Stories about International Relations from June, 2010
Russia, U.S.: The “Spy Ring” Story
A selection of posts on the “Russian spy ring” story: Julia Ioffe at The Daily Beast; A Good Treaty; Yelena Osipova at Global Chaos; Mark Adomanis at True/Slant; Vadim Nikitin at FPA's Russia blog; Dina Fainberg at The Dustbin of History; Catherine Fitzpatrick at Minding Russia; Windows to Russia; Eugene...
Haiti: MSM Coverage
The Haitian Blogger says that “mainstream media pieces about Haiti are like Swiss cheese, full of holes.”
Haiti: Five Months Later
Haiti, land of Freedom takes a look at the country just about five months after the devastating earthquake.
Caribbean: On Crime
The Caribbean Camera reports on the G-8 and G-20 summits from a regional perspective.
Egypt: Unrest in North Sinai
It may be off the radar – but Zeinobia reports on unrest in North Sinai. Click here for more.
Lebanon: Facebook Group in Support of Gaza-bound Maryam
Lebanese activists formed a Facebook group in support of a Gaza-bound ship called We are All Maryam (Ar).
Bahrain: What Happened to the Mubtakar Terrorists?
Bahraini blogger Mahmood Al Yousif wonders what happened to five Bahrainis implicated in a 2003 terrorist plot to detonate an explosive device on the New York City subway system called the “Mubtakar.” “Whatever happened to those five “men” I wonder? Anyone knows?” he asks.
Middle East: Goodbye Saramago
Bloggers across the Middle East mourned the death of Portuguese writer Jose Saramago. Tarek Amr rounds up their reactions.
Egypt: The Ministry of Interior Seeks Revenge
Egyptian activists have utilised citizen media to the fullest in exposing police torture and corruption. Marwa Rakha writes about their newest initiative and uncovers the case of an Egyptian activist held in neighbouring Libya in this post.
Jamaica: Bloggers Discuss Dudus’ Extradition
Following his capture by Jamaican police, Michael Christopher 'Dudus' Coke has been extradited to the United States to face pending charges of drug and arms trafficking. "The President", as he is also known, issued a statement about his decision "to waive [his] right to an extradition hearing in Jamaica..."
Russia, US: “Burger Diplomacy”
Vadim Nikitin wonders if the Medvedev-Obama meeting is a sign that “[…] the Russian President, for so long considered a mere window dressing to Prime Ministerial rule, might stick around longer than Putin might like?” Robert Amsterdam writes that “burger diplomacy” is “[…] an apt epithet for a relationship that...
Armenia-Azerbaijan: More Conflict Voices
As mentioned in previous posts on Global Voices, new and social media is increasingly playing a role in facilitating communication between Armenians and Azerbaijanis online. Locked into a bitter conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, there are few other possibilities for connecting other than meeting in third countries.
China and Korea: National sentiment controlled by rumors
Key from China Hush blogs about the anti-Korean sentiment in China which has been fanned by a number of rumors.
China: Debate over RMB evaluation
One week before the G20 summit, the Chinese central bank announced the increase of flexibility of RMB exchange rate. The People's Bank of China asserted that the exchange rate regime reform could help China, but not everyone is convinced in online forums.
Hungary, Slovakia: “Since the Slovak Elections”
Hungarian Spectrum posts an update on the Hungarian-Slovak relations.
Ghana: Obama, we are sorry
“Obama we are sorry,” says Ghanaian photographer and blogger Nana following Ghana victory USA at the FIFA World Cup: “It’s quite unfortunate you’d have to skip dinner today. We know you’ve been terribly stressed lately: BP, Flotilla, Health Reform, Overweight recruits… and then this happens.”
Russia: Bloggers React to President Medvedev's Silicon Valley Tour
For the first 24 hours, Dmitry Medvedev's @KremlinRussia Twitter account provided a unique opportunity to send unmoderated comments to the Russian president. Then all the comments were removed, and the era of the Russian unmoderated online democracy ended. Gregory Asmolov reviews Russian bloggers' reactions to the president's visit to California.
Russia: Charges Against Alexanyan Dropped
Robert Amsterdam reports that “Russian prosecutors have finally dropped their case against Yukos lawyer Vasily Aleksanyan”: “But I don't really see this as a sign of clemency or change, or a sudden recognition of judicial independence. Russia just admitted that it held an innocent individual for two years for no...
Russia: President Medvedev is “iPhone Compatible”
Julia Ioffe announces at True/Slant that “Russian president is iPhone compatible.” More on Dmitry Medvedev's visit to California by Julia Ioffe – here, here, and here, and by Jamestown Foundation Blog – here.
Russia, Belarus, Moldova: Gas Wars
Updates on the gas dispute between Russia and Belarus – at Leopolis, Jamestown Foundation Blog, and BelarusDigest. A May 28 post on Moldova's relationship with Gazprom – at RFE/RL's Transmission.
Jamaica: ‘Dudus” Hearing Today
“Dudus is to have his hearing at 10:00 a.m. at Harman Barracks, Up Park Camp (the army base in Jamaica)” today: Girl With a Purpose explains what to expect.
