MEXICO Late in October of last year, an American independent journalist was among dozens of people killed during protests in the Mexican city of Oaxaca. Bradley Roland Will was killed while videotaping a fight between a group of armed men who supported the Oaxacan governor and a gathering of protesters who wanted the governor out.
The case seemed relatively straightforward. Pictures of five gunmen and their names were on the front pages of major Mexican newspapers, and the two bullets that killed Will came from guns of the type issued to police. Even without proof that these men hit Will, there seemed to be enough proof that they were indeed shooting at protesters. But a judge freed two of them, citing lack of evidence. The three other men have not been arrested or questioned. Five other men, including two police captains, have not been detained, despite an eyewitness account that they were shooting at protesters as well. State prosecutors are suggesting that fellow protesters fired the shots that killed Will.
Will’s family members, along with a number of nongovernmental organizations, have not given up, and the protesters have not been mollified, despite federal interest. Mexico’s Senate voted that the Oaxacan state government had not ceased to function, thereby keeping the current governor in office.
Strikes and protests in the region began in May, but it was only after the shootings that then-president Vicente Fox sent in federal police. Many are urging that the federal government take over the investigation. As a start, federal police raided the state police headquarters to see if any weapons there were used in the shootings.
The U.S. government has kept relatively quiet about Will’s killing, and it remains to be seen if the new president will take on the case and address the issues raised by the protesters.
MALAYSIA In 2007, Malaysia will mark 50 years of independence from Britain. But there is little else to celebrate these days, as ethnic tensions build and the economy stagnates.
Foreign direct investment is falling, Malaysia’s export market is facing growing competition from China and Vietnam, and its stock market is underperforming, compared to those of its neighbors.
Perhaps most troubling are the ethnic and religious disputes that have led non-Muslims in this predominantly Muslim nation to fear for their rights. Islamic fundamentalism appears to be on the rise, and Anwar Ibrahim, the non-Muslim opposition leader, accuses Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of moving too slowly to quell tensions.
Ethnic Malays, called Bumiputeras, make up three-fifths of the population, ethnic Chinese make up 25 percent and Indians 8 percent. The Chinese tend to dominate business and tend to be wealthier on average than their Malay counterparts, so to create balance, an affirmative action program has been in place since independence that grants better access to state jobs and education for ethnic Malays.
These programs have not ameliorated the situation. There is a multiracial ruling coalition dominated by the United Malays National Organization, and some members believe Badawi has allowed too much debate on religion and race. At the annual congress of the UMNO, one delegate talked of being ready to “bathe in blood” to defend the race and religion of Malay Muslims.
Hopefully in this year of celebration and attention, Malaysia’s leaders can do what is needed to preserve religious freedoms and quell racial discrimination. Doing so could spur an economic boom and promote internal calm as well.
KOSOVO For several years, Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians, who make up 90 percent of the province’s 2 million inhabitants, have been vying for independence from Serbia. They may soon get their wish, but further delays in the progress toward sovereignty could threaten Kosovo’s tenuous stability.
Unsurprisingly, the ethnic-Serbian minority would prefer to remain part of Serbia. In theory, everything should soon be decided by the United Nations, which has governed the region since NATO carried out its bombing campaign to drive out Serbian forces (who were accused of ethnic cleansing) in 1999.
Kosovo’s future was to be decided by the end of 2006, but talks have not been successful. The U.N.’s chief negotiator, Martti Ahtisaari, cites Serbia’s reluctance to have any true dialogue on the matter.
Kosovo’s U.N. governor warned, late last year, that further delays could result in greater tensions and possible action from extremists. Already, in December, protestors threw paint and rocks at U.N. buildings. Even some of Kosovo’s leaders have threatened more protests and unrest if there are more delays.
On the other hand, Russia supports Serbia, which prefers to keep control over Kosovo. This has made a unanimous decision for full sovereignty from the Security Council, on which Russia holds veto power, currently improbable.
Expect a conditional form of independence with less freedom than ethnic Albanians are hoping for but more than Serbia and Russia want. Any resolution must first be passed by the Security Council, and there will be debate. No concrete plan will be put in place before March.
A man honors slain U.S. cameraman Bradley Will
during Day of the Dead celebrations
in Oaxaca City, Mexico.
Malaysian PM Badawi raises the flag
of the United Malays National Organization. 
1245 is a reference to the future independence
of Kosovo, as the province has been run
by the UN under resolution 1244 since 1999. Other articles:
For the remaining articles, subscribe to BeE Woman Magazine.
