatically lying by virtue of that But of course you may disagree with Lenins assertion Some do in fact claim that Lenin was breaking away from Marx after all Indeed if one were to read the Communist Manifesto theres a great deal of talk about state control wielding state power but it must be understood that the Communist Manifesto is primarily a call to action in the immediate not a reference to longterm communist goals Indeed Marx considered this to be in line with the lower stage of communism Much of Marx and Engels later works are significantly longer more detailed and harder to get into so its a very easy mistake to make A quote from Engels can help to clear the matter upThe first act by which the state really comes forward as the representative of the whole of society the taking possession of the means of production in the name of society is also its last independent act as a state State interference in social relations becomes in one domain after another superfluous and then dies down of itself The government of persons is replaced by the administration of things and by the conduct of processes of production The state is not abolished it withers awayEngels AntiDhring 1877Engels has here provided the basis of much of Lenins theories on the withering away of the state In the lower stage the state remains but has begun the process of withering as opposed to abolition Gradually the purpose of the state is to dissolve and what remains is merely the administration of production on a more direct democratic method The question is then why did this never actually happen The countries that claim to be communist certainly never made it that far Perhaps one would lay the blame on Stalin for the misunderstanding After all common practice by now is to criticize Stalin as betraying Lenins legacyIt is sometimes asked We have abolished the exploiting classes there are no longer any hostile classes in the country there is nobody to suppress hence there is no more need for the state it must die away Why then do we not help our Socialist state to die away Why do we not strive to put an end to it Is it not time to throw out all this rubbish of a state Or further The exploiting classes have already been abolished in our country Socialism has been built in the main we are advancing towards Communism Now the Marxist doctrine of the state says that there is to be no state under Communism Why then do we not help our Socialist state to die away Is it not time we relegated the state to the museum of antiquities These questions show that those who ask them have conscientiously memorized certain propositions contained in the doctrine of Marx and Engels about the state But they also show that these comrades have failed to understand the essential meaning of this doctrine that they have failed to realise in what historical conditions the various propositions of this doctrine were elaborated and what is more that they do not understand presentday international conditions have overlooked the capitalist encirclement and the dangers it entails for the Socialist country These questions not only betray an underestimation of the capitalist encirclement but also an underestimation of the role and significance of the bourgeois states and their organs which send spies assassins and wreckers into our country and are waiting for a favourable opportunity to attack it by armed force They likewise betray an underestimation of the role and significance of our Socialist state and of its military punitive and intelligence organs which are essential for the defence of the Socialist land from foreign attack It must be confessed that the comrades mentioned are not the only ones to sin in this underestimation All the Bolsheviks all of us without exception sin to a certain extent in this respect Stalin Report on the Work of the Central Committee to the Eighteenth Congress of the CPSUB 1939Well As you can see here Stalin was all too aware of this His problem is therefore that as capitalism internationally is too powerful to begin the transition into communism would be suicide as it would relinquish too much power to adequately defend itself Given this speech was given in 1939 history seems to have proved him right with the biggest war in history right on his doorstep and over fifty subsequent years of Cold War Often it is criticised that Stalin attempted socialism in one country as if it would become possible to achieve communism in only one state That was impossible and Stalin was aware of this Socialist nations can exist individually but the process towards communism must be on the global scale One might argue that the formation of the Eastern Bloc and the adding of other socialist countries was thus a step in the right direction What are Socialist nations Between capitalist and communist society there lies the period of the revolutionary transformation of the one into the other Corresponding to this is also a political transition period in which the state can be nothing butnbspthe revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat Marx Critique of the Gotha Program 1875What are socialist nations or socialist countries First of all we need to lay some ground rules Socialist countries are thin on the ground so we need to understand this well If we want to know which nations are socialist we need to understand socialism in more detail There are plenty of countries that claim to be communist or socialist Many more what countries have been communist But what are socialist countries exactly From a MarxistLeninist the main Marxist movement conception the one well use a socialist state requires roughly three key aspects Firstly it must be led by a vanguard party this being a party of the proletariat operating under democratic centralismSecondly socialist countries must limit private property Private property is distinct from personal property I should note Private property exists for the purpose of generating profit from its use for exchange Meanwhile personal property exists only for personal use Under communism all private property disappears while socialism is the stage whereby this private property greatly diminishes Particularly from the bourgeoisie major capitalists mainly through the collectivization of major industry and agriculture Marxism often differs on whether limited enterprise among individuals or collectives without capitalist property owners continues in socialist systems Still to count among socialist societies Id say the strict limitation of private property particularly the bourgeoisie is a prerequisite for socialist countries Thirdly production must primarily be for use not exchange essentially an end to commodity production This links closely with the previous point but it is possible to have state capitalism The private property remains held largely by state organs but using this to generate profit for its own sake and for the benefit of a bureaucratic class In Chapter 4 of Capital Marx explained the difference between worker and capitalist exchange as MCM versus CMC M is for Money and C is for Commodity Capitalists input money and generate a commodity which they sell for profit which begins a cycle MCM The worker produces a commodity or sells their labour AS a commodity They then generate money from this transaction and use this to buy a commodity for their own personal use CMC Socialism would limit the need for money end MCM production and aim towards communism A whole different topic for a whole different dayIf you want to learn how the governments of socialist countries work Id advise you to read the works of those who formulated it Theres a truly ridiculous amount of material here but if you want to get started heres a personal reading list Start with the Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels which is like dipping your toe in the proverbial water From there dissuade a few myths with the short Critique of the Gotha Programme Then lean in a bit harder with Socialism Utopian and Scientific then Wage Labour amp Capital Read Capital itself some time later since its an absolute breezeblock of a book Maybe explore a bit with State and Revolution by Lenin afterwardsAnyway lets get started Which nations are socialist How many nations are socialist Are there any socialist nations today at all Lets get going and find outList of Communist countriesExisting Socialist Nations of the worldDemocratic Peoples Republic of KoreaNorth KoreaParty Foundation Monument in Pyongyang Socilist Countries Here we list current communist countries or more specifically current socialist countries on the road to being a communist country No sense being coy about it of course ol Koryo is up there as first on our list Its where we spend most of our time Its a big part of what makes it so fascinating Theres a lot of debate over whether the DPRK is truly heading towards communism Still its hard to deny their credentials as socialist countries go So what is the DPRK exactly We have discussed this matter before but lets address it again anyway The DPRK abides by a philosophy known as Juche Juche is variously described as Socialism with Korean characteristics Confucian socialism and a few other names by foreign observers These dont really get into the nittygritty details so Ill have a stab at it Juche differs from classical MarxismLeninism which it is originally derived from by moving somewhat away from Marxs historical materialism The intent is to produce a human centric view of socialism To get an idea of this we may have to look at the basesuperstructure dialecticBasic demonstration of the basesuperstructure dialectic for socialist countriesTo unpack this difficult concept the Marxist concept of dialectics is drawn from the Hegelian dialectic This is an idea that competing ideas can work to develop eachother through whats called a unity of opposites While Hegel applied this concept to ideas Marx turned Hegel on his head and developed historical materialism This was synthesized as dialectical materialism which explains history by applying concepts of dialectical relations to material conditions In this model the base and superstructure form a dialectical relationship of shaping and maintaining oneanother The base however remains dominant This is the logic that socialist nations that worked need to have strong heavy industry to be successful Its a part of why the global socialist movement collapsed following the loss of the USSR Their material conditions were theoretically not good enough for socialism anymoreJuche and to a degree some other ideologies like Maoism would assert that the superstructure can override the base when creating socialist countries The DPRKs industry was harmed during the 90s after the loss of the Soviets so ideological education was prioritized This was to unify the country and ensure the socialist project continued Albeit with some market compromises to try and prevent hardship during the arduous march Not too dissimilar to say the NEP which was used the early days of the Soviet Union being for the first of many socialist countries This was followed with Songun policy attempting to advance the Marxist ideal that the proletariat was the most revolutionary class Instead the military was seen the most unified and ideologically capable element of the working class Them being the most fit to carry the revolution forward This was a way of leaning on the superstructure to circumvent the damage of the base so to speak The unity of the military was then used to develop industry and repair the base This is the theory anywaysBut how does Korea line up with our three rules Well the Workers Party of Korea is unquestionably a vanguard party It is loosely the sole party it runs as the head of a patriotic front it focuses on ideological education and there is at least seemingly democratic centralism Property is massively controlled by the state or in collectives While limited private enterprise exists its largely on the individual level or through cooperatives This makes it unlikely that there are actual capitalists in the traditional sense Outside of the Rason Special Economic Zone which is part of where the lines become blurred Lastly what is their production Its hard to really view whats going on within the country but commodity production does seem to be in place Trade with foreign countries is quite limited and is often more in the form of raw materials As well as trading commodities for commodities which can be considered for use Currency within the country is nontransferable on the international market It mostly exists to facilitate an internal flow of goods into the right hands So not exactly generating massive profits for any capitalist Production could be said to be predominantly for use and not for exchange though not exclusively So that sums it all up nicelyAnd again North Koreans themselves refer to the DPRK as a socialist country socialist state on the road to be a communist country Interestingly the DPRK managed to treat a fine line with both China and the USSR following the SinoSoviet split This has some parallels with Titoism in Yugoslavia where they aimed to build a communist state without aid from the Socialist Bloc When it comes to current socialist countries therefore the DPRK could well be seen as our benchmark As of 2024 the country remains closed to tourism even as China starts to slowly reopen Republic of CubaCuban May Day marchCuba is the other major one everyone tends to think of being one of the most well known socialist countries Having become already rather selfsufficient due to necessity being so isolated from other socialist states and being embargoed by the US already there was no need for a significant ideological change to justify the maintaining of socialism Hardship ensued but the country endured no major famine or other urgent need to begin reforms All the same reforms did begin on a certain scale into the latter years of Fidel Castros leadershipCuba maintains the old line of MarxismLeninism with its own particular Cuban flair of course Unlike the DPRK they were content to place their trust in the old ideology imported from the USSR Theres less focus on ideological education though it does exist as the base of the model is still predominant Albeit with government leaning on the superstructure to keep things in lineHow does Cuba fare in our model Well the Communist Party of Cuba is absolutely a vanguard party Albeit there is a stronger degree of participatory democracy in Cuba which is outside of the vanguard partys direct control This is natural according to Lenins theories of the role of the vanguard party moving into latterstages of socialism Private property has returned but only to a limited degree which is another area where the lines are getting close Individuals and families often run BampBs or restaurants to draw in some more money Meanwhile a degree of private development from foreign countries also exists to help boost the tourist sector Despite this outright capitalists in Cuba are largely nonexistent The petty bourgeoisie maintains a presence but the main bourgeoisie are marginal Lastly we have the question of production Cuba trades extensively with other countries and people do produce certain commodities on an individual scale to generate a profit On the whole the means of production run by the state sector is still active for use not commodities Money in Cuba primarily exists only to circulate internally much like Korea Overall Cuba maintains a primarily socialist economy though some may say that it skirts the line on this matterSo again whilst people refer to Cuba as a communist country they refer to themselves as a socialist country working towards communism Interestingly Cuba toyed with the idea of removing MarxismLeninism from the new constitution but in the end voted against its removal Although with the recent change in the allow which allows much more private enterprise some have questioned where Cuba now falls within the bloc of socialist countries Throughout 2022 and as of 2024 Cuba has really suffered due to the pandemic with its status as a socialist country also being tested but it is still holding on in there MarketRevisionist SocialistCommunist NationsThis is one that causes heated debate when it comes to communit countries and indeed socialist countries Okay so what the hell does this mean then Given what we know of socialism and socialist countries how can we tell which nations are socialist when these flagrantly break the rules Whats a Market Socialist or Revisionist socialist country In a lot of contexts they mean the same thing depending on who you talk to A Market Socialist country is an ostensibly socialist state that has done away with the strict planned economy of typical MarxismLeninism to embrace a more marketbased approach Now even socialist countries DPRK and Cuba have accepted this to some extent through limited private enterprise This is however still rather strictly limited and is forced to conform to certain rules typically limiting the existence of a traditional capitalist You may be privately earning money but you arent exploiting workers for it As for other socialist countries well not so much so Revisionism is a rather old concept when it comes to socialist countries and the old the communist bloc who used to refer to other socialist governments or indeed strains of thought that are believed to have deviated from Marxisms core principles When the dominant mode of production is marketbased the system is still filtering into capitalist logic Markets function off of competition and production for profit rather than for use Therefore purest would see them not as socialist countries This of course can be necessary for socialist countries at times particularly to boost trade with other countries and get more materials Indeed it also more organically can sort money to where its needed in times of crisis This is why market restrictions were lifted during the NEP period of the USSR and the