Stories about International Relations from March, 2010
Lebanon: Baysour's Oasis Hoax
BabaGannouj et La Zaytouni has images of Plitvice National Park in Croatia which are returned by Google Image search whenever one is searching for the village of Baysour in Lebanon. “Even sites such as Souwar.com incorrectly show pictures of the Croatian Park and label them Baysour, Lebanon.” BetLZ tries to...
Lebanon: World's Richest Man Dropped By
A collaboration between Qifa Nabki and Maya Zankoul resulted in a comic strip about the visit of the world's richest man, the Mexican of Lebanese origin, Carlos Slim Helou, and who was “fêted in the Lebanese press for demonstrating the inherent superiority of Phoenician DNA in producing successful traders.”
Afghanistan: Does Iran support the Taliban?
Joshua Foust doubts whether reports of Iranian support to the Taliban are credible.
Afghanistan: Did the US invade Afghanistan?
Nasim Fekrat reviews nine years of the US presence in Afghanistan and says that those cannot be considered as “invasion”.
Iran: Obama's Norouz message
President Obama sends a message to those celebrating the Persian holiday of Nowruz (Norouz), and in particular to the people and government of Iran. Here is the message in You Tube with Persian subtitles.
Serbia: Diaspora Serb's Musings on “Serbs, Media, Justice and Me!”
A Diaspora Serb's views on collective blame, collective guilt and other relevant issues – at Balkan Anarchist.
U.S.: Belarusian Diaspora and the 2010 Census
Belarus Digest reports that “the Belarusan-American Association starts a new campaign with compelling slogan ‘Are you proud you’re Belarusian? Identify yourself on the 2010 census form!'”
Ukraine: Crimean Tatar Leader Addresses European Parliament
Links related to the March 17 European Parliament hearing with Mustafa Dzhemilev, former Soviet dissident and Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People: Dzhemilev's speech (.pdf file); an overview at Window on Eurasia; an overview at Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO); a written address by MEP Heidi...
Bosnia: Gay Dutch Soldiers
Kirk Johnson of Americans For Bosnia reacts to retired NATO commander John Sheehan's homophobic comment on the Dutch troops’ performance in Bosnia in 1995: “Regarding the Srebrenica Genocide; there are many things for which we can hold the Dutch military at fault, but allowing gay Dutch citizens to serve their...
Sudan: Conflicting views on Sudan from US officials
Gregory Simpkins discusses conflicting views on Sudan policy from the Obama Administration.
UK: Foreign Office on Ukraine and Belarus
Leigh Turner, UK Ambassador to Ukraine, writes about London's “intense interest in what's going on in Ukraine.” Belarus Digest reports that UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband (whose blog is here) “singled out Belarus in his introduction to the Foreign Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights 2009.”
Bangladesh: The China Card
J Rahman at Mukti shares his cautious optimism about Bangladesh Prime Minister's ongoing China trip.
Ecuador: The Yasuni-ITT Initiative
In 2007, the Ecuadorian government unveiled the Yasuni-ITT Initiative, which would call for the oil reserves found in the Yasuni National Park to remain underground in exchange for compensation from the international community.
Ukraine: Book-Burning and Book-Recycling Rallies
Steve Bandera of Kyiv Scoop writes about a book-burning rally in Crimea – and a book-recycling rally in Lviv. The latter was in protest to the appointment of Ukraine's new minister of education and science, and LEvko of Foreign Notes has more on it.
Georgia, Russia: Commentary on Imedi's Fake Broadcast
Giorgi Kvelashvili of Jamestown Foundation Blog and Vadim Nikitin of Foreign Policy Association's Russia blog comment on the mock news broadcast on the Russian invasion of Georgia, aired on Imedi TV channel last Saturday.
Bangladesh: Why is India killing Bangladeshis?
Shada Kalo comments on the recent gunfire between Indian and Bangladeshi border guards and asks “why is India killing Bangladeshis”?
Belarus diversifies oil deliveries
Belarus Digest reports that Belarus plans to start importing oil from Venezuela to substitute for the country's oil dependency on Russia, which recently has caused strained relations between Minsk and Moscow.
Belarus: “Less Pro-Russian” Than Eastern Ukraine
Belarus Digest writes that, unlike in Ukraine, “groups potentially advocating a unification with Russia have never been too active in Belarus.”
Moldova: Military Neutrality
Morning in Moldova writes about the issue of Moldova's military neutrality: “In Moldova's case, neutrality has just made the country weak and defenceless in the face of very real aggressors who control a large chunk of the country's territory (the Russians and Transnistrians) […].”
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Women, Foreign Husbands
“Saudi Arabia makes it complicated for a Saudi male to marry a foreign woman. It’s even harder for a Saudi woman to marry a foreign man,” writes John Burgess at Crossroads Arabia.
Jamaica: Extradition Issue
Jamaican bloggers take on the issue of the United States’ extradition request regarding Christopher “Dudus” Coke.
