Stories about International Relations from January, 2011
Zimbabwe: Myopic Look East Policy
Upenyu analyses Zimbabwe's “Look East” policy: “When ZANU PF looks East I wonder what it is looking at. Is it examining the Chinese Communist Party’s successes and failures and how these may be instructional for them too?”
Bahamas, D.R.: Fish Poaching
Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith notes that “a recent report…has confirmed that poaching by commercial fishermen from the Dominican Republic is the greatest single threat to Bahamian seafood resources.”
Arab World: Palestinian “Abed Raboo goes for the Qatari Jugular”
The Palestinian Papers, a leak which contains more than 1,600 internal documents on a decade of peace talks with Israel, created a furore online, after being released by Qatar-based Al Jazeera. The controversy continues as Palestinians deny the leak's content and context and wage a full scale attack on Qatar.
Cuba: Obama Eases Several Embargo Restrictions
US President Barack Obama signed into law a series of small legislative reforms to the US embargo on Cuba. Many in the US-Cuba blogging community hailed this as a small but significant step in improving relations between the two countries, while others have criticized the reform.
A Korean Vessel Rescued from Somali Pirates, Worries of Retaliation Grow
Last Friday, South Korean special forces successfully rescued its 21 crew members who had been held as hostages by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. Prudent net users have raised worries over possible retaliation and complaints against mainstream media for neglecting important domestic issues and the efforts of the individuals who have actually saved the crews.
Uzbekistan: Uzbek president's visit to Brussels condemned by civil society
Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov is meeting with European Union officials in Brussels on a visit that human rights are describing as a secretive affair, neweurasia’s Mirsulzhan writes. He also posts an open letter of the civil society activists to the EU.
China: Wind power drive target of complaints
Do China's massive state-backed efforts at ensuring energy security constitute a violation of WTO trade rules? United Steelworkers seems to think so, and Angry Chinese Blogger looks today at the nature of the American union's complaints.
India: Invasion Of The American Chain Restaurants
Santosh at Uber Desi opines that American chain restaurants are taking India by storm.
Israel/Palestine: Reacting to the Palestine Papers
Today, Al Jazeera English released the first of more than 1,600 internal documents from a decade of the Israel-Palestine Peace Process, dubbed the “Palestine Papers.” The papers released today make public a number of secret negotiations between Chief PLO Negotiator Saeb Erekat and the Israelis, including what Al Jazeera called...
Pakistan: Lessons From Tunisia
Adnan Bashir at Pak Tea House writes what the meltdown in Tunisia means for Pakistan.
Afghanistan: A journalist attacked with acid
Suffering City, an Afghan blogger, writes that Afghan journalist and author Abdul Razaq Mamoon, who wrote a book about Iranian security forces in Afghanistan, was attacked by acid. The blogger adds now the journalist must live with a scar.
Haiti: Aid From Slovakia Blocked by Customs for Ten Months
A container with the second shipment of humanitarian aid from Slovakia has been blocked by the customs in Haiti for nearly ten months. Tibor Blazko translates some of the Slovak netizens' views on the problem.
Arab World: Racism and the Slave's Head Candy Controversy
Are we - Arabs - racist? It's really hard to tell. Some might argue that racism is against our religion, and that people are never discriminated against because of their skin colour. On the other hand, other tiny aspects of our lives might prove that we are. It seems to be normal, for instance, to make fun of black people [Ar] in the cinema, and even call a candy “The Slave's Head” because of its colour.
Azerbaijan: Bloggers remember Hrant Dink four years on
Wednesday marked the fourth anniversary of the murder in Istanbul of Hrant Dink, the Turkish-Armenian journalist, editor, and human rights activist who advocated for reconciliation and friendship between nations, and especially estranged neighbors Armenia and Turkey. This year, however, the anniversary was also unexpectedly marked by many bloggers from Azerbaijan.
D. R of Congo: Obama's invasion of DRC
Why does Ann Garrison say that Obama invaded the Democratic Republic of Congo two years ago: “It makes sense because:1) On his Inauguration Day, Obama became the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces. 2) The Rwandan and Ugandan armies serve as the U.S. military's proxies in Africa.”
Lusophone Culture: Buala “Giving Voice” to Contemporary African Cultures
They propose “to create new views, free from prejudice and colonial judgment,” of contemporary African cultures, and in an interview with Global Voices, Marta Lança and Francisca Bagulho talk about the creation of Buala: “an interdisciplinary web portal for reflection, critique and documenting Portuguese-speaking Africa.”
“Showdown” between US and Bolivia over UN coca ban
J.F. String in Hemispheric Brief reports: “An international showdown between the US and Bolivia has officially begun. The matter under dispute: whether or not an international ban on coca-leaf chewing should be pulled from the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.”
Tunisia: Serbian Tourists Refuse to Return Home
Eleven Serbian tourists spending their holidays in Tunisian resort towns of Sousse and Hammamet have categorically refused to leave this North African country before the end of their tour arrangement. Sasa Milosevic reviews some of the online reactions of these Serbian tourists' compatriots.
Dominican Republic: WikiLeaks Revelations
In Ahiqueprende [es], José Ernesto Devárez hijo comments on the content of the cables revealed by WikiLeaks related to the Dominican Republic.
Haiti: What About Aristide?
Wadner Pierre wonders how come exiled dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier has been granted a diplomatic passport to return to Haiti while the country's former democratically elected President has not been extended the same privilege.
China: Glenn Beck takes aim at China
In case you missed it, Glenn Beck on Hu Jintao's US visit: Burger King kids meals are a Chinese plot for world domination, and so was Leonardo da Vinci. Turns out, it doesn't add up quite so neatly. Next week: the Chinese run Opus Dei, too.
