Stories about International Relations from November, 2008
Russia: Circassian case for self-determination
Paul Goble of WindowonEurasia brings attention to demands of a Circassian youth group to found a Circassian Republic in the North Caucasus, thus increasing the risks of further ethnic tension...
Armenia: Eurovision Contenders
Esctime.com reports on speculation that Armenia's entry for next year's Eurovision Song Contest will either be U.S. rock band System of a Down or local pop singer Aramé. Meanwhile, in...
Pakistan, India: Cyber Warfare
Teeth Maestro reports that the websites of oil and gas regulatory authorities of Pakistan and India had been defaced as hackers of both the countries were engaged in a cyber...
China: Roadmap to Tibet Independence
Sun bin introduces Wang Lixiong's recent article on the Roadmap to Tibet Independence. The Chinese version is re-posted at inmediahk.net, while an ongoing English translation is here.
Egypt: Getting High on Obama
Barack Obama's popularity in Egypt reaches a new high - with the introduction of a narcotic to the market bearing the President-elect's name. According to bloggers, dealers in the Mediterranean town of Marsa Matrouh are selling Obama branded hashish.
Syria: What About the Palestinian Human Rights?
Majd Syria (Ar) writes: “Western countries show off their support for human rights.. at the time they turn a blind eye to the most basic rights of Palestinians – their...
Russia-Ukraine: Denying the Great Famine
Finrosforum accounts for President Medvedev's view of Holodomor – the great famine in Ukraine 1932-33 – accusing those who speak about the “so-called Holodomor” of creating a rift between the...
Azerbaijan: Eurovision Concerns
IN MUTATIONE FORTITUDO expresses it concern with recent local media reports speculating who might represent Azerbaijan in next year's Eurovision international song contest. The blog says that public money should...
Latvia: Images of an abandoned past
Arnis Balcus’ Photo Blog posts pictures of the abandoned Soviet secret town of Skrunda with the military radar station once scanning space against presumed western missiles.
Nagorno Karabakh: Compromise Necessary For Peace
Blogian provides background information and analysis on the latest developments in efforts to resolve the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh. The blog says...
Belarus: Change of Course in Minsk
Osteuropablog draws attention to [GER] a gradual change of policies in Minsk – economic liberalisation, EU-rapprochement, and new approaches to legitimising political power.
Michael Jackson ‘Converts’ to Islam
The King of Pop Michael Jackson has done it again and stories about his alleged conversion to Islam are keeping blogs in the Middle East abuzz with snark comments. Is Jackson's conversion a part of an American conspiracy "to destroy Islam from within," is it a media stunt or has he finally found his true calling?
Trinidad & Tobago: Belt-Tightening
About seven months after the global food crisis was showing up on people's radar and two months after the global financial crisis made headlines, Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister decided that the time was right to address the nation regarding the state of the economy. The money quote of the speech was "Tighten your belts" - and bloggers have had a lot to say about the subject.
Chile: Returning Historical Documents to Peru
The Chilean government recently returned some historical documents that had belonged to Peru. The act was facilitated by the Chilean Office of Libraries, Archives and Museums of which Enzo Abbagliati...
Israel: Why isn't Twinning Week held in Saudi Arabia?
From Israel, Yisrael Medad writes about the Week of Twinning, in which mosques and synagogues across the US joined forces to confront Islamophobia and anti-Semitism and asks: “Well, why can't...
Egypt: Uproar as Lawyer Suggests Raping Israeli Women
Voice of Egypt is ashamed of Egyptian Lawyer Nagla Al Imam, the same lawyer who made Egyptians angry, for encouraging Arab men to sexually harass Israeli women during her interview on Al Arabia TV (Ar). Marwa Rakha translates from Arabic.
Egypt: The InterFaith Conference and Arab Israeli Relations
Saudi Arabia's King Abdulla sat in the same room with Israeli political leaders for the first time ever, during the UN Interfaith conference, held in New York, US. How will this impact the Arab Israeli peace process?
Egypt: Shaaban Sings for Obama
Shaaban Abdel Rehim, the illiterate Egyptian singer whose songs are mainly about political and social issues, has released a new song about the new American President-Elect Barack Obama. Tarek Amr looks at the blogosphere's reactions to Abdel Rehim's newest hit.
Egypt: Noodles Cultural Invasion
Bluelue wrote a good post here about Noodles and how the Far Eastern culture is spreading all over the world.
Georgia: Junior Eurovision Success
Unzipped comments on this year's junior Eurovision international music competition and says that Georgia's win was well deserved. The blog notes that Russia gave full points to the country it...
Madagascar: South Korean Land Deal Sparks Controversy
South Korea has just leased half of all the arable land in Madagascar according to the Financial Times. This has stirred quite a debate in the Malagasy blogosphere about land sovereignty and economic development. It is still unclear whether the land deal has actually been signed by both parties. Meanwhile, bloggers are arguing whether this sort of deal should be considered “neo-colonialism”.