Stories about War & Conflict from March, 2008
Czech Republic: Iraqi Mini-Protest
The Czech Daily Word posts pictures and reports on a mini-protest by Iraqis that was held in Brno.
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Sarajevo War Memorial
YakimaGulagLiteraryGazett comments on the plans to erect a memorial to Serbian war victims in Sarajevo: “Here is how I think the money should be spent instead of building the cross, why don't these people help Serbian war survivors? Why don't they help the injured people from their side?”
Poland: Warsaw; Online Forums
Among other things, Polandian writes about the Warsaw Ghetto in the final installment of “Inside Warsaw.” Also, there's a post on “why Polish people don’t smile” and a review of Polish-English online discussion forums.
China and Tibet: Statement from Intellectuals
Woeser posted a 12 points statement made by 29 prominent intellectuals on the Tibet issue [zh]. The English version can be found at savetibet.org.
Armenia: Terrorism Concerns
A new blog, khirimian's thought, responds to concerns expressed from some quarters that the radical opposition in Armenia might resort to more violent action unless their demands are met.
Armenia: Threat of Terrorism
Unzipped says he agrees with presidential candidate Arman Melikian that Armenia now faces the possibility of violent actions and terrorism by the radical opposition in light of the arrest of many of their leaders and the lack of dialogue with the government.
Afghanistan: Russia-NATO Near Deal
Patrick Frost says that a deal is in the works between NATO and the Russian government for greater cooperation in Afghanistan. The looming deal would possibly allow NATO troops the use of Russian land and airspace, the possible leasing of Russian planes and trains, and Russian training for Afghan helicopter...
Russia: Two Dagestani Journalists Killed
Ilyas Shurpaev, a Dagestani TV journalist who worked for a state-owned federal channel, was found dead Friday in Moscow. Later that day, Gadzhi Abashilov, director of Dagestan's state-owned broadcasting company, was shot to death in Makhachkala, the republic's capital. Below are a few bloggers' reactions to the murders, as well as the translation of Shurpaev's last blog post.
Lebanon: Presidential Election and Foreign Intervention
Lebanon is now in its fifth month without a president. Political bickering between different parties has reached dangerous levels to the extent that there is a genuine fear of civil strife among people - especially since street fights are breaking out every now and then between supporters of various groups, writes Moussa Bashir, who takes a closer look at the reaction of bloggers towards politicians travelling abroad to rally support for their teams.
Iraq: Five long years … most of them in tears
For me the whole story of the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war can be summed up one post. One post that says nothing about the past five years but implies everything as well. We can talk about the lack of security, the number of deaths, the failure of the occupation, but all this talk has become as meaningless as glib phrases like "Collateral Damage." What really matters is how the war is affecting people's lives, writes Salam Adil.
Colombia: Reward for FARC Guerrilla for Killing His Commander
Shortly after the death of FARC leader Raúl Reyes, it was revealed that another high ranking member of the guerrilla forces, Iván Ríos was also killed. It was assumed that the Colombian army also was responsible, but Ríos' bodyguard carried out the killing and sought to claim the reward promised by the government. Colombian bloggers present arguments for and against these rewards. Some are pleased that another criminal has been eliminated, while others think that this reward should only serve for tip-offs and that any criminal should be tried in court.
Egypt: A Lebanese in Egypt – From Occupation to Liberation
One day, she felt humiliated, and the next, liberated. This is the story of Layal El Katib, a Lebanese Blogger who lived in Egypt for a while, brought to us by Tarek Amr.
China: Press Freedom
Lianyue said that press freedom is a necessary element for dealing with Tibet issue[zh].
Iraq: Five Years of War and Deception
Moi, from My Occupied Territory, writes about the fifth anniversary of the war on Iraq in this post. “The U.S. will continue to live with this burden for years to come,” she says.
China and Tibet: Conspiracy Theories
ESWN put together two conspiracy theories on the Tibet uprising.
Afghanistan: NATO Launches Psychological Operation Unit
Sanjar says that amidst increasing public criticism that NATO and its member states have faced lately in Afghanistan, a credible source within NATO contingent has confirmed creation of the Psychological Operation Unit, which is the military version of Public Relations.
Iraq at Five: The World Reacts
Today, March 19, marks five years of "Operation Iraqi Freedom." Initially a plan to oust Saddam Hussein and "end the war before it started," the war in Iraq continues to this day, much to the dismay of many ordinary citizens around the globe. In that vein, Global Voices Online will post reactions today from bloggers in Iraq, the Middle East and North Africa, and elsewhere.
Croatia: Zagreb's New Synagogue
Balkan Baby writes about the opening of a new synagogue in Zagreb.
Israel: Israel or Palestine? Facebook Can't Decide
Can't quite figure out politics and geography in the Middle East? You're not the only one. Facebook seems confused as well. Israeli bloggers Dion Nissenbaum of Checkpoint Jerusalem and Carl of Israel Matzav noticed that Jewish settlements in the West Bank had been repatriated to Israel after Facebook previously labeled...
Christians in Iraq
French-Lebanese blogger Frencheagle writes about the assassination of the Bishop of Mosul and the plight of Christians in Iraq [Fr].
China: Black Days for the Dalai Lama
China matters gave more background to the Lhasa uprising and showed that the Dalai Lama, a moderate spiritual leader, has been marginalized both by the Chinese government conspiracy and hard hand approach.
