Current Affairs in International Politics
Canadian Parliament Dissolved
On March 26, 2011, Canada’s Governor-General dissolved the Parliament after a vote of no-confidence in Tory Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government, setting up a May 2 election, the fourth in seven years.
Junta rule ends in Myanmar
On March 30, 2011, Myanmar’s military handed power to a nominally civilian government after almost half a century of army rule, as the junta was disbanded and a new President appointed.
Dalai Lama announces his retirement as political head
On March 10, 2011, the Dalai Lama announced his retirement plan on the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day. Announcing that he would step down as political head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, the Dalai Lama in his speech said he would hand over his “formal authority” to a “freely-elected” leader.
US and European planes hit Libya
Starting March 19, 2011, Western forces launched a series of air and missile strikes against forces of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to force him to stop war on opposition forces in Libya.