Stories about International Relations from February, 2010
Russia: Interview With Nina Khrushcheva
An interview with Dr. Nina Khrushcheva “on Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Medvedev, and comments on the driving forces behind Russia's Stalin resurgence” – at Robert Amsterdam's Blog.
Kazakhstan: OSCE Chair on a Trip to U.S.
Vicki reports on a visit of Kazakh Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev to the United States on the wings of Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the OSCE. Some videos of his appearences attached.
Afghanistan: How Karzai outsmarted the diplomats
Nick Fielding reviews a report on President Karzai's re-election in Afghanistan, which notes that the US diplomats underestimated his grip on the political machine in Kabul.
Syria: Youth Rally in Support of Syrian Air
The US is imposing a series of trade and financial sanctions which are affecting the daily lives of Syrian citizens in several areas. Syrian youth use the Internet to protest the grounding of Syrian Air's fleet, thanks to the ban on buying new commercial jets or even spare parts.
Westerners need self-reflection before criticizing China
In an afterword to the 2006 edition of The End of History and the Last Man, Francis Fukuyama depicted a possible scenario of world politics: the victory of an authoritarian type of capitalism over liberal democratic capitalist states. While this is not his preferred destination, it is moving in that...
Pakistan: The Dr. Aafia Siddiqui Verdict
Teeth Maestro comments on the Dr. Aafia Siddiqui Verdict : “I and many Pakistanis may not actually like the overall decision, but we must draw the line. [..] Being a staunch believer in supremacy of judiciary we must accept this verdict, without possibly burning down the American Embassy in sheer...
Haiti: Help from Neighbours
CARICOM member states make donations to the Haiti earthquake relief effort: Repeating Islands has the details.
Bangladesh: BRAC In Pakistan
Malik Rashid at BRAC Blog describes how BRAC, the Bangladeshi NGO, is teaching children in the town of Haripur in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in Pakistan.
On Indo-Bangla Relations
Anirvan Chatterjee, an Indian American, shares his experiences during his visit to Bangladesh and comments on its relationship with India: “Indians don't know what kind of soft power they have–if only they were to stop focusing on governments and think about people-to-people relationships.”
Nepal: Gulf Returnees
Migrant Rights Blog writes about the stories of Nepalis who came back home after after a stint working in the Gulf: “for every individual, there is a different story; some are tales of social mobility and achievement, others are tales of exploitation and disappointment.”
Japan: For a military base-free Okinawa
TenThousandThings from Kurashi blogs about the weekend rally attended by 6000 people demanding a military base-free Okinawa.
Syria: A Stroll Around the Blogosphere
This week Yazan Badran takes a random walk around different blogs, and different topics in a maze that is little different than the random markets of Aleppo.
Ukraine: Presidential Election Roundup
Tetyana Vysotska of What's Up, Ukraine? and Leigh Turner, UK Ambassador to Ukraine, post their “guesstimations” for the outcome of the Feb. 7 presidential election; Tammy Lynch of Jamestown Foundation Blog writes about a raider attack on the printing company “responsible for producing ballots” and the Feb. 1 TV debate...
Hungary: Re-Educating the Roma Population
Hungarian Spectrum writes that “the Roma (Gypsy) situation is the gravest social problem today in Hungary” and in “the whole region,” points out to similar problems in the United States in the 1960s, and describes a successful re-education project for some 60 Roma families living in the town of Monor.
Georgia, Russia, France: First Caucasian
Media Network blog of Radio Netherlands Worldwide writes about the Georgian-owned, Russian-language First Caucasian TV channel, whose satellite broadcasts have recently been interrupted – here and here. And here's Eternal Remont‘s take on the situation.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Twitter Diplomacy
With a peaceful resolution to the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh as elusive as ever, Armenians and Azerbaijanis are unable to visit each other’s country or communicate through traditional means such as telephone or mail. Can new and social media step in to fill the gap to break the information blockade?
Eastern Europe: What purpose of Nabucco pipeline?
Eternal Remont comments on a Wall Street Journal interview with the Nabucco gas pipeline director, who claims that the Nabucco project will serve as merely a complement to Russian gas flow to the West, and not – as previously envisaged – a substitute for it.
Haiti: Marathon Man
As Haiti drops from being the lead story in the mainstream media, how can they hear stresses that “what Haiti needs most are those that are ready to run the marathon, not just run the 100 yard sprint.”
Haiti: Measurable Map?
The Life and Times of the Mangine Many republishes a map of the damage in Haiti from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, while The Livesay [Haiti] Weblog wonders “how anything like this can ever be quantified.”
Lithuania: Repeated refinery row?
Lituanica reports that the old Mazeikiu oil refinery may be up for sale again, and that Russian interests are among key prospective buyers. In 2006, the sale of Mazeikiu Nafta caused bilateral crisis between Lithuania and Russia.
Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti: Tough Questions
“Our conversation begins and ends with Haiti, but digresses down some of the anxious paths my thoughts seem to trace these days”: Nicholas Laughlin has a chat with Scott McLemee.
