diff --git a/africa/cf.json b/africa/cf.json index 134658f3..86faa720 100644 --- a/africa/cf.json +++ b/africa/cf.json @@ -645,9 +645,6 @@ }, "email address and website": { "text": "
info@ambacongo-us.org

http://www.ambacongo-us.org/en-us/home.aspx" - }, - "consulate(s)": { - "text": "New Orleans" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/africa/cg.json b/africa/cg.json index f7b9be30..0f9d2c11 100644 --- a/africa/cg.json +++ b/africa/cg.json @@ -604,7 +604,7 @@ "text": "President Felix TSHISEKEDI (since 20 January 2024)" }, "head of government": { - "text": "Prime Minister Judith Suminwa TULUKA (since 1 April 2024); Deputy Prime Ministers Christophe LUTUNDULA (since 12 April 2021),Vital KAMERHE (since 23 March 2023), Peter KAZADI (23 March 2023), Jean-Pierre BEMBA (since 23 March 2023), Jean-Pierre LIHAU (since 12 April 2021); note - TULUKA is the country's first female prime minister" + "text": "Prime Minister Judith Suminwa TULUKA (since 1 April 2024) note - TULUKA is the country's first female prime minister" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Ministers of State appointed by the president" @@ -624,7 +624,7 @@ "text": "Senate - last held on 14 March 2019 (next to be held on 29 April 2024)
National Assembly - last held on 20 December 2023 (next to be held in December 2028)" }, "election results": { - "text": "Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 22, MLC 14, FR 7, RCD 7, PDC 6, CDC 3, MSR 3, PALU 2, other 18, independent 26; composition- men 83, women 26, percentage women 23.9%

National Assembly - percent of vote by pa83+26
rty - NA; seats by party - PPRD 62, UDPS 41, PPPD 29, MSR 27, MLC 22, PALU 19, UNC 17, ARC 16, AFDC 15, ECT 11, RRC 11, other 214 (includes numerous political parties that won 10 or fewer seats and 2 constituencies where voting was halted), independent 16; composition - men 415, women 62, percent of women 13%; total Parliament percentage women 18.4%" + "text": "Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 22, MLC 14, FR 7, RCD 7, PDC 6, CDC 3, MSR 3, PALU 2, other 18, independent 26; composition- men 83, women 26, percentage women 23.9%

National Assembly - percent of vote by party- NA; seats by party - PPRD 62, UDPS 41, PPPD 29, MSR 27, MLC 22, PALU 19, UNC 17, ARC 16, AFDC 15, ECT 11, RRC 11, other 214 (includes numerous political parties that won 10 or fewer seats and 2 constituencies where voting was halted), independent 16; composition - men 415, women 62, percent of women 13%; total Parliament percentage women 18.4%" } }, "Judicial branch": { diff --git a/africa/eg.json b/africa/eg.json index 3f229947..621f2555 100644 --- a/africa/eg.json +++ b/africa/eg.json @@ -635,7 +635,7 @@ "text": "(202) 244-4319" }, "email address and website": { - "text": "
consulate@egyptembassy.net

https://www.egyptembassy.net/" + "text": "
embassy@egyptembassy.net

https://www.egyptembassy.net/" }, "consulate(s) general": { "text": "Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York" diff --git a/africa/et.json b/africa/et.json index d45b788b..0d0bf9b0 100644 --- a/africa/et.json +++ b/africa/et.json @@ -660,10 +660,7 @@ "text": "
ethiopia@ethiopianembassy.org

https://ethiopianembassy.org/" }, "consulate(s) general": { - "text": "Los Angeles" - }, - "consulate(s)": { - "text": "New York" + "text": "Los Angeles, St. Paul (MN)" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/africa/ga.json b/africa/ga.json index 7a3050b1..499f43c6 100644 --- a/africa/ga.json +++ b/africa/ga.json @@ -599,19 +599,19 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Momodou Lamin BAH (12 December 2022)
" + "text": "Ambassador Momodou Lamin BAH (12 December 2022)" }, "chancery": { "text": "5630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011" }, "telephone": { - "text": "[1] (202) 785-1399; [1] (202) 785-1428" + "text": "[1] (202) 785-1399" }, "FAX": { "text": "[1] (202) 785-1430" }, "email address and website": { - "text": "
info@gambiaembassydc.us; 
gambiaembassydc@gmail.com

https://www.gambiaembassydc.us/home" + "text": "
info@gambiaembassydc.us

https://www.gambiaembassydc.us/home" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/africa/gb.json b/africa/gb.json index 984679b0..7d1f6b3e 100644 --- a/africa/gb.json +++ b/africa/gb.json @@ -590,6 +590,9 @@ }, "email address and website": { "text": "
info@gaboneembassyusa.org

https://gabonembassyusa.org/en/" + }, + "consulate(s) general": { + "text": "New York" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/africa/gv.json b/africa/gv.json index 9d16f8f9..f477fd25 100644 --- a/africa/gv.json +++ b/africa/gv.json @@ -615,7 +615,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Fatoumata KABA (since 19 April 2023) 

 

" + "text": "Ambassador Fatoumata KABA (since 19 April 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "2112 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008" @@ -628,6 +628,9 @@ }, "email address and website": { "text": "
http://guineaembassyusa.org/en/welcome-to-the-embassy-of-guinea-washington-usa/" + }, + "consulate(s)": { + "text": "Los Angelos" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/africa/ng.json b/africa/ng.json index 6ae23dc0..a19b1197 100644 --- a/africa/ng.json +++ b/africa/ng.json @@ -1218,7 +1218,7 @@ "text": "Niger has committed about 1,000 troops to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups operating in the general area of the Lake Chad Basin and along Nigeria's northeast border; national MNJTF troop contingents are deployed within their own country territories, although cross‐border operations are conducted periodically (2024)" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "while the FAN is responsible for ensuring external security, most of its focus is on internal counterinsurgency/counterterrorism operations against terrorist groups operating in the areas bordering Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, and Nigeria, as well as much of northern Niger and the Diffa and Lake Chad regions; these groups include the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) in the Greater Sahara, Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM)

the FAN is a lightly armed, but experienced military; it has conducted training and combat operations with foreign partners, including the French and US; the EU has also provided security assistance, particularly to the Gendarmerie (GN), National Guard (GNN), and the National Police; the FAN also conducts counterterrorism operations with the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which coordinates the Lake Chad states’ operations against Boko Haram; it conducted counterinsurgency operations against Taureg rebels during the periods of 1990-95 and 2007-09

in recent years, Niger has focused on making its security services more mobile to improve their effectiveness in countering terrorism and protecting the country’s borders; with training support and material assistance from the US and the EU, each security service has created new units or reconfigured existing units with an emphasis on mobility, hybridization, and specialized training; since the 2010s, the Army has created a special operations command, several special intervention battalions, and an anti-terrorism unit known as the 1st Expeditionary Force of Niger (EFoN); the GN has created mobile units modeled on European gendarmerie forces known as the Rapid Action Group—Surveillance and Response in the Sahel (Groupe d'action Rapides—Surveillance et Intervention au Sahel or GAR-SI Sahel); the GNN has developed mobile Multipurpose Squadrons (Escadrons Polyvalentes de la Garde Nationale de Niger or EP-GNN), while the National Police have created Mobile Border Control Companies (Compagnie Mobile de Contrôle des Frontières or CMCF); Niger has also established training centers for special forces in Tillia and peacekeeping in Ouallam; meanwhile, the Air Force has received a few armed UAVs from Turkey

the Army was established in 1960 from French colonial forces, while the Air Force was formed as the Niger National Escadrille in 1961; the GN received its first Nigerien commander in 1962; since its establishment, Niger’s military has played a significant role in the country’s politics, conducting coups in 1974, 1996, 1999, and 2010, and ruling Niger for much of the period before 1999; it seized control of the government again in 2023 (2023)" + "text": "while the FAN is responsible for ensuring external security, most of its focus is on internal counterinsurgency/counterterrorism operations against terrorist groups operating in the areas bordering Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, and Nigeria, as well as much of northern Niger and the Diffa and Lake Chad regions; these groups include the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) in the Greater Sahara, Boko Haram, ISIS-West Africa, and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM)

the FAN has conducted training and combat operations with foreign partners, including the French and US; the EU has also provided security assistance, particularly to the Gendarmerie (GN), National Guard (GNN), and the National Police; the FAN also conducts counterterrorism operations with the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), which coordinates the Lake Chad states’ operations against Boko Haram; it conducted counterinsurgency operations against Taureg rebels during the periods of 1990-95 and 2007-09

in recent years, Niger has focused on making its security services more mobile to improve their effectiveness in countering terrorism and protecting the country’s borders; with training support and material assistance from the US and the EU, each security service has created new units or reconfigured existing units with an emphasis on mobility, hybridization, and specialized training; since the 2010s, the Army has created a special operations command, several special intervention battalions, and an anti-terrorism unit known as the 1st Expeditionary Force of Niger (EFoN); the GN has created mobile units modeled on European gendarmerie forces known as the Rapid Action Group—Surveillance and Response in the Sahel (Groupe d'action Rapides—Surveillance et Intervention au Sahel or GAR-SI Sahel); the GNN has developed mobile Multipurpose Squadrons (Escadrons Polyvalentes de la Garde Nationale de Niger or EP-GNN), while the National Police have created Mobile Border Control Companies (Compagnie Mobile de Contrôle des Frontières or CMCF); Niger has also established training centers for special forces in Tillia and peacekeeping in Ouallam; meanwhile, the Air Force has received armed UAVs from Turkey

the Army was established in 1960 from French colonial forces, while the Air Force was formed as the Niger National Escadrille in 1961; the GN received its first Nigerien commander in 1962; since its establishment, Niger’s military has played a significant role in the country’s politics, conducting coups in 1974, 1996, 1999, and 2010, and ruling Niger for much of the period before 1999; it seized control of the government again in 2023 (2023)" } }, "Terrorism": { diff --git a/africa/ni.json b/africa/ni.json index ac8658ae..bae6a20e 100644 --- a/africa/ni.json +++ b/africa/ni.json @@ -1285,7 +1285,7 @@ "note": "note: Nigeria has committed an Army combat brigade (approximately 3,000 troops) to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), a regional counter-terrorism force comprised of troops from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger; MNJTF conducts operations against Boko Haram and other terrorist groups operating in the general area of the Lake Chad Basin and along Nigeria's northeast border; national MNJTF troop contingents are deployed within their own country territories, although cross‐border operations are conducted periodically" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Nigerian military is sub-Saharan Africa’s largest and regarded as one of its most capable forces; the Army is organized into eight divisions comprised of a diverse mix of more than 20 combat brigades, including airborne infantry, amphibious infantry, armor, artillery, light infantry, mechanized and motorized infantry, and special operations forces; there is also a presidential guard brigade; the Army typically organizes into battalion- and brigade-sized task forces for operations; the Air Force has a few squadrons of fighters, ground attack fighters, armed UAVs, and attack helicopter squadrons primarily for supporting the Army

the Army and Air Force are focused largely on internal security and face a number of challenges that have stretched their resources; the Army is deployed in all 36 of the country's states; in the northeast, it is conducting counterinsurgency/counterterrorist operations against the Boko Haram (BH) and Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in West Africa (ISIS-WA) terrorist groups, where it has deployed as many as 70,000 troops at times and jihadist-related violence has killed an estimated 35-40,000 people, mostly civilians, since 2009; in the northwest, it faces growing threats from criminal gangs--locally referred to as bandits--and violence associated with long-standing farmer-herder conflicts, as well as BH and ISIS-WA terrorists; bandits in the northwestern Nigeria are estimated to number in the low 10,000s and violence there has killed more than 10,000 people since the mid-2010s; the military also continues to protect the oil industry in the Niger Delta region against militants and criminal activity; since 2021, additional troops and security forces have been deployed to eastern Nigeria to quell renewed agitation for a state of Biafra (Biafra seceded from Nigeria in the late 1960s, sparking a civil war that caused more than 1 million deaths)

meanwhile, the Navy is focused on security in the Gulf of Guinea; since 2016, it has developed a maritime strategy, boosted naval training and its naval presence in the Gulf, increased participation in regional maritime security efforts, and acquired a number of new naval platforms, including offshore and coastal patrol craft, fast attack boats, and air assets; its principal surface ships include a frigate and a few corvettes or offshore patrol ships

the Nigerian military traces its origins to the Nigeria Regiment of the West African Frontier Force (WAFF), a multi-regiment force formed by the British colonial office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria (Lagos and the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria), Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, and Gambia; the WAFF served with distinction in both East and West Africa during World War I; in 1928, it received royal recognition and was re-named the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF); the RWAFF went on to serve in World War II as part of the British 81st and 82nd (West African) divisions in the East Africa and Burma campaigns; in 1956, the Nigeria Regiment of the RWAFF was renamed the Nigerian Military Forces (NMF) and in 1958, the colonial government of Nigeria took over control of the NMF from the British War Office; the Nigerian Armed Forces were established following independence in 1960 (2023)" + "text": "the Nigerian military is sub-Saharan Africa’s largest and regarded as one of its most capable forces; the Army is organized into eight divisions comprised of a diverse mix of more than 20 combat brigades, including airborne infantry, amphibious infantry, armor, artillery, light infantry, mechanized and motorized infantry, and special operations forces; there is also a presidential guard brigade; the Army typically organizes into battalion- and brigade-sized task forces for operations; the Air Force has a few squadrons of fighters, ground attack fighters, armed UAVs, and attack helicopter squadrons primarily for supporting the Army

the Army and Air Force are focused largely on internal security and face a number of challenges; the Army is deployed in all 36 of the country's states; in the northeast, it is conducting counterinsurgency/counterterrorist operations against the Boko Haram (BH) and Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in West Africa (ISIS-WA) terrorist groups, where it has deployed as many as 70,000 troops at times and jihadist-related violence has killed an estimated 35-40,000 people, mostly civilians, since 2009; in the northwest, it faces growing threats from criminal gangs--locally referred to as bandits--and violence associated with long-standing farmer-herder conflicts, as well as BH and ISIS-WA terrorists; bandits in the northwestern Nigeria are estimated to number in the low 10,000s and violence there has killed more than 10,000 people since the mid-2010s; the military also continues to protect the oil industry in the Niger Delta region against militants and criminal activity; since 2021, additional troops and security forces have been deployed to eastern Nigeria to quell renewed agitation for a state of Biafra (Biafra seceded from Nigeria in the late 1960s, sparking a civil war that caused more than 1 million deaths)

the Navy is focused on security in the Gulf of Guinea; since 2016, it has developed a maritime strategy, boosted naval training and its naval presence in the Gulf, increased participation in regional maritime security efforts, and acquired a number of new naval platforms, including offshore and coastal patrol craft, fast attack boats, and air assets; its principal surface ships include a frigate and a few corvettes or offshore patrol ships

the Nigerian military traces its origins to the Nigeria Regiment of the West African Frontier Force (WAFF), a multi-regiment force formed by the British colonial office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria (Lagos and the protectorates of Northern and Southern Nigeria), Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, and Gambia; the WAFF served with distinction in both East and West Africa during World War I; in 1928, it received royal recognition and was re-named the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF); the RWAFF went on to serve in World War II as part of the British 81st and 82nd (West African) divisions in the East Africa and Burma campaigns; in 1956, the Nigeria Regiment of the RWAFF was renamed the Nigerian Military Forces (NMF) and in 1958, the colonial government of Nigeria took over control of the NMF from the British War Office; the Nigerian Armed Forces were established following independence in 1960 (2023)" } }, "Space": { diff --git a/africa/rw.json b/africa/rw.json index aa85ea47..e58b4588 100644 --- a/africa/rw.json +++ b/africa/rw.json @@ -1205,7 +1205,7 @@ "note": "note: as of 2022, women comprised approximately 6% of the Rwanda Defense Force" }, "Military deployments": { - "text": "approximately 2,200 Central African Republic (MINUSCA; plus about 700 police); up to 3,000 Mozambique (deployed mid-2021 under a bilateral agreement to assist with combating an insurgency; includes both military and police forces); 2,600 (plus about 450 police) South Sudan (UNMISS) (2024)", + "text": "approximately 2,200 Central African Republic (MINUSCA; plus about 700 police); approximately 2,500 Mozambique (deployed mid-2021 under a bilateral agreement to assist with combating an insurgency; includes both military and police forces); 2,600 (plus about 450 police) South Sudan (UNMISS) (2024)", "note": "note: in December 2020, Rwanda sent an additional 1,200 to the Central African Republic under a bilateral agreement to support and train Central African Republic military forces, but their status as of 2024 was unclear)" }, "Military - note": { @@ -1214,10 +1214,10 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Rwanda Space Agency (RSA; established 2020 and approved by legislature in 2021)  (2023)" + "text": "Rwanda Space Agency (L’Agence Spatiale Rwandaise; RSA; established 2020 and approved by legislature in 2021) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has a small program focused on developing and utilizing space technologies, such as satellite imagery for socioeconomic development and security purposes; operates communications and remote sensing (RS) satellites; the RSA is responsible for regulating and coordinating the country’s space activities and encouraging commercial and industrial development; has established ties with the space agencies or industries of several countries, including France, Israel, Japan, the UAE, and the US (2023)", + "text": "has a small program focused on developing and utilizing space technologies, such as satellite imagery for socioeconomic development and security purposes; operates communications and remote sensing (RS) satellites; the RSA is responsible for regulating and coordinating the country’s space activities and encouraging commercial and industrial development; has established ties with the space agencies or industries of several countries, including France, Israel, Japan, the UAE, and the US (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/africa/sf.json b/africa/sf.json index 14efe339..83b4e153 100644 --- a/africa/sf.json +++ b/africa/sf.json @@ -1304,7 +1304,7 @@ "note": "note: in 2020, women comprised about 30% of the military" }, "Military deployments": { - "text": "1,150 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) (2024)" + "text": "up to 1,500 Mozambique; 1,150 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) (2024)" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the SANDF’s primary responsibilities include territorial and maritime defense, supporting the Police Service, protecting key infrastructure, and participating in international peacekeeping missions; the SANDF traditionally has been one of Africa’s most capable militaries, but in recent years its operational readiness and modernization programs have been hampered by funding shortfalls; it participates regularly in African and UN peacekeeping missions and is a member of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Standby Force; in 2021, it sent up to 1,500 troops to Mozambique as part of a multinational SADC force to help combat an insurgency, and South African forces are a key component of the UN’s Force Intervention Brigade in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; in recent years, the SANDF has been deployed internally to assist the Police Service with quelling unrest and assisting with border security

the Army in recent years has reorganized, and its combat forces are organized into four “modern” brigades, each designed for specific missions and responding to modern-day threats such as “asymmetric” warfare; the new brigades are separated into airborne, light infantry, mechanized, and motorized forces; the Navy operates a mixed force of warships, patrol craft, submarines, and support vessels; its principal combatants are four frigates and three attack submarines; the Navy also has a maritime rapid reaction squadron that includes naval infantry and combat divers; the Air Force has squadrons of multipurpose fighter, ground attack, and transport aircraft, as well as attack and transport helicopters

the SANDF was created in 1994 to replace the South African Defense Force (SADF); the SANDF was opened to all South Africans who met military requirements, while the SADF was a mostly white force (only whites were subject to conscription) with non-whites only allowed to join in a voluntary capacity; the SANDF also absorbed members of the guerrilla and militia forces of the various anti-apartheid opposition groups, including the African National Congress, the Pan Africanist Congress, and the Inkatha Freedom Party, as well as the security forces of the formerly independent Bantustan homelands (2023)" @@ -1312,13 +1312,13 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "South African National Space Agency (SANSA; established 2010); South Africa Council for Space Affairs (SACSA; statutory body established 1995); South African Radio Telescope Observatory (SARAO)  (2023)" + "text": "South African National Space Agency (SANSA; established 2010); South Africa Council for Space Affairs (SACSA; statutory body established 1995); South African Radio Telescope Observatory (SARAO) (2024)" }, "Space launch site(s)": { "text": "Arniston launch facility (Western Cape) used to support space launch vehicle and ballistic missile program (1980s-1990s); it is now a weapons testing facility called the Denel Overberg Test Range (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "the largest producer of satellites (particularly nanosatellites) in Africa; areas of focus for development include remote sensing (RS) capabilities, such as optical instruments and synthetic aperture radar systems, space engineering, ground support to space operations (tracking, telemetry, etc.), and space science, particularly astronomy; SANSA is responsible for aggregating RS data for southern African countries; has a sounding rocket program for carrying experimental payloads for research purposes; cooperates with foreign space agencies and industries, including those of China, France, India, Russia, and the US; participates in international programs such as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Project, an international effort to build the world’s largest radio telescope by 2030; has more than 120 state- and privately-owned aerospace companies, as well as a substantial number of academic and research institutions involved in space-related activities (2023)", + "text": "the largest producer of satellites (particularly nanosatellites) in Africa; areas of focus for development include remote sensing (RS) capabilities, such as optical instruments and synthetic aperture radar systems, space engineering, ground support to space operations (tracking, telemetry, etc.), and space science, particularly astronomy; SANSA is responsible for aggregating RS data for southern African countries; has a sounding rocket program for carrying experimental payloads for research purposes; cooperates with foreign space agencies and industries, including those of China, France, India, Russia, and the US; participates in international programs such as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Project, an international effort to build the world’s largest radio telescope by 2030; has a substantial number of state- and privately-owned aerospace companies, as well as academic and research institutions involved in space-related activities (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/africa/su.json b/africa/su.json index 9fe2f55e..f4f3adcb 100644 --- a/africa/su.json +++ b/africa/su.json @@ -1244,15 +1244,6 @@ "text": "

the primary responsibilities of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) are internal security, border issues, and potential external threats from its neighbors; SAF operations have often been supported by militia and paramilitary forces, particularly the Rapid Support Forces (RSF); in the Spring of 2023, heavy fighting broke out between the SAF and the RSF amid disputes over an internationally-backed plan for a transition towards civilian rule, particularly around the capital Khartoum and in some outlying areas, including the western region of Darfur; fighting continued into 2024

information on the organization of the SAF and the RSF varies; prior to the conflict with the RSF, the SAF Army was estimated to have more than 10 infantry divisions, as well as divisions of mechanized, armored, and airborne/special forces, and several independent infantry brigades; the SAF Air Force has several squadrons of Chinese- and Russian-origin combat aircraft, as well as multiple squadrons of combat helicopters, also largely of Russian origin; the Navy has a small force of coastal patrol boats; the RSF is a lightly-armed ground force and prior to the 2023 conflict was reportedly organized into brigades of varying size and makeup   

the Sudanese military has been a dominant force in the ruling of the country since its independence in 1956; in addition, the military has a large role in the country's economy, reportedly controlling over 200 commercial companies, including businesses involved in gold mining, rubber production, agriculture, and meat exports

the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) has operated in the disputed Abyei region along the border between Sudan and South Sudan since 2011; UNISFA's mission includes ensuring security, protecting civilians, strengthening the capacity of the Abyei Police Service, de-mining, monitoring/verifying the redeployment of armed forces from the area, and facilitating the flow of humanitarian aid; as of 2023, UNISFA had approximately 3,500 personnel assigned

the October 2020 peace agreement provided for the establishment of a Joint Security Keeping Forces (JSKF) comprised of 12,000 personnel tasked with securing the Darfur region in the place of the UN African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), a joint African Union-UN peacekeeping force that operated in the war-torn region between 2007 and the end of its mandate in December 2020; in June 2021, Sudan's transitional government announced it would increase the size of this force to 20,000 and expand its mission scope to include the capital and other parts of the country suffering from violence; the force would include the SAF, RSF, police, intelligence, and representatives from armed groups involved in peace negotiations; in September 2022, the first 2,000 members of the JSKF completed training; the status of the JSKF since the start of the civil war is not available (2024)" } }, - "Space": { - "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Institute of Space Research and Aerospace (ISRA; established 2013); Remote Sensing and Seismology Authority (RSSA; first established in 1977 as the Remote Sensing Authority or RSA) (2023)" - }, - "Space program overview": { - "text": "has a small space program focused on acquiring and operating mostly remote sensing (RS) satellites; has produced cube satellites and operates satellites; conducting research and development in such areas as astronomy, cube satellites, geoinformatics, RS, and satellite tracking/telemetry; has established relations with space agencies and industries with a number of countries, including China, Egypt, France, India, Japan, and the US; also a member of the Arab Space Cooperation Group, established by the UAE in 2019 (2023)", - "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" - } - }, "Terrorism": { "Terrorist group(s)": { "text": "Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); al-Qa’ida; Harakat Sawa’d Misr", diff --git a/africa/ts.json b/africa/ts.json index c26fa8ef..a1fe04ed 100644 --- a/africa/ts.json +++ b/africa/ts.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Tunisia has been the nexus of many different colonizations including those of the Phoenicians (as early as the 12 century B.C.), the Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, various Arab and Berber kingdoms, and the Ottomans (16th to late 19th centuries). Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in convincing the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women. In November 1987, BOURGUIBA was removed from office and replaced by Zine el Abidine BEN ALI in a bloodless coup. Street protests that began in Tunis in December 2010 over high unemployment, corruption, widespread poverty, and high food prices escalated in January 2011, culminating in rioting that led to hundreds of deaths. On 14 January 2011, the same day BEN ALI dismissed the government, he fled the country, and by late January 2011, a \"national unity government\" was formed. Elections for the new Constituent Assembly were held in late October 2011, and in December, it elected human rights activist Moncef MARZOUKI as interim president. The Assembly began drafting a new constitution in February 2012 and, after several iterations and a months-long political crisis that stalled the transition, ratified the document in January 2014. Parliamentary and presidential elections for a permanent government were held at the end of 2014. Beji CAID ESSEBSI was elected as the first president under the country's new constitution. Following ESSEBSI’s death in office in July 2019, Tunisia moved its scheduled presidential election forward two months and after two rounds of voting, Kais SAIED was sworn in as president in October 2019. Tunisia held legislative elections on schedule in October 2019. SAIED's term, as well as that of Tunisia's 217-member parliament, was set to expire in 2024. However, on 25 July 2021, SAIED seized exceptional powers allowed under Tunisia's constitution to dismiss the prime minister and suspend the legislature. Tunisians approved a new constitution through public referendum in July 2022 that expanded presidential powers and created a new bicameral legislature. In December 2022, Tunisia held elections to populate local councils which will indirectly elect members to the second chamber of parliament.

