Stories about Politics from September, 2007
The Baltics: Unity Day; Latgallia
Marginalia writes about Latgallia, and the history and politics of the Baltic Unity Day, marked on Sept. 22.
Iran:Offices of Conservative Website closed
RSF (Reporters Without Borders) and Necas,an Iranian blogger,criticised [Fa]the closure of the offices of the hardline website Baztab.com.Baztab was highly critical of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.
Zimbabwe: State sponsored sex stings
Akin blogs about the case of the former Archbishop of Bulawayo: “Before the case of Bishop Pius Ncube who resigned his post as the Archbishop of Bulawayo on the 11th of September 2007, there was the case of the Reverend Canaan Banana, the first president of Zimbabwe with Robert Mugabe...
Iran:Ahmadinejad at Columbia
Sepdieh Saremi in Parsarts writes “are you in New York? Go up to Columbia to see the madness as Ahmadinejad is giving a speech there today.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Republic Day
“Now, I am not necessarily enamoured of our leaders, our government and our politics, but I am proud of our Republic status”: Lifespan of a Chennette wishes Trinidad and Tobago a happy Republic Day!
Costa Rica: Vice-President Resigns
Roberto Gallardo [ES] and Fusil de Chispas [ES] write about the resignation of Kevin Casas, Vice-President of Costa Rica.
Peru: Alberto Toledo's Thoughts on Fujimori Extradition
Mate Pastor [ES] writes about the recent comments made by ex-President Alberto Toledo regarding the recent extradition of Alberto Fujimori.
Peru: Fujimori Extradited to Face Charges
After a lengthy process, the Chilean judicial system ruled that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori would be extradited to face charges of corruption and human rights abuses. When news of the court's decision reached Peru, bloggers would react almost instantaneously with jubiliation and with a firmer confidence in the justice system. However, questions still exist about what this means for the political landscape in Peru, especially for the party of current President Alan Garcia and whether this was part of Fujimori's plan the entire time.
Ukraine: The Language Issue
Victor Yanukovych's Party of the Regions is pushing for a referendum on granting Russian official status as a national language, in addition to Ukrainian. Below is a selection of views on the "language issue" from the Ukrainian blogosphere.
Lebanon: Language Differentiating Islamic Movements
Bech raises this question among others: “Is there something that differentiates Islamic movements from other movements?“ And he answers, tentatively: “The difference is in the language used as representative of a different ‘form’ of consciousness (culture, etc.) shaped by different institutions and power relations in place.”
Lebanon: Politically Apathetic
I am politically apathetic.I prefer this to being engaged in a political party whose leaders will deceive me, double-cross their ideals and sell their martyrs to the highest bidder… declares Joumana Mattar Moukarzel in reaction to the unstable political situation in the country.
Brazil: Google Bombing the Senate
The president of Brazil's Senate, Renan Calheiros, has been recently absolved over accusations of graft in a 40-to-35 secret ballot vote in the Senate House. The accusation against Calheiros was that he had personal expenses paid by a construction firm in exchange of political favors. He was discharged in a...
Morocco: Morocco Welcomes New Prime Minister
Following the September 7 elections, Moroccan King Mohammed VI appointed a new prime minister, Abbas el-Fassi, to replace Driss Jettou, who had served in that position since 2002. El-Fassi, who may be best known for a failed business operation involving an Emirati cruise ship (which left many hopeless young men vying for jobs and lead a few to commit suicide), is a member of the winning Istiqlal (Independence) party. Read how the Moroccan blogopshere reacted in this post by Jillian York.
Afghanistan: The Not-So-Obvious Problems
Joshua Foust takes a survey of some of the less "sexy" problems facing Afghanistan.
Japan: Nuclear Power and Discrimination
An English translation of an interview with Koide Hiroaki, a researcher and long-time anti-nuclear power activist, has been posted at gyaku. Mr. Koide talks about how he joined the movement against nuclear power in Japan 40 years ago, the contrast between the dream of nuclear power and the reality, and...
Japan: Abe Double in Hospital?
Blogger Kikko passes on the rumor [Ja] that the Abe Shinzo currently in hospital is not the real Japanese prime minister but a double, and that the real PM is at taking it easy at a hot springs in Mongolia. From this (joke) rumor, she turns to the issue of...
Lebanon: Explosions Depressing
“It’s really gotten to a point where there isn’t much more that can go wrong. I’ve honestly lost count on how many politicians have gotten assassinated in the past couple of years and its depressing and sickening,” writes Lebanese blogger Mark.
Bahrain: No Eating, No Drinking, No Smoking – And No Work?
In the Bahraini blogosphere this week we hear from a blogger who wants a job, and a blogger who wishes he didn’t have a job. There's also a student entering her final year, unemployed teachers, and an MP who thinks Muslims shouldn't have to work during Ramadan. One blogger reveals that there are fifteen ways to spell his name. And a 'football widow' tells her story!
Lebanon: Assassination Foreseen
“‘Something big will happen after Ramadan.’ ‘People will start fighting outside of Beirut.’ And the most popular one: ‘Someone will get killed during the presidential elections.’ [snip] Well, it seems that the Lebanese were right to think ‘the situation’ would heat up at the end of September,” wrote Melissa about...
Ukraine: Campaign Ads
Petro of Petro's Jotter surveys Kyiv's election campaign ads.
Ukraine: Serhiy Kalinovskyi's Escape
Foreign Notes writes about Serhiy Kalinovskiy, “a member of Kyiv's ‘gilded youth'” and a reckless driver, who killed his girlfriend and a police officer, and then escaped from a private hospital: “Much has been made of stripping criminal immunity from VR deputies recently, but everyone knows that in reality, if...