January 24 – Protests in Yemeni capital Sanaa, spurned on by changes in Tunisia[10]
January 27 – Egyptian opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei return to Cairo amid political unrest[citation needed]
January 29 – Protest in Egypt continue, spurned on by reports from Tunisia, protesters believe President will soon step down[11]
January 30 – In a preliminary vote, 99% of South Sudan votes to split from the North, brought about by the 2005 peace agreement which ended two decades of war[12]
February 12 – Egypt's military leaders, currently in control of country, pledge to uphold all existing international treaties[21]
February 13 – Egypt's military, currently in control of country, dissolve parliament and suspend constitution, stating they will control the country for 6 months or until elections can be held[22]
February 13 – Italian women stage anti Berlusconi demonstrations, in wake of allegations of sexual misconduct[23]
February 14 – Large protests around Algerian capital, protesters call for democratic leadership[24]
February 16 – Protests erupt in Benghazi, Libya[25]
February 16 – Police and pro democracy protesters clash] in Manama Bahrain[26]
February 20 – Clashes across the city of Benghazi leave 200 dead and 900 injured[27]
February 20 – Security forces shut down protests in Tehran[28]
February 22 – Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi refuses to stand down amid wide spread protests[29]
February 25 – Barack Obama announces American sanctions against Gaddafi's Libya[30]
March 17 – UN Security Council approve a no fly zone in Libya in an effort to protect civilians[39]
March 20 – Egyptian voters vote in favor of constitutional amendments that pave the way for elections in June[40]
March 23 – 15 protesters are killed in Syria when security forces clash with anti-government protesters[41]
March 30 – Libya's foreign minister defects while in Britain, claims attacks on civilians as reason for defection[42]
March 30 – Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad does not lift state of emergency, in place for several decades[43]
April
April 3 – Protests spread in eastern Afghanistan in reaction to a Florida Priest burning the Quran[44]
Alassane Ouattara, 5th President of the Ivory Coast
April 6 – Portugal to seek bailout from EU, cite rising debt and inability to raise funds on international markets[45]
April 10 – France begins enforcing a ban on face veils, begins detaining those wearing face veils[46]
April 12 – Ex president of the Ivory Coast, Laurent Gbagbo is detained by UN recognized Ivory Coast government led by Alassane Ouattara, when Gbagbo refused to cede power after November elections[47]
April 13 – Egyptian prosecutors order the detention of Mubarak and his sons[48]
April 14 – American Congress votes to approve budget bill, financing the government through September[49]
April 20 – Syrian government passes law to lift decades old state of emergency, dissolve state security courts, and pass law to allow peaceful protests[50]
April 22 – Japanese government approves a disaster relief budget of 4 trillion Yen to begin the cleanup from March's tsunami[51]
April 23 – At least 75 people are killed in clashes between security forces and anti-regime protesters in Syria, planned funerals expected to draw large crowds[52]
April 23 – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh agrees to step down in exchange for immunity for him and his family, Saleh held power for 32 years[53]
April 24 – Pope Benedict XVI calls for peace in the Middle East and Africa, and mentions the plight of the Japanese people in Easter message[54]
April 27 – The Palestinian movements of Hamas and Fatah announced that they are ready to form a unity government, raising hopes for a more unified Palestine[55]
April 27 – President Obama releases his birth certificate[56]
May 16 – Israeli security forces and Pro-Palestinian protesters clash along Israel border, during Nakba Day protests[66]
May 17 – Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom honors Irish people killed while fighting for independence from Britain[67]
May 19 – President Obama gives speech outlining America's policy toward the Middle East, specifically addressing the recent uprisings and protests occurring in the Arab world[68]
May 20 – President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu admit they do not share the same ideals on the path to Middle Eastern Peace[69]
May 27 – Leaders meeting at the G8 summit in France say that Gaddafi must step down, British PM Cameron and French President Sarkozy plan visit to Libya[71]
May 29 – FIFA suspends 2 top executives amid bribery allegations, clears top executive Blatter[72]
May 30 – South African President Jacob Zuma visits Libya on a peace mission, seeking a diplomatic solution to the ongoing Libyan protests[73]
June
Ali Abdullah Saleh, 1st President of Yemen
June 3 – Syrian security forces open fire on protester killing 34, government cuts Internet access in attempt to quell protests[74]
June 4 – Long time Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh heads to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment for injuries sustained during a rocket attack, the President's absence from the country prompted protests and rumors of his stepping down[75]
June 13 – Several doctors and nurses from Bahrain go on trial for allegedly taking control of a hospital, storing weapons, and holding prisoners during anti-government protests[76]
June 18 – The Obama administration announced that they would begin peace talks with the Taliban, plan to eventually hand talks over to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his peace council[77]
June 19 – The European Union announced that Greece would receive more loans to prevent the country from defaulting on previous loans[78]
June 21 – A Tunisian court has sentenced former President Ben Ali and his wife to jail in absentia for 35 years, for embezzlement and missing public funds[79]
Prince William and Princess Kate in Prince Edward Island Canada
June 22 – President Obama announced his plans to withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, and a total of 33,000 by the middle of 2012[80]
June 25 – Chinese activist Hu Jia was released from prison after serving three and a half years on subversion charges[81]
July 22 – The 2011 Norway attacks were two sequential domestic terrorist attacks by Anders Behring Breivik against the government, the civilian population, and a Workers' Youth League (AUF) summer camp, in which 77 people were killed.
August 7 – Protesters in Londonriot in response to fatal police shooting[102]
August 10 – Protests in London subside after four nights of riots, Prime Minister Cameron vows 'fightback', increases number of police in city streets[103]
August 11 – Debate held for Republican nomination for the president[104]
August 17 – Anti-corruption protester Anna Hazare on huger strike in prison, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says strike is misconceived[106]
August 18 – President Obama and European leaders call for the resignation of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, new American sanctions against Syrian government[107]
August 24 – Kim Jong-il initiated rare talks with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, speaks about possibility of denuclearisation and economic cooperation[109]
September 24 – Vladimir Putin is set to return as Russia's president in 2012, Dmitry Medvedev the current President, will switch positions with Putin to become the Prime Minister[123]
September 25 – Women in Saudi Arabia gain the right to vote and to stand for election[124]
September 29 – Eurozone bailout fund is granted expanded powers in an attempt to stabilize the Euro[125]
October
Gilad Shalit Salutes Israel Prime Minister Benjamin NetanyahuJulian Assange
October 2 – Greece is set to default on a bailout package despite austerity measures, the bailout package is less than a year old[126]
October 8 – Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh promises to cede power, a promise he has made 3 times in 2011[127]
October 8 – Security council vetoes 2 resolutions on Syria, the drafts would have stopped aerial bombardment, the other would have urged a halt to hostilities[128]
November 12 – The Arab League suspends Syria from meetings and adopts sanctions against Damascus, amid failure to end government crackdown on protesters[147]
