@Global_BearingsAyatollah Bromeini
WEEKLY ROUNDUP OF NEWS - Oct. 21-28globalbearings.net/2011/10/global… #cnn #libya #tunisia #fox #msnbc #news #afghanistan #pakistan #yemen #turkey
*** [Oct. 25] In Libya, the body of executed former dictator Muammar Qaddafi has been buried in a secret location in the desert along with his son Mutassim and a top aide. This followed the apparent surfacing of his will and a fierce debate in Libya on what to do with his body. In the will, Qaddafi stated a desire to be buried in Sirte, his birthplace and tribal stronghold next to his "family and friends." Prior to the burial, Qaddafi's body was displayed in a freezer in Misurata for several days where it drew large crowds. [See our reports on the end of the uprising in Libya and thechallenges to rebuild the country after Qaddafi]
*** [Oct. 25] In Tunisia, Ennahda, a moderate Islamist party, has claimed victory in the country's historic democratic election held after the fall of dictator Zine al Abidine Ben Ali, the first casualty of the Arab Spring. Turnout for the elections appears to have been extremely high. The electoral commission reported that over 90 percent of the 4.1 million people registered to vote showed up, and perhaps many more unregistered voters. 217 seats are being contested in a constituent assembly that will draft a new constitution. More than 60 parties are fielding candidates, in addition to many independents. The turnout dispelled worries of youth apathy after the excitement of the revolution and many candidates mounted very impressive and professional campaigns, as had been reported by the Atlantic. Tensions between Islamists and secularists remain high. Tunisia is one of the most liberal Islamic cultures in the region but Ennahda, the Islamist party is widely known for its activism despite continued repression under the Ben Ali government and is a strong favorite. Ennahda is considered moderate but could cause tensions if it infringes on social freedoms such as alcohol sales or women's rights. Employment will likely be the most important issue to voters.
*** [Oct. 25] In Iran, Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi will attend the funeral of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, according to the website of Iranian state television.This follows several attempts by senior Iranian officials to distance themselves from the alleged Quds Force plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States in DC. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has rubbished the allegations and President Ahmadinejad explicitly denied them.
[Oct. 23] In Yemen, fighting continues. On the day, twelve people were killed in clashes between government forces and a renegade army unit led by former general Ali Moshsen al-Ahmar in the Hasaba district of Sana, the Yemeni capital.
[Oct. 22] After some delay, Turkey and Iran have announced their intention to cooperate in the fight against Kurdish separatist guerrillas; the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its Iranian wing, the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) - both of which are designated terrorists by the US. Turkey is currently mounting one of its largest operations into northern Iraq against the PKK, and in previous operations has often cooperated with Iran. Iraqi Kurdish regional authorities have condemned the PKK incursion into Turkey, but have stated they will not join Turkish operations.
[See our report on the start of the current crisis]
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| (Source: Al Jazeera) An electoral observer station in the city of Sousse, symbolically formerly the local office for Ben Ali's now disbanded party. |
Asia Pacific
[Oct. 24] In Pakistan, an Indian air force helicopter carrying four Indian military personnel strays over the heavily militarized Line of Control separating the two countries and was forced down in the remote Skardu region of Gilgit-Baltistan. The intrusion was blamed on bad weather, and the helicopter and personnel were soon allowed to return, a gesture that India has extended its appreciation for. The manner in which the issue was resolved without tension has raised hopes for the ongoing peace process.
[Oct. 24] In Pakistan, Begum Nusrat Bhutto, the tragic "matriarch" of the country passed away at the age of 82 in Dubai. The former First Lady of the country, Begum Bhutto lived to see her husband executed by General Zia's military regime, and three of her four children die violently in the country's political intrigues; in 2007 her eldest daughter Benazir was assassinated in a large terrorist bombing soon after she returned to Pakistan.
[Oct. 24] In Thailand, heavy flooding continues. Over 300 people have been killed, 9 million more affected and flood damage could cost the economy over $3.9 billion.
[Oct. 24] In China, the government has given permission for four local governments - Shanghai, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Shenzen - to issue bonds to pay back outstanding debts on a trial basis. As China's economy boomed, local governments took on many massively wasteful white elephant infrastructure projects, piling on a mountain of debt estimated at $10.7 trillion yuan ((1.7 trillion dollars) in 2010, adding to the systemic risks to the Chinese economy. The Chinese government itself anticipates 2.5-3 trillion yuan to be bad debt unlikely to be repaid, while Standard and Chartered estimated the true figure to be closer to 8-9 trillion yuan.
[Oct. 23] In Afghanistan, President Karzai has once more dismayed his Western partners by publicly stating that Afghanistan and Pakistan are "brothers" and that "If there is war between Pakistan and America, we will stand by Pakistan." Karzai has the unenviable job of balancing the interests of Pakistan and the US, both of whom are intricately involved in Afghanistan.
[Oct. 22] In Uz-beki-beki-stan-stan, the US government is planning to expand its logistical non-lethal transit route to Afghanistan over continuing fears on the instability of the Pakistani route.
