2 FEBRUARY 2006

Iraq

Two suicide bombings in southern Baghdad killed at least 16 people (CNN.com).

3 FEBRUARY 2006

Middle East and North Africa

There were numerous but small protests around the region against cartoons critical of Islam recently published in Denmark and other European countries (AP).

Asia and the Pacific

There were some small cartoon-related protests, mostly in Pakistan (AP).

4 FEBRUARY 2006

Diplomatic affairs, Iran

The IAEA Board of Directors passed a resolution reporting Iran to the UN Security Council over its nuclear activities.

The resolution acknowledged “the inalienable rights of all the Parties to the Treaty [the NPT] to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with Articles I and II of the Treaty...” But it also reiterated that Iran is a “special verification case”, that confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's program had been lost as a result of Iran's “many failures and breaches of its obligations to comply with its NPT Safeguards Agreement” in the past and the “history of concealment” of its activities, and that this lack of confidence continues because of the lack of “full transparency” from Iran and indications of research not of a peaceful nature.

The resolution calls on Iran to resume its voluntary suspension “of all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities”, “reconsider the construction of a research reactor moderated by heavy water”, resume compliance with the Additional Protocol, and “implement transparency measures...which extend beyond the formal requirements of the Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol, and include such access to individuals, documentation relating to procurement, dual use equipment, certain military-owned workshops and research and development as the Agency may request...” This would enable the Agency “to resolve outstanding issues and reconstruct the history and nature of all aspects of Iran's past nuclear activities...”

Most significantly from the standpoint of possible international action, the resolution “Requests the Director General to report to the Security Council of the United Nations that these steps are required of Iran by the Board and to report to the Security Council all IAEA reports and resolutions, as adopted, relating to this issue...” (IAEA).

Iran, foreign policy

In response to the IAEA resolution, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered, as required by law, the termination of all cooperation with the IAEA beyond the basic Safeguard Agreement, meaning that nuclear programs are to resume without restriction and impromptu inspections of nuclear facilities are to end. Javad Vaeedi, an official with the Iranian nuclear negotiating team, said, "This resolution is politically motivated, since it is not based on any legal or technical grounds" (CNN.com). Ahmadinejad has said Iran does not want to be dependent on other countries for its nuclear fuel.

Syria

In Damascus, protestors angry over the Danish cartoons attacked the Norwegian and Danish embassies (CNN.com).

5 FEBRUARY 2006

Costa Rica, politics

A presidential election was held. The margin of victory for former president Oscar Arias was very close and it was not until 7 March that he was declared the victor over Otton Solis. Turnout was 64%. Arias supports the CAFTA trade agreement (AP).

Lebanon

There was a violent anti-Danish protest in Beirut in which the Danish consulate was attacked. The protest prompted the resignation of Interior Minister Hassan al-Sabaa (CNN.com).

6 FEBRUARY 2006

Diplomatic affairs

Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir and Chad's President Idriss Deby, as well as several other leaders from the surrounding region, attended talks hosted by Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in Tripoli, Libya. El-Bashir and Deby reportedly agreed to a deal which is intended to prevent the presence of rebels on each other's territory and which calls for an African force to preserve security on the border (AP).

Cambodia, civil affairs

Opposition politician Cheam Channy was released from prison (AP).

6-9 FEBRUARY 2006

Asia and the Pacific

There were small anti-cartoon protests in Afghanistan and India on the 6th. The protests spread in the following days to most of the countries with a significant Muslim population. However, they were almost always less than 10,000 people in size (CNN.com).

Middle East and North Africa

There were many small but violent anti-cartoon protests around the region (CNN.com).

7 FEBRUARY 2006

Haiti, politics

In a presidential election, former president Rene Preval won 51.5% of the vote, according to the country's electoral council, thus clinching a first-round victory in a crowded field. Turnout appeared to have been high (AP, CNN.com).

Israel

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke on Israel's future relations with the Palestinians. He said, "We are going toward a separation from the Palestinians. We are going to determine a permanent border for the state of Israel....We will keep Jerusalem unified. We will hold on to the main settlement blocs, but the borders we are thinking are not those in which the state of Israel is in today." Olmert said Israel would withdraw from most of the West Bank but keep the three main settlements of Ariel, Maaele Adumim and Gush Etzion, as well as areas of the Jordan Valley, near the border with Jordan (CNN.com).

Colombia

Ramon Isaza and his 990-member Peasant Self Defense Forces of the Magdalena Medio were demobilized, bringing to about 22,290 the number of pro-government paramilitary fighters who have surrendered their arms under a government peace accord (Reuters).

Iraq

A bomb attack in central Baghdad killed at least three people (CNN.com).

8-9 FEBRUARY 2006

Nepal

On the 8th there were local elections which were marred by an opposition boycott and low turnout. The next day about 4,000 people took part in an anti-government demonstration in Katmandu (AP).

9 FEBRUARY 2006

Iraq

Seven people were killed by a car bomb attack near a Shiite mosque in southern Baghdad (CNN.com).

13-14 FEBRUARY 2006

Nepal, civil affairs

On the 13th the Supreme Court annulled the Royal Commission on Corruption Control, saying it was set up "against the norms and spirit of the Constitution." The next day, authorities released former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba (AP).

