Since we’re based in the U.S., a lot of U.S. Democrazy posts talk about issues in American politics. However, our government isn’t the only crazy one out there! Join us as we look at what’s going on in various regions across the world.
Africa
This week saw the start of the France-Africa Summit, a conference between many African and French leaders, both in the political and business arena. The summit is to address topics such as Africa’s role in the world and trade between Africa and France. The summit comes at a time when many African countries, including Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar, are celebrating their 50th year of independence.
Asia
Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has resigned. Hatoyama is the fourth Japanese Prime Minister to resign after spending less than a year in office. At a news conference Hatoyama said that he had failed in trying to make people the most integral part of the government. His resignation does not come as a surprise, as he has been losing support for the past few months. Many expect the current Finance Minister, Naoto Kan, to take the position next.
Europe
Japan isn’t the only country facing an important leader resigning from his job. Germany’s President, Horst Koehler, has resigned after having the job for only about a year. The Presidency in Germany is a largely a ceremonial role, with the Chancellor, Angela Markel, having more power, but Koehler’s resignation just adds more work for Merkel, as she tries to find a suitable replacement. The resignation was not expected, with Merkel only finding out 2 hours before the official announcement.
The Middle East
The big news in the Middle East is the tension between Israel and Turkey after the former raided aid ships, leaving many Turkish citizens dead. Israel is still holding passengers from the ship and refuse to acquit them, despite Turkey’s demands. Needless to say, Israel and Turkey are not getting along right now, even though they have cooperated in the past.
Central America
Tropical Storm Agatha, the first of the season, killed around 200 people in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. As after most disasters, many are homeless and lack important supplies, like water and food. Aid officials are trying to reach interior regions to distribute these resources. A sinkhole also appeared in the middle of Guatemala City that claimed an entire sewing factory but fortunately, no one was hurt or killed.
