present perfect in reporting news

[allthewayanime]

Dear teachers,
I would like to know why the present perfect is used in this sentence(taken from a news article):

'Clashes at the borders of Israel in May 2011 have also been inspired by the regional Arab Spring.'

Shouldn't it be a past simple tense(because the time is specified)?

 

[5jj]

If it was written in May, it's fine.

We often use the present perfect with a specified time period.

 

[allthewayanime]

But is past simple correct too?

 

[TheParser]

I would like to know why the present perfect is used in this sentence(taken from a news article

NOT A TEACHER *****


(1) I do not claim that my answer is correct. I just wanted to throw it out for

your consideration.

(2) Maybe the present perfect (rather than the past) is being used is due to the fact

that the Arab Spring is still occurring. In other words, the Arab Spring has inspired

many movements (up to the present time), including the unpleasantless at the borders

in May. (Notice that the writer uses the word "also," which seems to help justify the

present perfect, too.)

(a) If the Arab Spring had ended in, say, September, then maybe we would say:

Border clashes in May were inspired by the [now finished] Arab Spring.

(3) If a teacher shows that my answer is all wet (completely wrong), I shall,

of course, immediately delete this post in order not to mislead learners -- and myself!