Countries; there are too many of them. 195 UN member states, stop it. Why does Bhutan exist? It serves no purpose. There are too many nations and not enough land to go around. So of course, many regions are mired in land disputes. Some countries really don’t get along. Rumor has it North and South Korea are among them. Whether or not this is true, dozens of other countries hate each other. They include Ukraine and Russia – Israel and Lebanon – even Belgium and Belgium. These are just a handful of the many countries that hate each other – but there are so many more countries that hate each other. Here are some.
Countries That Hate Each Other: Our Video
10: Greece Vs Macedonia
Greece and Macedonia have always had problems. Even in the days of Alexander the Great Macedonians were never seen as real Greeks. Fast forward to today. Two different countries claim the legacy of ancient Macedonia: Greece and the Republic of North Macedonia. In the early 20th century, North Macedonia was part of Greece. But this territory was soon lost, becoming part of Yugoslavia. On gaining independence from Yugoslavia they wanted to take the name Macedonia. But many within Greece see the historical region of Macedonia as rightfully Greek territory. They deny the existence of a Macedonian language, calling it a dialect of Greek. Greece blocked this new country from joining organizations like NATO and the EU.
They even forced Macedonia to change it’s flag. Until 1995, North Macedonia had this flag, featuring an ancient symbol heavily associated with Macedonian culture. So in 1995 Greece decided to trade mark that symbol, forcing Macedonia to adopt a new flag. As far as trademark disputes go, forcing a country to change it’s flag is pretty gangster… although I will admit that’s a low bar. Greece also pressured them to change their name from the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia. That change is now complete. As much of the dispute is based entirely in the name, relations should now greatly improve. Macedonia even renamed an airport that was named after Alexander the Great.
9: Chile vs Peru
Chile and Peru have a lot in common. They both live in South America, they both speak Mexican. So why would I call them countries that hate each other? It goes back to the late 19th century. You see, Bolivia was not always a landlocked country. They jointly shared a coastal territory with Chile. The land was valuable, both nations wanted it under their sole authority. So in 1879 they went to war over it. Peru entered the war on the side of Bolivia. But Chile defeated them both – annexing all of Bolivia’s coastal land and large sways of Peruvian territory also.
Over a hundred years later Chile still owns much of that territory. Peru really doesn’t like that. Legal battles between the two nations continue, especially over maritime disputes. Although relations between Peru and Chile do seem to be steadily improving, the resentment they hold took generations to build. In the 1970s, Peru was a military dictatorship ruled by a very left wing general. Meanwhile Chile was a military dictatorship ruled by a very right wing general. Needless to say they wasn’t good for diplomacy and the situation today isn’t much better.
8: Qatar Vs Everybody
In the middle of the middle east… well, actually, not the the middle. In the south East of the Middle East is the tiny country of Qatar. This oil rich monarchy is unlike any of the oil rich monarchies that surround it. Qatar is playing an interesting game. Two years ago, 8 other Arab states cut all diplomatic ties with Qatar. Led by Saudi Arabia, they claimed Qatar has been supporting terrorist groups and promoting regime change in surrounding countries. Apparently they did this indirectly through their government owned media network Al-Jazera.
Now isolated from most of the countries that surround her, it’s fair to say Qatar hates Saudi Arabia for organizing the move. And that Saudi Arabia hates Qatar for allegedly undermining their influence in the region. Some of the counties have restored relations with Qatar at least to some extent. Yet most are still ghosting.
7: Hungary Vs Romania
On the surface Hungary and Romania don’t seem to have any problems with each other. But look closely and you will find some. It’s all about Transylvania. Although part of Romania, many within Hungary see her as rightfully Hungarian. Until 1920 it was Hungarian land, which is why over a million ethnic Hungarians still call Romania home. Many of them live in one area of Transylvania known as Szekely land. Since becoming part of Romania attempts have been made to strip them of their Hungarian identity. But these attempts backfired, and many now reject the idea they are even Romanian. Not long ago Hungary passed a law giving citizenship to all ethnic Hungarians in Europe. This means the Szekely people are now Hungarian citizens. Entire communities of Hungarian citizens in the middle of Romania, and the Romanian government isn’t happy about it. The way they see it the Szekely people can no longer be trusted, having become loyal to Hungary instead of Romania. So it’s become a bizarre ethnic conflict – because apparently the Balkans don’t have enough of those.
6: Morocco Vs Algeria
Until the mid 20th century much of North Africa remained under the control of Imperial France. Among the nations France controlled were Morocco and Algeria. When France withdrew, Morocco took the opportunity to claim it’s pre colonial borders, which included some land that was now part of Algeria. War broke out between them, and it was such a strange war it saw a military intervention by Cuba. In the end no territory was won by either side. So from day one these two countries hated each other. Then in 1975 another war broke out.
Morocco now claimed to own a region of Africa called western Sahara. But that territory was also claimed by Mauritania, and by a group of native western Saharans. Mauritania soon withdrew it’s claim but the native force did not. Algeria supported them in the fight against Morocco – just because they knew it would annoy Morocco. The war ended in 1991, but then relations somehow got worse. In 1994 Algeria accused Morocco of supporting a terror group within Algeria, and closed the border. Still today the border between Morocco and Algeria remains closed, and there have been no steps towards reconciliation. They really hate each other.
