Stories about Politics from October, 2009
Honduras: The Beginning of the End of the Crisis?
An agreement that would reinstate deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya back into a power-sharing government is now in the hands of Congress, which could approve the deal and which could mean the beginning of the end of this crisis.
Ukraine: Swine Flu (and Some Election Politics)
On Oct. 30, after a few days of alarming reports on an outbreak of respiratory illness in western Ukraine, the first swine flu-related death was confirmed, and PM Tymoshenko ordered Ukraine's schools closed and public gatherings banned for at least three weeks.
Maldives: Shariah Law In The Penal Code
Random Reflexions blog discusses the recent call for shariah law to be included in the penal code of Maldives by a political party and several MPs.
Paraguay: Addressing the Growing Security Concerns
The recent kidnapping of a cattle rancher has stirred up debate about who is ultimately responsible for the security concerns and whether the blame placed on President Fernando Lugo is justified or merely a political maneuver.
Trinidad & Tobago: Death Penalty
“The term ‘death penalty’ is a literary iceberg – two words that hide a huge amount of detail beneath the surface”: Know TnT.com examines the issue.
Antigua & Barbuda: Ending Gender Violence
“I want to beat power and gender inequalities to a pulp, starting with enforcement of good legislation designed to protect women”: Antigua's playing with ink invites us to join in “16 days of activism to end violence against women, starting November 24th.”
Trinidad & Tobago: National Pride?
Trinidad and Tobago bloggers react to news that a massive flag erected at the National Stadium may have cost TT $2 million.
Guyana: Restorative Justice
“Recent years have found the Caribbean embroiled in the challenges of drug trafficking, money laundering, murder, rape, robbery and crimes of all sorts”: Guyana's caribbeanlawbytes wonders whether the region is ready for restorative justice.
Russia: “Twitter Against Tyrants”
Oleg Kozlovsky links to and quotes from the text of a briefing held by US Helsinki Commission/Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, which included “a few recent examples of how we utilized Web 2.0 to spread information about electoral fraud” in Russia.
Russia: Riot Police vs “Senior Citizens”
Oleg Kozlovsky reports on a scandal that broke out after riot police used – during a drill – “water cannons, shock grenades, and tear gas” to disperse “a group of senior citizens that protested social injustice and blocked a federal highway.”
The Balkans: Open Letter to Amnesty International
Samaha posts Ed Vulliamy's open letter to Amnesty International regarding the invitation to Professor Noam Chomsky to lecture in Northern Ireland – as well as background info on the campaign.
Slovakia, Hungary: “Linguistic Discontents”
Edward Lucas writes about the Slovak-Hungarian relations, including the “linguistic discontents.”
Slovenia, Croatia: Updates on Border Dispute
Sleeping With Pengovsky posts updates on the recent developments in the Slovenian-Croatian relations – here and here.
Egypt: The top 10 most influential people
Gamal Mubarak, son of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak -- who is expected to succeed his father -- was among the 2009 TIME 100 Finalists. Egyptian bloggers have their say in this post.
Anguilla: No News is Bad News
“Six members of the Royal Anguilla Police Force arrested in the last five years. Traditionally, the Anguilla public administration operates under the assumption that any bad news is better not published”: Corruption-free Anguilla is “simply disgusted at this state of affairs.”
Barbados: Party Leader
“We have had some exciting days in Barbadian national politics”: Living in Barbados blogs about the power struggle in the opposition BLP party.
Jamaica: Police Corruption
“News of police corruption is sadly no surprise”: Letter from Jamaica wonders whether “we get the constabulary we deserve.”
Russia: Khodorkovsky's Case, 6 Years On
In The Huffington Post, Robert Amsterdam writes about Mikhail Khodorkovsky's case, six years on.
The Balkans: Karadzic's Trial; Plavsic’s Release
Americans for Bosnia writes about the trial of Radovan Karadzic. Samaha writes about Biljana Plavsic’s release.
Hungary: 1956
Hungarian Spectrum writes about an online collection of testimony (HUN) on the events of 1956, which “helped the western powers understand the Hungarian situation, not just events that occurred during the revolution but more importantly the reasons for the outbreak of the uprising.” Remainder of Budapest wrote this on the...
