Stories about International Relations from August, 2009
Pakistan: Say No To Drone Attacks
Ziyad Faisal at Pak Tea House builds his logic against the US drone attacks on Pakistani civilians: “Isn’t it abundantly clear that US drone attacks are merely providing the Al-Qaeda militants and Taliban with a wonderful propaganda opportunity, to recruit yet more people using the destruction from US attacks as...
Haiti: H1N1 Vaccination
“The H1N1 virus is not as deadly as the common cold. The panic and fear being generated…stands to enrich the powerful pharmaceuticals who will make gianormous profits from any mandated vaccination”: The Haitian Blogger examines the issue.
Poland, Ukraine: Łemkowszczyzna/Lemkivshchyna
Raf Uzar writes about “Lemko Land, better known as Łemkowszczyzna or Lemkivshchyna” and its people.
Azerbaijan: Eurovision voting scandal
Although held in May, some media outlets in Azerbaijan last week reported that 43 people who voted for the Armenian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest have been identified by police and one has even been called in for questioning. Bloggers react.
Georgia, Russia: More on DDOS Attacks
More on the recent DDOS attacks – by Evgeny Morozov of Foreign Policy's Net.Effect – here and here.
India: Media And Shahrukh Khan's Detention
Did the Indian media overreact on the news of Bollywood Actor Shahrukh Khan's detention in the US? Harini Calamur at POV opines: “I wonder how much airtime was spent on this – and to the exclusion of what? [..] On the day Shahrukh Khan got detained for two hours [..]...
Egypt: The Nile Basin Treaties
Egyptian blogger Zeinobia discusses the Nile basin treaties between Egypt and its African neighbours in this post, which sheds light on the current crisis on the great river.
Morocco: New US Ambassador
Ibn Kafka writes about the newly appointed US Ambassador to Morocco – Samuel Kaplan and the remarks he made before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “I doubt however that Kaplan, well past retirement age (he’s 73) and who isn’t presented as mastering either Arabic or French, will play much of...
Maghreb: The Trans Sahara Gas Pipeline
Alle, at the Maghreb Politics Review, writes: “More gas from Africa (Nigeria, Algeria, Libya, etc) could help in the EU’s gas battles with Russia, for one thing. But, needless to say, there are some complications.”
India: Shahrukh Khan Detained At An US Airport
Aaman Lamba at Desicritics reacts on the detention of the Bollywood celebrity Shahrukh Khan at Newark Airport by the US Immigration Dept.: “There is a natural query on whether this may have any relationship to traveling while brown, or while Muslim, for that matter. Were Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt...
Azerbaijan: Another Eurovision controversy
A Fistful of Euros comments on news that the telephone numbers of Azeris who voted for the Armenian entry during this year's Eurovision Song Contest have been obtained by police and one person has already been called in for questioning. The blog compares the situation in both Armenia and Azerbaijan...
Haiti: The U.N. & Elections
Dying in Haiti publishes an article by Bob Corbett which speculates as to “why the United Nations could keep so silent about the fraud during Haiti's April Senatorial elections and the June runoffs”, adding: “It's time to make some significant changes; now.”
Nigeria: Dissecting Clinton's speech
Adeola dissects Hillary Clinton's speech in Nigeria: “Keen listeners would not have missed when the US Secretary of State stated that the Yar’Adua’s government is illegitimate..!”
Algeria: Business as Usual After Chinese Face Off
The influx of Chinese immigrants to Algeria ignited a face off between the immigrants and locals when about 100 residents and migrants clashed, using knives and bludgeons. Bloggers weigh in.
Southeast Asia: Twitter reactions on Suu Kyi guilty verdict
Myanmar opposition leader and global democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to 18 months of house arrest for violating the terms of her detention. Suu Kyi’s conviction was condemned by world leaders, Burmese activists, and also bloggers. Twitterers based in Southeast Asia also reacted to the “harsh” sentence
Ukraine, Russia: More on Medvedev's Statements
Foreign Notes comments on president Medvedev's Ukraine address: “Maybe fearing that his boss may have overstepped the mark, deputy head of the Kremlin's administration Aleksey Gromov says today that Dmitriy Medvedev's statement on the bad blood between Moscow and Kyiv was not directed against the Ukrainian people, but only against...
Slovenia, Croatia: Coverage of the Border Dispute
Sleeping With Pengovsky writes that “Slovene-Croatian border dispute is giving ample material to make fun out of, but there are funny jokes and then there are just sheer egotistic stupidities.”
Cuba: Concert for Peace?
The Cuban Institute of Music has announced that popular Colombian singer Juanes is scheduled to perform at a "concert for peace" in Havana come September 20th. Cuban bloggers are divided on whether the event is a good idea.
Singapore: Reaction to Aung San Suu Kyi verdict
Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement expressing disappointment that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar was found guilty and sentenced to three years hard labour. But the Ministry also recognized the “significant gestures” by the Myanmar Government
Russia, Ukraine: Music vs Politics
LJ user oleg_kozyrev asks (RUS) Ukrainians not to get offended at Russia because of president Medvedev's address and suggests that fellow-bloggers post “something Ukrainian today,” ending his post with a YouTube video of Vopli Vidoplyasova‘s Vesna (“Spring”) song.
Cambodia, Thailand: Visa Requirements
A Lil of Me is happy to learn that despite the border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, the two countries have agreed to waive visa requirements for each other's citizens.