Blogging the democratic revolution
So, as you read earlier, I’ll be in New York City all day today for the Pajamas Media shindig at the Rainbow Room. Publius will therefore look more like a LiveJournal today, with me liveblogging and adding to this post all day long. As I write this, it’s 6:30 in the morning. I arrived about an hour ago having took the 2 a.m. bus over, and now I’m hanging out in McDonald’s (albeit, by myself) and using the wifi. I’ve got three hours to burn, what should I do in the meantime? 10:00am: We’re setting up here at the Rainbow…
I’ll be going to the Pajamas Media launch tomorrow in New York City. But first I have to get there. And since I’m too cheap to get a hotel, I’m leaving on the 2 a.m. bus! We might be taking a bit of a detour tomorrow then, with some liveblogging of the conference, pictures, all that good stuff. It’ll be fun.
I’ve never been one to put it past Assad to have much class, but this is a bit much. The Syrian government has called unequivocally, through its state-run media, for people to take to the streets of Beirut in order to topple Lebanon’s first independently elected government. Anyone else thinks the heat is starting to get to his head? Syria has called through its state-controlled Damascus daily Tishreen for a massive demonstration in Beirut Thursday to overthrow Premier Saniora’s government as Lebanon’s confrontation with the Assad regime and its Lebanese supporters seems to be climbing to a new peak. The…
After nearly three weeks of silence when France was in a desperate time of need for leadership, President Chirac finally made a speech on television outlining his plan for solving the root problems that caused the violent suburban riots. He spoke bluntly of France’s problem with racism, a change of political discourse quite refreshing, but failed completely to recommend fundamental changes to the French social model. Instead of proposals to officially acknowledge the existence of racial demographics and create the economic conditions by which opportunity and growth can occur, he has proposed that the model for integration should remain unchanged.…
The main Ugandan opposition leader has been arrested and charged with treason, sparking riots all over the country. VIOLENCE broke out in Kampala yesterday after Kizza Besigye, the opposition leader and presidential hopeful, was arrested and charged with treason. If found guilty, he could face the death penalty. Police fired teargas and rubber bullets at thousands of protesters on the streets of the capital. One man was reported to have been shot dead as he tried to loot a shopping centre. Telephone booths were left smouldering on the pavements, and government vehicles were overturned and set on fire as rioters…
President Putin made some cabinet shuffles today. It’s looking interesting. MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin gave his defense minister the additional post of deputy prime minister Monday in a Cabinet shake-up he said was designed to bolster efforts to improve Russia’s military. At a cabinet meeting shown on television station NTV, Putin said the appointment of Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov was aimed at overcoming a lack of coordination among ministries. Putin also named his chief of staff Dmitry Medvedev to become first deputy prime minister. Both Medvedev and Ivanov have been seen as potential candidates to run for president in…
Egyptian blogger Abdal Karim Soliman was released from jail after a massive effort pressing for his release. He had been arrested simply for what he wrote on his blog, which was a denunciation of attacks by Muslims on a Coptic nun. It sparked an outrage in the Egyptian blogosphere, prompting a worldwide campaign on his behalf. Bloggers wrote posts to create the buzz, readers wrote letters to the Egyptian embassy, and it took off from there. The Egyptian government finally buckled and released him. It was the end of The Sandmonkey’s post, however, that made me start thinking about this…
Have a good weekend everyone. Like always, blogging resumes on Monday!
After more than a half century of war and the threat of nuclear disaster, in which tens of thousands of civilians have been killed by military personnel and terrorist groups, peace between India and Pakistan may closer than ever. Ever since the threat of a new war in 2002 sparked international fears of nuclear annihilation on the subcontinent, the two countries have been initiating negotiations and confidence-building measures that are unprecedented in their long running conflict over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Both countries scaled down the amount of troops along the border in 2002, and then in 2003 issued…
Last week, CUD opposition leaders called for people to take to the streets against Prime Minister Meles, who has become ever more authoritarian following fraudulent parliamentary elections. When they did, the police descended on the demonstrators and killed hundreds, injuring thousands more. They then rounded up the CUD opposition leaders and threw them all in jail. Now, it appears that they will be charged with treason for encouraging people to speak out a regime that surpresses self-evident human rights. Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi yesterday said that leaders of the main opposition party would be charged with treason, accusing them…
A few days ago I predicted that the riots in France would become fodder for the French far-right — the Le Pen and National Front types oft considered xenophobic zealots. Because of the high amounts of violence coming from immigrants, and the weak response by the government, politics will move further to the right. Le Pen will look more appealing, and the governing center-right will have to move further right in order to compete. That’s the gist anyway, so make sure to read the whole article. Well, guess what? It just may be coming true already. Once the flames, if…
Egypt held it’s parliamentary elections earlier today. Here’s a great overview of what it’s all about and what’s at stake. Here is another list of resources. They marked a huge improvement over the last parliamentary elections, with almost no instances of violence. It’s a step, but still a leap away from real elections. Here’s a Christian Science Monitor article relating the event. CAIRO, EGYPT ???????? Egypt, with its restrictions on free speech and organization, remains a long way from being a democracy. But the government made good on its promises Wednesday to open up its political system. Unlike Egypt’s last…