postUSSR era for the DPRK and Cuba This however did not lead to a return of the capitalist class or an intended reduction in the socialist mode of production Though inevitably the damage to infrastructure caused by the collapse of the USSR forced the socialist mode of production to weaken in both Cuba and the DPRKWhich of these are socialist countries Well youll have to read and decide And then agree with me because Im rightPeoples Republic of ChinaYanan ChinaIs the PRC one of the socialist countries going by our metric Lets get the big one out of the way quick China as led by Mao Zedong unquestionably according to our metric counted among socialist governments and socialist countries for a very long period This changed when General Secretary of the Communist Party of China changed to Deng Xiaoping and China began to develop a model of socialism with Chinese characteristics This theory is variously regarded as a progressive development in accordance with Chinese material conditions or a perverse rightist deviation from MarxismLeninism as an attempt to return to capitalism under the cloak of socialism Socialists have a flair for the dramatic you may findThe justification for this shift from the CPC itself is that the base of China was not sufficiently developed for it to become a truly socialist country China emerged out of semifeudalism to advance towards socialism largely skipping an intermediate capitalist stage which is something Marx considered inadvisable Deng and other likeminded Chinese leaders felt it was necessary to guide a capitalist process under the vanguard party with intentions of developing productive forces until such a time as socialism can be practically returned to They call this the preliminary stage of socialism China therefore sees itself still as one of the socialist countries but where fo we see itUnder our model we can see where this places China They absolutely have a vanguard party the structure of the CPC is largely unchanged from the early socialist days Private property however is quite a major stumbling block Much of the property in China is in private hands as well as being owned by foreign companies and used for the purpose of commodity production Further capitalists are abound in China with many of the worlds billionaires residing within its borders While its true that the Chinese government often cracks down on such figures if they break the laws set forth by the government this does not fundamentally change their position as capitalists under CPC control As for the nature of production in China profit is absolutely the goal The richpoor divide grows larger all the time and private enterprises are enriched at the expense of nonprofit state bodies albeit often with more funneled towards those bodies This would put China more towards a social democratic structure with high government spending and some control of private enterprise but they largely have not interfered with the capitalist institution By this metric China does not qualify as a socialist state in fullSo again whilst people like to call China a communist country usually in a disparaging light the PRC does not claim to be communist yet The CPC claims to be one of many socialist countries socialist states that is striving for communism When China will finally be ready for communism evokes differing opinions among the Chinese I even had one party member saying it may take thousands of yearsAs of 2024 the Chinese economy has started to struggle under the eight the virus and a housing bubble It is also the year Xi Jingping will begin a historic 3rd term if office This led many to think it is drifting further awy from the club of truly socialist countriesIronically whilst it has now opened its doors a bit as of 2024 it is the capitalistic nature of its economy that might lead to the downfall of communism Socialist Republic of VietnamLao Peoples Democratic RepublicVietnamese communist mural Socialist Countries We have thrown these two socialist countries toegther because they fall under the same kind of banner really Influence was primarily drawn from the Chinese development of a kind of market socialism for lack of a better term Collectivization was gradually disbanded and capitalists set up shop within their borders Albeit with heavy state interference and the guiding hand of a vanguard party everpresentBoth countries maintain their vanguard parties The Communist Party of Vietnam and the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party They are the sole leading parties of their respective socialist nations and they hold considerable sway Meanwhile capitalist enterprise operates heavily within their borders and production for exchange is the dominant mode under the ideal of developing productive forces These ideals were additionally stemmed from the policy of Mikhail Gorbachev known as perestroika or restructuring which many would argue was the prerequisite for the former socialist nations returning to capitalism While perestroika facilitated economic reform away from socialism Vietnam and Laos never followed the policy of glasnost or openness which greatly facilitated the rise of antiparty movements in Soviet bloc states This maintained the vanguard structure while still retaining economic reformIn most respects the economic structures of these economies is more closely comparable to China Laos has a lower industrial level but still allows heavy privatization and works with China in developing its economic model Vietnam is much the same with a stronger industrial core to back it up Whether they return to socialism and continue MarxistLeninist ideals is up for debate outside the scope of this blog post These are nations with socialist parties perhaps but not states with existing socialismIronically Cambodia while having very much officially gotten rid of all vestiges of communism has much more in common with Vietnam than it would like to exist even if it is a Kingdom In case of ambiguity Pol Pot was not a communist ReformistQuestionably Socialist NationsHeres where things get even more grey A revisionist country still adheres to MarxistLeninism in ways outside of the economy Theres a vanguard party theres a lot of lipservice paid to socialism often a promise to return to the previous way of things The understanding that socialism is a revolutionary movement and that socialist governments can only be formed by a revolutionary movement remains Reformist countries are not like that The trick is right there in the name reformist The belief that one can reform from a capitalist mode of production to a socialist one Many question the legitimacy of such things believing that while a vanguard party in China for instance could theoretically return to the socialist path a reformist state cannot do such a thing By their very nature the contradictions between a capitalist country and a socialist movement are too great to be resolved democratically hence the often militant collapse of such reformist attempts Still some remain And while they may lack socialism in practice some argue that it remains in spirit Which countries are socialist Well None but youll still get some claiming anywaySo how many communist countries are thereObviously we have given quite the indepth answer to this question But in the pure simplest terms of how many countries are ruled by a communist party then the answer is 5 There are five currently communist countries namely North Korea Cuba Laos Vietnam and China Kinda of in that order too by degrees of communismThese communist countries all mutually recognize each other and have good relations at least from a party to party level That being said there really isnt anything resembling a bloc of communist countries anymore The days of the Warsaw Pact are very much over But what about other socalled socialist countries Are there other socialist states in various formsBolivarian Republic of VenezuelaNicolas Maduro mural in VenezuelaWhere does Venezuela fit into the group of socialist countries Is Venezuela communist as is often portrayed No is the quick answer but thats not particularly thorough Theres a lot to get into when it comes to Venezuela They are often the posterchild of socialist countries and their failure from the American camp a way of showing alleged poverty it brings For this well have to dig into some historyVenezuela does not have a vanguard party which should be made clear Rather than having a party that seizes control of the state and guides it on the socialist path the United Socialist Party of Venezuela is an electoral party that lives or dies on the peoples vote although there have been claims of election rigging Even if this is true it does not meet the criteria of a true vanguard party and has a legitimate opposition movement within the country This is strike oneProperty in Venezuela is quite a mixture The government has collectives and communes of a sort where they orient production towards use and where infrastructure is out of private hands On the other hand there is a massive amount of private property in Venezuela as well with a wealthy capitalist class that controls a great deal of production and distribution Some have said that its the conflict between socialist aims of the Venezuelan government and their inability as a nonvanguard party to bring the hammer down on such capitalist groupings that has resulted in a disrupted resource supply chain Because of course capitalists do not work without being paid this is the simple law of MCM This can lead to Venezuelan capitalists hoarding merchandise from government stores to sell on the black market instead or simply refusing to deliver out of protest for low statemandated prices This contradiction fuels many of the issues in Venezuela Theres a strong argument to be made that this is the PSUVs fault ultimately while still others would accuse CIA meddling as being a major part of it making the PSUV simply a victim of foreign intervention and unfair sanctions The debate on this matter is long and seemingly unending though it does not change the fact that this is unquestionably strike twoAs for production itself Well with capitalists overwhelmingly influential within the country the lack of a vanguard party and other such things its hard to deny that the primary mode of production is capitalist in nature The PSUV has perhaps pushed for an alternative but it fails to be the dominant system Certain things have seen amazing successes such as the public housing missions but most consumer products exist as commodities produced under MCM and obtained under CMC This is strike three ultimately disqualifying Venezuela from being a socialist country Granted Venezuela themselves have not called their country socialist Venezuela often claims to be take inspiration from socialism or is on the path to socialism but they use reformism rather than revolution Much as China has stepped back towards capitalism with intents of obtaining socialism Venezuela sees it as necessary to transition away from capitalism rather than seizing the reins of power by force of arms Within the ranks of socialist governments Venezuela is notWith the sheer number of groups vying for influence in Venezuela its hard to get a good picture of what exactly is going on there Thankfully there are some good sources Therefore one might argue that due to outside forces Venezuela has struggled to even achieve some form of socialism let alone become a communist country Socialist Countries Republic of Nicaragua Nicaraguan Sandinista muralNicaragua followed a rather similar trend to China Vietnam and Laos but ultimately took a few steps further in reformism After the Sandinista movement took power in Nicaragua as a MarxistLeninist party along the lines of Cuba there was ultimately a desire to begin a gradual reform towards socialism rather than pursuing the immediate collectivization of other socialist governments This soon transitioned into a move towards multiparty democracy relinquishing vanguard status but still acquiring overwhelming control of the Nicaraguan government through democratic vote for a significant part of their postrevolution history with some periods spent as oppositionSo how does Nicaragua fare in our earlier model Well they had a vanguard and lost it so theres our first strike The reformist model saw great success in developing education housing and healthcare as rights rather than commodities but significant amounts of all three remain in forprofit private hands while even more besides is developed entirely as part of commodity production That covers strikes two and three quite neatly While the Sandinista movement may be heading towards socialism there are arguments even against this with riots in the streets of Nicaragua over Sandinista government attempts to increase taxes while decreasing benefits a seemingly rather statecapitalist move Unquestionably Nicaragua is not in of itself a socialist country Although during its oneparty state phase it was undoubtedly a socialist state aiming to become a communist country Federal Democratic Republic of NepalGathering of Nepali MaoistsMany overlook Nepal as a country ostensibly aiming towards socialism which is strange when seeing just how big of a deal its been for their recent history Nepalese Maoists began a protracted peoples war in 1996 long after the fall of socialism in much of the rest of the world managing to nearly reach total victory before agreeing to peace accords in 2006 After a period in a transitional government Nepal became a secular republic with a parliament almost overwhelmingly led by various communist parties particularly Maoists under the banner of Prachanda Path with even more still existing outside the government and wanting to continue peoples war until final military victoryUltimately a series of party mergers led to the Nepal Communist Party becoming by far the largest party in Nepals government holding an eclectic range of ideals which attempt to reconcile a MarxistLeninist Maoist ideal and democratic centralism with multiparty democracy and a general respect for private property The unique conditions of Nepal are naturally controversial in the Marxist sphere and constantly changing There have been many schisms and mergers in the Nepali communist movement attempting to find common ground between disappointment with their limited outcome and wishing to make the most of what they do haveFor our model of what makes a socialist country despite having a Maoist party in power arguably one of the most farleft communist ideologies there is the Communist Party of Nepal is not a vanguard party private property has not been relinquished and production has not shifted to being for use rather than for exchange It thus fulfills none of the criteria and largely would fit alongside the ChinaVietnamLaos camp in terms of ideology were it not for the lack of a vanguard party status Though this is less to do with inherent ideology and more to do with the failure of the peoples war to achieve complete control of the country instead reaching compromise through peace accordIronically and at least as of 2022 Communist Parties control 190 of 275 seats in parliament meaning that again theoretically at least most of the people want communism Do not though expect a communist revolution any time soon in NepalTo read about if Nepal is communist click here Syrian Arab RepublicPortrait of Syrian president Bashar alAssadA curious feature of Arab politics during the 20th century was the rise of the nonaligned socialist movement Many Arab nations were unwilling to align themselves with the likes of the USSR but they took some socialist influence This could be seen in Libyas Jamahiriya system Egypts Nasserist politics and indeed in the Arab Socialism espoused by the Baathist movement throughout the region Out of all these movements including the rather different Saddamist Baathism of pre2003 Iraq only Syrian Baathism remains Emphasizing secularism something of a vanguard party status and indeed some aspects of socialism itself the Syrian Baath party exists in coalition with many other farleft Syrian parties there are a number of Syrian communist parties that take part in the National Progressive Front and could certainly be regarded as a reformist socialist movement Granted theres a strong argument that the party has changed greatly since its inception Hafez alAssad is a very different man from his son Bashar alAssad the current at time of writing presidentGoing by our model its fairly unquestionable that Syria does not stand among the socialist nations There may perhaps be some potential but much of the earlier Arab Socialist rhetoric of Baathism has been lost in ruthless pragmatism to reconcile Islamic extremism religious pluralism and strong Arab nationalism The country though is very much capitalist in most respects and even boasts some really good barsIronically when it come to socialist countries probably the most socialist part of Syria is Rojava which you can read about here Rojava actually runs on a form of leftistanarchism but it is certainly a place being watched by the leftist world Syria though is not a member of the socialist countries clubNonSocialist Nations Socialist PartiesLets face it socialist nations are uncommon these days Actual socialist nations revisionist ones and even reformist ones barely exist The collapse of the USSR caused most to collapse and even many reformist ones to officially discard their socialist affiliation What hasnt gone away are the parties What is a communist party The political movements that wish to establish by ballot or by bullet a new socialist state Now these exist in just about every country on Earth so we definitely cant list them all Lets simply List off a series of the most influential of theseRussian Federation Communist Party of the Russian FederationIs Russia still socialistBeing the second largest party in all of Russia its hard to discount the CPRF as a significant force Founded two years after the