Editing 2000s (section)

=== Prominent political events ===
[[File:President George W. Bush Delivers Inaugural Address.jpg|thumb|[[George W. Bush]], the 43rd president of the United States, 2001–2009]]
[[File:US President Barack Obama taking his Oath of Office - 2009Jan20.jpg|thumb|[[Barack Obama]], the first African American president of the United States, was [[First inauguration of Barack Obama|inaugurated]] in 2009]]
The prominent political events of the decade include:

==== North America ====

===== Canada =====
* [[Paul Martin]] replaces [[Jean Chrétien]] as [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] of Canada in 2003 July 23 by becoming the new leader of the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]]. [[Stephen Harper]] was [[Canadian Federal Election, 2006|elected prime minister]] in 2006 following the defeat of Paul Martin's government in a [[motion of no confidence]].

===== Greenland =====
* [[Greenland]] was granted further [[Devolution|Self-governance]] (or "[[self-rule]]") within the [[Kingdom of Denmark]] on June 21, 2009.<ref name=selfrule>{{cite news |title=Self-rule introduced in Greenland |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8111292.stm |work=BBC News |date=June 21, 2009 |access-date=May 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100425041746/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8111292.stm |archive-date=April 25, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===== Mexico =====
* [[Vicente Fox]] was elected [[President of Mexico]] in the 2000 presidential election, making him the first president elected from an opposition party in 71 years, defeating the then-dominant [[Institutional Revolutionary Party]] (PRI).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-25 |title=Vicente Fox {{!}} Biography, Presidency, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vicente-Fox |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=November 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117234025/https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vicente-Fox |url-status=live}}</ref>

===== United States =====
* [[George W. Bush]] was sworn in succeeding [[Bill Clinton]] as the 43rd President of the United States on January 20, 2001, following a [[2000 United States Presidential Election|sharply contested election]].
* On October 26, 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush signed the [[USA PATRIOT Act]] into law.
* On February 15, 2003, anti-war protests broke out around the world in opposition to the U.S. Invasion of Iraq, in what the [[Guinness Book of World Records]] called the largest anti-war rally in human history.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elmundo.es/quiosco/pdf/febrero2003/16portada.pdf |title=El Mundo contra la Guerra (in Spanish) |date=February 16, 2003 |access-date=February 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041224094409/http://www.elmundo.es/quiosco/pdf/febrero2003/16portada.pdf |archive-date=December 24, 2004}}</ref> In reaction, ''[[The New York Times]]'' writer Patrick Tyler wrote in a February 17 article that: ''...the huge anti-war demonstrations around the world this weekend are reminders that there may still be two superpowers on the planet: the United States and world public opinion.''<ref>{{cite news |last=Tyler |first=Patrick |title=THREATS AND RESPONSES: NEWS ANALYSIS; A New Power In the Streets |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/17/world/threats-and-responses-news-analysis-a-new-power-in-the-streets.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=February 24, 2013 |date=February 17, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225062538/http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/17/world/threats-and-responses-news-analysis-a-new-power-in-the-streets.html |archive-date=December 25, 2013}}</ref>
* On June 5, 2004, [[Ronald Reagan]], the 40th [[President of the United States]], died after having suffered from [[Alzheimer's disease]] for nearly a decade. His seven-day state funeral followed, spanning June 5–11. The general public stood in long lines waiting for a turn to view the casket. People passed by the casket at a rate of about 5,000 per hour (83.3 per minute, or 1.4 per second) and the wait time was about three hours. In all, 104,684 passed through when Reagan lay in state.<ref>Lak, Daniel. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3793065.stm "Reagan lies in state at Capitol"]. BBC, June 11, 2004. Retrieved March 9, 2008. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061215143729/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3793065.stm|date=December 15, 2006 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.uscapitolpolice.gov/pressreleases/2004/pr_06-11-04.php "United States Capitol Police Press Releases: Lying In State for former President Reagan"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927071913/http://www.uscapitolpolice.gov/pressreleases/2004/pr_06-11-04.php|date=September 27, 2007 }}. United States Capitol Police. Retrieved March 9, 2008</ref>
* [[Barack Obama]] was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States in 2009, becoming the nation's first African American president.

