The 11 current pariah states
Pariah states are states that are considered expelled because of their government. Anyone who does not abide by international rules or refuses to cooperate with the international community in wide areas must expect sanctions. Many of the former and current pariah states owe their classification to their autocratic rule, under which their own people suffer.The 11 countries listed here have a total of 212.96 million inhabitants and thus account for 2.8 percent of the world's population.
| Country | Region | Area | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belarus | Eastern Europe | 207,600 km² | 9.5 M |
| Burma | Southeast Asia | 676,590 km² | 53.7 M |
| Equatorial Guinea | Central Africa | 28,050 km² | 1.3 M |
| Eritrea | Eastern Africa | 117,600 km² | 6.1 M |
| Israel | Western Asia | 22,070 km² | 8.9 M |
| Kosovo | Southern Europe | 10,887 km² | 1.8 M |
| North Korea | East Asia | 120,540 km² | 25.5 M |
| Sudan | Northern Africa | 1,879,358 km² | 41.8 M |
| Syria | Western Asia | 185,180 km² | 16.9 M |
| Uzbekistan | Central Asia | 447,400 km² | 33.0 M |
| Zimbabwe | Eastern Africa | 390,760 km² | 14.4 M |
Pariah states vs. rogue states
The term pariah state is closely related to the word "rogue state" coined by George W: Bush. Unlike rogue states, pariah states do not have a fixed definition, but only characteristics that indicate possible violations. These include above all the production and use of weapons of mass destruction, the toleration of terrorism, a lack of freedom of expression and democracy, and the violation of human rights. Unlike rogue states, a pariah state does not necessarily pose a threat to other states. Instead, the grievances are often directed only against one's own population.Who is considered a pariah state is also not uniformly defined. Even the German Wikipedia names other countries than, for example, the Spanish one. The English Wikipedia does not mention any countries at all and only lists their characteristics.
Georgia, Iran, Northern Cyprus, Uganda and Venezuela are also often mentioned. What most definitions have in common is that states such as China and Cuba are often discussed, but are never excluded as pariah states. The "Republic of China" (so Taiwan) also appears occasionally. In addition to the states considered to be independent, individual territories are also considered to be expelled. These include in particular Abkhazia, the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, Somaliland, South Ossetia and Transnistria.