banning of the CPSU the CPRF very nearly swept the first postSoviet presidential election Party leader Gennady Zyuganov getting a solid 407 of the votes This is also with significant antiZyuganov media bias significant financial aid from western countries for the Yeltsin campaign foreign meddling and outright allegations of voterigging in favour of Boris Yeltsin the ultimate victorThe CPRF has fallen somewhat but maintains a strong core following consistently getting over 10 of the Russian electorates support This certainly sounds like a candidate for a brand new Soviet Union somewhere down the line Well Thats if you dont believe the significant criticism the party has received from the Russian left It has been pointed out that the CPRF were neither the first nor necessarily the largest postSoviet communist movement What is rather unique is that they faced no opposition from the postYeltsin status quo and remained defiant public life Some allege that the CPRF is merely a controlled opposition in the pocket of Putin This is something many rankandfile party members vehemently reject The question certainly begs an answer thoughTo get a better idea straight from the horses mouth you may want to check out the English language section of their website Again they do not claim that the USSR was ever a communist state and they also have an alarmingly close relationship with the Chinese Communist PartyIronically the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia has seen somewhat of a split within the communist movement within Russia The party itself supports the invasion but many within it do not due to what they perceive as the imperialistic nature of the Special Military Operation Republic of Belarus Communist Party of BelarusEmblem of the Communist Party of BelarusFollowing the collapse of the USSR Belarus was in a rather unique position Russia and most other exsocialist began shock therapy They reintroduced capitalism so suddenly and fiercely that living standards plummeted through the floor while Belarus slammed the breaks and returned a certain degree of economic control in 1994 President Aleksander Lukashenko went so far as to refer to his policy as market socialism at a time when European exsocialist nations were denouncing the legacy entirelyLukashenko is not however part of the Communist Party of Belarus In fact he is an independent As is the vast majority of the parliament of Belarus While only 11 of 120 seats in the House of Representatives and 17 of 64 in the Council of the Republic the Communist Party of Belarus is de facto the largest party in the entire country They are however loyal to Lukashenko and have faced much of the same criticism as the Communist Party of the Russian Federation for allegedly being a controlled opposition And although Belarus is often called the last Soviet state Belarus is far from being a communist country Republic of South Africa Economic Freedom FightersEFF members on the marchWith a hardline MarxistLeninist and antiimperialist stance the EFF Economic Freedom Fighters present one of the largest Marxist movements in Africa Polling over 10 with nearly 2 million votes in the most recent South African election their strength only seems to be growing with time though they certainly havent been strangers to controversy With allegations of highlevel misogyny and bigotry within its ranks they limit their ability to reach higher ranks and form stronger relations with the international communist movement Should the party be able to move past these problems they seem poised to become a force in African socialismThe EFF too have an English language website that may be worth checking out for more infoHellenic Republic Greece Communist Party of GreeceKKE rallyFounded in 1918 the Communist Party of Greece has long been a force in the Greek political scene They rose to an incredible peak during the second world war when membership inflated to around 200000 The Greek Peoples Liberation Army led much of the antifascist resistance in the country Alas problems became clear when the war was finally overWhen the British moved into Greece to assist in the removal of fascism arms swiftly turned on the communists to prevent the creation of yet another socialist state encroaching into Europe Very quickly the British were shooting down communist protesters in the streets The KKEs Communist Party of Greeces Greek acronym initial refusal to go to war with western allies crippled faith in the party and once they finally mobilised resistance it was too little too late After becoming illegal for several decades the KKE returned in the 70s and became a strong supportbase for working class politics After the collapse of the USSR they almost uniquely for western Europe managed to retain some significant strength and ideological cohesion At time of writing the KKE represent around 5 of the electorate though they are much stronger in groundlevel community activism Perhaps most interesting is their gradual push to spearhead a wider European communist coalition movement hoping to revitalise traditional MarxismLeninismOnce again the party has an English language website to provide more infoPlurinational State of Bolivia Movement for SocialismMAS rally in BoliviaBolivia would have been on the list of reformist states were it not for the Americabacked 2019 military coup ousting the ruling Movement for Socialism party led by president Evo Morales The party spent a long period as the leading party in Bolivia albeit not as a vanguard party and with a focus more on government expenditure for social services and protection of indigenous rights as opposed to a concerted effort towards a socialist economy The MAS though are back in power as of 2022 with the previous coup being declared illegal Morales has not returned though and it seems for now at least that they will not be going back to the same level of leftwingism as before NonSocialist Governments Revolutionary MovementsAs I said before there are the parties that wish to do things by ballot and there are those who wish to do so by bullet That was the ballot this is the bullet MarxistLeninists and affiliated ideological tendencies like Maoism typically espouse that revolution can only be carried out militantly Some will amend things to say that they only do so when material conditions are ripe Some participate in electoral politics to build up a support base while dancing around the need for revolution that must surely come later Other parties are actively fighting right now While certainly not at their peak as it was during the Cold War such movements assuredly do still exist and continue fighting in the hopes of developing which countries are communist orientedRepublic of Colombia FARCFARC flag during the civil warWhile the conflict in Colombia has largely petered out at the time of writing mass discontent within the ranks of decommissioned FARC members makes the possibility of return to civil war likely Assassinations on Marxist leaders in the country have led to fears that FARCs decision to enter into democratic elections was a mistake and that rather than channeling the will of the people they will instead be wiped out The guerrilla war waged by the MarxistLeninist movement lasted decades and caused deaths in the hundreds of thousands And while the peace of 2017 has improved things the Colombian Civil War is far from over The war now continues under the guise of dissident FARC members as well as the ELN who are now the longest running socialist insurgency on earth with there still being very little sign of a letup To learn about the history of the civil war in Colombia check the following linkRepublic of India Naxalite Movement AND KeralaNaxalite Maoists in IndiaPeople often overlook India when discussing socialism in the modern day despite holding not one but two of the most significant socialist movements in the world today Kerala is a state within India which has for decades been primarily led by the Communist Party of India Marxist which while not making this state a socialist one in the formula we described so very long ago has achieved higher living standards than the majority of the rest of IndiaOn the other hand theres the Communist Party of India Maoist otherwise known as the Naxalites along with a group of other Maoist movements without formal connection The CPI Maoist is an overtly revolutionary group with aims on overthrowing the Indian state through protracted peoples war and creating a socialist republic There are preliminary stages such as New Democracy which is unique to Maoist theory but it is likely safe to say that what the Naxals intend is approximate to what our model would describe as a socialist country The exact specifics and the success of their implementation is however a question for a whether or not they ever succeed With their revolutionary bases seemingly in decline it does not seem particularly likelyRepublic of the Philippines Communist Party of the PhilippinesNew Peoples ArmyNew Peoples Army in the PhilippinesMuch like with India there is a protracted peoples war ongoing in the Philippines and there has been one ongoing for many many decades now Filipino communists havent made major gains in quite a while though there are revolutionary bases in the jungles and war is ongoing Again much like the Indian communists the CPP is Maoist seeing a need to fight by means of protracted peoples war choke off the state and seize control According to their ideology at the very least their success would mean a fulfillment of our socialist criteria Granted Its hard to say how well they would do with this After all the fulfillment of a certain criteria does not mean the fulfillment of a utopiaSadly and while in their heyday many rank and file Filipinos including former President Duterte supported them most people now see the NPA as gagsters and do not look at them as leftwing saviours anymore Interestingly the CPP has a partially English language website Definitely worth checking out for more infoRepublic of Peru Communist Party of Peru Shining PathCommunist Party of Peru Shining Path guerrillas during the peoples warLast but not least we have the Shining Path Much diminished now they are nonetheless vital to mention due to their nearsuccess Once again we have a Maoist party though the PCP Partido Comunista del Per so as to differentiate from the Filipino CPP which would share an acronym in English would describe itself as MarxistLeninistMaoist GonzaloThought Much like Nepal with their ideological leader Prachanda the Peruvian communists had a leader in Abimael Guzman otherwise known as Presidente Gonzalo an ideological figurehead intended to place alongside Lenin and MaoUnlike the Naxalites and the Filipino Maoists the PCP came very close to winning their peoples war while unlike the Nepali Maoists there was no intention to ever capitulate to government peace talks Maoist guerrillas controlled the countryside by 1992 and the party had moved into the shantytowns of the capital of Lima Peru They were ready to begin the final offensive and create a new socialist state right as the old ones were disappearing to nothing behind them The Peruvian state ultimately captured Gonzalo and the war fizzled out the guerrillas retreating to jungle hotspotsThe Communist Party of Peru represents a new stage in the revolutionary Marxist movement They regarded just about every existing socialist movement at the time as revisionist unworthy of the socialist label and essentially an enemy yet nearly managing to secure victory in their home country Of course they failed Their legacy however seems to live on with the majority of militant Marxist movements having picked up the banner of MarxismLeninismMaoism that was first theorized by the PCP in the mid1980s Will this mean a new Cold War stage is on the cusp of appearing Maybe not But you can never be quite sure can youWhile the PCP no longer has a website of its own and has largely retreated to the jungle there is a news website affiliated with them that publishes statements semiregularly on their behalf Certainly worth checking outNon Socialist Systems with a Constitutional Reference to SocialismI would say these are the next step down while still technically counting Many countries exist which are not socialist in their mode of production do not have significant socialist parties and yet still declare it in their constitutions This has often been a quirk of their political history The Cold War saw the growth of many brand new countries after all while even more would alter their official position to improve diplomatic relations with the USSR China or whoever else Some have remained to this day and depending on who you ask theyre maybe on the path right nowPeoples Democratic Republic of AlgeriaNational Liberation Front emblemAlgeria is a country that was significantly inspired by the socialist revolutions that swept much of the third world at the time of its independence At the same time they were reluctant to follow too close to that socialist path A popular element of socialism particularly during the postWW2 collapse of empires era was antiimperialism Having been subject to the whims of France for such a long time the primary promise of socialism was independence from exploitation In this sense much of the socialist movements in Africa and the MiddleEast in particular found themselves more focused on antiimperialism rather than any Marxist understanding of socialism as an attempt to achieve communismWhen Algeria gained independence in 1962 under the National Liberation Front FLN led by Ahmed Ben Bella it appeared that Algeria was following a Yugoslavianstyled socialist experiment Not complete end to markets but mass land collectivisation and statecontrolled expansion of industry What markets remained were inspired by the workers selfmanagement models present in Yugoslavia under Josip Broz Tito at the time the main pioneer of the nonaligned movement of neither Soviet or American influence While initially more politically plural the FLN soon seized complete oneparty control of AlgeriaAs time went on Ahmed Ben Bella was deposed in a coup and the government became more Soviet in model with the state and military taking a primary lead When this coup leader died in 1979 it was the next Algerian leader who emerged as a moderate The economic plan for the following years liberalised the economy and broke apart many state run organs In 1987 further reforms were announced and at last in 1989 socialist was dropped from the countrys constitution Power was given to conservative Islamists and multiparty democracy was restored effectively ending their status as even a revisionist or reformist socialist state As Islamists won the elections the government annulled them in a panic and civil war ensuedSo anyway theres the context What about now Well the FLN have largely maintained a powerful force in Algerian politics either leading the government or being part of coalitions that led it Socialist rhetoric has largely disappeared What about the constitution Much of the overt socialist references have been removed but elements remain Gathered in the national movement and later within the National Front of Liberation the Algerian people have made great sacrifices in order to assume their collective destiny in the framework of recovered freedom and cultural identity and to build authentic peoples democratic constitutional institutions This is one such example Referring to peoples democratic constitutional institutions is evidence of the socialist system that remained before and the constitution even has passing reference to communes This is however largely gone in practice albeit with a strong state sector as a legacyPeoples Republic of BangladeshBaKSAL leaders and activists forming a human chainLets look at what the constitution says Further pledging that it shall be a fundamental aim of the State to realise through the democratic process a socialist society free from exploitation a society in which the rule of law fundamental human rights and freedoms equality and justice political economic and social will be secured for all citizens Now Im sure its not just me but that sounds pretty damn socialist You may be confused to know then that socialism is pretty much nonexistent in Bangladesh and most major parties are vehemently opposed to it So what the hells going onAt the time of the drafting of Bangladeshs constitution in 1972 both India and Pakistan had strong references to socialism in their own constitutions Well get to that It was a natural fit for Bangladesh to follow suit especially in light of how much of a stranglehold socialism seemed to have on the region It served for better trade purposes and foreign relations While initially politically moderate while aligned with the USSR and Cuba growing discontent and harsh conditions in Bangladesh led to the formation of the Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League in 1975 Or BaKSAL for short This served as the oneparty ruling state of Bangladesh for the next few yearsSome socialists were content with this and rushed to join the party while many others refused to accept the role of BaKSAL as a true socialist movement Either way the leader of BaKSAL was soon assassinated along with many other prominent leaders leading to a military junta At last in 1977 multiparty democracy was restored with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party soon winning elections Bangladesh was largely socialist from 1972 to 1977 before capitalism was reintroduced with economic liberalisation exploding by 1991 With that what remained of the socialist rhetoric in Bangladeshs constitution was but a vague memoryAs of 2024 the country is led by Sheikh Hasina daughter of the original communist leader of Bangladesh as well as the officially socialist Awami League Contemporary Bangladesh though is no socialist country let alone a Peoples Republic CoOperative Republic of GuyanaCoOperative of Guyana Mass GamesOkay