==== South America ====
* November 19, 2000 – Peruvian dictator/president [[Alberto Fujimori]] resigns via fax. [[Valentín Paniagua]] is named Temporary President.
* [[Álvaro Uribe]] is elected President of Colombia in 2002, the first political independent to do so in more than a century and a half, creating the right-wing political movement known as [[uribism]]. Uribe was re-elected in 2006.
* In 2006, [[Michelle Bachelet]] is elected as the first female [[President of Chile]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4613864.stm |title=Chile gets first woman president |work=BBC News |date=January 16, 2006 |access-date=February 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112033326/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4613864.stm |archive-date=November 12, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Pink tide]]: Left-wing governments emerge in South American countries. These governments include those of [[Hugo Chávez]] in Venezuela since 1999, [[Fernando Lugo]] in Paraguay, [[Rafael Correa]] in Ecuador, and [[Evo Morales]] in Bolivia. With the creation of the [[Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas|ALBA]], Fidel Castro—leader of [[Cuba]] between 1959 and 2008—and Hugo Chávez reaffirmed their opposition to the aggressive militarism and [[imperialism]] of the United States.
* [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]] was elected (2002) and reelected (2006) [[President of Brazil]].
* In 2003, [[Néstor Kirchner]] was elected as President of Argentina. And in 2007, he was later succeeded by his wife, [[Cristina Fernández de Kirchner]], who became the first directly elected female [[President of Argentina]].
* May 23, 2008 – The [[Union of South American Nations]], a [[supranational union]], is made from joining the [[Andean Community of Nations|Andean Community]] and [[Mercosur]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.towardsunity.org/usan.phtml |title=The Union of South American Nations |publisher=Towardsunity.org |access-date=February 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620000451/http://www.towardsunity.org/usan.phtml |archive-date=June 20, 2012}}</ref>