13-15 FEBRUARY 2006

Pakistan

There were violent anti-cartoon protests in several cities, particularly Lahore and Peshawar. These were often accompanied by rioting and attacks on government buildings and Western businesses. The largest, with about 15,000 people, was in Lahore on the 14th. There were indications during that protest that Islamic militants were instigating the violence (AP, CNN.com).

14 FEBRUARY 2006

Lebanon

There was a demonstration in Beirut of about 800,000 people commemorating the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri. There were calls from anti-Syrian politicians for President Emile Lahoud to resign (AP).

16 FEBRUARY 2006

France, foreign policy

Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said, "No civilian nuclear program can explain the Iranian nuclear program. It is a clandestine military nuclear program.... The international community has sent a very firm message in telling the Iranians to return to reason and suspend all nuclear activity and the enrichment and conversion of uranium, but they aren't listening to us....Now it's up to the Security Council to say what it will do, what means it will use to stop, to manage, to halt this terrible crisis of nuclear proliferation caused by Iran." In response, Ali Larijani, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, said, "We want civilian nuclear energy, we don't want to have the bomb....Concerning nuclear arms, we are a responsible country” (CNN.com).

Libya

There was a violent anti-cartoon protest in Benghazi, during which the Italian consulate was attacked (CNN.com).

17 FEBRUARY 2006

Pakistan

There were several anti-cartoon protests, including one in Karachi which included a general strike (CNN.com).

18 FEBRUARY 2006

Britain

There was an anti-cartoon demonstration of about 15,000 people in London (CNN.com).

19 FEBRUARY 2006

Pakistan, civil affairs

Security forces arrested about 200 members, including senior leaders, of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) party (CNN.com).

Iraq

A US/Iraqi raid on the villiage of Owesat, southwest of Baghdad, uncovered several weapons caches whose contents included 200 155mm artillery rounds (CNN.com).

18-24 FEBRUARY 2006

Nigeria

On the 18th there were attacks on Christian churches and businesses in the northern cities of Maiduguri, Katsina and Potiskum. In following days anti-Christian violence spread to Kotangora and Bauchi. Anti-Muslim violence began on the 21st in the southern city of Onitsha and later spread to Enugu (CNN.com, AP, Reuters).

Also, during 18-20 February there were attacks by armed militants on oil infrastructure including the abduction of several foreign oil workers. Violence in the oil-producing south has cut crude oil production by about 20% of its usual level of 2.5 million barrels per day.1

20-22 FEBRUARY 2006

Ecuador

Protesters in Napo province disrupted the operation of two oil pipelines, demanding that the government implement public works projects promised by former president Lucio Gutierrez (AP).

22 FEBRUARY-9 MARCH 2006

Iraq

In Samarra there was an early-morning bomb attack on the Al-Askariya "Golden Mosque", of great importance to Shiite Muslims. Government officials said ten men dressed as Iraqi police commandos had been arrested in connection with the attack, that foreign fighters were likely responsible, that the attack bore the hallmarks of Al Qaeda in Iraq and that its goal was to incite sectarian violence.

Later that day and the next there were attacks on Sunni Muslims, mainly in Baghdad. On the 23rd, two bomb attacks in Baquba killed 21 people.

On the 24th there were joint Sunni-Shiite patriotic demonstrations by tens of thousands of people in Kut and by thousands in Basra.

On 9 March the US military said it had confirmed 452 civilian deaths and 81 mosque attacks since the 22 February attack (CNN.com).

23 FEBRUARY 2006

Uganda, politics

In a presidential election, President Yoweri Museveni defeated Kiiza Besigye with 59.3% of the vote to Besigy's 37.4%, according to the country's electoral commission. Turnout was 68.6%. International observers said there were some irregularities but that the election was generally fair (CNN.com, www.rulers.org).

24 FEBRUARY 2006

Philippines

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of emergency, saying the military had thwarted a coup plot. The military said an unspecified number of civilians and military officials had been arrested in connection with the plot, including army Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim. Police dispersed thousands of anti-government protesters in Manila (AP, CNN.com).

25 FEBRUARY 2006

Ireland

Several hundred IRA supporters rioted in Dublin after a Protestant group from Northern Ireland tried to conduct a demonstration. Officials were critical of the rioters. Justice Minister Michael McDowell blamed the violence on "an organized mob who came to Dublin with the intention of deliberately creating mayhem” (AP).

26 FEBRUARY 2006

Thailand

In the latest of several large demonstrations against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, tens of thousands of people in Bangkok called for his resignation. Opposition to Thaksin had greatly increased recently due to the Thaksin family's sale of its controlling stake in telecom giant Shin Corp. to a Singapore state-owned investment company (AP).

27 FEBRUARY 2006

Taiwan

President Chen Shui-bian scrapped the National Unification Council (Reuters).

28 FEBRUARY 2006

Iraq

Four terror bombings around Baghdad killed at least 55 people (CNN.com).

Notes

1. “Hostage-takers refuse to negotiate with Nigeria”, AP, 21 February 2006.