Author: Kelsey Longmuir, Arielle Darr
Somali Pirates
On Sunday, April 12, United States navy snipers successfully rescued the Captain Richard Phillips of the Maersk Alabama ship. The ship was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean last Wednesday, April 8, President Obama had authorized the use of force during the operation. Three pirates were killed by the navy and one surrendered.
The ship, which had been carrying food aid for Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda, was boarded when the pirates used ropes and hooks to climb aboard. When the pirates began shooting the air Capt. Phillips told his crew to lock themselves in a cabin while he surrendered himself to the pirates.
Phillips was held hostage in a lifeboat which was shadowed by US warships and a helicopter. Phillips attempted to escape by diving into the sea on Thursday, April 9, but was recaptured. Negotiations for the release of Phillips broke down on Saturday because the US insistence on arresting the pirates and bringing them to justice.
A navy spokesman defended the rescue operation but speculated that the incident could increase the threat from pirates. The attacks have been relatively bloodless so far and many commentators speculate that the United States has raised the stakes.
U.S. Eases Cuban Restrictions
On Monday April 13, a senior administration official announced President Obama’s plan to ease restrictions on Cuba. While the Bush administration allowed Americans to visit only immediate family members two weeks every three years, new changes permit unrestricted travel and money transfers between Cuban Americans and their Cuban relatives.
These recent amendments reflect Obama’s attempts to aid the Cuban people in moving away from dependence on the Castro regime and assisting them on their pursuit for political freedom and democracy. In addition, the approximately 1.5 million Americans with family in Cuba will now be able to send gifts, including many previously prohibited items like clothes, to Cuba. Measures are also being created to increase communication within Cuba and between Cubans and Americans.
Despite these new steps, Cuban Americans are still not allowed to send money to senior government officials or Communist Party members. Through these measures, Obama is further committing to end the streak of inaction in Cuban-American relations that has resulted from American political regimes in recent years. Still, the US trade embargo against Cuba will remain; Obama’s administration believes that the decades old policy will enable the US to have the power to pressure Cuba into releasing all political prisoners and stabilizing Cuban-American relations.
Gay Marriage Legalized in Vermont
On Tuesday, April 7, the Vermont legislature overrode Governor Jim Douglas’ veto to legalize same-sex marriage in the state. The passage of the bill makes Vermont the first state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage through legislative action instead of a court ruling.
Gay rights activist groups hope that the passage of same-sex marriage in Vermont and Iowa will create momentum for the passage of similar bills in the nine other state legislatures that are considering similar measures. New York, New Jersey, Maine, and New Hampshire are among the states there same-sex marriage has begun to gain support among legislators.
The vote in Vermont came on the same day the Council of the District of Columbia gave preliminary approval to a plan recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. Congress has the option of overriding the measure and this could make same-sex marriage an important federal issue.
A CBS News poll conducted a week before the bill passed showed that only one third of Americans think that gay couples should be allowed to marry. This number has increased from 22 percent in 2004.
Bangkok in State of Revolt
On Sunday, April 12, the Thai government fought with protestors in Bangkok in an effort to end mass demonstrations. Soldiers allegedly fired hundreds of live rounds into the crowd in order to clear a major road junction. The anti-government protestors responded by throwing petrol bombs at the troops and driving commandeered buses into lines of soldiers.
The protesters are supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister who was deposed in a 2006 coup and now lives in self-imposed exile outside of the country. The central goal of the protest is the resignation of current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva who urged the protestors to return to their homes peacefully.
The protest prevented Thailand from hosting the annual ASEAN summit which was to be held in the city of Pattaya, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok. Many argue that the cancellation of the summit and the violence of the protest is an embarrassment for the Vejjajiva.
Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency on Sunday. Because of this declaration gatherings of more than five people can be banned, media reports can be censored and the army can be deployed to help police maintain order.
CIA Closes Interrogation Facilities
On Thursday, April 9, the Central Intelligence Agency revealed that secret international prisons would be decommissioned and contractors would no longer be conducting interrogations. The closure of these facilities, which were previously used to detain high-level Al Qaeda prisoners, will result in an estimated savings of $4 million for taxpayers.
While the C.I.A. has never disclosed the specific locations of these prisons they are believed to be in Afghanistan, Thailand, Poland, Romania and Jordan in addition to other countries. Over the years they were in operation, the prisons detained less than 100 prisoners.
These recent events are a result of President Obama’s ban on coercive interrogation and official closure of the C.I.A.’s detention program. This marks a major shift from the Bush administration that originally initiated these controversial programs.
The C.I.A. will continue to pursue Al Qaeda and their associates, but will use more conventional interrogation methods as opposed to physical force. Government employees will act as future interrogators, as opposed to outside contractors. A Senate committee is investigating the detention and interrogation program. This investigation is estimated to take a year. In addition, senior members of Congress are calling for a more open investigation of past interrogation and counterterrorism programs.
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