Hamas and Fatah Come Agreement to Set up Elections

The two main factions in Palestine, Hamas and Fatah, came to an agreement on elections and the formation of a new government this past Sunday. This deal is a follow-up to a broader unity agreement that was struck about a year ago. Azam al-Ahmad of Fatah and Musa Abu Marzouq of Hamas met in Cairo to reach this deal. The recent deal for the elections was similar to the deal made last year except, according to Jodi Rudoren of The New York Times:

“The new agreement essentially takes steps to carry out the previous one, particularly the registering of new voters in Gaza and the formation of an interim government. Both are to begin May 27, and Egypt “will follow each party’s commitment to the deal,” according to Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman.”

The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, did not comment on the agreement, but did say earlier this month that it would be impossible to have “reconciliation” without the use of elections.

There are some twists to the deal. Mr. Abbas also said that “until the elections, the interim government he had promised to set up would be ‘transitional, technocratic and independent,’ and would not include representatives of Hamas”. Everybody in the government should recognize Israel, denounce terrorism”.

According to the Le Nouvel Observateur, it will be interesting to see the new government’s position on Israel, the United States, and the nuclear issue in Iran. The elections and the creation of a new government are set to start on May 27, 2012.

More European Election News: Greece

The New York Times is reporting that Greece’s election produced uncertainty about the future of austerity in Europe with the main line Greek political parties being spurned by voters who favored extremist fringe parties which look unlikely to form a coalition with major parties.This potentially puts loan agreements reached with European creditors at risk.

Au Revoir Sarkozy: Hollande becomes next French President

By: Paul Sherman

The people have spoken in France. Their new president will be François Hollande, the Socialist candidate, not incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy of the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire party. Hollande is the first Socialist president that has been elected since François Mitterand in 1981. According to The New York Times, François Hollande received 51.6 percent of the vote while Sarkozy received 48.4 percent with ninety-five percent of the French vote counted.

Sarkozy did have some notable accomplishments during his time in office. According to Steven Erlanger of The New York Times:

In his five years in office, he propelled France, and himself, into a more central role in world affairs, rejoining the NATO military command and helping drive an international military campaign in Libya. He also proved to be a difficult but crucial ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany in their joint effort to master the European debt and currency crisis and save the euro.

His accomplishments were not enough to propel him above Hollande though.

In his speech at the Place de la Bastille in Paris after the election, Hollande talked about a creating a “new start” for the French Republic according to Le Monde. He has been promising to bring change and “justice” to a France and a Europe that is in desperate need of a new leader who is willing to make necessary changes. Le Monde has reported that Hollande also said that “this change must be worthy of France. It starts now … I am at the service of France and ready to deliver change. My mission: to serve France, the Republic and beyond, the causes that I have made throughout Europe and worldwide”.

A notable component of the election is the growing power of the extreme parties, particularly the revamped Front National under Marine Le Pen. Even though it did not make the second round of voting, Le Front National has received the largest percentage of the popular vote in the first round of voting ever, which was eighteen percent. Additionally, Marine Le Pen has changed the views of the party from that of her father’s, Jean-Marie Le Pen. Marine Le Pen has changed the party’s stances on the French economy and immigration. The growing influence of this party as well as others will be an important factor for Hollande’s presidency.

It will also be interesting to see how Hollande will deal with France’s economic woes as well as Europe’s troubles. He has said that he is opposed to austerity measures, so he will have to learn to work with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, particularly since France and Germany are the two main states in the European Union.

But for now, he and his fellow French citizens can celebrate a new beginning for France and the rest of Europe.

Syrian Violence Continues Despite Cease-Fire

By Paul Sherman

In spite of the recent cease-fire agreement, violent outbreaks continued in Syria on Monday as gunmen fired rockets at government buildings in Damascus, most notably two security headquarters and the Central Bank. The Guardian reports that the gunmen were called “armed terrorists” by state media sources. Additionally, the two security buildings housed branches of the army and the air force. Reports have shown that at least nine people were killed and approximately one hundred more were wounded during the bombings. These attacks occurred following a suicide bombing that occurred last Friday, which was claimed by an Al-Qaeda-inspired Islamist group.