" + "text": "

Many empires have controlled Tunisia, including the Phoenicians (as early as the 12 century B.C.), Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Byzantines, various Arab and Berber kingdoms, and Ottomans (16th to late-19th centuries). Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades after World War I finally convinced the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women. In 1987, Zine el Abidine BEN ALI replaced BOURGUIBA in a bloodless coup.

Street protests that began in Tunis in 2010 over high unemployment, corruption, widespread poverty, and high food prices escalated in 2011, culminating in rioting that led to hundreds of deaths and later became known as the start of the regional Arab Spring uprising. BEN ALI dismissed the government and fled the country, and a \"national unity government\" was formed. Elections for the new Constituent Assembly were held later that year, and human rights activist Moncef MARZOUKI was elected as interim president. The Assembly began drafting a new constitution in 2012 and, after several iterations and a months-long political crisis that stalled the transition, ratified the document in 2014. Parliamentary and presidential elections for a permanent government were held at the end of 2014. Beji CAID ESSEBSI was elected as the first president under the country's new constitution. After ESSEBSI’s death in office in 2019, Kais SAIED was elected. SAIED's term, as well as that of Tunisia's 217-member parliament, was set to expire in 2024. However, in 2021, SAIED used the exceptional powers allowed under Tunisia's constitution to dismiss the prime minister and suspend the legislature. Tunisians approved a new constitution through public referendum in 2022, expanding presidential powers and creating a new bicameral legislature. 

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1253,15 +1253,6 @@ "text": "the FAT is responsible for territorial defense and internal security; its operational areas of focus are countering Islamic terrorist groups and assisting with securing the border; it is conducting counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations against militant groups linked to al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Islamic State of ash-Sham (ISIS) who are fighting a low-intensity insurgency, mostly in the mountainous region along the border with Algeria, particularly the Chaambi Mountains near the city of Kasserine; the military has the lead role for security in this area and also routinely conducts joint operations with Algerian security forces against these groups, as well to counter smuggling and trafficking activities; the FAT in recent years also has increased its role in securing the southern border against militant activity, smuggling, and trafficking from war-torn Libya; in the remote southern areas of the border with Libya, buffer/exclusion zones have also been established where the military has the lead for counterterrorism efforts; outside of these border areas, the Ministry of Interior (MOI) has the responsibility for counterterrorism, particularly for urban areas; the National Police Anti-Terrorism Brigade and the National Guard Special Unit have the lead for MOI counterterrorism operations

the FAT has historically remained largely apolitical and stayed out of the country’s economy; following Tunisia’s 1956 independence, FAT officers were legally prohibited from joining political parties, and the military did not intervene to prop up BEN ALI in 2011; nevertheless, President SAIED’s use of military courts to try civilians and placement of military troops outside of the parliament building after he dissolved the Assembly in 2021 has raised concerns of military politicization
 
the FAT conducts bilateral and multinational training exercises with a variety of countries, including Algeria and other North African and Middle Eastern countries, France, and the US, as well as NATO; it also participates in UN peacekeeping operations; the Army has five combat brigades, including three mechanized infantry, a desert patrol, and a special forces brigade, as well as an armored reconnaissance regiment; the Navy is a coastal defense force with a limited inventory of offshore patrol ships complemented by a mix of small, fast attack and patrol craft; the Air Force largely supports the Army’s operations; it has a handful of older US-made fighter aircraft and a few dozen combat helicopters, mostly of French and US origin 

Tunisia has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation (2023)" } }, - "Space": { - "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "the National Center of Cartography and Remote Sensing (Centre National de la Cartographie et de la Télédétection or CNCT; established in 1988 and directs Tunisia’s space activities; is a non-administrative public company under the supervision of the Ministry of Defense); Tunisian National Commission for Outer Space Affairs (NCOSA; established 1984 to oversee the space-related activities of government ministries); note – the Tunisian Space Agency is a non-profit, non-governmental scientific association created in June 2012 to promote the field of aerospace in Tunisia (2023)" - }, - "Space program overview": { - "text": "has a small space program with a focus on exploiting satellite imagery and developing small satellites and satellite components; has established relations with a variety of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of Brazil, China, France, Japan, and Russia (2023)", - "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" - } - }, "Terrorism": { "Terrorist group(s)": { "text": "Ansar al-Sharia in Tunisia; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) network in Tunisia (known locally as Ajnad al-Khilafah or the Army of the Caliphate); al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb", diff --git a/africa/ug.json b/africa/ug.json index fb0bd02b..127af2cf 100644 --- a/africa/ug.json +++ b/africa/ug.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

An ancient crossroads for various migrations, Uganda has as many as 65 ethnic groups that speak languages from three of Africa’s four major linguistic families. As early as 1200, fertile soils and regular rainfall in the south fostered the formation of several large centralized kingdoms, including Buganda, from which the country derives its name. Muslim traders from Egypt reached northern Uganda in the 1820s, and Swahili merchants from the Indian Ocean coast arrived in the south by the 1840s. The area attracted the attention of British explorers seeking the source of the Nile River in the 1860s, and this influence expanded in subsequent decades with the arrival of Christian missionaries and trade agreements; Uganda was declared a British protectorate in 1894. Buganda and other southern kingdoms negotiated agreements with Britain to secure privileges and a level of autonomy that were rare during the colonial period in Africa. The colonial boundaries demarcating Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures, and the disparities between how Britain governed southern and northern areas compounded these differences, complicating efforts to establish a cohesive independent country.

Uganda gained independence in 1962 with one of the more developed economies and one of the strongest education systems in Sub-Saharan Africa, but it descended within a few years into political turmoil and internal conflict that lasted more than two decades. In 1966, Prime Minister Milton OBOTE suspended the constitution and violently deposed President Edward MUTESA, who was also the king of Buganda. Idi AMIN seized power in 1971 through a military coup and led the country into economic ruin and rampant mass atrocities that killed as many as 500,000 civilians. AMIN’s annexation of Tanzanian territory in 1979 provoked Tanzania to invade Uganda, depose AMIN, and install a coalition government. In the aftermath, Uganda continued to experience atrocities, looting, and political instability and had four different heads of state between 1979 and 1980. OBOTE regained the presidency in 1980 through a controversial election that sparked renewed guerrilla warfare, killing as an estimated 300,000 civilians. Gen. Tito OKELLO seized power in a coup in 1985, but his rule was short-lived, with Yoweri MUSEVENI becoming president in 1986 after his insurgency captured the capital. MUSEVENI is widely credited with restoring relative stability and economic growth to Uganda but has resisted calls to leave office. In 2017, parliament approved the removal of presidential age limits, making it possible for MUSEVENI to remain in office for life. Uganda faces numerous challenges that could affect future stability, including explosive population growth, power and infrastructure constraints, corruption, underdeveloped democratic institutions, and human rights deficits.

" + "text": "

An ancient crossroads for various migrations, Uganda has as many as 65 ethnic groups that speak languages from three of Africa’s four major linguistic families. As early as 1200, fertile soils and regular rainfall in the south fostered the formation of several large, centralized kingdoms, including Buganda, from which the country derives its name. Muslim traders from Egypt reached northern Uganda in the 1820s, and Swahili merchants from the Indian Ocean coast arrived in the south by the 1840s. The area attracted the attention of British explorers seeking the source of the Nile River in the 1860s, and this influence expanded in subsequent decades with the arrival of Christian missionaries and trade agreements; Uganda was declared a British protectorate in 1894. Buganda and other southern kingdoms negotiated agreements with Britain to secure privileges and a level of autonomy that were rare during the colonial period in Africa. Uganda's colonial boundaries grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures, and the disparities between how Britain governed southern and northern areas compounded these differences, complicating efforts to establish a cohesive independent country.

Uganda gained independence in 1962 with one of the more developed economies and one of the strongest education systems in Sub-Saharan Africa, but it descended within a few years into political turmoil and internal conflict that lasted more than two decades. In 1966, Prime Minister Milton OBOTE suspended the constitution and violently deposed President Edward MUTESA, who was also the king of Buganda. Idi AMIN seized power in 1971 through a military coup and led the country into economic ruin and rampant mass atrocities that killed as many as 500,000 civilians. AMIN’s annexation of Tanzanian territory in 1979 provoked Tanzania to invade Uganda, depose AMIN, and install a coalition government. In the aftermath, Uganda continued to experience atrocities, looting, and political instability and had four different heads of state between 1979 and 1980. OBOTE regained the presidency in 1980 through a controversial election that sparked renewed guerrilla warfare, killing as an estimated 300,000 civilians. Gen. Tito OKELLO seized power in a coup in 1985, but his rule was short-lived, with Yoweri MUSEVENI becoming president in 1986 after his insurgency captured the capital. MUSEVENI is widely credited with restoring relative stability and economic growth to Uganda but has resisted calls to leave office. In 2017, parliament removed presidential age limits, making it possible for MUSEVENI to remain in office for life. 

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1229,12 +1229,8 @@ } }, "Space": { - "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "no national agency; the space program resides under the Ministry of Science, Technologies, and Innovation (MoSTI) (2023)" - }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has a nascent program focused on acquiring remote sensing (RS) satellites for monitoring agricultural usage, land, natural disasters, water bodies, and weather, as well as border security, infrastructure planning, and mineral mapping; has sent personnel to universities in Japan and Russia for technical training for space applications; building a ground station at Mpoma in Mukono for command, control, and management of satellites (2023)", - "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" + "text": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, "Terrorism": { diff --git a/africa/wz.json b/africa/wz.json index 321f8da1..7ad6b7cb 100644 --- a/africa/wz.json +++ b/africa/wz.json @@ -589,7 +589,7 @@ "text": "[1] (202) 234-8254" }, "email address and website": { - "text": "
embassy@eswatini-usa.com; swaziland@compuserve.com" + "text": "
swaziland@compuserve.com" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/africa/za.json b/africa/za.json index 8bb8a945..eef33926 100644 --- a/africa/za.json +++ b/africa/za.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Bantu-speaking groups mainly from the Luba and Lunda Kingdoms in the Congo River Basin and from the Great Lakes region in East Africa settled in what is now Zambia beginning around A.D. 300, displacing and mixing with previous population groups in the region. The Mutapa Empire developed after the fall of Great Zimbabwe to the south in the 14th century and ruled the region, including large parts of Zambia, from the 14th to 17th century. The empire collapsed as a result of the growing slave trade and Portuguese incursions in the 16th and 17th centuries. The region was further influenced by migrants from the Zulu Kingdom to the south and the Luba and Lunda Kingdoms to the north after invading colonial and African powers displaced local residents into the area around the Zambezi River, in what is now Zambia. In the 1880s, British companies began securing mineral and other economic concessions from various local leaders. The companies eventually claimed control of the region and incorporated it as the protectorate of Northern Rhodesia in 1911. The UK Government took over administrative control from the British South Africa Company in 1924. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred British economic ventures and colonial settlement. 

Northern Rhodesia’s name was changed to Zambia upon independence from the UK in 1964 under independence leader and first President Kenneth KAUNDA. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices, economic mismanagement, and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule and propelled the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) into power. The subsequent vote in 1996, however, saw increasing harassment of opposition parties and abuse of state media and other resources. The election in 2001 was marked by administrative problems, with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an election that was deemed free and fair. Upon his death in August 2008, he was succeeded by his vice president, Rupiah BANDA, who won a special presidential byelection later that year. The MMD and BANDA lost to the Patriotic Front (PF) and Michael SATA in the 2011 general elections. SATA, however, presided over a period of haphazard economic management and attempted to silence opposition to PF policies. SATA died in October 2014 and was succeeded by his vice president, Guy SCOTT, who served as interim president until January 2015, when Edgar LUNGU won the presidential byelection and completed SATA's term. LUNGU then won a full term in August 2016 presidential elections. Hakainde HICHILEMA was elected president in August 2021." + "text": "Bantu-speaking groups mainly from the Luba and Lunda Kingdoms in the Congo River Basin and from the Great Lakes region in East Africa settled in what is now Zambia beginning around A.D. 300, displacing and mixing with previous population groups in the region. The Mutapa Empire developed after the fall of Great Zimbabwe to the south in the 14th century and ruled the region, including large parts of Zambia, from the 14th to 17th century. The empire collapsed as a result of the growing slave trade and Portuguese incursions in the 16th and 17th centuries. The region was further influenced by migrants from the Zulu Kingdom to the south and the Luba and Lunda Kingdoms to the north, after invading colonial and African powers displaced local residents into the area around the Zambezi River, in what is now Zambia. In the 1880s, British companies began securing mineral and other economic concessions from local leaders. The companies eventually claimed control of the region and incorporated it as the protectorate of Northern Rhodesia in 1911. The UK took over administrative control from the British South Africa Company in 1924. During the 1920s and 1930s, advances in mining spurred British economic ventures and colonial settlement. 

Northern Rhodesia’s name was changed to Zambia upon independence from the UK in 1964, under independence leader and first President Kenneth KAUNDA. In the 1980s and 1990s, declining copper prices, economic mismanagement, and a prolonged drought hurt the economy. Elections in 1991 brought an end to one-party rule and propelled the Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) into power. The subsequent vote in 1996, however, saw increasing harassment of opposition parties and abuse of state media and other resources. Administrative problems marked the election in 2001, with three parties filing a legal petition challenging the election of ruling party candidate Levy MWANAWASA. MWANAWASA was reelected in 2006 in an election that was deemed free and fair. Upon his death in 2008, he was succeeded by his vice president, Rupiah BANDA, who won a special presidential byelection later that year. BANDA and the MMD lost to Michael SATA and the Patriotic Front (PF) in the 2011 general elections. SATA, however, presided over a period of haphazard economic management and attempted to silence opposition to PF policies. SATA died in 2014 and was succeeded by his vice president, Guy SCOTT, who served as interim president until 2015, when Edgar LUNGU won the presidential byelection and completed SATA's term. LUNGU then won a full term in the 2016 presidential elections. Hakainde HICHILEMA was elected president in 2021." } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/nh.json b/australia-oceania/nh.json index 521f5174..6e4b18ba 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/nh.json +++ b/australia-oceania/nh.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Vanuatu was first settled around 2000 B.C. by Austronesian speakers from the Solomon Islands. By around 1000, localized chieftain systems began to develop on the islands. Around 1600, Chief ROI MATA united Efate under his rule. In 1606, a Portuguese explorer was the first European to see the Banks Islands and Espiritu Santo, setting up a short-lived settlement on the latter. The next European explorers arrived in the 1760s, and the islands --then known as the New Hebrides -- were frequented by whalers in the 1800s. European interest in harvesting the islands’ sandalwood trees caused conflict with local Ni-Vanuatu. In the 1860s, European planters in Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Samoa needed labor and kidnapped almost half the adult males of the islands and forced them to work as indentured servants.

With growing and overlapping interests in the islands, France and the UK agreed that the New Hebrides would be neutral in 1878 and established a joint naval commission in 1887. In 1906, the two countries created the British-French Condominium to jointly administer the islands and they established separate laws, police forces, currencies, and education and health systems. The condominium arrangement was dysfunctional and the UK used France’s defeat to Germany in World War II to assert greater control over the islands. During the war, the US stationed up to 50,000 soldiers in Vanuatu. In 1945, they withdrew and sold their equipment, leading to the rise of political and religious cargo cults, such as the John Frum movement. 

The France-UK condominium was reestablished after World War II. The UK was interested in moving the condominium toward independence in the 1960s, but France was hesitant and political parties agitating independence began to form, largely divided along linguistic lines. France eventually relented and elections were held in 1974 with independence granted in 1980 as Vanuatu under English-speaking Prime Minister Walter LINI. At independence, the Nagriamel Movement, with support from French-speaking landowners, declared Espiritu Santo independent, but the short-lived state was dissolved 12 weeks later. Linguistic divisions have lessened over time but highly fractious political parties have led to weak coalition governments that require support from both Anglophone and Francophone parties. Since 2008, prime ministers have been ousted through no-confidence motions or temporary procedural issues more than a dozen times.

" + "text": "

Austronesian speakers from the Solomon Islands first settled Vanuatu around 2000 B.C. By around 1000, localized chieftain systems began to develop on the islands. Around 1600, Melanesian Chief ROI MATA united some of the islands of modern-day Vanuatu under his rule. In 1606, a Portuguese explorer was the first European to see Vanuatu's Banks Islands and Espiritu Santo, setting up a short-lived settlement on the latter. The next European explorers arrived in the 1760s, and the islands -- then known as the New Hebrides -- were frequented by whalers in the 1800s. European interest in harvesting the islands’ sandalwood trees caused conflict with the inhabitants. In the 1860s, European planters in Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, and Samoa needed labor and kidnapped almost half the adult males on the islands to work as indentured servants.

With growing and overlapping interests in the islands, France and the UK agreed that the New Hebrides would be neutral in 1878 and established a joint naval commission in 1887. In 1906, the two countries created the UK-France condominium to jointly administer the islands, with separate laws, police forces, currencies, and education and health systems. The condominium arrangement was dysfunctional, and the UK used France’s initial defeat in World War II to assert greater control over the islands. During the war, the US stationed up to 50,000 soldiers in Vanuatu. In 1945, they withdrew and sold their equipment, leading to the rise of political and religious movements known as \"cargo cults,\" such as the John Frum movement. 

The UK-France condominium was reestablished after World War II. The UK was interested in moving the condominium toward independence in the 1960s, but France was hesitant. Political parties agitating for independence began to form, largely divided along linguistic lines. France eventually relented, and elections were held in 1974, with independence granted to the newly named Vanuatu in 1980 under English-speaking Prime Minister Walter LINI. The Nagriamel Movement, with support from French-speaking landowners, then declared the island of Espiritu Santo independent from Vanuatu, but the short-lived state was dissolved 12 weeks later. Linguistic divisions have lessened over time, but highly fractious political parties have led to weak coalition governments that require support from both Anglophone and Francophone parties. Since 2008, prime ministers have been ousted more than a dozen times through no-confidence motions or temporary procedural issues.

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1003,18 +1003,18 @@ "Communications": { "Telephones - fixed lines": { "total subscriptions": { - "text": "3,437 (2022 est.)" + "text": "3,000 (2022 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { - "text": "1 (2021 est.)" + "text": "1 (2022 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { - "text": "250,000 (2021 est.)" + "text": "256,000 (2022 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { - "text": "78 (2021 est.)" + "text": "78 (2022 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/nz.json b/australia-oceania/nz.json index 8ea4e92e..5faa694a 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/nz.json +++ b/australia-oceania/nz.json @@ -1063,15 +1063,15 @@ "text": "757,000 (2022 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { - "text": "13 (2021 est.)" + "text": "15 (2022 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { - "text": "5.846 million (2021 est.)" + "text": "5.947 million (2022 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { - "text": "114 (2021 est.)" + "text": "115 (2022 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { @@ -1192,8 +1192,11 @@ "note": "note: the New Zealand Police, under the Minister of Police, are responsible for internal security" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "1.3% of GDP (2023)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { - "text": "1.4% of GDP (2022 est.)" + "text": "1.3% of GDP (2022)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "1.3% of GDP (2021)" @@ -1203,9 +1206,6 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "1.4% of GDP (2019)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "1.2% of GDP (2018)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/tl.json b/australia-oceania/tl.json index a52a264d..09e0154b 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/tl.json +++ b/australia-oceania/tl.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Tokelau is composed of three atolls (Fakaofo, Atafu, and Nukunonu), and it was first settled by Polynesians around A.D. 1000. The atolls operated relatively independently, but Fakaofo Atoll eventually subjugated the others. British explorers first saw the atolls in 1765 and 1791. Catholic and Protestant missionaries arrived in 1845, and to this day, Nukunonu is predominantly Catholic while Atafu is mostly Protestant. Catholic and Protestant missionaries both worked in Fakaofo, and its population is more mixed.

In 1863, Peruvian slave traders masquerading as missionaries kidnapped nearly all the men from Tokelau, and local governance moved to a system based on a Council of Elders, which still exists today. The atolls were repopulated when new Polynesian settlers and American and European migrants intermarried with local Tokelauan women. Tokelau became a British protectorate in 1889 and was added to the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate -- later a colony -- in 1908. In 1925, the UK placed Tokelau under New Zealand administration. The Tokelau Islands Act of 1948 formally transferred sovereignty from the UK to New Zealand, and Tokelauans were granted New Zealand citizenship. In 1979, the US relinquished its claim to Tokelau in the Treaty of Tokehega, and Tokelau relinquished its claim to Swains Island, which is part of American Samoa.

Economic opportunities in Tokelau are sparse, and about 80% of Tokelauans live in New Zealand. Tokelau held two self-governance referendums in 2006 and 2007, in which more than 60% of voters chose free association with New Zealand; however, the referendums failed to achieve the two-thirds majority necessary to enact a status change. Tokelau lacks an airport and is only accessible via a day-long boat trip from Samoa, although a site for an airstrip on Nukunonu was selected in 2019. Because of its dependence on Samoa for transportation, Tokelau followed Samoa’s lead in 2011 and shifted the international date line to its east, skipping December 30 and moving one hour ahead of New Zealand rather than 23 hours behind.

" + "text": "

Tokelau is composed of three atolls (Fakaofo, Atafu, and Nukunonu), and it was first settled by Polynesians around A.D. 1000. The atolls operated relatively independently, but Fakaofo Atoll eventually subjugated the others. British explorers first saw the atolls in 1765 and 1791. Catholic and Protestant missionaries arrived in the 1840s and converted the population on the islands on which they landed.

In 1863 Peruvian slave raiders abducted many islanders, and roughly contemporary outbreaks of disease reduced the population to about 200. Settlers of diverse nationalities subsequently intermarried with Tokelauans. In the same period, local governance moved to a system based on a Council of Elders, which still exists today. British interest began in the late 1870s, and Tokelau became a British protectorate in 1889, and in 1916 under the name Union Group, Tokelau became part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. In 1925, the UK placed Tokelau under New Zealand administration. The Tokelau Islands Act of 1948 formally transferred sovereignty from the UK to New Zealand, and Tokelauans were granted New Zealand citizenship. In 1979, the US relinquished its claim to Tokelau in the Treaty of Tokehega, and Tokelau relinquished its claim to Swains Island, which is part of American Samoa.

Economic opportunities in Tokelau are sparse, and about 80% of Tokelauans live in New Zealand. Tokelau held self-governance referendums in 2006 and 2007 in which more than 60% of voters chose free association with New Zealand; however, the referendums failed to achieve the two-thirds majority necessary to enact a status change. 

" } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/tn.json b/australia-oceania/tn.json index 5a599277..60d8e4dd 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/tn.json +++ b/australia-oceania/tn.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "The first humans arrived in Tonga around 1000 B.C. The islands’ politics were highly centralized under the Tu’i Tonga, or Tongan king, by A.D. 950, and by 1200, the Tu’i Tonga had expanded his influence throughout Polynesia and into Melanesia and Micronesia. The Tongan Empire began to decline in the 1300s, with civil wars, a military defeat to Samoa, and internal political strife that saw successive leaders assassinated. By the mid-1500s, some Tu’i Tongans were ethnic Samoan, and day-to-day administration of Tonga was transferred to a new position occupied by ethnic Tongans.

Dutch sailors explored the islands in the 1600s, and British Captain James COOK visited Tonga three times in the 1770s, naming them the Friendly Islands for the positive reception he thought he received, even though the Tongans he encountered were plotting ways to kill him. In 1799, Tonga fell into a new round of civil wars over succession. Wesleyan missionaries arrived in 1822, quickly converting the population. In the 1830s, a low-ranking chief from Ha’apai began to consolidate control over the islands and won the support of the missionaries by declaring that he would dedicate Tonga to God. The chief soon made alliances with leaders on most of the other islands and was crowned King George TUPOU I in 1845, establishing the only still-extant Polynesian monarchy. TUPOU I declared Tonga a constitutional monarchy in 1875, and his successor, King George TUPOU II, agreed to enter a protectorate agreement with the UK in 1900 after rival Tongan chiefs tried to overthrow him. As a protectorate, Tonga never completely lost its indigenous governance, but it did become more isolated and the social hierarchy more stratified between a group of nobles and a large class of commoners. Today, about one third of parliamentary seats are reserved for nobles.

Queen Salote TUPOU III negotiated the end of the protectorate in 1965, and in 1970, King TUPOU IV completed the withdrawal from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of Nations. A pro-democracy movement gained steam in the early 2000s, led by future Prime Minister ‘Akilisi POHIVA, and in 2006, riots broke out in Nuku’alofa to protest the lack of progress on pro-democracy legislation. To appease the activists, King George TUPOU V announced in 2008 that he was relinquishing most of his powers in the run-up to parliamentary elections in 2010; he died in 2012 and was succeeded by his brother ‘Aho’eitu TUPOU VI. " + "text": "The first humans arrived in Tonga around 1000 B.C. The islands’ politics were highly centralized under the Tu’i Tonga, or Tongan king, by A.D. 950, and by 1200, the Tu’i Tonga had expanded his influence throughout Polynesia and into Melanesia and Micronesia. The Tongan Empire began to decline in the 1300s, with civil wars, a military defeat to Samoa, and internal political strife. By the mid-1500s, some Tu’i Tongans were ethnic Samoan, and day-to-day administration of Tonga was transferred to a new position occupied by ethnic Tongans.

