Stories about International Relations from May, 2006
Belarus: Russian Ambassador on Pipeline
TOL's Belarus Blog writes about an interview with the Russian ambassador published in the Belarusian edition of a Russian paper: according to him, “Russia […] is firmly determined to take away the gas pipe (Beltransgaz) from Belarusans and have it under Gazprom’s control.”
Taiwan: China threat growing
Although no clear timeline has been set by Beijing, an invasion of Taiwan is not a matter of ‘if,’ says political analyst-blogger Confidential Reporter at China Confidential, but when: “Notice we said ‘when,’ not if, because it is becoming increasingly clear that unless Taipei eventually, well, surrenders to Beijing, there...
North Korea: Foreign bureau opens
International news agency Associated Press has opened a bureau in the North Korean capitol of Pyongyang, blogs Asiapundit‘s myrick, making it the third to do so after China's Xinhua and Russia's Tass: “It will be interesting to see what sort of copy the local staff will produce for AP. But...
DRC: Coup Attempts and More Questions on the Upcoming Elections
Free and Fair Elections? Joseph Kabila, the founder of the PPRD (the People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy), has overseen an interim administration established by the 2002 peace agreement. The Democratic Republic of the Congo's first post-conflict presidential elections are set to be held on July 30th after months of...
Senegal: Immigration as colonization
“No Sarkozy! Immigration does not come from a vacuum,” says (Fr) Semett in a post on French interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy's immigration policies. “With centuries of merciless exploitation of subsaharan countries and a continuous transfer of their riches to the North, it is logical that the disinherited masses from Africa...
Belarus: Dzerzhinsky Monument Opens, Airspace Closes
Iryna of TOL's Belarus Blog writes about tomorrow's opening of a monument to Felix Dzerzhinsky at the Military Academy in Minsk: “Throughout his 12 years in power, Lukashenka has paid homage to “the best” that the Soviet Union had to offer. He does it to feed the nostalgia for Soviet...
Serbia & Montenegro: Life After Referendum
Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes on what to expect now that the referendum in Montenegro has taken place: “There is the possibility that I may arrive to one country and leave from another. The independence referendum in Montenegro appears to have succeeded, just barely, in one of those underwhelming...
Russia: Relations with Sweden
Vilhelm Konnander writes about a diplomatic dispute between Russia and Sweden, and the past and the future of the relationship between the two countries.
Myanmar: Democracy in Myanmar
Nyein Chan Yar's blog points to an article by a veteran Burmese journalist. The article titled “The Burmese People can't wait much longer” urges the “nonaligned intermediaries” that have economic leverage over Myanmar (Russia, China and India) to apply pressure on the ruling regime to loosen its grip on power.
Russia, Ukraine: Misspelled Name & Border-Crossing
Stephan of Everybody I Love You writes about his “extreme Russia” adventure: dacha, banya – and problems at the Russian-Ukrainian border caused by a misspelled name on his Russian entry visa.
Cuba: Accomodating Cuba
What approach should nations adopt in relation to Cuba? Pondblog crafts an argument from the following ingredients: an article by the director of the Council for Hemispheric Relations (COHA), a US State Department report on state sponsors of terrorism, and a quotation from former Czech leader Vaclav Havel.
China: Relations with Germans
A lengthy and thorough post from China Matters‘ China Hand looks at cooling Sino-German relations and the global role the two countries now play, set against German Chancellor Angela Merkel's recent visit to China: “So China—the world's most populous and vibrant economic power, which hasn't engaged in military aggression since...
China: Hi-tech weapons trade
A significant amount of research went into the AngryChineseBlogger blogger's lengthy post looking at Israeli aviation technology company and defense contractor Emit's recently-uncovered selling of hi-tech equipment to China, which concluded with company executives being arrested Monday.
Togo: National Treasures in German Hands?
Blogger Kangni Alem contends that (Fr) “no national treasures (…) were taken from Togo by the Germans” but rather that “what colonization generally speaking stole from the Togolese is their soul.” Nevertheless, he plans to tour German museums this summer to test his theory and cautions “do not count on...
Mongolia: California Trade
Luke Distelhorst notes that Mongolia is set to boost trade with California.
Bahamas: Diplomatic ties with Cuba
It is “irresponsible politics” for Bahamas opposition leader Hubert Ingraham to say that if his party came to power he would downgrade the Bahamian embassy in Havana to a consular office, says Andrew Allen at Bahama Pundit. “Myriad Bahamian interests deserve representation above the consular level.”
Muscovites in Kyiv: Pizza Delivery Fiasco
On weekends, Kyiv teems with tourists from Moscow. Train tickets for overnight Friday and Sunday rides between the two capitals have to be ordered well in advance. The number of Muscovites settling in Kyiv permanently to do business is growing, too. To make the new migrants’ lives easier, a special...
Lithuania: Eurovision Mania
Andy H of Csikszereda Musings writes about the Eurovision Song Contest, which he watched in Lithuania this year: “Lithuania got maximum points from Ireland, in what I thought was testament to the Irish love of a good joke, but was told today that it’s because there are loads of Lithuanians...
Serbia & Montenegro: Karadzic's Hiding Place
Balkan Ghost of Finding Karadzic writes that Montenegrin politicians have succeeded in convincing the world and the world media “that Karadzic was Serbia's problem and not theirs”: “Today, newly independent Montenegro is seen by the world as the “next Croatia,” a country that will quickly become prosperous and European through...
Slovakia: Hungarian Detained for Sightseeing
Hungarian tourists were detained by the Slovak police for violating the law that states that “all sightseers in Bratislava must use the guides of the Bratislava Cultural and Information Service,” writes Paul of Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar.
China: Rights news roundup
Celia in her China Activist Weekly news roundup this week looks at Kofi Annan's recent visit to China, the media ban on coverage of the fortieth anniversary of the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, the completion of the Three Gorges Dam, another mine collapse trapping at least forty miners and...
