Blogging the democratic revolution
Veronica Khokhlova has the story for us again! Apparently, Kuchma has posted a notice on his official website saying that he has written a letter to the New York Times. Leonid Kuchma, president of Ukraine, has sent a letter to the editor of The New York Times, in which he expressed surprise at the use of twisted facts and incorrect commentaries not supported by the quotes from the Head of the state, by the author of the article based on the materials of an interview with Leonid Kuchma. What is going on, anyone? I would like to speculate that C.J.…
I just wanted to bring to light a comment I left on Bloggledygook that follows up with my full thoughts on the Kuchma interview piece. This is less of a short sex joke, and more of something long and serious. I hope you all don’t mind too much! But here we go… The New York Times has, especially in the past several weeks, been heavily monitored and bashed by the blogosphere for its editorial bias in its news stories. I’m inclined to agree, and we can define editorial bias in many ways. In one way, it could be how Sarah…
I’m breaking my promise, but just this once. Via Instapundit, Lt. Smash did a counter-counter-inaugural protest. Make sure to read all about it. Now this is a protest I could get behind.
I’ve decided I’m going to start taking the weekends off from blogging. Trust me, I have this obsessive compulsive desire to do it, but its because of blogging during the week that I have to catch up on my work over the weekend! So let’s see how long I go before I break this promise.
Miguel Octavio from The Devil’s Excrement has a roundup of news in Venezuela, complete with the necessary sarcasm. And you have to have a good sense of humor to laugh at the situation there. And he has a lot of other great posts as well. Like this one on his government’s hypocrisy in terms of receiving foreign campaign donations. And for those of you who haven’t heard, there is a recent crisis between Venezuela and Colombia over Colombia secretly taking some terrorists that Chavez wouldn’t hand over. Well… read the entire front page of the website, it’s easier than me…
C.J. Chivers, the man who wrote the much talked about NYT story about the Orange Revolution and the SBU, has written another piece in which he interviews Kuchma at length. Neeka’s Backlog has commentary and a couple more stories to look at. Yet Mr. Kuchma accomplished critical tasks, including a sustained collaboration with Washington in nuclear disarmament and the closing of Chernobyl, the nuclear power plant that in 1986 suffered the worst nuclear accident in history. He leaves a country with a rapidly expanding economy, with independent parliamentary factions, an opposition television station and an often lively press. These would…
I received an email today from a Miss MoneyPenny with a comprehensive list of the best blogs out of Venezuela. I thought it would be good to bring attention to them out front instead of just silently adding them to the blogroll. But at least now we can start seeing some South America updates! –http://www.venezuelatoday.net/ The Venezuelan Drudge Report –http://blogs.salon.com/0001330/ Miguel Octavio’s blog, he is a banker in Caracas –http://daniel-venezuela.blogspot.com/ Daniel in Yaracuy, he is a scientist in the boondocks –http://www.vcrisis.com/ Alek Boyd’s blog of blogs, he is a young Venezuelan exile in London –http://www.venezuelatoday.net/gustavocoronel.html essayist Gustavo Coronel is a…
Transitions online has an interview with Islam Karimov, “President” of Uzbekistan entitled Not In My Country. Man, even the title describes the authoritarian attitude. Nezavisimaya Gazeta: But in theory “velvet” turnovers may be too mild and the country will find itself in the grips of a civil war… Islam Karimov: Everything depends on the preparations. Take Ukraine, for example, where preparations for the recent election began in 1995. Consider how many non-governmental organizations exist there and on whose money they exist, and everything will become instantly clear. By the way, we are tracking all funds and grants nowadays. We want…
David McDuff has recently posted a long article of exchanges in which “Serbian World Bank economist Branko Milanovic asked the question: “why are the American media, both liberal and conservative, so unanimously anti-Russian?” He posts a list, and I’ll repost the first out of six: 1) For seventy years, commentators have been anti-Soviet and since obviously some of Russia’s foreign policy stances will coincide with those of the USSR, their knee-jerk reaction to argue against these positions in the past carried over to the present day. He is responded to by “Yevgenia Albats, political journalist and Professor of economics at…
The Kyiv Post is reporting that one of Yushchenko’s main reforms needs to be of the post-KGB security agency, the SBU. (AP) – One of the toughest tasks facing Viktor Yushchenko as Ukraine’s new president likely will be overhauling the State Security Service, the KGB successor agency alleged to have been involved in an array of devious and deadly activities. The cases of other Soviet-bloc countries show that success or failure could determine how well democracy takes root in Ukraine – but the issue is complicated by indications that security forces played a role in averting a crackdown on Yushchenko’s…
Eurasianet has another article called Nipping orange roses in the bud — post-Soviet elites against revolution. This comes as no surprise, because they are understandably running scared. But by making drastic decisions, however, they are creating an unsustainable environment for their own rule. You know how they say, “Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.” Well, while I would never consider someone who is pro-democracy an enemy, their best bet for keeping power is to negate the opposition’s argument by opening up on the civil liberties platform. The court ruling to dissolve Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK), a…
Well, it looks like those protests going on in Donetsk are coming to an end after the Supreme Court declared Yushchenko the winner. Today the superintendent of the camp, Ivan Batytskyj, said: ???????We are moving off. We received an order???????. According to his words, during the day the tents are to be removed. It was cute while it lasted.
