News Timeline: December 2017

 

December 6 – Europe / Former Soviet Republics: RUSSIA
Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is seeking another term as president in the elections scheduled for March 2018. If he completes the next 7-year term, he will have ruled Russia for 24 years until 2024. He has been in power since 1999. This includes the period between 2008 and 2012, when he switched places with Dmitry Medvedev who theoretically served as President and Putin as his Prime Minister.[1] Russia’s main opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, has been officially barred from running for president because of his embezzlement conviction, which he claims was politically motivated. Navalny calls for a boycott of the next year’s elections.[2]
From spy to president: The rise of Vladimir Putin: video (09:05)

December 6 – Middle East / North America / International Organizations:
ISRAEL / PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES / UNITED STATES / UNITED NATIONS
United States President Donald Trump announces the United States recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing nearly seven decades of American foreign policy of neutrality on the matter. He also orders the preparations to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.[3] Israel welcomes the move, saying Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for thousands of years. However, the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem, which has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 war, as the capital of the future Palestinian state. The move leaves the United States isolated as it is criticized by majority of international leaders, including the European Union, which says that its stance on the neutrality of Jerusalem will remain unchanged. According to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace accords, the final status of Jerusalem is supposed to be discussed in the latter stages of peace talks. This unilateral decision of the U.S. sparks protests across the globe.[4] (December 13): Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announces that the latest unilateral move by the United States disqualifies it from serving as peace broker in the Palestinian–Israeli conflict. He also suggests the United Nations should take over as a mediator.[5] (December 21): The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly passes a motion — 128 to 9 with 35 abstentions — condemning the unilateral decision by the United States to recognize the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Among the countries that voted in favor of the resolution are many traditional U.S. allies, such as the United Kingdom and France. Canada and Australia abstained.[6]
How the U.S. lost its ability to mediate peace in the Middle East
Why Is Jerusalem a Controversial Capital? Video (01:47)
Jerusalem: Three religions, three families | Faith Matters: video (26:06)

December 6 – Africa: DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC)
The Norwegian Refugee Council reports that internal displacement due to conflict, violence and disasters continues to be a persistent and serious problem in Africa, despite strong commitments on the part of national governments to prevent, address and resolve it. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the country worst affected by conflict displacement not just in Africa, but in the world, ahead of Iraq and Syria. By the end of June 2017, there were close to 1 million newly displaced people in DRC on top of 922,000 in 2016, with another 130,000 people who fled their homes as a result of disasters.[7] The report points out that the instability within the country keeps many families away from their land who rely on it for their livelihoods. This put 7.7 million people on the verge of mass hunger. Lack of access to clean water has led to a cholera outbreak that has killed nearly 600 people. The reason for the instability in DRC is ongoing fighting between rival militias over the control of the territory. The conflict has been worsened by President Joseph Kabila’s refusal to hold new presidential elections. His second term ended in December 2016.[8]

December 10 – Africa: SUDAN
Sudan’s court drops charges of indecency against 24 women who were arrested for wearing trousers after a party they attended was raided by morality police.[9] Article 152 of Sudan’s criminal code allows Sudan’s “morality police” to punish women for going unveiled or even for wearing trousers, which is considered an “indecent act” in public. Thousands of women are arrested and flogged for indecency every year, but the law is applied arbitrarily. The well-off or politically connected can get away with just paying a fine, while others face a punishment of 40 lashes. The law is also seen as discriminatory against minority Christian women from the Nuba Mountains, who wear long-sleeved shirts and skirts or trousers rather than a traditional Sudanese loose flowing robe.[10]

December 12 – South Asia: INDIA
India’s court sentences six men to death and two others to prison for brutally hacking to death a Dalit man who married a girl from a higher caste. One of the men sentenced is the bride’s father who disapproved of the marriage. The court also issues directions to the government of India to enact laws to curb “honor” killings, which are meant by caste supremacists to deter intercaste marriages. Under the guise of ‘honor’ killing, castes are promoted and perpetrated.[11]
What is India’s caste system?

