Stories about International Relations from July, 2009
Global: George W. Bush as Middle East Envoy?
An opinion piece written for Newsweek suggesting George W. Bush make an excellent complement to U.S. President Obama as Middle East envoy has made waves in the blogosphere.
India: The Future Of Ajmal Kasab
Golden Boy at Desicritics tells why India should not hang Ajmal Kasab, the apprehended “foot-soldier in the Mumbai Terror Attacks”.
Pakistan: Breaking Western Stereotypes
Pakfactor writes about a documentary called “Made In Pakistan”, which “documents the lives of four ordinary Pakistani citizens during military rule in an effort to break Western stereotypes about the country.”
Armenia: Kim Kardashian, national identity and peace
Ianyan continues its regular feature compiling mention of Armenia and Armenians on the Internet. In its latest column, the blog comments on reference to celebrity socialite Kim Karashian and fashion, national identity, breaking down ethnic divides, and more…
Moldova: Election Updates
Notes on Moldova's repeat election – at Scraps of Moscow, Eternal Remont and Robert Amsterdam's Blog.
The Balkans: Mladic Update
Foreign Policy Association's War Crimes blog posts an update on Ratko Mladic.
Ukraine: Q&A with Hryhoriy Nemyrya
EurActiv.com visits Kyiv and talks to Hryhoriy Nemyrya, Ukraine’s vice PM, in charge of relations with Europe: questions are here, Nemyrya's responses – here, a shorter summary – here.
Russia: Activists Appeal To Iranian Opposition
On July 26, LJ user dobrokhotov wrote (RUS) about a rally in front of the Iranian embassy in Moscow, organized by the Russian democratic youth movement “We” in support of Iran's opposition: “[…] The main thing is we'd like the Iranian opposition to go on chanting ‘margbar putin’ – but,...
Bangladesh, India: Tipaimukh Dam And Transparency
The controversy surrounding the Tipaimukh Hydroelectric Project currently continues to dominate the politics, media, and intellectual and civil society’s discourse in Bangladesh.
Haiti: Secret Funeral
Haitian blogger Wadner Pierre reports that Kenel Pascal, “who appears to have been gunned down by UN occupation troops”, was given a secret funeral “because the priest and family were fearful of UN and Haitian government reprisals” and goes on to write another post examining the circumstances surrounding the death...
Belarus, Russia: Bloggers React to Graphic Chechen War Video
On July 3, Belarusian blogger Tatsiana Elavaya posted a provocative video showing the assassination of captive Russian soldiers by Chechen guerrillas during the 1999 war in Chechnya. The video had been available elsewhere before, but when Tatsiana posted it on her blog, the reaction of the Cyrillic blogosphere was unprecedented.
Bermuda, Haiti: Standing Up
“In the 1980s Bermudians participated in the global anti-Apartheid anti-imperialist movement”: Catch a fire thinks “it is time that our new generation continue this tradition and pick up the mantle of fighting injustices” such the ones in Haiti.
Bermuda, U.K.: Missed Celebrations
Repeating Islands reports that Britain's Queen Elizabeth II “skipped yesterday’s celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Britain’s oldest colony after a row with the island’s pro-independence leader”, adding that the island's Premier was also noticeably absent.
Haiti: What Happened to Pierre-Antoine?
“July 28 marks the 94th anniversary of the US occupation of Haiti…August 12th will mark the second anniversary of the disappearance of Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine”: The Haitian Blogger wonders what has happened to this leading human rights activist.
Japan: Parental child abduction
Given the rise in cases where children born to a Japanese mother and a foreign father are abducted by the Japanese mothers and brought to Japan without the father's consent, the U.S., France, Canada and the U.K. have recently urged Japan to sign the Hague Convention.
The Balkans: More on EU Visa Rules
More on the new EU visa rules for the Balkans – at A Fistful of Euros.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Musical collaboration
Despite the unresolved conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh which has left many citizens of both countries intolerant and bitterly opposed to the other, a Baku-based newspaper has discovered a video on YouTube of an Azeri girl singing traditional mugham backed by Armenian musicians. Remy_G tweets that the...
The Balkans: Language Issue
Gray Falcon writes about the language issue in the former Yugoslavia – here and here.
Czech Republic: New Mosque in Brno?
The Czech Daily Word reports that “Christian Democrats oppose plans to build a new mosque in Brno.”
Europe: “EU Terminology for Dummies”
“EU Terminology for Dummies” – at Kosmopolito.
The Balkans: EU Visa-Free Travel Controversy
AriRusila of Blogactiv.eu‘s BalkanPerspective writes that the EU's intention to introduce visa-free travel for some Balkan entities but not others is dividing the region.