Stories about International Relations from September, 2009
Kazakhstan: OSCE Leadership and Increased Autocracy
Joshua Foust points out a recent series of human rights violations and arbitrary prosecution in Kazakhstan and says that the OSCE Chairmanship has become a cover for worse repression than before.
Turkmenistan: Naval base on the Caspian Sea
Elina Galperin reports that Turkmenistan intends to open a naval base in the Caspian port of Turkmenbashi to fight smugglers, terrorists and any other forces.
Bangladesh: To Get An Indian Visa
Kowshik describes the painful ordeal a Bangladeshi has to go through to get an Indian tourist visa from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.
Palestine: New Blog on Land Grab
Marcy Newman announces on her blog Body on the Line: “my dear friend rami and i have started a new blog to catalog the ongoing nakbas (catastrophes) that happen every day in palestine, lebanon, syria as the result of a zionist land grab.”
Egypt: Iraq vs Syria
Egyptian Chronicles discusses the current standoff between Syria and Iraq: “As Arabs we know that for time to time the Syrian-Iraqi relations go from bad to worse.”
Bulgaria: Racism; Busmantsi Detention Center
Petya of How to Marry a Bulgarian writes about racism in Bulgaria and follows up with a post on the Busmantsi detention center for “illegal immigrants or people whose application for refugee status was rejected and are waiting to be deported” – described by some as “the Bulgarian Guantanamo.”
Bahamas, Turks & Caicos: Federation?
News breaks that the Bahamian Prime Minister may be considering forming a federation between the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, prompting blogger Sidney Sweeting to comment: “Please note that our PM is responding to a suggestion made by the ex-Premier of Turks and Caicos who was forced to resign because...
Cuba, U.S.A.: Obama's Order
Writing for Havana Times, Circles Robinson reports that U.S. President Obama has finally signed the order allowing Cuban-Americans to travel to Cuba and send money more easily to family members – but adds: “Nonetheless, the Obama administration maintains the nearly 50-year economic blockade on Cuba that has greatly hurt the...
India: Its Raining Blogs
Jayakrishnan Unnithan notices the abundance of blogs in the blogosphere and comments: “keep blogging if it is good it will be read and you will be a blog star, else you go down the drainage.”
Cuba, U.S.A.: Sanctions & Human Rights
Along the Malecon and Repeating Islands both refer to an Amnesty International report which calls for the lifting of US sanctions against Cuba.
Jordan: Support Palestinians
From Jordan Ali Dahmash argues for supporting Palestinians by urging Arabs to travel to Jerusalem.
India: The Young And Fair International Actresses In Bollywood
Santosh at Über Desi finds that almost all foreign actresses recently introduced in Bollywood movies are young fair skinned attractive females. The blogger opines that: “an unhealthy obsession with skin color is not a new phenomenon to Indian society, a deep rooted post-colonial hangover, that seems to manifest itself in...
Colombia: The Extraordinary UNASUR Meeting in Bariloche
The Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) recently held an extraordinary meeting in Argentina primarily to discuss the use of Colombian military bases by the U.S. military. Bloggers and twitterers commented during the 6 hour meeting.
China and Japan: New era for Sino-Japanese dynamic?
Angry Chinese Blogger looks into the implications of Japan's election and the shifting of ruling party on the future Sino-Japanese dynamic.
Jamaica: Reggae Shows Cancelled
As Jamaican reggae artist Buju Banton suffers from the cancellation of international shows thanks to his homophobic lyrics, The Wickedest Time says: “I don't get offended by the music, mainly because its practically a cultural norm…but we have to think about the people we offend.”
Bahamas, T.C.I., U.S.A.: Google & Democracy
As Google states that it may very well hand over journalists’ IP addresses in connection with the exposure of alleged corruption in the Turks and Caicos, Bahamian blogger Nicolette Bethel comments: “Google’s action threatens the ability — indeed the possibility — for true democracy ever to exist in these, our...
