2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Outbreak
Under intense pressure, the UN relented, and said it would appoint a panel to investigate the source of the cholera strain. That panel's report, issued in May 2011, confirmed substantial evidence that the Nepalese troops had brought the disease to Haiti. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) utilized DNA fingerprinting to tests various samples of cholera from Haitian patients to pinpoint the specific strand of cholera found in Haiti. During an epidemiological outbreak investigation, DNA fingerprinting of bacteria can be extremely helpful in identifying the source of an outbreak.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Outbreak
The results of the CDC tests showed that the specific strain of cholera found in samples taken from Haitian patients was Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1, serotype Ogawa, a strain found in South Asia. This specific strain of cholera is endemic in Nepal, therefore supporting the Haitian suspicion that Nepalese peacekeepers were the source of the outbreak. However, in the report's concluding remarks, the authors stated that a "confluence of circumstances" was to blame.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Outbreak
Rita Colwell, former director of the National Science Foundation and climate change expert, still contends that climate changes were an important factor in cholera's spread, stating in an interview with UNEARTH News in August 2013 that the outbreak was "triggered by a complicated set of factors. The precipitation and temperatures were above average during 2010 and that, in conjunction with a destroyed water and sanitation infrastructure, can be considered to have contributed to this major disease outbreak."


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Outbreak
In August 2016, after Katz obtained a leaked copy of a report by United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon accepted responsibility for the UN's role in the initial outbreak and stated that a "significant new set of U.N. actions" will be required to help solve the problem. In 2017, Katz also revealed the existence of emails that showed that "officials at the highest levels of the U.S. government were aware almost immediately that U.N. forces likely played a role in the outbreak". Katz reported that these emails showed "multiple federal agencies, from national security officials to scientists on the front lines, shielded the United Nations from accountability to protect the organization and themselves".


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Reactions
At the beginning of the outbreak, widespread panic regarding the virulence of the disease and the UN's denial of the blame caused increased tension between the UN and the Haitian community. On 15 November 2010, a riot broke out in Cap-Haïtien following the death of a young Haitian inside the Cap-Haïtien UN base and rumours that the outbreak was caused by UN soldiers from Nepal. Protesters demanded that the Nepalese brigade of the UN leave the country. At least 5 people were killed in the riots, including 1 UN personnel. Riots then continued for a second day.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Reactions
Following the riots, the UN continued their position that the Nepalese soldiers were not to blame, and rather said that the riots was being staged for "political reasons because of forthcoming elections", as the Haitian government sent its own forces to "protest" the UN peacekeepers. According to one author, rather than confront the inescapable conclusion that the UN was indeed the cause, "the world’s preeminent humanitarian organization continued to dissemble." During a third day of riots, UN personnel were blamed for shooting at least 5 protestors, but denied responsibility. On the fourth day of demonstrations against the UN presence, police fired tear gas into an IDP camp in the capital.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Reactions
The outbreak of cholera became an issue for Haitian candidates to answer in the 2010 general election. There were fears that the election could be postponed. The head of MINUSTAH, Edmond Mulet said that it should not be delayed as that could lead to a political vacuum with untold potential problems.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Reactions
In November 2011, the UN received a petition from 5,000 victims for hundreds of millions of dollars in reparations over the outbreak thought to have been caused by UN members of MINUSTAH. In February 2013, the United Nations responded by invoking its immunity from lawsuits under the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Reactions
On 9 October 2013, Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), and civil rights lawyer Ira Kurzban's law firm Kurzban Kurzban Weinger Tetzeli & Pratt, P.A. (KKWT) filed a lawsuit against the UN in the Southern District of New York. The lawsuit was dismissed, but an appeal was filed in the Second Circuit. In October 2016, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the United Nations' immunity from claims. On 11 March 2014, a second lawsuit was filed, Laventure v. United Nations, in the Eastern District of New York, on behalf of more than 1,500 victims of the disaster. In an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, an attorney for the plaintiffs wrote:


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Reactions
"Imagine if the United Nations killed thousands on the streets of New York. Or London. Or Paris. And sickened nearly a million more. Would the U.N. claim it was not liable? Of course not. The international community wouldn't allow it."


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Reactions
A lead lawyer for the plaintiffs also noted that the lawsuit was different from the one filed by the IDJH, in that it alleged that liability had been accepted by the U.N. the 1990s. The lawyer stated that immunity: "should not be a shield to hide behind because the United Nations (or the U.S. government) doesn’t like the price tag that comes with the U.N.'s indisputable gross negligence in this case."


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Reactions
This case, too, was dismissed by the U.S. District Court, and the Court of Appeals. The appeal is currently before the United States Supreme Court.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Reactions
In December 2016, the then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon finally apologized on behalf of UN, saying he was "profoundly sorry" for the outbreak. The Secretary-General promised to spend $400 million to aid the victims and to improve the nation's crumbling sanitation and water systems. As of March 2017, the UN has come through with only 2 percent of that amount.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Morbidity and mortality, Domestic
On 21 October 2010, the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) confirmed the first case of cholera in Haiti in over a century. The outbreak began in the rural Center department of Haiti, about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of the capital, Port-au-Prince. By the first 10 weeks of the epidemic, cholera spread to all of Haiti's 10 departments or provinces. It had killed 4,672 people by March 2011 and hospitalized thousands more. The outbreak in Haiti was the most severe in recent history prior to 2010; the World Health Organization reported that from 2010 to 2011, the outbreak in Haiti accounted for 57% of all cases and 45% of all deaths from cholera worldwide.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Morbidity and mortality, Domestic
When the outbreak began in October 2010, more than 6% of Haitians resulted in acquiring the disease. The highest incidence of cholera occurred in 2011 immediately following the introduction of the primary exposure. The rate of incidence slowly declined thereafter, with spikes resulting from rainy seasons and hurricanes. As reported by the Haitian Health Ministry, as of August 2012, the outbreak had caused 586,625 cholera cases and 7,490 deaths. According to the Pan American Health Organization, as of 21 November 2013, there had been 689,448 cholera cases in Haiti, leading to 8,448 deaths.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Morbidity and mortality, Domestic
While there had been an apparent lull in cases in 2014, by August 2015 the rainy season brought a spike in the number of cases. At that time more than 700,000 Haitians had become ill with the disease and the death toll had climbed to 9,000. As of March 2017, around 7% of Haiti's population (around 800,665 people) have been affected with cholera, and 9,480 Haitians have died. Latest epidemiological report by WHO in 2018 indicate a total of 812,586 cases of cholera in Haiti since October 2010, resulting in 9,606 deaths.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Morbidity and mortality, Domestic
However, a 2011 serological survey indicated that a large number of patients may have not been diagnosed: while only 18% of over a 2,500 respondents in a rural commune reported a cholera diagnosis, 64% had antibodies against it.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Morbidity and mortality, International
The first case of cholera was reported in the Dominican Republic in mid-November 2010, following the Pan-America Health Organization's prediction. By January 2011, the Dominican Republic had reported 244 cases of cholera. The first man to die of it there died in the province of Altagracia on 23 January 2011. The Dominican Republic was particularly vulnerable to exposure of cholera due to sharing a border with Haiti, and a large Haitian refugee population displaced following the 2010 earthquake. As of the latest epidemiological report by WHO in 2018, there has been a total of 33,188 cases of cholera in the Dominican Republic resulting in 504 deaths.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Morbidity and mortality, International
In late January 2011, more than 20 Venezuelans were reported to have been taken to hospital after contracting cholera after visiting the Dominican Republic. 37 cases were reported in total. Contaminated food was blamed for the spread of the disease. Venezuelan health minister Eugenia Sader gave a news conference which was broadcast on VTV during which she described all 37 people as "doing well". The minister had previously observed that the last time cholera was recorded in Venezuela was twenty years before this, in 1991.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Morbidity and mortality, International
In late June 2012, Cuba confirmed three deaths and 53 cases of cholera in Manzanillo; in 2013 there were 51 cases of cholera reported in Havana. Vaccination of half the population was urged by the University of Florida to stem the epidemic.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Vulnerabilities, Infrastructure
Before the outbreak, Haiti suffered from relatively poor public health and sanitation infrastructure. In 2002, Haiti was ranked 147th out of 147 countries for water security. As of 2008, 37% of Haiti's population lacked access to adequate drinking water, and 83% lacked improved sanitation facilities. As such, families often obtain their water from natural sources, such as rivers, that may be contaminated with V. cholerae. Poor sanitation infrastructure allows cholera bacterium to enter these waterways.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Vulnerabilities, Infrastructure
Persons are subsequently infected via the fecal-oral route when the water is used for drinking and cooking, and poor hygiene often contributes to the spread of cholera through the household or community. There is also a chronic shortage of health care personnel, and hospitals lack adequate resources to treat those infected with cholera- a situation that became readily apparent after the January 2010 earthquake. Insufficient water and sanitation infrastructure, coupled with a massive earthquake in 2010, made Haiti particularly vulnerable to an outbreak of waterborne disease.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Vulnerabilities, Physiological
Malnutrition of the population, another pre-existing condition that was exacerbated by the earthquake, may have also contributed to the severity of the outbreak. Research from previous outbreaks shows that duration of diarrhea can be prolonged by up to 70% in individuals suffering from severe malnutrition. Furthermore, Haitians had no biological immunity to the strain of cholera introduced since they had no previous exposure to it. Therefore, physiological factors including malnutrition and lack of immunity may have allowed cholera to spread rapidly throughout the country.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Vulnerabilities, Information
Lack of information and limited access to some rural areas can also be a barrier to care. Some aid agencies have reported that mortality and morbidity tolls may be higher than the official figures because the government does not track deaths in rural areas where people never reached a hospital or emergency treatment center. Limitations in the data from Haiti stem from a lack of pre-outbreak lack of surveillance infrastructure and laboratories to properly test samples and diagnose cases.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Vulnerabilities, Information
Haiti was tasked with developing surveillance systems and laboratories after the 2010 earthquake and cholera outbreak which caused difficulties tracking the progression and scale of the outbreak. Because of the lack of established surveillance, much of the case report data is anecdotal and potentially underestimated. Also, because of lack of laboratory confirmation for the vast majority of cases of cholera, it is possible that other diarrheal diseases were being falsely classified as cholera.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Vulnerabilities, Environmental
Rainy seasons and hurricanes continue to cause a temporary spike in incident cases and deaths. Moreover, as a result of global warming and climate change, Haiti is at an increased risk of cholera transmission. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) advances that global warming between 1.5–2 degrees Celsius will very likely lead to an increase in frequency and intensity of natural disasters and extreme weather events. Resource-poor countries are poised to be affected more so than more developed and economically secure countries.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Vulnerabilities, Environmental
Environmental factors such as temperature increases, severe weather events, and natural disasters have a two-fold impact on the transmission potential of cholera in Haiti: 1) they present conditions favorable to the persistence and growth of V. cholerae in the environment, and 2) they devastate a country's infrastructure and strain public health and health care resources. An exhaustive study into environmental factors influencing the spread of cholera in Haiti cites above average air temperatures following the earthquake, "anomalously high rainfall" from September to October 2010, and damage to the limited water and sanitation infrastructure as likely converging to create conditions favorable to a cholera outbreak.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication
Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been dedicated towards eradicating cholera in Haiti since its introduction in 2010, yet unsanitary conditions and climate-driven forces allow cholera transmission to continue. While the number of new cases of cholera has drastically decreased from 2010, and is currently the lowest it has been since the outbreak began, the incidence remains at 25.5 per 100,000 population as of October 2018. Over time, there has been significant progress in the reduction of caseloads and overall number of deaths. According to one PAHO/WHO report, "the cumulative case-fatality rate (CFR) has remained around 1% since 2011".


