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USA–Russia -

The relationship between the United States and Russia is among the most critical bilateral relationships in the world. But it's also one of the most fraught. In fact, the rivalry between these two superpowers effectively defined the second half of the 20th century, a titanic clash of ideology with Soviet communism and American capitalism vying for dominance across the globe.

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Russia–USA -

The Cold War era saw both sides stockpiling nuclear weapons and testing them with frightening regularity. The space race meanwhile saw USSR cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin become the first human to orbit Earth while Neil Armstrong would be the first to set foot on the Moon. Tensions thawed somewhat in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union, but the diplomatic relationship between the USA and the Russian Federation remains fraught and unpredictable.

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Germany–France -

These two powerhouse European nations have not always been the best of neighbors, their shared border providing a conduit for numerous conflicts, among them Napoleon's victory against Prussia in the War of the Fourth Coalition, and the Franco-Prussian conflict that resulted in a win for Germany.

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France–Germany -

France's blaming of Germany for the First World War in the Treaty of Versailles exacted a terrible revenge from Nazi Germany. Hitler occupied the country for most of the Second World War and quite literally divided a nation. Today, relations between France and Germany are warm and constructive with both among the most enthusiastic proponents of the further integration of the European Union.

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China–Japan -

The rivalry between China and Japan is as ancient as their lands. The first recorded battle between China and Japan took place in 663, the Battle of Baekgang, with Imperial China the victor. More recently, grievances still fester over Japan's reluctance to fully acknowledge war crimes committed during the Second Sino-Japanese War and throughout the Second World War.

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Japan–China -

Japan has been strongly influenced throughout its history by China. It has deep historical and cultural ties with the country, and despite tensions and geopolitical differences that remain today, the two countries are generally at peace with each other.

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United Kingdom–Ireland -

The sovereign state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland existed between 1801 and 1921. However, a strong desire for Irish independence led to the Easter Rising of 1916 and later the Irish War of Independence, fought between 1919 and 1921. The formation of the Irish Free State in 1922 eased tensions somewhat between London and Dublin, but excluded an area known today as Northern Ireland.

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Ireland–United Kingdom -

Relations between the UK and Ireland in the late 20th century are defined by the so-called Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998, when the Good Friday Agreement effectively ended the conflict. However, the issue of Northern Ireland, the ramifications of Brexit, and whether or not the island of Ireland will eventually unite with the province, still divide all parties today.

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Israel–Palestine -

Arguably the most complex, divisive, and destructive nation relationship in the world is that of Israel and Palestine. The bad blood that exists between these two states can be traced back to 1917 and the British Mandate for Palestine. During the mandate, the area saw the rise of nationalist movements in both the Jewish and Arab communities. The termination in 1947 of the mandate and the creation of the State of Israel sparked what has become known as the Israeli–Palestinian conflict—one of the world's most enduring geopolitical disputes and one that has expanded into a wider Arab-Israeli conflict.

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Palestine–Israel -

Nowhere else is this division more acute than in Jerusalem. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital, though it is Israel that wields control over the entire city. The Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount has been venerated for millennia as a holy site in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike.

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Turkey–Greece -

The relationship between Turkey and Greece is long and complex. The roots of their rivalry were planted in the 15th century with the annihilation of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire in 1453. Despite its independence being recognized in 1832 by the Ottoman Empire, the newly established Kingdom of Greece and the Ottomans would battle it out through various conflicts fueled by nationalism until the end of the First World War. Even after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire and the founding of Turkey in 1923, the two nations found time to clash heads again, this time over Cyprus.

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Greece–Turkey -

Today, geopolitical issues still strain the relationship between the two countries. The Aegean dispute is an especially thorny issue, with Greece and Turkey hankering over sovereignty and related rights in the region of the Aegean Sea since the 1970s. Indeed, the conflict has twice led to crisis coming close to the outbreak of military hostilities, in 1987 and 1996.

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North Korea–South Korea -

Korea was once a single nation but was annexed by Japan in 1910. The Korean Peninsula has been divided into North Korea and South Korea since the end of the Second World War in 1945, demarcated by the infamous 38th parallel. The North was supported by the Soviet Union while the United States backed the South.

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South Korea–North Korea -

In 1950, North Korea invaded the South to start the Korean War and in doing so involved China and the United States. A ceasefire was declared in 1953, but no peace treaty was signed: the two Koreas are technically still at war to this day. Unification of the peninsula is still a dream for many Koreans, and summits in 2018 between the two sides have facilitated a more positive relationship between Seoul and Pyongyang.

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India–Pakistan -

Relations between India and Pakistan have been complex and largely hostile since the violent partition of British India in 1947 and the founding of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan the same year. The subsequent years have seen numerous military conflicts fought between the two nations.

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Pakistan–India -

The major conflicts between the two countries—the war of 1947-48, the war of 1965, and the smaller scale Kargil Way in 1999—have all been triggered by dispute over the border territory of Kashmir. Add to the equation the fact that both India and Pakistan are nuclear powers, and the threat of escalating hostilities is a very real one. 

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United Kingdom–France -

Conquest, wars, and alliances at various points in history typify the long and complex relationship between the United Kingdom and France. Throughout the Middle Ages, France and England were often bitter enemies, the Norman conquest of 1066 being one of the most decisive and consequential victories over England in the medieval period. The last major conflict between the two countries were the Napoleonic Wars (1793–1815). The late 19th century saw rivalry develop between France and England for African colonies, but by 1904 the Entente Cordiale signaled warmer ties between the once warring nations.

