Stories about International Relations from June, 2008
Trinidad & Tobago: Silence that Kills
Four Fingers and a Thumb 2.0 speaks out against political tyranny and the passivity that allows it to continue. “A dictator in the world,” she says, “is like the abusive father in the community that no-one wants to report.”
Israel: Sarkozy Security Scare at Airport
As French President Nicholas Sarkozy departed Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport, shots rang out. A quick assessment revealed that one of the Israeli members of Sarkozy's security detail had turned his weapon on himself, apparently committing suicide. The victim, whose name has not been revealed at his family's request, was in his...
Cuba: Developing Hackers
André Deak is a Brazilian blogger who has recently visited Cuba, and in ‘Cuban Hackers‘ [PT] he tells about the ‘Universidad de las Ciencias Informáticas‘ (Informatic Sciences University), where local developers are learning to create code in one of the most precarious technological environments, caused by the US embargo. Deak...
The Balkans: Michael J. Totten's Travelogue
Michael J. Totten of Middle East Journal writes about and posts photos from his recent trip through the Balkans (93 comments); LimbicNutrition Weblog posts his response to Totten.
Russia: Media on the eXile
Sean's Russia Blog reviews media coverage of the “eXile Affair.”
U.S., Russia: Satender Singh Murder Trial Update
Moscow Through Brown Eyes posts an update on the Satender Singh murder trial in northern California: “a deadlock on the major hate-crime charge and two convictions on misdemeanor charges of disturbing the peace and simple assault.”
Russia: Yavlinsky Steps Down
Grigory Yavlinsky steps down as Yabloko Party's leader – “a bigger deal in the international press than in Russian papers,” FP's Passport reports.
Russia, Ukraine: Energy Issues
Kremlin.Inc posts his presentation on Ukraine's energy policy; Robert Amsterdam writes on Gazprom and Anatoly Chubais.
Palestine: Visiting Arafat's Tomb
Fugitive Peace blogger Gideon Lichfield recently visited Arafat's tomb. He reports: “I paid my first visit to Yasser Arafat’s new mausoleum… It’s an austere, brilliant pearl incongruously plopped in the middle of the ramshackle Muqata complex, the presidential headquarters: a cube-shaped mausoleum at the end of a long plaza, with...
Israel: No Nuts for You!
Israel is the world's largest consumer of pistachio nuts, but recent reports reveal that illegal imports from Iran may be its primary source. Jewschool's Shalom Rav jokes: “Anyone with even a passing knowledge of Israeli snacking habits will attest that Israel will be hard pressed to give up their pistachio...
Palestine: She Shoots, She Scores
Muna Nawajaa has scored a victory for social justice. Using a camera given to her by B'Tselem's Shooting Back project, Palestinian Nawajaa recorded the masked beating of members of her family, resulting in an investigation and arrest of suspects by Israeli police. In a post entitled “Cameras as Weapons,” Uriel...
Israel: Broken Truce Angers Israelis
Six days after Israeli and Palestinian forces brokered a ceasefire agreement, four kassam rockets fired from Gaza blasted the Western Negev. Islamic Jihad claimed credit for the attack, while Hamas, Palestine's ruling party, encouraged “all Palestinian factions to abide by the calm agreement,” asserting, “Hamas is keen to maintain the...
Macedonia, Greece: More on the Conflict
Say: Macedonia discusses a Spiegel article on the Greek-Macedonian conflict and writes about a case brought by the Aegean Macedonian refugees before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Lithuania: Missile Defence Alternative?
Lituanica writes about rumors that Lithuania has offered to deploy elements of the U.S. anti-missile shield, “as an alternative to Poland.”
Hungary: Open Letter to Austria
Pestiside.hu writes an angry letter to Austria, “on behalf of Hungary.”
Hungary: “National Pride”
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the “puzzling” issue of “national pride.”
Lithuania: Soviet and Nazi Symbol Ban
Itching for Eestimaa thinks that Lithuania's recent decision “to ban both Soviet and Nazi symbols, as well as national anthems, is […] a mistake.”
Cuba: Waiting in Miami
Ninety miles away….in another country points readers to an article about the cultural milieu of Miami's Little Havana, where old men eat Cuban sandwiches and dream of regime change in the island of their birth.
Czech Republic: The Treaty of Lisbon
The Reference Frame writes that “much like in Ireland, the question of usefulness of the Treaty of Lisbon is a controversial question in Czechia, too.”
Bosnia & Herzegovina: 55 Zaklopaca Victims Buried
Srebrenica Genocide Blog reports that 55 DNA-identified victims from Zaklopaca mass grave have been buried, and posts photos from the mournful ceremony.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: EUFOR Helicopter Crashes; Bosnian in Afghanistan Killed
YakimaGulagLiteraryGazett reports on the two Bosnia-related tragic accidents that have occurred recently.