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication
These achievements can be contributed to intensified international and local medical efforts and an increased emphasis on preventative measures, including improved sanitation, such as latrines, and changes in Haitian behaviors such as treating water, thoroughly cooking food, and rigorous hand-washing. Despite these progresses, cholera remains endemic in Haiti, and further resources are needed to fully eradicate it.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication
After former UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon accepted UN responsibility for the introduction of cholera in Haiti in December 2016, Moon projected a necessary $400 million in funding over two years in order to fully eradicate cholera in Haiti. The Government of Haiti has dedicated itself to the complete eradication of cholera from Haiti by 2022 as presented in the Cholera Elimination Plan (PNEC) 2013 – 2022.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, successor to Ban Ki Moon, took up Moon's commitment to assist Haiti in the eradication of cholera when he took office on 31 December 2016, as demonstrated by strategic objective 2 of the 2017– 2018 Haiti Revised Humanitarian Plan. Strategic objective 2 reads, "Save lives from epidemics – Reduce mortality and morbidity due to cholera outbreaks and other waterborne diseases through the reduction of vulnerability, strengthening of epidemiological surveillance and ensuring of rapid and effective response".


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication
The 2017 – 2018 Haiti Revised Humanitarian Plan identifies 1.9 million people in need of assistance for the protection from cholera, of which, 1.5 million people are targeted through programming totaling US$21.7 million. Currently, the UN and Government of Haiti are on target to reach the 2016 – 2018 midterm goal to reduce the incidence of cholera to less than 0.1% by the end of 2018. However, any disruption in funding of support services may result in a spike in transmission and the interruption of the downward trend.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Challenges, Protracted crises: Hurricane Matthew 2016
The first challenge to the eradication of cholera in Haiti is the country's vulnerability to disasters, putting it in a state of protracted crises. The climax of cholera incidence in Haiti was in 2011 with 352,000 new cases following the introduction of cholera in Haiti in late 2010. Incidence rates gradually declined until 2016 when there was another spike in the transmission and incidence of cholera following Hurricane Matthew's destruction in Haiti from 2–5 October 2016. There was a rise in cholera incidence from 32,000 new cases in 2015 to 42,000 new cases in 2016.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Challenges, Protracted crises: Hurricane Matthew 2016
By re-damaging Haiti's fragile water and sanitation infrastructure, Hurricane Matthew allowed cholera to rear its head. These figures demonstrate that the fight against cholera in Haiti, while improving, is on unstable ground. This indicates that while eradication efforts have largely been focused on vaccination and community education to prevent transmission, and oral rehydration to reduce mortality, the underlying vulnerabilities that perpetuate the disaster remain, particularly insufficient and unequal access to improved water and sanitation.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Challenges, Funding
While the Government of Haiti's Cholera Elimination Plan (PNEC) 2013 – 2022 and the New UN System Approach on Cholera in Haiti (see solutions below for more information) lay out plans for the elimination of cholera in Haiti by 2022, these are entirely dependent on funding. In former Secretary General Moon's 5 December 2016 remarks he says, "Without political will and financial support from the membership of the United Nations, we have only good intentions and words. Words are powerful – but they cannot replace action and material support". Due to the infectious nature of cholera, any lapse in funding for programming will likely result in setbacks in elimination.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Challenges, Funding
As of 2017, funding for cholera is at risk due to increasing food insecurity and shelter needs for Haitian refugees returning from the Dominican Republic. In the 2017 – 2018 Revised Haiti Humanitarian Plan, funding requirements for cholera programming is the third largest at $21.7 million, behind $76.6 million for food security and $103.8 million for shelter/NFI needs.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, Vaccination campaigns
In 2013, the Government of Haiti launched an oral cholera vaccination (OCV) campaign in two regions: Cerca Carvajal and Petite Anse. These regions were chosen because of particularly high attack rates, sanitation infrastructure, and access to healthcare. This vaccination effort was slightly controversial because the WHO guidelines at the time did not encourage mass vaccination campaigns in areas where outbreaks had already occurred. Prior to the 2010 outbreak in Haiti, vaccination campaigns were thought to detract from more important prevention measures like water treatment and good hygiene.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, Vaccination campaigns
Relative success rates (up to 65% or higher protective effectiveness 5 years after vaccination) in recent vaccination campaigns in Haiti and other countries affected by cholera has led to more widespread use of oral cholera vaccine programs and a change in the WHO guidelines to encourage use of vaccines in addition to other prevention and treatment strategies.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
At the end of 2016, former UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon presented the "New UN System Approach on Cholera in Haiti". This two-track approach marked the UN's acceptance of responsibility for the introduction of cholera in Haiti and demonstrated its commitment to the eradication of the disease in Haiti. Since the 2016 admission of guilt, there has been increased coordination and goodwill between the Government of Haiti and UN, resulting in great strides towards the elimination of cholera. 2017 was a hallmark year in the elimination of cholera from Haiti.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
The 2017 – 2018 Haiti Revised Humanitarian Plan reports, "As of 31 December 2017, 13,682 suspected cholera cases and 150 deaths had been registered in the country in 2017 compared to 41,955 cases and 451 deaths for the same period in 2016, a decrease of 67% in both cases". Newly developed rapid response teams are largely to credit for the reduction in disease incidence.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
The ability for the humanitarian sector to act quickly and bounce back following Hurricane Matthew in 2016, as well as to maintain the downward trend during the heavy rain season, demonstrates progress in the eradication of cholera in Haiti.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
Track 1 of the New UN System Approach on Cholera in Haiti aims to "intensify efforts to respond to and reduce the incidence of cholera in Haiti" through three main projects. The first is strengthening and supporting the rapid response framework developed by the Haitian Government which deploys to communities where cholera is suspected within 48-hours. There are currently 13 government led rapid response teams, and 60 mobile teams of humanitarian actors that support the rapid response teams.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
The goal of rapid response teams is to cut the transmission of cholera by first setting up a perimeter called a cordon sanitaire and investigating the source of the outbreak at the household level. This investigation is coupled with education and awareness raising on cholera prevention, administering oral prophylaxis and distribution of WASH kits. If an outbreak is confirmed, temporary chlorination points are installed on community water sources. People treated for cholera by the rapid response teams are then recruited to Community Engagement & Hygiene Awareness (CEHA) teams.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
The CEHA teams return to their communities to conduct outreach and sensitization on how to cut transmission and assist the government in monitoring water sources. This rapid response design with the assistance of the CEHA teams is responsible for a major decline in disease incidence in the Ouest department in 2017. As long as funding continues to support rapid response, a continued decline in disease incidence can be suspected.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
The second project of track 1 is the continued support of oral cholera vaccination campaigns as a preventative measure. In 2018, the oral cholera vaccine campaign will focus on departments with the highest incidence of disease, particularly Artibonite and Centre departments.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
The final aim of track 1 is to "more effectively address… the medium/longer term issues of water, sanitation and health systems". The 2010 earthquake and subsequent cholera outbreak/epidemic exposed to the international community how vulnerable the Haitian water, sanitation, and health infrastructure was. Cholera and other water-borne diseases will continue to circulate in Haiti as long as large sections of their population do not have access to improved water and sanitation facilities.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
As part of the UN's "New Way of Working" which aims to bridge the development and humanitarian gap, the UN will be working with major development actors including the World Bank and the International Development Bank to address infrastructure vulnerabilities that put Haiti at risk of protracted crisis. The "New Way of Working" aims to draw from funding sources on both sides of the spectrum, both development and humanitarian, to work towards the Sustainable Development Goals. No joint funded projects have been reported in Haiti yet.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
The second track of the New UN System Approach on Cholera in Haiti proposes to provide material assistance to individuals and families who were most affected by cholera. The material assistance package is the UN's attempt at reparations after accepting responsibility for the introduction of cholera in Haiti. The UN reports, "nearly 800,000 Haitians have been infected by cholera since 2010 [as of 2016] and more than 9,000 have died". First, consultations will be conducted with the community to identify what materials will be of greatest impact.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
January of this year marked the 10-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. In addition, to the lives lost in the earthquake thousands of lives have been affected by the introduction of Cholera to Haiti by UN peacekeepers in Nepal. It is estimated that over the last ten years 820,000 cases and nearly 10,000 deaths have been reported as of January 18, 2020. We briefly describe an update on the cholera epidemic in Haiti since 2016.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
In 2015, Haiti had more reported cases of cholera per population than any other country and in 2016 Hurricane Matthew added a new urgency to mitigating the suffering in Haiti due to Cholera. In the same year the UN apologized to the Haitian people for the epidemic, after scientific studies linked the cholera epidemic to UN peacekeepers that were not screened for the disease prior to their arrival in Haiti after the earthquake.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
and pledged to provide 400 million dollars in two years to implement “Track 1” and “Track 2” aimed at providing water sanitation and improved access to treatment and material assistance to Haitians affected by the cholera epidemic respectively. However, to date only 21 million dollars have been raised and 3 million dollars have been utilized.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
While to date only 5% of the funds for these tracks have been raised ongoing humanitarian efforts by the UN, other NGO's, and the Haitian government the new cases of Cholera have drastically decreased in the last 5 years. A series of studies from 2013 to 2016 proved that the combination of chlorination and cholera vaccination could eliminate cholera in one of the poorest areas in Haiti. After Hurricane Matthew in 2016, the WHO and other technical partners developed teams to investigate the scale of cholera outbreaks.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
Then in October 2016, the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and Population requested and received 1 million doses of the oral cholera vaccine, partially funded by Gavi, the vaccine alliance. The WHO and other partners including UNICEF, International Medical Corps, the Red Cross and Gavi, the vaccine alliance teams reached over 729,000 people most affected by Hurricane Matthew. These and ongoing efforts by the Haitian government and humanitarian aid have only continued to decrease the number of cholera cases in Haiti. In 2018 only 3700 cholera cases and 41 deaths were reported from 90% of the departments in Haiti.


