To read another entry in the timeline, please return to the Timeline page and select a region of the world, month and year. January 2008, Global Timeline January 1 — Europe: European Union Cyprus and Malta adopt the euro, becoming the 14th and 15th EU members to replace their currency with the euro. The two Mediterranean island states will have the same voting rights as the other 13 members at the European Central Bank. January 2 — South Asia: Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan government officially withdraws from a ceasefire agreement with Tamil Tiger rebels, who are fighting for an independent state in the north and east of the country. Despite the Norwegian-brokered truce, fighting has been escalating since 2006. Some 5,000 people have been killed in the past two years of the “ceasefire,” bringing the total number of deaths since the beginning of the war in 1983 to 70,000. January 5 — Former Soviet Union: Georgia Georgia’s incumbent President Mikhail Saakashvili wins re-election in a snap election with roughly 52 percent of the vote. Saakashvili called for the early election to resolve a political crisis that led to violent clashes between protestors and riot police in November 2007. Notwithstanding an array of alleged violations including misuse of state resources and media bias, international observers call the election mostly clean, and the most competitive in Georgian history. January 11 — Europe/Africa: European Union/Chad The European Union approves a peacekeeping force for Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) to protect internally displaced persons, Darfur refugees, and aid workers, as violence between Chadian forces and Darfur rebels escalates. Camps in Chad host about 240,000 refugees from Sudan’s region of Darfur, along with 180,000 displaced Chadians, and 45,000 Central Africans. The force, known as Eufor Chad/CAR, will consist of 3,700 troops, more than half French. The operation is separate from the United Nations’ ongoing mission in Darfur. January 12 — East Asia: Taiwan Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party wins a landslide victory in parliamentary elections. The KMT, which seeks closer ties with China, gains 72 percent of the seats in the 113-seat chamber, defeating President Chen Shui-bian’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The defeat prompts Chen to resign as chairman of the DPP. January 14 — Middle East/North America: Iraq/United States Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul Qadir arrives in the United States to discuss the long-term military relationship between both countries, including U.S. assistance in building Iraqi armed forces. During his interview, Minister Qadir says that Iraq will not be able to provide for its internal security until 2012, or to defend Iraq’s external borders until 2018-2020. January 15 — Europe/Middle East: France/United Arab Emirates In an effort to increase France’s prestige abroad, French President Nicolas Sarkozy signs a deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to establish a permanent French naval base in Abu Dhabi, France’s first base in the Persian Gulf. France also agrees to help the UAE build two nuclear energy reactors. January 21 — East Asia: Thailand Thailand’s newly elected parliament convenes for the first time since the military seized power in a September 2006 coup, placing the country back on the road to multiparty democracy. Leading a six-party coalition will be the People’s Power Party (PPP), a reincarnation of the Thai Rak Thai party, which was formerly led by deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and was dissolved by the junta. January 23 — Africa: Democratic Republic of Congo The Congolese government and rebel groups sign a peace pact aimed at ending years of bloody insurgency in the country’s eastern region. The deal includes a ceasefire, provisions for the deployment of United Nations peacekeepers, and promises of financial aid for reconstruction. The agreement also offers partial amnesty to key rebel leader General Laurent Nkunda, dependent on the disarming of his group. Still unresolved is the related issue of disarming another rebel militia, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The FDLR is opposed to the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) of General Nkunda. January 23 — Middle East: Palestinian Territories Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip blow several openings in the border fence that divides the territory from neighboring Egypt. