Stories about International Relations from June, 2009
Israel: Predicting Iran's Future
Israeli comic strip artist Yaakov Kirschen critiques the world's most unstable element: “Iranium.”
Dominica, Venezuela: The Motherland?
Following Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's visit to the island, Dominica Weekly says: “Many Dominicans have focused narrowly on the lavish developmental aid of Chavez than focusing on the fundamental issue at hand: do we support Chavez’s ideology and his vision of the motherhood of Latin American and the Caribbean.”
Russia-Poland: History revisionism at large again
The Beatroot comments on a current dispute between Russia and Poland about a Russian state TV-documentary, claiming that Nazi Germany, Poland, and Japan were preparing to invade the Soviet Union during the early stages of World War II.
Belarus: Death penalty and Europe
LJ user Plaschinsky discusses [RUS] Belarus’ moratorium on capital punishment and its road to the Council of Europe parliamentary assembly – as a first step towards reintegration with West European structures – and points out the difference between an ethical and a utilitarian position on the abolition of the death...
Ukraine: Iranian Students Protest in Kyiv
Greetings from Kyiv links to Kyiv Post's photos of a protest by Iranian students in Kyiv.
Russia: Views on Events in Iran
“As hundreds of thousands protesters fill the streets of Tehran and other provincial centers, one can’t help think that we’ve seen this all before,” writes Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog, comparing the events in Iran to “the ‘colored revolutions’ in Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, (the failed attempts in) Moldova and...
Egyptian Rap Song in support of Iran
Urging Egyptian youth to fight against corruption, Wa7da Masreya posted an Egyptian rap song [EN & AR] in support of Iran.
China: More corpses found in Shishou hotel; disputes continue.
The death of a chef triggered a mass protest that finally brought over ten thousand armed police into the town for crackdown. The dead’s families along with thousands of people resisted the police and protected the corpse, because they know once the body was taken away, the death would be identified as a suicide and the truth will be lost forever.
Trinidad and Tobago: Fighting Words
From Trinidad and Tobago, Mauvais Langue calls the Prime Minister's choice of words “improper, inappropriate, and tasteless for the political arena.”
Russia-Germany: Common 20th century history book
Paul Goble of WindowonEurasia claims that Russian and German historians are coming to an agreement to write a common history book, documenting the countries tumultuous and violent relations during the 20th century.
Belarus: Signs of change?
A Fistful of Euros thinks that something may be stirring in Belarus, and even believes it to be signs of an improvement in the regime's relations with the West.
Kazakhstan: Bureaucracy, diplomacy and personality cult
Bloggers keep on commenting political situation in Kazakhstan. megakhuimyak reports that according to the new presidential decree, the Financial Police has got extra authority, informers against corrupt officials will be awarded, the civil servants’ property and income will be monitored [ru]: The bad thing is that now officials will stop...
Venezuela: The Relationship With Iran
The Venezuelan blogosphere has been both touched, and moved by the latest development in Iran. There have been blogger opinions that try to make comparisons with similar events in Venezuelan recent history, as well viewpoints on the support given by President Hugo Chavez to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, some point out that the relationship may not as simple as it may be portrayed.
Russia: Carbon dioxide emissions up 30% till 2020
The reference frame discusses Russia's plans to increase its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% until 2020, in contrast to international trends and the goals of the Kyoto accords.
India: When Diplomats Show Arrogance
The New Horizon criticizes the comments of Pinak Chakravarty, the Indian ambassador to Bangladesh, on the Tipaimukh Dam. The Indian blogger opines: “I think it is part (of) Indian policy to show arrogance against neighbors”.
Bermuda: “No Confidence” Motion Thwarted
Part of the backlash against Bermudian Premier Ewart Brown's decision to accept four former Guantanamo detainees into the island has been the opposition party's tabling of a "No Confidence" vote against him in Parliament - a motion that bloggers are reporting has been defeated.
Jamaica: Can the IMF Change?
“There is talk of the possibility of the current Jamaican administration returning to do business with the International Monetary Fund“: Abeng News Magazine wonders whether the IMF leopard can change its spots.
Guyana, U.S.A.: Watch List
Signifyin’ Guyana agrees with the Human Services Minister's response to reports that the US Department of State has placed Guyana on a watch list for human trafficking.
Cambodia: Report outlines Khmer Rouge Tribunal's latest troubles
A report details the latest issues to plague the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. The report, released in late May 2009, states the Tribunal's legitimacy is threatened by charges of corruption and political interference. The Cambodian government has denied interfering with the Tribunal, including preventing judges of the court from interviewing witnesses who are current government employees.
Brazil: The country's largest university becomes a battlefield
For a day in June, a peaceful protest against police occupation at Brazil's largest university became a bloody confrontation for the first time since the dictatorship in the 1970s. The blogosphere reports and discusses.
Egypt: American High School Students Visit Farm
From Egypt, Maryanne Stroud Gabbani writes about the two-week visit of a group of California secondary school students to her farm to learn more about real life. “They've stayed at my farm in the midst of Egyptian farmers and visited some of the less touristy sites of Cairo […] two...