2010s Haiti cholera outbreak, Challenges and solutions to eradication, Solutions, UN approach
Then in 2019 the UN announced that Haiti had been cholera free for one year, with the last confirmed case reported to be in the Artibonite in January 2019. However,  in order to obtain validation that cholera has ended in Haiti the country must maintain effective surveillance systems and remain cholera free for two more years.


2010s in Angola
This is a list of events in 2010s in Angola:


2010s in Bangladesh
The 2010s was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1, 2010, and ended on December 31, 2019. For Bangladesh this decade was characterized by political stability from continued rule of Sheikh Hasina led Awami League Government. While the country made significant economic growth in this decade, rising threat from Islamist terrorism and Rohingya refugee problem marred the progress.


2010s in Bangladesh, Politics and National life
The decade began with Awami League government in power. The infamous BDR Mutiny has just been subdued and the trial of war crimes committed during Bangladesh Liberation War have begun. In 2010, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh reaffirmed secularism as a fundamental principle in the constitution. The war crimes tribunal mobilised public opinion in favour of secularism, which was manifested in the March 2013 Shahbag protests. In response, a huge Islamist mobilisation also took place led by the Hefazat-e-Islam group in May 2013.


2010s in Bangladesh, Politics and National life
The intense bickering between the League and BNP, often dubbed the Battle of the Begums, continued. The Hasina government abolished the provision of caretaker government in the constitution through the controversial Fifteenth Amendment. The move was seen by the BNP as an attempt to corrupt the election process in favour of the League.


2010s in Bangladesh, Politics and National life
In 2013, the hard-line, right-wing, Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami was banned from registering and therefore contesting in elections by the High Court, citing their charter violates the constitution. Street violence between the League, BNP and the Jamaat intensified in the run up to the general election. In 2014, the general elections were boycotted by the BNP. The elections were criticized by the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and the United Nations. Sheikh Hasina was sworn in for a third tenure as prime minister.


2010s in Bangladesh, Politics and National life
In 2015 and 2016, Bangladesh saw increasing assassinations targeting minorities and secularists, including Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, Western and Asian expatriates, LGBT activists, Sufi Muslims, bloggers, publishers and atheists. The country's worst terrorist attack saw the death of 20 people after an upmarket restaurant was sieged by gunmen in July 2016. The Islamic State of Iraq and Levant has claimed responsibility for many of the attacks, although the Hasina government insists local terror outfits are more likely to be responsible. Since this attack, the Government took stricter measures against extremists as the security forces led a numerous raids on suspected militant hide-outs. The measures led to reduction in extremist attacks and fatalities.


2010s in Bangladesh, Politics and National life
In 2017 the country faced fresh challenge from incoming Rohingya refugees. Starting in early August 2017, the Myanmar security forces began "clearance operations" against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine state — killing thousands of Rohingya, brutalizing thousands more, and driving hundreds of thousands out of the country into neighboring Bangladesh. In the first four weeks of the conflict, over 400,000 Rohingya refugees (approximately 40% of the remaining Rohingya in Myanmar) fled the country on foot or by boat (chiefly to Bangladesh) creating a major humanitarian crisis. The governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding on 23 November 2017 regarding the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Rakhine State. However, till the end of the decade over 740,000 refugees remained in Bangladesh creating pressure on the country's economy and infrastructure.


2010s in Bangladesh, Politics and National life
The 2018 General elections brought another landslide victory for the Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina. While the opposition was already weak due to key leaders being in either jail or exile, the elections were further marred by violence and claims of vote rigging. However, this gave the Awami League Government stability and opportunity to complete key infrastructure projects for the country including the Padma Bridge and the Dhaka Metro Rail.


2010s in Bangladesh, Administrative Division
With the introduction of Rangpur Division in 2010 and Mymensingh Division in 2015, by the end of the decade the country was divided into eight divisions shown in the table below:


2010s in Bangladesh, Administrative Division
As shown in the table above, these divisions were further subdivided into 64 districts.


2010s in Bangladesh, Demographics
Based on World Development Indicators published by the World Bank the population of Bangladesh grew from 150 million at the beginning of the decade to 161 million by the end. This signifies an annual population growth rate of 0.7%. Population density increased from 1156 to 1240 per sq. km. The urban population was 30.5% of the total at the beginning, which ended up at 36.6%. Dhaka, the largest city, with a population of 14.7 million, accounted for 31.8% of the total urban population by 2019. Age dependency ratio (% of working-age population) changed from 58.2% to 49.0% by the end of the decade.


2010s in Bangladesh, Demographics
The influx of Rohingya refugees had impact on the demography of Bangladesh. From 25 August to 25 October 2017, around 605,000 Rohingyas arrived in Cox’s Bazar. Besides, almost 203,431 Rohingya refugees were already living at Ukhiya and Teknaf Upazila of Cox’s Bazar, and they had come there during the period from July 2005 to August 2017. The total number of Rohingya refugees staying in Bangladesh by the end of the decade was about 1,008,431.


2010s in Bangladesh, Climate
The lowest temperature since Bangladesh's independence, at 37.4 °F (3.0 °C) was recorded in Saidpur on 10 January 2013.