read this Guyana is an indivisible secular democratic sovereign state in the course of transition from capitalism to socialism and shall be known as the Cooperative Republic of Guyana Now that doesnt exactly leave room for interpretation does it Once again though Guyana is a capitalist country and has very little in the way of socialist production at all Hardly sounds like any of the socialist nations So Whats going onGuyanas first elections following partial independence from Britain were scheduled for 1953 Strongly leading in these first elections were the Peoples Progressive Party PPP founded by Cheddi Jagan Being IndoGuyanese there was a need to improve the AfroGuyanese representation in the party leading to the help of Forbes Burnham who also joined the party The PPP soundly won the election but within months Britain became displeased by the increasingly leftwing authority usurped the constitution and sent in troops Until 1957 the country was led by a largely Britishcontrolled group of conservatives and businessmen though the PPP was not banned as a partyDuring this time the PPP was beginning to fragment Jagan had become the left wing of the party and Burnham had moved to the right wing of the party something that the British soon picked up on and played to their advantage In time the Burnham faction broke away from the PPP entirely merging with a separate predominantly AfroGuyanese party to form the Peoples National CongressIn 1961 Jagan and the PPP won the next set of elections and moved the country leftwards once more aligning closely with Cuba and the German Democratic Republic in particular Intervention by the PNC and elements of the CIA were frequent severely disrupting Guyana in this period and damaging the credibility of the PPP By 1964 the British once again intervened directly and changed the constitution without the PPPs consent In the next election the PPP gained 46 of the vote while the PNC gained 40 Meanwhile the overtly capitalist United Front UF gained 11 of the vote and formed a coalition with the PNC to keep the PPP out of power The PNC broke relations with Cuba and raised foreign trade eventually leading to full independence being granted from Britain in 1966 At last in 1968 the PNC gained the power needed to rule without the UF in coalition suddenly announcing an unexpected leftward shift By 1970 Guyana was declared a cooperative republic relations with Cuba were restored capitalism was being reduced and the country took its place among the nonaligned movement Soon by 1974 the party and the state had become essentially synonymous Opposition parties remained but were stifled and elections were arguably heavily tampered with By 1979 the private sector accounted for 10 of Guyanas economyEventually in 1985 Burnham died of a throat illness and the suffering economy was overtaken by a new leader Liberalisation began the economy began to loosen and in 1993 of all people Jagan of the PPP became the countrys leader Contrary to the British fears of his alleged MarxismLeninism Jagan and the PPP oversaw further liberalisation of the Guyanese economy including International Monetary Fund restructuring which led to a collapse in real wages Since then the PNC and PPP have jointly vied for power in a liberal democratic Guyana having largely abandoned socialism but not having discarded the past The PNCs website still lauds Burnham and Guyana under the PNC but its present constitution makes no further reference to socialism The maintenance of socialism in the constitution is merely a quirk of a legacy unwilling to be either forgotten or upheldInterestingly Guyana during its brief dalliance with socialism they worked with the DPRK on their own version of the Mass Games Yep little Guyana had their version of Arirang Republic of IndiaIndian leader Indira Gandhi Socialist Countries Ill make this one shorter because the history is honestly a lot less interesting Unlike the previous examples Indian socialism was pretty much never on the table There was a long period where state planning existed and a stringent bureaucracy prevented private businesses but the aim for this was more state capitalism in nature Not even lip service had been paid to socialism in this period The reference to socialism in the Indian constitution is as follows We the people of India having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic and to secure to all its citizens That is quite literally it It is not brought up again It is so little that as far as the constitution applies for the regions of Jammu and Kashmir it is explicitly stated that the terms Socialist Secular should be omitted from the preamble of the constitutionSo why did this happen if theres no care at all Well there was an 18 month period between 1975 and 1977 when India led by Indira Gandhi went through The Emergency This is a period in which India was officially in a state of emergency and heavy restrictions on civil liberties occurred Strikes had rocked the country and a conflict with Pakistan had just concluded The Presidents base of support was very much among the Indian poor with lip service to socialism proving extremely popular to the point that some of those cracked down on were actually supporters of the president who hoped for the socialist aspect to go further As it happened this never occurred The state of emergency eventually ended and with it these two little words Socialist and Secular were left behind in the constitution as a neat little memento that nobody has quite gotten around to discardingIndia as of 2024 is about as far from socialist as you can get with the religious government of Modhi although he has at least managed to give much of the country toiletsDemocratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaSri Lankan May Day paradeYeah you read that right A country with Socialist in its damn name How can you argue against that Well whats on paper is often quite different to the reality For example once again the constitution to constitute Sri Lanka into a democratic socialist republic whilst ratifying the immutable republican principles of representative democracy and assuring to all peoples freedom equality justice fundamental human rights and the independence of the judiciary Guess what That is the ONLY reference to socialism in the whole constitution aside from repeated reiterations of the countrys name So whats going on hereWell like many of the countries mentioned up until now socialism was popular in Sri Lanka in its mid20th century history Between 1948 and 1977 it could be argued that a reformist socialist state existed with much of industry nationalised and a strong welfare state put in place From 1977 onwards however free market capitalism strongly took hold in the country and never quite let go though Marxist movements are far from extinct in the country From 1962 onwards especially the country became close to both the USSR and China while taking its place in the nonaligned movement This did not stop Sri Lanka from cracking down harshly on an attempted Marxist insurrection in 1971 and again in 1987 Once again this is largely a case of a nonsocialist country with useful socialist allegiances simply altering its image to appeal Then never bothering to change after the factSo whilst it did spend time as a Socialist leaning state Sri Lanka never got to joining the communist countries club Ironically the country almost went bankrupt from 2022 and was extremely ripe for a socialist revolution Sadly it ended up more a case of the middleclass complaining they had less money even if the workers did seize the palace To read why Sri Lanka is such a mess click here United Republic of TanzaniaJulius Nyerere and Fidel CastroNow depending on who you ask Tanzania is either incidentally maintaining socialism in its constitution or is simply a reformist socialist country Unlike many of the above the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi CCM translated as Party of the Revolution still claim to be socialist and are members of the Socialist International But at the same time they are neither a vanguard party nor do they discourage capitalism in any way They go as far as to directly promote the private sector as the engine of the economy having diverted strongly from their earlier ideals Despite this the constitution still states The United Republic is a democratic secular and socialist state which adheres to multiparty democracy Tanzania was once at the forefront of African socialism Tanzanian leader Julius Nyerere pioneered a philosophy known as Ujamaa seen as an African model of socialism that saw village cooperatives as better than massscale collectivisation programs that had resulted in civil wars in exsocialist Ethiopia Nyerere opposed scientific Marxism and largely viewed socialism in Africa as needing an entirely different basis relating it more to the ideals of an egalitarian society with influence drawn from traditional African ways of living Nyerere was also inspired by his Christianity and despite there having been oneparty rule in Tanzania it is often argued that civil liberties were not infringed and Tanzania remained a rather open and liberal stateSince the death of Nyerere much of the infrastructure established has since collapsed or at least reduced although things like the public compulsory education system remain at least largely in place In 1992 the oneparty system officially ended and with it capitalism largely returned as well Due to Julius Nyereres immense popularity within the country references to socialism as understood by Nyerere remain while much of his actual legacy has since been removed and replaced There may be lip service but Tanzania does not stand among the ranks of socialist nationsPortuguese Republic1975 Maoist mural in Portugal The working class must dare to move forward in the revolution Portuguese Workers Communist PartyWhat really Portugal The country right next to Spain How the hell would that refer to socialism Well as it turns out it does The Constituent Assembly affirms the Portuguese peoples decision to open up a path towards a socialist society This constitution was drafted in 1976 one year after the Carnation Revolution in which a bloodless military coup unseated the rightwing colonialist government that previously ran Portugal From here there had been a struggle between leftist and rightist factions vying for power having culminated in a failed leftist coup at the end of 1975 which attempted to turn the country to a socialist societyThe period between the Carnation Revolution and this attempted coup was known as the Processo Revolucionrio Em Curso or the Ongoing Revolutionary Process At this time vast sections of the Portuguese economy came under government control and it truly appeared as though Portugal would join the socialist nations under the direction of this oddly leftist military junta Alas it was not to be Almost immediately a large amount of the nationalised properties were ruled illegally seized and returned In the 1976 legislative elections the victorious rather moderate Portuguese Socialist Party began to return large amounts of the remaining seized land and continued to pay lip service to socialism pleasing the demands of a great segment of the populace while also pushing for integration with the European Economic Community from 1977 onwards In 1982 the weakness of the Socialist Party ultimately resulted in a coalition of rightwing parties securing enough control to enact constitutional reforms followed again with further reforms in 1989 which reprivatised much of the nationalised industry in the country From here what remained in the constitution that referred to socialism was merely a remnant of that now longago nearrevolutionAnd that is our very concise guide to Socialist Countries Communist Countries and everything inbetween for 2024And as for the future of Socialist Countries in 2024 Obviously it is too early to tell but with a number of rightwing strongmen falling from grace the world is at least perhaps ever so slightly to the left although dont expect much of a revolution just yet Visit Venezuela with YPT on our Venezuelan Bolivarian Revolution and Angel Falls Tour
COVID19 Coronavirus Travel Update 8211 Which countries are open for tourism
Coronavirus travel update Welcome to the YPT COVID19 Coronavirus travel updates page With this page we aim to give up to date travel advice on which countries are open to tourism during the current pandemic As you might imagine one of the most frequent questions we are getting asked right now is which countries have open borders and where can I travel to during coronavirusWhile the COVID19 pandemic still refuses to die down in many parts of the world there is an increasing number of countries that are now open or opening to tourismGroup tours are particularly hard during this period although we are managing to run some Many countries though are open to independent tours which of course we can arrange With this page we aim to answer the following questionsWhich countries are open for group toursWhich countries are open for independent toursWhich countries are openWhich countries are open to tourismWhich countries are open to travelWhat are the travel requirements to enter various countries Which countries are allowing in people who have been vaccinatedWill there be a travel passportPlease note this page will be continuously updated with border closures and openings but we also recommend doing your own independent research as well as checking with your own government regulations on travel In the meantime you can still sign up for our YPT membership if you want to secure discounts on tours in 2024 and beyond and all tours are only a 50 depositTable of ContentsWhich countries are open to group and independent travel Africa Travel Coronavirus travel update Asia Travel Coronavirus travel updates Central Asia Coronavirus travel updates Caribbean and America travel updatesEastern Europe Travel Coronavirus travel updates Middle East Travel Coronavirus travel updates Countries allowing tourists with a Covid19 vaccineWhich countries are expected to open for tourism soonWhat future tours need to be booked in advancePopular travel destinations coronavirus travel updatesCentral Asia Covid19 travel updatesMiddle East Covid19 travel updatesWestern Asia Covid19 travel updatesGlobal Covid19 Travel updatesAfrica Travel updatesAmericas travel updates Central Asia travel updatesSoutheast Asia travel updates OceaniaWhich countries are open to group and independent travelWhich countries can I travel to now We have compiled the following list of countries that are currently open to tourism and that YPT can arrange independent travel to We have listed the requirements for each country If you are interested in travelling to any of these destinations please contact us Africa Travel Coronavirus travel update Algeria Though land borders remain closed limited international flights to and from Algeria have resumed Guests will need to provide a negative Covid19 test taken within 36 hours prior to departure from your origin Upon arrival you will have to take another PCR test Those who test positive will have to quarantine for ten days and they must pay for this quarantine People who test negative will be granted entry Our January Algeria tour is scheduled to run as plannedBurkina Faso Is Burkina Faso open to tourism Yes it is A negative COVID19 test taken no earlier than 72 hours before landing is necessary Land borders have also been reopened to regular passenger travel Now is a great time to visit this West African nation Egypt Is Egypt open to travel Egypt has removed almost all travel restrictions to the country and merely require a negative PCR test taken within 96 hours prior to your flight to Egypt or a vaccination certificate recognized by the Egyptian authorities We are now offering independent tours to Egypt Libya Is Libya open to tourism Libya is open to restricted group tours We can now offer Libya Tours Read more about the procedure to visit Libya here Mali Is Mali open to tourism Mali is open to tourism and independent travel Youll need to present a negative COVID test taken no more than 72 hours prior to travel We can organise independent tours starting now Unfortunately due to the threat of violence in Dogon Country it is completely closed off to tourism Mauritania Is Mauritania open to tourism Mauritania is fully open to travel A negative COVID test within 72 hours of travel has to be presented and YPT can arrange independent travel to suit your needs Once you arrive at Nouakchott airport you must complete a health declaration and pass a temperature check Check out ournbsp5 Reasons to Visit Mauritania Morocco On the 29th of November Morocco announced a ban on all incoming and outgoing flights for until the 13th of December After flights resume whether or not you can enter Morocco depends on the country you are from Countries are split into an A and a B list A list people merely need to show proof of vaccine Citizens of Blist countries face more severe restrictions and are required to present negative COVID19 tests taken no earlier than 48 hours prior to arrival in addition to being vaccinated If you are from a Blist country you may be required to quarantine for 10 days at your own expense In addition as of the 13th November you will also have your temperature taken and be asked to do a rapid antigen test provided free of charge immediately upon arrival in MoroccoSomaliland Is Somaliland open to tourism The unrecognised country ofnbspSomaliland is now fully open to tourism Visitors need a negative COVID19 test taken no earlier than 72 hours before arrival We are currently arranging independent tours to Somaliland South Sudan Is South Sudan open to tourists South Sudan is currently open to tourism Those arriving by air must present a negative PCR test taken no earlier than 96 hours prior to arrival Guests arriving by land must present a negative test taken no earlier