Dutch navigators explored the islands in the 1600s, followed by the British in the 1770s, who named them the Friendly Islands. Between 1799 and 1852 Tonga went through a period of war and disorder. In the 1830s, a low-ranking chief from Ha’apai began to consolidate control over the islands and was crowned King George TUPOU I in 1845, establishing the only still-extant Polynesian monarchy. During TUPOU's reign (1845–93), Tonga became a unified and independent country with a modern constitution (1875), legal code, and administrative structure. In separate treaties, Germany (1876), Great Britain (1879), and the US (1888) recognized Tonga’s independence. His son and successor, King George TUPOU II, agreed to enter a protectorate agreement with the UK in 1900 after rival Tongan chiefs tried to overthrow him. As a protectorate, Tonga never completely lost its indigenous governance, but it did become more isolated and the social hierarchy became more stratified between a group of nobles and a large class of commoners. Today, about one third of parliamentary seats are reserved for nobles.

Tonga regained full control of domestic and foreign affairs and became a fully independent nation within the Commonwealth in 1970. A pro-democracy movement gained steam in the early 2000s, led by ‘Akilisi POHIVA, and in 2006, riots broke out in Nuku’alofa to protest the lack of progress on reform. To appease the activists, in 2008, King George TUPOU V announced he was relinquishing most of his powers leading up to parliamentary elections in 2010 and henceforth most of the monarch’s governmental decisions, except those relating to the judiciary, were to be made in consultation with the prime minister. The 2010 Legislative Assembly was called Tonga’s first democratically elected Parliament. King George TUPOU V died in 2012 and was succeeded by his brother Crown Prince Tupouto‘a Lavaka who ruled as George TUPOU VI. In 2015, ‘Akalisi POHIVA became Tonga’s first non-noble prime minister." } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/tv.json b/australia-oceania/tv.json index 26ccb575..9fe3fe7f 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/tv.json +++ b/australia-oceania/tv.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "The islands were first populated by voyagers from either Samoa or Tonga in the first millennium A.D., and Tuvalu provided a steppingstone for various Polynesian communities that subsequently settled in Melanesia and Micronesia. Tuvalu eventually came under Samoan and Tongan spheres of influence although proximity to Micronesia allowed some Micronesian communities to flourish in Tuvalu, in particular on Nui Atoll. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Tuvalu was visited by a series of American, British, Dutch, and Russian ships. The islands were named the Ellice Islands in 1819. The first Christian missionaries arrived in 1861, eventually converting most of the population, and around the same time, several hundred Tuvaluans were kidnapped by people purporting to be missionaries and sent to work on plantations in Peru and Hawaii.

The UK declared a protectorate over the Ellice Islands in 1892 and merged it with the Micronesian Gilbert Islands. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate became a colony in 1916. During World War II, the US set up military bases on a few islands, and in 1943, after Japan captured many of the northern Gilbert Islands, the UK transferred administration of the colony southward to Funafuti. After the war, Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands was once again made the colony’s capital and the center of power was firmly in the Gilbert Islands, including the colony’s only secondary school. Amid growing tensions with the Gilbertese, Tuvaluans voted to secede from the colony in 1974, were granted self-rule in 1975, and gained independence in 1978 as Tuvalu. In 1979, the US relinquished its claims to Tuvaluan islands in a treaty of friendship.


The Tuvalu Trust Fund was established in 1987 to provide a longterm economic future for the country. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name \".tv\" for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period. The contract was renewed in 2011 for a ten-year period. Tuvalu’s isolation means it sees few tourists; in 2020, Funafuti International Airport had four weekly flights - three to Suva, Fiji, and one to Tarawa. Tuvalu is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change; in 2018, sea levels in Funafuti were rising twice as fast as global averages.

" + "text": "Voyagers from either Samoa or Tonga first populated Tuvalu in the first millennium A.D., and the islands provided a stepping-stone for various Polynesian communities that subsequently settled in Melanesia and Micronesia. Tuvalu eventually came under Samoan and Tongan spheres of influence, although proximity to Micronesia allowed some Micronesian communities to flourish in Tuvalu, in particular on Nui Atoll. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, a series of American, British, Dutch, and Russian ships visited the islands, which were named the Ellice Islands in 1819. 

The UK declared a protectorate over islands in 1892 and merged them with the Micronesian Gilbert Islands. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate became a colony in 1916. During World War II, the US set up military bases on a few islands, and in 1943, after Japan captured many of the northern Gilbert Islands, the UK transferred administration of the colony southward to Funafuti. After the war, Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands was once again made the colony’s capital, and the center of power was firmly in the Gilbert Islands, including the colony’s only secondary school. Amid growing tensions with the Gilbertese, Tuvaluans voted to secede from the colony in 1974, were granted self-rule in 1975, and gained independence in 1978 as Tuvalu. In 1979, the US relinquished its claims to the Tuvaluan islands in a treaty of friendship." } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/um.json b/australia-oceania/um.json index 82f15075..5e4b8aa7 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/um.json +++ b/australia-oceania/um.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

All of the following US Pacific Island territories except Midway Atoll constitute the Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex and as such are managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior. Midway Atoll NWR has been included in a Refuge Complex with the Hawaiian Islands NWR and also designated as part of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. These remote refuges are the most widespread collection of marine- and terrestrial-life protected areas on the planet under a single country's jurisdiction. They sustain many endemic species including corals, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, seabirds, water birds, land birds, insects, and vegetation not found elsewhere.

Baker Island: The US took possession of the island in 1857. Its guano deposits were mined by US and British companies during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization began on this island but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. The island was established as a NWR in 1974.

Howland Island: Discovered by the US early in the 19th century, the uninhabited atoll was officially claimed by the US in 1857. Both US and British companies mined for guano deposits until about 1890. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization began on this island, similar to the effort on nearby Baker Island, but was disrupted by World War II and thereafter abandoned. The famed American aviatrix Amelia EARHART disappeared while seeking out Howland Island as a refueling stop during her 1937 round-the-world flight; Earhart Light, a day beacon near the middle of the west coast, was named in her memory. The island was established as a NWR in 1974.

Jarvis Island: First discovered by the British in 1821, the uninhabited island was annexed by the US in 1858 but abandoned in 1879 after tons of guano had been removed. The UK annexed the island in 1889 but never carried out plans for further exploitation. The US occupied and reclaimed the island in 1935. It was abandoned in 1942 during World War II. The island was established as a NWR in 1974.

Johnston Atoll: Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late 1880s. Johnston and Sand Islands were designated wildlife refuges in 1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934. Subsequently, the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s. Until late in 2000 the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. Munitions destruction, cleanup, and closure of the facility were completed by May 2005. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Air Force are currently discussing future management options; in the interim, Johnston Atoll and the three-mile Naval Defensive Sea around it remain under the jurisdiction and administrative control of the US Air Force.

Kingman Reef: The US annexed the reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon served as a way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa flights during the late 1930s. There are no terrestrial plants on the reef, which is frequently awash, but it does support abundant and diverse marine fauna and flora. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef out to 12 nm were designated a NWR.

Midway Islands: The US took formal possession of the islands in 1867. The laying of the transpacific cable, which passed through the islands, brought the first residents in 1903. Between 1935 and 1947, Midway was used as a refueling stop for transpacific flights. The US naval victory over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of the turning points of World War II. The islands continued to serve as a naval station until closed in 1993. Today the islands are a NWR and are the site of the world's largest Laysan albatross colony.

Palmyra Atoll: The Kingdom of Hawaii claimed the atoll in 1862, and the US included it among the Hawaiian Islands when it annexed the archipelago in 1898. The Hawaii Statehood Act of 1959 did not include Palmyra Atoll, which is now partly privately owned by the Nature Conservancy with the rest owned by the Federal government and managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. These organizations are managing the atoll as a wildlife refuge. The lagoons and surrounding waters within the 12-nm US territorial seas were transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and designated a NWR in January 2001.

" + "text": "

All of the following US Pacific Island territories except Midway Atoll constitute the Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) Complex and as such are managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior. Midway Atoll NWR has been included in a Refuge Complex with the Hawaiian Islands NWR and also designated as part of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. These remote refuges are the most widespread collection of marine- and terrestrial-life protected areas on the planet under a single country's jurisdiction. They sustain many endemic species including corals, fish, shellfish, marine mammals, seabirds, water birds, land birds, insects, and vegetation not found elsewhere.

Baker Island: The US took possession of the island in 1857. US and British companies mined its guano deposits during the second half of the 19th century. In 1935, a short-lived attempt at colonization began but was disrupted by World War II, and the island was thereafter abandoned. Baker Island was declared a National Wildlife Refuge in 1974.

Howland Island: The US discovered the island early in the 19th century and officially claimed it in 1857. Both US and British companies mined guano on the island until about 1890. Earhart Light, a day beacon near the middle of the west coast, was partially destroyed during World War II but subsequently rebuilt; it is named in memory of famed aviatrix Amelia EARHART. The US Department of the Interior administers the island as a National Wildlife Refuge.

Jarvis Island: First discovered by the British in 1821, the uninhabited island was annexed by the US in 1858 but abandoned in 1879 after tons of guano deposits were removed for use in producing fertilizer. The UK annexed the island in 1889 but never carried out plans for further exploitation. The US occupied and reclaimed the island in 1935. Abandoned after World War II, the island is currently a National Wildlife Refuge administered by the US Department of the Interior.

Johnston Atoll: Both the US and the Kingdom of Hawaii annexed Johnston Atoll in 1858, but it was the US that mined the guano deposits until the late 1880s. Johnston Atoll was designated a wildlife refuge in 1926. The US Navy took over the atoll in 1934, and the US Air Force assumed control in 1948. The site was used for high-altitude nuclear tests in the 1950s and 1960s, and until 2000, the atoll was maintained as a storage and disposal site for chemical weapons. Cleanup and closure of the weapons facility ended in 2005.

Kingman Reef: The US annexed Kingman Reef in 1922. Its sheltered lagoon served as a way station for flying boats on Hawaii-to-American Samoa flights during the late 1930s. There are no terrestrial plants on the reef, which is frequently awash, but it does support abundant and diverse marine fauna and flora. In 2001, the waters surrounding the reef out to 12 nm were designated a US National Wildlife Refuge.

Midway Islands: The US took formal possession of the Midway Islands in 1867. The laying of the trans-Pacific cable, which passed through the islands, brought the first residents in 1903. Between 1935 and 1947, Midway was used as a refueling stop for trans-Pacific flights. The US naval victory over a Japanese fleet off Midway in 1942 was one of the turning points of World War II. The islands continued to serve as a naval station until 1993. Today the islands are a US National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge was open to the public from 1996 to 2002 and again from 2008 to 2012, but it is now closed.

Palmyra Atoll: The Kingdom of Hawaii claimed the atoll in 1862, and the US included it among the Hawaiian Islands when it annexed the archipelago in 1898. The Hawaii Statehood Act of 1959 did not include Palmyra Atoll, which is now partly privately owned by the Nature Conservancy and partly US Government-owned and administered as a nature preserve. The lagoons and surrounding waters within the 12-nautical-mile US territorial seas were transferred to the US Fish and Wildlife Service and were designated a National Wildlife Refuge in 2001.

" } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/australia-oceania/wf.json b/australia-oceania/wf.json index 787137f7..b8e0cb84 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/wf.json +++ b/australia-oceania/wf.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

The first humans settled Wallis and Futuna around 800 B.C. The islands were a natural midpoint between Fiji and Samoa. Around A.D. 1500, Tongans invaded Wallis and a chiefdom system resembling Tonga’s formal hierarchy developed on the island. Tongans attempted to settle Futuna but were repeatedly rebuffed. Samoans settled Futuna in the 1600s and a slightly less centralized chiefdom system formed. Dutch explorers were the first Europeans to see the islands in 1616, followed intermittently by other Europeans, including British explorer Samuel WALLIS in 1767. French Catholic missionaries were the first Europeans to permanently settle Wallis and Futuna in 1837. The missionaries converted most of the population of Wallis by 1842 and of Futuna by 1846. The missionaries and newly-converted King LAVELUA of Uvea on Wallis asked France for a protectorate in 1842 following a rebellion of locals. France agreed, although the protectorate status would not be ratified until 1887. In 1888, King MUSULAMU of Alo and King TAMOLE of Sigave, both on Futuna, signed a treaty establishing a French protectorate; the Wallis and Futuna protectorate was integrated into the territory of New Caledonia that same year. France renegotiated the terms of the protectorate with the territory’s three kings in 1910, expanding French authority.

Wallis and Futuna was the only French colony to side with the Vichy regime during World War II until the arrival of Free French and US troops in 1942. In 1959, inhabitants of the islands voted to separate from New Caledonia and become a French overseas territory, a status it assumed in 1961. Despite the split, a significant Wallisian and Futunan community still lives in New Caledonia. In 2003, Wallis and Futuna’s designation changed to that of an overseas collectivity. Wallis and Futuna became an associate member of the Pacific Islands Forum in 2018, two years after France’s other Pacific territories became full members of the organization.

" + "text": "

Around 800 B.C., the first settlers arrived on the islands of Wallis and Futuna, which are a natural midpoint between Fiji and Samoa. Around A.D. 1500, Tongans invaded Wallis, and a chiefdom system resembling Tonga’s formal hierarchy developed on the island. Tongans attempted to settle Futuna but were repeatedly rebuffed. Samoans settled Futuna in the 1600s, and a slightly less centralized chiefdom system formed. Dutch explorers were the first Europeans to see the islands in 1616, followed intermittently by other Europeans, including British explorer Samuel WALLIS in 1767. French Catholic missionaries were the first Europeans to permanently settle Wallis and Futuna in 1837, and they converted most of the population of both islands by 1846. The missionaries and newly converted King LAVELUA of Uvea on Wallis asked France for a protectorate in 1842 following a local rebellion. France agreed, although the protectorate status would not be ratified until 1887. In 1888, King MUSULAMU of Alo and King TAMOLE of Sigave, both on Futuna, signed a treaty establishing a French protectorate; the Wallis and Futuna protectorate was integrated into the territory of New Caledonia the same year. France renegotiated the terms of the protectorate with the territory’s three kings in 1910, expanding French authority.

Wallis and Futuna was the only French colony to side with the Vichy regime during World War II, until the arrival of Free French and US troops in 1942. In 1959, inhabitants of the islands voted to separate from New Caledonia, becoming a French overseas territory in 1961. Despite the split, a significant Wallisian and Futunan community still lives in New Caledonia. In 2003, Wallis and Futuna became a French overseas collectivity. The islands joined the Pacific Islands Forum as an associate member in 2018, two years after France’s other Pacific territories became full members of the organization.

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -523,9 +523,6 @@ "Taxes and other revenues": { "text": "16.7% (of GDP) (2015 est.)" }, - "Fiscal year": { - "text": "calendar year" - }, "Exports - partners": { "text": "France 48%, Singapore 12%, US 10%, Guatemala 9%, UK 4% (2022)", "note": "note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports" diff --git a/australia-oceania/wq.json b/australia-oceania/wq.json index b5b8393f..19ba86fd 100644 --- a/australia-oceania/wq.json +++ b/australia-oceania/wq.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Wake Island was probably visited by Micronesian and Polynesian settlers, and oral legends tell of periodic voyages to the islands by people from the Marshall Islands. Wake Island was uninhabited when Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendana de NEYRA became the first European to see it in 1568 and still had no human inhabitants when English captain Samuel WAKE sailed by it in 1796. The United States Exploring Expedition visited the island in 1841 and the US annexed it in 1899 to use as a cable and refueling station between its newly acquired Pacific territories of Hawaii, the Philippines, and Guam. In the 1930s, Pan American Airways built facilities on Wake Island so that it could be used as a stopover for flights from the US to China. In January 1941, the US began to install military assets on Wake Island. In early December of that year, Japan captured the island and held it until the end of World War II.  In 1946, commercial airlines resumed using Wake Island as a refueling stop. 

In 1973, the Marshall Islands claimed Wake Island based on the oral legends, although the US has not recognized these claims. In 1974, the US military took exclusive control of the island’s airstrip and restricted visitors. In 1978, Bikini Islanders from the Marshall Islands, who were evacuated in the 1950s and 1960s because of US nuclear tests, considered rehoming on Wake Island, but the US military rejected that plan. Since the 1970s, the island has been important for missile defense testing. In 2009, Wake Island was included in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

" + "text": "

Early Micronesian and Polynesian settlers probably visited Wake Island, and oral legends tell of periodic voyages to the islands by people from the Marshall Islands. Wake Island was uninhabited when Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendana de NEYRA became the first European to see it in 1568 and still had no inhabitants when English captain Samuel WAKE sailed by it in 1796. The United States Exploring Expedition visited the island in 1841, and the US annexed it in 1899 to use as a cable and refueling station for its newly acquired Pacific territories of Hawaii, the Philippines, and Guam. In the 1930s, Pan American Airways built facilities on Wake Island so that it could be used as a stopover for flights from the US to China. In 1941, the US began to install military assets on Wake Island, and Japan then captured the island and held it until the end of World War II. In 1946, commercial airlines resumed using Wake Island as a refueling stop. 

In 1973, the Marshall Islands claimed Wake Island, based on the oral legends, although the US has not recognized these claims. In 1974, the US military took exclusive control of the island’s airstrip and restricted visitors. In 1978, Bikini Islanders from the Marshall Islands, who were evacuated in the 1950s and 1960s because of US nuclear tests, considered rehoming on Wake Island, but the US military rejected that plan. Since the 1970s, the island has been important for missile defense testing. In 2009, Wake Island was included in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

" } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/cs.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/cs.json index 3d8e493c..e9d2d20c 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/cs.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/cs.json @@ -612,9 +612,6 @@ }, "consulate(s) general": { "text": "Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Washington DC" - }, - "honorary consulate(s)": { - "text": "San Juan (Puerto Rico), Saint Paul (MN), Tucson (AZ)" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json index 0c7270ed..3b282739 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/dr.json @@ -572,7 +572,7 @@ "text": "President Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (since 16 August 2020); Vice President Raquel PEÑA de Antuna (since 16 August 2020); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government" }, "head of government": { - "text": "President Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (since 16 August 2020); Vice President Raquel PEÑA de Antuna (since 16 August 2020); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government" + "text": "President Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (since 16 August 2020); Vice President Raquel PEÑA de Antuna (since 16 August 2020)" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Cabinet nominated by the president" @@ -581,7 +581,7 @@ "text": "president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a maximum of two consecutive terms); election last held on 19 May 2024 (next to be held on 21 May 2028)" }, "election results": { - "text": "2024: Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona reelected president; percent of vote - Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (PRM) 57.5%, Leonel Antonio FERNÁNDEZ Reyna (FP) 28.8%, Abel MARTÍNEZ (PLD) 10.4%, other 3.3%

2020: Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona elected president in first round; percent of vote - Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (PRM) 52.5%, Gonzalo CASTILLO Terrero (PLD) 37.5%, Leonel Antonio FERNÁNDEZ Reyna (FP) 8.9%, other 1.1%

2016: Danilo MEDINA Sanchez reelected president; percent of vote - Danilo MEDINA Sanchez (PLD) 61.7%, Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (PRM) 35%, other 3.3%; Margarita CEDENO DE FERNANDEZ (PLD) reelected vice president" + "text": "2024: Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona reelected president; percent of vote - Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (PRM) 57.5%, Leonel Antonio FERNÁNDEZ Reyna (FP) 28.8%, Abel MARTÍNEZ (PLD) 10.4%, other 3.3%

2020: Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona elected president in first round; percent of vote - Luis Rodolfo ABINADER Corona (PRM) 52.5%, Gonzalo CASTILLO Terrero (PLD) 37.5%, Leonel Antonio FERNÁNDEZ Reyna (FP) 8.9%, other 1.1%" } }, "Legislative branch": { @@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ "text": "Senate - last held on 19 May 2024 (next to be held on 21 May 2028)
House of Representatives - 19 May 2024 (next to be held on 21 May 2028)" }, "election results": { - "text": "Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRM 24, FP 3, APD 1, PPG 1, PRI 1, PRL 1, PRSC 1; composition - men NA, women NA, percentage women NA%

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men NA, women NA, percentage women NA%; total National Congress percentage women NA%; note - results pending" + "text": "Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PRM 24, FP 3, APD 1, PPG 1, PRI 1, PRL 1, PRSC 1; composition - men NA, women NA, percentage women NA%

House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men NA, women NA, percentage women NA%; total National Congress percent of women NA%; note - results pending" } }, "Judicial branch": { @@ -629,10 +629,7 @@ "text": "
embassy@drembassyusa.org

http://drembassyusa.org/" }, "consulate(s) general": { - "text": "Boston, Chicago, Glendale (CA), Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico)" - }, - "consulate(s)": { - "text": "San Francisco" + "text": "Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angelos, Miami, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { @@ -1242,7 +1239,7 @@ }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2023": { - "text": "0.4% of GDP (2023 est.)" + "text": "0.6% of GDP (2023 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "0.7% of GDP (2022 est.)" diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/es.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/es.json index 3fe9f0ee..7a8d2523 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/es.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/es.json @@ -605,10 +605,10 @@ "text": "[1] (202) 232-3763" }, "email address and website": { - "text": "infoEEUU@rree.gob.sv" + "text": "
infoEEUU@rree.gob.sv" }, "consulate(s) general": { - "text": "Atlanta, Boston, Brentwood (NY), Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas (NV), Laredo (TX), Los Angeles, McAllen (TX), New York, San Bernardino (CA), San Francisco, Tucson (AZ), Washington (DC), Woodbridge (VA)" + "text": "Aurora (CO), Boston, Charlotte (NC), Chicago, Dallas, Doral (FL), Duluth (GA), El Paso (TX), Elizabeth (NJ), Fresno (CA), Houston, Las Vegas (NV), Laredo (TX), Long Island (NY), Los Angeles, McAllen (TX), New York, Omaha (NE), San Bernardino (CA), San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Silver Spring (MD), Springdale (AR), St. Paul (MN), Tucson (AZ), Woodbridge (VA)" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/gt.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/gt.json index 0de528ff..4e39bc92 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/gt.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/gt.json @@ -607,13 +607,13 @@ "text": "[1] (202) 745-1908" }, "email address and website": { - "text": "
infoembaguateeuu@minex.gob.gt

https://estadosunidos.minex.gob.gt/home/home.aspx" + "text": "
embestadosunidos@minex.gob.gt

https://estadosunidos.minex.gob.gt/home/home.aspx" }, "consulate(s) general": { - "text": "Atlanta, Chicago, Del Rio (TX), Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, McAllen (TX), Miami, New York, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Providence (RI), Raleigh (NC), San Bernardino (CA), San Francisco, Seattle" + "text": "Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus (OH), Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville (TN), New York, Oklahoma City, Omaha (NE), Philadelphia, Phoenix, Providence (RI), Raleigh (NC), Rockville (MD), San Francisco, Seattle" }, "consulate(s)": { - "text": "Lake Worth (FL), Silver Spring (MD), Tucson (AZ)" + "text": "Dallas, Del Rio (TX), Lake Worth (FL), McAllen (TX), Riverhead (NY), San Bernardino (CA), Tucson (AZ)" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { @@ -1234,8 +1234,11 @@ "note": "note: the National Civil Police (Policia Nacional Civil or PNC) are under the Ministry of Government (Interior)" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "0.4% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { - "text": "0.5% of GDP (2022 est.)" + "text": "0.4% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "0.4% of GDP (2021 est.)" @@ -1245,9 +1248,6 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "0.4% of GDP (2019 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "0.4% of GDP (2018 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/tk.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/tk.json index 5935ff6a..3c7e3a8c 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/tk.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/tk.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate Crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory. Grand Turk island suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Maria on 22 September 2017 resulting in loss of power and communications, as well as damage to housing and businesses." + "text": "The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate Crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed, and the islands remain a British overseas territory. Grand Turk Island suffered extensive damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017." } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/central-america-n-caribbean/vq.json b/central-america-n-caribbean/vq.json index 5406dbd4..923073db 100644 --- a/central-america-n-caribbean/vq.json +++ b/central-america-n-caribbean/vq.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "The Danes secured control over the southern Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix during the 17th and early 18th centuries. Sugarcane, produced by African slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish holdings, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. On 6 September 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the northern Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas and Saint John and inflicted severe damage to structures, roads, the airport on Saint Thomas, communications, and electricity. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Maria passed over the island of Saint Croix in the southern Virgin Islands, inflicting considerable damage with heavy winds and flooding rains." + "text": "The Danes secured control over the southern Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix during the 17th and early 18th centuries. Sugarcane, produced by African slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish holdings, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. In 2017, Hurricane Irma passed over the northern Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas and Saint John and inflicted severe damage to structures, roads, the airport on Saint Thomas, communications, and electricity. Less than two weeks later, Hurricane Maria passed over the island of Saint Croix in the southern Virgin Islands, inflicting considerable damage with heavy winds and flooding rains." } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/central-asia/rs.json b/central-asia/rs.json index 478d47ea..af3e8a45 100644 --- a/central-asia/rs.json +++ b/central-asia/rs.json @@ -1347,15 +1347,15 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "State Space Corporation of the Russian Federation (Roscosmos); Roscosmos was established in 2015 from a merger of the Federal Space Agency and the state-owned United Rocket and Space Corporation; began as the Russian Space Agency (RSA or RKA) in 1992 and restructured in 1999 and 2004 as the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and then the Federal Space Agency); the Russian Space Forces (Kosmicheskie voyska Rossii, KV) are part of the Russian Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno-Kosmicheskiye Sily, VKS)  (2023)", + "text": "State Space Corporation of the Russian Federation (Roscosmos); Roscosmos was established in 2015 from a merger of the Federal Space Agency and the state-owned United Rocket and Space Corporation; began as the Russian Space Agency (RSA or RKA) in 1992 and restructured in 1999 and 2004 as the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and then the Federal Space Agency); the Russian Space Forces (Kosmicheskie voyska Rossii, KV) are part of the Russian Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno-Kosmicheskiye Sily, VKS) (2024)", "note": "note: Russia’s space strategy is defined jointly by Roscosmos and the Ministry of Defense; prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, the USSR’s space program was dispersed amongst several civil and military organizations" }, "Space launch site(s)": { - "text": "Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan); Vostochny Cosmodrome (Amur Oblast); Plesetsk Cosmodrome (Arkhangel'sk Oblast) (2024)", + "text": "Baikonur Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan); Vostochny Cosmodrome (Amur Oblast); Plesetsk Cosmodrome (Arkhangel'sk Oblast); Kapustin Yar (Astrakhan Oblast); Yasny Launch Base (Orenburg Oblast) (2024)", "note": "note 1: the Baikonur cosmodrome and the surrounding area are leased and administered by Russia until 2050 for approximately $115 million/year; the cosmodrome was originally built by the Soviet Union in the mid-1950s and is the site of the World's first successful satellite launch (Sputnik) in 1957; it is also the largest space launch facility in the World, comprising 15 launch pads for space launch vehicles, four launch pads for testing intercontinental ballistic missiles, more than 10 assembly and test facilities, and other infrastructure 

