1 FEBRUARY 2005

Nepal

King Gyanendra dissolved the government, placed politicians under house arrest and declared a state of emergency (this was lifted on 30 April). He said the government had failed to conduct parliamentary elections and restore peace in the country. Gyanendra said he would form a new cabinet which would “restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years” and that he would respect human rights (CNN.com).

Diplomatic affairs

The UN Security Council passed a resolution authorizing French and UN peacekeeping forces in Ivory Coast to inspect any cargo shipments entering the country for the purpose of stopping the importation of weapons (CNN.com).

Spain

A proposal by Basque regional President Juan Jose Ibarretxe to make the Basque region a “free associated state” with Spain was defeated by the Spanish Parliament 313-29 with two abstentions. The Basques already enjoy considerable autonomy (CNN.com).

4 FEBRUARY 2005

Georgia

In an apparent accident, Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania was found dead in a friend’s apartment, poisoned by carbon monoxide from a gas-fired heating stove (AP).

5-7 FEBRUARY 2005

Togo, politics

On the 5th, President Gnassingbe Eyadema died while seeking treatment for an illness abroad. On the 7th, his son, Faure Gnassingbe, who was backed by the army, was sworn in as president. African leaders heavily criticized the change of power as being unconstitutional. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said, "All African leaders should not accept what has happened in that country until there is a democratic transition" (Reuters).

6 FEBRUARY 2005

Thailand, politics

Elections were held for all 500 seats in the House of Representatives. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) decisively defeated the opposition, winning 377 seats, up from 248. Banyat Bantadtan’s Democrat Party won 96, the Chart Thai Party (TNP) won 25 and the Mahachon Party won 2. Turnout was over 70% (IFES, AP).

United States, foreign policy

Vice President Dick Cheney, commenting on the 30 January elections in Iraq, said, “In the final analysis, the bottom line for everybody to remember here is this is not going to be, you know, an Iraqi version of America. This is going to be Iraq. It's going to be written by the Iraqis, for the Iraqis, implemented and executed by them....I don't think, at this stage, that there's anything like justification for hand-wringing or concern on the part of Americans that somehow they're going to produce a result we won't like" (CNN.com).

8 FEBRUARY 2005

Israel

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas had talks at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Afterwards, Abbas said, "We have agreed with Prime Minister Sharon to cease all violence against the Israelis and against the Palestinians, wherever they are." Sharon said Israel would cease military operations in return for Palestinians ending violence against Israelis (CNN.com).

Sub-Saharan Africa, diplomatic affairs

The African Union’s (AU) Peace and Security Council laid out responsibilities for a peacekeeping mission to Somalia that had recently been agreed to by Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. The mission is "to provide security support to the transitional federal government, in order to ensure its relocation to Somalia" and to assist with other aspects of the re-establishment of peace and security there (Reuters).

9 FEBRUARY 2005

Philippines

About 3,000 troops with air support began an operation on Jolo island against the Abu Sayyaf rebels and renegades from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) (Reuters).

Sub-Saharan Africa, diplomatic affairs

At an emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), members declared that the Togolese military had committed a coup d'etat in making Faure Gnassingbe president of Togo (AP).

10 FEBRUARY 2005

North Korea, military affairs

The government for the first time publicly stated that it possessed nuclear weapons (CNN.com).

Saudi Arabia, politics

The first ever political elections were held at the local level (AP).

11 FEBRUARY 2005

Iraq

A suicide car bombing of a Shi’ite mosque in Balad Ruz killed 12 (CNN.com).

11-12 FEBRUARY 2005

Togo

There were small but violent opposition protests in Lome (AP).

12 FEBRUARY 2005

Russia

There were protests across the country by Communists and other opponents of President Vladimir Putin against a recent benefits reform. The protests had been announced weeks in advance, and Putin’s supporters countered them with their own demonstrations. The Interior Ministry estimated that nearly 240,000 Russians demonstrated across the country, but said it did not have a breakdown between pro- and anti-Putin rallies (AP).

14 FEBRUARY 2005

Philippines

Three separate terror bombings killed nine people; the Abu Sayyaf militant group claimed responsibility (AP).

Kenya, politics

President Mwai Kibaki reshuffled his cabinet, apparently at least in part because of a corruption scandal. Among the changes, National Security Minister Chris Murungaru swapped posts with Transport Minister John Michuki (Reuters).

