1 JANUARY 2002

Argentina, Politics

Eduardo Duhalde of the Peronist Party was inaugurated as President. A special session of Congress elected him President until 2003. He said, "My commitment from today is to finish with an economics model that has brought desperation to the vast majority of our people" (Reuters).

5 JANUARY 2002

Italy, Politics

Foreign Minister Renato Ruggiero resigned. Ruggiero was commited to closer cooperation with the EU, while most other ministers in Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government apparently are not. When the euro notes and coins were launched on 31 December, some ministers made disparaging comments about the euro and its supporters (Reuters).

Sierra Leone

UNAMSIL said it had disarmed almost all of the tens of thousands of fighters who have fought on both sides of the country's civil war. Over 42,000 fighters handed in weapons in the past year. Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled for May (Reuters).

7 JANUARY 2002

Diplomatic Affairs

British Prime Minister Blair and a delegation of US senators met Afghan Premier Hamid Karzai in Kabul. Blair had just visited India and Pakistan and encouraged those two countries to resolve their differences peacefully (Reuters).

9-11 JANUARY 2002

Northern Ireland

There was rioting and clashes between Protestants and Catholics in Belfast (Reuters).

12 JANUARY 2002

Pakistan, Foreign Policy and Civil Affairs

President Pervez Musharraf addressed the country and announced the banning of five militant groups: the Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Taiba, the radical Sunni Sipah-e-Sahaba, its rival, the Shi'ite Tehrik-e-Jafria Party (TJP), and a pro-Taliban group, Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi (TNSM). He said, "No organization will be permitted to engage in terrorism under cover of Kashmir cause", but also that Pakistan would continue "moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmir issue" and continue to seek a negotiated settlement. "Kashmir runs in our blood. No Pakistani can break links with Kashmir. The whole world knows this, all Pakistanis know this", Musharraf said.

Musharraf also said that religious schools, or madrassas, as well as mosques, would be brought under government control. That same day about 250 Muslim activists were arrested in police raids on madrasses in Karachi (Reuters).

Northern Ireland

A Catholic was murdered in the Rathcoole district of Belfast by Protestant gunmen (Reuters).

Israel, Gaza Strip

Israeli forces struck a PA police facility in Gaza (Reuters).

13 JANUARY 2002

Venezuela, Politics

President Hugo Chavez named Diosdado Cabello as executive vice president, replacing Adina Bastidas (Reuters).

Afghanistan

There were US airstrikes on cave complexes in the eastern part of the country (Reuters).

14 JANUARY 2002

Sub-Saharan Africa, Diplomatic Affairs

The SADC met in Blantyre, Malawi to discuss the upcoming presidential election in Zimbabwe in March. Afterward, it issued a statement saying that Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe had agreed to ensure fair elections, including independent observers, investigate political violence, and allow international media to cover the elections (Reuters).

Jordan, Politics

At King Abdullah's request, Prime Minister Ali Abu al-Ragheb formed a new cabinet. Foreign Minister Abdulilah al-Khatib was replaced by ambassador to the US Marwan al-Muasher. Interior minister Awad Khuleifat was replaced by Qaftan al-Majali. There were also five other changes (Reuters).

15 JANUARY 2002

Israel, West Bank

The PA arrested Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) leader Ahmed Saadat.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades murdered two Israelis (Reuters).

Iran, Politics

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pardoned MP Hossein Loqmanian, convicted and jailed in December for criticizing the judiciary (Reuters).

16-17 JANUARY 2002

Europe, Diplomatic Affairs

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Poland and met President Aleksander Kwasniewski. They mostly discussed economic cooperation (Reuters).

17 JANUARY 2002

Israel

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades conducted a terrorist attack in Hadera, killing six (Reuters).

Peru, Politics

President Alejandro Toledo named Aurelio Loret de Mola to replace David Waisman as Defense Minister. He also named new health and women's ministers (Reuters).

18 JANUARY 2002

Israel, West Bank

Israeli troops destroyed the Voice of Palestine radio station in Ramallah (Reuters).

20 JANUARY 2002

Northern Ireland

There was rioting in the Shore Road area of Belfast (Reuters).

21 JANUARY 2002

Taiwan, Politics

Premier Chang Chun-hsiug and the rest of the cabinet resigned en masse to allow President Chen Shui-bian to name a new premier (Reuters).

22 JANUARY 2002

Russia, Civil Affairs

Independent television station TV6 was ordered off the air by a court ruling upholding a shareholder's complaint that the station was bankrupt (Reuters).

24 JANUARY 2002

Lebanon

A car bombing in Beirut killed Elie Hobeika, leader of a pro-Israeli Christian militia (Reuters).

Israel, Gaza Strip

Israeli forces killed Bakar Hamdan, a senior member of Hamas, in the southern Gaza Strip (Reuters).

25 JANUARY 2002

Argentina

Tens of thousands demonstrated in Buenos Aires demanding an end to a freeze on bank deposits. The restrictions are part of the government's efforts to end a major financial crisis (Reuters).

27 JANUARY 2002

Uzbekistan, Politics

There was a referendum on whether to extend the President's term of office from five years to seven. Over 91% voted "yes". It was not immediately clear whether the extension would apply to President Islam Karimov's current term, which ends in 2005, or would apply to the next term. The West generally dismissed the vote as being neither free nor fair (Reuters).

Israel

A Palestinian detonated a bomb on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem, killing herself and an Israeli (Reuters).

28 JANUARY 2002

Diplomatic Affairs

Afghan leader Hamid Karzai met US President Bush in Washington. Bush promised to help train Afghanistan's military (Reuters).

29 JANUARY 2002

Japan, Politics

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi fired Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka (Reuters).

31 JANUARY 2002

Afghanistan

There was fighting between a Pashtun tribal faction under a Haji Saifullah and forces of Paktia province governor Padshah Khan Zadran in and around Gardez (Reuters).

Taiwan, Politics

Yu Shyi-kun replaced premier Chang Chun-Hsiung. Yu brought in a new vice-premier and finance and economic ministers (Reuters).