Stories about International Relations from May, 2009
Syria: Just Say Sorry
Syrian blogger Omar, who is based in Canada, wonders what would have happened had Osama bin Laden apologised after the September 11 attacks: “[O]ver 100 Afghani civilians died in an accidental “strike” (a soft word for bombing). What does Clinton do? Well she apologizes, she just release a statement saying...
Haiti, Dominican Republic: Enough
In the wake of an alleged reprisal killing in which a Haitian man was beheaded in Santo Domingo, blogger Wadner Pierre says: “Our government must use this case to put an end to the targeting of Haitians in the DR once and for all.”
Central & Eastern Europe: Swine Flu (aka “California 0409”)
Below are some of the Central and Eastern Europe bloggers' reactions to news reports on swine flu and measures taken by some of the governments to keep the disease from spreading to their countries.
China: Not subsidizing Expo 2010
Adam Minter at Shanghai Scrap is having trouble getting answers to why the United States government is having trouble getting its pavilion together for Expo 2010, but he has nonetheless had some success at piecing the back story together.
Americas: Carter Center Blogging Regional Visit
Jennifer McCoy of the Carter Center Americas Programhas been blogging while accompanying former US President Jimmy Carter during his visit to Latin America where they met with several of the region's leaders.
Malaysia: “Demonizing” the new Prime Minister
Malaysia's former Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, criticizes the Western media for “demonizing” the country's new Prime Minister
Ukraine, Germany: Interior Minister's Drunken Brawl
Foreign Notes and Ukrainiana (here and here) report on Ukrainian interior minister Yuri Lutsenko's drunken brawl at Frankfurt airport.
Russia: Microsoft's Investments
Profy reports that “Microsoft is going to invest as much as $300 million to the Russian market within the next 3 years.”
India: Interference in Nepali Affairs
Srinivasan Ramani at A New Praxis in a changed world comments: “the Indian ambassador's moves to pressurize the Nepali polity to retain Katuwal was a blatant expression of interference in Nepali affairs. Any self respecting Nepali, let alone a Maoist or any other leftist politician would have bristled at this...
Haiti: Senate Elections Explained
“Haiti’s Lavalas movement effectively destroyed the credibility of the April 19 Senate election through a successful boycott campaign called Operation Closed Door”: Kevin Pina, writing at HaitiAnalysis.com, explains.
Jamaica: IMF
“Prime Minister Golding is putting his loving hand out to the International Monetary Fund for a loan to help Jamaica’s struggling economy,” writes Jamaica Salt, adding: “The last time Jamaica got help from the IMF was not a great thing.” Abeng News Magazine also weighs in, here and here.
China: Response to Yellow Peril talk
The anonymous China News Wrap blogger has translated People's Daily editorial, “Talk of a ‘Yellow Peril’ begins again in the West”.
Armenia: Shooting the messenger (reprise)
Security, in the Caucasus and beyond…. follows up its first commentary on the nationalist reaction to talk of a breakthrough in talks to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey. In its second post, the blogs examines recommendations made by the International Crisis Group (ICG).
Southeast Asia: Twitter reactions on H1N1 virus
In the previous post, I featured the reactions of Southeast Asian bloggers on the H1N1 virus. This time, I will highlight the twitter reactions from twitterers in the region. Twitter posts are alternative sources of information and news updates about the virus scare. They also help us figure out the sentiments and knowledge of ordinary citizens about the H1N1.
China: Uyghurs in Pakistan extradited
A blogger at The New Dominion notes that while nine Uyghurs in Pakistan have been extradited to China, the fate of others at Guantanamo remains uncertain.
Iran: Movement of 1000 bloggers supports Mousavi for presidency
Supporters of two leading reformist presidential candidates, former prime minister Mir Hussein Mousavi and former parliament speaker, Mehdi Karroubi are using the internet, including blogs and Facebook, to beef up their chances of being selected as presidential candidates by the Guardian Council in June's election.
Pakistan: The Tri-nation Summit
Adil Najam at All Things Pakistan comments about the Obama-Zardari-Karzai summit which will be held tomorrow: “The tragedy of this trio is not just that all three countries – USA, Pakistan, Afghanistan – have failed to do the right thing, it is that none of the three have any idea...
Bloggers react to NZ Maori Party's proposed trip to Fiji
Bloggers are reacting to proposals by members of New Zealand’s Maori Party who wanted a delegation to travel to Fiji to speak with the country's Prime Minister to better understand what he is trying to achieve.
Croatia: “The British Conspiracy”
Croatian Crescent writes about Croatian politicians’ reaction to critical reports on Croatia that appeared in the British media.
Serbia: The Pope
Belatedly, a link to an explanation of why “the Serbian Orthodox Church, even though unable to stop the Stones, the AC/DC and Madonna, has some deciding power over the Pope Benedict XVI penetrating [Serbia's] borders” – at Belgraded.com.
Morocco: Taking Care of Animals
The American Fondouk is an animal hospital in Fez, Morocco that was founded in the 1920s and is funded through the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA). The hospital, which provides care for animals large and small, is staffed primarily by Moroccan veterinarians and staff members, however, it recently came up in the blogosphere due to the blogging efforts of a visiting veterinarian, Dr. Dan Biros of Boston. Dr. Biros, who specializes in opthamology for animals, has been chronicling his work at the Fondouk in an official blog.