than 120 hours prior to arrival Unvaccinated people need to selfisolate for 10 dayson arrival whereas vaccinated people do not provided they produce paper evidence of their vaccinated status If you hadnt heard this is the newest country in the world and is now safe to visit We are currently arranging independent tours to South Sudan inclusive of visas Sudan Is Sudan open to tourism While Sudan is relatively open with regards to COVID requirements the recent coup has made the current situation unstable This is a situation we are currently monitoring Those who do wish to go though must provide negative PCR tests with 72 hours of arrival to and departure from Sudan YPT can organise independent travel to Sudan and also Bir Tawil the only truly unclaimed piece of land in the world which we wrote a book on Asia Travel Coronavirus travel updates China Mainland Is China open to tourism No it is not China is currently not issuing any tourist visas China has launched a travel passport for Chinese citizens to travel abroad They have also announced that people who have received a Chinese vaccine can apply for visas as normal Tibet recently reopened for domestic tourism with us now arranging Tibet tours for Chinabased travelers Longterm China have just announced they will not be allowing in tourists for the Winter Olympics making any Chinese opening before April 2022 very unlikely Bali Indonesia Travelers to Indonesia ages 12 and above will need to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to arrival and provide a negative PCR test taken no earlier than 72 hours before travel Additionally insurance coverage of at least US100000 is required The Indonesian authorities may require you to install and use the Peduli Lindungi app in order to enterHong Kong Hong Kong is partially open albeit with heavy restrictions on travellers from nearly all destinations Quarantine is mandatory for a certain period depending on your vaccination status and whether you come from an A B or C tier risk country Check the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Regions website for specific detailsIndia All guests to India must take a PCR test within 72 hours of arrival Those from specified at risk countries must undergo additional screening upon arrival and selfquarantine for a week For more information please visit the Ministry of Health and Family Welfares websiteMongolia Is Mongolia open to tourism Mongolia resumed international flights on 1st June To enter the country you need to have been vaccinated at least 2 weeks prior to your trip have a negative PCR test within 72 hours of entering the country as well as present an onward or return ticket You must also selfisolate for 14 days We are exploring resuming tours to Mongolia by flight Nepal Is Nepal open to tourism Nepal recently reopened its borders to tourists YPT can organise Himalayan treks and Maoist Civil War adventures in this truly beautiful country A negative COVID test within 48 hours is required on arrival Palau Palau is now open to tourists who have been vaccinated within 14 prior to arrival Upon arrival there is a compulsory 5 day quarantine with tests on day 1 and day 5 When leaving visitors must produce a negative PCR taken within 72 hours of departure to the airline More information on Palaus entry requirements are available on Palaus Ministry of Health and Human Services Facebook pageSingapore Is Singapore open to tourism Singapore has introduced vaccinated travel lanes VTL with Canada Denmark France Italy Netherlands Spain the UK and the US This essentially allows vaccinated travellers from these countries Noncitizens with a traveltransit history to Botswana Eswatini Lesotho Mozambique Namibia South Africa or Zimbabwe within the last 14 days are not allowed entry into SingaporeSri Lanka All travellers flying to Sri Lanka must present a negative PCR test in English when checking into their flights This test must be done no earlier than 72 hours prior to the flight departure Whether or not you would need to quarantine on arrival is dependent on your vaccination status Proof of vaccination must be in English For more information visit the Ministry of Tourisms websiteThailand Foreigners who wish to travel to Thailand can do so by applying on the governments online platform called Thailand Pass Whether or not you are required to quarantine depends on various factors such as vaccination status port of departure and PCR test results For more information refer to the previous website in addition to that of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand Starting from 27 Nov 2021 travelers from Botswana Eswatini Lesotho Malawi Mozambique Zamibia South Africa and Zimbabwe cannot enter Thailand Travelers from other African countries must quarantine for 14 daysCentral Asia Coronavirus travel updates Afghanistan Is Afghanistan open for tourism Afghanistan was previously open to tourism as normal This has obviously changed since the victory of the Taliban Currently you cannot travel as a tourist to Afghanistan If though tourists are eventually allowed into the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan we will certainly be exploring options Kyrgyzstan All visitors to Kyrgyzstan must have a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before their arrival An additional PCR test may be required depending on travel history andor exhibited symptoms Proof of vaccination may facilitate entry into KyrgyzstanPakistan A negative PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to travel is mandatory for all inbound passengers to Pakistan Additionally all passengers must create a Pass Track account and install the Pass Track app onto their mobile devices Upon arrival passengers will undergo a rapid antigen test and those who test positive will be required to quarantine For more details refer to this documentTajikistan Is Tajikistan open for tourism Tajikistan is now allowing tourists to enter the country but only through Dushanbe International Airport Tourists wanting to visit Tajikistan can once again use their relatively simple EVisa process online In order to travel to Tajikistan youll need either a negative PCR test that is less than 72 hours old or a vaccination certificate that is more than 1 month old Land borders remain closed to foreign travellers until the government deems it safe to reopen Almost all arrivals will need to come through Istanbul or DubaiUzbekistan Uzbekistan has restricted entry for passengers arriving from a number of southern African countries and Hong Kong until the 10th of January 2022 Passengers traveling from countries where the Omicron variant has been detected must selfisolate for 10 days upon arrival All passengers must present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to arrival Contact the Uzbek embassy in your country to confirm travel restrictions and entry requirementsThe Caribbean and Americas Coronavirus travel updates Argentina Argentina has reopened to tourists who have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days prior to arrival Passengers must present a negative COVID19 test taken within 72 hours before boarding Additionally visitors must have insurance for the duration of their stay in the country A statutory declaration must be completed 48 hours before arrivalBelize Passengers entering Belize through the Philip Goldson International Airport are required to present a negative COVID19 test Those entering the country through the northern and western borders will be given a rapid test at their own expense These requirements apply regardless of vaccination status Tourists are also required to use Gold Standard Operators and hotels as set out by the government We are currently planning a group tour to Belize Brazil On the 27th of November 2021 Brazil temporarily banned entry for travelers who have been in Botswana Eswatini Lesotho Namibia South Africa or Zimbabwe in the 14 days preceding their departure for Brazil Its land and sea borders have also been closed temporarily with the exception of its border with Paraguay With the exception of passengers who have been in the six aforementioned countries everyone else is allowed entry into Brazil if they show a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to departure to their airline or take a rapid antigen test within 24 hours before departure A Travellers Health Declaration must also be submitted in order to gain entry There are currently no vaccination requirementsCanada Fully vaccinated passengers have to comply with all of the following requirements provide a negative COVID test exhibit no symptoms of COVID be fully vaccinated for at least 14 days click here for more information and meet these entry requirements On the 30th of November Canada restricted travel by those who have been in specific countries within the 14 previous days If you are entering Canada from anywhere beside the United States you will be required to take a PCR test upon arrival and quarantine until results are available Those who display symptoms of COVID or fail to meet vaccination requirements will be required to quarantine for 14 days Colombia Passengers must complete an online form 1 to 24 hours prior to departing for Colombia The same form must be completed before exiting Colombia as well While national lockdown measures have been lifted city and districtspecific safety measures are still in place in some places Be sure to check with the localities you wish to visitCuba Passengers arriving to Cuba are given a health form on the flight that must be filled out and presented upon landing along with a health fee Passengers must then get tested for COVID and go to an isolation center until results are available A second test is administered after five days Visitors are responsible for all testing and isolation costs In addition foreigners visiting Cuba must have proof of insurance that covers treatment for COVID19Mexico Is Mexico open to tourism Yes it is Mexico is open to tourists of all nationalities arriving by air The US Mexico border is closed to all nonessential traffic Not all areas of the country are open though Currently no negative test is required although if you come from a highrisk country you may be screened and quarantined The borders with Belize and Guatemala also remain closed United States The US has temporarily suspended entry of travellers who have recently travelled in certain countries With the exception of US citizens and permanent residents all who wish to enter the US must be fully vaccinated unless they qualify for an exception Those who qualify for an exception are tested 35 days after arrival and are required to selfquarantine for a week unless they have proof of recovery within the past 90 days If the test returns positive or if symptoms develop selfisolation is required Those who are unvaccinated but granted entry into the US must agree to be vaccinated if they intend on staying in the US for over 60 days All passengers are required to show a negative test result taken no more than a day before travelEastern Europe Travel Coronavirus travel updates Albania In order to enter or transit through Albania one of the following four conditions must be met 1 proof of full vaccination completed no later than two weeks prior to arrival or 2 a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours or 3 a negative rapid antigen test taken within 48 hours or 4 proof of recovery from COVID19 within the last six monthsArmenia Is Armenia open to tourism Yes it is Foreign travellers are now allowed to enter Armenia but willnbspneed a negative COVID test taken no earlier than 72 hours prior to entry or a vaccination certificate confirming full vaccination completed no later than 14 days prior to entry for multicomponent vaccines or 28 days prior to entry for singlecomponent vaccines Alternatively visitors can get a test on arrival and isolate until they get the results Belarus Belarus requires visitors over the age of 6 and not in an exempt category to present a negative PCR test taken within 3 days of arrival Vaccinated visitors are not required to selfisolate but unvaccinated visitors who are arriving from or have transited through red zone countries most countries are considered red zone are required to selfisolate for 7 days and arent permitted to leave Belarus until the 7day period ends Land borders remain sealed to foreigners without without residency permits so the only option available for most is flying You can also visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in BelarusBulgaria Bulgaria has a system in place that categorizes passengers based on the country theyre travelling from Countries are divided into green orange and red zones and the zone from where you are travelling to Bulgaria determines your entry requirements For the list of countries check this machinetranslation of Bulgarias COVID19 portal click here for the Bulgarian original Green visitors may enter Bulgaria with one of the following a valid EU Digital COVID19 Certificate of vaccination proof of immunity from COVID19 no more than 6 months from the date of entry for those who have recovered from COVID a negative PCR test performed no more than 72 hours before travel or a negative rapid antigen test taken within 48 hours of entering Bulgaria Orange visitors need to provide proof of vaccination stating that 14 days have passed since the final dose proof of immunity from COVID dates at least 11 days before but no more than 180 days before arrival for those who have recovered from COVID a negative PCR test performed no more than 72 hours before travel or a negative rapid antigen test taken within 48 hours of entering Bulgaria Red visitors are not allowed to enter the country We are currently running private tours to Bulgaria Restaurants bars and tourist attractions are operating as normal We are currently running a range of private tours to Bulgaria contact us for more informationBosnia Anybody wishing to travel to Bosnia must present a negative PCR COVID19 test no older than 48 hours from the moment of entry Tests cannot be taken on arrival Alternately you can provide proof of vaccination showing full vaccination completed at least two weeks prior to arrival or a medical certificate of recovery in the period of 14 to 180 days prior to arrival We are currently running private tours to BosniaCroatia Croatia is open to travellers who can provide evidence of being on prebooked tours Those who wish to enter must present a vaccination certificate or proof of recovery from COVID in the previous 9 months Those who do not have proof of vaccination or recovery must present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before arrival or a rapid antigen test taken within 48 hours prior to arrival Visitors who choose to test in Croatia must remain in isolation until a negative result is received As of the 27th of November people who are arriving from or have been in the following countriesregions within 14 days before arrival to Croatia will be denied entry Botswana Eswatini Hong Kong Lesotho Mozambique Namibia South Africa Zimbabwe This form must be filled out prior to arrival Click here for further informationEstonia All passengers going to Estonia must fill out a travellers questionnaire prior to arrival Depending on where you travel origin and your vaccination status you may be required to quarantine Check with the Estonian government for the latest informationGeorgia Travelers are permitted to enter Georgia provided they present documentation proving fullvaccination status Passengers who have spent any time in India during the 14 days prior to entering Georgia are required to quarantine for two weeks Unvaccinated people are allowed to enter Georgia if they come from a list of approved countries present a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of entering Georgia and undergo a second PCR test on day 3 of their stay Everyone who visits Georgia must complete this online form before entering GeorgiaLatvia On 26th November 2021 Latvia imposed a travel ban to and from South Africa Lesotho Botswana Zimbabwe Mozambique Namibia Eswatini and Malawi The travel ban will not apply to Latvian citizens or permanent residents of the EU with a residence permit in Latvia Those who have been vaccinated in the EU or other approved countries or have recovered from COVID are allowed to enter without having to test or selfisolate unless arriving from highrisk countries All passengers entering Latvia must fill out a form at least 48 hours prior to entering Latvia Those who do not fit the vaccinationorigin criteria must present a negative COVID19 test from within the previous 72 hoursLithuania Passengers with a valid EU Digital COVID19 Certificate are allowed to travel to Lithuania if they are not travelling from a highrisk country Those without a EU COVID Certificate must fall into one of the exemption categories in order to enter Lithuania Check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for specific details If you fall under an exemption category you must present a negative PCR test that is less than 72 hours old or provide evidence of full vaccination Additionally you may be required to selfisolate for 10 days depending on your travel origin Visit the Ministry of Healths website for more informationMoldova Moldova is currently open to travellers who either produce a negative PCR test within 72 hours prior to arrival Those without a valid negative PCR test will be required to quarantine Poland Poland is open to citizens of the EU and Schengen area as well as those traveling from a low risk country However unless you arrive with a negative test result or proof of vaccinationrecovery you may be subject to 10 days of quarantine and released after 8 days if a negative test result is produced Those arriving to Poland by air are required to submit a Passenger Locator Form before checking inRussia Land borders are closed to most foreign travellers Visitors coming from a number of African countries