Stories about Politics from June, 2014
Russian Phone Prankster Fools Belarus Dictator
After Lukashenko found out he was a victim of a prank, he apparently gave his security apparatus "a week" to find Vovan and bring him to some form of justice.
ISIS Advances in Iraq Echoed in Bahrain
Bahrain government spokesman Sameera Rajab takes to Twitter to describe the ISIS advances in Iraq as a "revolution against the injustice and oppression."
Russians Amused by National Team World Cup Performance
"Everyone is on the Russian team's case, but the real horror is the performance by a team that consists of Real Madrid and Barcelona players."
Why Some People in Mexico Are Happy to See Michoacán’s Governor Resign
The Governor of Michoacan, a Mexican state besieged by violence, announced he will retire for health reasons.
Russia Claims to Have Forced Twitter into Submission Ahead of Crowell's Moscow Visit
Ahead of a meeting between Twitter and Russia’s chief censorship outfit, Moscow is signaling that Internet giants like the world’s most popular microblogging service must conform to Russian sovereignty.
Russia's Irresistible Putin Swag
Last week, two fashion designers opened a kiosk in a shopping mall outside Red Square, selling t-shirts celebrating Vladimir Putin. Within a day, they'd sold over five-thousand.
Russia Says the Internet Spreads Extremism
Russia’s Interior Ministry has drafted a ten-year strategy for countering violent extremism. The plan identifies the Internet as the main conduit for extremism and calls for new policing measures.
Why Some Cameroonians Protested the Visit of This Cote d'Ivoire ‘Warlord’
National Assembly President Guillaume Soro, who led the rebellion against Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo that sparked civil war in Cote d’Ivoire, was greeted as a unwelcome "rebel."
China and Hong Kong Are Supposed to Be ‘One Country, Two Systems.’ Someone Remind China
The Sino-British Joint Declaration gave Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy from China. A recently released white paper from Beijing is seen as a threat to that autonomy.
“We are Leaderless” in Cuba
In an emotional post by Rafael González, author of the blog El Microwave, he questions: Are any of us willing to sacrifice time, prestige, fortune and emotional stability in support of an improbable change in the climate of the state of affairs in Cuba? The author builds on multiple issues...
Russia's Failed e-Democracy?
Last year, the Kremlin launched an online portal where citizens can propose and vote on their own legislative ideas. The e-democracy experiment disappointed many, however.
Peru's Congress Suspends Two Lawmakers In One Decisive Day
In a double whammy in Lima’s Congress, congressmen Gagó and Uribe were relieved of their duties until October after a parliamentary commission published separate reports into alleged malpractices.
Analysis: How Pakistani Politicians and Fake Accounts Drove Twitter Trends on Lahore's Rare Political Violence
Twitter users in Pakistan picked up on the unusual violence immediately, and three different hashtags specifically targeted the government.
Tajik Government Silent on “Disappeared” Global Voices Contributor
Tajik authorities have allegedly paraded University of Toronto researcher Alexander Sodiqov, who disappeared three days ago, on television in an apparent attempt to discredit him and an opposition politician.
Mozambique's President Gives Back Former Leaders’ Laws of Privilege to Parliament
The citizenship in Mozambique comes up as the greatest winner in the process. Nonetheless, it's expected a new analysis of the returned laws to the Republic Assembly House, it could be said that: only a battle has been won and not the war.
Why Conducting Academic Research in Khorog, Tajikistan is a Criminal Offense
What does the Tajik government have to fear by arresting scholar and Global Voices author Alexander Sodiqov? Chris Rickleton explains.
Russia's Hacker Collective That Wasn't
There is a new Internet group in Russia that publishes compromising political information that the public was never supposed to see. But who's behind it all?
The Influence of the World Cup in the Colombian Election
Image by Globovisión on Flickr. CC BY-NC 2.0. On the blog Trayectoria Económica (Economic trajectory), Daniel Bustos writes about the recent presidential election in Colombia and analyzes a series of factors that, in his opinion, influenced the results. This includes the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil: El sabado no fue...
Comas Make for Comedians on Russian Twitter
Until yesterday, racing driver Michael Schumacher was in a 6-month coma. After he regained consciousness, Russian Twitter users welcomed the story with a flood of jokes about sports and politics.
‘People No Longer Trust the Government’ – This Open Letter Went Viral in Singapore
Singaporean novelist Catherine Lim wrote an open letter addressed to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong bemoaning the decline of public trust in the government.
Tajik Authorities Detain Global Voices Contributor
Former Global Voices Central Asia Editor Alexander Sodiqov was detained by authorities in Khorog, Tajikistan while conducting research for his PhD thesis. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
