Stories about International Relations from June, 2007
Central Asia: China's Soft Power
At Registan.net, Joshua Foust examines how Central Asia might be impacted by China's soft power.
CIA facility in Tunisia?
From his prison cell in Bizerte (65km north of Tunis), The Tunisian prisoner Ramzi Bettibi managed to smuggle a very alarming letter that found its way on to the Internet (available in French). Ramzi is serving a four-year sentence at Bizerte for copying, onto a forum board he moderated, an...
Egypt: Algeria Attacks Mother of the World
Algerian National library head M Amine Zaoui sparked a wave of controversy by declaring that Egypt was no longer the hub of Arab culture, writes Issandr El Amrani in The Arabist.
Latvia: The Battles of Cesis
An outstanding post by Marginalia‘s Peteris Cedrins on the history of Latvia's the Battles of Cesis – as well as some musings on the Internet vs real libraries: “Though I adore and am addicted to the Internet — I would rather my mind resembled a library than looked like cyberspace....
Europe: “Baltic” and “Nordic”
Itching for Eestimaa browses through the Time Magazine archives “to discover how those two loaded terms, Baltic and Nordic, were used in the 1920s and 1930s.”
Estonia, Russia: Echo of a Childhood War
Itching for Eestimaa looks at the European leaders’ childhood years, in order to find an explanation for some of their current policies: “The young Putin learned that Estonians were fascist betrayers. Can anyone wonder why Russia now sees Estonia in the light, even though to most of us the concepts...
Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina: “Fuse”
As Albanians prepared for George W. Bush's visit, Bosnia Vault was reminded of a wonderful film – “a dark comedy” – about Bill Clinton’s visit to the Bosnian town of Tesanj: Fuse.
Europe: Prominent Roma Scholar Dies
TOL's Romantic pays tribute to the recently deceased prominent Romano scholar Jan Kochanowski.
If Bloggers attended the Conference on the Caribbean…
This past week (June 18-21) leaders of CARICOM met with President George W. Bush and other top U.S. government officials in Washington as part of the Conference on the Caribbean. Official word from the U.S. Press Secretary is that: “The Conference on the Caribbean continues an important dialogue between the...
Arabeyes: How the Palestinians Defeated Themselves!
What is happening in Palestine? Why have the Palestinians turned against each other? What is fueling the conflict? Who is the victor and who is really being defeated? And what next? Palestinian blogger Haitham Sabbah sums up his feelings of disgust and attempts to answer these questions in the following...
Somalia: What's the US Army doing in the Horn of Africa?
What's the US Army doing in the Horn of Africa?, asks Ethan Zuckerman: “Periodically pounding the crap out of Somalia, sure, but the larger story is a bit more complicated.”
Lebanon: Almost Non-Political Questions
What are we eating? Why are our banks flourishing? Who are those clearing cluster bombs? How will Brazil help in recycling Lebanese wastes? Where are some of the children who were caught in the crossfire? What about some music? These are some of the questions answered in this week’s selections from the Lebanese blogosphere.
Japan: Anti-freeze Toothpaste and Toxic Thomas
Last week, reports emerged that two Japanese companies were recalling thousands of Chinese toothpaste products sold to hotels across the country after the health ministry reported finding that they contained chemicals used in anti-freeze. At the same time, Sony announced that it was recalling 43,000 “Thomas the Tank Engine” wooden toys, which were found to be covered in paint with excessive levels of lead. Bloggers in Japan reacted with anger and disbelief.
Sudan: UN-AU Troops in Darfur, Ridiculously Expensive Nursery School, Wildlife Returning in South Sudan and Reactions Towards Sudanese Gay Blogger
It has been awhile since the previous round-up of the Sudanese blogosphere but I am now back with another one covering a variety of topics including angry reactions towards a new blog by a Sudanese gay.
Cambodia: Blogs sharply criticize donor meetings
Hun Sen promised to purge his government of corrupt officials, pleaded for more aid, and was granted his wish, without question, by the international donor community. The decision comes directly after a slew of charges against the Cambodian government, which includes evidence of illegal logging and severe human rights violations.
Brazilian and Indian Doha Round Solidarity: Is it a reason for blame or a call for leadership?
A blame game seemed to start as soon as Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim and Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath walked out of the G4 talks with their counterparts from the US and the EU Thursday in Postdam, Germany. The meeting between these four key players in the World Trade...
Palestine: A Classic Case of Divide and Rule?
With so much happening on the ground, this week many of the blogs by Palestinians, and those focused on Palestinian issues, have kept their attention on the ongoing events in Gaza. Ayesha Saldanha reviews what Palestinian and other bloggers had to say about the civil war in Gaza, the World Refugee Day and conversations over picking thyme.
Kuwait: Give Women More Rights
As usual, this week's Kuwait round up by Abdullatif Al Omar addresses a number of issues including the disappearance of people in summer, Kuwait's unwritten traffic code, the attack of a Kuwaiti diplomat in Iran and the plight of mothers who cannot be considered as legal guardians for their children - simply because they are women.
Iran: Gonu's victims, Palestine's crisis, and a stoning suspended
About two weeks ago, Gonu, a tropical storm, hit Oman and the Sistan and Balouchestan province in Iran. Iranian bloggers report that victims in this impoverished province have not received enough government help, and that lots of people are deprived of food, water, and health care. They criticize the government's...
U.S. Concerned About Armenia’s Ties With Iran
“Iran is planning massive investments into the economies of Georgia and Armenia. We’re talkingof 1 billion dollars for Tbilissi and a analogous offer to Yerevan. For your consideration: the total amount of Russian investments in Georgia in 2006 did not exceed 30 million dollars, as to Armenia, after arrangements made...
Hungary, France: Imre Nagy Memorial
Further Ramblings of a N.Irish Magyar finds himself at the Imre Nagy memorial at Pere Lachaise in Paris.
