· June, 2009

Stories about International Relations from June, 2009

Dominica, Venezuela: The Motherland?

  24 June 2009

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.”

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...

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...

China: More corpses found in Shishou hotel; disputes continue.

  23 June 2009

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.

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

  22 June 2009

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.

India: When Diplomats Show Arrogance

  22 June 2009

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”.

Jamaica: Can the IMF Change?

  22 June 2009

“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

  22 June 2009

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

  22 June 2009

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.

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...