note 2: in 2018, Kazakhstan and Russia agreed that Kazakhstan would build, maintain, and operate a new space launch facility (Baiterek) at the Baikonur space center (estimated to be ready for operations in 2025)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has one of the world’s largest space programs and is active across all areas of the space sector; builds, launches, and operates rockets/space launch vehicles (SLVs), satellites, space stations, interplanetary probes, and manned, robotic, and re-usable spacecraft; has astronaut (cosmonaut) training program and conducts human space flight; researching and developing a broad range of other space-related technologies; participates in international space programs such as the International Space Station (ISS); prior to Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia had relations with dozens of foreign space agencies and commercial entities, including those of China, the European Space Agency (ESA), India, Japan, and the US; Roscosmos and its public subsidiaries comprise the majority of the Russian space industry; Roscosmos has eight operating areas, including manned space flights, launch systems, unmanned spacecraft, rocket propulsion, military missiles, space avionics, special military space systems, and flight control systems; private companies are also involved in a range of space systems, including satellites, telecommunications, remote-sensing, and geo-spatial services (2023)", + "text": "has one of the world’s largest space programs and is active across all areas of the space sector; builds, launches, and operates rockets/space launch vehicles (SLVs), satellites, space stations, interplanetary probes, and manned, robotic, and re-usable spacecraft; has astronaut (cosmonaut) training program and conducts human space flight; researching and developing a broad range of other space-related technologies; participates in international space programs such as the International Space Station (ISS); prior to Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia had relations with dozens of foreign space agencies and commercial entities, including those of China, the European Space Agency (ESA), India, Japan, and the US; Roscosmos and its public subsidiaries comprise the majority of the Russian space industry; Roscosmos has eight operating areas, including manned space flights, launch systems, unmanned spacecraft, rocket propulsion, military missiles, space avionics, special military space systems, and flight control systems; private companies are also involved in a range of space systems, including satellites, telecommunications, remote-sensing, and geo-spatial services (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/central-asia/tx.json b/central-asia/tx.json index d82c9fe4..0163fd8e 100644 --- a/central-asia/tx.json +++ b/central-asia/tx.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Present-day Turkmenistan covers territory that has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries. The area was ruled in antiquity by various Persian empires, and was conquered by Alexander the Great, Muslim armies, the Mongols, Turkic warriors, and eventually the Russians. In medieval times, Merv (located in present-day Mary province) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia in the late 1800s, Turkmen territories later figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik resistance in Central Asia. In 1924, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic; it achieved independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President for Life Saparmurat NIYAZOV died in December 2006, and Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV, a deputy chairman under NIYAZOW, emerged as the country's new president. BERDIMUHAMEDOV won Turkmenistan's first multi-candidate presidential election in February 2007, and again in 2012 and in 2017 with over 97% of the vote in both instances, in elections widely regarded as undemocratic.  In February 2022, BERDIMUHAMEDOV announced that he would step down from the presidency and called for an election to replace him. His son, Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV, won the ensuing election, held in March 2022, with 73% of the vote. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV, although no longer head of state, maintains an influential political position as head of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) and as National Leader of the Turkmen People, a title that provides additional privileges and immunity for him and his family. Since Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV stepped down from the presidency, state-controlled media upgraded his honorific from Arkadag (protector) to Hero-Arkadag, and began referring to Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV as Arkadagly Serdar, which can be translated as \"Serdar who has a protector to support him.\"

Turkmenistan has sought new export markets for its extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves, which have yet to be fully exploited. Turkmenistan exports the majority of its gas to China and smaller levels of gas to Russia and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan's reliance on gas exports has made the economy vulnerable to fluctuations in the global energy market, and economic hardships since the drop in energy prices in 2014 have led many citizens of Turkmenistan to emigrate, mostly to Turkiye." + "text": "Present-day Turkmenistan has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries. Various Persian empires ruled the area in antiquity, and Alexander the Great, Muslim armies, the Mongols, Turkic warriors, and eventually the Russians conquered it. In medieval times, Merv (located in present-day Mary province) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia in the late 1800s, Turkmen territories later figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik resistance in Central Asia. In 1924, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic; it achieved independence when the USSR dissolved in 1991.

President for Life Saparmurat NIYAZOV died in 2006, and Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV, a deputy chairman under NIYAZOW, emerged as the country's new president. BERDIMUHAMEDOV won Turkmenistan's first multi-candidate presidential election in 2007, and again in 2012 and 2017 with over 97% of the vote in elections widely regarded as undemocratic. In 2022, BERDIMUHAMEDOV announced that he would step down from the presidency and called for an election to replace him. His son, Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV, won the ensuing election with 73% of the vote. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV, although no longer head of state, maintains an influential political position as head of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) and as National Leader of the Turkmen People, a title that provides additional privileges and immunity for him and his family. Since Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV stepped down from the presidency, state-controlled media upgraded his honorific from Arkadag (protector) to Hero-Arkadag, and began referring to Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV as Arkadagly Serdar, which can be translated as \"Serdar who has a protector to support him.\"

Turkmenistan has sought new export markets for its extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves, which have yet to be fully exploited. Turkmenistan's reliance on gas exports has made the economy vulnerable to fluctuations in the global energy market, and economic hardships since the drop in energy prices in 2014 have led many citizens of Turkmenistan to emigrate, mostly to Turkey." } }, "Geography": { @@ -1199,10 +1199,10 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Turkmenistan National Space Agency (established 2011; in 2019, was transferred to the Space Directorate of Turkmenaragatnashik Agency) (2023)" + "text": "Turkmenistan National Space Agency (established 2011; in 2019, was transferred to the Space Directorate of Turkmenaragatnashik Agency) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has a small space program focused on acquiring satellites and developing the infrastructure to build and operate satellites; particularly interested in remote sensing satellites for such purposes as monitoring its agricultural and transportation sectors, the oil and natural gas industry, and the ecology of the Caspian Sea; has cooperated with the space agencies and/or space industries of France, Italy, Russia, and the US (2023)", + "text": "has a small space program focused on acquiring satellites and developing the infrastructure to build and operate satellites; particularly interested in remote sensing satellites for such purposes as monitoring its agricultural and transportation sectors, the oil and natural gas industry, and the ecology of the Caspian Sea; has cooperated with the space agencies and/or space industries of France, Italy, Russia, South Korea, and the US (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/central-asia/uz.json b/central-asia/uz.json index 42caffab..1f65500c 100644 --- a/central-asia/uz.json +++ b/central-asia/uz.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Uzbekistan is the geographic and population center of Central Asia. The country has a diverse economy and a relatively young population. Russia conquered and united the disparate territories of present-day Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after the Bolshevik Revolution was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic established in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production of \"white gold\" (cotton) and grain led to the overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, leaving the land degraded and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half-dry. Independent since the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, the country has diversified agricultural production while developing its mineral and petroleum export capacity and increasing its manufacturing base, although cotton remains a major part of its economy. Uzbekistan’s first president, Islom KARIMOV, led Uzbekistan for 25 years until his death in September 2016. His successor, former Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV, has improved relations with Uzbekistan’s neighbors and introduced wide-ranging economic, judicial, and social reforms. MIRZIYOYEV was reelected in October 2021 with 80% of the vote and again following a 2023 constitutional referendum with 87% of the vote." + "text": "Uzbekistan is the geographic and population center of Central Asia, with a diverse economy and a relatively young population. Russia conquered and united the disparate territories of present-day Uzbekistan in the late 19th century. Stiff resistance to the Red Army after the Bolshevik Revolution was eventually suppressed and a socialist republic established in 1924. During the Soviet era, intensive production of \"white gold\" (cotton) and grain led to the overuse of agrochemicals and the depletion of water supplies, leaving the land degraded and the Aral Sea and certain rivers half-dry. Independent since the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) dissolved in 1991, the country has diversified agricultural production while developing its mineral and petroleum export capacity and increasing its manufacturing base, although cotton remains a major part of its economy. Uzbekistan’s first president, Islom KARIMOV, led Uzbekistan for 25 years until his death in 2016. His successor, former Prime Minister Shavkat MIRZIYOYEV, has improved relations with Uzbekistan’s neighbors and introduced wide-ranging economic, judicial, and social reforms. MIRZIYOYEV was reelected in 2021 with 80% of the vote and again following a 2023 constitutional referendum with 87% of the vote." } }, "Geography": { @@ -1216,10 +1216,10 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Agency for Space Research and Technology (Uzbekcosmos; established 2019) (2023)" + "text": "Agency for Space Research and Technology (Uzbekcosmos; established 2019) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has a small space program focused on acquiring satellites and developing the country’s space industry; Uzbekcosmos largely sets state policy and shapes the strategic direction, development, and use of the country’s space-related industries and technologies in key sectors, including cartography, environmental and disaster monitoring, land use, resource management, and telecommunications; also has an astronomy program; cooperates with foreign space agencies and commercial companies, including those of China, France, India, Kazakhstan, Russia, and South Korea (2023)", + "text": "has a small space program focused on acquiring satellites and developing the country’s space industry; Uzbekcosmos largely sets state policy and shapes the strategic direction, development, and use of the country’s space-related industries and technologies in key sectors, including cartography, environmental and disaster monitoring, land use, resource management, and telecommunications; also has an astronomy program; cooperates with foreign space agencies or commercial companies from a variety of countries, including those of Canada, China, France, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Russia, South Korea, and Spain (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json index ce1aeb62..45aea5e0 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/bm.json @@ -648,7 +648,7 @@ "text": "
washington-embassy@mofa.gov.mm

https://www.mewashingtondc.org/" }, "consulate(s) general": { - "text": "Los Angeles, New York" + "text": "Los Angeles" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { @@ -1252,13 +1252,13 @@ }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2023": { - "text": "3.4% of GDP (2023 est.)" + "text": "3.9% of GDP (2023 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { - "text": "3% of GDP (2022 est.)" + "text": "3.6% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { - "text": "3.3% of GDP (2021 est.)" + "text": "3.5% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { "text": "3% of GDP (2020 est.)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/bx.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/bx.json index eee0e2cd..ec8eceb1 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/bx.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/bx.json @@ -1129,8 +1129,11 @@ "note": "note: the Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU) under the Ministry of Defense is a special guard force for the Sultan, the royal family, and the country’s oil installations" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "3% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { - "text": "2.5% of GDP (2022)" + "text": "2.6% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "3.1% of GDP (2021 est.)" @@ -1140,9 +1143,6 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "3.1% of GDP (2019 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "2.7% of GDP (2018 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/kn.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/kn.json index f18ae20c..60977a7a 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/kn.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/kn.json @@ -1046,7 +1046,7 @@ "note": "note 1: North Korea employs a systematic and intentional overlap of powers and responsibilities among its multiple internal security organizations to prevent any potential subordinate consolidation of power and assure that each unit provided a check and balance on the other

note 2: the Security Guard Command protects the Kim family, other senior leadership figures, and government facilities

note 3: the North also has a large paramilitary/militia force organized into the Worker Peasant Red Guard and Red Youth Guard; these organizations are present at all levels of government (province, county, ward) and are under the control of the Korean Workers' Party in peacetime, but revert to KPA control in crisis or war; they are often mobilized for domestic projects, such as road building and agricultural support" }, "Military expenditures": { - "text": "defense spending is a regime priority; between 2010 and 2020, military expenditures accounted for an estimated 20-30% of North Korea's GDP annually; spending estimates range from $7 billion to $11 billion annually; in 2023, North Korea announced that it would spend nearly 16% of state expenditures on defense; North Korea in the 2010s and 2020s has increasingly relied on illicit activities — including cybercrime — to generate revenue for its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs to evade US and UN sanctions" + "text": "defense spending is a regime priority; between 2010 and 2020, military expenditures accounted for an estimated 20-30% of North Korea's GDP annually; spending estimates ranged from $7 billion to $11 billion annually; in 2023, North Korea announced that it would spend nearly 16% of state expenditures on defense; North Korea in the 2010s and 2020s has increasingly relied on illicit activities — including cybercrime — to generate revenue for its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs to evade US and UN sanctions" }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { "text": "information varies; estimated 1-1.2 million active-duty troops; estimated 200,000 internal security forces (2023)" diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json index 9b16b732..598de166 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/ks.json @@ -1234,10 +1234,10 @@ }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2023": { - "text": "2.6% of GDP (2023)" + "text": "2.7% of GDP (2023 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { - "text": "2.6% of GDP (2022 est.)" + "text": "2.6% of GDP (2022)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "2.6% of GDP (2021)" @@ -1268,14 +1268,14 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI; established 1989); Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST); Korean Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI; funded by the South Korean Government); established a military space branch in 2022  (2023)", - "note": "note: KARI works closely with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), a national agency for research and development in defense technology established in 1970" + "text": "Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA; established 2024); Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI; established 1989 and previously acted as South Korea's space agency); Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST); Korean Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI; funded by the South Korean Government) (2024)", + "note": "note: the South Korean space program works closely with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), a national agency for research and development in defense technology established in 1970" }, "Space launch site(s)": { "text": "Naro Space Center (South Jeolla province) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has a growing and ambitious space program focused on developing satellites, satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs), and interplanetary probes; has a national space strategy; manufacturers and operates satellites, including those with communications, remote sensing (RS), scientific, and multipurpose capabilities; manufactures and launches SLVs; developing interplanetary space vehicles, including orbital probes and landers; participates in international space programs and has relations with an array of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of Australia, the European Space Agency (ESA) and its member states (particularly France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK), India, Israel, Japan, Peru, Russia, UAE, and especially the US; has a robust and growing commercial space industry that works closely with KARI in the development of satellites and space launch capabilities; the South Korean Government has said it aims to capture 10% of the global space market by 2045 (2024)", + "text": "has a growing and ambitious space program focused on developing satellites, satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs), and interplanetary probes; has a national space strategy; manufacturers and operates satellites, including those with communications, remote sensing (RS), scientific, and multipurpose capabilities; manufactures and launches SLVs; developing interplanetary space vehicles, including orbital probes and landers; participates in international space programs and has relations with an array of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of Australia, the European Space Agency (ESA) and its member states (particularly France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK), India, Israel, Japan, Peru, Russia, UAE, and especially the US; has a robust and growing commercial space industry that works closely with government space program in the development of satellites and space launch capabilities; the South Korean Government has said it aims to capture 10% of the global space market by 2045 (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/my.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/my.json index a736e7be..df5da3ed 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/my.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/my.json @@ -1228,20 +1228,20 @@ "note": "note 1: the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP or Polis Diraja Malaysia, PDRM) are under the Ministry of Home Affairs; the PRMD includes the General Operations Force, a paramilitary force with a variety of roles, including patrolling borders, counter-terrorism, maritime security, and counterinsurgency; the Ministry of Home Affairs also includes the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA; aka Malaysian Coast Guard)

note 2: Malaysia created a National Special Operations Force in 2016 for combating terrorism threats; the force is comprised of personnel from the ATM, the PRMD, and the MMEA" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "0.9% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "1.1% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { - "text": "1% of GDP (2021)" + "text": "1% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { - "text": "1.1% of GDP (2020)" + "text": "1.1% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { - "text": "1% of GDP (2019)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "1% of GDP (2018)" + "text": "1% of GDP (2019 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json index 90687e9f..c1a73ecc 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/rp.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War.  Led by Emilio AGUINALDO, the Filipinos conducted an insurgency against US rule from 1899-1902, although some fighting continued in outlying islands as late as 1913. In 1935, the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected president and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. The islands fell under Japanese occupation during World War II, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Republic of the Philippines attained its independence.

Twenty-one years of authoritarian rule under Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986, when a \"people power\" movement in Manila (\"EDSA 1\") forced him into exile and installed Corazon AQUINO as president. Several coup attempts hampered her presidency, and progress on political stability and economic development faltered until Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992. The US closed its last military bases on the islands the same year. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998. His vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, succeded him in 2001 after ESTRADA's stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges broke down and another \"people power\" movement (\"EDSA 2\") demanded his resignation. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected president in 2004. Corruption allegations marred her presidency, but the Philippine economy was one of the few to avoid contraction after the 2008 global financial crisis. Benigno AQUINO III was elected as president in 2010, followed by Rodrigo DUTERTE in 2016. During his term, DUTERTE pursued a controversial drug war that garnered international criticism for alleged human rights abuses. Ferdinand MARCOS, Jr. was elected president in 2022 with the largest popular vote in a presidential election since his father's ouster.

Manila has waged a decades-long struggle against ethnic Moro insurgencies in the southern Philippines, which led to a peace accord with the Moro National Liberation Front and a separate agreement with a breakaway faction, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The decades-long Maoist-inspired New People's Army insurgency also operates through much of the country. In 2017, Philippine armed forces battled an ISIS-East Asia siege in Marawi City, driving DUTERTE to declare martial law in the region. In 2019, DUTERTE shepherded a landmark peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to establish a semi-autonomous region in the southern Philippines, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. The Philippines faces increased tension with China over disputed territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea.

" + "text": "

The Philippine Islands became a Spanish colony during the 16th century; they were ceded to the US in 1898 following the Spanish-American War.  Led by Emilio AGUINALDO, the Filipinos conducted an insurgency against US rule from 1899-1902, although some fighting continued in outlying islands as late as 1913. In 1935, the Philippines became a self-governing commonwealth. Manuel QUEZON was elected president and was tasked with preparing the country for independence after a 10-year transition. The islands fell under Japanese occupation during World War II, and US forces and Filipinos fought together during 1944-45 to regain control. On 4 July 1946 the Republic of the Philippines attained its independence.

Twenty-one years of authoritarian rule under Ferdinand MARCOS ended in 1986, when a \"people power\" movement in Manila (\"EDSA 1\") forced him into exile and installed Corazon AQUINO as president. Several coup attempts hampered her presidency, and progress on political stability and economic development faltered until Fidel RAMOS was elected president in 1992. The US closed its last military bases on the islands the same year. Joseph ESTRADA was elected president in 1998. His vice-president, Gloria MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, succeded him in 2001 after ESTRADA's stormy impeachment trial on corruption charges broke down and another \"people power\" movement (\"EDSA 2\") demanded his resignation. MACAPAGAL-ARROYO was elected president in 2004. Corruption allegations marred her presidency, but the Philippine economy was one of the few to avoid contraction after the 2008 global financial crisis. Benigno AQUINO III was elected as president in 2010, followed by Rodrigo DUTERTE in 2016. During his term, DUTERTE pursued a controversial drug war that garnered international criticism for alleged human rights abuses. Ferdinand MARCOS, Jr. was elected president in 2022 with the largest popular vote in a presidential election since his father's ouster.

For decades, the country has been challenged by armed ethnic separatists, communist rebels, and Islamic terrorist groups, particularly in the southern islands and remote areas of Luzon.

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1259,6 +1259,9 @@ "note": "note 1: the PCG is an armed and uniformed service that would be attached to the AFP during a conflict

note 2: the Philippine Government also arms and supports civilian militias; the AFP controls Civilian Armed Force Geographical Units, while the Civilian Volunteer Organizations fall under PNP command" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "1.5% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "1.2% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, @@ -1266,13 +1269,10 @@ "text": "1.2% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { - "text": "1.1% of GDP (2020)" + "text": "1.1% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { - "text": "1.1% of GDP (2019)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "1% of GDP (2018)" + "text": "1.1% of GDP (2019 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/sn.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/sn.json index ea38d0da..c6d66f7d 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/sn.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/sn.json @@ -1187,6 +1187,9 @@ "note": "note 1: the Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) was stood up as the fourth SAF service in October of 2022

note 2: the Gurkha Contingent of the Singapore Police Force (GCSPF) is a paramilitary unit for riot control and acts as a rapid reaction force 

note 3: in 2009, Singapore established a multi-agency national Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF) to work with law enforcement and maritime agencies to guard Singapore’s waters, including conducting daily patrols, as well as boarding and escort operations in the Singapore Strait; the MSTF is subordinate to the Singapore Navy" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "2.8% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "3% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, @@ -1198,9 +1201,6 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "2.9% of GDP (2019)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "2.9% of GDP (2018)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/th.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/th.json index 0b973d42..9274aff2 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/th.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/th.json @@ -1256,20 +1256,20 @@ "note": "note 1: the Thai Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) oversees counter-insurgency operations, as well as countering terrorism, narcotics and weapons trafficking, and other internal security duties; it is primarily run by the Army

note 2: official paramilitary forces in Thailand include the Thai Rangers (Thahan Phran or \"Hunter Soldiers\") under the Army; the Paramilitary Marines under the Navy; the Border Patrol Police (BPP) under the Royal Thai Police; the Volunteer Defense Corps (VDC or O So) and National Defense Volunteers (NDV), both under the Ministry of Interior; there are also several government-backed volunteer militias created to provide village security against insurgents in the Deep South or to assist the ISOC" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "1.3% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "1.3% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { - "text": "1.3% of GDP (2021)" + "text": "1.3% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { - "text": "1.4% of GDP (2020)" + "text": "1.4% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { - "text": "1.3% of GDP (2019)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "1.3% of GDP (2018)" + "text": "1.3% of GDP (2019 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { @@ -1291,13 +1291,13 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA, under the Ministry of Science and Technology; created in 2000 from the Thailand Remote Sensing Center that was established in 1979); National Space Policy Committee (NSPC; advisory body to the prime minister) (2023)" + "text": "Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA; created in 2000 from the Thailand Remote Sensing Center that was established in 1979; GISTDA is under the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation); National Space Policy Committee (NSPC; advisory body to the prime minister) (2024)" }, "Space launch site(s)": { - "text": "none, although as of 2023 the Thai Government was reviewing a proposal to build a spaceport (2023)" + "text": "none; in 2023, announced intentions to build a spaceport with South Korean assistance (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has an ambitious and growing space program focused on the acquisition and operation of satellites, as well as the development of related technologies; operates communications and remote sensing (RS) satellites; manufactures scientific/research/testing cube satellites and developing the capabilities to produce RS satellites (has historically built satellites with foreign assistance); cooperates with a range of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of other ASEAN countries, China, France, India, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, and the US; founding member of the China-led Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO); has a growing space industry, including Southeast Asia’s first dedicated satellite manufacturing facility, which opened in 2021 (2023)", + "text": "has an ambitious and growing space program focused on the acquisition and operation of satellites and the development of related technologies; operates communications and remote sensing (RS) satellites; manufactures scientific/research/testing cube satellites and developing the capabilities to produce RS satellites (has historically built satellites with foreign assistance); cooperates with a range of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of other ASEAN countries, China, France, India, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, and the US; founding member of the China-led Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization (APSCO); has a growing space industry, including Southeast Asia’s first dedicated satellite manufacturing facility, which opened in 2021 (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json index b6d63af6..e3a3d7cd 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/tw.json @@ -428,7 +428,7 @@ "text": "President LAI Ching-te (since 19 May 2024)" }, "head of government": { - "text": "Premier CHEN Chien-jen (President of the Executive Yuan) (since 31 January 2023); Vice Premier CHENG Wen-tsan (Vice President of the Executive Yuan) (since 31 January 2023)" + "text": "Premier CHO Jung-tai (President of the Executive Yuan) (since 20 May 2024)" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Executive Yuan - ministers appointed by president on recommendation of premier" @@ -1075,13 +1075,13 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Taiwan Space Agency (TASA; renamed from the National Space Program Organization, which was renamed in 2005 from the National Space Program Office, established in 1991); TASA is subordinate to the National Science and Technology Council (2023)" + "text": "Taiwan Space Agency (TASA; renamed and reorganized in 2023 from the former National Space Program Organization or NSPO, which was established in 1991) (2024)" }, "Space launch site(s)": { - "text": "sounding rockets launched from Jui Peng Air Base (Pingtung); in 2021, announced intentions to build future rocket launch site (2023)" + "text": "sounding rockets launched from Jui Peng Air Base (Pingtung); has announced intentions to build a future rocket launch site (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "space program focused on the acquisition of satellites and the development of independent space capabilities; manufactures and operates remote sensing (RS) and scientific/research satellites; manufactures and tests sounding rockets and small satellite launch vehicles (SLVs); researching and developing other space technologies, including communications satellites, small satellites, satellite payloads and ground station components, spacecraft components, optical RS and telecommunications, navigational control, and rocket propulsion systems; has bi-lateral relations with the space programs of India and the US but is blocked from participating in most international and regional space organizations due to political pressure from China; has a commercial space industry that provides components and expertise for TASA and is independently developing satellites and satellite launch vehicles (2023)", + "text": "space program focused on the acquisition of satellites and the development of independent space capabilities, such as rocket manufacturing and satellite launch services; manufactures and operates remote sensing (RS) and scientific/research satellites; manufactures and tests sounding rockets; researching and developing other space technologies, including communications satellites, small satellites, satellite payloads and ground station components, spacecraft components, optical RS and telecommunications, navigational control, and rocket propulsion systems; has bi-lateral relations with the space programs of India and the US, but is blocked from participating in most international and regional space organizations due to political pressure from China; has a commercial space industry that provides components and expertise for TASA and is independently developing satellites and a small satellite launch vehicle (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/east-n-southeast-asia/vm.json b/east-n-southeast-asia/vm.json index 894b555b..523aa2e5 100644 --- a/east-n-southeast-asia/vm.json +++ b/east-n-southeast-asia/vm.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Vietnam's early history comprises of periods of occupation by outside forces and eventual power consolidation under Vietnamese dynastic families. Ancient Vietnam was centered on the Red River Valley and was ruled by a succession of Han Chinese emperors until approximately the 10th century. The Ly Dynasty (11th-13th century) ruled the first independent Vietnamese state, which was known as Dai Viet, and established their capital at Thang Long (Hanoi). Under the Tran Dynasty (13th-15th century), Dai Viet forces led by one of Vietnam’s national heroes, TRAN Hang Dao, fought off Mongol invaders in 1279. Following a brief Chinese occupation in the early 1400s, the leader of Vietnamese resistance, LE Thai To, made himself emperor and established the Le Dynasty, which lasted until the late 18th century, although not without decades of political turmoil, civil war, and division. During this period, Dai Viet expanded southward to the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta, reaching the approximate boundaries of modern-day Vietnam by the 1750s. Dai Viet suffered additional civil war and division in the latter half of the 18th century, but was reunited and renamed Vietnam under Emperor NGUYEN Phuc Anh (aka Gia Long) in 1802.

