Stories about History from July, 2008
Latvia, Russia: Views of European Court Ruling
Marginalia presents a Latvian view of the background to and case of Kononov vs. Latvia, which Latvia lost last week in the European Court of Human Rights, whereas Voices from Russia gives a Russian view of perceived Latvian motives for the original war crimes’ charges against Kononov.
Egypt Silences the Voice of Iran
Egyptian authorities shut down the Cairo office of an Iranian TV network over a film that justifies the killing of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat by Islamic militants. Marwa Rakha sums up the opinions of Egyptian blogger Dina Ayoub about the incident in this post.
Arabeyes: Mourning Youssef Chahine
Tributes are pouring in from bloggers from around the Middle East and North Africa, mourning the death of renowned Egyptian film maker Youssef Chahine. Born in Alexandria in 1926, Chahine has left behind a legacy, and millions of fans and followers across the region.
Haiti: Quest for Freedom
The Haitian Blogger publishes an article from the Haiti Action Committee Website that “expresses…the aspirations of many Haitian activists who are endeavoring to see Haiti regain its sovereignty and ability to be a self-sustaining, viable and thriving democracy.”
Trinidad & Tobago: What Next?
“What now then? Do we engage a Commission of Inquiry to look into the 1990 Insurrection? What we do next after all this time has to make sense…” Keith in Trinidad still has many unanswered questions about the attempted coup that took place 18 years ago, while Coffeewallah adds: “The...
Cuba: Carnival Time
“It is a time to shrug off the slogans, the shortages and the frustrated expectations. Dancing is a magnificent way of forgetting. And so we will have a festival along the same perimeter where, fourteen years ago, Havanans demonstrated their discontent in a social explosion”: Yoani Sanchez looks beyond the...
Guyana: The Value of Life
“Human life in Guyana is treated with such scant regard”: Living Guyana is at a loss as to why.
Cuba: July 26th
This past weekend, on July 26th, Cuba marked the 55th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago that came to be recognised as the start of the Cuban Revolution. Bloggers react to President Raul Castro's much-anticipated speech at the event.
Trinidad & Tobago: Remembering 1990
Trinidad and Tobago marked the 18th anniversary of the attempted coup yesterday. Club Soda and Salt says: “Another July 27th, another anniversary of the worst day in our nation’s history swept quietly under the rug. Our leaders have once again demonstrated how deeply unserious they are.”
Jamaica, India: Signs of the Times
The recent bombings in India trigger Jamaican blogger Annie Paul‘s memory about “one piece of graffiti by a Muslim group that had struck me with the simple force and stridency of its message.” In examining the many murals around Kingston, she wonders if “the signs are on the walls.”
China: 1950s Starvation
1Bao posted several exclusive pieces on the nationwide starvation during the 1950s (Great Leap Forward).
Soviet History: The Afghan War
The Turkish Invasion writes at length about the Soviet Afghan War and posts pictures from the memorial in Kyiv. Window on Eurasia writes that Russian Afghan War vets “want Moscow to celebrate their war too.”
Serbia: Pro-Karadzic Protest in Belgrade
A video and lots of photos from “one of the daily protests in support of Radovan Karadzic that are being organized by Serbian ultra-nationalists” in Belgrade – at LimbicNutrition Weblog.
Latvia: European Court Goes Against Riga
Who has the right to pass judgment on what a man does in the service of his country during wartime and what should the legal grounds for such a verdict be? These are some of the key issues surrounding a legal process on WWII war crimes against a soviet veteran, Vasily Kononov, that has been dragged through the Latvian legal system since 1998. However, earlier this week, the European Court of Human Rights found that Latvia lacked legal grounds for prosecuting Kononov. Following the verdict, the Russian blogosphere has generally reacted with joy and relief, although there have also been some opposing voices.
Lebanon: Reviving Lebanon’s Jewish Community
“Lebanese Expatriates are helping to fund and renovate the ancient Magen Abraham synagogue in the heart of the Lebanese capital, one of the largest in the Arab world. Renovation is expected by the end of this year or by 2009,” reports The Lebanese Inner Circle.
Ukraine: The King Who Never Was
Kiev Ukraine News Blog posts a Seattle Times review of a biography about Vasyl Vyshyvani, a former Habsburg archduke, who in the interwar years aspired for the throne of Ukraine.
Ukraine: Music, Language, History
A discussion of Ukrainian music, language and history – at Vasyl's uaMuzik.
Lebanon: Mental Laziness and Stereotyping
“That common American/Israeli refrain that Arabs have a cult of death, whereas Israelis/the West love life is older than, e.g., suicide bombings. It is, I think, a thought well-embeded in imperialist thinking, along with the idea that Arabs are irrational,” writes Burghol on going to war to restore honor.
Serbia: Anglophone Bloggers Continue Discussion of Karadžić's Arrest
From one of the world’s most wanted fugitives, Radovan Karadžić - aka Dr. Dragan David Dabić - has turned into one of the world's most talked about detainees. Below are snippets of some of the discussions that have taken place in Anglophone blogs in the past few days.
Palestine: Left behind by Obama
As US presidential hopeful Barack Obama wraps up a tour of Israel and Palestine, newspaper headlines all over the world are fixated on the Senator's attention to Israel...and lack of attention to Palestine's struggle.
Latvia: Arnis Balcus’ Photoblog
Arnis Balcus has started a Latvia photoblog: “Here I want to display my findings because the things that interest me are very often taken for granted and passed away unnoticed. These are little things that one day will disappear, for instance, architecture and its elements that remind of Soviet times...
