The world in 2007, from the Indian perspective

The world in 2007, from the Indian perspective

Pathos in Pakistan
2007 proved tumultuous for India's nuclear neighbour Pakistan. In March, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, the first flagrant signs of serious disagreements between the judiciary and Musharraf.
On July 3, Pakistan once again grabbed headlines when militants from the Lal Masjid and Pakistani police battled in Islamabad after students from the mosque attacked a government ministry building. The Pakistani security forces engaged in siege warfare, surrounding the mosque complex for eight days. The clash resulted in at least 108 deaths. This event helped to cause the breakdown of the truce that existed between Pakistan and Taliban forces in the Northwest region of Pakistan, starting a new phase in the ongoing Waziristan war.
Then, former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif returned from exile. Sharif was sent back from the airport and Bhutto was greeted with a suicide bomb attack on her return in October in which 36 people were killed and at least 450 were injured.
Musharraf declared emergency rule on November 3 in what was dubbed a coup against his own government. Months of squabbling between him and the judiciary culminated as troops entered the Supreme Court and surrounded the justices' homes.
Musharraf's maverick behaviour drew a firestorm of international criticism, and raised serious doubts about Pakistan's commitment to fair, democratic elections in January, 2008.
Under mounting international pressure, Musharraf shed his military uniform on November 30, and restored normal rule of law.
But the biggest blow to the Islamic nation came in December when Bhutto was assassinated after she addressed a public gathering in Rawalpindi. An already agitated nation went berserk. Clashes erupted... fingers were pointed at Musharraf... there were many who claimed the government's hand behind the assassination.
Regardless of what happens, Pakistan would continue to be run by three As -- Allah, Army and America.

Terror in UK, aftershocks in India
On June 29, in central London, two Mercedes Benz sedans were found laden with explosive petrol, gas canisters and metal nails. They were successfully disarmed.
Tragedy and terror had been averted, but only for a day.
On June 30, a dark green SUV carrying two men slammed into the glass doors of the main airport terminal and burst into flames at Glasgow International Airport in Scotland.
The driver sustained heavy third-degree burns and later died. Five members of the public were injured, though none seriously. The passenger of the SUV survived virtually unharmed, and was taken into custody.
The first serious terror threats in the UK since the 2005 London bombings caused panic. The police stepped up their patrol; airports beefed up security and travel to and from the UK became tedious.
When the suspects were identified, the greatest shock came to India.
Of the five people charged, three were born in Bangalore: brothers Dr Kafeel Ahmed and Dr Sabeel Ahmed, and their cousin Dr Mohamed Haneef.
The event was dubbed the UK doctor terror plot, as all five suspects were studying medicine or engineering and came from financially stable backgrounds.
Dr Haneef won a legal battle when an Australian court reinstated his work visa as 2007 drew to a close.

Action in Afghanistan

2007 saw increased funds for aid and infrastructure invested in Afghanistan, with the United States alone offering a $11 billion dollar package in January.
2007 also saw an influx of more US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces in Afghanistan, from a combined 41,000 to nearly 45,000, and longer tours of duty were recommended for those soldiers already stationed.
But none of it seems to be working.

Afghanistan remains a war-torn nation desperately needing to reconstruct its educational system, health, and sanitation facilities, develop its legal agricultural sector and rebuild its road, energy, and telecommunications systems.
The economy, while showing some small signs of improvement, is still in a shambles.
Over 33 per cent of the nation's Gross Domestic Product comes from the illicit opium industry. Its production in Afghanistan soared to new heights in 2007, an increase of more than a third from 2006, according to the United Nations.
Insurgent Taliban forces have gained a foothold throughout the country and continue to threaten the Hamid Karzai government's sovereignty.
And on May 13, 2007, a series of armed skirmishes between the Afghani and Pakistani militaries shocked the world and threatened to upset the fragile balance of power driving America's war on terror.

Diaspora demonstrations

2007 was the year that working-class Indians in the Diaspora flexed their collective muscle.
In Malaysia, HINDRAF -- or the Hindu Rights Action Force -- earned significant international attention during the last few months.
To spotlight the persecution of and discrimination against ethnic Tamil Hindus in Malaysia -- about 8 per cent of the total population -- HINDRAF organised massive rallies and protests in Kuala Lumpur, the capital, in November.
The Malaysian government clamped down, invoking draconian security laws to deal with protesters, even alleging the agitators were trying to establish links with Sri Lanka?s dreaded Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
India made its displeasure known, and the latest is that Malaysia has promised to look into the issue of demolition of Hindu temples.
In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, roughly 8,000 workers of ETA Ascon went on strike, demanding an increase in salary and airplane tickets to return home every two years for leave. Though Bangladeshis and Nepalis were present, the majority of protesters were from India.
The violent strike came to serve as the face for a much larger movement to improve the dismal working conditions of the UAE's mammoth expatriate workforce.



Iraq still burns

The situation in Iraq remained bleak throughout 2007, and looks no better for 2008.
US troop deaths hit a new high in 2007, as over 880 US soldiers had died by the first week of December. Since 2003, almost 3,900 US soldiers have died, along with 300 deaths sustained by other coalition countries.
UN estimates place the civilian death count at around 30,000 in 2007, making the two-year period of 2006-07 the most deadly for Iraqi citizens. In all, it's believed that over 80,000 citizens have perished during the American occupation, beginning in 2003.
By all counts, these are conservative figures, as the information simply hasn't been made available by the Iraqi government.
The number of Iraqi refugees grew to over four million: two million displaced domestically and over two million scattered internationally, primarily in Lebanon and Syria. The strain on these host nations' economies has been significant.
American President George W Bush's brainchild, a 'surge' of 30,000 US troops, according to some, has achieved moderate success in eliminating insurgent strongholds.
US troop deaths and civilian deaths have decreased sharply over the past two months. But reports from the front line still suggest that occupation forces are embroiled in a nearly impossible quagmire.

