· September, 2007

Stories about International Relations from September, 2007

Colombia: Dutch Woman's Secret FARC Guerrilla Diary

  6 September 2007

During a raid on a FARC guerrilla camp, the Colombian army found part of a diary kept by a Dutch woman who for the past 5 years has been living and working with the FARC. Colombian bloggers react to this discovery by lamenting the misguided ideas of these foreigners and others wonder what is the fascination with adventures like these.

Landing at the Iraqi Blogodrome

  6 September 2007

It has been a while since I last wrote my roundup but today I will only write about three blogs. There is so much to report and, yet, at the same time I feel there is so little. You hear a lot about Iraq in the news, about military surges and oil laws, benchmarks and statistics, political disagreements and security. There is a whole maze of paths and blind alleys that one can travel down considering the situation in Iraq. But all this boils down to one thing and that is the everyday life and hopes of the people living in Iraq.

Cuba: Castro and Change

  5 September 2007

Child of the Revolution thinks that Fidel Castro's most recent reflexion “is a clear sign to those waiting in the wings inside and outside Cuba (does that include Raul Castro?), that while Castro I is alive, there will be no change on the island of any type.”

Latvia, Russia: Language Issue

  4 September 2007

Marginalia writes on the “language issue” in Latvia – and in Russia: “Over at the corner store, after years of learning to shop in Russian, I finally asked whether the cashier ever planned to learn the word for milk in Latvian (it being emblazoned in large letters on every carton...

It's time for non-Western IMF leadership

  4 September 2007

Convention Pour Une Nouvelle Guadeloupe criticizes the probable selection of a European (Fr) as the next head of the IMF, writing that it's time for someone from Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean or Africa to take the helm; global governance needs to be reformed so that it “takes into account...

D. R. of Congo: Trouble in the Kivus

  4 September 2007

This month’s round-up from the Democratic Republic of Congo will focus on bloggers in North and South Kivu. Bordering Rwanda and Burundi, these two provinces represent the troubled epicenter of Central Africa’s picturesque Great Lakes region.

Japan and China: Smog

  4 September 2007

JP from Japundit discusses the problem of smog in Japan in relation to China: Though China is suspected as the source of the smog, there is no accurate measurement of what percent of Japanese air pollution comes from the continent and how much is home-generated.

Zimbabwe: China withdraws support for Mugabe

  1 September 2007

China withdraws support for Mugabe: “At the very least, they can smell change in the air. Zimbabwe's no longer bankable, no longer a country in which to make long-term investments in industries or in people.”