2010s in Bangladesh, Climate, Natural disasters
In 2012 floods and landslides caused by heavy rain in late June, which significantly affected ten districts in the country's northern and south-eastern parts causing 131 deaths. In August–September 2014, continuous rainfall in north and north-eastern Bangladesh caused flash floods in low-lying and densely populated areas affecting 2.8 million people. On 21 May 2016, Cyclone Roanu made landfall near Chittagong, Bangladesh. 30 people died when this cyclone hit the county, and around 40,000 homesteads and business houses were damaged.


2010s in Bangladesh, Climate, Natural disasters
In 2017 Cyclone Mora made landfall on May 31. Strong winds and storm surge battered buildings and destroyed farmlands across Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, and Rangamati. At least 20,000 houses were damaged in refugee camps for Rohingya Muslims, who were displaced by conflict in neighbouring Myanmar. Continued monsoon rain later in the year caused flooding which covered approximately one-third of Bangladesh, primarily in the northern, north-eastern, and central parts of the country. Over six million have been affected, according to UNICEF, with estimates ranging as high as 8.5 million.


2010s in Bangladesh, Climate, Natural disasters
Property losses included nearly 700,000 damaged or destroyed homes, 4,680,000 hectares (11,600,000 acres) of farmland inundated, and thousands of miles of damaged roads. On 12 June, heavy monsoon rain triggered a series of landslides and floods in  Rangamati, Chittagong and Bandarban - three hilly districts of Bangladesh - and killed at least 152 people.


2010s in Bangladesh, Culture, Literature
The countries' most popular author of the time, Humayun Ahmed, died in 2012. His unexpected and untimely death was mourned widely and it created an "emotionally unifying experience" for the nation. In 2016 the country further lost another leading critically acclaimed poet and author Syed Shamsul Haque. These two deaths created a vacuum in the literary field of Bangladesh. Some of the notable literary works from this decade include: Abdullah Abu Sayeed's Amar Boka Shoishob, Muntassir Mamoon's Dusshomoyer Dinguli, Humayun Ahmed's Badshah Namdar; Tahmima Anam's The Good Muslim and Imdadul Haq Milan's Ekattor O Ekjon Maa.


2010s in Bangladesh, Culture, Visual arts
Baitur Rauf Mosque completed in 2012, designed by Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum, was one of six winners of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2016, along with the Friendship Centre in Gaibandha. Other prominent architects who made notable contribution in this decade include Jalal Ahmad, Salauddin Ahmed, Saif Ul Haque, Ehsan Khan, Mubasshar Hussein, Mustapha Khalid Palash, Enamul Karim Nirjhar and Rafiq Azam. In this decade the nation mourned the death of master architect Muzharul Islam (d. 2012) who is considered as the pioneer of modern architecture in Bangladesh.


2010s in Eritrea
On January 1, 2010, 3 people were killed in an Eritrea–Ethiopia border skirmish.


2010s in Eritrea
In an interview on February 22, 2010, President Isaias Afewerki denied to Al Jazeera any siding of the Eritrean government with factions fighting in the Somali Civil War.


2010s in Eritrea
On June 2016, Eritrea claimed 200 Ethiopian soldiers were killed and 300 wounded in a battle at Tsorona.


2010s in Hong Kong
The 2010s in Hong Kong refers to Hong Kong during the period from 2010 until 2019 under the People's Republic of China (PRC), in which this period of this decade were marred by the political instability, as well as the health crisis that occurs in the end of 2019.


2010s in Hong Kong, Politics, Umbrella Revolution
The Umbrella Revolution erupted spontaneously in September 2014 in protest of a decision by China's Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) on proposed electoral reform. The austere package provoked mobilisation by students, and the effects became amplified into a political movement involving hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong citizens by heavy-handed policing and government tactics.


2010s in Hong Kong, Politics, 2016 Independence Protest
Social tension has heightened extensively due to PR China's effort in exerting everyday influences in Hong Kong. The territory currently delegates control of PR Chinese immigrants, as well as issue of visitor permits, to Chinese authorities. On the first day of Chinese New Year 2016, riots targeting the police force broke out. The most recent survey in 2016 in Hong Kong shows that 17.8% respondents considered themselves as "Chinese citizens", whereas a staggering 41.9% considered themselves purely as "citizens of Hong Kong". Hong Kong nationalism and Chinese interventions in Hong Kong has steadily been growing ever since. Organizations in Hong Kong continue to protest for an independent Hong Kong, similar to Singapore.


2010s in Hong Kong, Media, Decline of Asia Television and relaunch as streaming platform
One of the oldest television network in Hong Kong, Asia Television suffers the decline since the transfer of several stakes of network to Chinese property businessman Wang Zheng. Since the takeover, Asia Television attempting to convert current channels to news channel network which known as the CNN of Asia by replacing the television drama series to talk show and news program had further contributed to additional decline of viewership of Asia Television.


2010s in Hong Kong, Media, Decline of Asia Television and relaunch as streaming platform
In addition, the news reporting from Asia Television which were inaccurate and biased had led to backlash from both community and the central government, especially the false reporting of the death of Jiang Zemin, former General Secretary of the Communist Party of China on 6 July 2011, and the biased reporting against the group of anti-Moral and National Education students. Asia Television also suffers from financial issues, especially their inability to pay wages to their employees, and unpaid bills to Hop Chung Tourist Car Company, a long-time transport contractor of ATV, which both these incident has led to several lawsuit filed against the broadcast company.


2010s in Hong Kong, Media, Decline of Asia Television and relaunch as streaming platform
The decline and troubling nature of Asia Television results in Executive Council's decision to not renew Asia Television's over-the-air broadcasting license, while at the same time approving the over-the-air broadcasting license to another broadcaster, HK Television Entertainment (known as ViuTV), on 1 April 2015. The revoke of the license were followed by the liquidation process of ATV and its assets which laid off all the staffs and winding down the operation of ATV with assistance from Deloitte on 26 February 2016. The last day for the ATV over-the-air broadcasting is on 1 April 2016, in which the following day, their former broadcast spectrum were taken over by RTHK TV 31, CGTN Documentary and ViuTV.


2010s in Hong Kong, Media, Decline of Asia Television and relaunch as streaming platform
In December 2017, Asia Television was revived as OTT service which has its content streamed over the internet instead of relying on over-the-air broadcasting. Among the programs that are offered from online services including the revival edition of Hong Kong version of Who Wants to Become a Millionaire and Miss Asia Pageant, as well as ATV original dramas and documentaries.


2010s in Irish television
For articles on Irish television in the 2010s please see:


2010s in LGBT rights
This is a list of notable events in LGBT rights that took place in the 2010s.


2010s in LGBT rights, Overview
During the 2010s, acceptance of LGBT people slowly increased in many parts of the world. Marriage for same-sex couples was an ongoing debate in many nations, while over eighteen nations legalized same-sex marriage.


2010s in LGBT rights, Overview
In June 2011 the United Nations Human Rights Council passed the UN's first-ever motion condemning discrimination against gays, lesbians and bisexuals commissioning a report on the issue. During an ABC News interview in 2012, Barack Obama expressed his support for gay marriage, becoming the first US President to do so. Although many nations allowed gays and bisexuals to serve in their militaries, a major milestone came in September 2011 when the US abolished its "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.


2010s in LGBT rights, Overview
In 2015, Ireland became the first nation to legalize same-sex marriage via referendum. In 2017, Leo Varadkar became Ireland's first openly gay Taoiseach, joining the ranks of other nation's first openly gay and lesbian heads of state in the 2010s.


2010s in LGBT rights, Overview
In April 2015, former olympic athlete Caitlyn Jenner came out as a transgender woman, and was subsequently called the most famous openly transgender person in the world, and on June 26 of that year, same-sex marriage was legalized in all 50 states of the U.S. as the Supreme Court ruled in a 5–4 vote that refusing to grant marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and the Episcopal Church announced acceptance of transgender people in the 2010s.


2010s in LGBT rights, Overview
However, LGBT rights supporters faced obstacles with the implementation of laws curbing expression of homosexuality in Russia and China, as well as in the United States, with the Trump administration's decisions to reinstate the ban on transgender people serving in the military and the rescission of protections for transgender students.


2010s in Syria political history
2010s in Syria political history refers to events during the 2010s in political history of Syria.


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Early to mid-2010s), Syrian Civil War
The Syrian Civil War is an ongoing multi-sided civil war in Syria fought between the Ba'athist Syrian Arab Republic led by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, along with domestic and foreign allies, and various domestic and foreign forces opposing both the Syrian government and each other in varying combinations. The war is currently the second deadliest of the 21st century.


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Early to mid-2010s), Syrian Civil War
The unrest in Syria, part of a wider wave of the 2011 Arab Spring protests, grew out of discontent with the Syrian government and escalated to an armed conflict after protests calling for Assad's removal were violently suppressed.


