Stories about International Relations from April, 2007
Central Asia: The EU's New Plan
Near|Abroad discusses the European Union's new diplomacy plans for engaging Central Asia.
Georgia: The Abkhaz Foreign Ministry
Josh Kucera visits the foreign ministry of Abkhazia, and he finds that is not terribly big or busy — no surprise considering that Abkhazia's sovereignty is not recognized by any other state.
Romania: Politics
Two blogs comment on the situation in Romania. Transatlantic Politics: “Four months after Romanian accession, it is clear that not even the post-accession monitoring mechanisms imposed by Brussels and the threat of safeguard clauses are real means of pressure for the Romanian politicians.” Romerican: “I often sense a deep hopelessness...
Russia: Space Explorers
Copydude writes about Russian humans and dogs in space.
Japan: Update on the Kokaryo Case
Mutantfrog Travelogue has posted a detailed update on the Kokaryo Chinese students dormitory in Kyoto, the subject of a longtime battle between Taiwan/The Republic of China (ROC) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the longest running lawsuit in Japan. Mutantfrog reports that “While the outcome of the case...
Taiwan: Taiwan needs US-TW FTA?
Michael Turton translates part of the article from Taipei Times which argued that Taiwan needs an Free trade Agreement (FTA) with the US.
Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko's Article
Taras Kuzio discusses Yulia Tymoshenko's lengthy Foreign Affairs piece – and her allegedly good command of English: “In Tymoshenko’s case we can thank her growing knowledge of English on my home region of Yorkshire which produced her rock n’roll son-in-law.”
Russia: More Reactions to Yeltsin's Death
What was the effect of Boris Yeltsin's policies on the people of Germany, Poland and the Baltic states, as well as on the "Russian Bride industry"? While yesterday's post reflected some of what Russian bloggers' thought of Boris Yeltsin's life and death, this one deals with the reactions of predominantly non-Russian observers.
Kazakhstan: Military Reform Dance
Bonnie Boyd reports on how Kazakhstan is carefully navigating domestic and international interests to reform its military.
Pakistan: The Hypocrisy
the olive ream sums up global politics. ““I before E except after C” is a mnemonic device that helps me remember the rule for spelling certain words in the English language, such as deceive and siege when I’m describing the actions of the Bush Administration. There’s also a less known...
Syrian-American Relations
Syrian-American relations come under the spotlight in this article posted by Joshua Landis on his blog Syria Comment.
Egypt: Rare Visit
Egyptian blogger egYptianist posts a rare find in an Egyptian newspaper, dating back to 1913, which reads: “Egyptian Delta Railways Ltd. Helwan Line. Visit to the Israelite Cemetery. We are honored to announce to the public that concerning the visit to the Israelite Cemetery in Bassatine on Friday, October 13,...
Iraq: Adhamiya Wall to Go Ahead
Iraqi blogger Lady Bird says the building of the Adhamiya Wall, which circles a sunni enclave in Iraq, will go ahead. “Maliki’s chief of Baghdad security “Al-Assadi” said that the work on the wall will continues. CNN reported that all Iraqis Sunnis and Shiites expressed their anger about the occupiers...
Iraq: Oil Law Threats
Iraq's new oil law threatens to tear apart the war-torn country even further, writes Raed Jarrar. “The law threatens Iraq unity through decentralizing the major authorities related to petroleum operations. Many Iraqis view the law as an “Iraq separation fund”. Many observers this that a number of Iraqi separatist leaders,...
Jordan: Al Jazeera Interview Confiscated
Iraqi blogger Lady Bird claims that Jordanian authorities confiscated a tape containing an interview with Jordan's Prince Hassan from Al Jazeera‘s offices because of worries of the comments he made regarding his country's relations with Jordan. “This is one of the reasons that Al-Jazeera is special, other Arab media shall...
Israel: Kill Ahmadinejad
Israeli paper Yediot Ahronot published a commentary which says that Israel should not shy away from threatening to kill Iran’s Ahmadinejad, reports Egyptian-based blogger Issandr El Amrani. “I feel that way about a lot of politicians. Perhaps the entire region should resolve its conflicts through assassinations. It would save a...
Egypt: El Attar Guilty
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia closes the last chapter on discussions about an Egyptian-Canadian accused of spying for Israel by declaring that El Attar is guilty. “The 15 years in jail is the maximum punishment for espionage in time of Peace , where as in time of war it can reach to...
Muslim Brotherhood: America At Crossroads
Documentary America at Crossroads caught the attention of another blogger writing in Arab affairs. Writing at The Arabist , Ursula Lindsey says: ‘Flipping channels, I happened on a segment of the PBS series “America at a Crossroads” called “The Brotherhood.” It’s interesting but I can’t help finding parts of it...
China: Blame Canada?
Google seizes up before any results appear in a search for 'Celil,' 'Canada' (in Chinese) and '2007,' fitting given that a proxified search turns up no Chinese language media reports from websites that can be readily viewed within China. It's a different story, as usual, for a Google search which includes the word blog.
Algeria: America at Crossroads
Algerian blogger Nouri watched documentary series America At Crossroads and shares his thoughts on the production here.
Tunisphere and the French elections:
Tunisia's love-hate relation - more love than hate - comes to life with the extensive coverage Tunisian bloggers provided in the run up to the French elections. France's impact on Tunisia is both historic and present - it has colonised the latter for a good 75 years and is today its foremost economic partner.
