Stories about International Relations from November, 2011
Russia and Tajikistan: Pilots Sentenced and Migrants Deported
Two Russian pilots have been sentenced in Tajikistan, meanwhile in Russia 300 illegal Tajiks have been arrested for deportation. Is there any connection? Ekaterina reports.
Ukraine: Netizens Appeal to Lithuanian President to Postpone Her Visit
Ukrainian netizens drafted an open letter to the Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė, asking her to postpone her visit to Ukraine, currently scheduled for Nov. 22, the seventh anniversary of the 2004 protests known as the Orange Revolution, and explaining that a court's decision to ban citizens from gathering for commemorative...
Ukraine: Tymoshenko Called “Unindicted Co-Conspirator” in Lazarenko Case
Ukrainiana comments on a former Assistant U.S. Attorney calling ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the case of another Ukrainian ex-PM, Pavlo Lazarenko, who is currently serving a 9-year sentence at a U.S. federal prison: We [U.S.] jail your former PM [Lazarenko] = prosecution. You [Ukraine] jail your former...
China: United States Begins ‘Pacific Century’, Online Nationalism Follows
As the US quickly asserts its position in the Asia-Pacific region, nationalist sentiment has leapt at similar speed from somewhat marginalized online communities to the top of China's largest blog portals.
Tunisia: Execution of a Tunisian in Iraq Divides Netizens
The execution of Yosri Trigui, a Tunisian convicted of terrorism, in Iraq has divided Tunisian netizens. A terrorist who deserves what he obtained, or a young victim of manipulation, and a trial that did not meet international standards? Read Afef Abrougui's round up of reactions from Tunisia to find out.
Philippines: Hillary Clinton visit met with protest
United States State Secretary Hillary Clinton's November 15-16 visit to the Philippine capital Manila was met with protests against the ‘continuing U.S. stranglehold over the Philippine economy, military, politics and foreign relations.’
Australia: Obama Charm Offensive Not Everyone's Cup Of Tea
Global Voices author Kevin Rennie gathers news reports, blog reactions, and Twitter comments on the recent visit of United States President Barack Obama to Australia.
North Korea Opens its Door for Tourists, But Cellphones are Not Allowed
North Korea, one of the world's most reclusive states, opens its door a tiny crack for tourists to earn hard currency. But tourists are forbidden from bringing cellphone, sending an email and talking to ordinary North Koreans. A travel blogger from the Tripified.ca left sarcastic comments on North Korea's tourism...
Gabon's UNESCO Bailout: International Solidarity at What Price?
Ali Bongo, President of Gabon, has agreed to offer $2 million USD to UNESCO, following the launch of an emergency fund to compensate for the loss of funding from the United States and Israel. Activists in this oil-rich Central African nation urge the public to look beyond the announcement.
France: A Rally in Support of Democracy in Ukraine
Maidan.org.ua published Regina Maryanovska's photos [uk] from the Nov. 13 rally in defense of democracy in Ukraine, which took place at Le Parvis des Libertés et des Droits de l’Homme/Trocadéro (the Square of Human Rights) in Paris. Maryanovska, a Paris-based documentary director from Odesa, Ukraine, noted that members of the...
Europe: A Song Criticizing Schengen Visa Procedure
At BlogActiv.eu, Kader Sevinc writes about “a creative way of criticizing the Schengen visa procedure” – Schengen Macht Frei, a song by Sarp Yeletaysi/Sarpinto, who writes this on SoundCloud: “[…] This song is the product of many visits to embassies of European countries to obtain a visa which is a...
Cuba: The Church, The Government & The Dissidents
Bloggers question the approach of the Catholic Church in Cuba here and here, while Pedazos de La Isla reports on recent crackdowns on dissidents, here and here.
Haiti: Cholera Compensation or Opportunism?
Stanley Lucas has a few questions about a court case that is seeking to compensate Haitian cholera victims, saying: “At worst, it seems an opportunistic attempt to capitalize on a tragic situation for fund raising purposes. What is equally concerning is [the] approach to this challenge. Rather than offer the...
Eurozone Crisis: Where Will the Economy Go?
Economists would be hard pressed to forecast the future of Europe's bailouts and the consequences of the current financial crisis. While opinions differ, reactions abound online to try to make sense of what future awaits the Eurozone.
Cuba: Illegal Internet Access
Two diaspora bloggers address Cuba's accusations that the United States helped finance “the creation of illegal television and Internet networks that have allowed some Cubans to bypass state-run services” – Uncommon Sense says: “Let's hope so…because limiting access is just another way the dictatorship exercises its control of the population”,...
North Korea: Did Gaddafi's Execution Scare Kim Jong-il?
Joo Sung-ha is a North Korean defector-turned-journalist who also blogs. This post is his critique of numerous news reports suggesting Kim Jong-il, North Korean dictator was scared to hear of his fellow dictator, and rumoured friend, Gaddafi's fall.
Arab World: Is the NYPD “Pulling a Mubarak?”
Arab netizens are watching with awe news of New York police forcefully evicting Occupy Wall Street protesters at Zuccotti Park in New York. Some say they are "pulling a Mubarak" in reference to the brutal manner in which Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak dealt with protesters who ousted him in the Egyptian revolution.
Pakistan: The Perils Of Being A Vegetarian
The life and times of two Indians in Pakistan explains the perils of being a vegetarian in Pakistan.
Tajikistan: Bloggers compare the two U.S. State Secretaries’ visits
Tajik civil society and journalists debate the two Secretaries of State’s visits to Tajikistan in 2005 and 2011, neweurasia’s Alpharabius reports.
Tajikistan: The Russian pilot scandal is getting spinned
As two Russian pilots have been sentenced in Tajikistan, prompting a huge backlash from Russia’s political class, Alpharabius reviews the situation with little research about the pilots’ mysterious employers.
Afghanistan: US civilian aid begins to fall
Nick Fielding reports that US civilian aid to Afghanistan will begin to decline as troop levels are reduced over the next three years, and it has already fallen from $4.1 billion in 2010 to $2.5 billion this year.
