December 1 – Latin America/North America: MEXICO
Felipe Calderon takes office as president of Mexico, succeeding Vicente Fox. Opposition politicians accuse Calderon of winning the election by fraud and threaten to disrupt the upcoming official inauguration. Calderon recognizes divisions in Mexican politics, and calls for an end to prolonged disagreements.
December 4 – Latin America: BRAZIL
Brazil’s Para state governor Simao Jatene implements a plan to protect 15 million hectares of rainforest in northern Para. The plan will protect the land from unsustainable logging and agriculture practices. The newly protected area will connect to the Guyana Shield region, a huge conservation corridor in the northern Amazon.
December 4 – Former Soviet Republics: KAZAKHSTAN
Kazakhstan’s bid to chair the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2009 sparks debate among member states. Kazakhstan’s vast oil and gas reserves may represent an alternative to Russian energy, but some are concerned over the country’s record on human rights and democracy. The OSCE was founded during the Cold War to combat mistrust between Russia and the West. It has fifty-six member states.
December 5 – South Asia: INDIA
Former Indian cabinet minister Shibu Soren is sentenced to life in prison for murdering his aide, Shashinath Jha, in 1994. The conviction embarrasses the Indian government and gives weight to opposition accusations that the government shields corrupt politicians. A recent study reports that nearly 25 percent of India’s parliamentarians face criminal charges.
December 7 – Latin America: COLOMBIA
Leaders of Colombia’s right-wing paramilitary withdraw from a peace deal with the government. The pullout follows their transfer to a high-security prison amid accusations that they have been planning illegal activities from jail. Under the agreement signed in 2004, 30,000 fighters have disarmed, and the leaders face a maximum jail sentence of eight years.
December 11 – Latin America: CHILE
Chile’s former military leader Augusto Pinochet dies at ninety-one. His supporters mourn his death, while his opponents express anger that he was never sentenced for human rights abuses. General Pinochet took power in 1973. During his time in power more than 3,000 people were killed or disappeared.
December 11 — Europe: EUROPEAN UNION/TURKEY
Turkey’s failure to open its ports and airports to Cypriot traffic leads the European Union (EU) to suspend talks in eight policy areas required for Turkey’s membership in the EU. Turkey’s EU membership talks began in 2005.
December 14 — Europe: BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA/MONTENEGRO/SERBIA
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) welcomes Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Montenegro into its Partnership for Peace on the eleventh anniversary of the Dayton Agreement, which ended the war in Bosnia. The move puts the three countries on the path to a future NATO membership. Slovenia is the only former Yugoslav state with full NATO membership.
December 17 – East Asia: CHINA
U.S.-based Westinghouse wins a billion-dollar contract to build four nuclear plants in China. Many countries are focusing on nuclear power due to declining fossil fuels and increased energy consumption. Nuclear power is highly controversial. Some experts claim it is a very efficient energy source, while others argue that the risks of an accident and costs of disposing radioactive waste outweigh the benefits.
December 18 – Latin America/North America: MEXICO
Mexican police detain Alfonso Barajas, a main leader of a drug cartel in the western state of Michoacan. Drug trafficking and gang-related violence is rampant in the state, which is the target of a government crackdown. The operation is President Felipe Calderon’s first major initiative since his inauguration on December 2.
December 19 – Former Soviet Republics: KYRGYZSTAN
The Kyrgyz cabinet resigns amid a conflict between President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and parliament. Prime Minister Felix Kulov states that the move will speed up parliamentary elections and bolster democracy. Bakiyev came to power in the 2005 Tulip Revolution. He has faced criticism that he has gone back on his promises to implement reforms.
December 20 – Middle East: IRAQ
The U.S. military hands security of Iraq’s Najaf province to Iraqi forces. U.S. officials state the transfer signals the growing capability of Iraqi security forces. Najaf, which lies south of Baghdad, is the third province to come back under Iraqi command.
December 20 – North America: UNITED STATES
The U.S. military hands security of Iraq’s Najaf province to Iraqi forces. U.S. officials state the transfer signals the growing capability of Iraqi security forces. Najaf, which lies south of Baghdad, is the third province to come back under Iraqi command.
December 21 – Africa: SOMALIA/ETHIOPIA
Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, the leader of Somalia’s Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), which controls much of southern Somalia, announces that they are in a state of war with Ethiopia. The fight stems from a history of strained relations between both countries, and has already resulted in many casualties. A European Union envoy announces that the parties agree to resume settlement talks.
December 21 – Former Soviet Republics: TURKMENISTAN
Turkmen President Saparmurat Niyazov dies of a heart attack at the age of sixty-six after ruling for twenty-one years. The country’s future is uncertain, as Niyazov has not designated a successor. Turkmenistan has the world’s fifth-largest gas reserves and significant oil resources.
December 23 – Middle East: IRAN
The UN Security Council imposes sanctions on Iran due to its failure to meet demands that it end uranium enrichment activities. Sanctions include blocking trade in nuclear material and equipment, and freezing assets of those supporting proliferation activities. The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is to issue a report within sixty days on Iran’s progress on halting its nuclear program.
December 23 – International Organizations: INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
The UN Security Council imposes sanctions on Iran due to its failure to meet demands that it end uranium enrichment activities. Sanctions include blocking trade in nuclear material and equipment, and freezing assets of those supporting proliferation activities. The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is to issue a report within sixty days on Iran’s progress on halting its nuclear program.
December 25 – Europe/Former Soviet Republics: RUSSIA/GEORGIA
Russian troops withdraw from their military headquarters in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. The troops were sent to Tbilisi in the 1990s to help manage civil unrest. The move advances the agenda of Georgia’s pro-Western government, which aims to reduce Russia’s influence, and join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
December 27 – Middle East: EGYPT
Egypt records the tenth person to die of bird flu after testing positive for the H5N1 strain of the virus. Outside Asia, Egypt is one of the countries worst affected by this disease. The virus is also present in Iran, Iraq, Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.
December 29 — Europe: UNITED KINGDOM
United Kingdom settles its World War II debts to the United States and Canada after sixty years. The loan, which totaled $5.5 billion, was given to Britain in 1950 to defeat Nazi Germany and rebuild the country in the postwar period.
December 30 – Middle East: IRAQ
Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is executed by hanging. Iraqi Shias celebrate the execution, while Sunnis stage protests in some towns. Hussein’s death sentence stems from the 1982 killings of 148 Shias in Dujail. The former Iraqi leader was sixty-nine.