Major Developments Major Developments by Calendar Year

October 9, 2006, North Korea conducted Nuclear Test. It is first nation to conduct Nuclear test after announcing its intention on October 3^rd (6 days before). The estimated discharge of the test was less than one kiloton. Since October 2002, there were conflicts between Unites States and North Korea. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly informed North Korean officials that the United States was aware that North Korea had a program underway to enrich uranium for use in nuclear weapons. Initially North Korea denied this, but later confirmed the veracity of the US claim. Kim Jong Il had created the excitement as best as he can for threatening missile launch when the country tested a nuclear weapon in 2006. After the test, negative economic effects were observed throughout the neighborhood of North Korea. North Korean officials claimed that it had recycled spent fuel rods and threatened to begin exporting nuclear materials unless the United States agreed one-on-one talks with North Korea. Another feature is that North Korea want to change the policy dealings between the US and China due to the fact that the US is unwilling to deal directly with North Korea and this in turn spoiled relations between China and North Korea. China and the United States showed disapproval around the world, after North Korea conducted its first nuclear test, criticizing the move as annoying and, in some capitals, there was a demand of a tough U.N. Response. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, called the move unpardonable.

Two months after aggravating Muslim public opinion around the world with comments representing Islam with violence, Pope Benedict XVI is in Ankara beginning his four-day visit to Turkey from 28^th November to 1^st December 2006. He was welcomed at the airport by the country’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In a powerful symbolic indication, Pope Benedict visited Istanbul’s magnificent Blue Mosque and became the second pope in history to enter a Muslim place of prayer.  He addressed group about Christianity and Islam as two branches from the same family tree fundamentally, both believing in one God, originated from Abraham. He talked about existence of spiritual bond between both religions and need for humanity in life in an increasingly globalised world. Pope Benedict said assurance of religious freedom is essential for an equal society and requested all religious leaders to “utterly refuse” to support any form of violence in the name of faith (religion). The objectives of the Pope’s visit to Turkey are to eliminate clashes (differences) between Muslims and Christian, and to put to an end the 1,000-year isolation in Christianity between the Vatican and Orthodox churches. Police had taken full measures to guarantee that Pope is safe during his trip. Pope told Prime Minister of Turkey that he would like Turkey to join the European Union, which he opposed two years before due to Turkey’s improperness to join the club of Christian nations.

Even though there was serious opposition from millions of people around the world, and without the support of the United Nations, American and British troops invaded Iraq on March 19, 2003. The reasons for the preemptive attack by allied forces were Iraq’s failure to participate in UN-administered disarmament (reduction of weapons) agreement and the possible threat it posed to international security. However, the WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) report stated that the two credible reasons for invading Iraq are to take control over oil and to protect the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. This situation worsened in 2006. In 2006, there were many roadside bombings, military funerals, shattered mosques, wounded children, and prevailing violence, which feared people of Iraq. Many people of America are against to the war. Never in U.S. history there was such a huge military struggle, it spent $150 million a day, more than 2,300 American soldiers died and more than 17,000 U.S. soldiers were wounded. Many people in Iraq were dead and many were injured badly. The war in Iraq treated as War on Terrorism caused poverty and developed many environmental problems. There are both long term and short-term problems on many categories. Military movements and weapon application result in land degradation. The demolition of military and industrial machinery released heavy metals and other harmful substances and created air pollution. The radioactive substance Uranium was dumped in River Tigris and created water pollution.

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On November 5, 2006, Saddam Hussein, the dismissed President of Iraq was sentenced to death by hanging by the Iraqi Interim Government. He was captured by U.S. forces on December 13, 2003. He was sentenced to death by court for crimes against humanity and for the merciless killings in a Shiite town in the 1980’s. He killed 148 people in the Shia town of Dujail as the people attempted to assassinate him in 1982 during Iran–Iraq War. The former leader was upset and furious as the sentence was being passed, and continued to shout, criticizing the court, the judge, and the US-led foreign force in Iraq. Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging until death on December 30, 2006. His half-brother Barzan al-Tikriti and Iraq’s former chief judge Awad Hamed al-Bandar who were associated with the incident were also sentenced to death. After Saddam Hussein’s execution, Kurds beat giant drums rhythmically in traditional celebration, Shiite boys and men threw sweet and opened fire into the air in happiness. Bitter-faced Sunni men tightly holded Hussein’s portrait in one hand and a weapon in the other in sorrow. The United States largely supported and financed Hussein’s trial. US President George W Bush greeted the judgment as a “milestone” in the achievement of the Iraqi people “to replace the rule of a dictator with the rule of law”.