· January, 2011

Stories about International Relations from January, 2011

Zimbabwe: Myopic Look East Policy

  27 January 2011

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

  26 January 2011

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.”

Cuba: Obama Eases Several Embargo Restrictions

  24 January 2011

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

  24 January 2011

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.

China: Wind power drive target of complaints

  24 January 2011

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.

Israel/Palestine: Reacting to the Palestine Papers

  23 January 2011

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...

Arab World: Racism and the Slave's Head Candy Controversy

  21 January 2011

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

  21 January 2011

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

  21 January 2011

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.”

“Showdown” between US and Bolivia over UN coca ban

  20 January 2011

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

  20 January 2011

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.

Haiti: What About Aristide?

  20 January 2011

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

  20 January 2011

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.

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