Stories about International Relations from December, 2009
Afghanistan: Taliban Offer
Daffyd ponders on the speculations about an alleged Taliban proposal that it would sever ties with al Qaeda in return for withdrawal of foreign troops, and says it's seems like a very clever strategic move.
Uzbekistan: A withdrawal from regional electricity grid
Elina writes that Uzbekistan withdraws from the power grid linking the region in an apparent attempt to put pressure on Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, as Uzbek power supplies both these countries.
Poland: Language and Identity Abroad
Raf Uzar writes about the Polish language and identity abroad – here and here.
Romania: Hungarian Minority Politics
Hungarian Spectrum writes about the Hungarian minority politics of the recent presidential election in Romania.
India: Gains From Copenhagen
The Acorn analyzes what India has achieved from the Copenhagen summit. The blogger opines that the “real gains were geopolitical—neither the United States nor China could have their way without India’s support”.
Israel: Dreaming of a Utopic Middle East
An Italian born gentile living in Jerusalem, Shiksa's Laura Chiesa dreams of a utopic Middle East. “Call me naive, but I caught myself more than once daydreaming about the time were people (including me) will travel freely in the Middle East – how about an afternoon hibiscus tea in Damascus,...
Israel: Separate But Equal?
Promised Land's Noam Sheizaf provides a comprehensive breakdown of the history and potential future of a new amendment to Israel's Basic Law on Human Dignity and Freedom, that, he says, “might officially turn Israel into a democracy for Jews only.”
Israel: Assessing Iran's Nuclear Capabilities & Intents
Amir Mizroch reacts to news about Iranian uranium enrichment: “They don’t need nuclear power for civilian energy (Iran holds the world’s third-largest proven oil reserves and the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves), they want the bomb, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it.”
Singapore: Asia's 25 Most Influential People
Anonymous_X questions the inclusion of dethroned beauty queen Ris Low from Singapore in CNN's list of Asia's 25 Most Influential People
Ethiopia: Meles Zenawi betrays Africa
Lucas Liganga writes about Ethiopian Prime Ministers's betrayal: “Unfortunately, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi who is the spokesman of Africa on climate change uncharacteristically teamed up with France and heavily doctored the African document, a move that shocked the African negotiators.”
Saudi Arabia: Mixed and Interfaith Marriages
Tara Umm Omar, an American married to a Saudi Arabian, discusses Prophet Muhammad's mixed and interfaith marriages in this post.
Azerbaijan: Education, free thought and development
Following a previous post from Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines on European concerns with the situation of freedom of expression in Azerbaijan, and especially following the imprisonment of video blogging youth activists Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, the blog comments on remarks made by the country's Minister of Education. The...
Haiti: Marching for Aristide
Repeating Islands reports that “supporters of former Haitian President and liberation theologian Jean-Bertrand Aristide marched through Port-au-Prince…this week calling for his return from exile and protesting his [Fanmi Lavalas] party’s exclusion from upcoming elections.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Climate Responsibility
Blogging from Trinidad, Coffeewallah says of the climate change talks: “In Copenhagen world leaders debate over what they will and will not sign, but truthfully, it is all about commerce and making money…we are given the gift of life and the loan of the earth but we have yet to...
Decisive Period For South Asia
Jay at Desicritics explains that 2010-2011 will be a crucial Period for South Asia.
Bangladesh: South Asian Union By 2030
An Ordinary Citizen comments on the vision of Bangladesh Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus for a South Asian Union by the year 2030.
Iraq: A Business Perspective
Iraqi Pundit notes: “There are so many different ways to explain Iraq. But whichever explanation makes the most sense, it must include oil.”
Egypt: And this one goes to Djamila Bouhired
Algeria's 75-year-old activist and revolutionist Djamila Bouhired is ill and is beseeching her country and countrymen to finance her medical treatment. The news has infuriated many Egyptian bloggers who see her as an Arab icon and a hero.
Cuba, U.S.A.: American Arrested in Havana
The Cuban Triangle comments on press reports that “an American citizen working on a USAID contract was arrested in Cuba” for allegedly “distributing ‘cell phones, laptops, and other communications equipment’.”
Canada said what? Phishing Spoof at Climate Change Summit
The Canadian government supposedly released an angry statement today, denouncing a spoof that supposedly made it as far as the Wall Street Journal, claiming that Canada had shifted its policy and would be agreeing to greenhouse gas reduction targets.
Dominica: Copenhagen Expectations
“The proposal from the United States and China, by far the world’s largest per capita contributors to the global greenhouse gas build-up, has been nothing short of apathetic”: Dominica Weekly thinks there is still lot of work to be done at the Copenhagen Climate Change talks.
