7 February 2008

Stories from 7 February 2008

Kazakhstan: Elites Getting Younger and Bleaker

  7 February 2008

Reshuffling of elites and higher officials in Kazakhstan is rarely a consequence of open political debates. Quiet resignations and appointments in the conditions of shady politics provide a fertile soil for commenters and observers to ponder on the reasons that are underneath this or that shuffle. However, there is a...

Kyrgyzstan: Echos of the Parliamentary Elections

  7 February 2008

The results of the Parliamentary elections of December 2007 and distribution of seats among deputies from each party have spurred lots of discussion and criticism among various human rights activists, heads of international organizations and foreign governments. According to them, during the elections there were huge violations such as discrepancies...

Kazakhstan: Ethnic Tensions and Underestimated Identity

  7 February 2008

Kazakhstan is a country that often boasts with inter-ethnic and religious tolerance – in tsar epoch it accepted many labor migrants from Ukraine and Russia. In J. Stalin's times it was a destination for deported nations and political prisoners. In late Soviet period thousands of industrial and agricultural professionals came...

Colombia: March in Washington, DC

  7 February 2008

Plan Colombia and Beyond provides some thoughts from the Center for International Policy Associate Paola Castro, who writes, “As a Colombian-American citizen I feel really glad that the pro-peace and anti-FARC rally went well today in Washington D.C. Around eight hundred people came together in Freedom Plaza [15th and Pennsylvania...

East Asia: Early Modern Periodization

  7 February 2008

Morgan Pitelka from frog in a well blogs about a symposium on “early modern” periodization in East Asia. There is an interesting debate about comparative history.

Egypt: Syrian Blogger Still in Prison

  7 February 2008

From Egypt, Elijah Zarwan writes: “Syrian blogger Tariq Biassi, 22, is still detained, apparently without charge or trial, in Damascus’ notorious Palestine Branch detention center. Syrian Military Intelligence officers arrested him from Tartous on June 30 after he insulted the security services in a blog post.”