==== Asia ====
[[File:Tehran protests (26).jpg|thumb|upright|Protesters in [[Tehran]] during the [[2009 Iranian election protests]]]]
[[File:Saddam Hussein at trial, July 2004-edit1.JPEG|thumb|upright|[[Saddam Hussein]]]]
* On May 18, 2000, [[Chen Shui-bian]] was [[2000 Republic of China presidential election|elected]] as the president of [[Republic of China|Taiwan]], ending the half-century rule of the [[Kuomintang|KMT]] on the island, and became the first president of the [[Democratic Progressive Party|DPP]].
* [[Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon#Withdrawal from the security belt|Israeli withdrawal from the Israeli security zone in southern Lebanon]] – on May 25, 2000, Israel withdrew [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]] forces from the [[Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon]] in southern [[Lebanon]] after 22 years.
* In July 2000 the [[Camp David 2000 Summit]] was held which was aimed at reaching a "final status" agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis. The summit collapsed after Yasser Arafat would not accept a proposal drafted by American and Israeli negotiators. Barak was prepared to offer the entire Gaza Strip, a Palestinian capital in a part of East Jerusalem, 73% of the West Bank (excluding eastern Jerusalem) raising to 90–94% after 10–25 years, and financial reparations for Palestinian refugees for peace. Arafat turned down the offer without making a counter-offer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mideastweb.org/campdavid2.htm |title=Camp David Proposals for Final Palestine-Israel Peace Settlement |publisher=Mideastweb.org |date=July 2000 |access-date=February 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022072323/http://www.mideastweb.org/campdavid2.htm |archive-date=October 22, 2013}}</ref>
* January 20, 2001 – June 30, 2010 – [[Joseph Estrada]] resigns as 13th [[President of the Philippines]] amid an [[Impeachment of Joseph Estrada|ongoing impeachment trial]] and [[Second EDSA Revolution|protests]]; [[Gloria Macapagal Arroyo]] takes office as the 14th President of the Philippines.
* 2002 – [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]] was elected as Prime Minister of Turkey. [[Abdullah Gül]] was elected as President of Turkey.
* March 15–16, 2003 – CPC General Secretary, President [[Hu Jintao]] and Premier [[Wen Jiabao]], replaced former People's Republic of China leaders [[Jiang Zemin]] and [[Zhu Rongji]].
* 2003 – the 12-year self-government in [[Iraq]]i [[Kurdistan]] ends, developed under the protection of the UN "No-fly zone" during the now-ousted [[Saddam Hussein]] regime.
* 2003 – Prime minister of Malaysia [[Mahathir Mohamad]] resigns in October, he was succeeded by [[Abdullah Ahmad Badawi|Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi]].
* [[Manmohan Singh]] was elected (2004) and reelected (2009) Prime Minister in India. He is the only Prime Minister since [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] to return to power after completing a full five-year term. Singh previously carried out [[Economic liberalisation in India|economic reforms in India]] in 1991, during his tenure as the [[Finance Minister of India|Finance Minister]].<ref name="BBC1">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3725357.stm |title=India's architect of reforms |access-date=December 11, 2008 |last=Biswas |first=Soutik |date=October 14, 2005 |work=[[BBC News]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430013006/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3725357.stm |archive-date=April 30, 2009}}</ref>
* January 9, 2005 – [[Mahmoud Abbas]] is elected to succeed [[Yasser Arafat]] as [[Palestinian Authority]] President.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1933453.stm |title=Profile: Mahmoud Abbas |work=BBC |access-date=October 14, 2009 |date=January 10, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601012740/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1933453.stm |archive-date=June 1, 2009}}</ref>
* August 1, 2005 – [[Fahd of Saudi Arabia|Fahd]], the King of Saudi Arabia from 1982 to 2005, died and is replaced by King [[Abdullah of Saudi Arabia|Abdullah]].
* January 4, 2006 – Powers are transferred from Israeli Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] to his deputy, Vice Prime Minister [[Ehud Olmert]], after Sharon suffers a massive [[hemorrhagic stroke]].
* January 25, 2006 – [[Hamas]] wins the [[2006 Palestinian legislative election]].
* December 30, 2006 – Former leader of Iraq Saddam Hussein is [[Execution of Saddam Hussein|executed]].
* 2007 – The [[King of Nepal|King]] of [[Nepal]] is suspended from exercising his duties by the newly formed [[Interim legislature of Nepal|interim legislature]] on January 15, 2007.
* [[Pakistani state of emergency, 2007|2007 political crisis in Pakistan]], [[Pervez Musharraf]] resigns as [[Chief of Army Staff (Pakistan)|Chief of Army Staff]] after the [[assassination of Benazir Bhutto]].
* 2008 – [[Nepal]] becomes the youngest democracy of the world by transforming from a [[constitutional monarchy]] to a [[socialist republic]] on May 28, 2008.
* [[2008 Thai political crisis|2008–10 Thai political crisis]] and [[2010 Thai political protests]] by "red shirts" demonstrations.
* [[2009 Iranian election protests]] – The [[2009 Iranian presidential election]] sparked massive protests in Iran and around the world against alleged electoral fraud and in support of defeated candidate [[Mir-Hossein Mousavi]]. During the protests the Iranian authorities closed universities in Tehran, blocked web sites, blocked cell phone transmissions and text messaging,<ref name="opposition1">{{cite news |first1=Robert F. |last1=Worth |first2=Nazila |last2=Fathi |title=Protests Flare in Tehran as Opposition Disputes Vote |date=June 13, 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/world/middleeast/14iran.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=June 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711155202/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/world/middleeast/14iran.html |archive-date=July 11, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> and banned rallies.<ref name="JohnsonMurphy">{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Knight |title=Iranian protester killed after opposition rally |date=June 15, 2009 |agency=ABC News. ''abc.net.au'' |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-06-16/iran-protester-killed-after-anti-government-rally/1715122 |access-date=March 8, 2012 |archive-date=May 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514073054/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-06-16/iran-protester-killed-after-anti-government-rally/1715122 |url-status=live}}</ref> Several demonstrators in Iran were killed or imprisoned during the protests. Dozens of human casualties were reported or confirmed.<ref name="Iran official says 36 killed in post-vote unrest">{{cite news |title=Iran official says 36 killed in post-vote unrest |date=September 10, 2009 |agency=AFP |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j8GPoWmrf2qerPWQNHb8Z9eGjT3Q |access-date=November 30, 2011 |archive-date=January 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125145827/http://www.google.com/hosted/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iaWYtGitSBRRBJkDanoZ1gwP4DBA |title=Google.com |date=September 3, 2009 |access-date=February 13, 2012 |archive-date=February 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218222812/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iaWYtGitSBRRBJkDanoZ1gwP4DBA |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Lake, Eli. "[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/25/opposition-alters-tactics-to-avoid-protest-deaths/ Iran protesters alter tactics to avoid death]". ''[[The Washington Times]]''. (June 25, 2009) {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023171901/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/25/opposition-alters-tactics-to-avoid-protest-deaths/|date=October 23, 2013 }}</ref>
* [[Death and funeral of Corazon Aquino]] – Former President [[Corazon Aquino]] of the [[Philippines]] died of [[cardiorespiratory arrest]] on August 1, 2009, at the age of 76 after being in hospital from June 2009, and being diagnosed with [[colorectal cancer]] in March 2008.

