· May, 2006

Stories about International Relations from May, 2006

Sri Lanka, India: The other side of LTTE

  31 May 2006

Kiruba on the other side of LTTE – “Back then, they were the good guys. The village folks were sympathetic towards their struggle and generally gave them good support. They were mainly looking for shelter and food and there was never a shortage of that in the village.”

South Korea: The current situation in Daechuri and Doduri villages

  31 May 2006

Because of the expansion of the U.S. military base, farmers in Daechuri and Doduri villages (western seaside of Seoul) are forced to leave their land. There were violent confrontation since May 4. And June 4, 2006 will be the international solidarity day for the farmers. Days in Daechuri has very...

Belarus, Russia: IMF Approves of Common Currency

TOL's Belarus Blog criticizes the IMF's approval of the common currency of Belarus and Russia: “Oh, yeah, IMF is not a political body and does not care or understand that ‘currency union’ has nothing to do with economics but only disquises attempt of political incorporation.”

North Korea: Defectors granted asylum

  31 May 2006

Among the several interesting stories found in The Korea Liberator blogger Joshua's Korea Diary this week is a happy ending for four North Koreans who recently sought to defect.

Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, US: Border Frustrations

  30 May 2006

In a summary of Latin American news, Western Hemisphere Policy Watch describes tension over the militarized border … the Costa Rica-Nicaragual border. Isopixel is upset [ES] by an offensive song posted on the website of the US anti-immigration group, the Minutemen, which calls President Vicente Fox – among other things...

Barbados: Senegalese “death boat”

  30 May 2006

“What circumstances did these men come from that drove them to make a desperate trip to a strange new land in search of a better life? How must the people who loved them be suffering now, in the agony of loss and not knowing?” Titilayo muses on the fate of...

Latvia: Second Gay Pride Parade

All About Latvia writes about the politics of this year's gay pride parade (to be held in Riga on July 22): “For political parties who objected the march last year, this will be a chance to win over the hearts of the skeptical public for the fall parliamentary elections by...

Estonia: “The Hole” Review

David McDuff of A Step At A Time reviews The Hole, a study on the sinking of Estonia, “a giant passenger and car ferry in the Baltic Sea in September 1994 which involved the deaths of nearly 1,000 people in the space of 35 minutes.”

Bolivia: “The Evo and Hugo Show”

  29 May 2006

Jim Shultz, referring to the recent media coverage on the relationship between Evo Morales and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, writes: “One of the interesting things about having lived in and written about Bolivia for eight years is watching the foreign press that parachute in for a week or two, declare...

China: Raising fuel prices, raising tempers

  29 May 2006

As China's economy continues to grow, so too do the kinds of complaints that come with modern life. And while gas prices are kept lower than can be found in many other countries, two prices hikes in the last year alone have left many of China's rapidly-growing middle class grumbling,...

Ukraine: GUAM Founds ODED

Vilhelm Konnander writes about a new organization whose founding members are Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova (GUAM): the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development (ODED), to be based in Kyiv, Ukraine. GUAM-ODED is intended as an alternative to the Commonwealth of Independent States

Echoes from the Tunisian blogosphere

The Tunisian blogosphere has been buzzing as usual with a bunch of different topics, ranging from the serious to the light, and the following is a snapshot of some of the interesting topics discussed these past 2 weeks. We start off with Zizou who writes about how he thinks an...

Senegal: Conversations on Drowned Migrants

  28 May 2006

Senegalese blogger Seckasysteme has been keeping a close eye on thousands of migrants from Senegal who have attempted to reach Europe on clandestine rafts since the beginning of the year. Last week the blogger explained that 23 migrant hopefuls had been intercepted by Senegalese authorities on their way to the...