Moscow
Medvedev warns NATO: Russia’s president-elect, Dmitri Medvedev, warned NATO this week not to accept former Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia as members. “No state can be pleased about having representatives of a military bloc to which it does not belong coming close to its borders,” Medvedev said. “These kinds of decisions disrupt the fragile balance of forces and facilities in Europe.” As NATO prepares to meet next week to discuss possible expansion, Russia has been putting pressure on its former satellites. The Russian parliament infuriated Georgia last week by advocating recognition of two separatist Georgian regions. And Russia’s gas monopoly has been tussling with Ukraine over delivery of vital energy supplies.
Tel Aviv, Israel
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Cheney points a finger: Hamas, the militant Islamic party that controls the Gaza Strip, is to blame for the failure of the Mideast peace talks, Vice President Dick Cheney said this week. “There’s evidence that Hamas is supported by Iran and Syria and that they’re doing everything they can to torpedo the peace process,” Cheney said. The peace talks will not be able to progress, Cheney said, until the Palestinians are united under the leadership of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the Fatah party. And that won’t happen, he said, without “a complete reversal of the Hamas takeover of Gaza.” Cheney was on a 10-day trip in the region to discuss the peace process, rising oil prices, and the threat from a potentially nuclear Iran.
Yerevan, Armenia
Tension over election: With riot police watching over them, thousands of Armenians marched silently in the capital, Yerevan, this week, to protest a crackdown after a disputed presidential election. Official results gave Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian the victory with 53 percent in the February vote, while opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian took 21 percent. But the opposition said the election was marred by fraud and intimidation. When Ter-Petrosian supporters clashed with police during protests in early March, eight people were killed, scores were arrested, and a state of emergency was imposed. After that order was lifted this week, protests quickly resumed—though so far they have been peaceful.
Islamabad, Pakistan
A new regime: Pakistan’s new prime minister wasted no time this week reversing decisions by the country’s unpopular president, Pervez Musharraf. Immediately after the parliament named him prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gillani of the Pakistan People’s Party ordered the release of the judges arrested by Musharraf last year. Gillani also said he would seek a U.N. inquiry into the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the leader of his party who was killed in December. Musharraf was visibly strained as he swore in Gillani, 55, who spent five years in jail under Musharraf’s rule and now leads a coalition of parties opposed to his policies. The newly released judges are expected to begin considering legal challenges to Musharraf’s re-election last October.
Taipei, Taiwan
Moderate wins presidency: Opposition candidate Ma Ying-jeou won Taiwan’s presidential election by a large margin this week, raising hopes that relations with both China and the U.S. would improve. Ma, of the Kuomintang party, defeated Frank Hsieh of the party of outgoing President Chen Shui-bian, whose eight-year rule was marked by open support for recognition of Taiwanese independence from mainland China. Those demands angered China and alarmed the U.S., which is pledged to defend Taiwan. Ma is expected to return Taiwanese policy to a more ambiguous stance on independence. The Kuomintang ruled Taiwan from 1949 to 2000—until 1987 under martial law. In recent years it has been enjoying a resurgence at both the local and national levels.
Thimphu, Bhutan
King orders people to vote: The people of the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan obeyed King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s command this week that they vote for a parliament that will effectively limit his authority. Some 80 percent turned out. The reclusive kingdom’s transition to democracy was instigated in 2001 by the king’s father, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, when he transferred some powers to a council of ministers. In 2006, he gave the throne to his son, who presided over this week’s elections. The Peace and Prosperity Party won a landslide victory of 44 out of 47 seats on a platform of “increased happiness for all” and service to the king. The other party, the People’s Democratic Party, had a similar platform but took only three seats; it was perceived as less slavishly devoted to the king.
