An end to Mugabe’s rule?
28 years of corruption and terror may be coming to an end as Mugabe’s own ZANU-PF party admitted defeat in its poll projection (Daily Nation, 04/02/08). The entire country awaits elections results, which are slowly coming in. Opposition parties are already discussing political life after Mugabe’s rule (AFP, 04/01/08). The U.S. and other countries are urging Mugabe’s government to release results quickly and not keep anything from the public (Yahoo! News, 04/01/08). Everyone admits that if Mugabe plays this one fairly, it might be the first time he has done so.
NRC launches report – Turning the blind eye on Western Sahara
Sahrawis – indigenous people of the Western Sahara – have been ignored by the international community for 30 years. Living in displacement camps in and around a land that is being claimed by more than one nation, they have been left destitute by the world at large. The UN has defined Western Sahara as a decolonization question, and the African Union sees it as an autonomous country. However, without the support of powerful nations like the U.S., Africa’s last colony continues to be just that. (Norwegian Refugee Council via AllAfrica, 04/01/08)
U.N.-assisted refugee returns to Burundi hits 300,000 mark
The early 1990s saw thousands of Burundians fled their homeland due to escalating violence. Over the past few years, the UN has returned 300,000 Burundian refugees from neighboring Tanzania. The number of Burundians returning on their own puts this number at 389,000 at least. (UN News Service, 04/01/08)
Struggling to undo the damage of sexual violence
Victims of sexual violence in the Central African Republic not only have to deal with the emotional and physical scars of their ordeals, but also the economic ones. With so many left destitute or abandoned during the civil war, groups are trying to come together as cooperatives to try and survive in a country that has all but forgotten them. (IRIN, 04/02/08)
Kony postpones Juba signing again
Ugandan Lords Resistance Army leader Joseph Kony has postponed signing a peace treaty with the government to April 10. The LRA blames logistical problems and sickness among its members as the latest reason for the postponement, which will see the civil war in Uganda go on for 5 more deadly days. (The Monitor, 04/02/08)
Room to grow, and hate
Israel’s latest foray into Palestinian territory left two Hamas fighters dead (Al Jazeera, 04/01/08). Shortly afterwards, Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak pondered the possibility of opening up the Gaza strip if violence in the area ceased (Yahoo! News, 04/01/08). Barak also shook his finger at Hezbollah for even thinking about testing Israeli Defense Forces (Al Arabiya, 04/01/08), and lauded Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s plan to build 600 new homes in the occupied West Bank (Al Arabiya, 03/31/08). Israel has also started smashing down the villages of 160,000 Bedouin tribesmen within its borders in order to create new settlements (The Guardian, 04/01/08). Disputes over borders and land are commonplace now in the region – Egypt has only this week allowed 500 Egyptians the rights to return home after they crossed over into Gaza when the border was broken months ago (Al Arabiya, 04/01/08). Palestinian parties have as of yet been slow to respond to Israel’s actions and threats, being too busy fighting each other (International Herald Tribune, 04/01/08) or spreading propaganda (International Herald Tribune, 04/01/08). Their latest effort at the latter involved beheading a puppet representing U.S. President George W. Bush on children’s television (Al Arabiya, 04/01/08).
