Stories about International Relations from February, 2011
Cuba: Watching from Within
“There has not [been] enough coverage or information to even begin to address the complexity of these events and the numberless perspectives interpreting them”: Graham Sowa blogs at Havana Times about watching the Middle East protests from Cuba.
Kyrgyzstan: Parliament names mountain after the Russia's strongman
Kyrgyzstani parliamentarians voted in support of Kyrgyz Prime Minister's proposal to name a peak in the country’s northern Tian Shan range after his counterpart Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to “cement friendly ties between Kyrgyzstan and Russia”, Christya Riedel writes.
Uzbekistan: Unauthorized use of energy
Elina Galperin reports that Uzbekistan is systematically sneaking electricity from Kazakhstan’s power grid beyond amounts agreed between the two parties, according to the claims by the Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC).
Mexico: Kidnapping Case Affects Diplomatic Relations with France
Relations between Mexico and France have been strained due to the kidnapping conviction of French national Florence Cassez in Mexico City. Cassez was arrested in 2006, accused of kidnapping charges and sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Côte d’Ivoire: Twitter Campaign for Anderson Cooper’s Attention
Global Voices author Anna Gueye was instrumental in a recent campaign to persuade influential CNN reporter Anderson Cooper to pay as much attention to protests in African countries such as Gabon and Côte d’Ivoire, as he has to Tunisia, Egypt and other Arab world uprisings.
Bangladesh: Clinical Trial Of A Cholera Vaccine Raises Questions
The world's largest trial of a cheap oral cholera vaccine made by an Indian pharmaceutical company is being conducted in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Bloggers notice the information blackout in local media and raise several questions regarding the clinical trial.
Latin America: On teleSUR's Coverage of Libya Uprising
Latin American news channel teleSUR managed earlier this week to send several journalists into Tripoli to cover the ongoing uprising in Libya. Nonetheless, its coverage, which seems quite different to the one provided by other international news media, has caught the attention of many Latin American netizens.
Russia: Bloggers Deconstruct Isolationist Propaganda
As Russia is approaching another election cycle (in 2011 Russians are supposed to elect the Parliament and in 2012 – the president) the voices of state propagandists get louder. The upcoming election process, tamed and controlled by the President's office and the ruling party "United Russia," will be happening in the context of the Arabian "Spring of Nations 2.0." This fact inspires pro-Democracy activists, as well as regime advocates.
Russia: Internet Freedom As Cold War 2.0
Gregory Asmolov analyzes bloggers' reactions to the Internet Freedom speech by Hillary Clinton.
Haiti: Challenges & Hopes
Kevin Fortuna at Concern Blogs visits Haiti and writes about his experience.
India: A Press Conference With Sarah Palin
Amidst rumors that Former Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin will visit India, Greatbong at Random Thoughts Of A Demented Mind posts an imaginary press conference of Palin in India.
Latin America: Latest Cables Released by Wikileaks
The Latinamericanist sums up some of the latest diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks on Colombia, Chile, Peru and Brazil.
Indo-Bangla Relations – Who Cares?
J Rahman at Mukti comments on a sad fact of India-Bangladesh relation: “as soon as Indians realize that Bangladesh is not in the business of allowing its territory to the insurgents and other powers, India has no interest in resolving any other outstanding issue.”
Côte d'Ivoire: The Difficult Legacy of Houphouët-Boigny
To better understand the origins of the current political crisis in Côte d'Ivoire, it is necessary to place recent events in their post-colonial context. Anna Gueye traces the history of the Ivorian political crisis and the reactions of bloggers in the face of the latest news.
Azerbaijan: Diaspora & Patriotism
Scary Azeri takes a look at the Azerbaijani Diaspora in the United Kingdom and notes some peculiarities as it pertains to notions of “patriotism.”
Georgia: Sex & the EU
Social Science in the Caucasus examines the results of a 2008 survey aimed at comparing Georgian social attitudes to those in the EU. The survey, for example, found that 80 percent of Georgians with no family members in EU member states were against the idea of a woman having sex...
Cuba: What do the Cables from Havana Say? (Part III)
In the last part of a series on WikiLeaks and Cuba, author Elaine Díaz analyzes the content of cables regarding the Cuban opposition and the role of bloggers.
Caucasus: Peace Village
Tamada Tales, a EurasiaNet blog, comments on plans by an Armenian peace activist to establish a peace building center in a village situated close to the intersection of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Noting that Armenians and Azerbaijanis are “implacable foes,” the blog notes that Georgia has often proven itself to...
China: Chinese TV praised Gaddafi as thinker, revolutionist
KDnet's netizen have dug out the TV interview of Gaddafi broadcast on Phoenix TV on July 18, 2010 in which the TV anchor praised Gaddafi as thinker and revolutionist. The Ministry of Tofu has translated the post and netizens’ comment on the interview.
China: The fable of donkey island and piggy island
Why the hardworking donkey island keeps serving the wealthy piggy island? Utopia Net has a fable [zh] telling the relation between China and the U.S.. Mary Ann O'Donnell from Shenzhen Noted retells the fable in English.
Serbia: Reactions to the Story of Serbian Mercenaries in Libya
According to some sources, Serbian military pilots took part in the bombings of the Libyan protesters. Sasa Milosevic translates a few Serbian netizens' reactions to this allegation.