Relations between the government and the opposition have not improved, as the both sides continue to blame each other for violating the cease-fire agreement. According to Neil MacFarquhar of the New York Times:

“The government said two suicide bombers carried out the Idlib blasts in what it called terrorist attacks, which came within minutes of each other. The opposition said the government had staged the attacks and had blamed them on jihadi networks to convince United Nations monitors that the opposition was responsible for sabotaging the cease fire in place since April 12.”

Activists have also reported other explosions occurring around the city, but it has been difficult to tell if that information is accurate due to a lack of independent reporters in the region.

Beacause of the recent increase in violence, the UN has sent a special envoy of sixteen unarmed officials to Syria to attempt to maintain the cease-fire agreement created by Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League envoy and a former Secretary-General. There are critics of the envoy, such as Major General Robert Mood of the UN, who has said that it would not solve Syria’s problem and has urged the Assad government and the opposition to end the armed conflict.

V.P. Biden in Honduras, Talks Drug Legalization

By: Amanda Bourlier

            Vice President Joe Biden visited Honduras this past week to meet with Central American leaders leading up to April’s Summit of the Americas.  The theme of Biden’s visit was drug trafficking, an ever-present problem for Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and other nations represented during his visit.  Weighing especially heavy on Central American politicians and drug enforcement agencies is the possibility of the U.S. decriminalizing certain drugs, namely marijuana.  Legalization has been gaining support within the United States, although it is opposed by many Latin American countries that have long cited illicit U.S. demand for drugs as a significant factor in continued drug-related violence within their borders.  Biden, however, assured Central American leaders that the United States would not engage in legalization while the Obama administration remained in power.  He instead stressed the United States’ continued support of conventional law enforcement and criminal justice measures.

In addition to social motives, some have suggested legalizing some currently illegal drugs in the United States in light of the limited progress in the war on drugs.  Proponents of this notion liken it to alcohol and prohibition, arguing that legalization will bring the trade into the open, where it can be overseen by governments and other actors.  Others, however, point out that drug cartels extend their criminal activity far beyond drug trade, meaning that legalization is not likely to crowd them out.  In that case, legalization would be likely to only increase their profits and power.

Greve in Bahia: Brazilian Police Strike Sparks Crime Wave

by Amanda Bourlier

The Brazilian state of Bahia was left police-less last week when the state’s police force declared a general strike, citing low salaries in the face of rising crime rates. The strike itself has caused an upswing in violence; more than a hundred people were murdered in Bahia’s capital and largest city, Salvador since the beginning of the strike. These events have prompted the Brazilian government to deploy three thousand soldiers and federal police to the region to restore and maintain order as negotiations take place between the government and police to end the strike. Even more troubling than an entire state left without law enforcement are reports that police officers have actually been contributing to this violence, including committing robberies and organizing roving gangs. While government officials have promised to prosecute police who engaged in illegal acts during this strike, it is unclear what if any punishment police officers will face for going on strike in the first place.

The protests come at a particularly unfortunate time for the region, as Brazil’s famous Carnival festivities are slated to begin before the end of February.  While the most famous Carnival celebration takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador’s Carnival usually draws tens of thousands of visitors. According to the BBC, concern is also growing that emergency first responders in Rio de Janeiro including police officers may also decide to strike later this week.

Alleged Honor Killings In Canada

by Austen Hufford

Three members of a family originally from Afghanistan who were living in Canada were convicted of murdering four other family members this week. In June 2009, a car with the bodies of three teenagers and one middle aged women was discovered submerged in a canal in Kingston, Ontario. The four victims were sisters Zanab, Sahar and Geetin, ages 19, 17 and 13, and their father’s first wife, Rona Amir Mohammad. Mohammad Shafia, his second wife Tooba Yahya and one of their sons, Hamed, were all convicted of the murders.

The prosecutors allege that Shafia decided to murder his daughters and first wife because they had become westernized: they sometimes wore revealing clothing and the older two sisters might have had secret boyfriends. The family of ten was driving home to Montreal from a vacation to Niagara Falls. They decided to stop and spend the night near Kingston. Prosecutors allege that Shafia, Yahya and Hamed drowned the victims, put them in the family car, and then pushed it into the canal. The family left Afghanistan in 1992, lived in various other countries and entered Canada in 2009. The ten person family, two wives and all, were living together at the time of the murders. All three convicted will serve at least 25 years in prison.