December 13 – Latin America: COLOMBIA
One of Colombia’s largest and strongest paramilitary organizations and drug trafficking-gangs, the Gulf Clan, also known as Los Urabeños, declares a unilateral ceasefire to help bring about peace.[12] Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos described the Gulf Clan as one of the biggest threats to security since a peace was signed last year with Marxist-led Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas.[13] In 2014, the gang had 3,400 members, but because it contracts its operations to smaller criminal gangs, the group’s total manpower and network is much larger.[14] It controls many of the routes used to smuggle drugs from Colombia to the United States, and as far away as Russia. In recent months, however, key figures of the group have been either killed or arrested in joint police and military operations.[15]

December 28 – Middle East: IRAN
People in the second most populous Iranian city of Mashhad come on to the streets to express their economic grievances: rising fuel and food prices. The protests quickly spread to other cities across Iran turning into anti-government demonstrations. People protest the government policies that contributed to years of economic mismanagement, rampant corruption, and involvement in the Middle East conflicts. [16]  Many of the demonstrators are young Iranians who resent the lack of economic opportunity because of rising unemployment, which is especially high at 27 percent among the youth (ages 15-24).[17] The protests also challenge the rule of the Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei who represents the system that was supposed to deliver justice to the people after the revolution of 1979 and it has failed. [18]  Some protesters chant “death to the dictator!”[19] (January 2): About 21 people have been killed and hundreds arrested as a result of continued protests and clashes with police. The government restricts people’s access to social media apps and accuses Iran’s enemies of inciting the protests.[20]

 

Sources:
[1] Carroll, Oliver and Jon Sharman. “Vladimir Putin says he will seek re-election as Russian president in 2018.” The Independent. 6 December 2017. Web. Accessed 3 January 2018.
[2] “Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny barred from running for president.” The Guardian. 25 December 2017. Web. Accessed 3 January 2018.
[3] “Jerusalem: Trump’s envoy Haley berates ‘outrageous UN hostility.” BBC News. 8 December 2017. Web. Accessed 8 January 2018.
[4] “Jerusalem: Netanyahu expects EU to follow US recognition.” BBC News. 11 December 2017. Web. Accessed 8 January 2018.
[5] Bilginsoy, Zeynep and Sarah el Deeb. “Palestinian president says no role for U.S. in Mideast peace process ‘from now on’.” The Chicago Tribune. 13 December 2017. Web. Accessed 8 January 2018.
[6] Dwyer, Colin. “U.N. Votes Overwhelmingly To Condemn U.S. Decision On Jerusalem.” NPR. 21 December 2017. Web. Accessed 8 January 2018.
[7] Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). “2017 Africa Report on Internal Displacement.” (2017). Web. Accessed 20 December 2017 from http://www.internal-displacement.org/library/publications/2017/africa-report-2017
[8] “DR Congo country profile.” BBC News. 6 December 2017. Web. Accessed 18 December 2017.
[9] “Sudan women in trousers: No indecency charges.” BBC News. 10 December 2017. Web. Accessed 5 January 2018.
[10] Eltahawy, Mona. “The Middle East’s Morality Police.” The New York Times. 19 August 2015. Web. Accessed 5 January 2018.
[11] “Six men sentenced to death in India for Dalit ‘honour’ killing.” The Guardian. 15 December 2017. Web. Accessed 4 January 2018.
[12] “Colombia’s main gang declares unilateral ceasefire.” BBC News. 14 December 2017. Web. Accessed 20 December 2017.
[13] “Colombia seizes 12 tons of cocaine, its biggest ever haul.” Reuters. 8 November 2017. Web. Accessed 3 January 2018.
[14] Stanford University. “Bandas Criminales.” Mapping Militant Organizations. 28 August 2015. Web. Accessed 4 January 2018 from http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/607
[15] “Colombia’s biggest criminal gang has declared a unilateral ceasefire to help “bring about peace”. BBC News. 14 December 2017. Web. Accessed 4 January 2018.
[16] Gast, Phil, Dakin Andone and Kara Fox. “Here’s why the Iran protests are significant.” CNN. 3 January 2018. Web. Accessed 9 January 2018.
[17] The World Bank Group. “Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate).” World Bank Open Data. March 2017. Web. Accessed 9 January 2018 from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.1524.ZS
[18] Ibid 16.
[19] Georgy, Michael. “Iranian protesters attack police stations, raise stakes in unrest.” Reuters. 31 December 2017. Web. Accessed 10 January 2018.
[20] Dehghan, Saeed Kamali and Julian Borger. “Iran’s enemies to blame for unrest, says supreme leader, as death toll rises.” The Guardian. 2 January 2018. Web. Accessed 10 January 2018.