evidence: Exactly 15 years ago today, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. While it has gained recognition from many United Nations members, the question whether Kosovo is indeed an independent nation or a renegade territory—as Serbia would define it—remains a dicey one. After a bloody war in 1998 and 1999 between ethnic Albanians and Serbs and a UN administration that lasted until the independence declaration in 2008, the current status of Kosovo is stable, yet unresolved. [...] At very roughly 100 recognitions and 193 regular UN members, Kosovo occupies a middle point among countries and territories with partial recognition in the UN. Like in the case of Kosovo, the phenomenon of partial recognition often stems from a conflict between two countries or two governments over a territory. [...] Territories only very sparingly recognized by UN members are found in the Caucasus and Southeastern Europe. Northern Cyprus is a part of the Mediterranen island that Turkey invaded in 1974 following a Greek-led coup which is widely believe to have been aimed at the annexation of Cyprus. Today, Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey, while the country in turn is the only one not recognizing the Republic of Cyprus.