If you don't have the time to keep up with everything that is going on in the World, here is the newest installation of my series: Global Review.
1. The 14th Dalai Lama has announced that he plans on retiring from the position as the political head of the Tibetan Government in Exile (they are stationed in Nepal, India). As a religious figure, he will remain the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism (considered a demi-god reincarnate). He is one of my greatest figures in history, and although it is sad, as the Dalai Lama has explains "Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power." Tibet is claimed by China today and the His Holiness has led a movement, defined by peace, to gain autonomy for the region.
2. Wisconsin Assembly in the United States successfully passed a bill curbing collective bargaining rights for tax payer sponsored unions. Using special legislative maneuvers, State Republicans managed to pass the bill with a slim majority as 13 Democrats remain out of the state to block a vote. The bill will be going to the Governor and it is expected to be signed.
As the video shows, tensions rose and will continue to rise when it is signed. Despite all this, the State's reelection will be one to watch come Election Day! (A more extensive piece on this subject will come up!)
3.Today (see date of post), a House Committee began it's hearings on the radicalization of Muslims in the United States. The push for the committee came from Republican Peter King. The hearings are extremely controversial with many in the Muslim community and supporters claiming that the hearings will only entice bigotry and hatred toward the community. Meanwhile others have complained that there are "too many mosques" in the United States and the far right being much more extreme. As Politico points out, the hearings are controversial, however, not new. The committee reached several high points, one of Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to Congress, in his teary statement about a Muslim who gave his life to save people on Sept. 11, 2001. The other, was from Reps. Jackson Lee, as she spared with King during committee:
4. As uprisings continue to spread throughout the Arab world; rebels in Libya have lost a crucial and oil rich town of Ras Lanuf. Unable to stop missile bombardment as well as plane bombings, rebels were forced to leave the town. Meanwhile, the international community, led by the United States, is considering whether to initiate a no-fly zone over Libya to help rebels and stop the slaughter of the Libyans. Although gaining in popularity, Gates has warned that such an option would include troops on the ground at some point. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State is said to have a planned meeting with Libyan Rebel forces on her trip to the region. France has become the first nation to officially recognize Libyan rebels as a legitimate force in the country:
5. As uprisings across the region spread, Saudi Arabia has shown that it can not escape the call for freedom. Protests had began in the Kingdom for several weeks, however, new reports are showing that protesters were fired on as they refused to end their uprising. This comes after clerics of the Kingdom have deemed the protests as a Western plot to undermine Islamic ideals, and therefore declared them UnIslamic, This gives the police forces cracking down on the protests, not only legal will but also religious duty to stop the protests. With the world's eyes on places of larger protests, unless it gains traction, these protests will faill.
6. Things are also developing quickly in Yemen. Yemen's dictator is bowing down to pressure as protesters are emboldened as time goes on. "President" Saleh has pledged to make major concessions. Of those, he's proposed to set up a new constitution to a referendum in a year's time. He has also proposed a decentralization of power, to allow for more control for provincial governments. As a result of the killing of protesters, several MP's in government have resigned from the ruling party as well as the entire dictatorship. The protests have even reached jails, as the largest and best documented inmate riots began in Yemeni prisons against the President of Yemen. It is obvious that the President seems to be trying to mimic Mubarak's failed strategy of setting up a long-term plan for what he says is a transition. As with his failed friend, President Saleh will fail in his goals. I'm assuming this is a reaction to the United States' new foreign policy that I detailed in a previous post (click here). Since the uprisings began, the U.S. has been advising key allies (Yemen being a relatively new one) to make concessions to the protesters. The move is a smart one for Obama and it follows what I've been saying for a while now: it is in the best interest of the United States
Regardless if all these things turn out the way I want them to, whether they be the hearings in Congress or the protests in the Middle East and Africa, there is no doubt that we are living through momentous times that will be significant events (especially the revolutions) in history. That is why these events are so important and we need to pay attention to them all.
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