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans flow into Egypt to purchase essential goods. The action is in defiance of Israel’s decision on January 17 to close all border crossings into Gaza. Israel’s move was in response to rockets fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip. The blockade created severe fuel and food shortages in the Gaza Strip. January 23 — Europe: Greece/Turkey Greek prime minister Costas Karamanlis arrives in Turkey for a three-day visit, the first official visit by a Greek leader in almost fifty years. Although relations between the two countries have improved greatly in the past decade, territorial disputes over the Aegean Sea and, especially, the future of the divided island of Cyprus remain. January 24 — Europe: Italy A senate no-confidence vote forces Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi to resign. Prodi, who led a center-left government coalition for 20 months, faced nearly three dozen no-confidence votes before losing the latest one. Constant bickering among the coalition members prevented Prodi from implementing many of the economic and electoral reforms he promised. Prodi’s government was Italy’s 61st government in the 62 years since the end of World War II. January 25 — Former Soviet Union/Europe: Russia/Serbia/Bulgaria Serbia and Russia’s state-owned gas giant, Gazprom, sign an energy agreement that gives Gazprom a controlling stake in Serbia’s national gas and oil monopoly, NIS. Gazprom also agrees to construct a gas pipeline through Serbia to pump Russian natural gas to other European countries. The deal, together with another deal reached four days earlier with Bulgaria to build a fuel pipeline, gives the Russian company significant control over gas supplies to Europe. January 29 — Africa: Kenya The killing of opposition parliament member, Mugabe Were, sparks fresh fighting in Kenya, where weeks of intense violence were triggered by the disputed December 27th presidential election. Hundreds have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced by ethnically driven revenge and reprisal attacks between President Mwai Kibaki’s Kikuyu tribe and the Luos and Kalenjins, who back opposition leader Raila Odinga. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is mediating talks to try to end the crisis. January 31 — Latin America/International Organizations and Issues: Mexico/North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Tens of thousands of Mexican farmers protest in Mexico City against the lifting of corn tariffs, which took place on January 1 under the provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Protesters claim the elimination of trade barriers, as well as unfair government subsidies for farmers in Canada and the United States, will put many Mexican farmers out of business. The farmers and some opposition leaders call for renegotiation of some NAFTA provisions. To read another entry in the timeline, please return to the Timeline page and select a region of the world, month and year. February 2008, Global Timeline February 4 — Latin America: Colombia Hundreds of thousands of Colombians protest against kidnappings and killings by the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), a leftist rebel group. Protests also take place in cities around the world. Along with drug profits, the FARC uses kidnapping ransoms to fund its long-running war with the Colombian government. Along with Colombia, both the European Union and the United States list the FARC as a terrorist group. February 11 — East Asia: East Timor Renegade soldiers in East Timor seriously wound the country’s president, José Ramos-Horta, in an attack at his home in Dili. Rebel leader Alfredo Reinado is killed in the attack. The rebels also unsuccessfully attempt to kill Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão by shooting at his convoy. Gusmão describes the incident as an attempted coup and announces a state of emergency. February 12 — Latin America: Bolivia Bolivian President Evo Morales declares a national disaster after severe floods caused by weeks of rain kill at least 60 people and leave about 60,000 families homeless. The floods have also swept away crops and communication lines. It is the second year in a row that Bolivia has seen devastating floods. February 12 — Middle East: Syria, Lebanon Imad Mughniyeh, senior commander of the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah, is killed by a car bomb in Syria’s capital, Damascus. Hezbollah and Iran blame Israel for his death, but Israel denies involvement. Mughniyeh is believed to have been responsible for countless bombings, kidnappings, and hijackings, including the 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut and the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airliner. February 17 — South Asia: Afghanistan A suicide bomb in Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar kills more than 100 people and injures scores more. Among those killed is Abdul Hakim Jan, a police chief and leader of an anti-Taliban militia. The incident is Afghanistan’s bloodiest attack in recent years, and follows a string of bomb attacks that made 2007 the deadliest year since the Taliban fell in 2001. February 17 — Former Soviet Union: Serbia/Kosovo Serbia’s province of Kosovo unilaterally declares independence, prompting protests across Serbia and by the Serb minority in Kosovo. While Serbia says the declaration is illegal, other countries are divided on whether to recognize Kosovo’s independence. With the help of Russia, Serbia vows to block Kosovo from obtaining membership in the United Nations. February 18 — South Asia: Pakistan General elections in Pakistan result in defeat for President Pervez Musharraf’s ruling party, Muslim League (PML-Q), which secures less than 16 percent of the seats in the National Assembly. