Somalia in Trouble

Lately several diplomats have criticized an attack from the United States into Somalia. An article covers the situation:

“Thousands have been killed in Somalia in the past year, mostly in skirmishes between the Somali government and Ethiopian troops…the death toll rose this week when at least one American missile…obliterated a shack in a village.”

Several diplomats that keep track of Somalia think that the United States is causing more problems by targeting terrorists in the country. I think the situation in Somalia though has forced the international community to react. The US is conducting a war against terrorism and taking out terrorist leaders in Somalia should benefit that government as well. Many worry if attacks from the US or other countries result in civilian casualties it will only work towards the propaganda of terrorist cells. Perhaps the best solution may need to incorporate the leaders of the African Union and that of Western leaders as well. Together they could possibly work out some kind of joint operation that could be conducted against various terrorist cells. As terrorism continues to spread around the world we can only work together to stop ideologies that threaten our global society.

Elusive peace

Attacks pitting Israel and Hamas continue to happen on almost a daily basis. Hamas has been known for continuing to fire rockets into Israel cities hoping to strike some target of value. Fighting picked up again early this month an article covers the situation:

“The latest round of fighting in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, he Palestinian Islamist movement, showed how mere chance can make events spin out of control…they might have subsided again had one of the usually inaccurate homemade rockets not struck and killed an Israeli…the response of Israel, which has been frustrated by its inability to stop the rockets, was an aerial and ground assault that killed at least 110 Palestinians over five days.”

This seems to be a never ending conflict as these two actors continue to strike out at each other. I think it is interesting that a technologically superior force cannot stop the smaller guerrilla force of Hamas. The only solution to this never-ending issue will have to be solved politically. Perhaps leaders of Israel and Hamas need to come together finally and make some concessions. This could be done with the help of various international actors as well to keep the talks under control. I don’t think Hamas is a force that can be simply destroyed because that force is comprised of the populace. I think it is time for these political actors to come together and finally come to some kind of agreement before the region completely falls apart.

Conflicting Interests

Recently we witnessed how Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s president reacted to air strikes conducted by Colombian aircraft on rebel camps located in Ecuador. As tensions rise and fall between the countries it is interesting to analyze the situation. An article from the economist gives us a small overview:

“On few, if any, other occasions has a head of state issued detailed orders for military mobilization as jauntily as if he were ordering pizza, and on live television. That is what Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s president did on March 2nd, after Colombian forces bombed a camp just inside Ecuador, killing Raul Reyes, a senior commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) guerrillas.”

The question to think about is whether Colombian officials were wrong to launch attacks into another countries’ territory. I can see why Colombian felt the need to attack and kill this key FARC leader but they may have caused more trouble than they needed. I think all countries should have their own borders respected to a certain degree. As a global community we cannot simply attack targets in other areas without some kind of permission or at least a justification based on a global consensus. I think Columbia had a legitimate reason to attack but I think they should have had permission first. We saw how the countries around Columbia reacted with mobilizations and this obviously points out that it may have not been the right way to act. Of course FARC is an organization that should be stopped but we need to work together through multilateral relations rather than charging in alone.

Sudan and Chad: Peace Deal?

Conflict between these two countries has been ongoing for several years. An article highlights the most recent development,

"The presidents of Chad and Sudan have signed an accord in Senegal aimed at halting five years of hostilities between the two countries. Chad's Idriss Deby and Sudan's Omar al-Bashir agreed to implement past failed peace pacts at a Dakar summit."

As these rebel groups work autonomously, I severely doubt this peace agreement will do much for this conflict other than to raise allegations. Either side already continues to accuse the other of authorizing various border crossings.

I do think this agreement may be a small step in the right direction, but these sides need to focus on quelling the numerous rebel groups working throughout the region. International organizations have stepped in to protect some of the civilains, but maybe it is time for the international community to take a bigger part. Perhaps to recognize that these rebel groups need to be stopped in order to protect the civilan populaces and also so that order may be restored on some level. Either way this agreement surely is an important political step foward, although small it may set a path for further steps to begin.

Nigeria: Misplaced Power

There are still several countries in Africa who cannot provide sustainable electricity to the entire populace. An article covers,

Some $2.2bn-worth of Nigerian energy contracts were awarded without a bidding process by the former president and his energy minister, officials say. One was to a company with less than $200 of base capital at the time, a witness told a parliamentary committee. It is investigating why $16bn of investment in the energy sector during Olusegun Obasanjo's eight years in power failed to end power shortages.

As we can see somehow 16 billion dollars has been wrongly distributed throughout the state during Obasanjo's presidential term. Interesting enough we see that Olusegun Obasanjo still has a very influential role within his political party. I think this is an interesting story because we can draw connections from the internal political corruption in this country. I think Obasanjo distributed that 12 billion dollars to influential players throughout the state that could give him power later on. Although there is an investigation into how the funds were wasted, I doubt anyone would be able to convict a devious player such as Obansanjo. On a promising note, at least the issue was brought to light and was not covered up as much of the corruption in Africa is. I think this may signal a key political time in Nigeria in that perhaps the populace will begin to analyze where exactly there money is being spent and for what reasons. Perhaps this signals that some political corruption may be stopped at least for the short term.