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Early to mid-2010s), Syrian Civil War
The war, which began on 15 March 2011 with major unrest in Damascus and Aleppo, is being fought by several factions: the Syrian Armed Forces and its international allies, a loose alliance of mostly Sunni opposition rebel groups (including the Free Syrian Army), Salafi jihadist groups (including al-Nusra Front), the mixed Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), with a number of countries in the region and beyond being either directly involved or providing support to one or another faction (Iran, Russia, Turkey, the United States, as well as others).


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Early to mid-2010s), Syrian Civil War
Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah support the Syrian Arab Republic and the Syrian Armed Forces militarily, with Russia conducting airstrikes and other military operations since September 2015. The U.S.-led international coalition, established in 2014 with the declared purpose of countering ISIL, has conducted airstrikes primarily against ISIL as well as some against government and pro-government targets. They have also deployed special forces and artillery units to engage ISIL on the ground. Since 2015, the U.S. has supported the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria and its armed wing, the SDF, materially, financially, and logistically.


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Early to mid-2010s), Syrian Civil War
Turkey has been directly involved in operations against the Syrian government since August 2016, not only participating in airstrikes against ISIL alongside the U.S.-led coalition, but also actively supporting the Syrian opposition and occupying large swaths of northwestern Syria while engaging in significant ground combat with ISIL, the SDF, and the Syrian government. Between 2011 and 2017, fighting from the Syrian Civil War spilled over into Lebanon as opponents and supporters of the Syrian government traveled to Lebanon to fight and attack each other on Lebanese soil, with ISIL and Al-Nusra also engaging the Lebanese Army. Furthermore, while officially neutral, Israel has conducted airstrikes against Hezbollah and Iranian forces, whose presence in southwestern Syria it views as a threat.


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Early to mid-2010s), Syrian Civil War
International organizations have criticized virtually all sides involved, including the Ba'athist Syrian government, ISIL, opposition rebel groups, Russia, and the U.S.-led coalition of severe human rights violations and massacres. The conflict has caused a major refugee crisis. Over the course of the war, a number of peace initiatives have been launched, including the March 2017 Geneva peace talks on Syria led by the United Nations, but fighting continues.


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Late 2010s to present), Turkish offensive, 2019
The 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, code-named by Turkey as Operation Peace Spring (Turkish: Barış Pınarı Harekâtı), is a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Syrian National Army (SNA) against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and later the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in northeastern Syria.


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Late 2010s to present), Turkish offensive, 2019
On 6 October 2019, the Trump administration ordered American troops to withdraw from northeastern Syria, where the United States had been supporting its Kurdish allies. The military operation began on 9 October 2019 when the Turkish Air Force launched airstrikes on border towns. The conflict resulted in the displacement of over 300,000 people and has caused the death of more than 70 civilians in Syria and 20 civilians in Turkey. Human rights violations have also been reported.


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Late 2010s to present), Turkish offensive, 2019
Amnesty International stated that it had gathered evidence of war crimes and other violations committed by Turkish and Turkey-backed Syrian forces who are said to "have displayed a shameful disregard for civilian life, carrying out serious violations and war crimes, including summary killings and unlawful attacks that have killed and injured civilians".


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Late 2010s to present), Turkish offensive, 2019
According to the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the operation is intended to expel the SDF—viewed as a terrorist organization by Turkey due to its ties with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), but considered an ally against ISIL by the United States and its allies—from the border region as well as to create a 30 km-deep (20 mi) "safe zone" in Northern Syria where some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey would resettle. As the proposed settlement zone is heavily Kurdish demographically, this intention has been criticized as an attempt to force drastic demographic change, a criticism denied by Turkey by saying that it only intended to "correct" the demographics that Turkish officials stated were changed by the SDF.


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Late 2010s to present), Turkish offensive, 2019
The Turkish operation received mixed responses by the international community. Including condemnations as well as support for the operation for the settlement of refugees in Northern Syria. While originally acknowledging Turkey's "right to defend itself", on 15 October, Russia hardened its position against the operation and deployed troops. Ten European nations and Canada imposed an arms embargo on Turkey, while the U.S. imposed sanctions on Turkish ministries and senior government officials in response to the offensive in Syria.


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Late 2010s to present), Turkish offensive, 2019
Likewise, Trump's sudden pullout of US forces in Syria was also criticized by journalists as a "serious betrayal to the Kurds" as well as a "catastrophic blow to US credibility as an ally and Washington's standing on the world stage", one journalist stating that "this is one of the worst US foreign policy disasters since the Iraq War". On November 19, the Defense Department inspector general released a report finding that the American withdrawal and subsequent Turkish incursion allowed ISIL to "reconstitute capabilities and resources within Syria and strengthen its ability to plan attacks abroad".


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Late 2010s to present), Turkish offensive, 2019
The Syrian government initially criticized the Kurdish forces for the Turkish offensive, for their separatism and not reconciling with the government, while at the same time also condemning the foreign invasion in Syrian territory. However, a few days later, the SDF reached an agreement with the Syrian government, in which it would allow the Syrian Army to enter the SDF-held towns of Manbij and Kobanî in an attempt to defend the towns from the Turkish offensive. Shortly thereafter, Syrian state broadcaster SANA announced that Syrian Army troops had started to deploy to the country's north. Turkey and the SNA launched an offensive to capture Manbij on the same day.


2010s in Syria political history, History of conflict (Late 2010s to present), Turkish offensive, 2019
On 17 October 2019, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence announced that the U.S. and Turkey agreed on a deal in which Turkey will agree to a ceasefire in Syria for 5 days in return for a complete withdrawal by the SDF from a safe zone south of the Syria-Turkey border. On 22 October 2019, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reached a deal to extend the ceasefire by 150 additional hours for SDF to move 30 kilometers away from the border area as well as from Tal Rifaat and Manbij. The terms of the deal also included joint Russian–Turkish patrols 10 kilometers into Syria from the border except in the city of Qamishli. The new ceasefire started at 12pm local time on 23 October.


2010s in Syria political history, Changes to conflict due to Turkish incursion of October 2019, Changes in the local areas
In October 2019, in response to the Turkish offensive, Russia arranged for negotiations between the Syrian government in Damascus and the Kurdish-led forces. Mazloum Abdi, the Syrian Kurdish commander-in-chief, announced that they are ready to partner with Vladimir Putin (Russia) and Bashar al-Assad (Syria), stating that "We know that we would have to make painful compromises with Moscow and Bashar al-Assad if we go down the road of working with them. But if we have to choose between compromises and the genocide of our people, we will surely choose life for our people."


2010s in Syria political history, Changes to conflict due to Turkish incursion of October 2019, Changes in the local areas
The details of the agreement is unknown, but there are reports that suggest that the SDF will be incorporated into the Syrian Armed Forces and that northeastern Syria will come under direct rule of the Syrian government in Damascus. According to Syrian Kurdish officials, the deal allows Syrian government forces to take over security in some border areas, but their own administration would maintain control of local institutions.


2010s in Syria political history, Changes to conflict due to Turkish incursion of October 2019, Changes in the local areas
The prospects for Kurdish autonomy in the region is severely diminished, because the Kurds were exposed to the Turkish-led offensive by the US withdrawal and the Russia-backed Syrian government forces under Assad—whose commonality is enmity towards Turkey and Sunni rebel militias—regained their foothold in northeast Syria after the Kurds had to seek their help. In regards to the United States and the situation, Mazloum Abdi stated that "We are disappointed and frustrated by the current crisis. Our people are under attack, and their safety is our paramount concern. Two questions remain: How can we best protect our people? And is the United States still our ally?" A deep sense of betrayal by their once American allies has come to be felt among the Syrian Kurdish populace.


2010s in Syria political history, Changes to conflict due to Turkish incursion of October 2019, Changes in the local areas
As announced by Russia's Ministry of Defense on 15 October, Russian forces have started to patrol the region along the line of contact between Turkish and Syrian forces, indicating that Russia is filling the security vacuum from the sudden US withdrawal. Video footage shows Russian soldiers and journalists touring a base that the US left behind. Alexander Lavrentiev, Russia's special envoy on Syria, warned that the Turkish offensive into Syria is unacceptable and stated that Russia is seeking to prevent conflict between Turkish and Syrian troops.


2010s in Syria political history, Changes to conflict due to Turkish incursion of October 2019, Changes in the local areas
In response to a speech by Assad, the Syrian Democratic Council said it was ready to have positive discussions with the Assad government. They said their focus would shift to stopping the Turkish invasion.


2010s in Syria political history, Changes to conflict due to Turkish incursion of October 2019, International reactions to Turkish incursion of October 2019
Several US lawmakers have criticized the abandonment of their Kurdish allies, remarking that it undermines US credibility as an ally while benefiting Russia, Iran, and the Syrian regime of Assad. Meanwhile, several commentators in Moscow have stated that the situation is not in the immediate Russian interests, as the Turkish intervention in Syria clashes with Russia's backing of the Syrian government in the region, but it may provide opportunities for Russia as mediator as the US withdraws from Syria. Commentators have remarked that, since the US withdrawal, Russia has cemented its status as the key power broker in the Middle East.


