Stories about International Relations from August, 2009
Russia, Ukraine: Medvedev's Address
Foreign Policy's Passport links to the vlog post with president Medvedev's Ukraine address and the English-language translation of the transcript. Eternal Remont comments on some of Medvedev's statements: “[…] ‘The leadership in Kiev took an openly anti-Russian stand after the Georgia War.’ This is not allowed under Section 6 of...
Barbados: Seeking Solutions
“The whole region is in turmoil and yet we expect West Indies cricket to be any better?”: Barbados Underground says that “a solution has to be found, not only for the West Indies cricket team but more importantly for the whole region.”
Korea: Commentary on Clinton visit
Ask a Korean! translated two blog entries from a famous North Korea blog, Nambukstory, that commented on Clinton's visit and the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling.
The Balkans: “Greek Journalist Sued for Writings on Bosnia”
A Fistful of Euros and Greater Surbiton report on the case of Greek journalist Takis Michas: “A few years back, Michas wrote a book about the links between Greece and the Bosnian war — Greek support for Milosevic and Karadzic, Greek volunteers going to fight for the Serb side in...
Moldova: Post-Election Politics
At OpenDemocracy.net, Louis O'Neill writes about the post-election politics in Moldova: “All Moldovans should be proud of what they have done with these elections. Let us hope they can be equally proud of their leaders in the next months and beyond.”
Serbia, Russia: NIS and Gazprom
An update on Gazprom in Serbia – at A Fistful of Euros.
Brazil: Bolivia expels Brazilian citizens
Evo Morales' government claims that recent expulsions of Brazilians from its territory is focused on matters of sovereignty, but some Brazilian bloggers suggest it is to settle government supporters in their place.
India, Pakistan: A Karachi Family In An Indian Mall
Mayank Austen Soofi at Paksitan Paindabad portrays the reactions and excitements of a visiting three member Karachi family, whom he met at the Metropolitan Mall in Gurgaon, near Delhi.
Taiwan: Southern Taiwan devastated by typhoon Morakot
On Aug. 7, 2009, typhoon Morakot landed on Taiwan. The Central Weather Bureau urged residents in Northern Taiwan to be prepared for the heavy rain and strong wind brought by Morakot. However, it turned out that southern Taiwan has suffered from more devastating landslides and floods when compared with northern...
Haiti, DR: Border Tension
Repeating Islands reports on growing tensions at the Haiti/Dominican Republic border, following the alleged murder of a Dominican citizen by a Haitian, who is “accused of committing the crime to steal a motorcycle.”
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Peace
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines comments on the prospects for peace in the the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and says that the same approach needs to be applied to the long-running dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway territory of Nagorno Karabakh. However, the blog notes, a genuine desire to find...
Armenia-Azerbaijan: An interview with Elizabeth Métraux
DOTCOM is an online initiative using blogs and video to bring American, Armenian and Azerbaijani teenagers together to work on creating socially conscious media. Global Voices Online speaks to Program Director Elizabeth Métraux.
Greece: Armenian singer passes away
Unknown to most Armenians, but loved by many Kurds for his songs sung in the Kurmanji dialect of Kurdish, Aram Tigran has passed away in Athens, Greece. Born in 1934 in Syria, Tigran's death has affected many, and not least those recognizing the important contribution he made as a cultural bridge between Armenians and Kurds.
Egypt: A Dog Named Anwar El Sadat
Love or hate him, naming a dog Anwar El Sadat in I love you man is creating a ripple in the Egyptian blogosphere. Why are many Egyptians opposed to having a dog named after their former president in a movie?
Georgia, Russia: Cyber Attacks on Blogger ‘Cyxymu’
In 2008, the Russo-Georgian war coincided with the Beijing Olympics, diverting some of the public attention from the peaceful sporting event. This week, cyber attacks on LJ, Twitter and Facebook, targeting Tbilisi-based blogger cyxymu, have added an extra dimension to the coverage of the war's first anniversary.
Egypt: Heba Mohammed Najeeb – between a rock and a hard place
Between those who support her right to choose and those who urge her to conform to traditions and Saudi law, 27-year-old Egyptian Heba Najeeb is trapped between a rock and a hard place. Marwa Rakha brings us her story here.
Hungary, Ukraine: Illegal Stem Cell Therapy
Last week, four people were arrested in Hungary on suspicion of giving illegal stem cell treatments, some of which were carried out in hotel rooms and private homes around the country. Marietta Le reports on bloggers' reactions to the case.
Guyana, Barbados: Barbadians First
Repeating Islands reports that The Council for Hemispheric Affairs has weighed in “on the heated dialogue that has ensued after the compulsory deportation of Guyanese nationals from Barbados…”
Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago: Economic Outlook
In light of Standard & Poor's low financial rating for Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago blog The Liming House predicts: “If economic conditions in Jamaica and the Caribbean get much worse, the country is going to have a hard time meeting its outstanding debts.”
Bangladesh, India: Protesting The TipaiMukh Dam
Along with many Bangladeshis several Indian organizations are also protesting the proposed TipaiMukh Dam in India. BanglaPraxis highlights two of them: Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Assam writes to Indian PM protesting Tipaimukh Dam and a memo from Society of Activists & Volunteers for Environment (SAVE) of Silchar submitted to...
Georgia: Blogger reportedly targetted by Facebook, Twitter attack
CNET's blog carries a podcast report on the denial of service attacks on Facebook and Twitter which apparently targeted Georgian blogger Cyxymu as the first anniversary of the Russia-Georgia war approached.