Stories about International Relations from March, 2014
A Schism Over Ukraine in Russian-owned LiveJournal
Igor Bigdan (ibigdan), one of the most popular RuNet bloggers, announced yesterday that he would be leaving his position as Director of LiveJournal Ukraine starting April.
Pakistan Takes Slight from Football Giant Maradona in Stride
Bitter about his falling out with Argentina's football association, Diego Maradona accused his former employers of "understanding as much about football as Pakistan does."
‘Sleeping Lion’ China Awakened, Says President Xi Jinping
Evoking Napoleon during his visit to France, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country is an awakened lion that is “peaceful, pleasant and civilized”
Obama's Visit to Saudi Arabia Shows Off King's Desert Retreat
Although they did not discuss human rights, President Obama met with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia today. And Saudis saw the King's desert retreat thanks to a tweeting American journalist
‘Anonymous International’ Leaks Kremlin's Instructions to Russian TV
A Russian Internet group called “Anonymous International” has leaked what it claims is a “tyomnik”—a list of prepackaged news stories prepared by the Kremlin for Russia’s central television news stations.
Should Africa Learn From the Crimea Referendum?
“Is Crimea referendum a good model for Africa?” asks Richard Dowden: Africa’s arbitrary borders, mostly drawn by people who had never set foot in the continent, have always been an...
Creator of Quirky Movement Defends Kremlin Propagandist
Artyom Loskutov, creator of "Monstration", signed a letter in support of odious propagandist Dmitry Kiselyov. Was he right to do so?
‘NATO Air – Just Do It’ Meme Opens Old Wounds for Serbia and Kosovo
On the fifteenth anniversary of the NATO bombings of Yugoslavia, NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu retweeted a tweet by Kosovo Minister of European Integration Vlora Citaku, causing controversy and angering many.
Why Filipinos Became Early Adopters of Western Music
Le Minh Khai refers to the book of D. R. M. Irving in explaining the long history of Filipino musicians playing Western music: …there was a rich experience of musical...
Ukrainians Desperate to Flip the Script on Fascism
Photoshoped swastika is making the rounds on RuNet.
750 Million People Expected to Speak French by 2050
Countering the assertion by John McWhorter at the New republic that learning French is pointless, Pascal Emmanuel Gobry writes on his Forbes blog that French might just be the language of...
Obama Meets the Chinese President in Netherlands as the US First Lady Continues Her Soft Diplomacy in China
US First Lady Michelle Obama paid a visit to China roughly at the same time her husband traveled to the Netherlands for a nuclear summit, also attended by China's president.
Ukrainian Paramilitary Leader Assassinated, Moscow to Blame?
Over the past several hours rumors spread through the RuNet claiming that Alexander Muzychko, second-in-command to Ukraine's ultra-nationalist "Right Sector" leader Dmytro Yarosh, was gunned down near Rivno.
President Santos Confirms the Dismissal of Bogotá Mayor Gustavo Petro
The Colombian president did not adopt precautionary measures by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for Gustavo Petro to continue as mayor of Bogotá, the country's capital.
Jose Dos Santos, the 1.8-Billion-Dollar President of Angola
Meanwhile, 70 percent of Angolans live on less than two dollars a day.
Sifting Through Conflicting Versions of India and Pakistan's Shared Past
The History Project compiles narratives from Pakistani and Indian history books to expose biases in the treatment of the 1947 Partition of India.
Returning Human Remains is Not an Apology, Says Namibia to Germany
Human remains who were killed during the colonial war (early 20th century) were returned to Namibia by Germany in March. However, Namibians still demand a formal apology from the German government...
Putin's Alleged “Ukraine Annexation Plan” Surfaces Online
Katya Gorchinskaya, deputy editor of the newspaper KyivPost, has published on Facebook photographs of a report that journalists are calling "Putin's plan for annexing Ukraine."
Ukrainian Women's Sex Boycott Against Russian Men
A creative boycott is drawing the attention of Russian Internet users. Ukrainian women are organizing a new campaign called “Don’t give it to a Russian”—a sex embargo against Russian men.
Meet Crimea's New Anime Mascot, Natalia Poklonskaya
A definitive fan-art collection of Natalia Poklonskaya, the newly minted Prosecutor General appointed by the secessionist government of Crimea, who has captured the heart of RuNet and Japan.
The Daily Lives of Sub-Saharan Immigrants in Prague
Chadian blogger Réndodjo Em-A Moundona [fr] writes about the daily lives of African immigrants in Prague [fr] : Une petite discussion avec ces Africains suffit pour se rendre à l´évidence que la communauté n´est ni...
