DXCC Expansion?

[IK0ZCW]

Guest post by Vladimir Bykov, UA4WHX

I have been thinking about this for a long time.

Why a few de-facto special status or independent territories can not be part of the DXCC list?

For the past few years DXCC continued expanding with little island inclusions and that has been totally overlooking the world realities.

It is not meant to say that by including them on the DXCC list ARRL (or hams in general) endorse their independence, it is just we honestly face the reality of their special status.

Or, can anyone tell me, with full honest confidence, what makes Guantanamo, Maly Vysotsky, Kaliningrad, Franz Josef or Temotu qualify any better than Transnistria, Kosovo, Respublika Srpska, Somaliland, Northen Cyprus? Those are mostly totally independent nations (!) with their functional governments (going back years and years!), their own money, very often their own passports.

I would like to open up this discussion and will be happy if I find people who agree with me, and perhaps convince the DXCC desk to reassess the criteria or approach.

List of States with limited recognition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_with_limited_recognition

73,
Vladimir Bykov
UA4WHX