Stories about War & Conflict from January, 2009
Palestine: “They used our clothes as a toilet”
Bloggers in Gaza are gathering information about what happened during the recent Israeli attacks. In this update, we hear from families whose homes were looted and left covered with faeces by Israeli soldiers, learn what the effects of DIME weapons are, and are told the story of a father whose baby daughter was shot, his wife breastfeeding the girl as she bled to death.
Sri Lanka: A Ceasefire, But For How Long?
Kettikili at pass the roti on the left hand side writes on the latest state of the war in Northern Sri Lanka: “The announcement of a ceasefire, however brief, is welcome news. But how long will it last?”
MENA: Reflections on Obama's Al Arabiya Interview
It came as a surprise to many people that US President Barack Obama gave his first formal interview as president to an Arab television channel. Some were optimistic with Obama's replies, while others were disappointed. Yet, almost everybody was more concerned about the decision to have the interview conducted for Al Arabiya.
Afghanistan: Bagram Prison and Obama’s Gitmo Policy Change
Patrick Frost reflects on how President Obama's political stand towards Guantanamo prison would change the administration's position regarding Bagram Air Base prison in Afghanistan.
Georgia: Glukhov's Case; U.S.-Based “Georgian Chalabis”
Scraps of Moscow writes about Aleksandr Glukhov's case, and notes on the possibility “that Georgian Chalabis are already being groomed Stateside.”
Russia, Georgia: Glukhov's Unit in Tskhinvali Since June 2008?
AnTyx comments on soldier Aleksandr Glukhov‘s mention of his unit's transfer to South Ossetia in June 2008: “If true, it would mean that the war in Georgia was deliberately provoked by Russia.”
Jordan: The BBC and Gaza
“The BBC says the risk of compromising confidence in its fairness, coupled with ‘question marks’ about aid getting through, had led to its decision not to broadcast the Gaza appeal. Because of this decision Sky and ITV are not allowed to make the appeal either,” reports Ali Dahmash, from Jordan.
Jamaica, Zimbabwe: Hunger Strike
“Do people in Jamaica and the Caribbean care enough about events in Zimbabwe to lend their help to this call for moral action?”: Annie Paul has a friend who is on a hunger strike to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe and tells us how we can help.
Armenia: Army Day
517 Design [RU] posts photographs of a youth procession to the Yerablur military cemetery in Yerevan to mark yesterday's Army Day in Armenia. The national holiday also gave the blog the opportunity to reflect on the 17th anniversary of formation of the Armenian army.
Russia: Conscript Seeks Asylum in Georgia
Aleksandr Glukhov, a 21-year-old Russian conscript, has asked for asylum in the Republic of Georgia to escape the "unbearable conditions" in the Russian army. One of Glukhov's media appearances took place as he was dining at a McDonald's restaurant in Tbilisi. Russian officials claim that Glukhov was captured by Georgian armed forces in South Ossetia, where he was performing his compulsory military service, and taken to the Georgian capital. Quite a few people in Russia seem to consider Glukhov "a traitor." Below are some of the reactions from the Russophone blogosphere.
Sri Lanka: After The War
Darini Rajasingham Senanayake at Groundviews opines that the long ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka cannot be solved by military means alone. “It would require a political solution that ensures power-sharing with the minorities in the north and east. Otherwise the LTTE would very likely regroup and return to fight another...
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Young Bloggers Bridge Geopolitical Divides
Nearly 15 years after a ceasefire agreement put the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh on hold, a lasting peace remains elusive and few citizens of either country have the opportunity to meet or communicate with the other. That might all be set to change, however, with DOTCOM, a project funded by the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by Project Harmony.
India: What does the fall of LTTE mean?
Sandeep R. comments: “the tough stand of Indian government against LTTE could worsen the terror situation that India is already facing.”
Israel: Where is Mahmoud al-Zahar?
Senior Hamas official Mahmood el-Zahar is no where to be seen. Gilad Lotan tunes into to the whispers making rounds on the blogs about his possible whereabouts.
Arab World: “We Stopped Saying Israel…”
A message on Twitter calling upon Arabs to stop saying Israel has snowballed into a movement across the Arab world, in this latest twist of the ongoing online war following the Israeli bombing of Gaza. Anas Qtiesh reports from the front lines.
Slovenia: Honoring Auschwitz Survivors
Dr. Filomena dedicates a post to her grandfather’s sister, an Auschwitz survivor: “She was not a Jew, she was not Roma, she was simply the sister of a man who would not bow to the territory-hungry aggressor who’d tried to make his Slovenian family deny its roots and turn its...
Russia: Siege of Leningrad Photos
On the 65th anniversary of the lifting the siege of Leningrad, one of the most popular posts in the Russian blogosphere, by LJ user komen-dant (RUS), features Sergei Larenkov's selection of contemporary photos of St. Petersburg merged with historic images that were taken during the siege from the same vantage...
Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: Bye Bye Bush
Notes from Port of Spain has a few parting shots…um…thoughts on former President George W. Bush.
Africa: Obama's War of Deception
“Obama's War of Deception in Africa” is an analysis by Sekou Nkrumah, the Chairman of the Pan-African Improvement, of Obama's military strategy in Africa.
Poland: Obama, BBC and ‘CIA Prison’
The beatroot writes about a BBC reporter's failed attempt to find out whether Poles were “pleased with Obama” for his decision to shut down Guantanamo “and all rendition camps, one of which was in Poland.”
Russia, Ukraine: “Far From Over”
Streetwise Professor writes: “In short, the Gas War is just the surface of things. Under the surface one finds the true dynamic–Russian imperial ambition resisted by a nation struggling to realize an independence long denied, but doing so under a confused, divided, and corrupt leadership.”