and Chinas Hong Kong have been restricted Express testing is available for guests arriving from China Israel and the UK Specific details can be read on the Russian governments website Everyone else including transit passengers must provide a negative PCR test taken no earlier than 48 hours before arriving to Russia Furthermore visitors may be required to selfisolate for 14 daysSerbia Anybody wishing to travel to Serbia must present a negative COVID19 test PCR not older than 48 hours from the moment of entry Proof of vaccination can be used in lieu of a negative test for passengers traveling from certain countries For specific details please visit the Serbian Ministry of Affairs website We are currently running private tours to Serbia Transnistria Is Transnistria open to tourism Tourists are now being allowed into PMR if they have been vaccinated or have presented a negative PCR in Moldova This is so far confirmed from the Moldovan entry point to Transnsitria It is now possible to travel from Odessa to Tiraspol again showing proof of vaccination Ukraine Upon arrival all foreign nationals will be required to provide proof of valid health insurance that covers COVID19 observation and treatment for the duration of their stay All travellers will also need a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours or proof of vaccination Failure to provide one of the two will result in mandatory selfisolation We have currently resumed groups tours to Ukraine For independent tours to the country check out our private tours to Ukraine Middle East Travel Coronavirus travel updates Iraq Iraq is now open to tourism and visa rules have just been relaxed making this the easiest time to visit Iraq in recent memory A negative COVID19 test taken within 72 hours of arrival must be provided to visit the country You can join our next Iraq tour here Iraqi Kurdistan Is Iraqi Kurdistan open to tourism Iraqi Kurdistan is open to travel during coronavirus Kurdistan has since announced a full opening to people who have received any vaccination including Sputnik or a negative PCR taken within 48 hours prior to entry You can read more about the new policy here Saudi Arabia In order to secure a Saudi visa you must register your vaccination status and travel details on Muqeem Portal before travelling to the country The Saudi authorities also require international travellers to provide a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to travel More details can be found on Visit Saudis websiteSyria Is Syria open to tourism Syria recently announced it would be reopening to tourism We can now offer independent tours to the country and are currently planning two group tours for early 2022 Countries allowing tourists with a Covid19 vaccineCoronavirus travel update Which countries are allowing tourists who have had the coronavirus vaccine to enter As the rollout of the vaccine has moved much than expected in many countries this is a situation in constant flux It now looks more than likely that we will see a number of so called travel passports being launched Cyprus Cyprus is now completely open to travellers though some restrictions are in place Passengers arriving from category orange countries must present a negative PCR test taken in the 72 hours prior to travel and upload the results to their Cyprus Flight Pass applications Passengers arriving from category red countries must do the same as well as take an additional PCR test upon arrival and selfisolate for 72 hours Those arriving from category green countries do not face these restrictions though all travellers are required to fill out the the online Cyprus Flight Pass before entering the country The list of green orange and red countries can be found here We can therefore arrange independent tours to both Northern and Southern Cyprus for those that have been vaccinated The EU Will the EU allow tourists that have been vaccinated In short yes The EU have announced an extremely ambitious whereby any person who has been vaccinated within the preceding two weeks will be able to visit the EU as a tourist This is related to the Digital Green Pass travel passport which you can read about here For more information on the EU opening to tourism click here In response to the outbreak of the omicron variant emergency travel restrictions for passengers arriving from certain countries were enacted To see if you are impacted click hereGreenland Visitors aged 15 and above must be fully vaccinated in order to enter Greenland All passengers arriving to Greenland must provide a negative PCR test from the the EU Switzerland Norway Luxembourg or the UK Refer to the governments website for more travel guidelinesIceland Vaccinated visitors may enter Iceland if they provide a negative COVID19 test taken no earlier than 72 hours before departing for Iceland Those without proof of vaccination or recovery from COVID19 must take 2 PCR tests separated by 5 days of quarantine until test results of the second test are known For more information visit this websiteRomania Romania was one of the first countries to announce they would let in people who have received the vaccine People who have not been vaccinated must show a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to entry to the country or proof of recovery Failing to do so will result in mandatory quarantine for 14 days If you decide to take a COVID19 test on the 8th day of quarantine you may leave on the 10th day if you test negative We can arrange independent tours to Romania As an EU country Romania will likely be taking part in the EU Travel Pass Seychelles Passengers who are not citizens permanent residents or gainful occupation holders are not allowed entry into Seychelles if traveling from Botswana Eswatini Lesotho Mozambique Namibia South Africa or Zimbabwe All who wish to travel to Seychelles must apply for a Health Travel Authorization on Seychelles official website Passengers must also provide a negative PCR test taken no sooner than 72 hours before travelUnited Kingdom All travelers to the UK aged 12 years and older must take a COVID19 test in the 48 hours before they travel People from red list countries who are not UK nationals Irish nationals or permanent residents of the UK are not allowed entry into the UK while those who are one of the three must book a hotel quarantine package at their own expense Passengers from the rest of the world face different entry policies depending on their vaccination status To be considered fully vaccinated the final dose of the vaccine must be taken at least 2 weeks before arrival to the UK All passengers must complete a passenger locator form within the 48 hours prior to arrival Fully vaccinated passengers must take an additional COVID test on day 2 after arrival in the UK whereas nonvaccinated passengers must take COVID tests on day 2 and day 8 after arrival All must selfisolate until their final test results are known or 14 days have passed since arrival whichever is soonerWhat future tours need to be booked in advanceAntarctica coronavirus travel updatesCan I take a cruise during coronavirus All cruise lines have essentially ceased operations SAGA a company who specialize in the over 50s demographic have recently announced that they would only allow customers who had been vaccinated It is our option that this is likely to become an industry standard As of now there is no indication if this will be the rule for Antarctica or Svalbard cruises As there is no central governing body for Antarctica it will likely fall on the cruise industry to mandate Antarctica With Argentina announcing they will open from November 1st this means Antarctica will also reopen for tourismAsiaBhutan Is Bhutan open to tourism Bhutan is closed to all tourists The dynamics of travel to Bhutan mean it is likely to be one of the last countries to open to tourism Myanmar Burma Is Burma open to tourists No it is not Following the recent coup and violence in the country Myanmar is unlikely to open to tourism in 2021 North Korea North Korea remains closed to tourists Our North Korea 2022 tour programme is available for bookings You may read more about our North Korean travel updates We are confidently looking at tourism to North Korea resuming in late 2022 or early 2023 All booked tours to North Korea can be swapped should the situation dictate itSouth Korea Is South Korea open to tourism South Korea is almost completely closed to all but returning residents and nationals Those who do return are required to undergo quarantine While it is possible to visit visafree travel is restricted and all arrivals must present a negative PCR test and take a Covid test upon arrival Vaccination is not certain quarantine exemption as this must be applied forNordicSvalbard All travelers to Svalbard including those who are vaccinated must present a negative antigen rapid test before departure to Svalbard The test cannot be taken more than 24 hours prior to departure For more details visit this page on the Norwegian Institute of Public Healths websitePopular travel destinations coronavirus travel updatesCentral Asia Covid19 travel updatesTurkmenistan Is Turkmenistan open to tourism It is currently closed Like North Korea this is one of the few countries least afraid to shut its borders to the outside world All Turkmenistan Airlines flights have been cancelled As of 2021 the situation remains unchanged Middle East Covid19 travel updatesIsrael Israel announced on the 27th of November a temporary ban on the entry of all foreign nationals to IsraelWestern Asia Covid19 travel updatesIran Is Iran Open to tourism Travel to Iran is possible with proof of vaccination or with a negative PCR test taken before arrival You will also be given a test upon entry into Iran If you test positive or are suspected of having the virus you will be quarantined at your own expenseGlobal Covid19 Travel UpdatesAfrica Travel updatesAngola Is Angola open to tourism Travel to Angola is possible though heavily restricted A negative PCR test is required to travel and another test must be taken upon arrival and departure For those on tourist visas a seven day quarantine remains in place Flights to and from Angola have restarted again though land crossing remains closedEritrea Is Eritrea open to tourism Partially Eritreas borders do not currently permit tourists to enter by land It is however possible to travel by air requiring a negative PCR test a test upon arrival and mandatory fiveday selfisolation for nonvaccinated individualsSao Tome Is Sao Tome open to tourism Yes Flights have resumed to Sao Tome Tourists must prepare a negative PCR test within 72 hours before departing on their flight to Sao Tome We can arrange independent tours to Sao Time and Principe Americas travel updates Argentina Is Argentina open to tourism Argentina has partially reopened to international travel from most nations All arrivals must provide proof of vaccination a negative PCR test and medical insurance with Covid19 coverage Due to the Red List status Argentina currently holds for many nations it is unlikely that these positive developments shall affect Antarctica tours as things currently stand French Guiana Is French Guiana open to tourism No it is not Entry to the French territory is currently restricted to essential travel also requiring negative tests and quarantineGuyana Is Guyana open to tourism Guyana is essentially open to travel but with limited flights going into the country Visitors are required to show a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of arrival People with tests older than 72 hours will be required to take a new test at their own expense For more information click here Suriname Is Suriname open to tourism Suriname has reopened to tourism with all travellers required to provide at least a negative PCR or antigen test Quarantine for 7 days is required for all passengers except those with proof of full vaccinationVenezuela Is Venezuela open to tourism Venezuela is not open to tourism This includes both land borders and international flights The country is also not currently issuing tourist visas although there have been anecdotal stories of those with existing visas being allowed into the country Returning Venezuelans are also subject to testing and quarantine Central Asia travel updatesKazakhstan Although there are some exceptions for people on work or residency visas it is still not possible to visit Kazakhstan as a tourist Click here for more detailsKyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan is now open for travel though a negative PCR test is required upon arrival with the exception of those who can provide evidence of full vaccinationSoutheast Asia travel updates Cambodia Is Cambodia open to tourism Cambodia has reopened for fully vaccinated travellers without mandatory quarantine A negative PCR test must be provided prior to arrival and one must be taken upon arrival at which point travel is unrestrictedEast Timor Is East TimorTimorLeste open to tourism No it is not All tourism is currently banned with only Timorese or those with family connections allowed to enter the country With the recent opening of Bali to a limited degree this help change the situation in East Timor Laos Is Laos open to tourism Despite being one the last countries to close and having a relatively low infection rate Laos remains closed to tourism There is hope of a travel bubble with Cambodia andor Vietnam being opened Philippines Is the Philippines open to tourism The Philippines is currently only allowing returning nationals OFWs spouses of nationals and parents of Filipino nationals to enter the country after getting a visa You can read more about the policy here The country is currently looking at reopening for vaccinated travellersVietnam Is Vietnam open to tourism Vietnam is completely closed to tourism In fact Vietnam have taken some of the toughest measures in the region regarding Covid19 as well as having vaccinated a limited amount of the population Vietnam recently announced tentative plans to open some islands to tourism along the Thailand model but are not planning on opening the country fullyOceaniaIn 2019 there was a severe outbreak of measles in the Pacific This lead to many nations insisting on a proof of measles vaccination before entering their countries Therefore the Pacific Islands are likely to be some of the last to open to tourism during coronavirus or at a minimum insist on proof of vaccination Currently this means that while our Least Visited Countries Tour is less likely for 2021 we are extremely confident it will go ahead for 2022 Australia Is Australia open to tourism As well as a travel corridor with New Zealand the country recently announced they would remove restrictions on people leaving the country for tourism Australia will though remain closed to tourists with only residents and their families allowed to return These policies will come into affect from November Fiji Fiji which acts as a gateway for travel to much of the Pacific Islands was reopened on Dec 1 2021 to fully vaccinated travelers from select countries with sufficiently high vaccination rates You can read the specifics of the policy hereKiribati Is Kiribati open to travel Kiribati is currently fully closed to tourism Again as one of the least visited countries on earth it is unlikely to open soon Nauru Is Nauru open to tourism After North Korea Nauru was one of the first countries to lock down There has been a travel corridor opened with Australia but for all intents Nauru is closed to tourism New Zealand Is New Zealand open to tourism New Zealand has opened a travel corridor with Australia which consists of multiple flights between the two countries They are not yet open for other international outbound or inbound travel Palau Palau has now moved to the open to tourism list Papua New Guinea Is Papua New Guinea open to tourism Foreign tourists remain banned from entering the country Authorities require arrivals to receive a negative PCR test within seven days of travel No travellers can enter the country via land and sea border crossings The selfgoverning Bougainville government requires passengers to seek approval from the Bougainville State of Emergency Controller before travel and obtain a quarantine medical clearance certificate 4872 hours before departure Tonga Is Tonga open to tourism No it is not Tonga is completely closed to inbound travel to all but returning nationals There are now some outbound flights for foreign nationals stuck in Tonga Tuvalu Is Tuvalu open to tourism No it is not Tuvalu only has flights to Fiji and Kiribati both of which are closed to tourism Tuvalu is expected to open to tourism when Fiji does Vanuatu Is Vanuatu open for tourism All international flights in and out of Vanuatu have been suspended The country is currently under a state of emergency Tourist insiders within the country have touted Q3 of 2022 as the most likely time they will be accepting tourists
Collecting Countries What are the Rules