The Middle East and Iran

In 2007, both the European Union and the United States adopted tough positions on Iran. Economic sanctions from 2006 carried over into 2007, and in several speeches early in the year, Bush outlined three reasons why armed conflict with Iran was an option: 1. Iran looks to upset the balance of power in the Middle East by funding terrorist and anti-government organisations in Iraq (Shiite militias), Lebanon (Hezbollah) and Palestine (Hamas). 2. Iran has a nuclear weapons programme. 3. Iran supports attacks on US troops in Iraq.
Throughout the year, Iran stayed in the news.
First, Ali-Reza Asgari, a top general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, disappeared from Turkey in February. There are two disparate explanations. One, propounded in the West, said that Asgari was serving as a spy against Iran and defected to avoid detection. The other story, widely reported in Iran, said Asgari was kidnapped by Western forces.
In March, 15 British marines and sailors were captured by Iranian forces. Iran claimed the group was in its waters, which the UK denied, claiming the crew was on a routine mission in Iraqi waters. They were released safely in April.
Then, in May, Iranian forces detained an Iranian-American academic, Haleh Esfandiari, claiming she was part of a plot to overthrow the government and install democracy. She was finally released, after 'confessing' her role in the alleged coup, in August.
Finally, in early December, the United States National Intelligence Estimate report claimed Iran had stopped nuclear weapons programme in 2003, and is focused only on developing nuclear power for electricity purposes. Bush's handling of this report has led many to question his credibility on Iran.
Recently, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council nations are trying to extend a hand of inclusion to Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad was invited to 28th GCC summit in early December, where the GCC announced it will become a common market from January 1, 2008.
There has also been talk, mainly from Saudi Arabia, of creating an inclusive nuclear programme for the region that will involve Iran, provided Iran is willing to be transparent in its nuclear plans.

Merciless Myanmar
The military junta in Myanmar garnered heaps of criticism and negative press this year.
In January, the US pushed a draft through to the UN Security Council that demanded Myanmar improve its treatment of human rights and begin a democratic transition after 40 years of military rule. Russia and China vetoed the measure, but the point had been made: the world was watching Myanmar.
In April, the country proved it warranted the attention. Activists from the Human Rights Defenders and Promoters were beaten up and a week later, eight people were arrested after protesting the rising price of consumer goods. The following day, the military regime released a statement in the country's official press, saying that there would be further crackdowns on activists and protestors.
Since August, anti-government protests have rippled across Myanmar. Thousands of Buddhist monks started leading protests on September 18, and the situation rapidly escalated in numbers and intensity.
On September 24, 20,000 monks and nuns led 30,000 people in a protest march in Yangon. The following day, 2,000 people defied threats from the government and marched to Shwedagon Pagoda. The next day, prominent protesters were arrested and troops attacked 700 people barricaded inside the pagoda.
Despite this, demonstrations continued in Yangon.
On September 27, security forces began raiding monasteries and arresting monks throughout the country. The security forces also fired on the nearly 50,000 people protesting in Yangon, killing an unspecified number of people (at least nine) including Japanese photographer Kenji Nagai, giving a face to the victims. Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has demanded an explanation for the killing.
The junta's violent response to peaceful protests prompted international outcry. Despite this, it continued to attack monks and raid monasteries.
By October 2, thousands of monks were reported missing. In December, the junta claimed only 91 monks were still in detention, though there is no way to verify this number.
In September, a report released by Transparency International, an organisation that measures corruption, named Myanmar the most corrupt country in the world, tied with Somalia.

America slides

America suffered embarrassments both domestically and internationally in 2007.
President George W Bush, in his seventh year in office, set a most dubious record: 24 per cent job approval rating. It represented the culmination of a shocking tailspin. Just six years ago, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 attacks, Bush actually achieved a 90 per cent approval rating, the highest recorded for any US President.
The new number - 24 per cent -- comes from an October 2007 Reuters/Zogby telephone poll, and represents the lowest Presidential job approval rating since Richard Nixon scored the same in the wake of the Watergate Scandal.
Research shows Americans are overwhelmingly against the US-led occupation of Iraq, and Bush's foreign policy initiatives have garnered near unanimous opposition from both political parties.
To make matters worse, impressions of America internationally have hit rock bottom as well, representing a complete reversal of fortune from the Clinton presidency.
Negativity and pessimism ruled elsewhere, particularly in economics. In general, the US dollar has depreciated over the past five years when compared to leading foreign currencies. But this year was the worst yet, as the dollar hit a new low against the Euro -- 0.67 -- and a 30-year low against the Canadian dollar and Indian rupee.
Analysts believe that high US trade deficits, falling interest rates and the Euro's emergence as an international reserve currency have contributed to the dollar's decline. Furthermore, the Freddie Mac index shows US home prices posted the largest drop in 25 years in the three months leading up to the end of September.
With the 2008 elections on the horizon, America seems ready to redirect its course. The two strongest Presidential candidates -- Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama -- are both Democrats and represent minority groups marginalised by the American political system.
If Obama wins, he will be the first person of African heritage elected to the presidency, and if Hillary wins, she'll be the first woman President in the United States' 230-plus years.