14-16 FEBRUARY 2005

Lebanon

A bomb blast in Beirut on the 14th killed former prime minister Rafik Hariri and 16 others. On the 16th, about 100,000 people turned out for his funeral (CNN.com).

15 FEBRUARY 2005

Diplomatic relations

The US recalled its ambassador to Syria and reiterated criticism of Syria’s military presence in Lebanon, support of terrorist groups, relations with Iran and the “use of Syrian territory by the Iraqi insurgency” (CNN.com).

17 FEBRUARY 2005

Thailand

A car bomb attack in Sungai Kolok killed five people. No one immediately claimed responsibility (CNN.com).

18 FEBRUARY 2005

Lebanon

The political opposition accused Syria of being behind the assassination of Rafik Hariri, called on the government to resign and demanded that Syria withdraw its 14,000 troops from the country. There were small opposition demonstrations across Lebanon. Syria denied involvement in Hariri’s death (CNN.com).

Iraq

A suicide bomb attack on a religious procession to al-Khadimain mosque in Baghdad killed at least 15 people. A car bombing of another Shi’ite mosque in Iskandariya killed seven (CNN.com).

Togo

President Faure Gnassingbe said presidential elections would be held within two months (AP).

19 FEBRUARY 2005

Asia and the Pacific, diplomatic affairs

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld met their Japanese counterparts, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and Defense Agency chief Yoshinori Ono, in Washington. Afterwards, Rice said they talked about their "desire for cooperative relations with China, our desire to ensure that the cross-Strait issues can be resolved peacefully." North Korea’s nuclear weapons program was also a topic of discussion (AP).

Sub-Saharan Africa, diplomatic affairs

ECOWAS suspended Togo from the organization and announced it would impose a travel ban and an arms embargo on the country and withdraw ambassadors (CNN.com).

Haiti

Over 300 prisoners, including former prime minister Yvon Neptune, escaped from the National Penitentiary. Fifteen people, including the director of the prison, died during the escape (CNN.com).

20 FEBRUARY 2005

Portugal, politics

In parliamentary elections, the Socialist Party (PS) won 120 seats in the 230-seat Assembly of the Republic, up from 96. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) led by Prime Minister Pedro Santana Lopes won 72 seats, down from 150 (AP). Economic problems were the dominant issue in the election (IFES, AP).

Israel

The Cabinet gave final approval for the withdrawal of settlements from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank. The withdrawal is to begin in July and occur in four stages, each of which must be approved by the Cabinet. Also approved was the final route of the separation barrier in the West Bank (AP).

20-25 FEBRUARY 2005

Diplomatic affairs

US President Bush visited Europe, meeting most of the region’s heads of state. On the 21st, in Belgium, he gave a speech in which he reiterated his view that supporting the spread of democratic political systems and movements, particularly in the Middle East, was the most important thing that the US and its European allies could do to ensure international peace and security. He called on Europeans to provide greater support to the fledgling US-inspired regime in Iraq, and called on Syria to withdraw from Lebanon. He said that “for Russia to make progress as a European nation, the Russian government must renew a commitment to democracy and the rule of law”, and stressed that “the United States and all European countries should place democratic reform at the heart of their dialogue with Russia.”

On the 22nd, he met with NATO leaders, who agreed to increase training assistance for Iraq’s military.

On the 23rd, Bush met German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Mainz. After their meeting, Schroeder said, "We absolutely agree that Iran must say no to any kind of nuclear weapon -- full stop."

On the 24th, Bush met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bratislava, Slovakia. They discussed US concerns about Russia’s democratic development and its nuclear cooperation with Iran, but also agreed to increase cooperation on certain security issues (CNN.com, BBC).

23 FEBRUARY 2005

France, foreign policy

French President Chirac reiterated France's desire for Syria to withdraw its military forces from Lebanon (AP).

28 FEBRUARY 2005

Burundi

A new constitution was approved in a referendum. Authorities said turnout was 90%, with 91% approving the new framework. It reserves 60% of seats in government and parliament for ethnic-Hutus and 40% for ethnic-Tutsis (AP).

Iraq

A suicide car bomb attack killed about 125 people in Hilla (www.rte.ie).