Stories about International Relations from August, 2016
Blue Skies, Fake Tourists and Maximum Security: China Prepares For a Flawless G20 Summit
Whether they like it or not, Hangzhou residents must comply with government efforts to present theirs as the best and safest city in the world.
Ahmad Abughaush, Jordanian Gold Medalist, and the Erasure of Palestinian Identity
To those who know the history of Palestine, Ahmad Abughaush's surname speaks volumes. Yet this information was absent from news reports on his gold medal triumph at the 2016 Olympics.
Put Down the Marvel and DC, Kids: Russia Just Bought You a Patriotic Comic Book.
The three “primary goals” of the comic book are creating alternatives to foreign superheroes, incentivizing teenagers to become active in sports, and raising basic levels of knowledge about military service.
Breaking the Siege of Aleppo
"The perception is that the US is collaborating with the attackers. If democratic anti-regime forces are crushed by foreign powers and Shia militias, violent extremism will grow in its place."
Despite Not Winning a Single Olympic Medal, Nepalese Have Reasons to Be Proud
"Although, she couldn't improve her nat'l record, I am proud that #GaurikaSingh swam to glory for Nepal as youngest athlete in #Rio2016."
The City of Mariupol, Ukraine's Line in the Sand
"This is a war in which the interplay of informational conflict and physical violence is especially evident, in which disinformation and propaganda muddle motives, deny violence, and seek to confuse."
In International Spotlight, China Convicts Human Right Lawyers and Activists on ‘Subversion’ Charges
The convicted men and women are all connected with the Beijing-based Fengrui law firm, which has a history of taking on politically controversial rights cases.
‘Limited Bandwidth': Where Is the Reporting on Kashmir?
"For partisan commenters on both sides, compromise seems impossible. Kashmir is like Solomon’s Baby, except both of its prospective mothers are happy to cut it in half."
Russian Officials in Crimea Shut Off the Internet at the Ukrainian Border
“This was to ensure that certain special forces... so there would be no infiltration... For security reasons, these measures were necessary, and people understand why.”
The New Orientalism: Iran as a Political Commodity
The fact that Iran remains for westerners an exotic and mysterious land whose "complex history" requires "untangling" by experts, puts serious limits on the possibilities for genuine engagement.
How the Zika Narrative About Puerto Rico Explains US Colonialism
Puerto Ricans work, love, live and struggle daily to resist not only the Zika virus, but something much more devastating: more than a century of colonialism and its many consequences.
How the Vietnamese People Reacted to the South China Sea Ruling
"Groups of riders zipped through the streets, each biker with a passenger holding up a sign that read “China get out of Vietnam”.
Remembering the Yugoslav Anti-War Movement of the Early 1990s
Internet users in the former Yugoslavia have decided to break with political elites' divisive rhetoric, and remember the region's proud, albeit unsuccessful, attempts to stop the wars of the 1990s.
The Week That Was at Global Voices: Pokémon Go Gets Political
This week, we take you to Iran, Japan, China, Mexico and Timor-Leste.
