· June, 2010

Stories about Politics from June, 2010

Russia, US: “Burger Diplomacy”

Vadim Nikitin wonders if the Medvedev-Obama meeting is a sign that “[…] the Russian President, for so long considered a mere window dressing to Prime Ministerial rule, might stick around longer than Putin might like?” Robert Amsterdam writes that “burger diplomacy” is “[…] an apt epithet for a relationship that...

Russia: Chechen President Launches Blog

RuNet Echo  27 June 2010

Ramzan Kadyrov [EN], president of the Chechen Republic [EN], launched a blog ya-kadyrov [RUS] at Livejournal. In his first post Kadyrov writes that he is “a sociable and to the limit outspoken person”, and that he “hopes to develop friendship and discuss various events with his readers”. There is no option to...

Rwanda: Update on Semadwinga's murder

  27 June 2010

Update on the killing of a senior political figure in Rwanda, Denis Ntare Semadwinga: “Semadwinga was linked to a dissident faction of the CNDP that had written a letter denouncing the party's leadership back in May. The signatory of that statement, Patrice Habarurema, was arrested by Rwandan police shortly afterwards.”

Rwanda: Worrying signs in Kigali

  27 June 2010

Worrying signs in Kigali: “Jean-Leonard Rugambage, the editor of the Umuvugizi newspaper in Kigali, was gunned down in front of his home on Thursday. A man came up to his car as he was driving into his gate and shot him in the head and chest, killing him immediately.”

Mozambique: 35 Years of Independence

  25 June 2010

On the 35th anniversary of Mozambique's independence [en], blog Moçambique Para Todos [Mozambique For All, pt] publishes several opinion articles, reflecting upon the political situation and the economical dependency of the country as well as the conclusions of a survey related with the political decisions which were made in 1975.

Nicaragua: Riot Police and Citizens Clash in Small Town

  25 June 2010

Rodrigo Peñalba republishes a message and video sent to him by Lázaro Díaz from Boaco, a small and peaceful town in Nicaragua currently going through violence after the mayor was deposed. In the video you can see the clash between the riot police and the protesting citizens.

Russia: Charges Against Alexanyan Dropped

Robert Amsterdam reports that “Russian prosecutors have finally dropped their case against Yukos lawyer Vasily Aleksanyan”: “But I don't really see this as a sign of clemency or change, or a sudden recognition of judicial independence. Russia just admitted that it held an innocent individual for two years for no...

Poland: “Still Divided”

Raf Uzar summarizes the results of the first round of Poland's presidential election and concludes: “What is really thought-provoking is the fact that after centuries of turmoil and upheaval, Poland is still a country divided.”

Russia: Cocks and Prayers

Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog writes about a “Prayer for the President” and “a kind of re-embrace of Tsarist symbolism” that seems to be taking place in Russia. Julia Ioffe writes at True/Slant about “the Cosmic Cock of War” that was painted on one of St. Petersburg's bridges “in...