· January, 2009

Stories about War & Conflict from January, 2009

Palestine: “They used our clothes as a toilet”

  31 January 2009

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?

  30 January 2009

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

  30 January 2009

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.

Jordan: The BBC and Gaza

  29 January 2009

“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

  29 January 2009

“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

  29 January 2009

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

  29 January 2009

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

  28 January 2009

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

  28 January 2009

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.

Slovenia: Honoring Auschwitz Survivors

  28 January 2009

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

  27 January 2009

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...

Russia, Ukraine: “Far From Over”

  27 January 2009

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.”