Stories about International Relations from April, 2009
Caribbean: Funding the Fight against HIV
Both Abeng News Magazine and Repeating Islands note that “Caribbean governments have been urged to provide financial support for the Regional Coordinating Mechanism of the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP).”
China: The Beijing Consensus
Few are calling China's overseas investment strategy a Consensus comparable to the Washinton/IMF model, so how then best to describe it? Tom Orlik at China Translated explores a few alternate understandings.
Malaysia: Humans as Commodities
In early 2009, Malaysia had the dubious privilege of being investigated by the US senate for the trafficking of humans. News reports stated that the migrants involved were mostly from Myanmar, but other foreigners were also allegedly taken by the government officials to the Malaysian-Thai border, where they were extorted or sold to human trafficking syndicates.
Kazakhstan: Expansion of the Uranium Industry
Joshua Foust reports that Kazakhstan is aggressively internationalizing its uranium industry by opening new mines, establishing high-profile international partnerships and lobbying for the global uranium fuel bank.
Georgia: Alternative Eurovision
Following the scandal surrounding Georgia's aborted attempt to enter a song mocking the former Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in the Eurovision Song Contest to be held in Moscow, This is Tbilisi Calling says that the country will instead hold its own alternative international song contest.
Syria: Reactions to the Hariri Tribunal
The UN's Special Tribunal for Lebanon today ordered the release of all four suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on February 14th, 2005, in Beirut. Syria was largely blamed for the attack, and that caused the deterioration of its relations with the West, including the Bush Administration's recall of the American Ambassador to Damascus. Anas Qtiesh rounds up reactions from Syrian bloggers in this post.
The Conflict In Sri Lanka And The Indian Elections
Madhu at Indian Election 2009 blog comments: “Tamil Nadu elections have been hijacked by the conflict in Sri lanka, all the political parties raise this issue and only this issue.” The blog also reports that the hunger strike of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr. Karunanidhi was an alleged ploy...
Taiwan: Participating in the World Health Assembly
The news that Taiwan will be participating in the World Health Assembly under the name Chinese Taipei came from the island's president and is received simultaneously as humiliating, a major step toward international recognition, and as nothing really important.
Bubisher: A Bus of Books for Children in Western Sahara
Do you want to go to the Sahara desert and read for children living in the refugee camps? Bubisher is a mobile library being driven across Western Sahara refugee camps. In those refugee schools, the bus shares with youngsters food for the soul and mind: books. Renata Avila highlights the initiative.
Armenia: Shooting the Messenger
Security, in the Caucasus and beyond…. comments on the tendency for nationalist voices in Armenia and the Diaspora to shoot down any proposals intended to promote peace and reconciliation with Turkey by discrediting them and preventing any open discussion or independent thought.
Hungary, Bolivia: Eduardo Rózsa-Flores
Hungarian Spectrum writes about Eduardo Rózsa-Flores and the alleged plot to kill Bolivia's president – here, here, and here. (An earlier GV post on Rózsa-Flores, by Eduardo Avila, is here.)
Nepal: Politics of Energy
Nepali Perspectives comments on the failed power supply deal between India and Nepal: “Nepal’s.. interest will be best served by ensuring energy security and being self reliant in the matters of energy – from our own water resource.”
Armenia: Joke of the Day
Unzipped says joke of the day in Armenia is news that the Armenian Revolutionary Federation — Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) are now calling themselves an opposition political party. Having left the ruling coalition government yesterday in protest at talk of possible reconciliation between estranged neighbors Armenia and Turkey, the blog says that...
Bermuda, Turks & Caicos: Better Representation
Vexed Bermoothes is disappointed in his Premier's performance at the recently concluded Fifth Summit of the Americas: “I wish he had stuck to working for Bermudians’ benefit rather than playing cheerleader for the discredited TCI administration.”
Central & Eastern Europe: Racism Roundup
The beatroot writes about Poland's boycott of the UN conference on fighting racism; Hungarian Spectrum writes about the Hungarian Guard and Holocaust denial; coverage of Slovenia's neo-Nazis – here and here, by Sleeping With Pengovsky, as well as here, by Piran Cafe; Borut Peterlin posts photos from an anti-fascist rally...
Ukraine, Russia: Tymoshenko-Pugacheva Duet
Ukrainiana writes about a Yulia Tymoshenko-Alla Pugacheva duet.
Czech Republic: Blog Roundup
A Czech roundup: Czechmatediary – on the new translation of the Bible into contemporary Czech and on Albert Einstein's Prague connection; CzechFolks.com – on xenophobia, job market, and the Brno Expats Forum online community; The Journeys of Captain Oddsocks – on bone churches and the liberation of Plzeň 64 years...
Russia, Ukraine: Swine Flu Prevention
Short updates on anti-swine flu measures taken in Russia and Ukraine – at IZO: here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Palestine: Reading Anna in the Middle East
Palestinian-American Sarah, at Reflections of a Cultural Mutt, attends the book signing of Anna Baltzer, the author of Anna in the Middle East and shares her reflections: “It was such a powerful presentation, and so refreshing to hear someone non-Arab speak so passionately about the injustice and oppression of another...
Israel: No Swine Flu
Times Online religion correspondent Ruth Gledhill calls for help from Jewish readers on why the swine flu cannot be named after the non-kosher meat in Israel here.
Haiti, U.S.A.: TPS for Haitians
jmc strategies reports that ” the New York City Council adopted…a resolution urging Congress to pass legislation granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitian nationals in the United States.”
