Stories about Politics from November, 2010
Middle East: The Not-So-Secret US Embassy Secret Cables
While mainstream media across the Arab world gave the secret US Embassy cables released yesterday the cold shoulder, bloggers and Twitter users from the Middle East found much needed material to chew on.
Bahamas: Power & Race
“There is a core lack of confidence in the ability—or is it the right?—of Bahamians to take control of our own destiny”: Blogworld considers the merit of a thesis “on Blackness & The Presumptions of Ultimate Power.”
Haiti: Election Results?
“So the big election day in Haiti happened. However, the whole process seemed horribly dysfunctional to me. How many voters were left out just due to logistics? And what about fraud and intimidation?”: Dying in Haiti is convinced that “the results of the election, whenever they will be determined, will...
Barbados: Independence Celebrations
Tomorrow will be Barbados’ 44th anniversary of Independence – My Barbados Blog reports.
Bermuda: Wikileaks Fallout
Vexed Bermoothes thinks that the fallout from the latest Wikileaks revelations “will be deep and broad”, adding: “Interestingly, 68 of the cables mention Bermuda…one can assume that at least some of these relate to Dr. Brown’s Uighur follies.”
Panama: Asylum for Former Colombian Security Director Creates Controversy
The Panamanian government's decision to grant asylum to former director of the Colombian Administrative Department of Security -who is accused of illegal phone wiretapping- has sparked reactions on social networks in both countries.
Korea: S.Korean Island Hit by Artillery Shots Became ‘Off-limit’
A South Korean Twitterer posted a photo of an abandoned white dog sitting on a pile of rubble of the Yeonpyeong island, a South Korean island hit last week by a North Korean artillery attack. The almost deserted island was designated as a military “control zone” today.
Brazil: Cartoons of slum violence
Conceição Oliveira, at her blog Maria Frô, posts [pt] a series of cartoons by renowned Brazilian political cartoonist Carlos Latuff, which depict the recent outbreak of violence in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil: Three proposals to ease Rio chaos
Bruno Cava, writing for the Amálgama blog, analyzes [pt] the current wave of violence in Rio de Janeiro's slums, and proposes three possible solutions: new policies for development and urbanization of poor areas, democratization of the criminal justice system and decriminalization of all illicit drugs.
China: Wikileaks on Google hacking incident
Wikileaks began on Sunday November 28th publishing 251,287 leaked United States embassy cables. It cited a cable from the US embassy in Beijing, which mentioned information from “a Chinese contact” that the Chinese government was behind the Google hacking incident. Meanwhile, China's Propaganda Department has directed all domestic media outlets...
Brazil: Letter from the Digital Culture Forum for internet freedom
Antônio Arles, from Arlesophia blog, reproduces [pt] the Letter from the Digital Culture Forum for internet freedom, created by many cyberactivists during the Digital Culture Forum that took place in São Paulo this month. The manifesto defends freedom in the internet and takes a stand against the censorship bills proposed...
Guinea: Three days of post-election violence
Guinea recently experienced three days of violence resulting in at least seven dead, after the declaration of the results of the presidential elections that have seen tension brewing in the country for the last month. The second round of the vote, held on 7th November, saw long-time opposition leader Alpha Condé (RPG) brought into power with 52.52% of the votes compared with the 47.48% share obtained by Cellou D. Diallo (UFDG). The declaration of these results triggered renewed civil unrest.
Haiti: Election Day
Today, Haiti goes to the polls in an election that has been fraught with controversy and affected by the ongoing cholera epidemic. With the country's most popular political party being barred from contesting, some bloggers can't help but feel that today's process is really more of a “selection” than an election.
Egypt: Much Ado About the Parliamentary Elections
With the Egyptian parliamentary elections around the corner, candidates, as well as their parties, are using all the ethical and non-ethical weapons in order to win. And Egyptian bloggers, on the other hand, are watching, reporting, and sometimes participating in the ongoing war.
China: Conditions in Tibet Since 2008
In an interview with Asia Pacific Memo, Dr. Robert J. Barnett talks about what life has been like in Tibet since 2008 and the obstacles to talks between exiled Tibetans and China.
Bangladesh: The Politics Of Eviction
Jyoti at Unheard Voice Blog writes about the politics of eviction in Bangladesh, which has heated up the political arena in Bangladesh in recent times.
India: Fuzzy Memories
Dilip D'Souza at Kafila asks why are Indians obsessed with only remembering the act of terrorism on 26/11/08 and why not also 1/11/84 or 7/12/92?
Brazil: Bloggers react to wave of violence in Rio de Janeiro
A recent wave of violence has frightened residents of Rio de Janeiro and reignited a familiar public debate on security in the city. A great wave of panic, in part brought on by the mainstream media, also brings to the fore a new problem: the great proliferation of false rumors on the internet.
Sierra Leone: CIVICUS supports government accountability
CIVICUS to support government accountability in Sierra Leone: “In Sierra Leone, a country that receives 70% of its money in overseas aid, civil society organisations are big business. Weak regulation and limited collaboration between CSOs have shaped a civil society sector marred by poor governance, minimal transparency and cases of...
Zimbabwe: Problems getting national ID
This is a podcast in which a man describes the difficulties he is having trying to get an Identity Card (ID in Zimbabwe. He needs this to be able to vote in the constitution referendum and the next general and presidential elections.
Ghana: What on earth is Nkrumahism?
Ato wants to know what exactly Nkrumahism is: “Hardly a week passes by without Ghanaians hearing about ‘Nkrumahism’ or the fact that the ‘Nkrumahist’ parties are fragmented…What on earth is Nkrumahism? I know it has something to do with Kwame Nkrumah but I don't know exactly what.”
