· November, 2008

Stories about Ethnicity & Race from November, 2008

Kosovo: Haradinaj's Profile; Discussion at LSE

  30 November 2008

Popkitchen posts a critique of a Vanity Fair profile of Ramush Haradinaj, a former guerrilla leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and former prime minister of Kosovo, and writes about a recent discussion on Kosovo's independence held at the London School of Economics.

Ukraine: Taras Kuzio on Yushchenko

  30 November 2008

Taras Kuzio analyzes “the achievements and failures and unfulfilled expectations of the last four years” in Ukraine – here and here, and also writes that president Yushchenko “had over-focused on the issue [of Holodomor] to the detriment of contemporary political and economic concerns.”

Hungary, Czech Republic: Romaphobia

  30 November 2008

The Hungarian Spectrum reports on the murder of a 14-year-old girl in a Hungarian village, which led to an anti-Roma rally. The Reference Frame is unhappy with Al Jazeera's story on discrimination against the Czech Republic's Roma children in their access to education.

Iran: Do not Execute Farzad Kamangar

  29 November 2008

Several human rights activists and bloggers warned that Farzad Kamangar, a teacher and trade unionist may be executed in the near future in Iran. Farzad Kamangar, who is from Kurdistan province in Iran, is accused of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Central & Eastern Europe: A Roma Roundup

  29 November 2008

A few Roma-related posts: Inside Albania muses on the U.S. election and concludes that having a Roma PM in Albania will remain “pure fantasy” for quite a while; Romano Them links to a report on the situation with the Roma in Kosovo; Hungarian Spectrum reported on Nov. 20 that “[i]n...

Armenia: Bloggers Throw Funeral at Georgian Embassy

  27 November 2008

Carrying a black casket labeled “The Newborn Georgian Democracy,” a group of bloggers in Yerevan have marched toward the Georgian Embassy protesting what they call the destruction and desecration of Armenian cultural monuments in neighboring Georgia. Bloggers tell the story.

Georgia: Armenian Church Scandal

  27 November 2008

With the ever strengthening power of the Orthodox Church in Georgia causing concern for democracy and human rights activists, bloggers were first to report on attempts to seize a derelict Armenian church in the capital, Tbilisi.

Ukraine: 75th Anniversary of Holodomor

  27 November 2008

Taras of Ukrainiana posts photos and video from the commemoration of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Holodomor – here, here, and here. Tetyana Vysotska of What's Up, Ukraine? explains why she chose not to take part in any of the official commemoration events: “We, Ukrainians, have respect for...

Armenia: Eurovision Contenders

  26 November 2008

Esctime.com reports on speculation that Armenia's entry for next year's Eurovision Song Contest will either be U.S. rock band System of a Down or local pop singer Aramé. Meanwhile, in a post made at the beginning of the month, Unzipped: Gay Armenia says choosing a singer such as Aramé would...

China: Roadmap to Tibet Independence

  26 November 2008

Sun bin introduces Wang Lixiong's recent article on the Roadmap to Tibet Independence. The Chinese version is re-posted at inmediahk.net, while an ongoing English translation is here.

Nagorno Karabakh: Compromise Necessary For Peace

  25 November 2008

Blogian provides background information and analysis on the latest developments in efforts to resolve the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh. The blog says that peace would be beneficial for both sides, but notes that compromise will be necessary.

Malaysia: The Plight of Penan

  25 November 2008

The Penan tribe, indigenous people of East Malaysia, have taken quite some press and blog space this year. Bloggers react to stories of abuses committed against the Penan Tribe.