· July, 2012

Stories about International Relations from July, 2012

China: Bizarre Power Triangle – Sina, the Government and Netizens

  31 July 2012

Ever since the advent of Internet in China, the Chinese government has either tried to embrace it or control it. The upsurge of social media in the country has introduced two other characters into the story-Chinese netizens and leading Internet company Sina. Find out more about this often bizarre power triangle.

Guinea: The Plight of Guineans Students in Syria

  31 July 2012

Kante Taliby writes on Guinée News about the plight of Guinean students in Syria [fr] : “I am a Guinean student on scholarship in Syria and I am married with one child. My wife, my child and I have not had a proper meal for almost a week now, and...

‘Small’ Georgia Takes on ‘Big’ Russia with New Media

Georgia uses blogging and new media to project soft power in Russia. Even though most Georgians blog in Georgian, there is a sizable contingent of Russian speaking Georgians on Russia's most popular blogging platform LiveJournal. Georgia's government also follows a strategy of co-opting the Russian public through the smart use of new media.

North Korea Reveals Its First Lady

  26 July 2012

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is married to former pop singer Ri Sol Ju, reported North Korean state media. Blogger Reaganite Republican wrote a thorough post on the hermit kingdom's first lady with an embedded video clip of her.

Argentina: Falklands Olympics Video Sparks Controversy

  20 July 2012

While Argentina prepares for the 2012 Olympics in London, an advertisement produced by the Presidency and filmed in the Falkland Islands has sparked a controversy with the phrase: "To compete on English soil, we train on Argentine soil."

Armenia-Georgia: Typography Without Borders?

Behance features a typographic project to write the Georgian word for hello phonetically in an Armenian script stylized in such a way that it resembles Georgian. Although some letters in the Armenian and Georgian alphabets can resemble each other depending on the fonts and case or styles used, they are...

Mali: What is The ECOWAS Waiting for ?

  20 July 2012

Francis Laloupo wonders whether the ECOWAS has a clear  purpose in the resolution [fr] of the crisis in Northern Mali. Laloupo argues that while the ECOWAS has maintained for the past 4 months that they strive to re-establish the unity of the Malian territory,  they have yet to draw a coherent strategy to...

Iran: “If Bashar Gets Killed, the Iranian Regime Will Call Him a Martyr”

Iranian bloggers reacted with humour to the Syrian rebels attack in Damascus and the bomb blast that killed three top security chiefs in the Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's regime. Iran and Syria enjoy excellent relations and netizens have resorted to poking fun at how impacted the Iranian regime would be should Al Assad finds himself out of power, following the 16 month revolution raging in Syria.

Bulgaria: Security Services “Do Not Serve the Public”

Maya M of Maya's Corner comments on today's deadly bus explosion in the Bulgarian city of Burgas: “[…] While I understand that even the best intelligence can overlook the preparation of a terror act, I am angry, because our “services” are overstaffed and overfunded. They have generous subsidies even in...

Africa: Nelson Mandela, an Icon Transcending Differences

  18 July 2012

On his 94th birthday, the entire world is celebrating Nelson Mandela, and the internet users of Francophone Africa are no exception. Nelson Mandela remains an absolute icon of the African renaissance, throughout the continent. Francophone bloggers have praised the life of the man whom they affectionately call "Madiba", and the lessons learned from his struggle.