he international scene was recently overshadowed by the passing away of Pope John Paul II, who is being mourned by the world at large. This is a measure of his impact in that, while he was the head of the Roman Catholic Church, he was able to elicit the respect and regard of other faiths. This was the result of his gracious personality and humility, which appealed to the world at large.

The late pontiff – who had one of the long­est terms of office for a pope – had his tenure marked by a universal popularity in the world at large. What is unique was his sense of universality, which appealed to most peoples in the world – irrespective of race, religion or denomination.

On 19 April, only 17 days after Pope John Paul II’s death, 115 red-robed cardinals elected the German prelate Joseph Rat­zin­ger as the new head of the Vatican. The 78-year-old – the oldest pope to be elected in a century – chose the name Benedict XVI.

A day earlier, in India, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and Indian Premier Manmohan Singh issued a joint statement saying that the (Kashmir) peace process was “irreversible”.

Elsewhere in the world, this period has not been notable for any major events. But several countries have experienced important political changes and developments, which could have an international or regional impact.

An instance is Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe won a decisive victory, with his party gaining 69 seats, thereby obtaining a two-thirds majority in parliament. Mugabe stated that he was indeed hoping to secure a two-thirds majority, through which he could effect constitutional changes. However, he faces strong opposition from the movement for democratic change and the Zanu-PF. These parties have condemned Mugabe’s victory as a “disgusting massive fraud”. Muga­be’s appointment of his nephew, brother and mother have been condemned as instances of his desire to treat the country as his private property.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw described the election as one which denied ordinary Zimbabweans a free and fair opportunity, which will further prolong the political and economic crises in the country.

In Iraq, the recently elected parliament was taking steps to form a government. It chose a Sunni Arab as the speaker and a Shia Muslim as his deputy. The choice of the Sunni was intended to gain the support of Iraq’s second largest community. The assembly appointed a new president, Jalal Talabani. The new parliament has been condemned as a reaction against the political crisis in the country, which began with the US-led military offensive. With the appointment of the president and the deputy president, the assembly will be ready to form a government and undertake the writing of a new constitution, which will prepare the way for new elections.

Kyrgyzstan is in the midst of a political crisis following the deposition of President Askar Akayev. His deposition was brought about by an opposition coup, which was prompted by corrupt parliamentary elections and widespread poverty in this country. The new administration is hard put to restore law and order, and form a stable government. It faces opposition from three quarters: namely, the bureaucrats of the previous regime, the Russian minority and foreign traders from Turkey and China. Up to now, the new leaders have been unable to take control of the situation.

Nepal, which is in the throes of the political crisis caused by King Gyanendra, faced the prospect of a nationwide strike from its Maoist parties. Indeed, the Maoist insurgency called for a 11-day strike, which prevented supplies of food reaching the capital. How the king coped with the situation – which caused turmoil within the country, no doubt – was the issue.

In a background of strikes and violence, Indonesia and Australia have announced the dawn of a new era. This was brought about by talks between Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The two leaders arrived at agreements for a wide range of subjects, including cooperation in economic development, counter-terrorism and the reconstruction of Indonesia’s Aceh Province, which was ravaged by the tsunami. These agreements are being hailed as amounting to a new era of relations between Indonesia and Australia, which will end the rivalries and tragedies that have marked their relations in the past.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is facing a serious personal crisis – one which could impair his position. This has been caused by the reports of financial misconduct by his son Kojo Annan, who has enjoyed a financial relationship with a Swiss company, which pays him as much as UK£ 450,000 in consultancy fees. The secretary-general has admitted a lapse in judgment on his part for not conducting a thorough investigation into the activities of his son.

There are also very serious allegations of mismanagement, corruption and nepotism in the UN system, for which the secretary-general should be answerable. He is under pressure to resign before his term of office ends in December 2006, but Annan appears to have ruled this out. But this record is recognised to be a very serious lapse in the UN over which the secretary-general was expected to resign. In fact, it has been stated that no secretary-general in the 60-year history of the UN has faced such charges.

Indeed, the UN in recent times has been accused of very serious lapses on the part of its personnel. A prime example is that an internal investigation uncovered many abuses at the UN Elections Division, which recently handled the elections in Iraq. The secretary-general is under very heavy pressure from the press – primarily over these charges of corruption and misconduct.

At the same time, there is an outcry and a demand from newspaper groups like the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Times for his resignation. In fact, the UN is being openly abused – an example of which is a statement on a radio programme which described the secretariat as full of rapists, sexual abusers and child molesters. It is clear that the continuance of Annan in the face of these charges is a severe blow to the reputation of the UN.

It was in this backdrop that news of a possible common candidate from Asia, to succeed Annan in December next year, filtered through in the media. The move for a common candidate – which Sri Lanka hopes will be its very own Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala – was to be discussed at the 50^th Afro-Asian summit, held in Jakarta from 21 to 25 April.

In the northern hemisphere, British Prime Minister Tony Blair called a snap poll that was widely predicted, in the first week of April. The premier will seek a third term in office – which he says will be his last – on 5 May.

Opinion polls have suggested that Blair’s ‘New Labour’ will be hard-pressed to stay in power, thanks to Blair’s unqualified support for the US-led war in Iraq – which has proved to be an unpopular decision in the electorate. Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown have focused their attention on the economy and social issues such as education, in an attempt to woo traditional Labour voters to the polling booths on election day.

Staying in Europe, the tiny principality of Monaco bid farewell to its popular and long-serving ruler, Prince Rainier III, last month. The prince is credited with turning Monaco into a glitzy playground for the rich and famous, not to mention its reputation as a world-class banking and tourism centre. Rainier was laid to rest beside his beloved wife, Grace Kelly.