Stories about International Relations from July, 2010
Wikileaks’ Japan data on Afghanistan
Richard Smart at the Tokyo Digital Journalism blog posted a summarized list of Wikileaks’ Japan data on Afghanistan. Raw data can be found on his blog.
Qatar: Expats Question Future Plans
If you are a long term resident in one of the GCC countries, what are your long-term plans? What will you do when you return home? At Qatar Living, expatriates attempt to answer the inevitable question: What will you do when you return home?
Vietnam: Agent Orange at Danang Airbase
Thuy Vu of Vietnam Reporting Project visited the Danang Airbase where Agent Orange was stored. Agent Orange is the highly toxic herbicide used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam...
Pakistan: Wikileaks Documents And Corrective Actions
Raza Rumi at Pak Tea House analyzes the disclosure of Wikileaks documents on Afghan war and opines that the civil-military leadership of Pakistan should take corrective actions against the extremists...
Bulgaria: Government's Pressure on the Media
Veni Markovski writes about the Bulgarian government's most recent attack on the independent media: “This latest pressure on the free media comes after a number of worrisome cases, involving journalists...
Latvia: ‘The Harmony Center’ Political Bloc
All About Latvia writes about Saskaņas Centrs (“The Harmony Center”), Lativa's “most popular” political bloc.
Russia: Interview With ‘A Good Treaty’ Russia Blogger
Sublime Oblivion interviews the author of A Good Treaty blog, continuing the Watching the Russia Watchers interview series that was launched by Andy Young of Siberian Light.
Serbia, Kosovo: Another View on ICJ's Ruling
The Greater Surbiton writes that “the ICJ’s ruling on Kosovo sets a precedent that is dangerous only for tyrants and ethnic cleansers.” (More views are here and here.)
The Balkans: Regional Lottery vs Nationalism
Belgraded writes about the planned revival of “the one big regional lottery” in the former Yugoslavia and does not “miss the opportunity to point out just how stupid nationalism is.”
Russia: Merging SVR and FSB; “Another Sexy Spy”
RFE/RL's The Power Vertical reports on the alleged plans to merge Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service with the Federal Security Service. Scraps of Moscow writes about the newest “sexy Russian spy”...
Afghan Bloggers on Wikileaks War Logs
Afghan bloggers writing in Dari appear to be relatively quiet in the aftermath of the leaked military reports posted on Wikileaks. Here are reactions from two Afghan bloggers.
Brazil: African Artist Refused Entry
Spanish based storyteller and artist Boniface Ofogo Nkama, from Cameroon, was refused entry to Brazil last Friday because of the lack of a visa. He had been invited to participate in...
Georgia: Presidential faux pax
The Tbilisi Blues comments on the latest gaffe by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili when he called his prime minister a term considered politically incorrect in the West. The blog says...
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Border
This is cinemelo comments on Border, a 2009 film from director Harutyun Khachatryan. Ostensibly a tale of life in rural Armenia, the blog says that the most telling images come...
China: Sino-North Korean relations
With an incident-free Invincible Spirit wrapping up today, don't miss this post from Sinologistical Violoncellist‘s Adam Cathcart looking at some of the dynamics in the relationship between China and North...
Russia: “Putin-Jugend”
Simon Shuster writes for The Huffington Post about a summer camp for Russia's “group-think generation.”
Armenia: Eating a way to peace
Ianyan says that food might represent the path to peace for cultures that place such significance in it. Referring to an Armenian bakery in the U.S.-Armenian Diaspora as well as...
Belarus: Election 2011
Notes and updates on the upcoming 2011 presidential election in Belarus – at BelarusDigest (here, here, and here).
Serbia: More on the Beating of a Journalist in Belgrade
Anegdote comments on the recent beating of journalist Teofil Pančić in Belgrade: “The government needs thugs, and thugs need the government. The cycle goes on.” (A GV translation on the...
Serbia, Kosovo: More on ICJ's Ruling
More commentary on the ICJ's opinion on Kosovo's independence – at A Fistful of Euros, Belgraded, Gray Falcon, and Jamestown Foundation Blog (a GV translation on the subject is here).
India: Shortage Of Nepali Labors In Himachal Pradesh
Nityin at Himachal Live blog reports that the farmers in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh are facing problems as there is a shortage of Nepali migrant labors in this...