Islam overtakes Catholicism as world’s largest religion
Vatican officials signaled rising birthrates among Muslim families as the primary cause of the change. The announcement does not make as sizable impact as it at first seems, since Christians together make up 33% of the world as opposed to the 19.2% composed of Muslims. (The Times, 03/31/08)
Egypt seizes German magazine over Islam portrayal
Egyptian authorities seized the March 25 special edition of Der Spiegel magazine, accusing the publishers of insulting Prophet Mohammad in the issue. Information Minister Anas el-Feki stood by the decision to defend Islamic values over freedom of the press. (Reuters, 04/01/08)
Another Arab tea party ends
With Saudi Arabia and Egypt both sending low-level delegates to the 20th Arab League summit, little was accomplished other than the usual chastising of Israeli actions in Palestine, with few resolutions in the end. Both Saudi and Egypt wished to tell host nation Syria that they blame that nation for causing the ongoing political problems in Lebanon due to which the country still cannot vote in a president. (Electronic Intifada, 04/01/08)
Shi’ite fight shows other side of the COIN
The U.S. counterinsurgency doctrine in Iraq (COIN) considers itself to be a success because of the drastic drop in Sunni violence in the region. Recent civil strife among Shi’ite Iraqis shows that problems cannot always be solved by throwing money at them, as COIN did with the Sunni awakening groups. (Asia Times Online, 04/01/08)
The day the US declared war on Iran
On March 20 2008, U.S. President George W. Bush addressed Iranians over Farsi pirate radio about their country trying to acquire nuclear weapons, and assured them that Iran would not be successful as long as the U.S. stood against it. With a number of policies being quietly put into place (see below), the U.S. has taken aim at Iran. (Asia Times Online, 04/01/08)
Pakistan readies to fight for change
With the new parliament sworn in, massive changes may be about to happen in Pakistan. After years of rule by conservatives, a refreshing number of liberal women delegates have taken seats this term (The Times of India, 04/02/08). One of the new parliament’s main acts was to free former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry (UPI, 04/01/08), known for opposing President Pervez Musharraf last year when he attempted to stand for election. One of the biggest questions still on the table is that of Pakistan’s role in the regional war against militant forces. Though the parliament has made it clear that it should be in charge of foreign and defense policy (BBC News, 04/01/08), President Musharraf and his powerful backers in the armed forces are sure to disagree (Asia Times Online, 04/01/08). NATO is already trying to push Pakistan to work together with Afghanistan to take on militants that are over-running both nations’ borders (International Herald Tribune, 04/01/08). Pakistan’s parliament may be willing to try a softer approach than its predecessor, and has even acquired a tepidly positive response from the Taliban about possible peace talks (Asia Times Online, 04/02/08). Even more tepid was the new parliament’s reception of the U.S. Secretary of State recently, showing fond remembrance of America’s backing Musharraf for eight turbulent years (The New York Times, 03/28/08).
Afghan Taliban say ‘attack Dutch’ over anti-Islam film
Two recent attacks on Dutch troops in Afghanistan were in retaliation to the production and distribution of the film created by a conservative Dutch MP. The film, entitled Fitna, was released last Thursday on the Internet. (Reuters, 04/01/08)
U.S.-Russia missile deal possible
The hidden rhetoric behind the deal is the U.S.’ insistence that Russia will not be seen as a threat by its missile defense system. This will require Russia cooling its recent activity with Iran, and even stepping back as the U.S. sizes up the biggest target on its screen. (Yahoo! News, 04/01/08)
President Putin to become Russia’s PM in May: Report
Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov mentioned that it was no good putting off the ceremony, and declared that it would take place right after the inauguration of incoming President Dmitry Medvedev. (The Times of India, 04/02/08)
An Olympic ceremony like no other
The Olympics may be going ahead, but they will feel the impact of Tibetan protesters that have come out in full force over the past few weeks (International Herald Tribune, 03/31/08). Indian soccer player Baichung Bhutia lately grabbed headlines when the Indian national soccer star refused to carry the Olympic torch in honor of the protesters and their cause (BBC News, 04/01/08). China is pleading that media coverage of the situation has been biased (Der Spiegel, 04/01/08), though it has been very careful at giving its own citizens only the side of the story that it wants known (The New York Times, 03/31/08). Authorities have even accused protesters of planning suicide attacks (The Times of India, 04/02/08). The Olympic Committee has half-heartedly warned China to allow open access to the Internet during the games (BBC News, 04/01/08), though it will not be monitoring the situation stringently.
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For more exclusive roundups from GNN contributors, check out Nathan Coe’s Labor News Roundup, and mwm’s If you knew…