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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 9-Dec-2013
9-Dec-13 World View -- Ukraine anti-Russian protesters tear down Lenin statue in Kiev

Web Log - December, 2013

9-Dec-13 World View -- Ukraine anti-Russian protesters tear down Lenin statue in Kiev

Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi gains in India's election

This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

Ukraine anti-Russian protesters tear down Lenin statue in Kiev
Jordan is elected to Saudi Arabia's rejected UN Security Council seat
Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi gains in India's election

Ukraine anti-Russian protesters tear down Lenin statue in Kiev

Top: Dec 1 picture of police guarding Lenin statue; bottom, Dec 8 picture of statue's destruction (AP)

Top: Dec 1 picture of police guarding Lenin statue; bottom, Dec 8 picture of statue's destruction (AP)

For the second weekend in a row, hundreds of thousands of anti-Russian Ukrainians filled Independence Square in Kiev to denounce pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovich's flip-flop and subsequent refusal to sign a trade agreement with the European Union, instead succumbing to pressure and extortion from Russia's president Vladimir Putin, who is demanding that Ukraine join the Russian-led Customs Union.

On Sunday, the protesters performed the symbolic gesture of tearing down the statue of Vladimir Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov), considered by many to be the father of Russian communism and a leader of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. The statue was broken into pieces with a large sledgehammer, and everyone in the crowd sought to take home a prized "piece of Lenin." The move is certain to infuriate both the largely Russian-speaking eastern half of Ukraine, as well as officials in Moscow.

The leader of the pro-Russian Communist Party said:

"Destroying the Lenin monument in Kiev is not just an act of vandalism. It is a sign that organizers of the protests are not for the European values, but rather for hate, fear and destruction of the state of Ukraine."

There is growing concern that pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovich will invite Russian military forces into Ukraine, rather than allow the anti-Russian protesters to perpetrate a coup. AP and CNN

Jordan is elected to Saudi Arabia's rejected UN Security Council seat

The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Friday to give to Jordan the Security Council seat that Saudi Arabia had rejected in October. ( "19-Oct-13 World View -- Saudi Arabia shocks U.N. by rejecting Security Council seat") The Saudi decision was based on accusations of hypocrisy, for the U.N. allowing Syria's president Bashar al-Assad to kill and displace million of civilians with impunity, particularly after President Barack Obama's flip-flop on Syria's chemical weapons.

Jordan generally agrees with Saudi Arabia on most issues, and so Jordan is expected to follow the same policies on the Security Council. However, there are now 600,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, putting an enormous strain on its resources, and so it's expected that Jordan will cause the Security Council to focus more on the Syrian refugee issue. AFP and Reuters

Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi gains in India's election

India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made strong electoral gains in Sunday's election, trouncing the ruling Congress Party headed by the current Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The elections for prime minister will be held next year.

The BJP party leader is Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist. ( "15-Sep-13 World View -- Hindu nationalist nominated as India's prime minister") Hindu nationalism is controversial in India because opponents associate it with "Hindutva violence," originally targeting British colonizers, but recently targeting Muslims. Modi himself became associated with Hindutva violence in 2002, when he appeared to be complicit in violence against Muslims. Hostility between the Hindu and Muslim populations has been a growing trend since the 1970s, and Modi has become extremely popular, either despite or because of his Hindutva connection. Indian Express and The News (Pakistan)

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 9-Dec-13 World View -- Ukraine anti-Russian protesters tear down Lenin statue in Kiev thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (9-Dec-2013) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 9-Dec-2013 9-Dec-13 World View -- Ukraine anti-Russian protesters tear down Lenin statue in Kiev

Ukraine anti-Russian protesters tear down Lenin statue in Kiev

Jordan is elected to Saudi Arabia's rejected UN Security Council seat

Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi gains in India's election

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 9-Dec-2013
9-Dec-13 World View -- Ukraine anti-Russian protesters tear down Lenin statue in Kiev