==== Europe ====
[[File:Tratado de Lisboa 13 12 2007 (081).jpg|thumb|[[Treaty of Lisbon]]]]
[[File:Tarja Halonen in 2000.png|thumb|[[Tarja Halonen]] served as [[Finland]]'s 11th President and the first female head of state from 2000 to 2012.]]
* The [[Mayor of London]] is an elected politician who, along with the [[London Assembly]] of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of [[Greater London]]. The role, created in 2000 after the [[London devolution referendum]], was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom.
* The Netherlands becomes the first country in the world to fully legalize [[same-sex marriage]] on April 1, 2001.
* [[Silvio Berlusconi]] becomes [[Prime Minister of Italy]] in 2001 and again in 2008, after two years of a government held by [[Romano Prodi]], dominating the political scene for more than a decade and becoming the longest-serving post-war Prime Minister.
* [[European integration]] makes progress with the definitive circulation of the euro in twelve countries in 2002 and the widening of [[European Union]] to 27 countries in 2007. A [[European Constitution]] bill is rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005, but a similar text, the [[Treaty of Lisbon]], is drafted in 2007 and [[Signing of the Treaty of Lisbon|finally adopted]] by the 27 members countries.
* June 1–4, 2002 – The [[Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II]] was the international celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries.<ref name="Buck50">{{cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/HMTheQueen/TheQueenandspecialanniversaries/TheQueensGoldenJubilee/50factsaboutTheQueensGoldenJubilee.aspx |last=The Royal Household |title=Her Majesty The Queen > Jubilees and other milestones > Golden Jubilee > 50 facts about The Queen's Golden Jubilee |publisher=Queen's Printer |access-date=November 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054720/http://www.royal.gov.uk/HMTheQueen/TheQueenandspecialanniversaries/TheQueensGoldenJubilee/50factsaboutTheQueensGoldenJubilee.aspx |archive-date=September 21, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Blair |first=Tony |author-link=Tony Blair |date=November 23, 2000 |publication-date=January 13, 2003 |contribution=House of Commons Debate |editor-last=House of Commons Library |editor-link=House of Commons Library |editor2-last=Pond |editor2-first=Chris |title=Golden Jubilee 2002 |page=5 |location=Westminster |publisher=Queen's Printer |id=SN/PC/1435 |url=http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-01435.pdf |access-date=November 25, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605082313/http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/briefings/snpc-01435.pdf |archive-date=June 5, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Color revolutions]]: The [[Rose Revolution]] in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] leads to the ousting of [[Eduard Shevardnadze]] and the end of the Soviet era of leadership in the country.
* [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]] replaced [[José María Aznar]] as President of the Government of Spain in 2004.
* [[Color revolutions]]: The [[Orange Revolution]] in Ukraine occurs in the aftermath of the [[2004 Ukrainian presidential election]].
* [[Pope John Paul II]] dies on April 2, 2005. [[Pope Benedict XVI]] is elected on April 19, 2005.
* [[Angela Merkel]] becomes the first female [[Chancellor of Germany]] in 2005.
* The [[St Andrews Agreement]] signed in [[St Andrews]], [[Fife]], [[Scotland]] to restore the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] and bring in the principle of policing by consent with the [[Police Service of Northern Ireland]] with all parties in 2006.
* [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] is elected President of France in 2007 succeeding [[Jacques Chirac]], who had held the position for 12 years.
* [[Gordon Brown]] succeeds [[Tony Blair]] as [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] in 2007.
* [[Tony Blair]] was officially confirmed as Middle East envoy for the United Nations, European Union, United States, and Russia in 2007.
* [[Dmitry Medvedev]] succeeded [[Vladimir Putin]] as the [[President of Russia]] in 2008.
* Parties broadly characterised by political scientists as being [[Right-wing populism|right-wing populist]] soar throughout the 2000s, in the wake of increasing anti-Islam and anti-immigration sentiment in most Western European countries.<ref name="spie" /> By 2010, such parties (albeit often significant differences between them) were present in the national parliaments of Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Greece.<ref name="spie" /> In Austria, Italy and Switzerland, the [[Freedom Party of Austria]], [[Lega Nord]] and [[Swiss People's Party]], respectively, were at times also part of the national governments, and in Denmark, the [[Danish People's Party]] tolerated a right-liberal minority government from 2001 throughout the decade.<ref name="spie">{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,719842,00.html |work=Der Spiegel |title=Continent of Fear: The Rise of Europe's Right-Wing Populists |date=September 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311153412/http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0%2C1518%2C719842%2C00.html |archive-date=March 11, 2012 |url-status=dead}}, [http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,719842-2,00.html Part 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203114539/http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,719842-2,00.html |date=December 3, 2010 }}, [http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,719842-3,00.html Part 3] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204024055/http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,719842-3,00.html |date=December 4, 2010 }}</ref> While not being present in the national parliaments of France and the United Kingdom, [[Jean-Marie Le Pen]] of the [[National Front (France)|National Front]] came second in the first round of the [[2002 French presidential election]]s, and in the [[2009 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|2009 European Parliament election]], the [[UK Independence Party]] came second, beating even the Labour Party, while the [[British National Party]] managed to win two seats for the first time.