Stories about International Relations from May, 2011
Africa: Reactions to The Beatification of Pope John Paul II
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all around the world landed on Rome to participate in religious ceremonies for the beautification of Pope John Paul II, known as “JP2”, declared “Blessed” on May 1st by his successor, Benedict XVI, in the presence of official delegations from 87 countries and 2300 journalists. In Africa, where an estimated 150 million Catholics live, what stirred a controversy is the attendance of some African presidents and bloggers were particularly shocked by the presence of President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
Azerbaijan: Eurovision win, but…
Unzipped: Gay Armenia reflects on last night's win in this year's Eurovision Song Contest by Azerbaijan. In particular, the blog rounds up reaction from Azerbaijanis critical of their government's human rights record and also ponders the likelihood of Armenia participating if the contest is held in Baku given the still...
Haiti: Taking Responsibility for Cholera
Stanley Lucas thinks that “this [UN] mission needs to be held accountable for its actions, including the cholera, and should be more responsibly managed – or it needs to be closed.”
East Timor: Cartoons on Development and Everyday Life
The website Sapo.TL features a photo album from an exhibition [pt] in Lisbon with a selection of illustrations from the portuguese architect and cartoonist João Baptista. Baptista created the blog Timor Cartoon, five years ago, and has published since then dozens of cartoons about the development and everyday life of...
Ukraine: The Untold Story of the Victory Day Clashes in Lvov
Russian television footage this week showed hooded young Ukrainians attacking World War II veterans, giving Nazi salutes, and chanting nationalist slogans. As they ripped St. George ribbons from people's shirts, it seemed that Ukrainian youth had forgotten the terrible sacrifices made by the Soviet Union to defeat Germany. Will Partlett reports on what the Russian press is not saying about the May 9 clashes in Lvov, Ukraine.
Bahamas, Cuba: “The Flamingo Affair”
“Thirty years ago this month, four Defence Force marines were killed when a Bahamian patrol boat was sunk by the Cuban air force”: Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith revisits what has come to be known as “The Flamingo Affair”, saying: “Probably no-one will ever understand exactly why it happened.”
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Thomas de Waal — narrative of peace necessary
On the 17th anniversary of the 1994 ceasefire, Thomas de Waal, senior associate in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment, argues that a new narrative is necessary in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh. Commenting on a collection of articles and blog posts in a cross-post on...
Slovakia: Second-Class Customers
Even though customers might expect products from the same brand to be of the same quality worldwide, regional differences in quality and price do exist, depending on whether the products were manufactured for Western European markets or for those in Central and Eastern Europe. Tibor Blazko reports on the reactions of Slovak netizens to a recent study on the issue.
Jamaica: After “Dudus”
Nearly one year after, Jamaica Salt takes a look at the aftermath of the Christopher “Dudus” Coke extradition.
Arab World: The Club for Arab Monarchies to Get Morocco and Jordan
At first, everyone thought it was a joke or just one more Twitter rumor. Soon, netizens realised it was true and the shock made everyone act hysterical with their funny tweets that Jordan and Morocco requests to join the Gulf Cooperation Council have been welcomed and will be discussed.
Kazakhstan: Two Kazakhstanis in the World News – One Arrested, One Killed
Two Kazakhstanis made it to the international news last week, both in very unfortunate ways. Firstly, Valeriy Tolmachev, an adviser to Kazakhstan's delegation at UNESCO, attacked a flight attendant with a knife onboard his Paris-to-Rome flight and demanded it fly to Libya. Secondly, 26 year old Kirill Denyakin, who was working in Portsmouth, Virginia, was shot by police.
Asian-African Economic Cooperation
Johan Lagerkvist posted his research paper on “The strategic presence of China, Japan and Korea in sub-Saharan Africa” in China Roader.
St. Lucia: Views on Bin Laden's Death
Regional bloggers weigh in on different aspects of the death of Osama Bin Laden. Tattoo considers the “moral dimensions to Obama's actions”, while Lullabies, Fairy Tales and Other Self-Delusions suggests that “the greatest victory in the killing of Osama bin Laden came for the PR machine that runs the USA…There’s...
China: Death of Bin Laden and the Clash of Civilizations
In the early 1990s, political scientist Samuel Huntington put forward the clash of civilizations theory that the fundamental source of conflict in the post-Cold War world will be cultural. Two Chinese writers examine the implications of the death of Osama Bin Laden on Sino-US relations, through the lens of the clash of civilizations.
Turkmenistan: TAPI Continues To Face Challenges
Christya Riedel provides an update on the TAPI, Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India proposed gas pipeline scheduled for completion in 2016. So far, no big progress has been made on a diplomatic front to provide for the project's start.
France : demonstration at the Syrian Embassy
On Tuesday, 3 May 2011, World Press Freedom Day, representatives from Reporters Without Borders demonstrated in front of the Syrian Embassy in Paris. Video of the demonstration [in French and English].
Georgia: Armenian-Azeri coexistence
Reader in Baku travels to villages and towns co-inhabited by ethnic Armenians and Azeris in Georgia. Despite the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, the blogger finds that both ethnic minorities easily coexist together outside of the war zone.
Africa: Osama's Death: How the Letter O Helped Obama
African netizens react to the news of Osama's death: Kenyan blogger Clay Onyango comes up with his take on why Osama was killed by the United States administration, while Crazy Nairobian explains what would have happened if Osama had been killed by a movie hero such as Arnold Schwarzenegger or Bruce Lee.
Jordan: “Bring Raad Home” from Syria
Momentum is building up online to pressure the Syrian authorities to release Jordanian Raad Kawar, who has been held since April 19. The 26-year-old was in Syria returning by car from vacation in Beirut to Fuheis, Jordan, where he lives, when he was arrested. Find out what relatives and friends are doing online to push for his freedom.
Kuwait: In Love with Osama Bin Laden
Kuwaiti columnist Khulood Al-Khamis has declared her undying love to terror mastermind Osama Bin Laden, saying she looks forward to being united with him in heaven to live out her dreams. On Twitter, Kuwaitis express shock at her column and Al-Khamis' sentiments.
North Korea: Japanese Drug Dealers Face Trial
Three Japanese nationals were caught for drug trafficking and counterfeiting money, North Korean state media revealed on April 4. One has already been expelled from the country while the others face trial. Robert Neff posted an analysis of foreigners’ drug dealing and counterfeiting cases in the North on the Marmot's...