The Nguyen Dynasty would be the last Vietnamese dynasty before the conquest by France, which began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. Vietnam became part of French Indochina in 1887. It declared independence after World War II, but France continued to rule until its 1954 defeat by communist forces under Ho Chi MINH. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the communist North and anti-communist South. Fighting erupted between the two governments shortly afterwards with the North supporting communist rebels in the South and eventually committing thousands of combat troops, while the US provided large amounts of economic and military assistance, including combat forces, to the South. The US military presence reached a peak strength of over 500,000 troops in 1968. US forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South reuniting the country under communist rule. The conflict, known as the Second Indochina War (1955-1975), devastated the country, spilled over into the neighboring countries of Cambodia and Laos, and is estimated to have resulted in the deaths of up to 3 million Vietnamese civilians and soldiers. Despite the return of peace, for over a decade the country experienced little economic growth because of its diplomatic isolation, its conservative leadership policies, and the persecution and mass exodus of individuals, many of them successful South Vietnamese merchants. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's \"doi moi\" (renovation) policy in 1986, Vietnamese authorities have committed to increased economic liberalization and enacted structural reforms needed to modernize the economy and to produce more competitive, export-driven industries. Since implementation, the economy has seen strong growth, particularly in agricultural and industrial production, construction, exports, and foreign investment. Increased tourism has also become a key component of economic growth. Nevertheless, the Communist Party maintains tight political and social control of the country, and Vietnam faces considerable challenges including rising income inequality, corruption, inadequate social welfare, and a poor human rights record.

Since withdrawing its military occupation forces from Cambodia in the late 1980s and the end of Soviet aid by 1991, Vietnam has practiced a non-aligned foreign policy that emphasizes friendly ties with all members of the international community. Relatedly, Vietnam adheres to a security doctrine called the \"Four Nos\" (no alliances, no siding with one country against another, no foreign bases, and no using force in international relations). Despite longstanding tensions with Beijing regarding its expansive claims that overlap with Hanoi's own claimed maritime boundaries in the South China Sea, Vietnam puts a priority on stable relations with China, given its proximity, size, and status as Vietnam's largest trading partner." + "text": "Vietnam's early history included periods of occupation by outside forces and eventual power consolidation under Vietnamese dynastic families. A succession of Han Chinese emperors ruled the area, which was centered on the Red River Valley, until approximately the 10th century. The Ly Dynasty (11th-13th century) created the first independent Vietnamese state, which was known as Dai Viet, and established their capital at Thang Long (Hanoi). Under the Tran Dynasty (13th-15th century), TRAN Hang Dao, one of Vietnam’s national heroes, led Dai Viet forces to fight off Mongol invaders in 1279. After a brief Chinese occupation in the early 1400s, Vietnamese resistance leader LE Thai To made himself emperor and established the Le Dynasty, which lasted until the late 18th century despite decades of political turmoil, civil war, and division. During this period, Dai Viet expanded southward to the Central Highlands and Mekong Delta, reaching the approximate boundaries of modern-day Vietnam by the 1750s. Dai Viet suffered additional civil war and division in the latter half of the 18th century, but it was reunited and renamed Vietnam under Emperor NGUYEN Phuc Anh (aka Gia Long) in 1802.

France began its conquest of Vietnam in 1858 and made Vietnam part of French Indochina in 1887. Vietnam declared independence after World War II, but the French continued to rule until communist forces under Ho Chi MINH defeated them in 1954. Under the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was divided into the communist North and anti-communist South and fighting soon erupted between the two governments. The North supported communist rebels in the South and eventually committed thousands of combat troops, while the US provided major economic and military assistance, including combat forces, to the South. US forces were withdrawn after a cease-fire agreement in 1973. Two years later, North Vietnamese forces overran the South, reuniting the country under communist rule. The conflict, known as the Second Indochina War (1955-1975), devastated the country, spilled over into neighboring Cambodia and Laos, and caused an estimated 3 million deaths of Vietnamese civilians and soldiers. Despite the return of peace, the country experienced little economic growth for over a decade because of its diplomatic isolation, leadership policies, and the persecution and mass exodus of citizens, many of them successful South Vietnamese merchants. However, since the enactment of Vietnam's \"doi moi\" (renovation) policy in 1986, the economy has seen strong growth, particularly in agricultural and industrial production, construction, exports, foreign investment, and tourism. Nevertheless, the Communist Party maintains tight political and social control of the country, and Vietnam faces many related challenges, such as rising income inequality and corruption.

Since withdrawing its military occupation forces from Cambodia in the late 1980s and the end of Soviet aid in 1991, Vietnam has practiced a non-aligned foreign policy that emphasizes friendly ties with all members of the international community. Vietnam adheres to a security doctrine called the \"Four Nos\" (no alliances, no siding with one country against another, no foreign bases, and no using force in international relations). Despite longstanding tensions with Beijing over maritime boundaries in the South China Sea, Vietnam puts a priority on stable relations with China, given its proximity, size, and status as Vietnam's largest trading partner." } }, "Geography": { @@ -574,7 +574,7 @@ }, "Executive branch": { "chief of state": { - "text": "Acting President Vo Thi Anh XUAN (since 21 March 2024); note - President Vo Van THUONG resigned on 20 March 2024" + "text": "President To LAM (since 22 May 2024)" }, "head of government": { "text": "Prime Minister Pham Minh CHINH (since 26 July 2021)" @@ -585,10 +585,7 @@ "elections/appointments": { "text": "president indirectly elected by the National Assembly from among its members for a single 5-year term; prime minister recommended by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers confirmed by the National Assembly and appointed by the president" }, - "election results": { - "text": "2023: Vo Van THUONG elected president

2021: Nguyen Xuan PHUC (CPV) elected president; Pham Minh CHINH (CPV) confirmed as prime minister

2016: NGUYEN Xuan PHUC (CPV) confirmed as prime minister" - }, - "note": "note: Nguyen Phu TRONG is the General Secretary of the Vietnam Communist Party" + "note": "note: Nguyen Phu TRONG is the General Secretary of the Vietnam Communist Party (CPV) (since 2011); the CPV sets the general policy direction, leaving most of the day-to-day implementation to the government; Vietnam's two top leadership posts are the CPV General Secretary and the Prime Minister" }, "Legislative branch": { "description": { @@ -1255,7 +1252,7 @@ "text": "2.3% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { - "text": "2.4% of GDP (2021 est.)" + "text": "2.3% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { "text": "2.4% of GDP (2020 est.)" @@ -1285,10 +1282,10 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC; established 2011; formerly known as the Vietnam National Satellite Center); Space Technology Institute (STI; established 2006); both the VNSC and the STI operate under the Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology (VAST); Ministry of Science and Technology (2023)" + "text": "Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC; established 2011; formerly known as the Vietnam National Satellite Center); Space Technology Institute (STI; established 2006); both the VNSC and the STI operate under the Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology (VAST); Ministry of Science and Technology (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has a growing space program focused on acquiring, operating, and exploiting satellites, as well as expanding domestic capabilities in satellites and associated sub-system production, space sciences, and technology applications; builds and operates communications and remote sensing satellites; conducting research and development on space science and applied space technologies, such as advanced optics and space data exploitation; has worked closely with Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Japanese companies and universities on its space program since inception; cooperation has included funding, loans, training, technical expertise, and data sharing; has also established relationships with the space agencies or commercial space sectors of some European countries (such as France), India, and the US (2023)", + "text": "has a growing space program focused on acquiring, operating, and exploiting satellites, as well as expanding domestic capabilities in satellites and associated sub-system production, space sciences, and technology applications; builds and operates communications and remote sensing satellites; conducting research and development on space science and applied space technologies, such as advanced optics and space data exploitation; has worked closely with Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Japanese companies and universities on its space program since inception; cooperation has included funding, loans, training, technical expertise, and data sharing; has also established relationships with the space agencies or commercial space sectors of some European countries (such as France), India, and the US (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/europe/cy.json b/europe/cy.json index 10bd5f72..0dc9e25f 100644 --- a/europe/cy.json +++ b/europe/cy.json @@ -616,8 +616,7 @@ }, "honorary consulate(s)": { "text": "Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Kirkland (WA), Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Francisco" - }, - "note": "note: representative of the Turkish Cypriot community in the US is Mustafa LAKADAMYALI; office at 1667 K Street NW, Washington, DC; telephone [1] (202) 887-6198" + } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { "chief of mission": { @@ -1203,20 +1202,20 @@ "text": "Republic of Cyprus: Cypriot National Guard (Ethniki Froura, EF; includes Army Land Forces, Naval Command, Air Command) (2024)" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "1.8% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { - "text": "2% of GDP (2022 est.)" + "text": "1.8% of GDP (2022)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { - "text": "2% of GDP (2021)" + "text": "1.8% of GDP (2021)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { "text": "1.8% of GDP (2020)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "1.6% of GDP (2019)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "1.8% of GDP (2018)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/europe/da.json b/europe/da.json index dc8d9fb6..72a807d8 100644 --- a/europe/da.json +++ b/europe/da.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is part of the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. However, the country has opted out of certain elements of the EU's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union and justice and home affairs issues.

" + "text": "

Once the seat of Viking raiders and later a major north European power, Denmark has evolved into a modern, prosperous nation that is part of the general political and economic integration of Europe. It joined NATO in 1949 and the EEC (now the EU) in 1973. The country has opted out of certain elements of the EU's Maastricht Treaty, including the European Economic and Monetary Union and justice and home affairs issues. a 2022 referendum resulted in the removal of Denmark's 30-year opt-out on defense issues, now allowing Denmark to participate fully in the EU's Common Security and Defense Policy.

" } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/europe/ez.json b/europe/ez.json index 117f89b3..1f37bbe7 100644 --- a/europe/ez.json +++ b/europe/ez.json @@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Miloslav STASEK (since 16 September 2022)" + "text": "Ambassador Miloslav STAŠEK (since 16 September 2022)" }, "chancery": { "text": "3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008-3803" diff --git a/europe/fr.json b/europe/fr.json index 7bfcd05e..a10b656f 100644 --- a/europe/fr.json +++ b/europe/fr.json @@ -647,7 +647,7 @@ "text": "
info@ambafrance-us.org

https://franceintheus.org/" }, "consulate(s) general": { - "text": "Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC" + "text": "Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/europe/hr.json b/europe/hr.json index cfe5efa5..4a9de278 100644 --- a/europe/hr.json +++ b/europe/hr.json @@ -586,7 +586,7 @@ "text": "last election held on 17 April 2024 (next to be held by April 2028)" }, "election results": { - "text": "percent of vote by party/coalition - HDZ-led coalition 40.4%, SDP 27.8%, DP 9.3%, MOST 7.3%, We Can! 6.6%, SDSS 2.0%, Independents 1.3%, NPS 1.3%, IDS 1.3%, Bosniaks Together 0.7%, DZMH 0.7%, Focus 0.7%, SRRH 0.7%; seats by party/coalition - HDZ-led coalition 61, SDP 42, DP 14, MOST 11, We Can! 10, SDSS 3, Independents 2, NPS 2, IDS 2, Bosniaks Together 1, DZMH 1, Focus 1, SRRH 1; composition - N/A" + "text": "percent of vote by party/coalition - HDZ-led coalition 40.4%, SDP 27.8%, DP 9.3%, MOST 7.3%, We Can! 6.6%, SDSS 2.0%, Independents 1.3%, NPS 1.3%, IDS 1.3%, Bosniaks Together 0.7%, DZMH 0.7%, Focus 0.7%, SRRH 0.7%; seats by party/coalition - HDZ-led coalition 61, SDP 42, DP 14, MOST 11, We Can! 10, SDSS 3, Independents 2, NPS 2, IDS 2, Bosniaks Together 1, DZMH 1, Focus 1, SRRH 1; composition - men 101, women 50, percent of women 33%" }, "note": "note: on 14 March 2024, the Assembly voted unanimously to dissolve, prompting the April 2024 snap election" }, @@ -609,7 +609,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Pjer SIMUNOVIC (since 8 September 2017)" + "text": "
Ambassador Pjer ŠIMUNOVIĆ (since 8 September 2017)" }, "chancery": { "text": "2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008" @@ -624,10 +624,10 @@ "text": "
washington@mvep.hr

https://mvep.gov.hr/embassy-114969/114969" }, "consulate(s) general": { - "text": "Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle (WA), Washington, DC" + "text": "Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle (WA)" }, "consulate(s)": { - "text": "Anchorage (AL), Houston, Kansas City (MO), New Orleans, Pittsburgh (PA)" + "text": "Anchorage (AL), Houston, Kansas City (MO),Minneapolis/St. Paul (MN), New Orleans, Pittsburgh (PA)" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/europe/kv.json b/europe/kv.json index 6ff85213..e863ca2a 100644 --- a/europe/kv.json +++ b/europe/kv.json @@ -992,20 +992,20 @@ "note": "note: the Kosovo Police are under the Ministry of Internal Affairs" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "1.3% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { - "text": "2% of GDP (2022 est.)" + "text": "1.1% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { - "text": "2% of GDP (2021 est.)" + "text": "1.1% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { - "text": "1.1% of GDP (2020 est.)" + "text": "1% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "0.8% of GDP (2019 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "0.8% of GDP (2018 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/europe/lh.json b/europe/lh.json index 0d10f219..f44fcc04 100644 --- a/europe/lh.json +++ b/europe/lh.json @@ -526,7 +526,7 @@ "text": "several previous; latest adopted by referendum 25 October 1992, entered into force 2 November 1992" }, "amendments": { - "text": "proposed by at least one fourth of all Parliament members or by petition of at least 300,000 voters; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament in each of two readings three months apart and a presidential signature; amendments to constitutional articles on national sovereignty and constitutional amendment procedure also require three-fourths voter approval in a referendum; amended many times, last in 2019" + "text": "proposed by at least one fourth of all Parliament members or by petition of at least 300,000 voters; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Parliament in each of two readings three months apart and a presidential signature; amendments to constitutional articles on national sovereignty and constitutional amendment procedure also require three-fourths voter approval in a referendum; amended many times, last in 2022" } }, "Legal system": { @@ -585,7 +585,7 @@ "text": "Supreme Court (consists of 37 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges)" }, "judge selection and term of office": { - "text": "Supreme Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the Seimas; judges serve 5-year renewable terms; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the Seimas from nominations - 3 each by the president of the republic, the Seimas chairperson, and the Supreme Court president; judges serve 9-year, nonrenewable terms; one-third of membership reconstituted every 3 years" + "text": "Supreme Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the Seimas; judges serve 5-year renewable terms; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the Seimas from nominations - 3 each by the president of the republic, the Seimas speaker, and the Supreme Court president; judges serve 9-year, nonrenewable terms; one-third of membership reconstituted every 3 years" }, "subordinate courts": { "text": "Court of Appeals; district and local courts" diff --git a/europe/md.json b/europe/md.json index 045d1829..b013b05e 100644 --- a/europe/md.json +++ b/europe/md.json @@ -1167,7 +1167,7 @@ }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2023": { - "text": "0.55% of GDP (2023 est.)" + "text": "0.5% of GDP (2023 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "0.4% of GDP (2022 est.)" diff --git a/europe/po.json b/europe/po.json index 6b45979f..a05d5bff 100644 --- a/europe/po.json +++ b/europe/po.json @@ -1245,13 +1245,13 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Portugal Space (aka Portuguese Space Agency or Agência Espacial Portuguesa; established 2019); Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT; government agency that funds space research established in 2009) (2023)" + "text": "Portuguese Space Agency (Agência Espacial Portuguesa; aka Portugal Space; established 2019); Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT; government agency that funds space research established in 2009) (2024)" }, "Space launch site(s)": { - "text": "in 2019, announced intentions to build a commercial space port on Santa Maria Island in the Azores (2023)" + "text": "developing a commercial space port on Santa Maria Island in the Azores (first anticipated launch, 2025) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has a national space program which is is integrated within the framework of the European Space Agency (ESA); builds and operates satellites; researches and develops a range of space-related technologies with an emphasis on small/micro/nano satellites for remote sensing (RS), navigation, science/technology, and telecommunications, as well as satellite launch services; in addition to the ESA/EU and their member states, cooperates with the space agencies and industries of a variety of countries, including those of Algeria, Brazil, China, India, Japan, Morocco, South Korea, and the US, as well as such international organizations and projects as the Europe South Observatory (ESO) and the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Observatory project; Portugal Space acts as a business and development unit for universities, research entities and companies (2023)", + "text": "has a national space program which is is integrated within the framework of the European Space Agency (ESA); builds and operates satellites; researches and develops a range of space-related technologies with an emphasis on small/micro/nano satellites for remote sensing (RS), navigational, science/technology, and telecommunications, as well as satellite launch services; in addition to the ESA/EU and their member states, cooperates with the space agencies and industries of a variety of countries, including those of Algeria, Angola, Brazil, China, India, Japan, Morocco, South Korea, and the US, as well as such international organizations and projects as the Europe South Observatory (ESO) and the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) Observatory project; one of the objectives of the country's national space strategy (Portugal Space 2030) is to increase the annual outcome of space related activities in the country to about $500 million by 2030 (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/europe/ri.json b/europe/ri.json index 27e78195..544a670b 100644 --- a/europe/ri.json +++ b/europe/ri.json @@ -595,7 +595,7 @@ "text": "last held on 17 December 2023 (next to be held in 2027)" }, "election results": { - "text": "percent of vote by party/coalition - Serbia Must Stop 48%, SPN 24.4%, SPS-JS-ZS 6.7%, NADA 5.2%, MI-GIN 4.8%, Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians 1.7%, SPP-DSHV 0.8%, SDAS 0.6%, Political Battle of the Albanians Continues 0.4%, RS-NKPJ 0.3%, other 7.1%; seats by party/coalition - Serbia Must Stop 128, SPN 65, SPS-JS-ZS 18, NADA 13, MI-GIN 13, Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians 6, SPP-DSHV 3, SDAS 2, Political Battle of the Albanians Continues 1, RS-NKPJ 1; composition - men 155, women 95; percentage women 38%" + "text": "percent of vote by party/coalition - Serbia Must Stop 48%, SPN 24.4%, SPS-JS-ZS 6.7%, NADA 5.2%, MI-GIN 4.8%, Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians 1.7%, SPP-DSHV 0.8%, SDAS 0.6%, Political Battle of the Albanians Continues 0.4%, RS-NKPJ 0.3%, other 7.1%; seats by party/coalition - Serbia Must Stop 128, SPN 65, SPS-JS-ZS 18, NADA 13, MI-GIN 13, Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians 6, SPP-DSHV 3, SDAS 2, Political Battle of the Albanians Continues 1, RS-NKPJ 1; composition - men 155, women 95; percentage of women 38%" } }, "Judicial branch": { diff --git a/europe/sp.json b/europe/sp.json index c758c6de..c4ebda86 100644 --- a/europe/sp.json +++ b/europe/sp.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral during both World Wars but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975 and rapid economic modernization after Spain joined the EU in 1986 gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy. After a severe recession in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2008, Spain has posted solid years of GDP growth above the EU average. Unemployment has fallen but remains high, especially among youth. Spain is the euro-zone's fourth-largest economy. The country has faced increased domestic turmoil in recent years due to the independence movement in its restive Catalonia region.

" + "text": "

Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England.  Spain remained neutral during both World Wars but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39) resulting in a dictatorship. A peaceful transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975 and rapid economic modernization after Spain joined the EU in 1986 gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy. After a severe recession in the wake of the global financial crisis in 2008, Spain has posted solid years of GDP growth above the EU average. Unemployment has fallen but remains high, especially among youth. Spain is the euro-zone's fourth-largest economy. The country has faced increased domestic turmoil in recent years due to the independence movement in its restive Catalonia region.

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1284,13 +1284,13 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Spanish Space Agency (became operational in April 2023); previously, the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial or INTA, established 1942), a public research organization that depends on the Ministry of Defense, acted as Spain’s space agency; Space Command (Mando del Espacio or MESPA; established January 2024); Center for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI); Catalan Space Agency (established 2021); Valencian Space Consortium (established 2009) (2024)" + "text": "Spanish Space Agency (AEE; became operational in April 2023); previously, the National Institute of Aerospace Technology (Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial or INTA, established 1942), a public research organization that depends on the Ministry of Defense, acted as Spain’s space agency; Space Command (Mando del Espacio or MESPA; established January 2024); Center for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI); Catalan Space Agency (established 2021); Valencian Space Consortium (established 2009) (2024)" }, "Space launch site(s)": { - "text": "El Arenosillo Experiment Center/Range (Andalusia); private launch site (Teruel province) (2023)" + "text": "El Arenosillo Test Center/Range (Andalusia); private launch site (Teruel province) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "space program is integrated into the European Space Agency (ESA) and dates back to the 1940s; manufactures and operates communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific/technology satellites; has developed sounding rockets; conducts research and development in a broad range of space-related capabilities, including astrobiology, astronomy, imaging/RS, materials, meteorology, optics, propulsion, robotics, satellites (particularly micro- and nano-satellites), satellite systems and subsystems, satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs), and space sciences; participates in ESA, EU, and other international programs; hosts the European Space Astronomy Center (ESOC) and the ESA’s Space Surveillance and Tracking Data Centre (ESAC); cooperates with foreign space agencies and industries, including those of ESA and EU member states and the US; has a considerable commercial space industry, which is involved in a wide range of space-related research, development, and production, including satellites and SLVs; the CDTI coordinates the activities of the commercial space sector (2023)", + "text": "space program is integrated into the European Space Agency (ESA) and dates back to the 1940s; manufactures and operates communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific/technology satellites; has developed sounding rockets; conducts research and development in a broad range of space-related capabilities, including astrobiology, astronomy, imaging/RS, materials, meteorology, optics, propulsion, robotics, satellites (particularly micro- and nano-satellites), satellite systems and subsystems, satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs), and space sciences; participates in ESA, EU, and other international programs; hosts the European Space Astronomy Center (ESOC) and the ESA’s Space Surveillance and Tracking Data Centre (ESAC); cooperates with foreign space agencies and industries, including those of ESA and EU member states and the US; has a considerable commercial space industry, which is involved in a wide range of space-related research, development, and production, including satellites and SLVs; the CDTI coordinates the activities of the commercial space sector (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/europe/sw.json b/europe/sw.json index 67aedbf7..6f47f704 100644 --- a/europe/sw.json +++ b/europe/sw.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

A military power during the 17th century, Sweden maintained a policy of military non-alignment until it applied to join NATO in 2022. Stockholm preserved an armed neutrality in both World Wars. Since then, Sweden has pursued a successful economic formula consisting of a capitalist system intermixed with substantial welfare elements. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum. The share of Sweden’s population born abroad increased from 11.3% in 2000 to 20% in 2021.

 

" + "text": "

A military power during the 17th century, Sweden maintained a policy of military non-alignment until it applied to join NATO in 2022. Sweden has not participated in any war for two centuries. Stockholm preserved an armed neutrality in both World Wars. Since then, Sweden has pursued a successful economic formula consisting of a capitalist system intermixed with substantial welfare elements. Sweden joined the EU in 1995, but the public rejected the introduction of the euro in a 2003 referendum. The share of Sweden’s population born abroad increased from 11.3% in 2000 to 20% in 2022.

