· August, 2008

Stories about International Relations from August, 2008

Georgia: Unfrozen Conflicts

  31 August 2008

Marilisa Lorusso's Blog comments on the conflict between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia and says that the military solution has brought the world closer to a new Cold War. However, the blog notes, while the Georgian president continues to survive defeat on the battlefield, a political solution would have...

Georgia: Security in the Caucasus

  31 August 2008

Security in the Caucasus, a new blog established by a PhD candidate at the London School of Economics currently undertaking field work in the region, says that the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia was largely the result of a major miscalculation by Tbilisi. The blog also says that the...

Russia, Georgia, U.S.: Michael Lee White's Passport

  31 August 2008

LJ user olegpanfilov2 links (RUS) to a newspaper story (ENG) on Michael Lee White, a China-based U.S. citizen whose passport was allegedly stolen “during a flight from Moscow to New York” in Dec. 2005. Last week, “a Russian general […] displayed a blown-up photo” of the passport and claimed that...

Poland: “Polish Enigma”

  29 August 2008

MHahn of the Women's International Perspective (WIP) writes on WIP Talk Blog about “the trials and tribulations of life in a transitioning country” – Poland: “It is full of inconsistencies, bureaucratic mazes, masked faces, false hopes, and intense pride, but also an enchanting aura wafting through the crevices, a sorrowful...

Armenia: Opposition Truce

  29 August 2008

Unzipped commends the opposition in Armenia for deciding to postpone planned street protests and other political actions ahead of next week's historic football match with Turkey in Yerevan. The move is meant to contribute to the possibility for Armenian-Turkish reconcilliation.

Bermuda, Trinidad & Tobago: Reviving the Federation?

  29 August 2008

Vexed Bermoothes weighs in on the call by Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister for regional territories to move towards economic and political integration: “My advice to Bermuda: stay out of it. As a community, we treasure our cultural and family links to the Caribbean. But there’s little benefit to us...

Barbados: Obama's Speech

  29 August 2008

Barbados Underground says that Barack Obama “delivered a high impact speech” at the Democratic National Convention, while Bajan Global Report refers to a story that claims Barbados’ Prime Minister “is…the only high ranking Caribbean official invited to witness the historic first embrace of an African-American as Presidential candidate for a...

Costa Rica: President Arias Asks Dalai Lama to Postpone Visit

  29 August 2008

Costa Rican president Oscar Arias asked Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama to postpone a private visit to the country, citing that Arias won't be in the country to receive him. However, many bloggers believe that the request coincided with a planned official visit from Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Georgia, Russia, Serbia: The Use (or Abuse) of Some Historical Facts?

  28 August 2008

Serbian bloggers follow closely the situation in the Caucasus region. Many of them compared and analyzed the Kosovo issue and the newest opportunities in South Ossetia. Some of them were careful to express their own thoughts and mainly cited thoughts of politicians. Here is a post by a Serbian blogger who quoted in his blog some pieces of the last statements by Russia's government officials, who linked military operations in Georgia to certain historical events.

Russia: Anti-War Music

  28 August 2008

LJ user marchenk posts a collection of links (RUS) to videos of various anti-war songs in Russian, French, English, Italian, German, Hebrew, Serbian, Spanish, Polish, Arabic and other languages.

Haiti: Homes Being Destroyed

  28 August 2008

“Cite Soleil, a shanty town in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is under siege by the UN occupying forces”: The Haitian Blogger publishes a statement by the Haitian Lawyers Leadership “condemning the wholesale expropriation and demotion being undertaken in Cite Soleil of 155 homes.”

Barbados, Cuba: Broadcasting Meeting

  27 August 2008

Bajan Global Report reports on the Prime Minister's trip to Cuba to attend the 39th General Assembly of the Caribbean Broadcasting Union, an organization which supports and promotes high quality work of regional radio and TV entities – but Barbados Free Press calls it “irony defined”: “We are disappointed that...

Poland: Reactions to the Russian-Georgian Conflict

  27 August 2008

The beatroot writes that “Poland – in the shape of its government and particularly its president, Lech Kaczynski – has been using the conflict between Moscow and Tbilisi to nail their colours to the mast of “protecting freedom and democracy” of the brave young George against the might of an...