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France–United Kingdom -

France and the United Kingdom were allied against Germany in both the First World War and the Second World War. Both were key partners in the West during the Cold War period and both were influential members of the European Union until the UK's decision to leave the bloc after the Brexit referendum in 2016. Relations have since deteriorated, with disagreements surrounding Brexit and the English Channel migrant crisis.

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Iran–Saudi Arabia -

Near neighbors Iran and Saudi Arabia are two of the Middle East's most powerful countries. Their relationship with one another, however, is fraught and contentious. While both are Islamic nations, Saudi Arabia is a conservative Sunni absolute monarchy, while Iran is a mostly Shia republic.

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Saudi Arabia–Iran -

Over and above religious and ideological differences, bilateral relations between the countries have been strained over geopolitical issues such as the interpretations of Islam, oil and gas export policy, and their relations with the West. Saudi Arabia is traditionally an ally of the United States and the UK, while Iran is naturally suspicious and often hostile towards America and its allies.

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Kuwait–Iraq -

Historically, most of present-day Kuwait was part of ancient Mesopotamia, a region that today occupies modern Iraq. Pre-oil Kuwait was a strategic trade port between Mesopotamia, Persia, and India. Oil reserves were discovered in commercial quantities in 1938. Kuwait formally gained independence in 1961, though Baghdad initially refused to recognize the fact by maintaining that Kuwait was part of Iraq. In 1963, however, a treaty of friendship between the two countries was signed by which Iraq formally recognized the border separating it from its neighbor.

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Iraq–Kuwait -

Despite the treaty, Iraq simmered with indignity, often raising the issue of sea access and the traditional claim to Kuwait. In August 1990, after oil production disputes, Saddam Hussein ordered a full-scale invasion of Kuwait, his armies effectively annexing the country. Later liberated by coalition forces, Kuwait quickly recovered, and since the fall of the Ba'ath Party regime in Iraq relations have significantly improved between the two states.

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Albania–Serbia -

Distrust and animosity are the bywords that best describe the nature of the historical relationship between these two Balkan states. After the defeat of the Ottomans in the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, the modern nation state of Albania declared independence in 1912. Numerous war crimes were committed by all parties engaged in the conflict, though Serbia's treatment of the Albanian population was particularly brutal.

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Serbia–Albania -

The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes was formally renamed the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. During the Second World War, communist Albania and Yugoslavia worked together to rid themselves of fascist occupation. However, during the Cold War Albania broke relations with the Yugoslav communists, because its leader Enver Hoxha remained loyal to the Soviet Union under Stalin. The Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s saw the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the formation of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. During the conflict, Albania broadly supported NATO's bombing of Kosovo (then a Serbian province), which resulted in Serbia and Montenegro breaking off diplomatic relations with Albania. Tension still simmers in the 21st century, with Albania insisting that Kosovo's independence remains "undeniable," a belief Serbia regards as provocation.

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Armenia–Azerbaijan -

The ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, an ethnic and territorial squabble between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians, has stymied all attempts to forge diplomatic relations between these two neighboring Western Asian states.

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Azerbaijan–Armenia -

Armenia and Azerbaijan enjoyed a brief period of independence after the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, when relations between the two countries were cordial. But the friendship was short-lived. They were at war with each between 1918 and 1921, and occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union further distanced Yerevan from Baku. Two more wars, from 1988 to 1994, and the armed conflict in 2020, continue to strain relations.

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Chile–Peru -

These two South American nations had enjoyed peaceful and productive relations dating back to the Inca Empire in the 15th century, a bilateral partnership that was further strengthened after both became independent from Spain in the 19th century. But that all changed with the outbreak in 1879 of the War of the Pacific.

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Peru–Chile -

The War of the Pacific pitted Chile against a Bolivian-Peruvian alliance and was fought over Chilean claims on coastal Bolivian territory in the Atacama Desert. A Chilean victory brought with it a significant amount of resource-rich territory from Peru and Bolivia. The result of the five-year conflict soured relations between the two countries for over a century, with their bond further tested in 1975 when left-wing Peru and right-wing Chile were again on the brink of war. Today, relations have greatly improved.

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Kenya–Somalia -

Tensions between these two East African nations have simmered since the early 1960s when both countries gained their independence. The Shifta War (1963–1967) saw ethnic Somalis in the northern frontier district of Kenya attempting to join Somalia. Despite a 1967 ceasefire, sporadic violence in the region continued for several decades.

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Somalia–Kenya -

In fact, both sides have been embroiled in border disputes, petty skirmishes, and in some cases bloody massacres. In 2021, ties between the two countries fell to a historic low when Mogadishu cut off diplomatic relations and accused Nairobi of meddling in its internal affairs. Compounding this mutual intransigence is the Dadaab refugee crisis. Dadaab is one the world's largest refugee camps and home to thousands of displaced Somalis. Kenya wants to shut it down and has given the UN until June 2022 to find a new home for most Somali refugees. The two nations are also engaged in a long-running maritime territorial feud across the Indian Ocean believed to hold valuable oil and gas reserves.

Sources: (GOV.UK) (The Economist) (Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington) (BBC) (Deutsche Welle)

See also: African countries and their Independence Days

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