2010s in Syria political history, Changes to conflict due to Turkish incursion of October 2019, International reactions to Turkish incursion of October 2019
Due to the situation in Syria, there are signs of a schism between Turkey and other NATO members, in which NATO is seen as effectively "powerless" to manage the situation and the Turkish government is aware that NATO does not hold much leverage. Furthermore, US President Trump, as well as US military and diplomatic officials, has cited the NATO membership of Turkey as a key reason that the United States can not be involved in the conflict between the Turkish and Syrian Kurdish forces. Meanwhile, due to Turkey's strategic position between Europe and the Middle East, the NATO alliance members are in a situation where they have limited themselves to relatively muted criticism.


2010s in Syria political history, Changes to conflict due to Turkish incursion of October 2019, International reactions to Turkish incursion of October 2019
Washington is reviewing the potential withdrawal of its nuclear weapons from Incirlik airbase under NATO's nuclear sharing as a result of the Turkish offensive per NYT. Republican senator Lindsay Graham and Democratic representative Eric Swalwell have called for possibly suspending Ankara's membership in NATO.


2010s in Syria political history, Changes to conflict due to Turkish incursion of October 2019, Agreement to Northern Buffer Zone
Russia and Turkey made an agreement via the Sochi Agreement of 2019 to set up a Second Northern Syria Buffer Zone. Syrian President Assad expressed full support for the deal, as various terms of the agreement also applied to the Syrian government.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present
As a result of the Turkish incursion, multiple Kurdish groups that were once rivals have begun to seek greater unity. Additionally, Syrian Kurdish officials have had some positive discussions with the Assad government, and with local countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present
On the ground, Turkish areas of operations have been delineated by Russian mediators. Russian military officials forged agreements between Syria, Turkey and Kurds for areas to be patrolled by each side. Russia handles security through its own forces deployed in some key towns.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present
Damascus has forged agreements with some opposition groups to return to various local border areas. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reached agreement with the Assad regime for the Syrian Army to patrol several border areas. They also agreed on areas of deployment for Russian forces. The first agreement between SDF and the Assad regime occurred in October 2019, directly as a result of the Turkish incursion.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present
In general positive negotiations have increased between Syria and Turkey, and between Syria and Kurdish groups.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present
On December 9, Russian troops entered Raqqa and began distributing humanitarian aid.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present
Russia and Syria escalated their attacks against rebel forces in Idlib.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Refugees status
Numerous refugees remain in local refugee camps. Conditions there are reported to be severe, especially with winter approaching.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Refugees status
4,000 people are housed at the Washokani Camp. No organizations are assisting them other than the Kurdish Red Cross. Numerous camp residents have called for assistance from international groups.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Refugees status
Refugees in Northeast Syria report they have received no help from international aid organizations.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Syrian and Kurdish actions
Some reports stated that Bashar Assad was favorable towards Russia's efforts to restore calm and to stabilize the situation in Syria.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Syrian and Kurdish actions
Meanwhile various Kurdish faction that were historical rivals began to meet in order to work together more. Their stated reason was to stand together against Russia and Turkey more strongly if needed. The Russian government has informed the Kurdish factions that they should reconcile and come up with a unified set of demands to clarify to Moscow. Various Kurdish factions blamed each other and their council for lack of progress.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Syrian and Kurdish actions
Mustafa Bali, head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said there were some agreements on the ground with the Syrian government, for Syrian forces to be deployed along the border.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Syrian and Kurdish actions
The national Syrian government sent representatives to northeast Syria to meet with local groups there in order to address their concerns and to emphasize unity and combined effort to address problems. A meeting occurred in Qamishli city, in northeast Syria, that included Syrian national officials, and delegates from Kurdish, Arab, and Syrian figures and forces. Kurdish delegates emphasized their desire to help to protect Syria as a whole. They expressed willingness to have positive discussions with the Assad government.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Syrian and Kurdish actions
Luqman Ehmê, spokesman for the North East Syria Autonomous Administration, said that his organization was ready for positive discussions with the Syrian regime.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Syrian and Kurdish actions
SDF General Commander Mazlum Abdi has met with local leaders of the Wise Committee, which is composed of leaders of local communities and local family groupings. This meeting emphasized the importance on national unity, and the need to stand against Turkish invaders.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Syrian and Kurdish actions
SDF Commander Mazlum Abdi called on the US and Russia to help stop Turkey from displacing entire communities and ethnic groups from the areas that it controls.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Turkish actions
Erdogan stated that Turkey was ready to resettle the Syrian refugees in the northern area that Turkey had invaded, and that Turkey would pay for it if necessary. On December 9, 2019, various local accounts indicated that Ankara was moving Syrian refugees into its zone of operations in Northern Syria for the first time. Erdogan said that Turkey was working to settle one million people in the cities of Tal Abyad and Ras Al-Ain in northern Syria. This has led to fears of population change


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Turkish actions
Russia said it would pledge to remove Turkish forces from a key highway in northern Syria, and replace them with Russian forces to maintain stability. Meanwhile, Turkey began to appoint local mayors and governors in several northern Syrian towns. They have also appointed about 4,000 police officers and other local officials, and are providing some basic local services for citizens.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Turkish actions
It was reported that the Russian and Turkish armies had made a deal whereby electricity would be supplied to Tal Abyad by Russia's allies, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who support Assad; while water would be supplied by the Alouk water station that is controlled by Turkish forces. This deal was mainly facilitated by Russian military officials.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Turkish actions
It appeared that Turkey was withdrawing all of its forces away from the al-Shirkark silos, which hold important supplies of wheat, this seemed to be a result of Russian mediation. However, some reports said they later returned to re-occupy that area.


2010s in Syria political history, General operational developments, December 2019 to present, Turkish actions
Russian and Turkish forces are continuing their joint patrols. Questions remained about how much control Turkey has over its proxies, such as the Free Syrian Army.


2010s in Syria political history, Diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present
At a panel discussion on the conflict in December 2019, several experts said the conflict was slowly moving towards resolution. One expert said that the "Astana" diplomatic process, involving Turkey, Russia, and Iran, was having some positive results. Experts also said that Bashar Assad had made progress in restoring rule by local councils in areas affected by the conflict.


2010s in Syria political history, Diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present, Diplomacy with NATO member nations
At the NATO summit in London in December 2019, President Emmanuel Macron of France highlighted major differences with Turkey over the definition of terrorism, and said there was little chance this aspect of the conflict could be resolved positively. Macron criticized Turkey strongly for fighting against groups who had been allied with France and the West in fighting terrorism.


2010s in Syria political history, Diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present, Diplomacy with NATO member nations
Numerous issues in resolving the conflict emerged at the NATO summit in London. Ankara proposed a safe zone where Syrian refugees could be relocated, but this idea did not receive support from all parties. One professed "exclusive" press report claimed that prior to the NATO Summit, there was a meeting at 10 Downing Street of the leaders of France, the UK, Germany and Turkey. One key point that emerged that the Western countries insisted that refugees could only be relocated voluntarily. Meanwhile, there were concerns in NATO about Turkey's growing closeness with Russia.


2010s in Syria political history, Diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present, Diplomacy with NATO member nations
Erdogan claimed that a four-way summit on Syria was scheduled to occur in Turkey in February 2020, to include Ankara, Berlin, London and Paris.


2010s in Syria political history, Diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present, Diplomacy with nations outside NATO
At a meeting in Damascus, Russian and Syrian officials clearly stated their support for Syria regaining control over all of its territory. The United Arab Emirates also expressed official support for Assad.


2010s in Syria political history, Diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present, Diplomacy with nations outside NATO
A new round of meetings for the Astana summit process took place in the Kazakh capital Nur Sultan. The meeting includes Russia, Syria, Turkey and Iran. At this meeting Moscow, stated that the "safe zone" established by Turkey should not be expanded, as this would not accomplish anything positive for the region.


2010s in Syria political history, Diplomatic developments, December 2019 to present, Diplomacy with nations outside NATO
The Astana process was created by Turkey, Iran and Russia in order to find a lasting solution to the conflict. they have examined a process to reform the constitution of Syria via the newly-formed Syrian Constitutional Committee. The parties reported that they reached some important understandings at this meeting, including affirming a commitment to work together to respect Syrian territorial integrity.


2010s in Syria political history, Syrian Constitutional Committee
On November 20, 2019, a new Syrian Constitutional Committee began operating in order to discuss a new settlement and to draft a new constitution for Syria. This committee comprises about 150 members. It includes representatives of the Syrian regime, opposition groups, and countries serving as guarantors of the process such as e.g. Russia. However, this committee has faced strong opposition from the Assad regime. 50 of the committee members represent the regime, and 50 members represent the opposition. The committee began its work in November 2019 in Geneva, under UN auspices. However, the Assad regime delegation left on the second day of the process.


2010s in Syria political history, Syrian Constitutional Committee
At a summit in October 2018, envoys from Russia, Turkey, France and Germany issued a joint statement affirming the need to respect territorial integrity of Syria as a whole. This forms one basis for their role as "guarantor nations."


