· May, 2010

Stories about International Relations from May, 2010

Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia make Eurovision Top Ten

This year's Eurovision Song Contest drew to a close on a Saturday in a televised final which attracted around 125 million viewers worldwide. But while some media reported lagging interest in the 54-year-old competition and concerns about spiraling costs, countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to take it very seriously indeed.

Japan: Okinawans vent frustration over Futenma

  31 May 2010

Japanese PM Yukio Hatoyama has backtracked on promises to reduce the presence of American military forces in Okinawa, and inhabitants of the prefecture are furious. In blogs, they express their disappointment and rage against the failed Japan-U.S. negotiations.

Angola: Similarities between Cabinda and East Timor

  29 May 2010

Orlando Castro discloses [pt] the similarities between the Angolan enclave of Cabinda and the recent history of East Timor, criticizing the positions of the Portuguese and Timorese leaders for failing to recognize the self determination of a province that produces 70% of domestic oil.

France: Questions and Controversy about ICC

  29 May 2010

EU-LOGOS blog explains why France was questioned by an Amnesty International report about its implementation in internal criminal law of the 1998 International Criminal Court status (fr). An impending bill seems to require a condition of  the “usual country of residence” to be France for legal proceedings to take place.

Caucasus: Social media, cleavage, and rare unity in Eurovision

Although last night's second semi-final for this year's Eurovision Song Contest has been and gone, Twitter was alive with commentary and updates throughout. The annual international competition, noted more for its kitsch entries than for its music, is viewed by well over 100 million people worldwide. Its presence online is nowhere near as large, but is increasingly becoming an important consideration.

Jamaica: Dudus, Security & Seaga

  27 May 2010

In the Tivoli Gardens area of Jamaica's capital city – home turf of alleged drug lord Michael Christopher “Dudus” Coke and epicentre of the unrest that has gripped the Caribbean nation for the past several days – the loyalties are clear, at least from those who care to be vocal about...

Jamaica: Resetting the Clock

  27 May 2010

“Jamaica's bizarre socio-economic clock cannot turn back but it can be reset”: Living in Barbados suggest the current situation “may be the spur to find ways to start dealing with that process.”

China and Hong Kong: Responses to Cheonan sinking incident

  27 May 2010

The release of the international investigation report on sinking of Cheonan in May 20, 2010, concluding that the South Korean warship had been bombed by a North Korean torpedo has alleviating the tension in Northeast Asia region. South Korea suspended all trade and investment with North Korea while Pyongyang denied...

Jamaica: Situation Improving?

  27 May 2010

Four days into the state of emergency imposed on the Jamaican capital, the situation is becoming clearer - not simply in terms of statistics - but in understanding the chain of events that led to the current impasse. There are also reports that life in the capital city may slowly be returning to normal.

Jamaica: Bloggers Look at the Lighter Side

  26 May 2010

West Indians have a saying, "If you don't laugh, you'll cry." Certainly, the current wave of violence in Jamaica - is nothing to laugh about. But after days of sobering news, bloggers clearly needed to seek out the amusing aspects of an otherwise untenable situation.