Stories about War & Conflict from February, 2011
Libya: Amidst Spotty Internet, Some Send Missives
Just twelve hours after a disappointing speech from Muammar Gaddafi's son, Libyans are still going strong, and continue to protest. With both phone service and the Internet in flux, many are sending out missives when they can.
Cambodia: Letter to UN to intervene in border row
Sambath Meas writes an open letter to the United Nations asking it to intervene in the ongoing border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia.
Afghanistan: The price paid by children for the conflict
A UN report testifies that children in Afghanistan have been used both by anti-government elements for suicide bombings and planting explosives, and by the Afghan National Security Forces. It also covers facts of sexual violence committed by armed groups against boys and girls, Nick Fielding says.
Afghanistan: EU police training mission risks failure
Nick Fielding reviews the report from the UK House of Lords, noting that the EU's mission to train local police in Afghanistan risks failure, as only about 285 experts had been sent by member states to train the Afghan police – well short of the 400 requested.
Colombia: Report Reveals 2010 Refugee Statistics
“A new report shows that 280,000 Colombians were displaced in 2010, and one-third of these were in areas the government claimed were “consolidated.” Colombia has a total of 5.2 million displaced people, roughly 1 out of every 9 Colombians, and the most in the world,” writes Greg Weeks in Two...
Mexico: Video Game “Call of Juarez: The Cartel” Draws Mixed Reactions
A new video game, "Call of Juarez: The Cartel" by game developer Ubisoft, has drawn criticism from Mexican officials due to its allusions to the ongoing drug and gang violence in the country. But netizens are at odds about the game and the local politician's efforts to ban it.
Armenia: Blind nationalist hatred
Unzipped comments on what appears to be an orchestrated black PR campaign against a local musician in Armenia. One of four finalists in the running to compose the country's entry into this year's Eurovision Song Contest, reports in the local media attack Vahram Petrosyan for considering that Armenian and Azerbaijani...
Sri Lanka: The Future of the Tamil Struggle
Nirmanusan Balasundaram at Groundviews writes about the present state of the Tamil diaspora and how they will shape up the future of the Tamil struggle.
India And Pakistan: Ideological Enemies?
“Are India and Pakistan ideological enemies?” asks Dr. Niaz Murtaza at Pak Tea House. Murtaza thinks that both the countries should resolve their differences maturely by dialogue, not by other means.
Mexico: Activist's House Set on Fire in Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez, en la sombra del narcotráfico [es] (“Ciudad Juárez, in the shadow of drug trafficking”) reports that on February 16, Malú García Andrade's house was set on fire. Malú is an activist against femicides and human trafficking. Her mother, Norma Andrade, is a co-founder of the non-profit “May our...
Bahrain: More Gunshots in Capital
Reports of shootings in different locations in the Bahraini capital Manama have flooded social media sites this Friday afternoon. Tweeps at the scene describe the carnage as Bahrain braces itself for more bloodshed and heartbreak.
Balkans: Ceca and Other “Unwelcome” Singers
Belgraded posts a list of Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian singers who are “unwelcome in former enemy countries.”
Brazil/USA: “Can the US shutdown the Internet?”
On his blog, brazilian journalist Altamiro Borges writes [pt, en] about the capacity of the USA to shutdown the internet in moments of crisis while commenting on an article by Cuarta Generación (Fourth Generation) [es], which says “US is heavily investing in order not to be surprised by the web”.
Bahrain: State TV Says Protesters Had Swords, Guns and Ammunition
Bahrain Television just aired the government's account of today's pre-dawn raid on protesters gathered at the Pearl Roundabout in the capital Manama, which left five people dead, scores injured and up to 60 people missing and still unaccounted for. The programme has raised more questions than answers.
Serbia: The Semlin Nazi Concentration Camp
Bill's Blog writes about Semlin Judenlager, a Nazi concentration camp in Belgrade.
Macedonia: Reactions to Kale Incident and Hate Speech
After Sunday's mass fighting between ethnic Macedonian and ethnic Albanian groups on Skopje Fortress - Kale, social media frequented by inhabitants of Macedonia buzzed with hate speech and reactions to it.
Colombia: Outrage after failed FARC hostage release
On December 8, 2010, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced they would release five hostages in an open letter to former senator Piedad Córdoba. However, things did not go as planned on Sunday: two hostages were not present at the coordinates provided by FARC. Many Colombian Twitter users expressed their outrage as a result.
Afghanistan: Taliban and al-Qaeda ‘distinct groups with different goals’
Nick Fielding reviews new book by the Centre on International Cooperation, which says that the Taliban and al-Qaeda remain distinct groups with different goals, ideologies and sources of recruits. The authors insist that understanding this is a key to success in Afghanistan.
Tajikistan: Dead insurgent lives forever online
Nathan Hamm writes that one of the most notorious Tajik opposition commanders Ali Bedaki, who was reportedly killed in combat operations, as been noticed on a YouTube video that shows him being interrogated in the back of a vehicle. The Tajikistan government claims the video is a fake, but the...
Pakistan: Protests Against Impunity for US Diplomat Raymond Davis
Raymond Davis, an American diplomatic staff, is under investigation for the double murder of two Pakistani motorcyclists in Karachi, Pakistan. Following the US demand to release Davis, the protesters took to the streets in a country which already has increasing anti-US sentiments.
Cambodia, Thailand: Tweets about the border conflict
Tharum Bun gathers twitter reactions in Cambodia about the current border conflict involving Thailand and Cambodia.