2010s in Syria political history, Syrian Constitutional Committee
The second round of talks occurred around November 25, but was not successful due to opposition from the Assad regime. At the Astana Process meeting in December 2019, a UN official stated that in order for the third round of talks to proceed, co-chairs from the Assad regime and the opposition need to agree on an agenda.


2010s in Syria political history, Syrian Constitutional Committee
The committee has two co-chairs, Ahmad Kuzbari representing the Assad regime, and Hadi Albahra from the opposition. It is unclear if the third round of talks will proceed on a firm schedule, until the Assad regime provides its assent to participate.


2010s in United Kingdom political history
2010s political history refers to significant political and societal historical events in the United Kingdom in the 2010s, presented as a historical overview in narrative format.


2010s in United Kingdom political history
There were four Prime Ministers during this time (Brown, Cameron, May, Johnson). However, Brown and Johnson were collectively in power for less than a year of this decade, the vast majority of the decade being under Cameron and May's premierships. There were four general elections (2010, 2015, 2017, 2019) and three parties (Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats as a junior coalition partner) had been in government during this time.


2010s in United Kingdom political history
The decade began with the last months of an unpopular Labour government that had been in power for 13 years had overseen the financial crisis, and a general election that resulted in the first hung parliament in 36 years. The decade ended with a Parliamentary deadlock over the issue of Brexit that ultimately led to the resignation of Theresa May as Prime Minister. Boris Johnson decided that leading a minority government was unviable, and Parliament arranged for an early general election (the first winter election since 1974), which produced the biggest Conservative majority since 1987.


2010s in United Kingdom political history
Notable trends during the 2010s included an increase in euroscepticism culminating in a vote by a small margin in favour of leaving the EU in the 2016 Brexit referendum, four electoral victories for the Conservative Party and a concomitant decline in electoral performance for the Labour Party, and national debates concerning devolved administrations and independence movements, particularly in Scotland where the 2014 Scottish independence referendum saw 55.3% of voters support remaining part of the UK.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Gordon Brown, 2010 general election
At the beginning of the decade the UK was governed by the Labour Party, which had been in power since its landslide victory in the 1997 UK general election before winning comfortable majorities in the 2001 and 2005 general elections. The prime minister was Gordon Brown, who had been in office since 2007. On 6 April 2010, Brown visited Buckingham Palace to seek the Queen's permission to dissolve Parliament on 12 April, initiating a general election on 6 May. Notable events in that campaign included the UK's first televised debates between the leaders of the main parties. In these debates the prime minister was widely considered to have been outperformed by his opponents David Cameron of the Conservative Party and especially Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Gordon Brown, 2010 general election
At the election, Labour lost 91 seats in the House of Commons, but the Conservatives failed to achieve an overall majority, resulting in the first hung parliament since 1974. Brown remained temporarily as Prime Minister, while the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives entered into talks aimed at forming a coalition government. There were also talks between the Liberal Democrats and Labour. On 10 May, Brown announced his intention to resign as leader of the Labour Party and instructed the party to initiate the election of a new leader.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Gordon Brown, 2010 general election
Brown's continued presence as Prime Minister was seen an obstacle to the negotiation of a Labour-Liberal Democrat deal. In a telephone conversation with his predecessor Tony Blair, Blair suggested to Brown that the election had shown that British voters had lost faith in both him and the Labour Party and that the United Kingdom would not accept him continuing as Prime Minister. He concluded that he would not be able to form a government, and announced his resignation as Prime Minister. He also resigned as leader of the Labour Party with immediate effect. Brown was succeeded as Prime Minister by David Cameron, whose party had formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, while Harriet Harman became acting leader of the Labour Party. The latter until Ed Miliband's victory in the 2010 labour leadership contest a few months later.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of David Cameron, Appointment
The premiership of David Cameron began on 11 May 2010 when Cameron accepted the Queen's invitation to form a government, after the resignation of Cameron's predecessor as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown. While serving as Prime Minister, Cameron also served as First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. He headed a coalition government between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. He immediately appointed Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, as Deputy Prime Minister. Between them, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats controlled 363 seats in the House of Commons, with a majority of 76 seats.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of David Cameron, Policies
Throughout his time in office, Cameron's government attempted to reduce the large deficit in government finances through austerity measures. Internationally, his government intervened militarily in the Libyan Civil War and later authorised the bombing of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; domestically, his government oversaw the referendum on voting reform and the Scottish independence referendum, both of which confirmed Cameron's favoured outcome (a "No" in each case).


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of David Cameron, 2015 general election
The 2015 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday, 7 May 2015 to elect 650 members to the House of Commons. After the 2015 general election, Cameron was re-elected as Prime Minister, but this time at the head of a Conservative majority government with a parliamentary majority of 12 seats.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of David Cameron, 2015 general election
He also became the first Prime Minister since 1900 to continue in office immediately after a term of at least four years with a larger popular vote share, and the only Prime Minister other than Margaret Thatcher to continue in office immediately after a term of at least four years with a greater number of seats. The Labour Party, led by Ed Miliband, saw a small increase in its share of the vote to 30.4%, but incurred a net loss of seats to return 232 MPs. This was its lowest seat tally since the 1987 general election. Senior Labour Shadow Cabinet members, notably Ed Balls, Douglas Alexander, and Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy, were defeated.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of David Cameron, 2015 general election
The Scottish National Party, enjoying a surge in support since the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, recorded a number of huge swings of over 30% (including a record-breaking swing of 39.3% achieved in Glasgow North East) from Labour, as it won 56 of the 59 Scottish seats to become the third-largest party in the Commons. The Liberal Democrats, led by outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, had their worst result since their formation in 1988, holding just eight out of their previous 57 seats, with Cabinet ministers Vince Cable, Ed Davey and Danny Alexander losing their seats.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of David Cameron, 2015 general election
UKIP came third in terms of votes with 12.6%, but only won one seat, with party leader Nigel Farage failing to win the seat of South Thanet. The Green Party won its highest-ever share of the vote with 3.8%, and retained the Brighton Pavilion seat with an increased majority, though did not win any additional seats. Labour's Miliband (as national leader) and Murphy (as Scottish leader) both resigned, as did Clegg. They were replaced over the following months by Jeremy Corbyn, Kezia Dugdale and Tim Farron respectively. Farage said that his resignation was rejected by his party, and remained in post.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of David Cameron, EU referendum and end of premiership
In a referendum held on 23 June 2016, the UK voted to withdraw from the European Union, with a result of 52% for withdrawal and 48% for remaining within the union. The following morning, Cameron announced in a televised speech outside 10 Downing Street that he intended to step down as Prime Minister following the Conservative Party conference in the autumn of that year. Cameron, who had campaigned in favour of the UK remaining in a reformed EU, said that he had informed the Queen of his decision before going to the public. He remarked that "fresh leadership" needed to come in to deliver Brexit. In the event, he officially resigned as Prime Minister sometime earlier on 13 July 2016.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Theresa May, Party election
Following Cameron's resignation various senior conservatives ran in the Conservative Party leadership election, by the end of the first stages of the contest involving rounds of conservative MPs voting on the candidates Home Secretary Theresa May's only remaining competitor was Minister of state for Energy Andrea Leadsom, who withdrew from the race on 11 July 2016. Following this announcement, Cameron said that he would step down from his post on 13 July. Cameron formally tendered his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II on that day, who subsequently appointed Theresa May as his successor.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Theresa May, 2017 general election
Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 an election had not been due until May 2020, but a call by Prime Minister Theresa May for a snap election was ratified by the necessary two-thirds vote in a 522–13 vote in the House of Commons on 19 April 2017. May said that she hoped to secure a larger majority to "strengthen [her] hand" in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Theresa May, 2017 general election
Opinion polls had consistently shown strong leads for the Conservatives over Labour. From a 21-point lead, the Conservatives' lead began to diminish in the final weeks of the campaign. In a surprising result, the Conservative Party made a net loss of 13 seats despite winning 42.4% of the vote (its highest share of the vote since 1983), whereas Labour made a net gain of 30 seats with 40.0% (its highest vote share since 2001 and the first time the party had gained seats since 1997).


