· December, 2012

Stories about International Relations from December, 2012

A Memorable 2012 for Myanmar

  31 December 2012

Burma has experienced a lot of political and social turbulence throughout the past year. Like a dilapidated taxi driving in torrential rain, the country is still moving forward but things looks risky. We can only hope that 2013 sees better weather ahead. Writing for The Irrawaddy, Kyaw Zwa Moe reviews...

Yemen: A Year of Assassinations, Explosions and Drones

  29 December 2012

After a long year of revolution in Yemen, former President Ali Abdullah Saleh was "toppled" and replaced by President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on February 27, 2012, through a one-man-election. Nevertheless, Yemen witnessed a year of instability and violence. The year 2012 was a year of unprecedented numbers of suicide bombs, explosive cars, targeted killings, explosions of gas pipelines and electricity cables, besides the constant and frequent US drone attacks.

Delhi’s Rape Case Stirs Movement for Justice in Nepal

  29 December 2012

The recent Delhi gang-rape case has not only evoked rage across India but also spread indignation to its neighboring countries like Nepal. Activists in Nepal have been protesting in front of the Prime Minister ’s residence at Baluwatar demanding justice for Sita Rai, who was raped in Kathmandu.

Africa's Tainted Global Media Coverage

  27 December 2012

The #Kony2012 campaign contained quite a few over-simplifications about Africa. African media itself is not immune from this sort of criticism either. Here is a summary of the gems, errors and other inaccuracies in media coverage of Africa.

From Gangnam Style to Jailed Tweeter: Korea in 2012

  26 December 2012

Starting from North Korean leadership change, to Gangnam Style spreading over the world and finally the presidential election in December, 2012 has been a dramatic year in South Korea. Here are the top seven Korean stories of the year, which created major social media buzz.

Rebel Attacks on Ndélé and Bria, Central African Republic

  26 December 2012

These last few weeks, with attacks on the the cities of Ndélé and Bria, rebels have been threatening the regime of Central African Republic President François Bozizé. This fresh wave of attacks, which caused significant civilian displacement, has rendered the peace agreements signed in 2007 definitively obsolete.

Two US Drone Strikes in Yemen for Christmas

  25 December 2012

Merry Christmas from Yemen! Christmas day was a day of double drone strikes in Yemen, killing five 'suspected' militants. The first drone strike killed two people travelling in a vehicle in a southern town, al-Bayda province on Monday. In the second attack, which also occurred on Monday, the unmanned aircraft fired missiles at three people riding on two motorcycles travelling in Hadramout province, killing all three men.

Rohingya Refugees Rejected by Singapore

  23 December 2012

Singapore turned away 40 Rohingya shipwreck survivors who were rescued by a Vietnamese ship. Singapore netizens and human rights groups reacted strongly to the decision of authorities to send away the refugees.

Transparency in Extractive Mega Projects in Mozambique

  21 December 2012

Mozambique's richness in natural resources has placed the country at the centre of large international investment in the African continent. While the economy is growing at 7% per year, the opportunities for social development are few. An "Open Terrace" in November, in Cabo Delgado, brought citizens together to debate the lack of transparency in the mega projects.

Chinese Responses to the North Korea Missile Launch

  20 December 2012

Adam Cathcart from Sino-NK has translated and collected a wide range of reports, comments and discussions from Chinese government, media outlets and concerned citizens about the North Korea Missile launch last week on December 12.

Xi Jinping: a hardline nationalist in control of China?

  20 December 2012

South Sea Conversations looks into the new Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping's political speech, in particular his talk about “the great revival of the Chinese nation”'s implication to foreign policy. To me it seems equally possible that Xi Jinping’s “nationalist” rhetoric, backed up by already-conspicuous action against corruption, will...

Reflections on the Croatian Generals’ Acquittal

  20 December 2012

Alan Jaksic of Balkan Anarchist posts a follow-up to his initial comments on the Nov. 16 reversal of the convictions of the Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač: […] So do I still consider last month’s acquittal at the Hague a “disgraceful acquittal”, an “outrage” and an “insult to...

The Elusive Quest for Peace with the M23 in the DRC

  18 December 2012

The current conflict in the Kivu Region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) threatens to linger on despite an international effort to broker a truce between the M23 rebellion and the Congolese government. The conflict is difficult to grasp, because the M23 rebellion has been a shifting movement, both geographically and politically.