China:Internal Unrest

After days of violence the Chinese government has given a deadline to protesters. A BBC article covers:

"The authorities in Tibet have given anti-Chinese demonstrators until Monday to surrender, following violence that officials say left 10 people dead. "

The protests are beginning to gain international attention as more reports come in of increased casualties. I think an interesting aspect of this event is to pay attention to how the world reacts politically. The Olympics are scheduled to take place in China, but it seems problems continue to spring up as time gets closer to the games start. I think countries around the world will be forced to downplay their own politically opinions due to the Olympics. China has some serious internal issues to clear up before it can host these Olympic games, but if the international community strikes out at China there may be future consequences. We will have to watch and see exactly how the international community reacts over the next few days as it may have a everlasting result on our future games.

Pakistan: Potential for Change

Where Pakistan stand today? An article highlights some recent developments:

"After a lull during Pakistan's elections, militants have reasserted themselves with a string of suicide blasts that have killed more than 90 people, including an army general and tribal leaders fed up with the violence. "

Suprisingly elections went more smoothly that most originally thought they would. However since the elections carnage has been spread by suicide bombers throughout the country. With these increased attacks, the newly elected parties now have a chance to show how well they can manage the situation.

"The parties of Bhutto and Sharif insist they are committed to
fighting extremism. Bhutto was assassinated on Dec. 27 in an attack that authorities have blamed on Islamic militants. Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for her party, said it would not bow to attacks that were a deliberate attempt to destabilize and iscourage the democratic government that will soon be taking over. They are trying to nullify the results of the election."

While these parties may say they are ready to manage these terrorists many people wonder if the country will now plunge into chaos. As senior miliary officers are now targeted and have been actually killed, this signals a potential problem. If we further analyze these attacks it shows that terrorists are most likely gaining intelligence through sources and are targeting targets of higher value. This shows that the terrorists actually have a functioning network that is working rather than just targeting random people. I think this is a major concern for the elected government and its president. If the government cannot gain control of these suicide attacks this will lead to further instability of the country. The international community has witnessed several instances where riots have spewed throughout the nation before. If further riots ensue this could be a key time that the government could use to show whether it is capable of managing this country.

Kenya Update: Proper Solution?

President Mwai Kibaki, "the power-sharing deal would lay the foundations for peace and stability in our country." This comes after hundreds of people had been slain over elections that had the opposition to the newly elected president up in arms. To quell the riots that broke out, a prime minister role will be created for the opposition party. An article covers some details:

"More than 1,000 people have died and a half-million others were displaced after clashes erupted in the country previously considered one of Africa's most stable. Several pieces of legislation are required to implement the power-sharing deal, including a constitutional amendment to entrench several new positions. Under the deal, Odinga will move into the new post of prime minister, giving him the power to co-ordinate and supervise the government. After the proposed bills were introduced Thursday, debate was scheduled to begin Tuesday followed by a vote. If passed, the laws could be put in place that week."

As the international community now may see a potentially disastrous issue close we can begin to analyze the situation. Many observers feel that officials actually fueled the original riots that ensued, causing hundreds of deaths. I found this interesting because the opposition may have used the populace to make their own gains. Seeing that they had lost the election which many considered false, the opposition may have made a strategic move on their part, creating an internal problem that the government could not ignore. With what many considered a stable country, the riots were used as a tool to create a position to share power within the government. Of course the stop of riots and destruction within the country was a critical issue and needed to be solved. Perhaps the elections were false, but why was there no secondary elections announced? This would have easily solved the situation allowing a proper election to be conducted.

This obviously points to some critical issues within Kenya's government. Now we see government officials becoming corrupt to control their various stakes in the country. This country is dealing with a structure of government that seems to have a hold over it's populace as their voice is ignored. The international community did help to try and resolve the situation and now a solution has been created. I think this was an important development that the world should watch out for. The entire situation from the beginning of elections to now has shown how quickly a stable country can fall apart. While there is not much any outside actors can do, the international community should keep notice of developments such as Kenya's so that we may have a better basis on how to deal with a situation like this in the future.

Spain: Internal Security

General elections are beginning in Spain and some interesting developments may come about. These elections are the next interesting vote since when in 2004, as a BBC article covers, voters switched who controlled the government.

In 2004, voters turned out in high numbers - galvanised by the Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people three days earlier - to give Mr Zapatero a surprise victory over Mr Rajoy's conservative government.

The elections have even sprung some violence as the former Socialist councilor, Isaias Carrasco, was shot. As the blame has landed on Basque separatists, the event has tarnished the overall feeling for these elections. As the train bombings influenced the quick removal of Mr. Rajoy in 2004 hopefully no event will influence these elections.

The article also points out the faltering economy in Spain which has become the primary debate of the populace to consider for the elections. Much of the debate also points to the United States to blame for the economic slowdown in Spain. As it is difficult to pinpoint whether such an economic decline may be responsible from one country, according to another BBC article, inflation is at a 10 year high, with unemployment at an 8 year high. Seeing that these numbers indicate that Spain had been decreasing economically over a longer period of time indicates outside countries such as the US may not have been responsible.

I think some more interesting key ideas can be looked at here though, the new elections may reflect on international relations as well as how well the government of Spain will work with the European Union. As we see internal conflict in the country this may signal troubling signs that the government is having difficulty controlling radical individuals. I think this is a good time for the newly elected to focus on the internal security of Spain. The BBC article also points out an interesting fact:

"Spain accounts for well over a third of all EU immigration"

With high numbers of immigrants, security of the state may need to become a primary concern. As the Madrid bombings influenced the populace in the last vote, perhaps an overhaul of dealing with immigrants is needed. If a state cannot control the internal aspects of its society then the structures which function the overall government and its external dealings with the world will slowly break down that could create a destabilized country.