Stories about War & Conflict from June, 2008
Bangladesh: Alternate Perspectives
Words & Bites on the need for alternate perspectives and narratives to solve the issue of Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Pakistan: Taliban and Afghanistan
Five Rupees on the army strikes against the Taliban, and the infiltration into Pakistan.
Israel: Sarkozy Security Scare at Airport
As French President Nicholas Sarkozy departed Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport, shots rang out. A quick assessment revealed that one of the Israeli members of Sarkozy's security detail had turned his weapon on himself, apparently committing suicide. The victim, whose name has not been revealed at his family's request, was in his...
The Balkans: Michael J. Totten's Travelogue
Michael J. Totten of Middle East Journal writes about and posts photos from his recent trip through the Balkans (93 comments); LimbicNutrition Weblog posts his response to Totten.
Israel: No Nuts for You!
Israel is the world's largest consumer of pistachio nuts, but recent reports reveal that illegal imports from Iran may be its primary source. Jewschool's Shalom Rav jokes: “Anyone with even a passing knowledge of Israeli snacking habits will attest that Israel will be hard pressed to give up their pistachio...
Palestine: She Shoots, She Scores
Muna Nawajaa has scored a victory for social justice. Using a camera given to her by B'Tselem's Shooting Back project, Palestinian Nawajaa recorded the masked beating of members of her family, resulting in an investigation and arrest of suspects by Israeli police. In a post entitled “Cameras as Weapons,” Uriel...
Israel: Broken Truce Angers Israelis
Six days after Israeli and Palestinian forces brokered a ceasefire agreement, four kassam rockets fired from Gaza blasted the Western Negev. Islamic Jihad claimed credit for the attack, while Hamas, Palestine's ruling party, encouraged “all Palestinian factions to abide by the calm agreement,” asserting, “Hamas is keen to maintain the...
Macedonia, Greece: More on the Conflict
Say: Macedonia discusses a Spiegel article on the Greek-Macedonian conflict and writes about a case brought by the Aegean Macedonian refugees before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Lithuania: Missile Defence Alternative?
Lituanica writes about rumors that Lithuania has offered to deploy elements of the U.S. anti-missile shield, “as an alternative to Poland.”
Lithuania: Soviet and Nazi Symbol Ban
Itching for Eestimaa thinks that Lithuania's recent decision “to ban both Soviet and Nazi symbols, as well as national anthems, is […] a mistake.”
Bosnia & Herzegovina: 55 Zaklopaca Victims Buried
Srebrenica Genocide Blog reports that 55 DNA-identified victims from Zaklopaca mass grave have been buried, and posts photos from the mournful ceremony.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Srebrenica Lawsuits
East Ethnia writes about the lawsuits filed by families of Srebrenica genocide victims.
Afghanistan: Costs and benefits
Peter Marton quotes a high-ranking German general, who admits that the costs and benefits of the Afghanistan mission have to be expected, not merely counted as they are at present.
Afghanistan: Taliban Retreat
Patrick Frost says that after a couple weeks of poor news regarding Afghani security, there was finally some positive developments as a force of Afghanistan troops supported by NATO armored vehicles and helicopters appeared to rout Taliban forces who recently took over the Arghandab region surrounding Kandahar.
Georgia: Abkhaz Tensions
Steady State comments on how the media in Georgia reports on continuing tensions with Russia over the breakaway region of Abkhazia. The blog implies that the media is being used to encourage such tensions and says that if there was any real interest in peace then a different approach would...
China: Is the West afraid of our patriotism?
Are there factors informing your perception of China circa 2008? Novelist-blogger and researcher of worldly affairs Yang Hengjun moves on from ‘How did America cover up the truth of the bombing of our embassy in Yugoslavia?’ to his post last week, ‘Are Western countries afraid of the Chinese people's patriotic...
Afghanistan: Brokenness of a Different Sort
Joshua Foust reports on an incendiary new report on the abuse of detainees in U.S. custody at overseas facilities like Bagram air base in Afghanistan.
Russia: Update on Politkovskaya's Murder
Sean's Russia Blog posts an update on the investigation into the 2006 murder of journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
Lithuania: Missile Shield Plan
Robert Amsterdam and Foreign Policy Association's Russia blog write about an alternative U.S. missile shield plan that involves Lithuania.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Mass Grave; Court Case
Srebrenica Genocide Blog posts images from a mass grave excavation at Zeleni Jadar. Foreign Policy Association's War Crimes blog writes about a case brought before a Dutch court to “determine whether Dutch peacekeepers operating under the flag of the United Nations are liable for the 1995 massacre of thousands of...
Zimbabwe: Mapping terror
Mapping terror in Zimbabwe: Sokwanele has mapped a sample of the cases based on recorded first hand testimony from victims, and the interactive map so far bears witness to over 1,000 confirmed experiences of terror and intimidation.