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto wins a third of the Assembly seats, and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, wins almost a quarter of the seats. Despite the defeat of his party, President Musharraf says he will not resign. February 19 — Latin America: Cuba Cuba’s president, Fidel Castro, announces his retirement at age 81, ending his 49-year rule of Cuba. Fidel’s brother and the world’s longest-serving minister of defense, 76-year old Raúl Castro, is designated as the communist island state’s next president. February 22 — Middle East: Turkey/Iraq Thousands of Turkish troops make an incursion into northern Iraq, targeting Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) rebels. Turkey accuses Iraq of failing to stop the rebels from using the mountainous area to launch attacks on Turkey. Turkey, the United States, and the European Union consider the PKK, comprised of Turkish Kurds, a terrorist organization. February 24 — Europe: Cyprus Demetris Christofias of the communist Progressive Party of the Working People (AKEL) wins Cyprus’s presidential election, becoming the only communist head of state in the European Union. In contrast with his predecessor, Christofias promises to pursue a reunification settlement with the Turkish-Cypriot northern part of the island. February 26 — East Asia/North America: North Korea/United States The New York Philharmonic Orchestra visits North Korea to play a concert in the country’s capital, Pyongyang. Hailed as “soft power ambassadors,” the ensemble is the biggest American delegation to visit North Korea since the Korean War. The visit is compared to the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s concert in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, as it aims to ease strained diplomatic relations. February 28 — Africa: Kenya Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga agree to share power in an effort to end the political crisis and intense violence that have dominated Kenya since last December’s disputed election. Under the agreement reached with help of international mediators, Odinga will take a newly created position of prime minister. To read another entry in the timeline, please return to the Timeline page and select a region of the world, month and year. March 2008, Global Timeline March 1 — Latin America: Colombia/Ecuador/Venezuela Colombian forces enter Ecuador to raid a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) camp, killing senior rebel leader Raúl Reyes. The incursion provokes a regional diplomatic crisis as Ecuador and Venezuela sever diplomatic relations with Colombia and send troops to their respective Colombian borders. Meanwhile, Colombia accuses its neighboring governments of providing financial and other support to the FARC, based on information from computers seized in the raid. March 1 — Former Soviet Union: Armenia Armenian President Robert Kocharyan declares a 20-day state of emergency in response to mass demonstrations and violent clashes between protestors and police in Yerevan, Armenia. The protestors dispute Serge Sargsyan’s victory over former President Levon Ter-Petrossian in the February 19 presidential election. Armenia’s Constitutional Court acknowledges election violations, but says they did not affect the outcome. March 2 — Former Soviet Union: Russia Dmitry Medvedev wins 70 percent of the vote in a Russian presidential election that is widely criticized as flawed. President Vladimir Putin, who is to become prime minister after his term expires in May, endorsed Medvedev. Previously, Medvedev was chairman of Russia’s state-run gas monopoly, Gazprom, and Putin’s First Deputy Prime Minister in charge of social programs. March 2 — Middle East: Iran/Iraq Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad pays an official visit to Iraq, where he meets with the country’s president, Jalal Talabani. This is the first-ever visit to Iraq by an Iranian president. The visit reflects the stabilization of relations between the two countries after the long Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. Both sides promise to strengthen political, economic, and cultural cooperation. March 3 — Middle East: Israel/Palestinian Territories Israel withdraws most of its troops from the Gaza Strip after five days of ground and air attacks on Palestinian fighters. More than 100 Palestinians, including civilians, and three Israelis were killed during the incursion. The operation was launched in response to Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel. In the meantime, human rights groups, such as Amnesty International, Save the Children, CARE, and others, report that the Gaza Strip faces the worst humanitarian crisis in 40 years as a result of Israel’s blockade of the territory. March 8 — East Asia: Malaysia Malaysia’s ruling National Front coalition, in its largest electoral setback since independence in 1957, loses the two-thirds parliamentary majority it has held since 1969. It also manages to keep control of only eight out of 13 state governments. Ethnic tensions, crime, and inflation are blamed for the National Front’s defeat. Pressure builds for Prime Minister Abduallah Ahmad Badawi to step down. March 14 — East Asia: China Chinese police use tear gas and gunfire to suppress violent anti-China riots in Tibet, which spread from the capital of Lhasa to other places within the region, lasting several days. Beijing blames the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, for fomenting the Lhasa riots in an attempt to disrupt the Bejing Olympics in August. March 16 — Europe/Global Organizations: Kosovo/United Nations More than a hundred people are injured and one UN officer killed in violent clashes in the Kosovar town of Mitrovica. The incident happens during an attempt by UN forces to retake the local courthouse occupied by Serbs opposed to Kosovo’s independence. This is the worst unrest in Kosovo since its declaration of independence last month. March 18 — Europe: Belgium After intense negotiations, five Dutch- and French-speaking parties agree to form a coalition government led by Christian Democrat Yves Leterme. The agreement ends a nine-month political deadlock over the degree of devolution to be given to regional governments. The new government plans a major reform of the state. March 22 — East Asia: Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang (KMT) party wins the Taiwanese presidential election by a wide margin over Frank Hsieh of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Ma promises to improve relations with China, seeking closer economic ties and direct transport links with the mainland. In the same ballot, voters reject the option for the island to apply to join the United Nations under the name Taiwan, rather than Republic of China. March 24 — South Asia: Bhutan Bhutan holds its first-ever general elections, as part of the transition to a constitutional monarchy as ordained by its king. The Bhutan Prosperity Party (Druk Phuensum Tshogpa) wins 44 out of 47 seats in parliament, though the only two parties running had similar platforms, both pledging commitment to the king’s policy of Gross National Happiness. March 25 — Africa: Comoros/African Union An African Union force of 1,350 troops invades the rebel-held island of Anjouan, one of three islands that make up the Comoros, and topples its renegade leader, Mohamed Bacar. Bacar, who unilaterally declared himself president of the semi-autonomous Anjouan, had threatened to turn it into a microstate. March 25 — South Asia: Pakistan Yousuf Raza Gillani of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is sworn in as prime minister, leading a coalition government with Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N). In his first act as prime minister, Gillani orders the release of judges detained under President Pervez Musharraf and promises to restore them to their positions. March 26 — Former Soviet Union: Belarus Belarusian police forcefully break up an unapproved rally to mark the anniversary of Belarus’s short-lived independence in 1918. The opposition uses the event to protest against the authoritarian rule of President Alexander Lukashenko. March 29 — Middle East: Arab League/Syria An Arab League annual summit hosted by Syria is boycotted by 10 of the 22 Arab League members, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Lebanon. By boycotting the summit, the countries protest Syria’s involvement in Lebanon’s ongoing presidential crisis. Differences on other issues, such as Palestinian factional divide and relations with Iran, have also contributed to the weakening of relations between Syria and other Middle Eastern countries. March 30 — Middle East: Iraq Iraq’s radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr orders his followers to cease fire after a fierce, week-long battle with the Iraqi army in Basra, Baghdad, and other Shiite regions that leaves hundreds dead. The unsuccessful army crackdown on militias in Basra was directed by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. March 31 — Latin America: Argentina Farmers in Argentina resume a three-week-long protest against hikes in export taxes on farm products imposed by Argentinean President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner on March 11. The massive protests, including strikes and roadblocks, have created food shortages around the country. The farmers had suspended the protests on March 28, but say that talks with the government failed to address their grievances. To read another entry in the timeline, please return to the Timeline page and select a region of the world, month and year. [ About SCIS ] [ Educational Materials ] [ Updates ] [ Timeline & Info Links ] [ Upcoming Programs ] [ Workshops ] [ Corporate Training ] [ Young Professionals ] [ Library and Internships ] [ Home ]