When you are on hardcore traveler settings eventually the question will come up of how many countries have you been to people then answer and the inevitable second question arises but what do you define as a country This is not only a great question but much like playing pool in a pub everyone seems to have their own rules With this in mind I put my stick in the sand and decree the YPT Country Collectors Rules of engagement Just how many countries exactly are there An important note though Our country collectors list in no way endorses any country or claim over another it merely represents the actual situation on the ground Table of ContentsThe 193 ClubThe Travellers Century ClubFIFA252 Countries and TerritoriesUnrecognized countriesAntarcticaMicronations and New Country ProjectsSo how many countries are there in the world then There are 263Update on Collecting countries part 1The Catalonia precedentWhy does Antarctica only count as oneCollecting countries what about name changesMacedoniaNorth MacedoniaCollecting countries Former statesAnd what about Bir Tawil the area that no country claims Does it count as a countryCollecting countries without land The Sovereign Military Order of MaltaList of countries in the world how many countries are there The YPT Definitive listnbspThe 193 Club Flag of BermudaThere are 193 member nations of the UN and this is by far the list that most people that try to visit every country in the world use My problem with this is that it leaves out countries and territories such as the Cayman Islands Bermuda French Guiana for example Can you really say you have been to England because you supped a Pina Colada on a beach in Bermuda Also the 193 does not include Taiwan or the Holy See Vatican City But the 193 plus the 2 makes 195 countries that YPT countIs the Vatican City a country Yes it very much is which you can read here The Travellers Century ClubnbspAt the opposite end of this spectrum you get the Travellers Century Club that not only count every country and territory but seemly almost anywhere How many countries exist for these folk Over 600 including every emirate in the UAE the states of Malaysia and even Alaska This is frankly silly John Charles on international duty for Wales against Scotland 1954FIFAnbspFIFA has more members than other sporting agency on earth at 211 members and we count all of them as countries so that means England Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland count As well as the 211 there are an additional 12 that are not FIFA members but members of regional confederations which gives us 223 although this is still not our final number We recently began sponsorship of a football club in Zanzibar which you can read about here In many ways Zanzibar perfectly fit the metric by which we would define a country BUT whilst they have their own league they do not have their own FIFA team Thus they cannot qualify ala Wales style252 Countries and TerritoriesnbspOfficially there are 249 countries and territories in the world that are pretty much selfgoverning which is inclusive of the 193 UN members the 2 nonUN members and selfgoverning places like the previously mentioned Cayman Islands Places like Gibraltar and Jersey would also thus be counted in the list If we thus break up the UK into its 4 constituent countries then we minus 1 and add 4 This gives us 252 Countries and territories in the world The Isle of Man would also thus fit into this list a place I not only recently visited but indeed counted You can read if the Isle of Man is a country here Unrecognized countriesnbspNorthern Cyprus might officially be part of Cyprus but in reality it is its own country Therefore Transnistria South Ossetia Abkhazia Western Sahara Somaliland Northern Cyprus and Palestine would feature on the list BUT Tibet would not Why Tibet is defacto and dejure part of China no matter what your views on the rights and wrongs of it NagornoKarabakh iw now no longer on this list as it has been taken over by Azerbaijan In this context we also do not count governmentsinexile such as West Papua either As for the Donetsk Peoples Republic and the Peoples Republic of Luhansk Previously we had included this on the list but their recent annexation by Russia they do not count as a country although if you visited either during their nominal independence then you can count themNote this is not a political endorsement from YPT on the invasion of Ukraine The one big exception here is that you cannot count the unrecognized and the parent country If you go to Transnistria you have been to Transnistria you have not been to Moldova We then also have Bir Tawil and The Sovereign Military Order of Malta both of which we not only count but go into more detail at the end of the article Transnistria Moldova or notAntarcticanbspI went to Antarctica a few years ago but when I went to fill out a countries visited app on Facebook in order to show off to my friends nothing Antarctica as per the YPT rules of engagement counts as a country Doesnt matter what base you went to you have done the country and continent of AntarcticaWE do not do the century club thing hereMicronations and New Country ProjectsnbspBy Ryan Lackey originally posted to Flickr as sealandsky CC BY 20 httpscommonswikimediaorgwindexphpcurid6911210 If you visit a micronation invented by a guy in his living room no matter how slick the website it is still a crazy guy in his living room But when we look at new country projects we hit a grey area Sealand which has had some limited recognition we would count as would previoulsy have the Hutt River Province One very sad update on this is that Hutt River has now rejoined Australia Sadly they no longer count Will we eventually count Islandia Hopefully nbspSo how many countries are there in the world then There are 263The Young Pioneer Tours question of how many countries are there in the world therefore stands at 267 The final count 251 countries and territories 68 Unrecognized Countries 1 Antarctica 1 New Country Projects Bir Tawil The Sovereign Military Order of Malta 261 list belowUpdate on Collecting countries part 1I am happy to say that this blog piece not only caused a little bit of controversy but also started a bit of debate and interestingly threw me some new questions that now need answeringThe Catalonia precedent So you have visited Barcelona and thus you count Spain as a visited country without visiting nonCatalonia Catalonia then declares itself independent Spain decides to be reasonable about it LOL and we now have a Democratic Popular Peoples Republic of CataloniaDid you visit Catalonia Spain both or neitherAs per the YPT rules of engagement you visited the country that was the legal entity at the time so in this case Spain You have not visited the new country of Catalonia and would have to revisit to count that as a countryWhy does Antarctica only count as oneAntarctica is a very tricky one as technically no one owns it although a lot of people claim it That being said there are real bases there that run under the laws and rules of the country manning the base so there is perhaps an argument for there being different options for Antarctica With this in mind for now we will count Antarctica as one country but it is very much under reviewCollecting countries what about name changesIt has been a while since we revisited and dare I say updated our blog on what counts as a country with a new precedent being established MacedoniaNorth MacedoniaI recently visited North Macedonia my first time since it was merely known as FYR Macedonia the good old days and have been asked if it counts as a new country It does not and this is all down to it being a successor state Northern Macedonia is a continuation of the former Republic of Macedonia Sorry kids but Northern Macedonia does not count as a new countryCollecting countries Former statesThis is an interesting one because for me personally I have now visited ALL countries of the former Yugoslavia Now whilst I would not count it towards my visited countries list I think for those of us who travel a lot can have a little disclaimerFor me it would look a little something like this144195 UN Countries173269 YPT list of countries and territories3 Former states Yugoslavia German Democratic Republic Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen I get the former states of FYR Yugolslavia South Yemen and the German Democratic Republic Sadly you do not get the Soviet Union unless you visit all 15 former republics PLUS Transnsitria Abkhazia and South Ossetia NagornoKarabakh no longer counts and the rules are what they areIf though you visited before their dissolution then that also counts as having visited And what about Bir Tawil the area that no country claims Does it count as a countryWill the controversy never go away One of the most interesting things about this list is you do get the odd curveball Bir Tawil is an area of land between Egypt and Sudan not claimed by either country If you go there you are not in Egypt or Sudan so where are you You are in Bir Tawil We therefore count Bir Tawil on our list Bir Tawil counts as a country Sudan Tours and Bir Tawil Tours Film in Bir TawilCollecting countries without land The Sovereign Military Order of Malta I recently had another interesting anomaly brought up to me that we at YPT would certainly count as a country And that is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta or SMOM You can read more about their crazy tale here Yet despite not having a country they are recognized as such and have sovereign land Therefore they can be visited and they count So how can you count a country without land but not count countries fighting for independenceor governmentsinexile A line has to be drawn somewhere and we have drawn our line when it comes to collecting countries We can argue that Kurdistan for example should be a country but it does not fit into any of our criteria In fact if you included every independence movement then we would have to include Cornwall The SMOM are different in that they are a recognized state and have every function of a state with the one exception of land A tough call but one we have indeed made List of countries in the world how many countries are there The YPT Definitive list this can and will change AbkhaziaAfghanistanland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBir TawilBolivia Plurinational State ofBonaire Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCanadaCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos Keeling IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCte dIvoireCroatiaCubaCuraaoCyprusCzechiaDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEnglandEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFalkland Islands MalvinasFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuineaBissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeVatican CityHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea Democratic Peoples Republic ofKorea Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao Peoples Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia Federated States ofMoldova Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNagornoKarabakh since removedNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth MacedoniaNorthern CyprusNorthern IrelandNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRunionRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaSaint BarthlemySaint Helena Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin French partSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaScotlandSealandSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten Dutch partSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSomalilandSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth OssetiaSouth SudanSovereign Military Order of MaltaSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwan Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania United Republic ofThailandTimorLesteTogoTokelauTongaTransnistriaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited States of AmericaUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela Bolivarian Republic ofViet NamVirgin Islands BritishVirgin Islands USWalesWallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweSo whilst our list might be controversial to some much like pub pool rules it is the house thet decides and decide we haveDont agree Think we missed somewhere Want to ask about a specific place Let the debate begin
A guide to the Colombian Civil War
The Colombian civil war which to date is not only the longestrunning civil war in South America but amazingly in the whole world mostly came to a partial end with the historic peace process between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia better known by their Spanish acronym the FARCThe peace deal that led to the demobilization of the FARC has resulted in them transitioning into a political party known as the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force which means it still gets to keep its FARC acronym which is guaranteed at least 10 seats in the national assembly until 2026 The plan being for the former Marxist army to pursue their goals of social justice and agrarian reform through political means rather than through the barrel of the gunWhilst the peace process has been viewed extremely positively by most Colombians and the rest of the world the politics of Colombia are far from simple and alas the civil war continues through a number of continuity armed groups rightwing paramilitaries and drug cartels that have rushed in to fill the power vacuum created by the withdrawal of the FARCWhat though led to the Colombian Civil War the longest civil war in the worldTable of ContentsThe Roots of the Colombian Civil WarWhat was La Violencia in ColombiaThe start of the Colombian Civil WarThe Colombian Civil War in the 1970sThe height of the Colombian Civil War in the 1980sThe leftwing insurgency into from the 1990sThe 2017 Demobilisation of the FARCWho is currently active in the Colombian Civil WarTHE ELNTHE NEW FARCTHE EPLTHE FARIPCLAN DE GOLFOWhen will the Colombian Civil War endThe Roots of the Colombian Civil WarThe current Colombian Civil War is often called the Colombian Conflict this is in order to distinguish it from previous Colombian Civil Wars of which there have been 9 since 1839nbspThe modern Colombian Conflict or Civil War is generally considered to have started in 1964 but its roots lay clearly in the La Violencia or the 8th Civil War of the country between 194858What was La Violencia in ColombiaLa Violencia quite literally The Violence was a tenyear civil war in Colombia between the Colombian Conservative Party and the Colombian Liberal Party two parties that in essence were not all that different from each othernbspWhat caused this conflict La Violencia is considered by many to have began after the assassination on 9 April 1948 of Jorge Elicer Gaitn a Liberal Party presidential candidate for the 1949 November election Others have opined that it started because of the Conservatives return to power in 1946 but regardless of the causes it was to prove devastatingFARC flag during the civil warIdeologically the Liberal Party were considered well more Liberal than the conservatives but in the end it was extremely factional with both sides having well funded militias and most of the fighting occurring in the countrysideIt has been stated by many that the Catholic Church supported the Conservative Party something that would lead to later mistrust and be another factor in what would also affect leftwing politics own the countryWho won La Violencia in Colombia In some respects everyone and no one Over 200000 people died or 2 percent of the population with the end result being powersharing or rather a fixed twoarty system This left many of the revolutionaries disappointed and would sow the seeds for the next period of conflict within the countryThe start of the Colombian Civil WarIn the early 1960s the Colombian military began to indiscriminately attack rural peasants due to a perceived communist threat which at the time did not really exist This led to the formation of the Revolutionary Forces of Colombia or as they are more famously known the FARCnbspThe FARC had its roots in the Liberal peasant movement from the previous civil war rather than outside interests although they were linked to the Colombian Communist Party itself aligned with the Soviet Union They would continue their battle until 2017 through this incarnation1964 also saw the formation of the National Liberation Army ELN founded by Fabio Vsquez Castao who were not just inspired by but also trained in Cuba to ferment a Guevarist revolution within the country They were also heavily influenced by leftwing urban intellectuals rather than the peasantrynbspnbspTo read about Guevarism click here Despite the existence of two leftwing guerrilla groups the 1960s remained relatively tame with most attacks being lowlevel and in remote areas of the countryThe Colombian Civil War in the 1970snbspBy the 1970s communist and leftwing insurgencies were sweeping through the Americas and had led to numerous rightwing dictatorships and paramilitaries supported by the Central Intelligence Agencies CIA Their ferocity only helped to popularise militant groups and both the FARC and ELN saw huge growthThe allegedly fraudulent National Front election of the 1970s also saw the formation of a third major leftwing player M19 or the 19th April Movement Not all members were communist though and many fell under the democratic and nationalist banner They were though the first urban guerrilla group and were later to play a keyrole in the Colombian civil warnbspThe height of the Colombian Civil War in the 1980snbspThe FARC ELN and M19 were to be joined by other groups in the 1980s such as the Peoples Revolutionary Army Spanish Ejrcito Revolucionario del Pueblo ERP the Quintin Lame Armed Movement Spanish Movimiento Armado Quintin Lame MAQL and the Workers Revolutionary Party of Colombia but the big change of the 1980s was cocaine and a certain Pablo EscobarhttpswwwyoutubecomwatchvuZPdMJyxhe4It would be impossible to go into every element of the war on drugs and that of Pablo Escobar but Colombia was to become an absolute war zone It is also known that during this period cartels often worked with communists while the CIA often worked with rightwing groups against the greater enemy of communismnbspDuring this period it was the M19 movement who were to become the preeminent leftwing force In the 1970s they had stolen the sword of Simon Bolivar and in 1980nbsp they stormed the embassy of the Dominican Republic taking 14 ambassadors including from the USA hostagenbspThe siege was eventually ended peacefully with all hostages released and the kidnappers being given refuge in communist CubanbspTo read about Socialist Countries click herenbspThe next 5 years saw negotiations between M19 and the government and a general peace but this was to be