A history of U.S. severed relations with other countries, in 1 chart

By Philip Bump July 2 at 9:04 AM

The imminent restoration of diplomatic links to Cuba brings to an end a 54-year split between the two countries.

The rupture between the two has been uncommonly long, by U.S. standards. A review of the country's diplomatic history as presented by the State Department shows just how uncommon it is. Looking only at complete breaks in diplomatic relations (and not breaches of "normal relations," a lesser disruption of a relationship), it's apparent that most have been far shorter than 54 years.

Two major conflicts have led to recent diplomatic disruptions: World War II and the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. In the latter, a number of countries with relatively new relationships with the U.S. severed them. In the former, several long-standing diplomatic powers -- including France, once under German occupation -- were cut off.

The reasons for other splits have been varied: smaller wars, weird debates, etc. We excluded any disputes with weird, no-longer-existent nations like the Hanseatic Republics, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and Piedmont-Sardinia.

It's impossible not to notice, of course, the other country with which the U.S. has a current, extensive rupture: Iran. The medium-term status of that relationship is yet to be determined.

Philip Bump writes about politics for The Fix. He is based in New York City.

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