Stories about Politics from January, 2010
Ukraine: UK Ambassador's Ukrainian Vocabulary
Leigh Turner, UK Ambassador to Ukraine, writes on how the Ukrainian phrases he is learning reflect the political, economic and social situation in the country.
Serbia, Russia: Author Awarded for Book on Ratko Mladić
A Slice Of Serbian Politics reports on the award given by the Union of Russian Writers to Ljiljana Bulatović for her book “Report to the General”: “Ljiljana was awarded in the ‘Slav Fraternity’ category with the ‘Imperial Culture’ award for, as it is stated, ‘her courage, commitment, and unswerving dedication...
Iran: Two Bloggers in Danger of Death
Two Iranian bloggers, who are also human rights defendants, are behind bars under serious charges. Mehrdad Rahimi and Kouhyar Goudarzi have been accused of wanting to wage “a war against God,” and charged as being “Mohareb” (enemies of God). Their charges are similar to those against the two men who were executed this week in Tehran.
Afghanistan: Fresh Data Sources
Nick Fielding reviews new publication on negotiating with the Taliban and recommends a great source of stats on security, governance, socio-economic indicators and polling information.
Afghanistan: Behind the London Conference
Dafydd watches the London international conference on Afghanistan and opines that the organisers’ new strategy for this country involves buying off low level Taliban fighters and cutting a deal with more senior figures via amnesty of relatively senior figures from the pre 2001 Taliban regime.
Iran: Iranian Cyber Army hacked Radio Zamaneh
Iranian Cyber Army hacked Netherlands based Radio Zamaneh. The message on the hacked site says in Persian: “you who betray your country are not safe even when you are with your masters.” Iranian Cyber army recently hacked Twitter and Chinese Baidu but does not claim any direct link with Iranian...
Haiti: Bloggers’ Reactions to Regional Interventions
For more than two weeks, the governance of Haiti after the earthquake has been seriously questioned by Haitian bloggers. They are now discussing the reactions in the neighboring countries and islands of the Caribbean. Here is a review of the French-speaking posts dealing with this question.
Ukraine: Involvement in Afghanistan
Leigh Turner, UK Ambassador to Ukraine, writes about Ukraine's involvement in Afghanistan, now and then.
Serbia: “No” to NATO
Belgraded believes that “Serbia does not need to have a military at all, and therefore does not need to join NATO.”
Russia: CJR Piece on the Media
Robert Amsterdam recommends Adam Federman's article on the Russian media, published in Columbia Journalism Review: “[…] Federman focuses on the remaining mechanisms and political dynamics for freedom of press and the conditions in which genuinely good investigative journalism can still occur in today's harshly repressive media environment in Russia.”
Iran: Green Tune to Support Protest Movement
A ring tone for a song which motivated young Iranians to go to the front and fight during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s is making the rounds again in solidarity with the opposition. Hamid Tehrani reviews the reactions of bloggers to the 'Ey Iran' song.
Haiti: The Politics of Recovery
The last thing that Haiti needs as it faces the monumental task of recovering from the earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince and its environs on January 12 is a lack of good governance. Yet, some members of the Haitian blogosphere are bracing themselves for more of the same when it comes to the 2010 earthquake recovery effort.
Eritrea: Remove current regime quickly
According to Mohammed Hagos, democracy project in Eritrea has to start with the removal of the current regime: “The hurdle preventing the Eritrean people from having their say is the Issayas regime. The path to democracy thus starts with removing the Issayas regime as quickly as possible…”
Bangladesh: A Trial Ends After 34 Years – Closure At Last?
Bangladesh authorities executed five ex-army officers for their role in the 1975 assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - the country's independence leader and its first President. Bloggers share their reactions on the long awaited trial and the method of punishment.
Hungary, Slovakia: Open Borders, Assimilation, Nationalism
Hungarian Spectrum writes about nationalism, assimilation, open borders, Hungary's minorities and the Hungarian diaspora in the neighboring countries.
Uruguay: President-Elect Mujica Tackles Botnia Issue Before Taking Office
Uruguayan president-elect Mujica is trying to negotiate a deal to end the blockade of the bridge between Argentina and Uruguay, which has been blocked over a pulp mill plant that environmentalists and local residents say cause contamination.
China: Threatened by American Internet censorship
Reactions from Chinese programmers to SourceForge.net's decision to follow American law and block users from several countries include suggestions for how to work around American censorship of the global Internet.
Trinidad & Tobago: Giving Up the Post?
Despite the devastation taking place in other parts of the region, in Trinidad and Tobago it appears to be politics as usual. On the heels of news that party voting for leadership of the opposition United National Congress had gone in resounding favour of Kamla Persad-Bissessar, former party leader (and founder) Basdeo Panday reacted by refusing to admit defeat. Bloggers discuss the impasse...
Sri Lanka: Latest Updates On Twitter
“The short window for freedom of expression is now closed. It is unclear when and to what extent it will open again. #srilanka #lka” reads one Tweet by the Sri Lankan citizen media site Groundviews. Follow the Twitter account of Groundviews for more latest info.
Pakistan: In Search Of A Pakistani Identity
In a recent survey three quarters of Pakistani youth viewed themselves as Muslims first, Pakistani second. Raza Rumi talks about the identity crisis of the Pakistani younger generation, which deviates from the views of the founding father of the nation.
Bermuda: Busting the Budget
“In three years, the public debt has grown by $480,481,000! And that’s before the economic recession really dug it’s teeth into Bermuda”: Vexed Bermoothes says that “the costs of the constant circus are mounting fast, and only we Bermudians will be left holding the bucket.”
