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It hasn’t been uncommon throughout world history for a country to cease to exist.
It happened to Yugoslavia, which divided into six different countries, and you definitely
don’t hear “Austro-Hungary” being thrown around anymore, so what’s to say it couldn’t
still happen to modern countries?
In fact, it’s quite possible as these 10 countries are on the verge of ceasing to exist
entirely.
10.
Maldives Despite what you personally believe, there
are those that have their eye on the tropical nation of Maldives – and not as a sanctuary
for impending doom.
The future of this low-lying archipelago in the Indian Ocean may look more Waterworld
than Mad Max, especially if you subscribe to the school of global warming.
Many regions of Maldives only sit 3-feet or about 1-meter above sea level and some even
less than that, so when you consider that water is rising at an approximate rate of
1.2 inches or 3 centimeters per decade, the future of Maldivians doesn’t look too cozy
and dry.
The UN’s climate change panel report predicts that the global mean sea level rise will increase
exponentially in the next decade, possibly even reaching a 2-foot or .6-meter increase
by 2050, putting islands of Maldives partially underwater.
9.
Egypt It wasn’t too long ago that Egypt was facing
an economic collapse and there’s a chance it won’t be too long before it faces one
again.
To pull itself out of the way of complete ruin, the country approved the motion to allow
its currency to trade freely, opening up the ability to receive a $12 billion loan from
the International Monetary Fund.
While it was enough to avoid the devastating event at the time, Egypt still faces an uphill
battle for rejuvenation that includes appeasing foreign investments and reducing the military’s
economic control.
Also, while the country’s economy may see a potential upswing, there’s always the
question of its citizens, which may still suffer from continued inflated pricing while
the $12 billion starts to work its magic.
By that time, civil unrest may be unavoidable. 8.
Sweden While it may not make global headlines, Sweden
is on a very dangerous path to collapse, and the reason why may be a little surprising.
Each year, Sweden sees an influx of approximately 190,000 Middle East refugees seeking asylum,
a number that Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom claims the country cannot handle,
while many citizens believe this to have also contributed to the rising number of assault
and rape cases within the country.
Beyond just the backlash from Swedish nationals unwilling to share their land with refugees,
the country’s economy has shown strain under the increased populous and, without assistance
from the European Union, could eventually collapse.
Predictions claim that, within a decade, the native Swedish population could even become
a minority within their own country.
7.
Libya In 2011, the country of Libya started facing
a crisis that started with the Arab protests in Tunisia.
These launched into a brief civil war and an ongoing crisis that put unexpected strain
on the economy.
As political strife and internal conflict continue, the country’s production of oil,
it’s vital natural resource, continues to drop.
As of October 2016, the Libya Herald reports that oil production is at a fifth of its possible
potential, leading to decreased profits and a drastic drop in the GDP by 8.3%.
If Libya’s House of Representatives continues its stalemate and allows internal conflict
to exacerbate, the country may see further drops in wages, which already decreased over
8%, as well as an additional increase in food prices, which saw a hike of 31%.
6.
North Korea Despite how well-composed the North Korean
government will lead its people to believe it is, it’s debatable as to whether the
country’s eventual collapse is a surprise or not.
So, what may be the inevitable end to the fiery Democratic People’s Republic of Korea?
According to former US nuclear negotiator, Victor Cha, it could be as simple as a viral
outbreak due to the country’s lack of a stable health system.
There’s also the issue of isolation and the longer North Korea tries to survive on
its own, the more impending a collapse may be.
In its isolation, the country could find itself quickly running out of resources and being
forced to turn to the outside world.
As more outside influences flood into the tightly ruled society, there’s no guarantee
its current state as an isolated nation couldn’t drastically change.
5.
Iraq The introduction of Democracy into Iraq may
not have gone as well as the United States thought it was going to, but that’s only
one possible cause for the downfall of Iraq.
While unifying the country seems highly unlikely, especially considering ISIS currently controls
much of the west and Kurds control the north, there may be an additional contender in the
mix for the collapse of Iraq – the Mosul dam.
In March of 2016, an official announcement was made in regards to the possible catastrophic
collapse of the Mosul dam, which is believed to put 1.5 million lives at risk.
Should the dam break, the Tigris river would overflow and cause flooding in major cities
like Baghdad, Shirqat, and Balad. 4.
China China is still a great power of the world,
but even the most well-composed countries can run into damaging dilemmas.
To respected former economist of the World Bank and Morgan Stanley Andy Xie, China could
be on the verge of a devastating event on the level of the United States Great Depression.
China’s level of debt and reliance on it almost mimics the United States’ financial
crises of 2007, but a collapse may be about more than just money.
Coupled with potential financial woes, China also faces the daily growing concern of pollution,
which is believed to claim the lives of over 1.6 million people a year.
From impure air to heavily polluted waters, China could be facing more than just an economic
collapse.
3.
Spain An economic crisis is enough to threaten the
sanctity of any country, but couple it with a major region looking to become completely
independent, and you have yourself a looming end.
Since the world financial crisis of 2007, the country has been facing a debilitating
recession that it hasn’t been able to escape from despite a 2012 bailout.
The crisis has led to discord within the population and caused a drastic increase in unemployment,
with the rate leveling off at around 18%.
As a byproduct of the lengthy crisis, the region of Catalonia started a push for independence
from Spain, followed heavily by Basque secessionists, which would divide upwards of 16% of the country’s
population.
2.
The United Kingdom If the voter turnout over the decision to
separate from the European Union revealed anything, it’s that there could be enough
momentum in the near future for a possible dissolution of the United Kingdom.
The decision to leave, known as Brexit, has further spurred the debate across countries
like Scotland and Wales over the possibility of gaining independence from the United Kingdom.
Though polls show a minority of either country in support of independence from Great Britain
if it meant remaining in the European Union, those numbers are an average of 10% higher
than they once were, showing a gradual but evident sway in favor of eventually dismantling
the United Kingdom.
1.
The United States Say it ain’t so, great U.S. of A. If the
2016 election proved anything, it’s that the United States of America isn’t quite
as united as it wants to be.
While political division has made it difficult for citizens to completely see eye to eye,
the election of Donald Trump has proven to be polarizing, instigating riots, protests,
and immediate calls for impeachment or electoral college override have been more vocal than
ever.
With one-half screaming racism and misogyny and the other touting Trump as the savior
of the country, the country’s division is dangerously volatile and vocal.
What does this have to do with the collapse of the union?
While it may not lead to economic crisis - which is another inevitable waiting to happen again
- the country’s division could mimic that which led to the Civil War of the 1800s.