Buddhists in Sri Lanka have attacked a mosque in the city of Colombo. Buddhists comprise almost three-quarters of Sri Lanka’s population, but hardline elements believe that the Muslim and Christian communities pose a threat to the identity of Sri Lanka. These reports mirror reports from Burma, where evidence suggests that Buddhists have killed more than 100 Muslims and forced the evacuation of more than 100,000 Muslims. Buddhist violence is not unheard of, but it is unusual. The tensions within the Buddhist community reflect growing tensions among many religious communities.
As we noted in an earlier post, the European sovereign debt crisis is currently in stasis as the Union waits for the results of the German election in late September. But the data on the three most troubled economies, Greece, Portugal, and Ireland, looks increasingly grim. The debt levels of all three countries have increased over the summer and all three will likely need additional help from the IMF and the European Central Bank. Whether the conditions on the aid is more or less onerous really depends on the outcome of the German election. All three states should be rooting for an overwhelming victory for Merkel so that she feels less constrained by German domestic politics.
Sectarian violence in Iraq is about as bad as it ever was during the American occupation. The Sunnis are trying desperately to gain some leverage over the Shia-dominated government of Al-Maliki. The Sunnis in Iraq have been emboldened by the Sunni-led rebels in Syria. In many respects, the violence in Syria is being mimicked in Iraq–the violence is clearly regional now.
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