· June, 2011

Stories about War & Conflict from June, 2011

China: Sudanese President Bashir's Visit Raises Eyebrows

  30 June 2011

In the same week that China voices support for an International Criminal Court warrant out on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, it rolls out the red carpet for another ICC fugitive, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Online, it's a much different story.

South Sudan: An Argument Against Arming the South

  30 June 2011

Here is an argument against arming South Sudan: In recent commentary, some in the advocacy community have suggested that the United States actively move to provide the new Republic of South Sudan with anti-aircraft weapons system technology, including “medium-range surface-to-air missile systems.”

Azerbaijan: Freedom of Eurovision, including for Armenians

Unzipped: Gay Armenia comments on news from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) that it expects Azerbaijan to allow all accredited individuals and ticket holders for next year's Eurovision Song Contest in Baku unfettered entry into the country with firm guarantees for their security. The blog notes that yesterday, for example,...

Russia / Afghanistan: Photos From A School in Kabul

Photoblogger zyalt publishes [ru] pictures from a school in Kabul, Afghanistan. Schools have neither electricity nor water. Students are forced to get into classrooms after breaks by class monitors. Despite all this, comprehensive education would be unimaginable in Afghanistan just ten years ago, blogger writes.

Ecuador's Growing Problem with Organized Crime

  28 June 2011

Bloggings by Boz, explains that “Ecuador is experiencing more violent and organized crime because of an increase in drug trafficking”, and points out: “The most recent surveys I saw in Ecuador showed that crime is becoming a political liability for President Correa.”

Azerbaijan: Photojournalist detained, deported

whatwaswritten, the blog of Global Voices author Leyla Najafli, translates a story from RFE's Azeri service reporting that Diana Markosyan, a photojournalist from Bloomberg, was detained at Baku airport earlier today. The American-Russian dual citizen of Armenian origin attempted to enter Azerbaijan without a visa as CIS citizens can. However,...

South Korea: Typhoon Opening Doors to Nature's Revenge

  28 June 2011

A typhoon hit South Korea on June 25 and 26, bringing heavy downpours and gusts and signalling the start of the rainy season. At least nine people were killed and a bridge and a levee collapsed. Moreover, a leakage was reported on a landfill where livestock was buried during a recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

Myanmar: Bomb Blasts in Three Cities

  24 June 2011

Three bomb blasts hit three major cities in Myanmar today. No casualties have been reported. Global Voices author Tan translates a few Burmese online reports which give first hand accounts of the bomb disaster

A Syrian Solution for North Korea

  24 June 2011

Libyan and Syrian cases are significant to North Korea's possible change by exhibiting how quickly ruthless totalitarian regimes can become unstable in the face of resistance, wrote Joshua from the One Free Korea.

Colombia: Video Mapping the City to Hip Hop

  24 June 2011

In just four days, a creative cast of characters got together in the city of Medellin, Colombia, where they set out to produce videos and place them on a map of the city to reflect topics that affect their communities: militarization, poverty, forced displacement, crimes of state, resistance movements and more.

Balkans: Ratko Mladic and Justice

Posts on the capture of Ratko Mladic and justice being done (or not) – by Katharine Engelhart and Ozren Jungic at OpenDemocracy.net, by Blogging Balkanistan/The Daily Seyahatname, and by Marko Attila Hoare and David Pettigrew at Greater Surbiton.

Croatia: EU Membership Approval

On June 10, 2011, Croatia was cleared to become the newest member state of the European Union. There is still a long road before Croatians are officially a part of the EU, and the timing at the moment is, at best, precarious, creating many skeptics. Miquel Hudin reports.

Myanmar: Thousands flee home in Kachin fighting

  23 June 2011

According to the Democratic Voice of Burma, “more than 10,000 ethnic Kachin are now thought to have fled their homes as days of fighting engulfed parts of Burma’s northernmost state.” Pictures of refugee sites have been uploaded online.