shattered in 1985 during the Palace of Justice siege There group have claimed that the 35 guerrillas did it because the government had broken its promises others have suggested more sinister motivesTrue or not Pablo Escobar has been called the mastermind of the siege during which the M19 lost many top commanders but conveniently also destroyed all evidence against the Escobar cliquenbspBy the early 90s the group had moved to politics as the ADM19 which had moderate success but this was to be far from the end of the Colombian Civil WarnbspThe leftwing insurgency into from the 1990snbspThe FARC military activity increased throughout the bulk of the 1990s as the group continued to grow in wealth from both kidnapping and drugrelated activities basically taking over from the nowdefeated cartelsnbspDuring this period their strength grew to as many as 25000 armed members as well as urban sympathisers They also controlled an area the size of Switzerland and at times were largely left to run a state within a state All the while peace talks would continue sporadically with the government usually in CubaThe ELN while still much smaller also carried other activities as well as taking part in peace talks During this time their main foes aside from the government were the FARC with whom they fought over territory and control of the drug tradenbspThe 2017 Demobilisation of the FARCOn 23 June 2016 a ceasefire was signed between the FARC and the Government in HavanaUnder the accord the Colombian government would support massive investment in rural development and allow the FARCs reincarnation as a legal political partyThe FARC for its part agreed to not only demobilise but also help end the drug trade This though was supposed to be conformed via referendum which was surprisingly defeated Despite this the FARC became the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force keeping the FARC acronym and were granted ten seats in the Colombian parliament until 2026nbspYet while historic this again would not prove to be the end off the Colombian Civil War with not the only the ELN and FARC dissidents continuing the fight but also a number of other smaller groups that were much less knownnbspWho is currently active in the Colombian Civil WarTHE ELNThe National Liberation Army better known by their Spanish acronym of the ELN were formed in the early 1960s inspired by Che Guevaras guerilla tactics Their official ideology can be called ChristianCatholic Communism although like all the armed groups of the country many have accused them of simply being drug dealers and extortionists They were always the second largest force compared to the FARC but today and after the demobilization of the FARC are now the biggest rebel army with an estimated force of 3000 active personnel as well as urban supportersTHE NEW FARCAs with any peace process there are always some dissenters and it is estimated that almost 10 of the active FARC forces 1200 as well as some leading commanders not only rejected the peace process but decided to continue to fight The New FARC have turned into a real nightmare for the government with regular attacks on the army and seemingly no sign of peace from the hardliners in the short termTHE EPLThe Popular Liberation Army known by its Spanish acronym of the EPL is a Colombian guerrilla group formed in 1967 that mostly demobilized in the early 90s but as with most groups had a number that decided to continue the fight The EPL can be considered a Maoist inspired group that disagreed with the Soviet line Like most other groups they are accused of being a criminal organization and their current strength is estimated to be in the low hundredsTHE FARIPThe Indigenous Revolutionary Armed Forces of the Pacific known by their Spanish acronym of the FARIP are a guerrilla group formed by indigenous people in the rural areas of Colombia less a revolutionary force and more a protection force albeit leftleaning for the indigenous ethnic minority Estimated to again only have a few hundred active supporters as well as a number of sympathizersCLAN DE GOLFOThe Clan De Gulfo which literally means The Gulfs Clan are largely a drug trafficking gang that could also be considered a rightwing paramilitary group they have a fighting force of around 3000 fighters and have stepped into the huge power vacuum that arrived with the exit of the FARCWhen will the Colombian Civil War endDespite its continuation Colombia is now experiencing what is the most peaceful period in its existence There is though still great inequality corruption and the scourge of drugs In this context the militant are likely to being going anywhere anytime soonPhoto Taken In Cartagena ColombiaJoin us on a YPT adventure to Colombia this yearnbspClick here for more informationnbsp
Bir Tawil The Strange Tale of Unclaimed Land
In 2019 Young Pioneer Tours ran the firstever tour to Bir Tawil and as of now remain the only people to have toured what is in essence the only terra nullus unclaimed land in the world What we encountered was to prove not only an adventure but something very different to what the internet had led us to believe was thereThis is the tale strange tale of the unclaimed land of Bir Tawil AKA the place that not no one wantsTable of ContentsWhere is Bir TawilHow big is Bir TawilWho claims Bir TawilWhy do people claim Bir TawilHas anyone recognised any of the claimsThe 2019 Tour to Bir TawilWhat is the population of Bir TawilSo Bir Tawil isnt unclaimedAre they any settlements in Bir TawilAre there any bars in Bir TawilWhat is it like to travel to Bir TawilBir Tawil the land that no one wantsVisiting Bir Tawil in 2022 The UpdateBut I really want to start my own countryWhere is Bir TawilBir Tawil lies between Egypt and Sudan the area and dispute lie in their being two maps drawn by the British in 1899 and 1902 One map gave the Halaib triangle to Egypt and Bir Tawil to Sudan and the other visa versa With the Halaib triangle being the betterof the two this meant that whoever claimed it did not claim Bir Tawil thus with both claiming the former the only true Terra Nullus or unclaimed land in the world was created And by unclaimed we mean by actual countries in fact if we include the crazies of the world there are in fact a lot of people claiming this big bit of desertGeographically these map discrepancies mean that both regions lie on the border of Egypt and Sudan as well as being next to each other and either side of the 22nd parallel which Egypt claims as the realborder How big is Bir TawilAs countries go if it were ever to become independent it would bar far from the smallest nation on earth Bir Tawil is 2060 square kilometres in size bigger than the Vatican City not all that hard but also even little NauruTo read the strange tale of Nauru click here Size though is not everything as the ladies tell me and while relatively big there is a reason why both sides would rather have the Halab Triangle and not this plot of land The area is for the most part desert and lacks vegetation and for the most part water Alas the discovery of gold was to come much later Who claims Bir TawilDespite not exactly being easy to get to Bir Tawils status as the only true unclaimed land in the world has led many a person to make this journey In 2014 the first recorded visit from someone wishing to claim Bir Tawil occurred when Jeremiah Heaton went there allegedly at the behest of his daughter who had asked him if she could ever be a real princess Short of her marrying a prince Mr Heaton felt this the nextbest option and upon arriving in Bir Tawil planted a flag and proclaimed the Kingdom of North SudanFor most normal thinkers Mr Heatons nowfamous endeavours were viewed as a bit of fun and with the necessary pinch of salt although obviously many accused him of neocolonialism and that other favorite of the latterday guardians of vicarious offence cultural appropriation HIs story has initially made us fansof his but upon reaching out after our visit for some comradely conversation were instead presented with a rather rude man with ideas of grandeur In fact not only did he say we were trespassing but also that he would return one day with Saudi mercenaries to take what was rightfully his And he is not the only claimant to fall into the bizarre or flat out dick category Other land grabbers have included an Indian who proclaimed the Kingdom of Dixit aftwer himself as well as a Russian who claims everyone else is liar and he is the only person to have actually been there oh and that the country is actually his Ironically there are definitely Russians in the area although they are more concerned with mining and arming tribes than conquest Unsurprisingly none of these claimants get along with each other with me only being able to say one thing for sure I know that I have been here the others I honestly cannot confirmIn this respects I find myself in the unique position of perhaps being the only person to come here and not actually proclaim it a country although who would I be to argue with folks with guns To read our short intro into claimants in the region click here Why do people claim Bir TawilThe reason for people claiming the land is due to the aforementioned historical anomaly whereby neither Sudan nor Egypt claims the territory Both sides claim the Halaib Triangle and thus neither claims Bir TawilThis has created what is known as terra nullius or nobodys land and it is pretty much the only place on earth with this statusAnd it is this anomaly that means that makes the whole world and their dog want to claim the area to make their own little countryHas anyone recognised any of the claims After the Kingdom of North Sudan had been claimed surely the UN would have been notified and all other claimants would go away thus allowing the construction of a great nation Alas trying to start a nation is simply not that easy and the response of the UN Egypt and indeed Sudan has been muted at bestAnd of course no idea goes unnoticed so as mentioned before there are now multiple claimants to the area Yet while international responses to the claims have largely been to poke fun at the fake rulers the Ababda were a little less forgiving referring to Heaton as that stupid American talking too much online Their words not ours of course The 2019 Tour to Bir TawilWhen I initially put out the feelers for doing a tour to Bir Tawil I was generally considered to be a bit mad by well everyone involved Many stated that it would only appeal to travel geeks partly true but also the reasoning for actually going here To me it was rather like why people climb Everest because it is there but also much moreI am of course a Micronationalist myself and perhaps part of me even thought about claiming it for myself but mostly it was about seeing one of the great anomalies of the world first hand The trip of course proved to be much much more than just that with YPT having the adventure of a lifetime which while it involved a certain period under guard from the Ababda tribe also allowed us to be some of the few foreigners to actually see the place first hand as well as witness its realityThis area is far from uninhabited and there are people here that have zero intention of sharing it with other people We might have been the first tour group here but we were far from teh first people You can read about our full adventure in the book we wrote here What is the population of Bir TawilMany people claim that Bir Tawil is uninhabited but frankly it is anything but The Ababda tribe considers it their native homeland and are fiercely protective of it And they are extremely far from receptive to people claiming their land The people that live here are generally speaking are working in the Gold Mines of the area which are administered by the Ababda tribe but with most workers seeming to be from the Darfur region of Sudan from where they are bussed in to work And as for the population of Bir Tawil No one can actually confirm it but from what we saw at least we would estimate it to be in the thousands at any given time with Bir Tawil Town certainly having the capacity to support a lot of people Street Food Bir Tawil So Bir Tawil isnt unclaimedThe Ababda tribe very much claim this is their land with even Sudanese people calling it their land rather than a part of Sudan And while the tribe do not yet claim it it as a nation it is very well protected militarily with new Russian assault rifles and it is an area that as of 2022 at least the Sudanese military has no intention of going intoIn older times while defacto terra nullus one could have argued with was dejure part of Sudan this does not currently seem to be the case Does YPT consider visiting Bir Tawil as a country You can check our rules here Are they any settlements in Bir TawilWikipedia and everyone else claims that the area is uninhabited but this was far from what we found in 2019 In actuality there are a number of small settlements in Bir Tawil which consist of gold mines as well as at least one large town of sorts We ourselves nicknamed it Bir Tawil Town and as well as having thousands of workers also had shops street food restaurants and even a satellite phone something which would prove very useful on our trip There is also farming in Bir Tawil to a degree which we found out when a goat was killed in our honour Yes we left Bir Tawil as friends of the AbabdaAre there any bars in Bir TawilThere are no bars in Bir Tawil but the technically lawless nature of the place means that you could drink some Sudanese whisky here We ourselves made do with some Sudanese alcoholic beer which was readily available in Bir Tawil Town as was VimtoWhat is it like to travel to Bir TawilGareth Johnson in Bir Tawil Traveling to Bir Tawil is not only not an easy task to do but is also potentially fraught with danger If there is a commodity particularly in an area of dubious ownership then there are people that want to protect it in this case that is gold We therefore do not suggest going to Bir Tawil on a whim but doing it properly and with permission If though you do make it to Bir Tawil it is in my mind at least one of the most amazing places that you can go Getting here involves driving through amazing desert scenery camping in amazing places and of course going somewhere literally few westerners have ever beenOverall traveling to Bir Tawil is pretty damned specialBir Tawil the land that no one wantsTruth is rarely as exciting as fantasy and Bir Tawil is no different from that There are people who live in and claim Bir Tawil so while the internet can and does paint it as unclaimed and indeed uninhabited the truth is not only very different but much more complex This is not a place that no one wants but is just one of of those weird anomalies that colonialism has thrown up So can you just claim Bir Tawil No in short you simply cannotWhile the area is not currently administered by either Egypt or Sudan and has a lawless element to it the fact is that neither country would allow an upstart nation no matter how small on its borders Theres also the fact that not only do people already live here but also that the whole affair has come up because of what is essentially a dispute between two very big countries If they do one day manage to sit own and sort things out then whatever arbitration happens the area will likely end up in the hands of either Egypt or Sudan no matter how fancy a website you might have made for your upstart nation Visiting Bir Tawil in 2024 The UpdateAfter having such an amazing trip in 2019 and of course actually building a relationship with the tribe it was always our plan to go back to Bir Tawil at some point with 2024 finally being the year we were to ideally make it happenPlans were duly put in motion negotiations were held and eight of us set off for Bir Tawil in 2024 alas things did not work out as planned I will go into more detail in a later post but alas while the main tribal leader had granted us access at least one faction had not so we headed off into the desert and thus away from cell signal When word finally did get to us that we could visit alas the logistics meant we had to head back to Khartoum and the sad reality of not being able to miss flights And this is both the allure and danger of visiting such a place nothing is every guaranteed but at worst case you get to explore some of the most beautiful desert scenery in the worldWe also learned another very key lesson with regards to Sudan in general Since the revolution it has become a much more fractured country and we saw nothing resembling a Sudanese military presence here Sudan is becoming much more fractured and trivialised making the logistics of travel not what they were in 2019 when for all intents Bir Tawil was a defacto part of Sudan A fluid situation which could indeed change further So while we may have only gotten to 120 km of Bir Tawil on this trip it certainly does not mean we have given up on the place and a tentative itinerary for 2024 can be found here Whether make it to Bir Tawil in 2024 no one yet knows but the negotiations are very much already underway But I really want to start my own countryAlas starting your own country in these days is nigh on impossible no matter how great your idea is This is fo course not us saying you should not follow your dream more that you should forget Bir Tawil as an option We honestly get hundreds of emails from people asking us to hook them up with the Ababda but alas we can assure you they are not interestedYou can though still join the Principality of Islanda AKA Lets Buy An Island which is my own take on nation building and after we were featured in CNN going pretty strong And that is the strange tale of unclaimed land not written by click baiting journalists nor Micronational fantasists but by people that have actually been and can genuinely claim to be experts on Bir Tawil Sadly Bir Tawil and Sudan are both closed due to the ongoing war but we do have a plethora of other Africa Tours in the meantime