 

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1266,13 +1266,13 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA; established 1972; known until 2018 as the Swedish National Space Board) (2023)" + "text": "Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA; established 1972; known until 2018 as the Swedish National Space Board) (2024)" }, "Space launch site(s)": { - "text": "Esrange Space Center (Kiruna); Esrange is slated to become a new European launch site for small satellites in 2023; Esrange also accommodates one of the world’s largest civilian satellite ground stations and acts as a hub for Sweden’s satellite station network (2023)" + "text": "Esrange Space Center (Kiruna) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "member of the European Space Agency (ESA) and program is integrated within the framework of the ESA; produces and operates satellites; builds and launches sounding rockets; involved in the research, development, production, and operations of a wide variety of other space-related areas and capabilities, including astronomy, atmospheric monitoring, geographic information systems, infrared imaging, meteorology, propulsion systems, remote sensing, satellite subsystems, spacecraft systems and structures, space physics, scientific research, stratospheric balloons, and telecommunications; conducts extensive bilateral and multilateral international cooperation, in particular through the ESA and EU and their member states, as well as with the US; has a robust commercial space industry with more than 30 companies involved in a broad range of space-related capabilities (2023)", + "text": "member of the European Space Agency (ESA) and program is integrated within the framework of the ESA; produces and operates satellites; builds and launches sounding rockets; involved in the research, development, production, and operations of a wide variety of other space-related areas and capabilities, including astronomy, atmospheric monitoring, geographic information systems, infrared imaging, meteorology, propulsion systems, remote sensing, satellite subsystems, spacecraft systems and structures, space physics, scientific research, stratospheric balloons, and telecommunications; conducts extensive bilateral and multilateral international cooperation, in particular through the ESA and EU and their member states, as well as with the US; has a robust commercial space industry involved in a broad range of space-related capabilities (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/europe/sz.json b/europe/sz.json index 251d00b8..1bd1a8d7 100644 --- a/europe/sz.json +++ b/europe/sz.json @@ -1213,6 +1213,9 @@ "note": "note: the federal police maintain internal security and report to the Federal Department of Justice and Police, while the Armed Forces report to the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection, and Sport" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "0.7% of GDP (2023)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "0.7% of GDP (2022)" }, @@ -1224,9 +1227,6 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "0.7% of GDP (2019)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "0.7% of GDP (2018)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { @@ -1246,15 +1246,6 @@ "text": "the Swiss military is responsible for territorial defense, limited support to international disaster response and peacekeeping, and providing support to civil authorities when their resources are not sufficient to ward off threats to internal security or provide sufficient relief during disasters; Switzerland has long maintained a policy of military neutrality but does periodically participate in EU, NATO, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and UN military and peacekeeping operations; however, Swiss units will only participate in operations under the mandate of the UN or OSCE; Switzerland joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1996; it contributed to the NATO-led Kosovo force (KFOR) in 1999 and, as of 2024, continued doing so with up to 195 personnel

the military is comprised of conscripts, militia, and a small professional component; it is led by the Chief of the Armed Forces with an Armed Forces Staff and consists of a Joint Operations Command (JOC), an Armed Forces Logistics Organization, an Armed Forces Command Support Organization, and a Training and Education Command; the JOC controls, among other subordinate commands, the Air Force, the Land Forces, four territorial divisions, the Military Police Command, and the Special Forces Command; the primary combat forces of the Army/Land Forces are three mechanized brigades, plus additional reserve brigades of armor, infantry, and mountain infantry forces; the four territorial divisions link the Army with the cantons; the Air Force is responsible for airspace protection (air sovereignty and air defense, including ground-based air defense), air transport, and airborne intelligence; it has about 50 US-origin multirole fighter aircraft (2024)" } }, - "Space": { - "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Switzerland does not have its own national space agency; it does most of its research and development within the framework of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) activities and programs; the Swiss Space Office, under the State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation (SERI), is the government body responsible for space matters, including implementing national space policy, coordinating space activities, serving as the government point of contact for space industry and scientific institutions, and representation with the ESA and other international partners; the Federal Commission on Space Affairs provides advice and recommendations to the Federal Council on space matters; the Committee on Space Research of the Swiss Academy of Sciences coordinates and stimulates space research in Switzerland (2023)" - }, - "Space program overview": { - "text": "space program integrated within the ESA framework; manufactures satellites and satellite payloads and products/components for satellite launch vehicles, satellites (particularly remote sensing, navigational, and telecommunications), and ground stations, including electronics, fairings, laser and fiber optics, sensor and nano technologies, scientific instruments, and software; produces atomic clocks (for navigational needs); has a considerable space research effort and has provided scientific instruments for a range of ESA and other space programs; participates in international space programs such as the International Space Station; has relations with a range of foreign space agencies and industries, including those of China, ESA and EU member states, Japan, and the US; the Swiss space industry is spread across approximately 100 businesses, most of which provide niche capabilities and supplies to large space companies (2023)", - "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" - } - }, "Terrorism": { "Terrorist group(s)": { "text": "Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)", diff --git a/europe/uk.json b/europe/uk.json index 620af68c..a5374031 100644 --- a/europe/uk.json +++ b/europe/uk.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was born of the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, which previously had been distinct states joined in a personal union, under the 1701 Acts of Union. The island of Ireland, also joined via a personal union, was incorporated under the 1800 Acts of Union, while Wales had been part of the Kingdom of England since the 16th century. The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. The 18th and 19th centuries saw the rapid expansion of the British Empire despite the loss of the Thirteen Colonies, and at its zenith in the early 20th century, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw two World Wars seriously deplete the UK's strength and the Irish Republic withdraw from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and a founding member of NATO and the Commonwealth of Nations, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy. The devolved Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1998.

The UK was an active member of the EU after its accession in 1973, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. However, motivated in part by frustration at a remote bureaucracy in Brussels and massive migration into the country, UK citizens on 23 June 2016 voted by 52 to 48 percent to leave the EU. The UK became the only country to depart the EU on 31 January 2020, after prolonged negotiations on EU-UK economic and security relationships had been hammered out.

" + "text": "

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was created when the Kingdoms of England and Scotland -- which previously had been distinct states under a single monarchy -- were joined under the 1701 Acts of Union. The island of Ireland was incorporated under the 1800 Acts of Union, while Wales had been part of the Kingdom of England since the 16th century. The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. The 18th and 19th centuries saw the rapid expansion of the British Empire despite the loss of the Thirteen Colonies, and at its zenith in the early 20th century, the British Empire stretched over one fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw two World Wars seriously deplete the UK's strength and the Irish Republic withdraw from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and a founding member of NATO and the Commonwealth of Nations, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy. The devolved Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1998.

The UK was an active member of the EU after its accession in 1973, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. However, motivated in part by frustration at a remote bureaucracy in Brussels and massive migration into the country, UK citizens in 2016 voted by 52 to 48 percent to leave the EU. On 31 January 2020, the UK became the only country to depart the EU -- a move known as \"Brexit\" -- after prolonged negotiations on EU-UK economic and security relationships.

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1279,13 +1279,13 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "UK Space Agency (UKSA; established in 2010); the UKSA replaced the British National Space Center (BNSC; organized in 1985); UK Space Command (formed 2021) (2023)" + "text": "UK Space Agency (UKSA; established in 2010); the UKSA replaced the British National Space Center (BNSC; organized in 1985); UK Space Command (formed 2021) (2024)" }, "Space launch site(s)": { - "text": "preparing commercial space ports at SaxaVord (Shetland Islands) and Sutherland (Cornwall); a 2021 national space strategy called for additional space launch facilities in Argyll, Prestwick, Outer Hebrides (Scotland), and Snowdonia (Wales) (2023)" + "text": "Spaceport 1 (Outer Hebrides, Scotland; operational 2023); Spaceport Machrihanish (Argyll, Scotland; operational 2024); Glasgow Prestwick (South Ayrshire, Scotland; operational 2024 for horizontal launches); Spaceport Snowdonia (Gwynedd, Wales; operational 2024); SaxaVord UK Spaceport (Unst, Shetland Islands; operational 2023); Sutherland Spaceport (Sutherland, Scotland; operational 2024); Sutherland, Scotland (Cornwall Airport Newquay, Cornwall; operational 2023 for horizontal launches) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has a comprehensive space program and is active across all areas of the space sector outside of launching humans into space, including satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs)/rockets and their components, space probes, satellites and satellite subcomponents, space sensors, spaceports, and various other space-related technologies; as a founding member of the European Space Agency (ESA), it is heavily involved in ESA programs and has bi-lateral relations with many members; is a close partner of the US NASA and since 2016 has forged over 350 relationships with international organizations across nearly 50 developing countries; has an extensive commercial space sector that produces SLVs, SLV components, satellites, satellite subcomponents and sensors, and other space-related technologies; the UK’s space sector generates revenues of over $20 billion per year (2023)", + "text": "has a comprehensive space program and is active across all areas of the space sector outside of launching humans into space, including satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs)/rockets and their components, space probes, satellites and satellite subcomponents, space sensors, spaceports, and various other space-related technologies; as a founding member of the European Space Agency (ESA), it is heavily involved in ESA programs and has bi-lateral relations with many members; is a close partner of the US NASA and since 2016 has forged over 350 relationships with international organizations across nearly 50 developing countries; has a large commercial space sector that produces SLVs, SLV components, satellites, satellite subcomponents and sensors, and other space-related technologies; the UK has a space industrial plan, and the UKSA has provided funding to encourage and support commercial space projects (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/europe/up.json b/europe/up.json index 33428b96..44813be2 100644 --- a/europe/up.json +++ b/europe/up.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in 1917, Ukraine achieved a short-lived period of independence (1917-20) but was reconquered and endured a brutal Soviet rule that engineered two forced famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for 7 to 8 million more deaths. Although Ukraine overwhelmingly voted for independence in 1991 around the time of the dissolution of the USSR, democracy and prosperity remained elusive as the legacy of state control, patronage politics, and endemic corruption stalled efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties.

A peaceful mass protest referred to as the \"Orange Revolution\" in the closing months of 2004 and early 2005 forced the authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH to stage a comeback in legislative (Rada) elections, become prime minister in August 2006, and be elected president in February 2010. In October 2012, Ukraine held Rada elections, widely criticized by Western observers as flawed due to use of government resources to favor ruling party candidates, interference with media access, and harassment of opposition candidates. President YANUKOVYCH's backtracking on a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU in November 2013 - in favor of closer economic ties with Russia - and subsequent use of force against students, civil society activists, and other civilians in favor of the agreement and fed up with blatant corruption led to a three-month protest occupation of Kyiv's central square. The government's use of violence to break up the protest camp in February 2014 led to all out pitched battles, scores of deaths, international condemnation, a failed political deal, and the president's abrupt departure for Russia. New elections in the spring allowed pro-West president Petro POROSHENKO to assume office in June 2014; he was succeeded by Volodymyr ZELENSKY in May 2019.

Shortly after YANUKOVYCH's departure in late February 2014, Russian President PUTIN ordered the invasion of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula falsely claiming the action was to protect ethnic Russians living there. Two weeks later, a \"referendum\" was held regarding the integration of Crimea into the Russian Federation. The \"referendum\" was condemned as illegitimate by the Ukrainian Government, the EU, the US, and the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In response to Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, 100 members of the UN passed UNGA resolution 68/262, rejecting the \"referendum\" as baseless and invalid and confirming the sovereignty, political independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. In mid-2014, Russia began supplying proxies in two of Ukraine's eastern provinces with manpower, funding, and materiel beginning an armed conflict with the Ukrainian Government. Representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the unrecognized Russian proxy republics signed the Minsk Protocol and Memorandum in September 2014 with the aim of ending the conflict. However, this agreement failed to stop the fighting or find a political solution. In a renewed attempt to alleviate ongoing clashes, leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany negotiated a follow-on Package of Measures in February 2015 to implement the Minsk agreements, but this effort failed as well. By early 2022, more than 14,000 civilians were killed or wounded as a result of the Russian intervention in eastern Ukraine.

On 24 February 2022, Russia escalated its conflict with Ukraine by launching a full-scale invasion of the country on several fronts in what has become the largest conventional military attack on a sovereign state in Europe since World War II. The invasion has received near universal international condemnation, and many countries have imposed sanctions on Russia and supplied humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine. Russia made substantial gains in the early weeks of the invasion but underestimated Ukrainian resolve and combat capabilities. By the end of 2022, Ukrainian forces had regained all territories in the north and northeast and made some advances in the east and south. Nonetheless, Russia in late September 2022 unilaterally declared its annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts - Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia - even though none was fully under Russian control. The annexations remain unrecognized by the international community.

The invasion has also created Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. As of 14 March 2024, there were 6.5 million Ukrainian refugees recorded globally, and 3.69 million people were internally displaced as of December 2023.  Nearly 30,460 civilian casualties had been reported, as of January 2024. The invasion of Ukraine remains one of the two largest displacement crises worldwide (the other is the conflict in Syria).

The Ukrainian people continue to fiercely resist Russia’s full-scale invasion, which has targeted civilian and critical infrastructure - including energy - to try to break the Ukrainian will. President ZELENSKYY has focused on the civic identity of Ukrainians, regardless of ethnic or linguistic background, to unite the country behind the goals of ending the war by regaining as much territory as possible and advancing Ukraine’s candidacy for membership in the European Union (EU). Support for joining the EU and NATO has grown significantly, overcoming the historical, and sometimes artificial, divide between eastern and western Ukraine.

" + "text": "

Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan Rus, which was the largest and most powerful state in Europe during the 10th and 11th centuries. Weakened by internecine quarrels and Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation for Ukrainian nationalism. A new Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the 18th century, the Russian Empire absorbed most Ukrainian territory. After czarist Russia collapsed in 1917, Ukraine -- which has long been known as the region's \"bread basket\" for its agricultural production -- achieved a short-lived period of independence (1917-20), but the country was reconquered and endured a Soviet rule that engineered two famines (1921-22 and 1932-33) in which over eight million died. In World War II, German and Soviet armies were responsible for seven to eight million more deaths. In 1986, a sudden power surge during a reactor-systems test at Ukraine's Chernobyl power station triggered the worst nuclear disaster in history, releasing massive amounts of radioactive material. Although Ukraine overwhelmingly voted for independence in 1991 as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) dissolved, democracy and prosperity remained elusive, with the legacy of state control, patronage politics, and endemic corruption stalling efforts at economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties.

In 2004 and 2005, a mass protest dubbed the \"Orange Revolution\" forced the authorities to overturn a presidential election and allow a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH became prime minister in 2006 and was elected president in 2010. In 2012, Ukraine held legislative elections that Western observers widely criticized as corrupt. In 2013, YANUKOVYCH backtracked on a trade and cooperation agreement with the EU -- in favor of closer economic ties with Russia -- and then used force against protestors who supported the agreement, leading to a three-month protestor occupation of Kyiv's central square. The government's use of violence to break up the protest camp in 2014 led to multiple deaths, international condemnation, a failed political deal, and the president's abrupt departure for Russia. Pro-West President Petro POROSHENKO took office later that year; Volodymyr ZELENSKYY succeeded him in 2019.

Shortly after YANUKOVYCH's departure in 2014, Russian President Vladimir PUTIN ordered the invasion of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. In response, the UN passed a resolution confirming Ukraine's sovereignty and independence. In mid-2014, Russia began an armed conflict in two of Ukraine's eastern provinces. International efforts to end the conflict failed, and by 2022, more than 14,000 civilians were killed or wounded. On 24 February 2022, Russia escalated the conflict by invading the country on several fronts, in what has become the largest conventional military attack on a sovereign state in Europe since World War II. Russia made substantial gains in the early weeks of the invasion but underestimated Ukrainian resolve and combat capabilities. Despite Ukrainian resistance, Russia has laid claim to four Ukrainian oblasts -- Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia -- although none is fully under Russian control. The international community has not recognized the annexations. The invasion has also created Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II, with over six million Ukrainian refugees recorded globally. It remains one of the two largest displacement crises worldwide (the other is the conflict in Syria). President ZELENSKYY has focused on boosting Ukrainian identity to unite the country behind the goals of ending the war through reclaiming territory and advancing Ukraine’s candidacy for EU membership. 

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1294,13 +1294,10 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "State Space Agency of Ukraine (SSAU; established 1992 as the National Space Agency of Ukraine or NSAU; renamed in 2010) (2023)" - }, - "Space launch site(s)": { - "text": "none (leases elsewhere for launches); from 1995-2014, a multinational (Norway, Russia, Ukraine, and the US) commercial space launch company used a mobile maritime launch platform for equatorial launches of commercial payloads on Zenit-3SL rockets from a former floating oil drilling rig (2023)" + "text": "State Space Agency of Ukraine (SSAU; established 1992 as the National Space Agency of Ukraine or NSAU; renamed in 2010) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "SSAU/NSAU inherited a large and well-developed space program when it took over all of the former Soviet defense/space industrial industry that was located on the territory of Ukraine upon the country’s declaration of independence in 1991; prior to the 2014 Russia takeover of Crimea and support for separatists in Ukraine’s Donbas region, Ukraine’s space efforts largely provided support to the Russian space program, including the production of satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs)/rocket carriers and their components; today, it develops and produces SLVs/rocket carriers, spacecraft, satellites, and satellite sub-components both independently and jointly with numerous foreign space agencies and private space industry companies, including those of Brazil, Canada, China, the European Space Agency (ESA) and its member states (particularly Italy and Poland), Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia (curtailed after 2014), Turkey, and the US; prior to the full scale Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine was producing more than 100 SLVs, SLV stages, or SLV engines annually, and since 1991, over 160 rockets and more than 370 spacecraft had been manufactured by Ukraine or produced with its participation; as of 2022, SSAU had 16,000 employees and controlled 20 state-run corporations in Ukraine's “space cluster,” a region between the cities of Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Kyiv (note – Dnipro, known as Ukraine's “Rocket City,” was one of the Soviet Union’s main centers for space, nuclear, and military industries and played a crucial role in the development and manufacture of both civilian and military rockets); in 2019, the Ukrainian Parliament began allowing private companies to engage in space endeavors, including launching rockets into space and allowing companies to negotiate with foreign companies without the state’s approval; previously, only state-owned companies could do so (2023)", + "text": "SSAU/NSAU inherited a large and well-developed space program when it took over all of the former Soviet defense/space industrial industry that was located on the territory of Ukraine upon the country’s declaration of independence in 1991; prior to the 2014 Russia takeover of Crimea and support for separatists in Ukraine’s Donbas region, Ukraine’s space efforts largely provided support to the Russian space program, including the production of satellite/space launch vehicles (SLVs)/rocket carriers and their components; today, it develops and produces SLVs/rocket carriers, spacecraft, satellites, and satellite sub-components both independently and jointly with numerous foreign space agencies and private space industry companies, including those of Brazil, Canada, China, the European Space Agency (ESA) and its member states (particularly Italy and Poland), Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia (curtailed after 2014), Turkey, and the US; prior to the full scale Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukraine was producing more than 100 SLVs, SLV stages, or SLV engines annually, and since 1991, over 160 rockets and more than 370 spacecraft had been manufactured by Ukraine or produced with its participation; as of 2022, SSAU had 16,000 employees and controlled 20 state-run corporations in Ukraine's “space cluster,” a region between the cities of Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Kyiv (note – Dnipro, known as Ukraine's “Rocket City,” was one of the Soviet Union’s main centers for space, nuclear, and military industries and played a crucial role in the development and manufacture of both civilian and military rockets); in 2019, the Ukrainian Parliament began allowing private companies to engage in space endeavors, including launching rockets into space and allowing companies to negotiate with foreign companies without the state’s approval; previously, only state-owned companies could do so (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/middle-east/ae.json b/middle-east/ae.json index 317cfd5f..85147113 100644 --- a/middle-east/ae.json +++ b/middle-east/ae.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Dhabi, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. For more than three decades, oil and global finance drove the UAE's economy. In 2008-09, the confluence of falling oil prices, collapsing real estate prices, and the international banking crisis hit the UAE especially hard. The UAE did not experience the \"Arab Spring\" unrest seen elsewhere in the Middle East in 2010-11, partly because of the government's multi-year, $1.6-billion infrastructure investment plan for the poorer northern emirates, and its aggressive pursuit of advocates of political reform. The UAE in recent years has played a growing role in regional affairs. In addition to donating billions of dollars in economic aid to help stabilize Egypt, the UAE was one of the first countries to join the Defeat-ISIS coalition, and to participate as a key partner in a Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. On 15 September 2020, the UAE and Bahrain signed a peace agreement (the Abraham Accords) with Israel – brokered by the US – in Washington DC. The UAE and Bahrain thus became the third and fourth Middle Eastern countries, along with Egypt and Jordan, to recognize Israel." + "text": "The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th-century treaties. In 1971, six of these states -- Abu Dhabi, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn -- merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ra's al Khaymah joined in 1972.

The UAE's per-capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. For more than three decades, oil and global finance drove the UAE's economy. In 2008-09, the confluence of falling oil prices, collapsing real estate prices, and the international banking crisis hit the UAE especially hard. The UAE did not experience the \"Arab Spring\" unrest seen elsewhere in the Middle East in 2010-11, partly because of the government's multi-year, $1.6-billion infrastructure investment plan for the poorer northern emirates, and its aggressive pursuit of advocates for political reform.

The UAE in recent years has played a growing role in regional affairs. In addition to donating billions of dollars in economic aid to help stabilize Egypt, the UAE was one of the first countries to join the Defeat ISIS coalition, and to participate as a key partner in a Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. In 2020, the UAE and Bahrain signed a peace agreement (the Abraham Accords) with Israel -- brokered by the US -- in Washington, D.C. The UAE and Bahrain thus became the third and fourth Middle Eastern countries, along with Egypt and Jordan, to recognize Israel." } }, "Geography": { @@ -1228,10 +1228,10 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "UAE Space Agency (created in 2014); Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC; established 2006); in 2015, MBRSC combined with the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST; established 2006)  (2023)" + "text": "UAE Space Agency (created in 2014); Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC; established 2006); in 2015, MBRSC combined with the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST; established 2006) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has an ambitious and growing space program and is recognized as one of the leading programs in the region; focused on satellite development, including communications, remote sensing, and navigational; also placing emphasis on building expertise, infrastructure, ground stations, technology, and research and development capabilities to support its space program domestically; rather than building its own launch capabilities, has elected to utilize foreign partners to launch payloads from spaceports abroad; invests heavily in foreign commercial space companies and has sought to  encourage global partnerships; has a foreign-assisted astronaut training program; seeking to establish UAE as an international hub for space education; has signed more than 25 cooperation agreements or memorandums of understanding with major global and regional players in the space sector, including the Arab Space Cooperation Group, China, the European Space Agency (ESA), France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the UK, and the US; sees the development of its commercial space industry as a key pillar for diversifying and developing the country’s non-oil economy; approximately 60 space companies and entities operate in the UAE, including international and start-ups, and five space science research centers (2023)", + "text": "has an ambitious and growing space program and is recognized as one of the leading programs in the region; focused on satellite development, including communications, remote sensing, and navigational; also placing emphasis on building expertise, infrastructure, ground stations, technology, and research and development capabilities to support its space program domestically; rather than building its own launch capabilities, has elected to utilize foreign partners to launch payloads from spaceports abroad; has looked to invest heavily in foreign commercial space companies and  encourage global partnerships; has a foreign-assisted astronaut training program; seeking to establish UAE as an international hub for space education; has signed more than 25 cooperation agreements or memorandums of understanding with major global and regional players in the space sector, including the Arab Space Cooperation Group, China, the European Space Agency (ESA), France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the UK, and the US; sees the development of its commercial space industry as a key pillar for diversifying and developing the country’s non-oil economy; dozens of space companies and entities operate in the UAE, including international and start-ups, plus several space science research centers (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/middle-east/gg.json b/middle-east/gg.json index 232e1c06..bd47e75f 100644 --- a/middle-east/gg.json +++ b/middle-east/gg.json @@ -605,7 +605,7 @@ "text": "
embgeo.usa@mfa.gov.ge

https://georgiaembassyusa.org/contact/" }, "consulate(s) general": { - "text": "New York" + "text": "New York, San Francisco" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/middle-east/sa.json b/middle-east/sa.json index c6933d2e..a2042314 100644 --- a/middle-east/sa.json +++ b/middle-east/sa.json @@ -1230,10 +1230,10 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Saudi Space Commission (SSC; established 2018); King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST; established 1977); KACST includes the Space and Aeronautics Research Institute (SARI; established 2000) (2023)" + "text": "Saudi Space Agency (SSA; elevated to agency level from previous Saudi Space Commission or SSC, which was established in 2018); King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST; established 1977); KACST includes the Space and Aeronautics Research Institute (SARI; established 2000) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has one of the more advanced space programs in the region; manufactures and operates communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific satellites; develops a range of satellite subsystems and payload technologies; SSC’s missions also include accelerating economic diversification, enhancing research and development, and raising private sector participation in the global space industry; is the main founder and financier of the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat; launched in 1976; headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the primary satellite communications service provider for over 170 million persons in the Arab world); cooperates with the space agencies and industries of a wide range of countries, including those of Belarus, China, the European Space Agency and its member states (particularly France, Germany, Greece, and Hungary), India, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Ukraine, the UAE, the UK, and the US; member of the Arab Space Cooperation Group (established by the UAE in 2019 and includes Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, and Sudan) (2023)", + "text": "has an ambitious and growing space program; manufactures and operates communications, remote sensing (RS), and scientific satellites; develops a range of satellite subsystems and payload technologies; SSA's missions also include accelerating economic diversification, enhancing research and development, and raising private sector participation in the global space industry; is the main founder and financier of the Arab Satellite Communications Organization (Arabsat; launched in 1976; headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the primary satellite communications service provider for over 170 million persons in the Arab world); cooperates with the space agencies and industries of a wide range of countries, including those of Belarus, China, Egypt, the European Space Agency and its member states (particularly France, Germany, Greece, and Hungary), India, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Ukraine, the UAE, the UK, and the US; member of the Arab Space Cooperation Group (established by the UAE in 2019 and includes Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, and Sudan) (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/middle-east/tu.json b/middle-east/tu.json index 90723c73..3af03481 100644 --- a/middle-east/tu.json +++ b/middle-east/tu.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire by reformer and national hero Mustafa KEMAL, known as Ataturk or \"Father of the Turks.\" One-party rule ended in 1950, and the multiparty democracy has since been fractured by periods of instability and military coups (1960, 1971, 1980, 1997, 2016). 

Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and NATO in 1952. In 1963, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; it began accession talks with the EU in 2005. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the \"Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,\" which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a US-designated terrorist organization, has long dominated the attention of Turkish security forces. In 2013, the Turkish Government and the PKK conducted negotiations aimed at ending the violence, but intense fighting resumed in 2015. 

The Turkish Government conducted a referendum in 2017 in which voters approved constitutional amendments changing Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system. 

" + "text": "

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the remnants of the Ottoman Empire by reformer and national hero Mustafa KEMAL, known as Ataturk or \"Father of the Turks.\" One-party rule ended in 1950, and periods of instability and military coups have since fractured the multiparty democracy, in 1960, 1971, 1980, 1997, and 2016. 

Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and NATO in 1952. In 1963, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; it began accession talks with the EU in 2005. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the \"Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,\" which only Turkey recognizes. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a US-designated terrorist organization, began a separatist insurgency in Turkey in 1984, and the struggle has long dominated the attention of Turkish security forces. In 2013, the Turkish Government and the PKK conducted negotiations aimed at ending the violence, but intense fighting resumed in 2015. 

The Turkish Government conducted a referendum in 2017 in which voters approved constitutional amendments changing Turkey from a parliamentary to a presidential system. 