5: Serbia Vs Albania
Serbia and Albania really dislike each other. Their conflict has largely grown from Kosovo, a tiny state that until recently was part of Serbia. Kosovo only won independence in 2006, after NATO intervened in a war between Serbia and Kosovan freedom fighters. Kosovo was also supported by Albania, causing the rift between Albania and Serbia. Ninety percent of Kosovo’s population are ethnically Albanian, and ninety five percent are of a Muslim background.
With these ethnic and religious links, some are now calling for Kosovo and Albania to unify as one nation. Among them is the current prime minister of Albania. But this has angered Serbia, who still consider Kosovo part of their own country. With Albania having allies in the west and Serbia having an ally in Russia, they appear to be stuck in a diplomatic stalemate. It’s about as bitter a non violent conflict could possibly be.
4: Colombia Vs Venezuela
Colombia and Venezuela were once part of the same country, alone with Ecuador and Panama. That’s why all those countries have similar looking flags… apart from Panama. It was called Gran Colombia but thanks to infighting would be short lived. Ever since it fractured into smaller states, land disputes have been a point of contention. Today Colombia and Venezuela dispute multiple patches of land in the Gulf of Venezuela. One top of that, Colombia fought for 5 decades with a communist guerrilla force called FARC. To Colombia they are terrorists. But to Venezuela they are heroes.
For decades reports emerged that Venezuela has been harboring and supporting FARC. Since Colombia was literally at war with FARC until 2017, this was a big accusation. When the Colombian government confronted Venezuela over this, Venezuela suspended all diplomatic relations between them. So that’s not good. But I should say, there is a lot of love between the people of these two nations. With the recent humanitarian crisis, Colombia has taken in over a million Venezuelan refugees. So maybe it’s a bit much to list them among countries that hate each other. But a good title is a good title.
3: UK Vs Argentina
Among the coldest of rivalries of countries that hate each other is between Argentina and the United Kingdom. As far back as anyone can remember relations between them have been what can only be described as “pretty bloody awful”. It’s all over a tiny group of islands, believe it or not. They are the Falklands – a seemingly insignificant patch of territory called home by just a few thousand. Over the centuries different countries have owned them, but since 1833 they have been a British territory. However – being so close to Argentina and so far from Europe, the Argentinian government has long claimed the islands as rightfully theirs.
Of course, claiming something is yours just because it’s close to you isn’t much of an argument. It’s like claiming someone is your wife because they sat next to you on the bus. So in 1982 Argentina attempted to take the islands by force, launching an invasion. After a brief war Britain re-took them and still hold the islands today. There have been no more wars over the Falklands. But that’s not to say Argentina has given up on them. In 2006 the Argentine government again claimed to own them – filing an official land claim to the United Nations.
2: Turkey Vs Greece
Turkey and Greece are traditional rivals, with the Ottoman Turks once ruling Greece absolutely. Since then they have fought several wars with each other and many worry a new war may be on the horizon. Ethnic massacres from decades ago, and long standing territorial disputes have ensured tensions remained high even after peace came. Most of the islands in the region are owned by Greece – many of which are very close to the Turkish coast. Turkey really isn’t happy about that. In fact, a top adviser to the Turkish president recently threatened military action over a land dispute. And then there’s Cyprus.
Turkey and Greece then immediately began competing for influence over this new country. In 1974 there was a military coup in Cyprus, backed by the Greek military that enabled a pro Greek government to seize power. With Cyprus now essentially a Greek vassal state, Turkey invaded and overthrew it’s new dictator. That might sound like a good thing but the problem is they never left. Cyprus has since been divided in half, with northern Cyprus occupied by the Turkish military. As most Cypriots are ethnically Greek the Greek government have never been happy about it. Forty five years later Turkey remains the only country to recognize the legitimacy of Northern Cyprus – and Greece remains furious.
1: Iran Vs Saudi Arabia
You don’t often hear about it but the middle east is currently in the grip of a cold war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The origins of this conflict go back a long way. But it really kicked off in 1979, when Iran overthrew it’s monarch and became a revolutionary republic. The new revolutionary ideology of Iran was a direct threat to the Saudi Royal family, and both nations have since been vying with each other to be the region’s dominant power. They began to openly condemn one another on religious grounds. But most crucially, they angle against each other in regional proxy wars.
A prime example is the war in Yemen, an ongoing civil war where the Saudi military is helping the Yemeni government fight a rebel group known as the Houthi. Before the war broke out the government was a close ally of Saudi Arabia, causing Iran to support Houthi rebels. The exact opposite is currently happening in Syria, with the Syrian government being a close ally of Iran. In a bid to take out one of Iran’s most powerful friends, Saudi money and arms go towards rebel fighters. To match this, Iranian forces are fighting in Syria on the side of it’s government. It’s the exact same situation as in Yemen yet the roles are reversed.
The Cold War Continued
But these are just two of the many countries that have seen proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Among the others are Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Nigeria. There are way too many proxy wars to get into here and the complexity of this cold war is getting ridiculous. One thing clear to all is that both Iran and Saudi Arabia are willing to go to great lengths to undermine the other.
Since the 1980s militant groups backed by Iran have been operating within Saudi Arabia. Many of those groups still occasionally rise up against the government. It gives a clear reminder that as long as Iran is a revolutionary republic, and as long as Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy – the new cold war will never end. Yes it seems that, unlike most countries that hate each other – their dispute is ideologically deep rooted. What’s more, their constant involvement in proxy wars is creating new countries that hate each other. An example might be Kurdistan… maybe.