Stories about War & Conflict from February, 2008
Serbia, Kosovo, U.S.: Diaspora Serbs
Reluctant Dragon and Gray Falcon offer two different perspectives on what it feels like being a Serb in the United States following Kosovo's declaration of independence.
Russia: Prince Harry and Local “Elite's Offspring”
Window on Eurasia writes about the Russians’ reaction to the news of Prince Harry's military service in Afghanistan.
Serbia, Kosovo: Lack of Trust
Balkan Anarchist writes at length about “the utter lack of inter-ethnic dialogue between Serbs and Albanians” in Kosovo.
Serbia: Window For Slovenian Embassy
East Ethnia reposts a photo of a new window presented to the Slovenian embassy by “the students of Belgrade.”
Sri Lanka: Refugees in India
groundviews on the fate of refugees who leave Sri Lanka and flee to India.
Israel: Ashkelon is ‘on the map’
Following the recent missile attacks on Ashkelon, many worried bloggers react, describing their experiences with terror and fear, within this deteriorating situation that seems ever more hopeless. Gilad Lotan brings us the story from the Hebrew blogosphere.
Sri Lanka: LTTE on Facebook?
Tamilnet.tv on fake profiles of LTTE members on Facebook, and the LTTE's threats to those violate the diktat.
Iran and Israel: foes forever or future friends?
The online video posted by the Century Foundation regarding the relations between Israel and Iran and the geopolitical forces that are behind this situation has several bloggers discussing their ideas on who is really pulling the strings.
Czech Republic: Czech Soldier Blogging From Iraq
The Czech Daily Word links to a Czech-language blog of a Czech soldier stationed in Iraq.
Russia: Ethnically-Motivated Violence
Moscow Through Brown Eyes reviews the coverage of a recent surge in ethnically-motivated violence in Moscow: “A month ago in my relatively sleepy bedroom community, a young Tadzhik citizen was stabbed thirty-six times. He died in the courtyard that my bedroom window looks out onto. I read about his attack...
Iraq: Kissenger and the Persian Dreams
‘Kissinger thinks (or at least he pretends to think) that Iran has dreams of rekindling old Persian dreams of domination. He also says Bush will be looked upon more favorably in less than 50 years,” writes Iraqi blogger Abbas Hawazin, who further explains his position from a possible civil war...
Iran: Islamist bloggers hail Imad Mughniyeh
Iranian leaders, including the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, expressed their condolences to Hezbullah's chief Hassan Nasrallah, after the killing of Imad Mughniyeh, one of the militant group's top commanders, hailing him as a “great man”. Islamist bloggers in Iran share their ideas.
Serbia: Ambassadorial Discontent
While some of the foreign embassies were being set on fire in Belgrade in protest to the unilateral proclamation of independence of Kosovo, Serbian embassies in Belgium and Russia were having diplomatic activities of a different kind - and Serbian bloggers took interest in them. Sinisa Boljanovic translates.
Chad: Eyewitness acounts of violence
This is an eyewitness account of violence in Chad: ““For over 7 hours we heard that battle rage. We felt afraid, wondered which part of the body to try to get under a 24 x 20 inch table. Was it more important to save the head or the chest? The...
Yemen: Gaza, My Grandmother and Candles
Yemeni blogger Maysaa Shuja has written a profoundly thoughtful post about candles, electricity, and the possible introduction of nuclear energy to her native country - a country which cannot supply a steady stream of electricity. And while the outpour of sympathy for Gaza and its electricity problems continue, Maysaa Shuja talks about how her enterprising grandmother, may Allah rest her soul in peace, taught them the value of candles at their greatest hours of need.
Kosovo, Serbia: A Roundup
Update on Kosovo/Serbia: Belgrade 2.0 sums things up; East Ethnia discusses the possibility of partition; Csíkszereda Musings writes on the meaning of Kosovo for Romania's Székelyföld autonomy; Greater Surbiton re-posts his article on what's “at stake in the struggle for Serbia”; Steady State writes on the implications of Kosovo for...
Russia, Ukraine: February 23
Scraps of Moscow, Ukrainiana, and Windows to Russia! write about the Defender of the Fatherland Day (formerly known as the Soviet Army Day). Feb. 23 also happens to be president Victor Yushchenko's birthday, and, as Window on Eurasia points out, it is also the day on which Stalin’s deportation of...
Tajikistan: Unrest in Garm, Authorities vs. Opposition
Ian follow-ups on the story of the firefight between ex-opposition members and the Tajik special forces. The government’s version claims the riot police was visiting the town of Garm for a conference and was attacked by the criminals, while another side of the conflict, insists that police attacked an opposition...
Serbia: Anglophone Bloggers on Belgrade Rally, Riots, Kosovo
Below is a selection of the English-language posts about last week's events in Serbia and Kosovo, which appeared on Feb. 21-23.
Japan: More views on alleged rape in Okinawa
Blogger Niphonese translates views in Japanese newspapers and blogs on the recent alleged rape of a schoolgirl by a U.S. marine in Okinawa.
Iraq: F*** you Washington Post…
...so says Raed Jarrar. Today's post features voices from the edge. Sunshine is waiting for the war on her doorstep to end and writes of her hopes and aspirations; Last of Iraqis is turned back at the Jordanian border and writes of hopes lost; Layla waits in the immigration queue; Baghdad Dentist writes of a relaxed Baghdad and the blogger formerly know as Konfused Kid writes of a world that has changed.
