Solomon island in chaos: PM asked to resign

Protesters burning down the parliament building and police station, people demanding the resignation of the prime minister. Scenes like this are unfolding In the Island nation of Solomon Islands. It is located south of Australia.

Protestors of the Solomon Islands are asking Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to design from his post. China has a major role to play in this. To understand how a peaceful oceanic nation has spiraled down to this chaos, let's go back to 1971.

7 July 1971 Solomon Islands got its independence from Britain. 1971 was also the year when China was recognized by the UN instead of Taiwan. Many countries also followed the suit in recognizing China. But Island nations of the Pacific didn't give China recognition. One such nation was Solomon Island which recognized Taiwan in 1983. Taiwan and the island nation shared good relations for 36 years.

In 2019 new prime minister Manasseh Sogavare switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China. Malaita, one of the centers of power and the most populous island of the country didn't agree with this decision.

People of Malaita were fearful that China's autocracy could be mimicked in its country. They still have relations with Taiwan. The Central Government of the Solomon Islands and the state government of Malaita are against each other when it comes to this issue.

Protests are turning into riots in many places. To curb the same Central government has asked Australia for military help.

It will be interesting to see how geopolitics will shape the feat of a small Island nation of a population of just 7 lakhs.

Comments

Oil price rise: What is causing price rise across the world?

Oil prices are skyrocketing, not only in India but around the globe. The price of one barrel of crude oil is hovering around $80. Which is roughly around 4 times its price at the starting of the pandemic. You could be wondering who decides the price of oil in the market and what are the factors that affect the price? Well, the answer to your first question is the OPEC organization of petroleum exporting countries, it is a group of 23 countries. They dictate the price in the market by affecting the production and supply chain. OPEC decides how much oil is going to supply to the market. When OPEC wants the price to go up it cuts back on the supply creating a false shortage in the market, which in turn increases the price of the oil. OPEC countries rely on oil exports for a major part of their economy. Keeping the price high works in their interest. Six countries have joined hands and come together to counter this price rise created by OPEC. These countries are the US, UK, India, Ja...

Military coup: Will Sudanese people be able to see the light of democracy?

Civilian rule dissolved and a nationwide emergency was declared, this is the condition of Sudan. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is reportedly in house arrest with his cabinet. Army has also captured state broadcasters. Susan has a history of military dictatorship but this time civilians are pushing back with protests. This time Sudanese people have tested freedom. Democracy was just around the corner Sudanese people are unwilling to give that up. Military brutally cracks down on protests by firing live rounds in the protests. All roads to the capital city were shut. Sudanese people have experienced a brutal dictatorship for 30 years. Sharia law imposed in its most brutal form and Sudan being the black list of every major financial institution. The wounds of Sudanese people are still fresh. They don't want history to repeat itself. The military on the other hand is defending its power grab by blaming politicians and their actions. The military has promised democratic elections in 2...

Visa v/s RuPay: Visa is unhappy about India promoting RuPay

Visa is unhappy with the Government of India. Visa claims that the Indian government backs RuPay over Visa. Even MasterCard has raised similar concerns. In August Visa CEO Alfred Kelly met with US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. The company feels that a level playing field is absent in India. MasterCard in 2018 logged similar protests against the Indian card network RuPay. Soon after that Mastercard was banned by the RBI. The reason for the same was the absence of an arrangement to store payment data in India. The rule which every company has to follow in India Americans also show their unhappiness with the decision. One US trade representative even called the Ban “Draconian”. Till now this has not influenced Indian regulators. RuPay has the largest share in the new cars which are being issued. But Overall Visa still holds the most share in the overall market. The following are the market shares 44% Visa 36% MasterCard 20% RuPay and other So ...

international buzz

Search This Blog