[Oct. 21] In India, the government has announced plans to lift the reviled Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Kashmir, a significant move towards a relaxation of strict security measures and reconciliation between the Indian government and Kashmiris. Violence in Kashmir from a violent Pakistan-backed radical Islamist insurgency has declined precipitously over the last decade since a 2003 ceasefire between India and Pakistan, from 996 civilian deaths in 2001 to 47 in 2010 according to Indian government figures.
[Oct 21] In Pakistan, the refugee crisis continues. 980,000 people are counted as internally displaced and the UN-affiliated IRIN reports on the 80,000 or so from North Waziristan who see no end in sight for the conflict in their agency, and fear a return home.
[Oct. 21] In China, there are fears that illegal mining enterprises, which have proliferated over the years, may bedestroying sections of the Great Wall of China, which has survived centuries of war, turmoil and natural disasters. In one sample province - Hebei - only 20 percent of the walls and towers were rated “well or fairly preserved.”
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| (Source: Time Magazine) Flooded streets on Oct. 22, 2011 in Pathum Thani on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand |
Europe
[Oct. 23] In Kosovo, peacekeepers have clashed with ethnic Serb protesters over the last week who have set up barricades and roadblocks on roads to sensitive border crossings to prevent Kosovo from deploying its own customs officials at the Serbian border. Earlier in the week, NATO KFOR peacekeepers resorted to a rare use of force, unleashing tear gas on protestors, injuring several, but so far they have been unable to dismantle the barricades and tensions continue to mount.
[Oct. 21] In Spain, the Basque separatist group ETA announced a "definitive cessation of its armed activity." ETA mounted a decades-long fight for an independent Basque state that resulted in the death of 829 people, and was listed as a terrorist organization by the US and EU. A peace process is now expected to begin.
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| (Source: Time Magazine) Underwater eruptions near Spain's Canary Islands have released gases shown here |
The Americas
[Oct. 22] In Colombia, ten soldiers were killed in attack by FARC guerillas in the eastern province of Arauca, according to government officials. The attack is the second such attack in less than three days, both the deadliest in almost a year. On Oct 21st, ten other soldiers were killed in the southern Narino province near the border with Ecuador, the country's most violent area known for drug production and trafficking. The attack was also blamed on FARC.
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| (Source: AP) Colombian security forces guard stacks of marijuana belonging to the FARC seized from the rural area of El Jagual being held at a military police base in Popayan |
Sub-Saharan Africa
[Oct. 24] In Kenya, there is heightened fear of terrorist retaliation from the Somali al-Shabaab terrorist group in retaliation for an ongoing Kenyan military offensive into al-Shabaab strongholds in southern Somalia. The US embassy in Nairobi warned of an "imminent threat of terrorist attacks directed at prominent Kenyan facilities," following whichgrenade attacks wounded 12 people in a downtown bar in Nairobi and killed 1 at a bus stop. Kenyan sources are claiming that unspecified Western militaries have joined in the fighting and conducted strikes against al-Shabaab positions. The US has denied involvement. [See our report on the Kenyan offensive and analysis on its potential future]
[Oct. 22] In Cameroon, current President Paul Biya 'won' 77 percent of the vote extending his 29-year rule by another seven years.
[Oct. 21] In Somalia, an extremely heavy firefight in Mogadishu killed several AMISOM troops - the African Union's (AU) peacekeeping mission in the country. Militant group al-Shabaab displayed 70 bodies it claimed were Burundian troops but AU officials claimed the number was closer to ten with two captured.
[Oct. 21] In Chad, the demise of Qaddafi raises significant challenges. The respected International Crisis Groupidentifies several including a massive flight home of migrants, the possible resurgence of militant Islamism and the proliferation of fighters and weapons. Qaddafi was an active actor in the country's conflicts, and it remains uncertain whether the Chadian government and the new rulers of Tripoli will be able to to put the past aside and build positive relations.
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| A Kenyan military helicopter flies near the border with Somalia as the Kenyan offensive continues |
Other News
[Oct. 23] In our world, it appears all the doom and gloom may be misplaced. The world is getting less, not more violentaccording to statistics provided by Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker. Battle deaths calculated per 100,000 people has dropped from more than 500 out of every 100,000 people in the pre-state era to 60 in the 20th century (with two World Wars) to the current three-tenths of a person per 100,000. The rate of genocide deaths per world population was 1,400 times higher in 1942 than in 2008.
[Oct. 23] In cyberspace, activist hacker collective Anonymous has turned their attention to child pornograpers, taking down their websites and releasing the names of over 1,500 people connected to them. Anonymous has been divisive over its choice of targets, but this may be a campaign few could oppose.
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| The Hr. Ms. K XVI, a Dutch submarine that went missing in 1941, has been located near Borneo. The submarine was sunk by a Japanese sub on 25 September 1941 after sinking a 1000 ton Japanese submarine chaser the night before. |