The Belmont Club has an excellent thusfar three-part piece called “The Lost Elections.” Here is part one, part 2, and part 3. The title sounds negative, but they are very positive pieces. Check’em out.
Ukrainian politician Stepan Gavrish made a bet with another politician for a train car of cognac. The bet was over whether the people would vote in favor of change and reform this election round, and Stepan apparently won. I’m not sure how authentic this website is, because this guy was Yanukovich’s representative to the Central Election Commission and betting against him would be a no-no. “If I do not get my cognac, everyone will know this person’s name. If I succeed, I will be ready to share the prize with journalists,” the deputy said. But if it’s true, I suppose…
I was emailed by abdymok this morning with an article of his that clears up the article written by the New York Times about how the Ukraine secret police stopped the government from attacking the protesters. Stanislav Reutsky doesn????????t write spy novels for a living. But to hear the story of the 15-year veteran journalist????????s recent run-in with the nation????????s top spy agency, you????????d think he might want to start. … Serhiy Popkov, the commander of troops from Ukraine????????s Interior Ministry, dismissed the charge. He responded curtly in an interview with the national daily tabloid Segodnya on Jan. 18 saying…
Siberian Light has a rather impressive news roundup for this week in Russia. I count thirty items, ranging from domestic, business, foriegn relations, the CIS, and a little something extra that includes call girls and Putin all in the same sentence.
According to the Financial Times, the UN will not oversee elections in Iraq. The UN says it cannot observe the January 30 poll because it played a role in setting up the elections, and no other international organisation has stepped in to offer assistance. The absence of international monitoring could undermine confidence in the results of elections that are already threatened by widespread voter intimidation and the boycott of Sunni Arab parties. But I’m sure the New York Times will be right at the forefront ready to declare the election a disaster. In fact, put me down a few bucks…
This really doesn’t come as a surprise anymore. WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Vice President Dick Cheney said on Thursday that Iran was at the top of the administration’s list of world trouble spots and expressed concern that Israel “might well decide to act first” to eliminate any nuclear threat from Tehran. Israel might act first? I’d rather bet in conjunction, whether we acknowledge it or not. “If, in fact, the Israelis became convinced the Iranians had significant nuclear capability, given the fact that Iran has a stated policy that their objective is the destruction of Israel, the Israelis might well decide…
Well, John Hawkins at Right Wing News is doing a list of his Top 40, so I thought I’d throw my hat in. Except I’ll do 20, because 40 is simply too much, and my favorites tend to already be on the blogroll. In any case though, I ranked these based on the fervor at which I read them, how often they are updated, and how relevant they are to what I’m interested in. Which is a variety of things, but you’ll notice a trend I think. 20. Belmont Club 19. Diplomad 18. Bloggledygook 17. INBB 16. Powerline 15. Daniel…
Read the entire post. Bookmarked.
I just ran across the most bizarre article asking that very question. And while I have been given the impression that Tymoshenko is a very ambitious woman, perhaps a tad much, this piece lacks so much substance, is written with so much bias, and contains no verifiable quotes that I wouldn’t put it on a higher rank than “tabloid yellow journalism.”
The Drudge Report is reporting (hence the name) that British newspapers are seizing on mocking President Bush’s promise to fight tyranny. The TELEGRAPH slapped: “DEFIANT BUSH DOESN’T MENTION THE WAR, President George W Bush began his second term in unapologetic style yesterday, pledging to maintain his muscular foreign policy and spread freedom “to the darkest corners of the world.” The TIMES rips: “HIS SECOND-TERM MISSION: TO END TYRANNY ON EARTH, Four years ago he was the Accidental President, scion of a ruling family propelled into the highest office more by genetics and duty than by political zeal and ideological mission.”…
The Argus has a huge roundup of news from all over Central Asia.
Here’s a roundup from the Ukrainian blogosphere, some reactions to the very good news! Scott Clark from Foreign Notes talks about the terrible behavior of Yanukovich’s lawyers. Members of the Supreme are purported to have been infuriated at the arguments made by Yanukovych’s attorneys. Apparently, the arguments were more heat and heated than logical or legal. And it couldn’t have helped that they brought in some Swiss attorneys to make a part of their case either. Because of the fact that they didn’t speak Russian or Ukrainian, any argument from them couldn’t have come over any better than a lecture.…
Hossein Derakhshan from “Editor: Myself,” and a guy I respect very much, has posted his concerns over if Bush is referring to invading Iran in his inauguration speech. But, as an Iranian, I have to say who doesn’t like peace and freedom? But what Bush has brought Iraq is not — and will probably not — be freedom and peace. So if I was sure that by invading Iran, innocent civilian wouldn’t get killed by American “smart bombs”, public facilities wouldn’t be looted, and women and children wouldn’t be raped or kidnapped, and generally the country would be in a…