Blogging the democratic revolution
Here is a news roundup for March 8, in as close to chronological order as I think I can get (input welcome!)and then various perspectives from the region’s bloggers, filling out details the media has missed. I will update as more info becomes available. If anyone sees more good Bolivian blogs I have missed, please let me know either on the comments board or at my email: ammorayleon at gmail.com There are huge ups and downs in Bolivia and its story moves like mercury – every time I go back to check on stories, dramatic new developments happen – almost…
Sorry guys, I’m still working on my research paper. In the meantime, check out The Argus for the latest on the protests underway in Kyrgyzstan on the run up to the re-run this Sunday.
Very busy today, but Daniel is covering the whole thing over at Bloggledygook. Make sure to check it all out. I seem to have a fetish with them, so I’ll do a huge post on the implications of Hizb’allah in Lebanon’s political stratosphere tomorrow.
Just about the time that democracies start sprouting all over, Red China would like to remind everybody not to feel too good: BEIJING — China unveiled a law Tuesday authorizing an attack if Taiwan moves toward formal independence, increasing pressure on the self-ruled island while warning other countries not to interfere. The United States said Beijing should reconsider. Taiwan denounced the legislation as a “blank check to invade” and announced war games aimed at repelling an attack. “If possibilities for a peaceful reunification should be completely exhausted, the state shall employ nonpeaceful means and other necessary measures to protect China’s…
Bolivia’s president has won! Just as one of our excellent Bolivian bloggers, MABB’s Miguel told us yesterday, Bolivia’s President Carlos Mesa has won! Congress this morning voted to reject his resignation. The People Power revolution has beaten Evo Morales and all his mob soundly. Pres. Mesa stays, and not only that, he’s now in a position of political strength! A weak state may now become a strong, effective one. Pres. Mesa, who’s a well-regarded, even-handed non-partisan political leader, may be just the one who can help Bolivia along in its national development. This is tremendous news! Bolivia has won! Will…
This is just a friendly notice that Andy from Siberian Light has purchased a blogad, money that will go toward paying our hosting costs. He has a very good blog that I reference often, and he also provides huge weekly news roundups of what’s going on in Russia. Check him out.
Yes, the Yulia Look is it. And not just the hair.
Regime Change Iran’s latest briefing has some news that is even more interesting than usual. Take a look: Iranian opposition leaders creating a united front against the Islamic Republic. One day after 565 dissidents in Iran published their open letter against the Iranian regime, a major coalition of Iran expatriates announced they are gathering to launch the long awaited “Iranian Opposition Council.” Tens of respected leaders and well known activists representing various Iranian political organizations, ranging from republican to monarchist, will be traveling from all parts of the U.S. and European cities to participate in a meeting this next Sunday…
Now, we all know about the huge surge of protests in Lebanon. I have also reported on the protests in Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, and Moldova. But what else is going on in the world? Let’s take a quick look. Kuwait After years and years of waiting, the Kuwaiti parliament is speeding up legislation for women’s suffrage. About 500 women demonstrated. KUWAIT (Reuters) – Around 500 Kuwaiti activists, mostly women, have demonstrated outside parliament to demand female suffrage amidst tensions in the Gulf Arab state over a government drive to grant women political rights. “Women’s rights now,” chanted the crowd, which included…
Three decades after the late President Anwar Sadat announced the infitah, or economic opening, of Egypt, has the Gift of the Nile finally fulfilled predictions in becoming an economic Tiger on the Nile? A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported that Egypt’s stock market has risen 32% this year, the fastest rate among significant emerging markets, and this after gains of 81% and 119% over the past two years. Some of the credit must go to Prime Minister Ahmad Nazif, whose team has cut corporate taxes, income taxes (by half) and custom tariffs (by almost half).…
In my recent post, Has Qadafi Caught the Spirit?, I wrote that there were mixed signs that Libya’s ruler, Mu’amar Qadafi, was committed to ending his country’s economic and political isolation. In today’s Al-Quds Al-Arabi, it was reported that Libya plans to cut 46,000 government jobs over the next year. As the article notes, Libya has 862,000 government workers, a huge figure when you consider that the country’s entire population is only a little over five million. Libya’s Prime Minister, Muhammad Mu’atuq, stated that some of the positions were to be eliminated through privatization, pushing them into “other productive work.”…
Bill from Dawn’s Early Light let me know about a conversation between himself and Simon from Simon World discussing the future of U.S.-Sino relations. Being that Simon is both a smart guy and lives in Hong Kong, he knows what he’s talking about. Check it out.
