· June, 2012

Stories about International Relations from June, 2012

Cuba: Bloggers Rally Around Beaten Dissident

Bloggers from the Cuban diaspora are concerned about the reported beating and detainment of dissident Jorge Luis García Pérez, more popularly known as Antunez, after he testified via teleconference at a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing about the human rights situation on the island.

12 June 2012

Yemen: $audi Influence Explained

The influence of Yemen's rich and powerful neighbor on it's internal affairs is no secret. Saudi Arabia's interference has been felt among Yemenis for decades. Now Yemenis have a list of politicians and tribal leaders said to be on Saudi Arabia's payroll. See how Yemeni netizens react in this post by Noon Arabia.

12 June 2012

Poland: Obama's “Polish Death Camp” Gaffe Causes Controversy

In the last days of May, a storm of controversy struck the Polish public opinion when the US President Barack Obama used the expression "a Polish death camp" rather than stating clearly that what he meant was a Nazi Germany-operated death camp on the Polish territory. Anna Gotowska reports.

10 June 2012

Equatorial Guinea: Dictatorship Seeks Entry in Portuguese Language Community

In July 2012 the Maputo Summit will take place in which a decision will be taken on the possible entry of Equatorial Guinea into the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP). On the one hand there are various initiatives which condemn Teodoro Obiang's 33 year regime, hostile to the orienting principles of the CPLP. However, there are also those who support the country's admission.

8 June 2012

India, Bangladesh: Water Disputes and Teesta River Diplomacy

Longstanding tensions between India and Bangladesh on how best to share river waters have recently come to head in a dispute over the Teesta River that threatens bilateral relations. At stake, are the lives of countless Bangladeshi and West Bengali people who depend on the river waters for survival.

8 June 2012

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Nagorno Karabakh Conflict Resumes… On Twitter

In war, as the old saying goes, the first casualty is always the truth. This is particularly true in the South Caucasus where the media in Armenia and Azerbaijan more often than not spreads misinformation or subjective propaganda concerning the long-running and unresolved conflict over Nagorno Karabakh. On 7 June that was certainly the case on micro-blogging site Twitter.

8 June 2012

Zambia Fixes Maize Price Again, Flustering World Bank

Increases in the price of maize, a staple food of Zambia, has previously led citizens to riot and even stage a government coup. Despite warnings from the World Bank that it will damage the agriculture sector, Zambian leaders continue to fix the floor price.

6 June 2012

Zambia Donates Five Million Litres of Fuel to Malawi

Years of diplomatic incidents between various major political figures of Malawi and Zambia, recently culminated in the Zambian donation of five million litres of fuel to Malawi. The gift was ostensibly for the funeral of the country's late President Bingu wa Mutharika, who died on April 5, after a heart attack. The political wrangling that has led up to this gesture, makes however, for a complicated backstory.

1 June 2012

Poland, Ukraine: Euro 2012 and Racism

Football fans across Europe have been presented with quite a list of reasons not to travel to Poland and Ukraine for Euro 2012, which is scheduled to begin in a week. The newest item recently added to this extensive and diverse negative publicity menu is racism.

1 June 2012