UPDATE (JULY 16) – it appears the original article written by N7NG has now been removed from DX University website. Just as well we reproduced below.

JULY 13, 2017 “Yes, it’s been a while — too long — since I have reached for the keyboard to express some fact and opinion. In July 2004, changes were made to the DXCC List Criteria that — as time would tell — rendered the criteria ineffective.

Of immediate importance now — after more than 13 years — is a change in the DXCC Rules that will restore the efficacy of the 1998 DXCC-2000 List Criteria, indeed the heart of the DXCC program itself. The following quote from F.E. “Ed” Handy, an early ARRL Communications Manager speaks to the importance of restoring the DXCC List Criteria:

“But the reason respect for our [DXCC] list is general is, we think, because it is progressively kept up to date as governments change; also that any modifications only follow League inquiry and precedents and  consultation with authorities such as our U.S. Department of State, Webster’s Geographical Dictionary,  and Rand McNally.” 

It is difficult to understand and even harder to gather much respect for a list criteria that for very nearly nine years has ignored the entire population of a very legitimate Independent Nation State of the world.

There is no doubt that DXCC’s long past history has led to this situation. In particular, the so-called Separate Administration “rule” and its evolution and mis-interpretation have given rise to a lack of respect. In fact it has led to a reluctance to make any changes in the list at all. For now, it is sufficient to understand that the list is broken and that it must be fixed.

We hope to see a change coming within the next ten days.

Much effort has gone into the process required to effect this change. On Monday of next week, on this page, I will elaborate on the original “situation” and its effects. Why it happened, and how we proposed to fix it.

In later articles, I will explain how I believe the criteria — under pressure from DXers “at the top” — drifted away from early ideals, and how the DXCC criteria was “liberalized” to become at times almost a joke.

— Wayne, N7NG at DX University”