Don’t give up on Kyrgyzstan just yet! Gateway Pundit initially brought the story to our attention. “The authorities are losing control of the situation. Current developments in southern Kyrgyzstan, where a rally has been going on since March 4, suggest that not only the opposition, but also the people want change in the authorities,” said Otunbayeva. “The opposition has ample strength and opportunity to assume leadership of the popular movement. But we want to tackle these problems legally,” she said. … The Kyrgyz parliament is preparing to gather for an emergency session on March 10, Zeina Kurmanov, leader of the…
That’s what the banners are saying in the latest protest in Beirut: The crowd included a number of die-hard protesters who have been camping out at Martyrs’ Square, homemakers, men who took the day off from work, university students and others who traveled from other areas of the country. In a jab at Syrian President Bashar al-Asad, who in a speech on Saturday said television cameras were zooming in closely on the Lebanese protesters to make the numbers appear more, several held banners reading: “Zoom Out!” One legislator speaking to the crowd yelled out the same phrase during her speech.…
Up to 150,000 opposition activists rallied in Martyr’s Square chanting, “Syria Out!” and waving Lebanese flags: Monday’s demonstration marked three weeks since the Feb. 14 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri that began a peaceful campaign against Syrian control. The massive crowd, chanting “Freedom, sovereignty, independence!” began marching through the streets to the site of the bomb blast that killed Hariri. Some in the crowd carried large photographs of Hariri. One group carried a banner that read, “Today we have one target: To liberate our land.” Others brandished photographs of the public prosecutor and six intelligence chiefs whose dismissal they…
Who knew? The exit polls were pretty accurate. The president of ex-Soviet Moldova, a former ally of Moscow now committed to European integration, looked well placed in a parliamentary election on Sunday with an exit poll giving his Communists a healthy lead. But the poll also showed two opposition parties doing well enough to deny the Communists under President Vladimir Voronin the outright majority they currently enjoy. Voronin, who campaigned on forging closer ties with the West, accuses Russia of interference by helping separatists in the Russian-speaking Dnestr region. The Communists’ rivals say they lack democratic credentials and intend to…
With the anti-Syrian protests underway in Lebanon right now grabbing the headlines, a reader asked for some background on the situation and an explanation of the various factions involved. The purpose of this post is to provide that background. THE OTTOMAN ERA (1517-1918) It might be said that modern Lebanon has its roots in the centuries of Ottoman rule. Historically, what is now Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan were all part of what might be called “Greater Syria.” (Although Palestine, and Jerusalem especially, was often occupied by whatever power dominated Egypt.) The coastal cities of Syria had a history of…
UPDATED, UPDATED: Bolivia’s President Carlos Mesa turned in his resignation to Congress this morning. (Link updated). Congress, which is led by opposition lawmakers, will vote on whether to accept it Tuesday in a special session. The gas-rich country’s been a tragic failed state for about a year and a half, but this could be a major turn for the worse, or else a bold bid by Pres. Mesa to rally support from the public. There is still uncertainty about what sort of government is to follow. There is considerable suspicion about the role of Venezuela in creating the crisis. Last…
Dan McMinn at Orange Ukraine has a great post comparing “normalcy” in Ukraine in 2004 to normalcy in 2005. From the end: I’ve been having a debate, of sorts, with one of those folks who still believe “Yushchenko has ushered in fascism”. His only major argument, so far, is that Yushchenko’s call for all public officials not to visit the sauna is a major limit on people’s freedom. If you really want to, you can read our exchange here. I’d just like to say that when the worst I have to bicker with him about is a slightly silly political…
Nobody is more on top of the municipal election than John Burgess. Check out his post on voting in the east, and the more recent in Najran.
Andy over at Siberian Light has the week’s worth of Russian news up at his blog.
Blogger Daniel Duquenal in Venezuela reports existing conditions and probable coming food shortages at Mercal, the regime’s subsidized food stores where Venezuelan locals are being conditioned to accept food rationing and to wait in long lines. Communism is much further along than we had previously thought in dictator Hugo Chavez’s regime. Be sure to read the valuable, and alarming, account right here.
In what can only be seen as terrifying, Hizb’allah has backed Syria against the opposition and “western inference.” Because of this, the situation has just become much more dangerous than it was previously. They are not only a powerful political party, but the only one with arms. BEIRUT (Reuters) – Hizbollah, Lebanon’s most powerful party, threw its weight against Syria’s opponents on Sunday, calling for a peaceful mass rally in central Beirut on Tuesday in support of Damascus and against Western meddling. The Shi’ite Muslim group, which has the largest following in the country and is the only one with…
Regime Change Iran has its week in review of Iran news. Lots of interesting, underreported news there.
With all that’s been going on in the Middle East lately, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s happening elsewhere. At Bloggledygook I have an update on the situation in Ukraine, including the latest on the supposed suicide of Yuri Kravchenko and the implications of his demise.