Stories about Politics from January, 2007
Nepal: Madhesh Is Burning
Madhesh is the southern plains of Nepal where half of the country lives. Madhesi are the people of Nepal, roughly half of the country. The Madhesi have been discriminated against for centuries. Now they are in a revolt that feels like the second part of the world shaking April Revolution....
Kyrgyzstan: Reactions to the New PM
Yulia of neweurasia surveys opinions around the blogosphere on the new prime minister's appointment in Kyrgyzstan.
Venzuela: Translations from Spanish
Guillermo Parra of Venepoetics has published a slew of recent translations including Eduardo Vásquez's “Postmodernity Once Again,” which proposes two distinct foundations for Chavez's so-called “21st Century Socialism.” Parra also introduces his readers to award-winning poet and novelist Alberto Barrera Tyszka whose biography of Hugo Chavez will be published in...
Russia: On Economy
The Russian Dilettante comments on Masha Lipman's recent column.
Russia: Litvinenko a Target
La Russophobe posts parts of a report from the Polish newspaper Dziennik on the use of Aleksandr Litvinenko's image for target practice by the FSB, and links to a video and photos.
UAE: Interrogation Stories at US Border Anyone?
UAE resident SolitudDeGitana questions whether anyone knows what the amount of information you have to/should divulge during airport interrogations. “(T)he woman over at luggage inspection started asking me a string of other questions, namely about whether I had a boyfriend where I'm living in the MIddle East. I answered her,...
Russia: Conversation With Litvinenko's Widow, Part 9
Translation of part 9 of the interview with Marina Litvinenko is posted at A Step At A Time.
Czech Rebublic: New Arms Race?
NvB: Bored in Brno writes that the “proposed radar stations around the Czech Republic may be a forerunner of the new silent arms race.”
Albania, Serbia: Views on “Greater Albania”
Our Man in Tirana writes about the views of the international community as well as the Albanian populations of Kosovo and Albania on the idea of a “Greater Albania.”
Czech Republic: New Government
The Economist's Edward Lucas writes about the Czech Republic's new government.
Serbia: Mladic and the EU
Neretva River points out some legal issues that might make the transfer of Ratko Mladic to the ICTY impossible.
Nepal: A commune for the masses
Our Dream – A Prosperous Nepal doesn't take too kindly to the Maoist vision of communes and property. “Holy cow!!! A communist ‘commune’ ? Am I in a dream? We have all the evidences from the history to prove that this system failed in almost all the places and it...
Swahili Blogosphere: CIA's Role in the Zanzibar Revolution, Bloggers Association, The Wretched of the Earth, and Protesting UK's $12M Secret Payment
Following their virtual conference last November, Tanzanian bloggers are currently discussing the details of the organization they are intending to form. A blog has been set up by the interim committe, to facilitate the process. So far, they have chosen the name for the organization, Jumuiya ya Wanablogu Tanzania (the...
Taiwan: textbook debate
Micheal Turton from the View from Taiwan gives us more background concerning the change of textbook content in Taiwan: This is part of a continuing wave of pro-Taiwan educational changes that began back in the 1990s with the introduction of Taiwan-focused junior high history texts. In 1997 the Ministry of...
Guinea: Victory over Dictatorship?
Seckasysteme comments on the end of a national strike in Guinea last week that resulted in the signing of an encouraging agreement with the Lansana Conte regime (Fr): “The 17 days of violence with their arrests, killings, persecutions and sacrifices of all sorts were worth it for the valliant people...
Arabisc: Egyptian Bloggers Tie the Knot
Like in Egyptian movies, there is a thin line between imagination and reality in Egypt, where two politically active bloggers get close to each other at an anti-government rally, then fall in love and finally get married. Blogger Albara Ashraf reports this happy story, without failing to conjure some of...
Africa: French Double-Standard Vis-a-Vis China
Says Generation Consciente (Fr): “I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry about the French giving ethics lectures to the Chinese presence in Africa, urging them to encourage democracy and peace, as France itself hasn't ceased doing so for a half century through coups, killings of nationalist leaders and...
Lebanon: Photoshop War on Political Opponents
Lebanese blogger Mustafa says using Photoshop is the best way to discredit any political opponents. He welcomes con artists to “express your talents here in The Beirut Spring. Forgery is serious matter in the real-world.”
Lebanon: What Does Nasrullah Want?
Lebanese blogger Anton Efendi objects to Hassan Nasrullah‘s Ashura speech, saying that the Hizbulla leader “is intent on taking the country to war.” “What was his message to the Shiite community and the Lebanese? It was one of war, death, and suicide. This was best crystallized in a truly disturbing...
Israel: Suicide Bombing in Eilat
Israeli blogger Judy, at Adloyada, is is confused with today's responses by Palestinian groups to the latest suicide bombing in Eilat, which has so far claimed three dead. Getting mixed reactions, she wants to know who should be the real spokesman for the Palestinians.
Ukraine, Romania: Serpent Island Dispute
Ukraine List writes about a Ukrainian-Romanian dispute over Serpent Island: “The island itself is just a small chunk of limestone (.17 km sq.) with a layer of topsoil. […] The geo-political history of the island is a bit complex […].”
