At the age of 56

• 24-May-2006 : East Timor's Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta officially requests military assistance from the governments of Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal.
• 23-December-2005 : Lech Kaczynski is sworn in as President of Poland in Warsaw.
• 23-October-2005 : Polish presidential election, 2nd round: Lech Kaczynski is elected.
• 09-October-2005 : Polish presidential election: The 1st round results in a runoff between top candidates Donald Tusk and Lech Kaczynski.
• 15-September-2004 : Davi? Oddsson, Prime Minister of Iceland, steps down after serving as prime minister since April 30, 1991. Oddson trades posts with his foreign minister Halldor Asgrimsson, who then becomes Prime Minister.
• 29-February-2004 : The 76th Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal, are held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, with ''The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' directed by Peter Jackson, winning a recordrecordtying 11 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.
• 07-October-2003 : 2003 California recall: Voters recall Governor Gray Davis from office and elect actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to succeed him.
• 17-March-2003 : Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. President George W. Bush gives an ultimatum: Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his sons must either leave Iraq, or face military action at a time of the U.S.'s choosing.
• 25-November-2002 : U.S. President George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Act into law, establishing the Department of Homeland Security, in the largest U.S. government reorganization since the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947.
• 12-September-2002 : U.S. President George W. Bush addresses the U.N., and challenges its members to confront the "grave and gathering danger" of Iraq, or stand aside as the United States and likeminded nations act.