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Theresa May, 2017 general election
This was the closest result between the two major parties since February 1974 and their highest combined vote share since 1970. The Scottish National Party (SNP) and the Liberal Democrats, the third- and fourth-largest parties, both lost vote share; media coverage characterised the result as a return to two-party politics. The SNP, which had won 56 of the 59 Scottish seats at the previous general election in 2015, lost 21. The Liberal Democrats made a net gain of four seats. UKIP, the third-largest party in 2015 by number of votes, saw its share of the vote reduced from 12.6% to 1.8% and lost its only seat.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Theresa May, 2017 general election
In Wales, Plaid Cymru gained one seat, giving it a total of four seats. The Green Party retained its sole seat, but saw its share of the vote reduced. In Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) won 10 seats, Sinn Féin won seven, and Independent Unionist Sylvia Hermon retained her seat. The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) lost all their seats. The Conservatives were narrowly victorious and remained in power as a minority government, having secured a confidence and supply deal with the DUP.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Theresa May, Issues during premiership
May triggered Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union to leave the EU in March 2017. However, under her leadership, the government was unable to reach an EU withdrawal agreement approved by the Conservative Party as a whole. How to manage the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland was a major problem; the so-called 'backstop'.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Theresa May, Issues during premiership
On 4 December 2018, the May government was found in contempt of Parliament; the first government to be found in contempt in history on a motion passed by MPs by 311 to 293 votes. The vote was triggered by the government failing to lay before Parliament any legal advice on the proposed withdrawal agreement on the terms of the UK's departure from the European Union, after a humble address for a return was unanimously agreed to by the House of Commons on 13 November 2018.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Theresa May, Issues during premiership
The government then agreed to publish the full legal advice for Brexit that was given to the Prime Minister by the Attorney General during negotiations with the European Union. Theresa May, after failing to pass her Brexit withdrawal agreement through parliament three times, announced her resignation as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 24 May 2019 amidst calls for her to be ousted.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Party election
Before the resignation, Boris Johnson had already confirmed at a business event in Manchester days earlier that he would run for Conservative Party leader if May were to do so.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Party election
Johnson won all five rounds of voting by MPs, and entered the final vote by Conservative Party members as the clear favourite to be elected PM. On 23 July, he emerged victorious over his rival Jeremy Hunt with 92,153 votes, 66.4% of the total ballot, while Hunt received 46,656 votes. These results were announced an event in the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in Westminster. In his first speech as Prime Minister Johnson pledged that Britain would leave the European Union (EU) by 31 October 2019, "no ifs or buts".


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Annulled prorogation attempt
On 28 August 2019, Boris Johnson announced that he had asked The Queen to prorogue parliament from a date between 9–12 September until the opening of a new session on 14 October. Parliament was in any case due to have a three-week recess for the party conference season, and Johnson's prorogation would add around four days to the parliamentary break. The 2017–19 parliamentary session was the longest since the English Civil War, while the prorogation in 2019 at Johnson's request would have been the longest prorogation since 1930.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Annulled prorogation attempt
The government said that the prorogation was to allow for the government to set out a new legislative agenda. Others questioned this justification, and said that the prorogation was an improper attempt to evade parliamentary scrutiny of Johnson's Brexit plans in advance of the UK's planned departure from the European Union on 31 October 2019; opponents of prorogation included opposition MPs, UK constitutional law scholars, and Sir John Major, the former Conservative Prime Minister. The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, called the decision a "constitutional outrage".


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Annulled prorogation attempt
Three separate cases were lodged before the courts alleging its illegality. The High Court of Justice in London found the issue to be non-justiciable, but the highest civil court in Scotland, the Court of Session sitting in Edinburgh, ruled prorogation was unlawful as it had the "improper purpose of stymieing Parliament". The issue was brought before the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom on 17 September 2019 in the cases R (Miller) v The Prime Minister and Cherry v Advocate General for Scotland.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Annulled prorogation attempt
On 24 September, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the prorogation was both justiciable and unlawful, and therefore null and of no effect. Parliament resumed sitting the following day, resuming the parliamentary session. Bercow said he would ensure that the attempted prorogation would be expunged from the House of Commons Journal, the corrected formal record of parliamentary business, and replaced with a statement that Parliament was adjourned for the period of the absence.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Calls for early election
On 3 September 2019, Boris Johnson threatened to call a general election after opposition and rebel Conservative MPs successfully voted against the government to take control of the order of business with a view to preventing a no-deal exit.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Calls for early election
Despite government opposition, the bill to block a no-deal exit passed the Commons on 4 September 2019, causing Johnson to call for a general election on 15 October. However, this motion was unsuccessful as it failed to command the support of two-thirds of the House as required by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act (FTPA). A second attempt at a motion for an early general election failed on 9 September.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Brexit negotiations
On 2 October the Government published a fresh Brexit plan, which included proposals to replace the Irish backstop. It would create an "all-island regulatory zone", meaning that Northern Ireland would essentially stay in the European Single Market for agricultural and industrial goods, meaning that sanitary and phytosanitary controls would be needed between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The proposal also declared that Northern Ireland, along with the rest of the UK, would leave the Customs Union, meaning that customs controls would be needed for cross-border goods trade. The proposal did not appear to address cross-border services.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Brexit negotiations
On 4 October the Government assured the highest civil court in Scotland that Johnson would send a letter to the EU seeking an extension to Article 50 as required by the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act 2019. The court was originally due to release their ruling on 9 October, but decided to delay doing so until 21 October, in order to allow the court to "assess how circumstances have changed". On 17 October 2019, a revised withdrawal agreement, with a changed backstop, was agreed by the EU leaders and Boris Johnson.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Brexit negotiations
On 19 October, a special Saturday sitting of Parliament was held to debate the revised agreement. MPs passed an amendment by 322 votes to 306 that withheld Parliament's approval until legislation implementing the deal had been passed, and forced the Government to request a delay to Brexit until 31 January 2020. Later that evening, 10 Downing Street confirmed that Boris Johnson would send a letter to the EU requesting an extension, but would not sign it. EU Council President Donald Tusk subsequently confirmed receipt of the letter, which Johnson had described as "Parliament's letter, not my letter". In addition, Johnson sent a second letter expressing the view that any further delay to Brexit would be a mistake.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Brexit negotiations
On 22 October, the UK government brought the recently revised EU Withdrawal Bill to the House of Commons for debate. MPs voted on the Bill itself, which was passed by 329 votes to 299, and on the timetable for debating the Bill, which was defeated by 322 votes to 308. Prior to the votes, Johnson had stated that if his timetable failed to generate the support needed to pass in parliament he would abandon attempts to get the deal approved and would seek a general election.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Brexit negotiations
Following the vote, however, Johnson announced that the legislation would be paused while he consulted with other EU leaders. On 28 October 2019, it was confirmed that Brexit had been delayed until 31 January 2020. The following day, MPs backed a general election on 12 December 2019. On 30 October 2019, the day named as "exit day" in UK legislation was changed to 31 January 2020 at 11.00 p.m.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, 2019 general election
At the election, the Conservatives made a net gain of 48 seats, in what was regarded as a landslide victory, winning 43.6% of the vote (the highest share for any party since 1979) and 365 seats (the highest number for the party since 1987), whereas Labour made a net loss of 60 seats, losing several of its constituencies in northern England, across the Midlands and Wales to the Conservatives (often for the first time in many decades). Labour's losses in the general election led its leader Jeremy Corbyn to announce his intention to resign as the party's leader.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, 2019 general election
The Liberal Democrats increased their vote share to 11.6% of the votes, though leader Jo Swinson was obliged under her party's rules to announce her resignation after losing her seat in East Dunbartonshire, leaving her party with 11 seats. The Green Party held its one-seat and saw its vote share increase.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, 2019 general election
The Scottish National Party (SNP) made a net gain of 13 seats across Scotland, winning 45% of the Scottish vote and 48 of the 59 Scottish seats, while in Wales, Plaid Cymru retained its four seats with no significant change in vote share.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, 2019 general election
In Northern Ireland, for the first time more Irish Nationalist MPs were elected than British Unionists, although unionist parties still won more votes; Sinn Féin retained the same number of seats, and the DUP lost two seats, while the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) regained two seats, and the Alliance Party regained a seat, giving the latter two parties a restored presence in the House of Commons.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Post-election aftermath
The election results had a variety of different effects and set the dynamics of UK politics going into the new decade. For the first time since the 2016 referendum it became almost certain that Brexit would take place with the process of passing the withdrawal agreement through parliament beginning before Christmas.


2010s in United Kingdom political history, History by Premiership, Premiership of Boris Johnson, Post-election aftermath
For the Conservative Party, the election meant a shift from a fairly weak administration in the hung parliament of 2017 to 2019 to governing with a majority on a scale they had not known since the early 1990s, potentially, setting them up to remain in power for many years to come. For the Labour Party, the defeat meant an end to the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn with preparations beginning for a new leadership and deputy leadership contest in early 2020 whilst rekindling debates within the party and beyond about its tactical and ideological future. For the Liberal Democrats, Jo Swinson's unseating at the election also meant a fresh leadership election in the new year. Whilst, for the SNP, dominance in Scotland renewed hopes for a second Scottish independence referendum.


2010s in United States political history
2010s in United States political history is a narrative summary of major political events and issues in the United States from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2019. The first part is divided chronologically by Congressional sessions and the second part highlights major issues that span several years or even the entire decade. There are links for further information.


2010s in United States political history, History by era, 2009–2011, 111th Congress
Democrats swept into 2009 with control over the White House and both Houses of Congress. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was Speaker of the House of Representatives and Harry Reid (D-NV) was Senate Majority Leader. The Democratic supermajority in the Senate was guaranteed with the election of Al Franken (D-MN) in January and when Republican Arlen Specter (D-PA) switched to the Democratic Party.