Dispatches

March 28

National elections couldn’t halt a killing rampage by Boko Haram, despite the Nigerian military’s claim that it had destroyed the group’s headquarters in Gwoza. But the country’s worsening fight with the Muslim terror group led to the surprising defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, in the March 28 vote. Nigerians elected Muslim hardliner Muhammadu Buhari, the first time the incumbent party failed to field a winner. Boko Haram kept its vow to disrupt elections, as gunmen attacked polling stations, torched houses, and reportedly committed beheadings with chain saws, killing more than 40. The growing lawlessness and corruption are why voters turned to Buhari, though some suspect Christians dislocated by Boko Haram violence had trouble getting to polls. Jonathan called Buhari to concede defeat—a big step in a volatile country toward a civil transfer of power.

Missing in Mexico

March 26

Six months after 43 students from a rural teachers college disappeared in the Mexican state of Guerrero, thousands marched throughout Mexico in remembrance of the missing individuals. The anniversary march had far fewer marchers than previous rallies for the missing students, but it’s still one of the more persistent social mobilizations in Mexico. Protestors also demonstrated at the federal elections office in Mexico City, seeking the suspension of the June 7 elections due to suspicions that some candidates are entangled with drug trafficking. Since 2006, tens of thousands of Mexicans have gone missing.

Indiana controversy

March 26

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on March 26 signed into law the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a law similar to a federal religious freedom law signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and similar to religious freedom laws in 18 other states (see “Midwest approaches” in this issue). But many commentators and prominent Democrats called the law a new and sinister authorization for blanket discrimination against gays, an attempt, wrote Washington Post blogger Jonathan Capehart, “to use religion to deny others humanity, dignity and respect.” As companies such as Angie’s List suggested they may restrict business in Indiana, Gov. Pence called for a new measure to “clarify the intent” of the law.

Campaign 2016 begins

March 30

The nation read it on Twitter first. Hours before his formal announcement, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tweeted his intention to run for president, becoming the first major candidate officially to enter the 2016 presidential campaign. The conservative senator is controversial among colleagues and best known for his vocal opposition to Obamacare and his role in the partial government shutdown in 2013. Late-night comedians Jon Stewart, Jimmy Fallon, and David Letterman had fun lampooning Cruz, but some donors are taking his campaign seriously. Within three days of his announcement Cruz raised $2 million. His team is shooting for $50 million by March 2016.

‘Total collapse’

March 26

Saudi Arabia began airstrikes in Yemen targeting the Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran and Hezbollah. Both Iran and the Houthis denied that Iran is arming the Shiite minority fighters, but Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Muslim Arab countries are wary of Iran’s solidifying clout over Iraq, Syria, and now Yemen, where a power vacuum is disintegrating into civil war. The air campaign, code-named Operation Decisive Storm, could expand to a ground offensive if the airstrikes cripple Houthi military capabilities and cut off its weapons supply line. With Yemen President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, a U.S. ally against al-Qaeda, taking refuge at a Saudi air base, fierce clashes with Hadi loyalists left about 100 dead. The Houthis pushed south to root out al-Qaeda and ISIS, who recently claimed responsibility for the bombing of two Shiite mosques in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The UN said Yemen’s “total collapse” was likely.

Downing in the alps

March 27

The mystery shrouding the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 in the French Alps, which killed all 150 people on board, began to subside. On March 24, the German airliner was flying at 38,000 feet en route from Barcelona, Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany, when it made a steep eight-minute descent into the remote valley. Investigators now suspect 27-year-old German co-pilot Andreas Lubitz might have deliberately locked the pilot out of the cockpit, made possible due to a system designed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Lubitz then apparently steered the plane into the mountains, ignoring radio calls, the pilot’s pounding on the cockpit door, and the screams of passengers. Half of the passengers were German, including 16 high-school students. Reports say Lubitz, who had no known ties to extremist or terrorist groups and who left no suicide note, may have had an illness he concealed from his employer. Lufthansa, Germanwing’s parent company, enjoyed a stellar reputation for its efficiency, good safety record, and rigorous psychological testing of its pilots, but the tragedy sparked a re-evaluation of international airline security rules. Two days after the incident, the German Aviation Association announced new procedures requiring two pilots in a plane’s cockpit at all times.

Coalition headaches

March 31

At the request of Iraq’s government, the United States launched airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Tikrit, once it received assurances thousands of Iran-backed Shiite militiamen had pulled out of the battle. The U.S.-led coalition’s decision not to coordinate with Iranian-backed militias created headaches for ground forces—and may have stalled progress toward liberating Tikrit, the ancestral home of Saddam Hussein. But U.S. officials protested once they learned Major General Qasem Suleimani—leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force and twice designated a terrorist by the United States–was leading operations alongside Iraqi commanders in Tikrit. Despite the setbacks and unwelcome role of Iran, Iraqi forces appeared likely to take the key city after a month-long offensive.