Stories about International Relations from January, 2011
Poland: More Reactions to IAC Report – on Microblogs and via Cartoons
The Interstate Aviation Committee's report on last April's Smolensk plane crash has provoked many insightful posts from bloggers, but microblogging platforms - Twitter and Blip.pl - have also become good spaces for Poles to express their opinions, and quite a few of visuals criticising the report have appeared online as well.
Macedonia: Recognition by Bolivia and Zimbabwe
Within the context of the Macedonia name dispute with Greece, I, Macedonian thanks * Bolivia and Zimbabwe for recognizing Macedonia under its constitutional name.
Haiti: About “Baby Doc”
“Préval, who will complete his mandate which runs from 2006 to 2011, has betrayed the aspirations of the Haitian people. Now he organizes the return of a dictator who should be judged for his crimes”: The Haitian Blogger translates a French blog post that opines about the return of Duvalier...
Cuba, U.S.A.: Effects of Lifting Travel Limits
“President Barack Obama's decision to loosen limits on travel and remittances from the United States to Cuba is a gift the Castro dictatorship has not earned”: Uncommon Sense links to an article which makes him surmise that “as a result, Cubans will have to wait even longer for freedom.”
Sudan: Southern Sudan Referendum: Africa (Dis)United?
In our latest roundup of Southern Sudan Referendum 2011, Dr. James Okuk offers his “advance billion congratulation” to the people of Southern Sudan for choosing to form a new nation while Leon Nyerere, a Sudanese based in Canada, believes that there is no rational justification for the separation of Southern Sudan. The quest for separation, Leon argues, was informed by emotions than rational thinking.
Poland: Initial Reactions to Russian Report on Polish Air Force One Plane Crash
The Interstate Aviation Committee's report on the crash of TU-154M airplane near Smolensk on April 10, 2010, has generated an outburst of strong opinions about the validity and objectivity of the document, as well as the effect it might have on the Polish politics in 2011. Most discussions in various social media are highly negative of the document's content, but gradually bloggers are beginning to elaborate on the topic.
Azerbaijan: Remembering Hrant Dink
The Önər Blog [AZ] remembers Hrant Dink, the slain Turkish-Armenian journalist, editor and human rights activist who was murdered in Istanbul four years ago today. The post is also available in Armenian. 1+1=3 [AZ], another Azerbaijani blog, also posts an entry in memory of a figure who stood for reconciliation...
St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Haiti: On the Return of “Baby Doc”
Empath has a question about the return of Jean-Claude Duvalier to Haiti: “How is he able to do return and not Aristide?”
China: Presidents Hu and Obama set to talk
Chinese President Hu Jintao arrives in Washington, DC today for face time with President Obama. How would you start off a dinner like that? And currency revaluation? One Chinese blogger suggests the renminbi is already worth more than you might think.
Russia: Bloggers on Lessons of Tunisian Revolution
The outcome of the Tunisian protests has provoked people worldwide to think about political change. One of the major questions discussed by Russian bloggers is whether the possibility of similar scenario in Russia exists.
Haiti: Duvalier Arrest Imminent?
From just before eleven o'clock this morning, Twitter has been rife with speculation that Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, the banished former dictator who has been living in exile in France and who made a surprise return to his homeland on Sunday evening, may be in the process of being placed under arrest.
Kenya: I support the ICC process
Wambui has just signed The Kenyans In Support of the ICC Process petition: “I believe we as Kenyans need to start somewhere to stop this insanity that is our Government dragging our name across the realm of madness in their attempt to rule this our country.”
‘Korean War’ in Cambodia
Mary Kozlovski, writing for The Phnom Penh Post, writes about the reported boycott spearheaded by South Korean tourist operators against a popular North Korean restaurant in Cambodia. The restaurant is owned by the North Korea government.
Indonesia: The coming ASEAN community
Multibrand from Indonesia reports that government ministers attending the meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to establish and expand the ASEAN Community in 2015.
Haiti: Duvalier Visit Political Red Herring?
A little more than a year after a debilitating earthquake practically leveled the Haitian capital and destroyed innumerable surrounding towns, killing thousands and leaving survivors homeless (tent cities are still full, despite millions of dollars in relief aid pledged), exiled dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier returned to his homeland. Many bloggers are still stunned at this latest political development and remain unclear as to the motive behind his visit.
Haiti: “Baby Doc” Back in P-a-P
From New York City to Haiti confirms the rumour that exiled dictator Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier has returned to Haiti this evening, saying: “I am shocked!” Several Twitter users also confirm the news.
Arab World: After Tunisia, Who's Next?
Following the events in Tunisia that forced former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country, netizens across the Arab world are asking: “are we next?”
Saudi Arabia: Fleeing, Tunisian Ex-President Ben Ali Lands in KSA
As news surfaces that fleeing Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has landed in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Twitter users take to the platform to express their thoughts on the matter.
Arab World: Where is Ben Ali Headed to?
Now that ousted Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has fled the country, the question on everyone's mind is: Where is he headed to?
Haiti: Photo Commentary
A photo posted at The Livesay Haiti Weblog might just be worth a thousand words.
Cuba: Cubadebate's YouTube Channel Taken Down
The YouTube channel of Cubadebate was taken down on January 12th, due to copyright infringement claims on a video of Cuban terrorist suspect and former CIA operative Luis Posada Carriles, who is currently on trial in a US federal court in El Paso, Texas. Cubadebate, a state-run news site, has urged YouTube to reactivate the channel, which contains over four hundred videos.
