· May, 2010

Stories about International Relations from May, 2010

South Korea: Critical discourse on North Korea

  26 May 2010

K. M. Lawson from The Korea History Blog criticized South Korean concerned scholars (the Alliance of Scholars Concerned About Korea) on the lack of critical discourse on North Korea when countering the mainstream media report on the Korea crisis, in particular sinking of the South Korean vessel Cheonan.

Latvia: May 9 in Riga

Arnis Balcus posts photos from the May 9 celebrations in Riga and writes: “In Latvia 9 May is more than just a victory celebration, it is also an expression of collective identity for local Russians.”

Slovenia, Croatia: More on the Border Dispute

Sleeping With Pengovsky posts The Definitive Guide to the Arbitrage Agreement Between Slovenia and Croatia – Part 1 and Part 2. Borut Peterlin posts this comment: “The border dispute with Croatia is the most important tool for manipulation with voters emotions, so no doubt [Janša, Podobnik and Jelinčič] would do...

Jamaica: Women of Tivoli Gardens

  25 May 2010

“If these women pass on this attitude of craven gratitude and dependence on a don to their children, how will the cycle ever be broken?”: Islandista looks at the role of women in the Jamaica crisis.

Caucasus: Eurovision Social Media

With the first semi-final in this year's Eurovision Song Contest due to take place tomorrow, activity on blogs, social media networks and micro-blogging sites in support of entrants from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, the three countries making up the South Caucasus, is naturally increasing. However, their use also sometimes reflects the geopolitical and technical realities of the region.

Bhutan: Why Is It Important For A Politician To Blog?

  24 May 2010

Indian blogger Jabberwock quotes Tshering Tobgay, blogger and the leader of the opposition Party in the Bhutanese parliament answering the question ‘why is it important for a politician to blog': “because that forces you to pause and introspect and think about things, which is something politicians don’t always feel the...

Jamaica: State of Emergency

  24 May 2010

Things are starting to unravel in Jamaica, as the drug money link between dons and politicians, starts to get the media attention it deserves. The United States want Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke – the notorious don man of Tivoli Gardens, West Kingston for trafficking drugs and guns. But will the ruling...

Armenia-Azerbaijan: Conflict transformation

For the past two years Global Voices has covered the use of new and social media to overcome differences between Armenians and Azerbaijanis still locked in conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh. Most recently, it presented on the use of new online tools in conflict resolution and transformation at conferences in Romania, Macedonia, Georgia and Chile.

Georgia: The Tehran-Tbilisi Connection

Matthew Collin in Georgia comments on news that the government of the former Soviet republic has entered into an agreement with Iran on cooperation in the media sphere. The Frontline Club blogger says that given the situation with freedom of the press in Iran, the move hardly fits in with...

Azerbaijan: Eurovision favorite

The Manchester Evening News blog comments on the buzz around Safura Alizadeh, Azerbaijan's entry into this year's Eurovision Song Contest and currently the favorite to win the international music competition. The blog features a short interview with the 17-year-old singer.

Armenia-Azerbaijan: Eurovision pondering

No stranger to controversy when it comes to Eurovision in light of the still unresolved conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, popbitch wonders if Armenia and Azerbaijan can settle their differences in the international music competition. Meanwhile, writing on HayFanat, Armanski says that the professionalism behind Azerbaijan's entry...