Stories about Governance from January, 2007
Madagascar: Ministers in the New Government
Madagascar Croissance posts (Fr) a list of the ministers that make up the new government.
CAFTA and WiMax in Costa Rica
Three articles stand out this week: The first describes events that are a glimpse of what we will see once the CAFTA discussions begin, the second denounces the newspapers for...
Trinidad & Tobago: A nation unravels
“How do you take back a country that at independence failed to take real responsibility for itself, whose fabric has been slowly unravelling ever since, and which now equates modernisation...
Russia: Amber
Copydude writes about the sorry state of the Baltic ecology and about the amber mines of Kaliningrad.
Poland: Politics
“This is not a deeply unpopular government at all. It’s supporters appear to quite like it,” writes Warsaw Station in a lengthy post (followed by a lengthy discussion).
Poland: Sex Scandal and Cronyism
Traveling Life writes about Poland's ongoing sex scandal and about yet another case of cronyism: “I know that each political appointee has an army of advisers to make sure he...
Poland: LOT Airline
“LOT's passenger numbers have risen by less than 2 percent last year at the time when millions of Poles are traveling to work in Irland and Britain.” Polish Matters writes...
Kurdistance: The Kirkuk Referendum
While the Kirkuk Referendum isn't expected to take place until December 2007, it is creating waves within Kurdistan, Iraq and their neighbors. Why the flurry of activity now? The Iraq...
Iranian Bloggers Talk About Their Prison Experience
Many people for political reasons have been sent to prison in Iran. A few of those former prisoners shared their stories in books, through painting or in their blogs. Some...
Tanzania: snoozing thinkers
Tanzania In Focus blogs about Tanzania's snoozing “thinkers”: I don't want to sound like a genius, but I once blogged on the fact that ours is a snoozing government. I...
Nepal: Madhesh Is Burning
Madhesh is the southern plains of Nepal where half of the country lives. Madhesi are the people of Nepal, roughly half of the country. The Madhesi have been discriminated against...
Tajikistan: Protest Against Judiciary
Alexander reports that a small protest took place in front of Tajikistan's Supreme Court to draw attention to what protesters characterized as corrupt decisions by courts on land disputes.
Afghanistan: Aid & Corruption
Sanjar says that a significant amount of aid to Afghanistan ends up in the pockets of Afghan leaders.
Russia: On Economy
The Russian Dilettante comments on Masha Lipman's recent column.
Morocco: Too Many Policemen at Airport
Adil, a Moroccan blogger who lives in Washington DC, US, says there was far too many policemen at the King Mohammed the Fifth Airport. “I believe that airport is overstaffed...
Czech Rebublic: New Arms Race?
NvB: Bored in Brno writes that the “proposed radar stations around the Czech Republic may be a forerunner of the new silent arms race.”
Sri Lanka: Life down South
groundviews goes to a village down south to catch glimpses of life and ask a few questions. “On the ethnic conflict, they said they didn’t want to see the country...
Malaysia: We Are Not Liars
Lucia Lai takes offence at her prime minister using the term “lairs” to describe bloggers who write negative posts about his leadership. “anyway, what is a lie? how do you...
Maldives struggles with Chikungunya
Chikungunya, a viral fever accompanied with joint pains, is spreading throughout the Maldives. The disease was first noticed in the country in late 2006 and so far it has not...
China: civilized web
The China media project has a report on the Chinese government's recent move to develop a “civilized web”.
Ukraine, Romania: Serpent Island Dispute
Ukraine List writes about a Ukrainian-Romanian dispute over Serpent Island: “The island itself is just a small chunk of limestone (.17 km sq.) with a layer of topsoil. […] The...
