The international world has been set on fire this past month with announcements of leadership changes, attempted coups, and bizarre acknowledgments by world leaders. In North Korea, Kim Jong Il promotes his heir apparent; in Ecuador the President is attacked during a coup; and Fidel Castro admits communism has failed. Let's dig deeper into these game changing and bizarre developments.
Asia
The biggest news this month in Asia is from the Hermit Kingdom of North Korea. North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il seems to have announced his heir apparent, the next evolution in the world's only communistic dynasty. His youngest son, Kim Jong Un, pictured in the black shirt to the right of his father, has been made a four star general as well as a member of Worker's Party Central Committee. Little is known about this reclusive heir apparent, but what is known is that he is in his twenties and apparently was schooled in Switzerland. It seems Kim has also established his sister as a possible power player in the case that the leadership of the country is threatened. Kim Kyong Hui, Kim Jong Il's sister, retained her position as department director of the Central Committee but was also promoted to a new post as a member of the Central Committee's Political Bureau. Kim Kyong Hui, known as the Evil Sister, is a known alcoholic and has been known to be extremely violent in the past. Most experts believe, elevating her was a power play designed to ensure that if Kim dies before the succession is complete, Kyong will be there to finish it and help her nephew rule. Rumors have emerged that the succession process is being hurried and that a formal succession could occur within weeks.
Elsewhere in Asia, the Russian Federation seems to have a Moscow problem. Yuri Luzhkov, the long time Mayor of Moscow, has been sacked by Russian President Dmitri Medvedev. In return, Luzhkov has gone public and announced his concern that a Stalin-esk regime is once again retaking Russia and threatening democracy. Rumors are swirling that Luzhkov was removed from office because of a letter in which he illustrates his fear for his country and also calls for direct elections for the position of Moscow mayor. This had been disbanded when Vladimir Putin was president. Luzhkov also claims that he was a victim of a smear campaign tolerated by Medvedev and others in the governement to make his removal that much the easier. Interestingly with Luzhkov's ousting, Medvedev has completed the removal of all of Boris Yeltsin's allies and compatriots that he brought with him to power decades ago. (Boris Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation.)
Europe
In Great Britain, the Labour party has finally decided on its newest leader. The grueling process came down to a contest between two brothers, Ed and David Milliband. Ed Milliband was the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and served as Labour's spokesperson on those issues. David Milliband, an Oxford graduate, wrote the party manifesto and helped it win the 1997 elections. In 2007 he became the Foreign Secretary under Gordon Brown. In the end, Ed Milliband edged out a narrow victory over his brother, gaining 50.6% of the vote while his brother earned 49.35%. These two previously beat out Ed Balls, Andy Burnham, and Diane Abbott in earlier rounds of voting.
South and Central America
National police forces took to the streets and arrested Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa during the week long emergency. Labeled as a coup attempt, the Ecuadorian national police forces stormed the presidents office because of cut compensation for police bonuses. Correa claims that these bonuses where not even cut in the first place and after hours of being trapped in a hospital called the police force cowards. Correa was elected President in 2006 with the highest amount of votes of any president in Ecuador. He has been known to take too much stock in this fact and has been known to infuriate his enemies and cause problems among certain groups.
In Venezuela, Hugo Chavez will retain his grip on power in the deeply troubled county. Chavez's United Socialist Party of Venezuela won the most seats in this months parliamentary elections. Chavez's party won 98 seats while the opposition coalition won 65 seats. Another nonaligned leftist party also picked up two seats in the parliament. Although his party won the election, this is a decrease from previous years in terms of support. (Going into the elections Chavez's party held 137 seats) This also means that since the United Socialist Party of Venezuela will not have the two thirds majority it normally has held which will allow opposition parties more say in the government. Interestingly, because of the way that parliamentary seats are distributed, the opposition party actually won 52% of the popular vote but was still not rewarded with an overall victory.
Possibly the most awkward and unexpected international news this week came from Fidel Castro in an interview during which he said the Cuban communistic model has failed. This is a shocking turn around from his previous positions and indeed his entire political career. It is interesting to note that Fidel Castro is still the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and yet he admitted communism has failed. Very, very interesting.
Later,
Cody
(Photo: Courtesy of the Associated Press)
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