Blogging the democratic revolution
This is a roundup for the Egyptian blogosphere (plus some other Arab blogs) and the protests against terrorism which they are organizing. I’ll be updating this post as I get new links. I would like to note that I was in Luxor, Egypt in December 1997, shortly after the gunning down of foreign tourists at…
Kofi Annan is mad. That’s right, Robert Mugabe is still plundering the entire country of Zimbabwe, and Kofi has to take time away from shredding Oil-for-Food documents to read a 100 page report about it. Hey, if I were the head of an ineffective international institution and I had to read about something I couldn’t…
I have already discussed thoroughly the ongoing trade embargo that Syria is imposing on Lebanon. By closing off the border, Syria is effectively shutting out Lebanon’s only means by which to transport their goods to the rest of the Arab world. This in the middle of an enormous fiscal crisis worth upwords of $30 billion….
Kurds in western Iran, on the border with Iraqi Kurdistan, have been engaging in massive unrest following the election. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty has superb background on the story as usual. Unrest among Kurds living in western Iran, which has been continuing for several weeks, has prompted a government investigation that began on…
Here’s an interesting article at The Messenger, an English-language Georgian newspaper. Additionally, here at a Ukrainian news site, there’s a brief report on Israeli investment in Ukraine, noting that over the most recent half year “foreign capital amount increased 16 times in comparison with the same period of the last year.”
On July 19th I posted on a leak of the draft Iraqi bill of rights, which was published in Arabic on June 30 and translated to English on July 6. After I posted about that draft, a new one was released on July 20 and subsequently translated by Nathan Brown at the Carnegie Endowment for…
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice decided to pay a surprise visit to Beirut, Lebanon this fine Friday. The purpose of the visit is to give support to the new government after the withdrawal of Syria. Here are the details: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Beirut on Friday for a surprise visit, the…
Andy “Now that’s what I call inflation!” Young has come across a few gems detailing the incredible rate that corruption and bribe payments are growing in Russia since just after Putin took the presidency. In fact, sincev2001, the average bribe has grown 10-fold. INDEM’s “Corruption in Russia: Dynamics and Perspectives” report claims the average bribe…
We have often speculated about who and where Cuba’s Babes of Politics, the women opposed to the Fidel Castro regime, are. I have found them, I will leave you with their riveting story opposing Castro and a NYT photo that takes care of business: Quote from one of the dancers: “An artist will always be…
I just wrote an article about trade as the needed force for democratization in Africa. I think it’s really good and would like to try to get it published. Not to mention I have tuition to pay, so getting a little bit of cash would be cool too. Can anyone here get me in touch…
Last week I noted a leaked memo from the Kremlin discussing its fear of the collapse of the republic of Dagestan, located in the North Caucasus. In essense, their ultra repressive tactics against separatist Chechnya has led to an endless cycle of repression, which breeds extremism, which earns an even more repressive repsonse from Moscow….
In new news, more bombs in London: Three London Underground stations were evacuated at midday Thursday, and the London police commissioner confirmed that four explosions occurred in the subway and on a bus. The Fire Brigade was investigating a report of smoke at one station. And in a follow-up to old news, it looks like…
People in Kenya’s capital of Nairobi demonstrated for the second day against proposed constitutional changes that will leave the country with a watered down premiership and an ultimately authoritative presidency. The government has banned the demonstrations, but protestors say they will take to the streets for a third day. Clashes are also being reported in…
It looks like there is a mass mobilization against the self-serving and corrupt government. Check it out: SANA????????A ???????? Violence spread through a number of cities in Yemen on Wednesday, July 20, resulting in a number of deaths and numerous injuries, as protestors displayed their anger at price increases imposed on fuel and gas. The…
The OSCE declared these elections partially free, noting substantial progress in this election compared to previous ones. Normally I wouldn’t be so critical of those filing complaints about irregularities, but RFE/RL makes a solid point against the people doing it in this case. Albania’s Central Election Commission agreed on 19 July to repeat the 3…
Talk about straightforward. Earlier in the week, Georgian President Saakashvili lashed out at Belarus President Lukashenko for having “no understanding of democracy.” During a visit to Italy, he has made a direct comment, in line with international actions being taken, saying that Belarus will be next to experience a velvet revolution. Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili…
This essay, by Gustavo Coronel, tells the real lowdown on how Cuban “doctors” live in Venezuela. It’s incredibly good, compiled with all primary sources. I have never seen a better essay on this topic. It’s today’s must-read. Don’t miss it. Read it here.
It’s all over the place and in all sorts of forms. Venezuelans everywhere are protesting the remodelling of their once-great country into beggar-state failed Cuba. It’s intolerable. Our friend GatewayPundit has great photos and analysis not seen in the media. Read it here. Our friend Fausta has equally worthy stuff, plus one of the grossest…
After several attempts at presenting various cabinet line ups, President Lahoud has finally approved a package of ministers worked out by Premier-designate Seniora that will form the whole of the new government. Again, can someone say finally? It’s been exactly a month now since parliamentary elections were held. Now, Seniora will begin working with the…
The al-Mada newspaper on June 30 published what is apparently a draft version of the equivalent to the Bill Of Rights that is being worked on by a subcommittee in the Iraqi legislature. Omar from Iraq The Model first reported this on that day and provided his commentary on the document, but ultimately it was…
The OSCE has been monitoring the electoral process and situation in Kyrgyzstan since the Tulip Revolution and has said that the polls have led to “tangible progress” for democracy and have made the country more stable. 18 July 2005 (RFE/RL) — An official from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said today that…
The leader of the Christian political party Lebanese Forces, who has been in jail for over eleven years, has been given parole by the new parliament, thus securing one of the major demands of the original anti-Syrian opposition. Church bells rang across Lebanon’s Christian heartland Monday as parliament overwhelmingly passed a parole bill that put…
The Russian youth group “Nashi,” created not all that long ago, has been pledged to by the Kremlin to be the heirs of the government. They are among the most energetic of Putin supporters, often reported to have resorted to violence when dealing with those of opposing views. A Kremlin spin doctor has promised to…
Russ Mitchell is hosting this week’s carnival of revolutions, so check that out to catch up on what’s been going on the past week.
Booker Rising, a neat blog for Black-American conservatives and moderates reports approvingly that two tiny Caribbean states, Trinidad & Tobago, and Barbados, showed the presence mind to tell Hugo Chavez and his smothering oil deal ‘no.’ Both self-respecting nations cited their national interest in different ways – Hugo Chavez’s artificial oil prices would undercut Trinidad’s…