· August, 2009

Stories about International Relations from August, 2009

Russia, Ukraine: Medvedev's Address

  12 August 2009

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

  11 August 2009

“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

  11 August 2009

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.

Moldova: Post-Election Politics

  10 August 2009

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.”

Brazil: Bolivia expels Brazilian citizens

  10 August 2009

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.

Taiwan: Southern Taiwan devastated by typhoon Morakot

  10 August 2009

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

  10 August 2009

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

  10 August 2009

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...

Greece: Armenian singer passes away

  9 August 2009

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.

Georgia, Russia: Cyber Attacks on Blogger ‘Cyxymu’

  9 August 2009

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.

Guyana, Barbados: Barbadians First

  7 August 2009

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

  7 August 2009

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

  7 August 2009

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...