China

In Tibet, there were violent protests against Chinese rule; Han Chinese appeared to be the targets of much of the violence. (CNN.com)

Serbia, politics

By the middle of the month, Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica had dissolved his government and President Boris Tadic had dissolved parliament and called new elections for 11 May. Kostunica disagreed with Tadic's continued pursuit of EU membership in light of the recognition of Kosovo's independence by some EU members (CNN.com).

Iraq

According to the Interior Ministry, 923 civilians, 54 soldiers, 102 police and 641 "terrorists" were killed this month. (CNN.com)

1-7 MARCH 2008

Ecuador

Luis Edgar Devia Silva, known as "Raul Reyes", second-in-command of the FARC rebel group in Colombia, was killed in an operation carried out by Colombia's national police and air force just across the border from Colombia.

Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa said his country's air space had been violated, and Venezuela closed its embassy in Colombia over the incident.

On the 7th, at a meeting of Latin American leaders, a declaration was issued which condemned the Colombian raid and accepted Colombia's apology for it. But it also committed all countries to fight threats to national stability from "irregular or criminal groups". Correa said, "With the promise not to ever again assault a brother country and the request for forgiveness, we can consider this very serious incident resolved." (CNN.com)

2 MARCH 2008

Russia, politics

A presidential election was held in which United Russia's candidate, Dmitry Medvedev, overwhelmingly won with 71.3% of the vote. Gennady Zyuganov of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) finished a distant second with 18.0%. Medvedev said he would work closely with Vladimir Putin and would follow the foreign policy priorities set by Putin, "the essence of which is the protection of Russian interests around the whole perimeter." Independent observers said the campaign was one sided, with the media biased toward Medvedev. (CNN.com, IFES)

2-3 MARCH 2008

Middle East and North Africa, diplomatic affairs

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Iraq. (CNN.com)

3 MARCH 2008

Diplomatic affairs, Iran

The UN Security Council passed a resolution tightening previous sanctions on Iran and saying again that the sanctions would be removed and negotiations over Iran's nuclear program would take place once Iran suspended uranium enrichment activities. (www.iaea.org)

6 MARCH 2008

Iraq

Two bomb attacks in Baghdad's central Karrada district killed 69 people and wounded 120. (CNN.com)

7 MARCH 2008

Colombia

The army announced the death of Ivan Rios (real name Manuel de Jesus Munoz), one of six remaining members of FARC's leadership council. (CNN.com)

9 MARCH 2008

Spain, politics

In general elections Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero party won 169 seats to 153 for Mariano Rajoy's Partido Popular party. (CNN.com)

10 MARCH 2008

Diplomatic affairs

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk met US President Bush in Washington. High on the agenda was the prospective deployment by the US of an ABM system in Poland. (AP)

11 MARCH 2008

United States, military affairs

Admiral William Fallon resigned as CENTCOM commander, saying perceptions that he disagreed with Bush administration policy in the Middle East had become a distraction. He was to be replaced by his deputy, Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey. (CNN.com)

Pakistan

Suicide bombers in Lahore killed 28 people, wounded almost 200 and destroyed offices of the Federal Investigation Agency. (CNN.com)

Iraq

A car bomb in the Bab al-Shurj area of Baghdad killed 15 people and wounded 65. (CNN.com)

14 MARCH-25 APRIL 2008

Iran, politics

Parliamentary elections were held in two rounds. Conservatives won 170 of 290 seats; reformists won 46. (www.rulers.org)

17 MARCH 2008

Iraq

A suicide bomber killed 50 people in Karbala. (CNN.com)

18 MARCH 2008

Germany, foreign policy

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, addressing the Israeli Knesset, spoke of Germany's support for Israel and its opposition to Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons. With regard to the latter, she said, "It is not the world that has to prove that Iran is building a bomb. Rather, Iran has to prove to the world that it does not want the nuclear bomb." (CNN.com)

19 MARCH 2008

Chile, civil affairs

The Judicial Authority said a court had sentenced 24 former police officers for their roles in the kidnapping, torture and murder of Chileans following the military coup by Gen. Augusto Pinochet that overthrew President Salvador Allende on 11 September 1973. The sentences ranged from life imprisonment to four years. (CNN.com)

21 MARCH 2008

France, military affairs

President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that France would reduce its airborne force of atomic weapons by a third. "After this reduction, our arsenal will include less than 300 nuclear warheads," he said. (AP)

22 MARCH 2008

China, Taiwan

In a presidential election, Nationalist Party candidate Ma Ying-jeou defeated Frank Hsieh of the Democratic Progressive Party by a 58.4% to 41.6% margin. Ma wants to improve relations with the mainland while the DPP has preferred to probe the possibility of formal independence from China. (CNN.com)

24 MARCH 2008

Bhutan

Parliamentary elections were held. In the National Assembly the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa party trounced the People's Democratic Party, taking 44 of 47 seats. In December 2006 King Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated the throne to his son and promised to usher in democracy. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck will remain head of state. But the National Assembly will be able to remove him with a two-thirds-majority vote. (IFES, CNN.com)

24-25 MARCH 2008

Comoros

On the 24th, President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi said the army would invade the island of Anjouan, which was taken over in May 2007 by renegade Col. Mohamed Bacar. Bacar, a former president of Anjouan under Comoros' system of regional presidents, one for each of the three main islands, had said he was seeking the island's independence.

The next day an African Union-led military operation began on Anjouan. Authorities said several hundred troops were among the initial landing force which arrived aboard four ships; they were followed by about 100 Comoros troops. The Anjouan capital was quickly taken against a small amount of resistance. (AP)

25 MARCH 2008

Pakistan, politics

Yousaf Raza Gilani was sworn in as prime minister. (CNN.com)

25 MARCH-10 MAY 2008

Iraq

Security forces clashed with elements of the Medhi Army militia in Basra, Baghdad, Diwaniyah, Kut, Karbala and Hilla. On the 30th, Muqtada al-Sadr issued a statement calling on his followers to stop resisting government forces. "We announce our disavowal from anyone who carries weapons and targets government institutions, charities and political party offices", it said. Calm came to most areas but clashes continued past that date in Baghdad, particularly the Sadr City area. On 10 May the government and the Medhi Army announced a ceace-fire agreement for Sadr City. (CNN.com)

25-26 MARCH 2008

Israel, West Bank

Overnight, Israeli forces captured Omar Jabar, a Hamas operative wanted for involvement in a suicide bombing in Netanya on 27 March 2002, near Tulkarem. (CNN.com)

29 MARCH 2008

Zimbabwe, politics

Presidential and parliamentary elections were held. State media later said President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai would go to a presidential runoff; Tsvangirai had won 47.9% of the vote and Mugabe had won 43.2%. In the Senate, ZANU-PF won 30 seats, down from the 43 it won in November 2005; the MDC (Tsvangirai faction) won 24 seats, up from zero. In the House of Assembly the MDC (Tsvangirai faction) won 99 seats to ZANU-PF's 97. (IFES, CNN.com)