8 Countries That Hate Each Other With A Passion
Pakistan and India
Before British rule, United India was ruled by the Mughal Empire. There was relative peace in the lands, which consisted of a group of ethnically diverse individuals with vastly different religions. The people’s intense love for their faith would sometimes morph into intolerance towards other religions, but things were stable for the most part. Rulers like Akbar the Great made attempts to teach religious tolerance and inclusivity amongst the people to allow for greater peace.
Most people believe that after the British made India their colony, it exacerbated the tensions that were kept in check previously in the Mughal rule. Mistrust started to rise, and relations between the Hindus and Muslims became so sour that the country was partitioned under the Two-Nation Theory. August of 1947 saw West and East Pakistan and the Union of India become separate nations, followed by mass migrations from one country to another in a very short period of time. It is estimated that over 14 million people were displaced and migrated. Violence soon followed the migration of the Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims, and their once cordial relations turned bloody. Both sides killed hundreds and thousands of individuals and left a lasting bloody legacy of hatred within the generations to come.
Even after partition, tensions between the two countries did not subside. Instead, things turned for the worst when Kashmir became a part of India despite being a Muslim majority princely state. Soon, war broke out immediately after partition in 1947 for Kashmir. The United Nations mediated a ceasefire, but the area became a cause of multiple battles between the two nations, including the 1965 war and the Kargil incident. Even today, tensions within Kashmir have brought the two nations to the verge of warfare, something that should send shivers down the spine of every inhabitant on this planet because both these countries possess nuclear weapons. If all-out war breaks out between these nations, it could be a threat to not only the people within the subcontinent but all of humanity.
Argentina and The United Kingdom
The central conflict which has turned relations sour between Argentina and the United Kingdom is their claim to the Falkland Islands. The UK has had a grip over the islands for many centuries now. Still, Argentina’s persistent claim to the islands has made their relationship worse despite the international community supporting the United Kingdom with their claim to the islands. The entire issue dates back to 1690, when John Strong, a British naval captain, laid the first claim to the island as a British territory. Despite other countries like France trying to compete for sovereignty over the Islands, the British managed to have a firm grip over the Falklands for over a century.
Argentina came into the picture later in the early 1800s when an American privateer, David Jewett, declared the island as part of the Buenos Aires jurisdiction. Soon Argentina, unbeknownst to the British, laid claim to the island and even gave it away to settle a debt they over nine years later! This move by Argentina angered Britain, who prepared for action against their now rivals. Britain sent their navy to take back control of the island and swiftly re-established control without much resistance.
Once again, the situation was under control, with Britain claiming sovereignty for the islands for over 150 years. During the latter half of the 20th century, the Argentinian-British relationships started taking a turn for the worst once again. The UN tried to interfere and called for peaceful negotiations between the two parties, but things seemed to spiral out of control. In fact, their dispute became so bad that Argentina invaded the islands in April 1982. However, after three months of fighting, the British crushed the Argentinian forces expelled all Argentinians from the islands and gave the Falklands a sovereign status under the watchful eyes of the UK.
Argentina has not let up with its efforts to lay claim to the Islands. In 2006, they claimed sovereignty and even took their case to the UN in 2009. The British and government of the Falkland Islands ignored any demands that the Argentinians made. After a referendum was held in the Islands, where almost every resident wanted to remain a part of Britain, any hopes of laying claim to the island from the Argentinian side were lost. Funnily enough, in a last feeble attempt to further their case, Argentina claimed that they are the rightful owners of the islands because they were closer to Argentina than the United Kingdom!
Armenia and Azerbaijan
In 2020, amidst a global pandemic, Armenia and Azerbaijan opened fire on each other, continuing their almost century-long war against one another.
After World War I, the two countries came into being after the breaking up of the Transcaucasian Federation. Both of them joined the USSR, which set up a zone of ethnic Armenians inside Azerbaijan named Nagorno-Karabakh. This region has been the crux of the issues between these two countries, both of whom have laid claim on the area. Azerbaijan believes that because the territory is within its borders, they deserve to control it, while Armenia says that the area is majority Armenian and thus rightfully should join Armenia.
Nagorno-Karabakh itself wanted independence, but Azerbaijan refused to give up control, even declaring war in 1988 when Nagorno-Karabakh claimed independence after a referendum. Armenia backed Nagorno-Karabakh and declared war on Azerbaijan, which lasted for six years resulting in over thirty thousand lives being lost. When it was all said and done, Armenia took control of the disputed territory and even managed to capture surrounding lands, leaving Azerbaijan considerably smaller in territory than before the war.
After the war, Nagorno-Karabakh claimed independence once again; however, neither country acknowledged its sovereignty. Today, both countries refuse to nudge about this dispute, with Azerbaijan claiming no resolution will be reached until Armenia pulls out forces. On the other hand, Armenia wants a decisive decision about the fate of Nagorno-Karabakh before they move their military. If both sides remain stubborn, things are likely to get much worse in the region.
North and South Korea
Unlike other rival countries in this list, South and North Korea are in a complicated situation. Many people have described the countries as estranged brothers who were caught in a wrong turn of events that led them to be in a state of animosity. Most people still don’t think that these states are rivals; however, considering that they fought a war with each other and have since called one another traitor to the cause of Korea, it is safe to say that there is some rivalry that exists between North and South Korea.
After World War II, Kim Il-Sung, who later became the leader of North Korea, sided with USSR and launched an attack on the South after deeming them as conspirators and sympathizers of the Japanese. He did so to gain control of the lands but ended up drawing the US, USSR, and China into the conflict, making it an issue of the Cold War. As the US supported the South, North Korea claimed that South Korea is the “puppet” of the United States and does not belong amongst the true Koreans. This is a sentiment that is still echoed within North Korea.
On the other hand, South Korea claims to be the only legitimate government in the Korean Peninsula. This means that each country calls the other illegitimate and does not want the other to gain power.
Despite the apparent differences and animosity between the two, many people also argue that North Korea is only acting in a hostile manner because it wants the South to not be under the United States’ influence, warning them about how the US treated countries like Libya and Iran. However, this sentiment is not always echoed because North Korea threatens to drop nukes on its bordering state in the same breath.
At the end of the day, one thing has been consistent with most rivalry cases. The dispute is usually after a piece of land and exists between two groups of people that were once living together in relative peace, but due to drastically changing circumstances, they turned hostile.
References
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYXG2DngtzM
https://armscontrolcenter.org/history-of-conflict-in-india-and-pakistan/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5RPWTksegA
https://www.nytimes.com/article/armenian-azerbaijan-conflict.html
https://www.dw.com/en/whats-driving-north-koreas-aggression-toward-the-south/a-53826265
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/040515/why-north-korea-south-korea-are-separated.asp
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