Stories about International Relations from June, 2014
Google's Eric Schmidt Makes a Surprise Visit to Cuba to Promote Internet Freedom
If the US wants change, it should empower Cubans with smartphones, encourage freedom of expression and give them information tools, Schmidt said.
Ukrainian Rebels Worry that Putin Will Repeat Milošević's Mistakes
Eastern Ukraine’s rebel military commander warns that Putin might be repeating Slobodan Milošević’s wartime mistakes, though not in the way you might be thinking.
Why Some Taiwanese Activists Are Accusing This Hotel of Caving to Political Pressure from China
Hotel Novotel found itself a target of criticism after management disrupted a protest against the minister of China's Taiwan Affairs Office. Some Taiwanese fear closer ties with their communist neighbor.
France Sees Escape From Russian Energy Dependence in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, wishing to reduce energy dependency on Russia, welcomes French president for talks.
Russian Team Leaves World Cup
Russians resigned to poor national team performance.
Propaganda Wars: Russian Twitter Account Takes on American “Progress” in Iraq
Someone writing in Russian has issued the latest Internet challenge to the US government, launching a Twitter account parodying Washington's "counter-propaganda" feed about events in Ukraine.
This Street in Bangladesh Has a Colorful World Cup Celebration to Rival Brazil
Bangladesh didn't qualify to play in the tournament, but the country's football fans have caught World Cup fever nonetheless.
Russians See in US Government Spokesperson the “Heart of a Dog”
An unusual video clip – the latest in a series of Internet memes attacking Jen Psaki, the spokesperson for the US State Department – is circulating among Russians online.
“Not All Opinions Deserve to be Respected, Some Must be Fought”
Teacher Luis María Llena León publishes regularly on his personal blog No hay mejor maestra que la vida (There is no better teacher than life; es), and wrote recently his opinion about the sensitive issue of tolerance, noting that “to respect every opinion is a fallacy”, as it has been...
Thai Coup Leads to Exodus of More Than 180,000 Cambodian Migrant Workers
Hundreds of thousands of Cambodians are streaming over the border to escape a rumored crackdown on illegal migrants, only to be greeted by poor conditions and uncertainty.
African Union Moves Towards Gagging Free Speech Online
The 23rd African Union Heads of Government Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea starting on June 26, 2014, might adopt the African Union Convention on Security in Cyberspace and Personal Data Protection. Moses Karanja, in this article in AfricanHadithi, argues that this legislation might be a cover to limit online free speech...
Twitter's Game of Cat and Mouse in Russia
A pattern is emerging in the relationship between the Kremlin and Twitter, where Moscow makes sweeping demands of the website and then touts the resulting compromise as a victory.
Debunking Rumors that Algerian Fans Burned Down a Church in Lyon, France after World Cup Win
On June 22 at the World Cup 2014 in Brazil, Algeria defeated South Korea 4-2 to keep its chance of qualifying to the knock-out round alive. Scenes of joy were numerous in Algeria [fr] but also in France where a dynamic Algerian community resides. The joy was tempered by rumors that...
Russian Phone Prankster Fools Belarus Dictator
After Lukashenko found out he was a victim of a prank, he apparently gave his security apparatus "a week" to find Vovan and bring him to some form of justice.
ISIS Advances in Iraq Echoed in Bahrain
Bahrain government spokesman Sameera Rajab takes to Twitter to describe the ISIS advances in Iraq as a "revolution against the injustice and oppression."
Russians Amused by National Team World Cup Performance
"Everyone is on the Russian team's case, but the real horror is the performance by a team that consists of Real Madrid and Barcelona players."
China and Hong Kong Are Supposed to Be ‘One Country, Two Systems.’ Someone Remind China
The Sino-British Joint Declaration gave Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy from China. A recently released white paper from Beijing is seen as a threat to that autonomy.
Tajik Government Silent on “Disappeared” Global Voices Contributor
Tajik authorities have allegedly paraded University of Toronto researcher Alexander Sodiqov, who disappeared three days ago, on television in an apparent attempt to discredit him and an opposition politician.
Tajik Authorities Detain Global Voices Contributor
Former Global Voices Central Asia Editor Alexander Sodiqov was detained by authorities in Khorog, Tajikistan while conducting research for his PhD thesis. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
Between Ukraine and Russia, Kazakhstan's Chocolate Might Come Out a Winner
Kazakhstanis can be very, very patriotic about their national chocolate, Rakhat. With Ukrainian chocolate disappearing from the lucrative Russian market, some hope it is Rakhat's turn to shine.
Neighbor Bhutan Rolls Out the Welcome Mat for India's Prime Minister Modi
It is newly elected Narendra Modi's first foreign visit as India's prime minister. Some aren't convinced that it's the best choice.