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1301,13 +1301,13 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Turkish Space Agency (TUA; established 2018); TÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute (UZAY; established in 1985 as Ankara Electronics Research and Development Institute); Turkish Space Systems, Integration and Test Center (USET) is a spacecraft production and testing facility owned by the Ministry of National Defense and operated by its subordinate Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) (2023)" + "text": "Turkish Space Agency (TUA; established 2018); TÜBİTAK Space Technologies Research Institute (UZAY; established in 1985 as Ankara Electronics Research and Development Institute) (2024)" }, "Space launch site(s)": { - "text": "rocket test launch site on the Black Sea in Sinop Province; the 2021 national space program called for the establishment of a space port; reportedly plans to build a rocket launch site in Somalia or use a sea-launch facility for future space launch vehicles  (2023)" + "text": "rocket test launch site on the Black Sea in Sinop Province; the 2021 national space program called for the establishment of a space port; has reportedly discussed building a rocket launch site in Somalia or using a sea-launch facility for future space launch vehicles (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has an ambitious space program with a large focus on satellites, software development, ground station technologies, and building up the country’s space industries; in recent years has also initiated a space launch program with the goal of placing domestically produced satellites into orbit independently and a probe on the Moon; manufactures and operates remote sensing and telecommunications satellites, as well as satellite components; has a space/satellite launch vehicle program; space sector is heavily import-reliant, particularly at the component level; has established relations with more than 25 foreign space agencies and corporations, including those of Azerbaijan, China, France, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Ukraine, and the US, as well as the European Space Agency; has state-owned rocket development and satellite communications companies (2023)", + "text": "has an ambitious space program with a large focus on satellites, software development, ground station technologies, and building up the country’s space industries; in recent years has also initiated a space launch program with the goal of placing domestically produced satellites into orbit independently and a probe on the Moon; manufactures and operates remote sensing and telecommunications satellites, as well as satellite components; has a space/satellite launch vehicle program; space sector is heavily import-reliant, particularly at the component level; has established relations with more than 25 foreign space agencies and corporations, including those of Azerbaijan, China, France, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Ukraine, and the US, as well as the European Space Agency; has state-owned rocket development and satellite communications companies, including some under the Ministry of Defense (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/middle-east/we.json b/middle-east/we.json index acb86c43..23d128f5 100644 --- a/middle-east/we.json +++ b/middle-east/we.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

The landlocked West Bank - the larger of the two Palestinian territories - is home to some three million Palestinians. Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the lands of the area currently within the West Bank haves been dominated by a succession of different powers throughout its history. In the more recent history, it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. The area of the West Bank fell to British forces during World War I, becoming part of the British Mandate of Palestine. Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, the West Bank was captured by Transjordan (later renamed Jordan), which annexed the West Bank in 1950; it was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under a series of agreements known as the Oslo Accords signed between 1993 and 1999, Israel transferred to the newly created Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for the main many Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip.

In addition to establishing the PA as an interim government, the Oslo Accords divided the West Bank into three areas with one fully managed by the PA (Area A), another fully administered by Israel (Area C), and a third with shared control (Area B) until a permanent agreement could be reached between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel. In 2000, a violent intifada or uprising began across the Palestinian territories, and in 2001 negotiations for a permanent agreement between the PLO and Israel on final status issues stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start direct negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status of the area. 

The PA last held national elections in 2006, when the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) won a majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction in the West Bank, and HAMAS failed to maintain a unity government, leading to violent clashes between their respective supporters and to HAMAS's violent seizure of all PA military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in June 2007. In December 2018, the Palestinian Constitutional Court dissolved the PLC. In recent years, Fatah and HAMAS have made several attempts at reconciliation, but the factions have been unable to implement agreements. 

Since 1994, the PA has administered parts of the West Bank under its control, mainly the major Palestinian population centers and areas immediately surrounding them (Area A). Roughly 60% of the West Bank (Area C) remains under full Israeli civil and military control, impeding Palestinian movement and trade of people and goods throughout the territory.  

" + "text": "

The landlocked West Bank -- the larger of the two Palestinian territories -- is home to some three million Palestinians. Inhabited since at least the 15th century B.C., the area currently known as the West Bank has been dominated by a succession of different powers. In the early 16th century, it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. The West Bank fell to British forces during World War I, becoming part of the British Mandate of Palestine. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Transjordan (later renamed Jordan) captured the West Bank and annexed it in 1950; Israel then captured it in the Six-Day War in 1967. Under the Oslo Accords -- a series of agreements that were signed between 1993 and 1999 -- Israel transferred to the newly created Palestinian Authority (PA) security and civilian responsibility for the many Palestinian-populated areas of the West Bank, as well as the Gaza Strip.

In addition to establishing the PA as an interim government, the Oslo Accords divided the West Bank into three areas, with one fully managed by the PA (Area A), another fully managed by Israel (Area C), and a third with shared control (Area B) until a permanent agreement could be reached between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel. In 2000, a violent intifada, or uprising, began across the Palestinian territories, and in 2001, negotiations for a permanent agreement between the PLO and Israel on final status issues stalled. Subsequent attempts to re-start direct negotiations have not resulted in progress toward determining final status of the area. 

The PA last held national elections in 2006, when the Islamic Resistance Movement (HAMAS) won a majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Fatah, the dominant Palestinian political faction in the West Bank, and HAMAS failed to maintain a unity government, leading to violent clashes between their respective supporters and to HAMAS's violent seizure of all PA military and governmental institutions in the Gaza Strip in 2007. In 2018, the Palestinian Constitutional Court dissolved the PLC. In recent years, Fatah and HAMAS have made several attempts at reconciliation, but the factions have been unable to implement agreements. 

" } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/middle-east/ym.json b/middle-east/ym.json index ec056797..7b738fc7 100644 --- a/middle-east/ym.json +++ b/middle-east/ym.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

The Kingdom of Yemen (colloquially known as North Yemen) became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and in 1962 became the Yemen Arab Republic. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became the People's Republic of Southern Yemen (colloquially known as South Yemen). Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation and changed the country's name to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement and brief civil war in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to delineate their border. Fighting in the northwest between the government and the Houthis, a Zaydi Shia Muslim minority, continued intermittently from 2004 to 2010, and then again from 2014-present. The southern secessionist movement was revitalized in 2007.

Public rallies in Sana'a against then President Ali Abdallah SALIH - inspired by similar Arab Spring demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt - slowly built momentum starting in late January 2011 fueled by complaints over high unemployment, poor economic conditions, and corruption. By the following month, some protests had resulted in violence, and the demonstrations had spread to other major cities. By March, the opposition had hardened its demands and was unifying behind calls for SALIH's immediate ouster. In April 2011, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in an attempt to mediate the crisis in Yemen, proposed the GCC Initiative, an agreement in which the president would step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution. SALIH's refusal to sign an agreement led to further violence. The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2014 in October 2011 calling for an end to the violence and completing a power transfer deal. In November 2011, SALIH signed the GCC Initiative to step down and to transfer some of his powers to Vice President Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI. Following HADI's uncontested election victory in February 2012, SALIH formally transferred all presidential powers. In accordance with the GCC Initiative, Yemen launched a National Dialogue Conference (NDC) in March 2013 to discuss key constitutional, political, and social issues. HADI concluded the NDC in January 2014 and planned to begin implementing subsequent steps in the transition process, including constitutional drafting, a constitutional referendum, and national elections.

The Houthis, perceiving their grievances were not addressed in the NDC, joined forces with SALIH and expanded their influence in northwestern Yemen, which culminated in a major offensive against military units and rival tribes and enabled their forces to overrun the capital, Sana'a, in September 2014. In January 2015, the Houthis surrounded the presidential palace, HADI's residence, and key government facilities, prompting HADI and the cabinet to submit their resignations. HADI fled to Aden in February 2015 and rescinded his resignation. He subsequently escaped to Oman and then moved to Saudi Arabia and asked the GCC to intervene militarily in Yemen to protect the legitimate government from the Houthis. In March 2015, Saudi Arabia assembled a coalition of Arab militaries and began airstrikes against the Houthis and Houthi-affiliated forces. Ground fighting between Houthi-aligned forces and anti-Houthi groups backed by the Saudi-led coalition continued through 2016. In 2016, the UN brokered a months-long cessation of hostilities that reduced airstrikes and fighting, and initiated peace talks in Kuwait. However, the talks ended without agreement. The Houthis and SALIH’s political party announced a Supreme Political Council in August 2016 and a National Salvation Government, including a prime minister and several dozen cabinet members, in November 2016, to govern in Sana'a and further challenge the legitimacy of HADI’s government. However, amid rising tensions between the Houthis and SALIH, sporadic clashes erupted in mid-2017, and escalated into open fighting that ended when Houthi forces killed SALIH in early December 2017. In 2018, anti-Houthi forces made the most battlefield progress in Yemen since early 2016, most notably in Al Hudaydah Governorate. In December 2018, the Houthis and Yemeni Government participated in the first UN-brokered peace talks since 2016, agreeing to a limited cease-fire in Al Hudaydah Governorate and the establishment of a UN mission to monitor the agreement. In April 2019, Yemen’s parliament convened in Say'un for the first time since the conflict broke out in 2014. In August 2019, violence erupted between HADI's government and the pro-secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) in southern Yemen. In November 2019, HADI's government and the STC signed a power-sharing agreement to end the fighting between them, and in December 2020, the signatories formed a new cabinet. In 2020 and 2021, fighting continued in Yemen as the Houthis gained territory and also conducted regular UAV and missile attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia. In April 2022, the UN brokered a temporary truce between the Houthis and Saudi-led coalition that resulted in an extended pause of large-scale fighting and cessation of cross-border attacks. Also in April 2022, HADI and his vice-president resigned and were replaced by an eight-person Presidential Leadership Council with the executive powers of the president and vice president. Although the truce formally expired in October 2022, the parties nonetheless refrained from large-scale, direct conflict through the end of 2023. Saudi Arabia, following the expiration of the truce, continued to negotiate with the Yemeni Government and Houthis on a roadmap agreement that would include a permanent ceasefire and a peace process under UN auspices.

" + "text": "

The Kingdom of Yemen (colloquially known as North Yemen) became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and in 1962 became the Yemen Arab Republic. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became the People's Republic of Southern Yemen (colloquially known as South Yemen). Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation and changed the country's name to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. The exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states, which were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement and brief civil war in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to delineate their border. Fighting in the northwest between the government and the Houthis, a Zaydi Shia Muslim minority, continued intermittently from 2004 to 2010, and then again from 2014 to the present. The southern secessionist movement was revitalized in 2007.

Public rallies in Sana'a against then President Ali Abdallah SALIH -- inspired by similar Arab Spring demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt -- slowly gained momentum in 2011, fueled by complaints over high unemployment, poor economic conditions, and corruption. Some protests resulted in violence, and the demonstrations spread to other major cities. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) mediated the crisis with the GCC Initiative, an agreement in which the president would step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution. SALIH eventually agreed to step down and transfer some powers to Vice President Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI. After HADI's uncontested election victory in 2012, SALIH formally transferred all presidential powers. In accordance with the GCC Initiative, Yemen launched a National Dialogue Conference (NDC) in 2013 to discuss key constitutional, political, and social issues. HADI concluded the NDC in 2014 and planned to proceed with constitutional drafting, a constitutional referendum, and national elections.

The Houthis, perceiving their grievances were not addressed in the NDC, joined forces with SALIH and expanded their influence in northwestern Yemen, which culminated in a major offensive against military units and rival tribes and enabled their forces to overrun the capital, Sana'a, in 2014. In 2015, the Houthis surrounded key government facilities, prompting HADI and the cabinet to resign. HADI fled first to Aden -- where he rescinded his resignation -- and then to Oman before moving to Saudi Arabia and asking the GCC to intervene militarily in Yemen. Saudi Arabia assembled a coalition of Arab militaries and began airstrikes, and ground fighting continued through 2016. In 2016, the UN initiated peace talks that ended without agreement. Rising tensions between the Houthis and SALIH culminated in Houthi forces killing SALIH. In 2018, the Houthis and the Yemeni Government participated in UN-brokered peace talks, agreeing to a limited cease-fire and the establishment of a UN mission.

In 2019, Yemen’s parliament convened for the first time since the conflict broke out in 2014. Violence then erupted between HADI's government and the pro-secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) in southern Yemen. HADI's government and the STC signed a power-sharing agreement to end the fighting, and in 2020, the signatories formed a new cabinet. In 2020 and 2021, fighting continued as the Houthis gained territory and also conducted regular UAV and missile attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia. In 2022, the UN brokered a temporary truce between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition. HADI and his vice-president resigned and were replaced by an eight-person Presidential Leadership Council. Although the truce formally expired in 2022, the parties nonetheless refrained from large-scale conflict through the end of 2023. Saudi Arabia, after the truce expired, continued to negotiate with the Yemeni Government and Houthis on a roadmap agreement that would include a permanent ceasefire and a peace process under UN auspices.

" } }, "Geography": { diff --git a/north-america/ca.json b/north-america/ca.json index 8e8300b2..b480f68d 100644 --- a/north-america/ca.json +++ b/north-america/ca.json @@ -628,7 +628,7 @@ "text": "
ccs.scc@international.gc.ca

https://www.international.gc.ca/country-pays/us-eu/washington.aspx?lang=eng" }, "consulate(s) general": { - "text": "Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco/Silicon Valley, Seattle" + "text": "Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, Seattle" }, "trade office(s)": { "text": "Houston, Palo Alto (CA), San Diego; note - there are trade offices in the Consulates General" @@ -1135,15 +1135,15 @@ "text": "11.312 million (2022 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { - "text": "34 (2021 est.)" + "text": "29 (2022 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { - "text": "32.723 million (2021 est.)" + "text": "35.082 million (2022 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { - "text": "86 (2021 est.)" + "text": "91 (2022 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { diff --git a/north-america/gl.json b/north-america/gl.json index 376a1d75..5b2b971e 100644 --- a/north-america/gl.json +++ b/north-america/gl.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 80% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland became part of the Danish Realm in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland remains a member of the EU's Overseas Countries and Territories Association. The Danish parliament granted Greenland self-government in 1979; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of increased self-rule in 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in 2009. Denmark, however, continues to exercise control over several policy areas on behalf of Greenland, including foreign affairs, security, and financial policy, in consultation with Greenland's Self-Rule Government." + "text": "Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 80% ice capped. The Inuit came to Greenland from North America in a series of migrations that stretched from 2500 BC to the11th century.  Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland became part of the Kingdom of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland remains a member of the EU's Overseas Countries and Territories Association. The Danish parliament granted Greenland home rule in 1979; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of self-government in 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in 2009. The Kingdom of Denmark, however, continues to exercise control over several policy areas on behalf of Greenland, including foreign affairs, security, and financial policy, in consultation with Greenland's Self-Rule Government." } }, "Geography": { @@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Kenneth HOEGH, Head of Representation; note - Greenland also has offices in the Danish consulates in Chicago and New York" + "text": "Kenneth HØEGH, Head of Representation; note - Greenland also has offices in the Danish consulates in Chicago and New York" }, "chancery": { "text": "3200 Whitehaven Street, NW
Washington, DC  20008" @@ -486,7 +486,7 @@ "text": "[1] (202) 234-4300" }, "FAX": { - "text": "+1 (202) 328-1470" + "text": "[1] (202) 328-1470" }, "email address and website": { "text": "
washington@nanoq.gl

All Greenlandic Representations | Grønlands Repræsentation (grl-rep.dk); 
https://naalakkersuisut.gl/en/Naalakkersuisut/Groenlands-repraesentation-Washington" diff --git a/north-america/mx.json b/north-america/mx.json index 5e4367c6..62104632 100644 --- a/north-america/mx.json +++ b/north-america/mx.json @@ -1336,7 +1336,7 @@ "note": "note: as of 2022, women comprised about 15% of the active duty military" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Mexican military is responsible for defending the independence, integrity, and sovereignty of Mexico, as well as providing for internal security, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and socio-economic development; in recent years, internal security duties have been a key focus, particularly in countering narcotics trafficking and organized crime groups, as well as border control and immigration enforcement; the constitution was amended in 2019 to grant the president the authority to use the armed forces to protect internal and national security, and courts have upheld the legality of the armed forces’ role in law enforcement activities in support of civilian authorities through 2028; the military also provides security for strategic facilities, such as oil production infrastructure, and administers most of the country's land and sea ports and customs services, plus the approximately 2,700 branches of a state-owned development bank; in addition, President LOPEZ OBRADOR has placed the military in charge of a growing number of infrastructure projects, such as building and operating a new airport for Mexico City and sections of a train line in the country’s southeast

the Mexican Army is a lightly armed force comprised largely of infantry supplemented by mechanized or motorized forces; it is primarily focused on internal security operations vice conventional warfare, and its posture and composition reflects an internal focus over external threats; much of the force is deployed throughout the country in 12 military regional commands and 48 subordinate military zones, giving the Army a country-wide presence and the ability to respond quickly to a crisis; force strengths in each zone vary according to the security situation, from a single infantry battalion to over 10 infantry battalions and small motorized cavalry regiments, plus other units on rotation; the Army’s principal mobile combat forces are approximately 10 light or mechanized/motorized infantry brigades, three special forces brigades, and a paratrooper brigade, which are separate from the units under the military zones; the National Guard has up to 12 military police brigades

the Air Force’s inventory reflects its chief roles of supporting the Army, conducting counter-narcotics operations, and providing assistance during natural disasters; its fixed-wing combat aircraft include a handful of US-made fighters acquired in the 1980s and about 30 light attack planes; the Air Force also has more than 30 transport aircraft, as well as about 100 multipurpose helicopters

the Mexican Navy is largely a coastal patrol force but has a growing blue water capability; it has a range of missions including maritime law enforcement, security of maritime facilities, resources, and the environment, humanitarian assistance, and search and rescue; it has fleet commands for both the Pacific and Caribbean Sea/Gulf of Mexico, plus naval aviation, and naval infantry forces; the Navy’s warships include five frigates and more than 100 patrol vessels of varying sizes and capabilities; the Naval Infantry Corps (Cuerpo de Infantería de Marina) has both external and internal security responsibilities, including providing port security, protecting the coastal fringe, and patrolling major waterways; it also has had a significant role in combating narcotics trafficking and organized crime; the Corps has more than 30 combat battalions, which include amphibious, commando, infantry, paratrooper, security, and special operations forces (2023)" + "text": "the Mexican military is responsible for defending the independence, integrity, and sovereignty of Mexico, as well as providing for internal security, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and socio-economic development; in recent years, internal security duties have been a key focus, particularly in countering narcotics trafficking and organized crime groups, as well as border control and immigration enforcement; the constitution was amended in 2019 to grant the president the authority to use the armed forces to protect internal and national security, and courts have upheld the legality of the armed forces’ role in law enforcement activities in support of civilian authorities through 2028; the military also provides security for strategic facilities, such as oil production infrastructure, and administers most of the country's land and sea ports and customs services, plus the approximately 2,700 branches of a state-owned development bank; in addition, President LOPEZ OBRADOR has placed the military in charge of a growing number of infrastructure projects, such as building and operating a new airport for Mexico City and sections of a train line in the country’s southeast

the Mexican Army is a lightly armed force comprised largely of infantry supplemented by mechanized or motorized forces; it is primarily focused on internal security operations vice conventional warfare, and its posture and composition reflects an internal focus over external threats; much of the force is deployed throughout the country in 12 military regional commands and 48 subordinate military zones, giving the Army a country-wide presence and the ability to respond quickly to a crisis; force strengths in each zone vary according to the security situation, from a single infantry battalion to over 10 infantry battalions and small motorized cavalry regiments, plus other units on rotation; the Army’s principal mobile combat forces are approximately 10 light or mechanized/motorized infantry brigades, three special forces brigades, and a paratrooper brigade, which are separate from the units under the military zones; the National Guard has up to 12 military police brigades

the Air Force’s inventory reflects its chief roles of supporting the Army, conducting counter-narcotics operations, and providing assistance during natural disasters; its fixed-wing combat aircraft include a handful of US-made fighters acquired in the 1980s and some light attack planes

the Mexican Navy is largely a coastal patrol force but has a growing blue water capability; it has a range of missions including maritime law enforcement, security of maritime facilities, resources, and the environment, humanitarian assistance, and search and rescue; it has fleet commands for both the Pacific and Caribbean Sea/Gulf of Mexico, plus naval aviation, and naval infantry forces; the Navy’s warships include five frigates and more than 100 patrol vessels of varying sizes and capabilities; the Naval Infantry Corps (Cuerpo de Infantería de Marina) has both external and internal security responsibilities, including providing port security, protecting the coastal fringe, and patrolling major waterways; it also has had a significant role in combating narcotics trafficking and organized crime; the Corps has more than 30 combat battalions, which include amphibious, commando, infantry, paratrooper, security, and special operations forces (2023)" } }, "Space": { diff --git a/north-america/us.json b/north-america/us.json index aecb8a1f..ac858ade 100644 --- a/north-america/us.json +++ b/north-america/us.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. Since the end of World War II, the economy has achieved relatively steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.

" + "text": "

Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. Two of the most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. Since the end of World War II, the economy has achieved relatively steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1256,7 +1256,7 @@ "note": "note: USSPACECOM was originally created in 1985 but was deactivated in 2002 and its duties were transferred to US Strategic Command" }, "Space launch site(s)": { - "text": "has nearly 20 commercial, government, and private space ports hosting Federal Aviation Administration-licensed activity spread across 10 states (Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia) (2023)" + "text": "has 20 commercial, government, and private space ports hosting Federal Aviation Administration-licensed activity spread across 10 states (Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia) (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { "text": "has a large and comprehensive space program and is one of the world’s top space powers; builds, launches, and operates space launch vehicles (SLVs)/rockets and the full spectrum of spacecraft, including interplanetary probes, manned craft, reusable rockets, satellites, space stations, and space planes; has an astronaut program and a large corps of astronauts; researching and developing a broad range of other space-related capabilities and technologies, such as advanced telecommunications and optics, navigational aids, propulsion, robotics, solar sails, space-based manufacturing, and robotic satellite repair/refueling; has launched orbital or lander probes to the Sun and all planets in the solar system, as well as to asteroids and beyond the solar system; has international missions and projects with dozens of countries and organizations, including such major partners as Canada, Japan, Russia, and South Korea, as well as the European Space Agency (ESA), the EU, and their individual member states; as of May 2024, 40 countries had signed onto the US-led Artemis Accords, whose purpose is to establish principles, guidelines, and best practices to enhance the governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space with the intention of advancing the Artemis Program, an international effort to establish a sustainable and robust presence on the Moon and an onward human mission to Mars; the US commercial space industry is one of the world’s largest and most capable and is active across the entire spectrum of US government space programs; the majority of both NASA and US military space launches are conducted by US commercial companies; the US space economy was valued at over $200 billion in 2021 (2024)", diff --git a/south-america/ar.json b/south-america/ar.json index 53d9f673..77bbf432 100644 --- a/south-america/ar.json +++ b/south-america/ar.json @@ -1254,20 +1254,20 @@ "note": "note: all federal police forces are under the Ministry of Security" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "0.5% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "0.6% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { - "text": "0.8% of GDP (2021)" + "text": "0.8% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { - "text": "0.8% of GDP (2020)" + "text": "0.8% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { - "text": "0.7% of GDP (2019)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "0.8% of GDP (2018)" + "text": "0.7% of GDP (2019 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/south-america/bl.json b/south-america/bl.json index 234a0587..725c0780 100644 --- a/south-america/bl.json +++ b/south-america/bl.json @@ -1224,7 +1224,7 @@ }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2023": { - "text": "1.04% of GDP (2023 est.)" + "text": "1.2% of GDP (2023 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "1.3% of GDP (2022 est.)" diff --git a/south-america/br.json b/south-america/br.json index 5e32b08c..5248e6dd 100644 --- a/south-america/br.json +++ b/south-america/br.json @@ -617,7 +617,7 @@ "text": "Federal Senate - last held on 2 October 2022 for one-third of the Senate (next to be held on 4 October 2026 for two-thirds of the seats)
Chamber of Deputies - last held on 2 October 2022 (next to be held on 4 October 2026)" }, "election results": { - "text": "Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - PL 25.4%, PSB 13.7%, PT 12.1%, PSD 11.4%, Progressistas 7.6%, Brazil Union 5.5%, PSC 4.3%, Republicans 4.3%, MDB 3.9%, other 11.8%; seats by party - PL 8, Brazil Union 5, PT 4, PP 3, Republicans 2, PSD 2, MDB 1, PSB 1, PSC 1;
note - composition of the Federal Senate as of March 2024 - seats by party - PL 13, Brazil Union 12, MDB 10, PSD 10, PT 9, Progressistas 7, Podemos 6, PSDB 4, Republicans 3, PDT 2, Cidadania 1, PSB 1, PSC 1, PROS 1, REDE 1; composition - men 67, women 14, percentage women 17.3% 

Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PL 16.6%, PT 12.1%, Brazil Union 9.3%, PP 8%, PSD 7.6%, MDB 7.2%, Republicans 7%, PSB 3.8%, PDT 3.5%, PSOL 3.5%, Podemos 3.3%, PSDB 3%, Avante 2%, PSC 1.8%, SD 1.6%, Cidadania 1.5%, Patriota 1.4%, PTB 1.3%, NOVO 1.2%, PCdoB 1.1%, PV 0.9%, PROS 0.7%, REDE 0.7%, other 0.9%; seats by party - PL 99, PT 69, Brazil Union 59, PP 47, MDB 42, PSD 42, Republicans 40, PDT 17, PSB 14, PSDB 13, Podemos 12, PSOL 12, Avante 7, PCdoB 6, PSC 6, PV 6, Cidadania 5, Patriota 4, SD 4, NOVO 3, PROS 3, REDE 2, PTB 1; composition - men 423, women 90, percentage women 17.5%; total National Congress percentage women 17.5%" + "text": "Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - PL 25.4%, PSB 13.7%, PT 12.1%, PSD 11.4%, Progressistas 7.6%, Brazil Union 5.5%, PSC 4.3%, Republicans 4.3%, MDB 3.9%, other 11.8%; seats by party - PL 8, Brazil Union 5, PT 4, PP 3, Republicans 2, PSD 2, MDB 1, PSB 1, PSC 1
note - composition of the Federal Senate as of March 2024 - seats by party - PL 13, Brazil Union 12, MDB 10, PSD 10, PT 9, Progressistas 7, Podemos 6, PSDB 4, Republicans 3, PDT 2, Cidadania 1, PSB 1, PSC 1, PROS 1, REDE 1; composition - men 67, women 14, percentage women 17.3% 

Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PL 16.6%, PT 12.1%, Brazil Union 9.3%, PP 8%, PSD 7.6%, MDB 7.2%, Republicans 7%, PSB 3.8%, PDT 3.5%, PSOL 3.5%, Podemos 3.3%, PSDB 3%, Avante 2%, PSC 1.8%, SD 1.6%, Cidadania 1.5%, Patriota 1.4%, PTB 1.3%, NOVO 1.2%, PCdoB 1.1%, PV 0.9%, PROS 0.7%, REDE 0.7%, other 0.9%; seats by party - PL 99, PT 69, Brazil Union 59, PP 47, MDB 42, PSD 42, Republicans 40, PDT 17, PSB 14, PSDB 13, Podemos 12, PSOL 12, Avante 7, PCdoB 6, PSC 6, PV 6, Cidadania 5, Patriota 4, SD 4, NOVO 3, PROS 3, REDE 2, PTB 1; composition - men 423, women 90, percentage women 17.5%; total National Congress percentage women 17.5%" } }, "Judicial branch": { @@ -651,10 +651,10 @@ "text": "[1] (202) 238-2827" }, "email address and website": { - "text": "
ambassador.dc@itamaraty.gov.br

https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/embaixada-washington" + "text": "
contact.washington@itamaraty.gov.br 

https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/embaixada-washington" }, "consulate(s) general": { - "text": "Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hartford (CT), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC" + "text": "Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hartford (CT), Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, San Francisco" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { @@ -1306,6 +1306,9 @@ "note": "note: Brazil's Federal Police are under the Minister of Justice and Public Security" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "1.1% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "1.2% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, @@ -1317,9 +1320,6 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "1.4% of GDP (2019 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "1.5% of GDP (2018 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/south-america/co.json b/south-america/co.json index 06042fd8..e43e8b80 100644 --- a/south-america/co.json +++ b/south-america/co.json @@ -611,7 +611,7 @@ }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { - "text": "Ambassador Luis Gilberto MURILLO URRUTIA (since 16 September 2022)" + "text": "Ambassador Luis Gilberto MURILLO Urrutia (since 16 September 2022)" }, "chancery": { "text": "1724 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036" @@ -626,10 +626,7 @@ "text": "
eestadosunidos@cancilleria.gov.co

https://www.colombiaemb.org/" }, "consulate(s) general": { - "text": "Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark (NJ), Orlando, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Washington, DC" - }, - "consulate(s)": { - "text": "Boston, Chicago, San Francisco" + "text": "Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark (NJ), Orlando, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/south-america/ec.json b/south-america/ec.json index d442778a..48092c3a 100644 --- a/south-america/ec.json +++ b/south-america/ec.json @@ -620,7 +620,7 @@ "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Maria Soledad PEÑA PLAZA (since 9 February 2024)" }, "chancery": { - "text": "2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

Contact – Washington (cancilleria.gob.ec)" + "text": "2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009" }, "telephone": { "text": "[1] (202) 234-7200" @@ -629,10 +629,10 @@ "text": "[1] (202) 333-2893" }, "email address and website": { - "text": "
embassy@ecuador.org

http://www.ecuador.org/" + "text": "
eecuusanotifications@mmrree.gob.ec

Contact – Washington (cancilleria.gob.ec)" }, "consulate(s) general": { - "text": "Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New Haven (CT), New York, Newark (NJ), Phoenix, San Francisco" + "text": "Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis (MN), New Haven (CT), New York, Newark (NJ), Phoenix, San Juan (PR)" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { diff --git a/south-america/gy.json b/south-america/gy.json index 54d5c7dc..ce97c52f 100644 --- a/south-america/gy.json +++ b/south-america/gy.json @@ -601,7 +601,7 @@ "text": "[1] (202) 232-1297" }, "email address and website": { - "text": "
guyanaembassydc@verizon.net" + "text": "
guyanaembassydc@verizon.net

http://www.guyanaembassydc.org/" }, "consulate(s) general": { "text": "New York" diff --git a/south-america/pa.json b/south-america/pa.json index e596408a..a8802315 100644 --- a/south-america/pa.json +++ b/south-america/pa.json @@ -1214,6 +1214,9 @@ "note": "note: Paraguay also has a National Counterdrug Bureau (Secretaria Nacional Antidrogas or SENAD) that operates under the presidency" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "0.8% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "0.8% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, @@ -1225,9 +1228,6 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "1% of GDP (2019 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "1% of GDP (2018 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/south-america/uy.json b/south-america/uy.json index 76cca558..1ae5e729 100644 --- a/south-america/uy.json +++ b/south-america/uy.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon became an important commercial center due to its natural harbor. Claimed by Argentina but annexed by Brazil in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence in 1825 and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century launched widespread political, social, and economic reforms that established a statist tradition. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros (or Movimiento de Liberación Nacional-Tupamaros (MLN-T)), launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to cede control of the government to the military in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold over the government. Civilian rule was restored in 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center Frente Amplio (FA) Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control previously held by the Colorado and National (Blanco) parties. The left-of-center retained the presidency and control of both chambers of congress until 2019. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.

" + "text": "

The Spanish founded the city of Montevideo in modern-day Uruguay in 1726 as a military stronghold, and it soon became an important commercial center due to its natural harbor. Argentina initially claimed Uruguay, but Brazil annexed the country in 1821. Uruguay declared its independence in 1825 and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century launched widespread political, social, and economic reforms that established a statist tradition. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros (or Movimiento de Liberación Nacional-Tupamaros) launched in the late 1960s and pushed Uruguay's president to cede control of the government to the military in 1973. By year-end, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold over the government. Civilian rule was restored in 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center Frente Amplio (FA) Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control by the Colorado and National (Blanco) parties. The left-of-center coalition retained the presidency and control of both chambers of congress until 2019. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the South American continent.

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1267,15 +1267,6 @@ "text": "the armed forces are responsible for defense of the country’s independence, national sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as protecting strategic resources; it has some domestic responsibilities, including perimeter security for a number of prisons and border security and providing humanitarian/disaster assistance; in 2020, the military deployed more than 1,000 troops to assist the National Police in securing the land border with Brazil and the riverine border with Argentina as part of a border control law passed in 2018; Uruguay has traditionally held security ties with Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and the US

the Army has four regionally based divisions comprised of approximately eight small brigades of infantry and mechanized cavalry; the Navy includes the Coast Guard, a naval aviation command, and a small naval infantry force; the Navy in recent years has undertaken a modest program to modernize its aging fleet, decommissioning several ships, including its only frigates, and acquiring secondhand patrol vessels from the US Coast Guard; it is also attempting to acquire larger and more modern offshore patrol vessels; the Air Force has a single squadron of light ground attack aircraft (2023)" } }, - "Space": { - "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "drafted a bill to establish a space agency to be named the Uruguayan Space Agency, 2022  (2023)" - }, - "Space program overview": { - "text": "nascent program; the bill to establish a space agency declared its purpose to be promoting the development of the space sector in Uruguay with emphasis on the economic and social development of its inhabitants (2023)", - "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" - } - }, "Transnational Issues": { "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { diff --git a/south-america/ve.json b/south-america/ve.json index 8d0fcf40..730a638a 100644 --- a/south-america/ve.json +++ b/south-america/ve.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "

Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Ecuador and New Granada, which became Colombia). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by military strongmen who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Although democratically elected governments largely held sway since 1959, the executive branch under Hugo CHAVEZ, president from 1999 to 2013, exercised increasingly authoritarian control over other branches of government.  This undemocratic trend continued in 2018 when Nicolas MADURO claimed the presidency for his second term in an election boycotted by most opposition parties and widely viewed as fraudulent.

The last democratically-elected institution is the 2015 National Assembly. In 2020, legislative elections were held for a new National Assembly, which the opposition boycotted, and which were widely condemned as fraudulent. The resulting assembly is viewed by most opposition parties and many international actors as illegitimate. In November 2021, most opposition parties broke a three-year election boycott to participate in mayoral and gubernatorial elections, despite flawed conditions. As a result, the opposition more than doubled its representation at the mayoral level and retained four of 23 governorships. The 2021 regional elections marked the first time since 2006 that the EU was allowed to send an electoral observation mission to Venezuela.

MADURO places strong restrictions on freedoms of expression and the press. Since CHAVEZ, the ruling party's economic policies expanded the state's role in the economy through expropriations of major enterprises, strict currency exchange and price controls that discourage private sector investment and production, and over-dependence on the petroleum industry for revenues, among others. Years of economic mismanagement left Venezuela ill-prepared to weather the global drop in oil prices in 2014, sparking an economic decline that has resulted in reduced government social spending, shortages of basic goods, and high inflation. Worsened living conditions have prompted nearly 8 million Venezuelans to migrate, mainly settling in nearby countries. Since 2017, the US has imposed financial sanctions on MADURO and his representatives and, since 2018, on sectors of the Venezuelan economy. This began to change in response to MADURO and his representatives making democratic and electoral concessions, particularly in October 2023 when the opposition-led Unitary Platform signed an electoral roadmap agreement with MADURO representatives in Barbados. As a result, MADURO and his representatives received limited sanctions relief. MADURO and his representatives' mismanagement and lack of investment in infrastructure has debilitated the country's energy sector. Caracas has more recently relaxed some economic controls to mitigate the impact of its sustained economic crisis, such as allowing increased import flexibility for private citizens and companies and the informal use of US dollars and other international currencies. Still, ongoing concerns include human rights abuses, rampant violent crime, political manipulation of the judicial and electoral systems, and corruption.

" + "text": "

Venezuela was one of three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830, the others being Ecuador and New Granada (Colombia). For most of the first half of the 20th century, military strongmen ruled Venezuela and promoted the oil industry while allowing some social reforms. Democratically elected governments largely held sway until 1999, but Hugo CHAVEZ, who was president from 1999 to 2013, exercised authoritarian control over other branches of government. This trend continued in 2018 when Nicolas MADURO claimed the presidency for his second term in an election boycotted by most opposition parties and widely viewed as fraudulent. The legislative elections in 2020 were also seen as fraudulent, and most opposition parties and many international actors consider the resulting National Assembly illegitimate. In 2021, many opposition parties broke a three-year election boycott and participated in mayoral and gubernatorial elections, despite flawed conditions. As a result, the opposition more than doubled its representation at the mayoral level and retained four of 23 governorships. The 2021 regional elections marked the first time since 2006 that the EU was allowed to send an electoral observation mission to Venezuela.

MADURO has placed strong restrictions on free speech and the press. Since CHAVEZ, the ruling party has expanded the state's role in the economy through expropriations of major enterprises, strict currency exchange and price controls, and over-dependence on the petroleum industry for revenues. Years of economic mismanagement left Venezuela ill-prepared to weather the global drop in oil prices in 2014, sparking an economic decline that has resulted in reduced government social spending, shortages of basic goods, and high inflation. Worsened living conditions have prompted nearly 8 million Venezuelans to emigrate, mainly settling in nearby countries. The US imposed financial sanctions on MADURO and his representatives in 2017 and on sectors of the Venezuelan economy in 2018. Limited sanctions relief followed when the MADURO administration began making democratic and electoral concessions.

The government's mismanagement and lack of investment in infrastructure has also weakened the country's energy sector. Caracas has relaxed some controls to mitigate the impact of its sustained economic crisis, such as allowing increased import flexibility for the private sector and the informal use of US dollars and other international currencies. Ongoing concerns include human rights abuses, rampant violent crime, political manipulation of the judicial and electoral systems, and corruption.

" } }, "Geography": { @@ -1221,10 +1221,10 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities (Agencia Bolivariana para Actividades Espaciales, ABAE; formed 2007); ABAE was originally known as the Venezuelan Space Center (CEV; created 2005); the ABAE is under the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (2023)" + "text": "Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities (Agencia Bolivariana para Actividades Espaciales, ABAE; formed 2007); ABAE was originally known as the Venezuelan Space Center (CEV; created 2005); the ABAE is under the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (2024)" }, "Space program overview": { - "text": "has a small program primarily focused on the acquisition of satellites and developing the country’s space engineering and sciences capabilities; operates satellites and maintains two satellite ground control stations; has received technical assistance from China (2023)", + "text": "has a small program primarily focused on the acquisition of satellites and developing the country’s space engineering and sciences capabilities; operates satellites and maintains two satellite ground control stations; has relations with the space programs of China and Russia (2024)", "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" } }, diff --git a/south-asia/bg.json b/south-asia/bg.json index a2cd9796..eadb59a1 100644 --- a/south-asia/bg.json +++ b/south-asia/bg.json @@ -1273,6 +1273,9 @@ "note": "note 1: the Armed Forces of Bangladesh are jointly administered by the Ministry of Defense (MOD) and the Armed Forces Division (AFD), both under the Prime Minister's Office; the AFD has ministerial status and parallel functions with MOD; the AFD is a joint coordinating headquarters for the three services and also functions as a joint command center during wartime; to coordinate policy, the prime minister and the president are advised by a six-member board, which includes the three service chiefs of staff, the principal staff officer of the AFD, and the military secretaries to the prime minister and president

note 2: the RAB, Ansars, and VDP are paramilitary organizations for internal security; the RAB is a joint task force founded in 2004 and composed of members of the police, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Border Guards seconded to the RAB from their respective units; its mandate includes internal security, intelligence gathering related to criminal activities, and government-directed investigations" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "1% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "1.1% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, @@ -1280,13 +1283,10 @@ "text": "1.2% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { - "text": "1.3% of GDP (2020)" + "text": "1.3% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { - "text": "1.4% of GDP (2019)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "1.4% of GDP (2018)" + "text": "1.4% of GDP (2019 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/south-asia/ce.json b/south-asia/ce.json index 3ab35664..e39240df 100644 --- a/south-asia/ce.json +++ b/south-asia/ce.json @@ -1232,6 +1232,9 @@ "note": "note 1: the Civil Security Department, also known as the Civil Defense Force, is an auxiliary force administered by the Ministry of Defense

note 2: the Sri Lanka Police includes the Special Task Force, a paramilitary unit responsible for counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations; it coordinates internal security operations with the military" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "1.6% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "1.7% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, @@ -1243,9 +1246,6 @@ }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "2% of GDP (2019 est.)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "1.9% of GDP (2018 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { @@ -1265,15 +1265,6 @@ "text": "the military is responsible for external defense and may be called upon to handle specifically delineated domestic security responsibilities that generally do not include arrest authority; it has sent small numbers of personnel on UN peacekeeping missions; from 1983 to 2009, it fought against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a conflict that involved both guerrilla and conventional warfare, as well as acts of terrorism and human rights abuses, and cost the military nearly 30,000 killed; since the end of the war, a large portion of the Army reportedly remains deployed in the majority Tamil-populated northern and eastern provinces; the military over the past decade also has increased its role in a range of commercial sectors including agriculture, hotels, leisure, and restaurants 

the Army did not downsize following the LTTE war and continues to have about 20 infantry divisions, plus several independent brigades and regiments; however, in 2023 the Sri Lankan Government announced that because of the country’s financial crisis, it would slash the size of the Army by up to half by 2030; the Navy has a frigate transferred from China in 2019 and several offshore patrol ships acquired from India and the US to patrol its territorial waters; it also has a large force of small in-shore patrol and fast attack boats, largely acquired to combat the LTTE; the Air Force is small and much of its inventory is aging; it has a handful of operational fighter aircraft and a few dozen attack and multi-role helicopters

Sri Lanka traditionally has had close security ties to India; India participated in the LTTE war in 1987-1991, losing over 1,000 soldiers; the Sri Lankan and Indian militaries continue to conduct exercises together, and India trains over 1,000 Sri Lankan soldiers per year; in recent years, Sri Lanka has increased military ties with China, including acquiring military equipment, hosting naval port calls, and sending personnel to China for training (2023)" } }, - "Space": { - "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "Sri Lanka Aeronautics and Space Agency (SLASA; established 2019); Space Applications Division of the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies (ACCIMT; created 1984) (2023)" - }, - "Space program overview": { - "text": "has a small space program focused on acquiring satellites and conducting research and development in space-related technologies, such as electronics, telecommunications, information technology, and robotics; has cooperated with the space agencies or industries of China, France, India, Japan, and the US (2023)", - "note": "note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S" - } - }, "Terrorism": { "Terrorist group(s)": { "text": "Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)", diff --git a/south-asia/in.json b/south-asia/in.json index b6e550b8..135ef8e8 100644 --- a/south-asia/in.json +++ b/south-asia/in.json @@ -1327,7 +1327,7 @@ "note": "note: India has over 6,000 total military and police personnel deployed on UN missions" }, "Military - note": { - "text": "the Indian military performs a variety of missions; it is primarily focused on China and Pakistan and territorial defense, while secondary missions include regional power projection, UN peacekeeping deployments, humanitarian operations, and support to internal security forces; it has fought in several significant conflicts and counterinsurgency operations since 1947 and regularly conducts large-scale exercises; the military may act internally under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) of 1958, an act of the Indian Parliament that granted special powers to put down separatist movements in \"disturbed areas\"; the AFSPA of 1958 and a virtually identical law, the Armed Forces (Jammu & Kashmir) Special Powers Act of 1990, have been in force since 1958 in parts of northeast India, and since 1990 in Jammu & Kashmir

the Army is organized into 14 operational corps; the basic field formations under the corps are approximately 40 armored, artillery, infantry, mechanized, or mountain infantry divisions; there are also a number of independent airborne, armored, and artillery brigades, as well as special operations forces; in 2023, the Army announced that it was reorganizing its operational corps and divisions into division-sized “integrated battle groups,” which the Army assessed would be more agile and flexible

the Navy is a blue water force that operates in seas stretching from the western Mediterranean to the Strait of Malacca and the western Pacific; it routinely conducts months-long deployments, exercises with other navies, and conducts a variety of missions such as counter-piracy, humanitarian, and naval diplomacy; its principal ships include two aircraft carriers, more than 50 destroyers, frigates, corvettes, and large patrol vessels, 16 attack submarines, and two nuclear-powered ballistic missile capable submarines; the Navy also has several combat aircraft and anti-submarine warfare helicopter squadrons, as well as a marine amphibious brigade and a marine commando force

the Air Force is one of the World’s largest with more than 600 British-, French-, Russian/Soviet-, and domestically produced combat aircraft, plus nearly 500 combat helicopters; the tri-service Strategic Forces Command manages all of India’s strategic missile forces 

the short 1962 Sino-India War left in place one of the World’s longest disputed international borders, resulting in occasional standoffs between Indian and Chinese security forces, including lethal clashes in 1975 and 2020; meanwhile, India and Pakistan have fought several conflicts since 1947, including the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistan and Bangladesh War of Independence of 1971, as well clashes over the disputed region of Kashmir (the First Kashmir War of 1947 and the 1999 Kargil Conflict); a fragile cease-fire in Kashmir was reached in 2003, revised in 2018, and reaffirmed in 2021, although the Line of Control remains contested, and India has accused Pakistan of backing armed separatists and terrorist organizations in Jammu and Kashmir where Indian forces have conducted counterinsurgency operations since the 1980s; in addition, India and Pakistan have battled over the Siachen Glacier of Kashmir, which was seized by India in 1984 with Pakistan attempting to retake the area at least three times between 1985 and 1995; despite a cease-fire, both sides continue to maintain a permanent military presence there with outposts at altitudes above 20,000 feet (over 6,000 meters) where most casualties are due to extreme weather and the hazards of operating in the high mountain terrain of the world’s highest conflict, including avalanches, exposure, and altitude sickness (2023)" + "text": "the Indian military performs a variety of missions; it is primarily focused on China and Pakistan and territorial defense, while secondary missions include regional power projection, UN peacekeeping deployments, humanitarian operations, and support to internal security forces; it has fought in several significant conflicts and counterinsurgency operations since 1947 and regularly conducts large-scale exercises; the military may act internally under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) of 1958, an act of the Indian Parliament that granted special powers to put down separatist movements in \"disturbed areas\"; the AFSPA of 1958 and a virtually identical law, the Armed Forces (Jammu & Kashmir) Special Powers Act of 1990, have been in force since 1958 in parts of northeast India, and since 1990 in Jammu & Kashmir

the Army is organized into 14 operational corps; the basic field formations under the corps are approximately 40 armored, artillery, infantry, mechanized, or mountain infantry divisions; there are also a number of independent airborne, armored, and artillery brigades, as well as special operations forces; in 2023, the Army announced that it was reorganizing its operational corps and divisions into division-sized “integrated battle groups,” which the Army assessed would be more agile and flexible

the Navy is a blue water force that operates in seas stretching from the western Mediterranean to the Strait of Malacca and the western Pacific; it routinely conducts months-long deployments, exercises with other navies, and conducts a variety of missions such as counter-piracy, humanitarian, and naval diplomacy; its principal ships include two aircraft carriers, more than 50 destroyers, frigates, corvettes, and large patrol vessels, and nearly 20 submarines, including two with ballistic missile capabilities; the Navy also has several combat aircraft and anti-submarine warfare helicopter squadrons, as well as a marine amphibious brigade and a marine commando force

the Air Force is one of the World’s largest with more than 600 British-, French-, Russian/Soviet-, and domestically produced combat aircraft, plus nearly 500 combat helicopters; the tri-service Strategic Forces Command manages all of India’s strategic missile forces 

the short 1962 Sino-India War left in place one of the World’s longest disputed international borders, resulting in occasional standoffs between Indian and Chinese security forces, including lethal clashes in 1975 and 2020; meanwhile, India and Pakistan have fought several conflicts since 1947, including the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistan and Bangladesh War of Independence of 1971, as well clashes over the disputed region of Kashmir (the First Kashmir War of 1947 and the 1999 Kargil Conflict); a fragile cease-fire in Kashmir was reached in 2003, revised in 2018, and reaffirmed in 2021, although the Line of Control remains contested, and India has accused Pakistan of backing armed separatists and terrorist organizations in Jammu and Kashmir where Indian forces have conducted counterinsurgency operations since the 1980s; in addition, India and Pakistan have battled over the Siachen Glacier of Kashmir, which was seized by India in 1984 with Pakistan attempting to retake the area at least three times between 1985 and 1995; despite a cease-fire, both sides continue to maintain a permanent military presence there with outposts at altitudes above 20,000 feet (over 6,000 meters) where most casualties are due to extreme weather and the hazards of operating in the high mountain terrain of the world’s highest conflict, including avalanches, exposure, and altitude sickness (2023)" } }, "Space": { diff --git a/south-asia/np.json b/south-asia/np.json index f39c3e1b..77d59dc3 100644 --- a/south-asia/np.json +++ b/south-asia/np.json @@ -1167,6 +1167,9 @@ "note": "note: the Nepal Police are responsible for enforcing law and order across the country; the Armed Police Force is responsible for combating terrorism, providing security during riots and public disturbances, assisting in natural disasters, and protecting vital infrastructure, public officials, and the borders; it also conducts counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations and would assist the Army in the event of an external invasion" }, "Military expenditures": { + "Military Expenditures 2023": { + "text": "1% of GDP (2023 est.)" + }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "1.1% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, @@ -1177,10 +1180,7 @@ "text": "1.3% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { - "text": "2.1% of GDP (2019)" - }, - "Military Expenditures 2018": { - "text": "2.3% of GDP (2018)" + "text": "1.6% of GDP (2019 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { diff --git a/world/xx.json b/world/xx.json index ba8ed13d..55e21ecc 100644 --- a/world/xx.json +++ b/world/xx.json @@ -1,7 +1,7 @@ { "Introduction": { "Background": { - "text": "Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating World Wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology, from the first airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (US) to the landing on the moon; (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards in North America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased concerns about environmental degradation including deforestation, energy and water shortages, declining biological diversity, and air pollution; (h) the onset of the AIDS epidemic; and (i) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's population continues to explode: from 1 billion in 1820 to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1987, 6 billion in 1999, 7 billion in 2012, and 8 billion in 2022. For the 21st century, the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g., advances in medicine and agriculture) and fears (e.g., development of even more lethal weapons of war)." + "text": "Globally, the 20th century was marked by: (a) two devastating World Wars; (b) the Great Depression of the 1930s; (c) the end of vast colonial empires; (d) rapid advances in science and technology; (e) the Cold War between the Western alliance and the Warsaw Pact nations; (f) a sharp rise in living standards in North America, Europe, and Japan; (g) increased concerns about environmental degradation including deforestation, energy and water shortages, declining biological diversity, and air pollution; and (h) the ultimate emergence of the US as the only world superpower. The planet's population continues to expand at a fast rate: from 1 billion in 1820 to 2 billion in 1930, 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1974, 5 billion in 1987, 6 billion in 1999, 7 billion in 2012, and 8 billion in 2022. For the 21st century, the continued exponential growth in science and technology raises both hopes (e.g., advances in medicine and agriculture) and fears (e.g., development of even more lethal weapons of war)." } }, "Geography": { @@ -852,11 +852,11 @@ }, "Space": { "Space agency/agencies": { - "text": "more than 90 countries, plus the EU, have national space agencies (2023)" + "text": "more than 70 countries have national space agencies (2024)" }, "Space launch site(s)": { - "text": "more than 30 countries have existing or planned commercial or government space launch sites; the US has the most launch sites with nearly 20", - "note": "note: there were approximately 220 attempted space launches worldwide in 2023  " + "text": "more than 30 countries have existing or planned commercial or government space launch sites; in 2023, there were about 220 space launch attempts; as of December 2023, there were over 11,000 satellites in orbit, of which about 9,000 were still active  (2024)", + "note": "note: there were approximately 220 attempted space launches worldwide in 2023" } }, "Transnational Issues": {