Stories about International Relations from May, 2011
Russia: EU’s Roma to Move to Russia?
Window on Eurasia wrote in early May that “rising tensions between the Roma and the titular nationalities of the European Union have sparked reports in Moscow that some of this often-despised community are about to be moved to the Russian Federation, either on their own or from a deal between...
China: War Game Between China and the U.S
Patrick Keefe from Shanghaiist blogs about the debate a computer war game, Glorious Mission which pits Chinese forces against U.S. Combatants. The game is developed joint handedly by Chinese software company Giant Interactive Group and the People’s Liberation Army.
Azerbaijan: Bloggers Divided Over Eurovision Win
Last weekend, Azerbaijan was shaking, with thousands of people flooding onto the streets of Baku, the capital, celebrating their country's win in the Eurovision Song Contest held a few hours earlier. However, not everyone was euphoric about the victory in the international music competition.
France, World: Discontent Against G8 Meeting About the Internet
Blog Club de l'Europe is outraged [fr] by the “Internet sharks’ feast” to be held on May 24 and 25, 2011, at the Musée du Louvre, in Paris. The meeting aims to prepare the G8 forum, which will be focused (according to its French presidency) on the Internet, but only economic and...
Rwanda: Government threatens to assassinate opposition
Is Rwandan government planning to assassinate opposition politicians?: “The British police informed two members of the Rwandan diaspora that their government may be trying to assassinate them, according to documents seen by various newspapers. The police visited Jonathan Musonera and Rene Mugenzi on May 12, officially informing them with letters....
Bahamas: Help with Crime?
“Mr Dwayne Cartwright, an employee of the Department of Environmental Health has been murdered by senseless thugs that are running wild on our streets”: Jerome Pinder at Weblog Bahamas wonders if the country is at the stage of needing “outside assistance”.
Armenia: Royal visit to Ireland as an example for the Caucasus
Writing on his official blog, Charles Lonsdale comments on this week's historic visit by the Queen to the Republic of Ireland. The Ambassador to Armenia for the United Kingdom says that even if the conflicts in the South Caucasus are different, the visit shows that “even long-running and seemingly intractable...
Azerbaijan: Armenian Eurovision boycott dilemma
Following Azerbaijan's success in Eurovision, Eurotrash or Eurotreasure comments on speculation that Armenia might boycott next year's event to be held in Baku. Locked in a bitter stalemate over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, the blog says that the international music competition could provide both countries the opportunity to...
Uzbekistan: Anti-Turkish campaign deepens
Ataturk Street in downtown Tashkent is about to be renamed, and in the view of neweurasia’s Avicenna, it’s the latest signal of Turkey and Uzbekistan’s rather bipolar relationship. “It’s obvious that this crisis is probably more serious than anyone thought,” he writes.
North Korea: News Resources
Adam Cathcart from Sinologistical Violoncellist has complied a list of North Korean news items on China, cultural diplomacy, US/Japan, Middle East, Environment, and etc. It helps to understand North Korea's understanding of its relation with the rest of the world.
FSU: Deportations of Crimean Tatars and Soviet Colonialism
J. Otto Pohl of Otto's Random Thoughts writes about the Soviet colonialism (here and here), and about the 67th anniversary of the deportation of the Crimean Tatars (here and here), linking to his earlier posts and articles on the subject.
France: The Fall of Dominique Strauss-Kahn?
On Sunday 15 May, 2011, France awoke to a political earthquake: a sex scandal involving the (now former) French president of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, arrested for an alleged sexual assault against a housekeeper in a New York hotel. On day three after the revelation, French bloggers are still struggling to grasp the implications of this global scandal on French politics.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Eurovision Diplomacy?
Global Voices’ Caucasus Editor rounds up opinion to the possibility that winning this year's Eurovision Song Contest could contribute to change in Azerbaijan. The post looks at the situation in terms of LGBT and political rights, in addition to the ongoing conflict with Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno...
Côte d'Ivoire: The Investiture of President Ouattara on May 21
Abidjan.net details the programme and heads of state invited to the investiture ceremony [fr] of President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d'Ivoire, which is to be held in the political capital Yamoussoukro on Saturday, May 21. Sixty six foreign delegations will be attending.
Why East Timor should join ASEAN?
José Ramos-Horta, the President of Timor-Leste, lists the country's accomplishments to convince ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) leaders to include Timor Leste as one of its members
Egypt: Online Campaigns to Release Arrested Protesters Underway
Egyptian cyber activists went back to their keyboards to demand the release of protesters and bystanders arrested on Sunday for being at a protest outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo to commemorate the Nakba (Day of Catastrophe as it is known in the Arab world) which marks the day the State of Israel was created in 1948.
Jordan: Debating a Possible GCC Union
The announcement that Jordan and Morocco might join the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) caused an immediate shockwave of reactions. Many Jordanians were elated at the news, saying that it would lead to better economic conditions for their country. Betsy Fisher rounds up more reactions from netizens in this post.
Denmark: Controversial Law Re-Introduces Border Control
Danish nationalist right wing party, The Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti/DF), recently announced the re-introduction of controls at the country's borders with Germany and Sweden. The centre-right minority government in Copenhagen capitulated and the proposal went through. Danish netizens have reacted to the news.
Azerbaijan: Eurovision Pride
Scary Azeri comments on her country's success in this year's Eurovision Song Contest by saying that she doesn't understand how ecstatic many of her fellow Azerbaijanis are about their victory. In particular the blog notes the high level of poverty in the country while also wondering if Eurovision fans from...
Kyrgyzstan: KIC reports stirs controversial responses
Marat Sartpaev analyzes the reaction of Kyrgyzstani establishment and society to the report by International Inquiry Commission on the inter-ethnic conflict that took place in June 2010.
Azerbaijan: Eurovision Victory
Surprising many, Azerbaijan won last night's Eurovision Song Contest in Dusseldorf, Germany. Bloggers and social media users covered the event extensively.
