Stories about International Relations from January, 2011
Honduras: New WikiLeaks Cables Reveal US Involvement in Honduran Politics
“The cables that Wikileaks have been releasing about Honduras, and that in the uproar over Tunisia and Egypt have been ignored by the mainstream media, make the level of US involvement in Honduran politics starkly clear. Very few people care at the moment,” writes Aaron Ortiz in his blog Pensive.
Iran: “Our friend Mr. ElBaradei” in Egypt
Iranian bloggers from across the political spectrum continue to share their opinions on uprisings in the Arab world. One conservative Islamist blogger sees an opportunity for the Iranian regime if Mohamed ElBaradei were to come to power in Egypt.
Pakistan: Blackwater Again?
Adil Najam writes about the very strange case of Raymond Davis, a said staff member of the US Consulate in Lahore, who shot two Pakistani men dead in a crowded part of Lahore.
Africa: Has African Union become a group of jokers?
Mac-Jordan wonders why Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is included in Cote d'Ivoire's mediation?: “Instantly, I become very angry and annoyed at the decision of the African Union in appointing a dictator to mediate in the on-goings in Ivory Coast. Has the African Union become that much of a group of...
China: Role in resolving Africa's conflicts
Safeworld, a NGO on peace and conflict, published a report on China's glowing role in resolving Africa's conflicts.
Israel: Social Media Offers Alternative Egypt Commentary
On social media and blogs, Israelis express mixed feelings about Egypt: intuitive support of the demand for freedom alongside concerns. Carmel L. Vaisman reports.
Palestine: Netizens React to First Batch of Palestine Papers
On the 23rd of January, 2011, Al Jazeera released the Palestine Papers. Shaden Abdulrahman rounds up reactions from Palestinian and pro-Palestine blogs to the first batch of 1600 documents.
Egypt: Military Jets Fly Over Protestors as US Policy Questioned
As thousands of protesters continued to chant anti-Mubark slogans in Tahrir Square, Cairo, with military jets flying overhead, criticisms started pouring on over the lack of a definitive stance for the US administration with regards to Egypt. Here's a snapshot from the conversation on Twitter.
USA: Voices of Support for Egyptian Protesters
While the official US response to the protests in Egypt is a desperate hope for stability, lesser televised American voices are supporting the protesters in the land of the pyramids.
Netherlands: Dutch-Iranian woman executed in Iran
Dutch-Iranian Zahra Bahrami has been executed in Iran after having been found guilty of drug-related crimes and sentenced to death on 2 January. Zahra Bahrami was arrested on 27 December 2009 when she reportedly attended an anti-government demonstration.
Morocco: The King's Very Private Visit to France
According to a Moroccan opposition journalist interviewed by French news website Rue89 [fr] King Mohamed VI of Morocco arrived Thursday in France for a private visit, and is staying in the castle the royal family owns near Paris. A holiday abroad at this time of general unrest in North Africa...
Romania: Accession to the Schengen Zone
Kosmopolito writes about Romania's “clumsy way” to the Schengen zone.
Serbia, Kosovo: Comment on Dick Marty's Report
Belgraded.com comments on Dick Marty's “report on organized criminal activities committed by the Kosovo Albanian side during and after Kosovo conflict”: “As it turns out, there are now at least two things Serbs and Kosovars have in common – people who committed crimes during the war and politicians and other...
Hungary: New Media Law To Be Modified?
Hungarian Watch reports that “Hungary seems poised to make changes to media law” – but “freedom of the press is still on shaky ground.”
Hungary: Filtering Foreign Media Content?
Hungarian Spectrum reports that the official Hungarian news agency seems to be supplying other media outlets with “wrong translations” of foreign media content, perhaps trying “to conceal some of the bad news–bad that is from the point of view of the government–from the Hungarian public.” Galamus Csoport, however, offers “accurate...
Czech Republic: Lawyers Uncertain About Ukrainian Politician's Right to Asylum
Czech Position reports that “uncertainty prevailed among [Czech] lawyers on whether [former Ukrainian Economy Minister] Bohdan Danylyshyn merits asylum in the Czech Republic.”
Cuba, U.S.A.: New Travel Rules in Effect
Cuban diaspora bloggers note that the new Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regulations, which contain the new Cuba-related travel policy, are out; from Havana, Iván García observes that “the new policies of flexibility in the U.S. embargo against Cuba have permitted an exhibit [by Dégas] to be displayed at...
Bolivia: Coca-Chewing Protests Held Around the Country
Pablo Andrés Rivero [es] and J.F. String blog about recent demonstrations held in several cities in Bolivia to overturn a UN ban on coca-leaf chewing.
Ukraine: Police Treatment of Foreigners Raises Concerns Ahead of Euro 2012
Tetyana Bohdanova reviews the netizens' reactions to a recent episode of ill-treatment of foreigners by the Ukrainian police, a trend that is especially alarming since Ukraine is currently preparing to co-host the 2012 European Football Championship together with Poland.
Israel: Bloggers Eye Gaza as Egypt Unrest Spreads through Sinai
This is a summary of Israeli perspectives, blog posts, and media shared online over the last two days, in reaction to the unrest in Egypt. Referenced by Israeli sources as the 'Egypt Intifada', bloggers are looking closely at the spread of the violence into Sinai and the possibility of igniting violence in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank.
Jamaica: Wikileaks & “Dudus”
Jamaica Salt says that Wikileaks only confirmed what people already knew about the Christopher “Dudus” Coke extradition, which “pretty much makes this whole Jamaican govt enquiry completely redundant (at a cost of JA 40 million), but they carry on regardless and the Jamaican people have to eat it.”
