The World
Saddam's Bungled Execution
It might have come off as a triumph of justice for Iraq's fledgling government. Instead, the bungled execution of Saddam Hussein managed, implausibly enough, to restore some of the convicted dictator's dignity even as it served as further evidence for the alienated Sunni minority of the Iraqi government's Shiite bias.
The smuggled cellphone video footage of witnesses shouting, "Go to hell" and chanting the name of Moqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand Shiite cleric behind much of the sectarian violence, ricocheted noisily around Iraq last week. Amid the taunts, a calm Saddam asked, "Is this manly?" The images then showed Saddam falling through the gallows and zoomed in on his corpse, his neck snapped to the right.
An angry Sunni mob entered the Shiite shrine in Samarra whose February bombing sparked the ongoing wave of sectarian attacks. Trying to prevent even more violence, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged an investigation into the handling of the execution. U.S. officials, meanwhile, tried to distance themselves from the controversy, which threatened to overshadow President Bush's planned unveiling of a revised Iraq policy.
Looking for Peace in a Lawless Land
They had promised to stand and fight to the death, but leaders of Somalia's Islamic Courts Union were on the run last week. Some narrowly escaped an attack by Ethiopian helicopters January 2 as they probed the border with Kenyafor exit routes. The leaders, including alleged al Qaeda associate Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, are thought to be hiding in the border-straddling forests of Ras Kamboni with a cadre of foreign fighters, a Somali diplomat tells U.S. News.
Ethiopian and Somali troops have ended six months of Taliban-style rule in southern and central Somalia. About 600 Islamist militiamen were under attack in the southern tip of the country, and Kenya shut its border to prevent infiltration by militants. Leaders of the courts have pledged to wage an Iraq-style insurgency against Somalia's weak transitional government and defenders from Ethiopia. The threat is taken seriously-officials say some 3,500 Islamist fighters remain in Mogadishu. Residents of the capital have ignored Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi's orders to hand in their weapons. His biggest challenge is to find a lasting peace. Many of his ministers are themselves warlords who are likely to revert to banditry and clan warfare now that the puritanical courts movement is in flight. Gedi has called for peacekeepers to replace the Ethiopian forces, who are keen to leave. Uganda has pledged 1,000 troops; South Africa may contribute as well. "It might be tried, but I wouldn't put any money on its success," says security analyst Andrew McGregor. "The only thing that can unite Somalis is their opposition to foreigners."
Sending the Troops Into Tijuana
The new president of Mexico, Felipe CalderÃÂón, sent soldiers and federal police into the violence-plagued border city of Tijuana last week, the latest step in his attempted crackdown on drug trafficking and the extensive killings tied to narcotics gangs battling for control of the lucrative trade. The reinforcements set up checkpoints and inspected local police stations; 3,300 troops are expected to join in. The operation aims to disrupt what investigators say is a network of corrupt police aiding drug lords. Last month, CalderÃÂón dispatched 7,000 troops for antidrug operations in his native state of MichoacÃÂán. But doubts about the high-profile raids run high. CalderÃÂón's predecessor, Vicente Fox, also ordered thousands of agents into the drug wars, but despite arrests, violence still rose.
A New Leader Starts at the U.N.
With the beginning of the new year, veteran South Korean diplomat Ban Ki Moon, 62, became the secretary general of the United Nations, taking the helm of the troubled world body from Kofi Annan. The soft-spoken Ban, who had Washington's backing, will be under pressure to deepen U.N. reforms begun under Annan.
Ban said he aims to end the "mistrust" hobbling the U.N. and called on member states to act on "daunting" problems in the Middle East and Darfur. But Ban's first week at Turtle Bay hit some turbulence when he failed to restate U.N. opposition to the death penalty after Saddam Hussein's hanging.
A Lady Joins the 'Beefeaters'
For the first time in their 522-year history, the guards of Britain's Tower of London-the famed "Beefeaters"-will soon take a woman into their ranks. The as-yet unidentified woman hails from the country's armed services, like other warders. The Beefeaters-nicknamed for their medieval-period rations of beef-began as King Henry VII's protectors, guarding crown jewels and prisoners like Anne Boleyn. Now, they spend much of their time leading tours and posingfor photographs.
With Dan Morrison in Cairo, Kevin Whitelaw and Associated Press
This story appears in the January 15, 2007 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.