Stories about War & Conflict from August, 2010
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Dialogue through film
The free flow of information between Armenia and Azerbaijan since independence is obviously problematic given the still unresolved conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, but can new media move in to fill the gap?
Pakistan: Killings In Balochistan
Apart from the recent devastating floods Pakistan has other problems to tackle. Hamid Abbasi at Chowrangi points out to the recent brutal ethnic killings of Punjabis by members of a terrorist/liberation movement in Balochistan.
Zimbabwe: New play about Liberian civil war
Novell writes about Eclipse, a play by the US-based Zimbabwean actress, Danai Gurira: “Eclipsed is a story about the Liberian civil war that arose in defiance of Charles Taylor’s rule. The play examines in particular the war’s impact on the female population in the region.”
D.R.of Congo/Burundi: Don't ignore Burundi
Jason's advice for Congo: ignore Burundi at your peril: “Why should the Congolese care? First, Agathon Rwasa, the former head of the FNL rebel group, has probably crossed into the Kivus.”
Afghanistan: Just get rid od Karzai
Joshua Foust reflects on the popular belief that Hamid Karzai is the main problem in Afghanistan. “What can we do about it? The usual answers seem to involve removing Hamid Karzai in some way—with all its myriad problems usually left unsaid”, he writes.
Portugal: Blogging Against Military Action
Blog Anti-Nato Portugal [pt, es] denounces that the United States has denied making available, in the aid effort to Pakistan, the 19 helicopters destined to the war in Afghanistan. Bloggers cite a military high official, who in a press conference, confirmed that the decision was up to Washington and that the...
Tunisia: When the Singer Chants “Long Live Netanyahu”
The circulation of a video showing Tunisian singer Mohsen Sherif yelling “Long live Bibi Netanyahu!” and inviting Jews to come in droves to Djerba Island for El Ghariba pilgrimage, has triggered a wave of anger and disappointment among Tunisians. In geek speak, the video circulated on Facebook has now created a buzz.
Sri Lanka: Lessons Learned for Peace and Reconciliation Commission
Going Global discusses about the proceedings and efficacy of the 8 members strong ‘Lessons Learned for Peace and Reconciliation Commission’ appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to get a report on the lessons to be learnt from the events in Sri Lanka during the period from February 2002 to May 2009.
Nagorno Karabakh: Barcamp
517 Design [RU] posts photographs of the journey from Armenia to the breakaway territory of Nagorno Karabakh as well as from its first-ever BarCamp. Situated inside Azerbaijan, but mainly inhabited by ethnic Armenians with no natural resources to speak of, the self-declared republic hopes to attract interest and investment in...
Lebanon: Top Tweet
“Israel should publish a guidebook “How to start a war and blame others 101” #lebanese” was the Darine Sabbagh's comment on the Lebanese border clash of August 3rd and which became a Top Tweet.
Lebanon: Hezbollah, STL and Jumblatt
Friday Lunch Club quotes MP Walid Jumblatt as saying: “Jeffrey Feltman [former US ambassador to Lebanon] informed me, months ago, that the STL [Special Tribunal for Lebanon] was after Hezbollah…” adding that Jumblatt wondered “how can the STL be after justice, when a US official knows of its ‘secret’ decisions...
Lebanon: Unique Summers
“Since the beginning of Summer 2010, the Israeli PR machine didn’t take a summer vacation, in fact they doubled the efforts […] to make sure that Lebanese Tourism, which is the living blood of Lebanon’s growth, doesn’t happen,” writes Lebanese Voices on a series of Israeli incursions and about the August 3rd border...
Mexico: Citizen video and Drug Trafficking
Mexican bloggers debate whether citizen videos and pictures showing graphic violent crimes are an answer to what some say is the mass media's resistance to cover drug trafficking related violence or if it is just another way to spread fear and terror.
Georgia: Second anniversary of South Ossetia war
As Georgia marked the second anniversary of its August 2008 war with Russia over the breakaway territory of South Ossetia, online reaction has been mixed and largely polarized on geopolitical grounds.
Georgia: United Nations protest
To mark the second anniversary of the August 2008 war between Russia and Georgia over the breakaway territory of South Ossetia, The Young Georgians posts photographs of a demonstration held by a few dozen Georgians outside the United Nations in New York.
Sierra Leone: Aging Alone
“Most elderly people in Africa live in their communities, but in Sierra Leone so many young people died and so many communities were destroyed that what started as a poor house in eastern Freetown has evolved to become the King George Home for the Aged,” Glenna Gordon observes.
South Korea: Iran Envoy Said South Korea To Avoid Sanctions on North
Iranian Ambassador warned South Korea of substantial economic loss if it follows US led sanction on North Korea in an exclusive interview with South Korea’s Joongang Ilbo, few days later the top sanctioning envoys from the US made visits to Seoul.
Afghanistan: State Dept Terrorism Report makes bleak reading
Nick Fielding reviews new report by the U.S. State Department on Afghanistan, noting that Taliban attacks increased over 2008 amid diminished direct influence of al-Qaeda, whilst the anti-government insurgency remained a capable, determined, and resilient threat to stability.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Overcoming negative stereotypes in the South Caucasus
This guest post for the World Bank's World Development Report 2011 is the first in a series on "New Media and Conflict" which explores the affect of new communication technologies on issues of conflict and development.
India: Letting Go of Kashmir
Sujai at Desicritics provides a bold viewpoint which have prompted a heated discussion in the comments section. The blogger opines that the protests in Kashmir has become so intense and desperate as a freedom struggle that the Indians may consider to “let it go” to stop their hands being bloody...
Sri Lanka: Tamil.net Partially Accessible In Sri Lanka
ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) reports that “Tamilnet.com, the controversial pro-LTTE site blocked by all ISPs in Sri Lanka since mid-2007, is accessible once more from SLT ADSL connections.”