There are a lot more blogs from Belarus now than there was when Publius was first started. Given that Belarus is biggest focuses for democracy promotion going, I think it would be good to get out the word on some of these blogs; which, by the way, make for very good and interesting reading. – Tobias Ljungvall on Belarus: Expert and author on Belarus, blogging with unique insight. – The BEING HAD Times: An American based in Pinsk, Belarus, writing about issues in the country. – BR23 Blog: Blogging about issues straight out of Minsk, Belarus. If you’re interested in…
A crowd of over 15,000 demonstrators gathered in Baku’s Victory Square to protest Sunday’s fraudulent elections. The protests had been sanctioned by the government for today, but it is unlikely that further protests will be officially allowed. Opposition leaders have vowed to continue taking to the streets through the weekend, and if history is any indication, riot police will try to quell any unsanctioned protests. The good news is that several groups outside of the main opposition alliance have joined in, which means that the number can only grow from here. The oppositional block “Azadliq” along with “Yeni Siyaset” ÄNew…
Jacques Chirac was swept into power in the runoff presidential election of 2002 with 82% of the vote. He achieved this unprecedented tally because his opponent was Jean-Marie Le Pen, a xenophobic man often called a French fascist. Le Pen’s defeat was preceded by a million man march in which the whole country, except for far-right National Front voters, rejected his anti-immigrant and racist views. They wouldn’t allow France to become the kind of vision that Le Pen wanted, which left him with a mere 17% of the vote. The election campaign that year says quite a bit about the…
Investor’s Business Daily has an excellent editorial up about President Bush’s visit to Argentina for discussion about the FTAA. It lashes at the negative media portrayal here in the United States, despite the fact that the vast majority of countries are on board with it. Make sure to check it out.
Maybe this is why I’m so hesitant about Chinese aggression in the future: SHANGHAI: When it comes to their sex lives, Chinese are among those who “can’t get no satisfaction.” Chinese are among the groups that are the least happy with their sex lives, according to the 2005 Global Sex Survey results released yesterday by Durex condom company. Only 22 per cent of Chinese surveyed said they are satisfied with their sex life. On a global scale, 44 per cent of all adults claim to be happy with it. Look for China to, uh, dominate Taiwan at some point.
California Conservative has a roundup of the special election in California. Wholly believing that long-engrained special interests control the government there and have morphed it to efficiently serve their needs instead of those of the people, I believe that these reforms have been a long way coming and need to pass. I generally don’t support referendums because of the concept of “enlightened democracy” which is supposed to take place in the state legislature, but that institution has become so self-serving that this has to be taken straight to the people. Let’s hope this goes through!
Here’s a quick roundup about what all the regional blogs are saying, and then below that will be the aftermath of election day. – New Eurasia is blogging a storm. Just scroll. It includes on the ground reporting, pictures of campaign posters, exit poll information, and an appearance by Ariel Cohen calling the election the most fair he’s ever seen in the former USSR. – A lot at Registan too. Again, just scroll! – Scroll at Blogrel, as Katy is on the ground in Baku.
Parliamentary elections are due to be held in Azerbaijan on November 6, and the opposition hasn’t held back in making it known that it intends to attempt a colored revolution in the event of fraud. However, most observers believe that this event will be more violent than velvet, a repeat of the October 2003 street battles between thousands of incited protestors and security forces. The riots are inevitable, as their basis will be the faulty conduct of the campaigning process and the elections, and they will simply be nowhere near perfect. There will no doubt be an attempted revolution tomorrow.…
There will be a large demonstration in Boston tomorrow in support of the more than 20 million slaves left in the world. It is hosted by iAbolish, an organization bringing together the modern-day abolitionist movement. This is a really good cause to get involved with. I’m posting all the relevant information below. If you want more, just click here! I know I’ll be there! ******** We invite you to attend the 2005 FREEDOM MARCH on Sunday, November 6th in Boston, MA from noon until 2:00 PM . The march offers a unique opportunity for fellow abolitionists to come together in…
After the opposition called for protests against the government over the fradulent May elections, and people began taking to the streets of Addis Ababa on Tuesday, the unrest has spread beyond the cities with thousands of people demonstrating against the government. Could this be the start of a revolution, or will this one be silenced just as those before it? Addis Ababa – Thousands of students took to the streets in several Ethiopian cities Friday as unrest to protest a government crackdown on the opposition spread beyond the capital. Four people were killed and 11 injured, state television reported. Prime…
It’s time for the Summit of the Americas again, and that means leftists from all over will be flocking to Argentina to protest… well, they don’t really know what, they just know that oil-stealing Bush guy from Texas will be there. And they’ll be in great company, with the likes of Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and Cindy Sheheen. I can already imagine them all sitting together and enjoying tea and crumpets. George Bush left his problems at home yesterday only to find himself flying into a whole new world of hurt at the Summit of Americas in Argentina, where tens…
Senators Bill Frist and Richard Lugar have taken the initiative in Congress and presented a resolution calling for the fair treatment of Sanjar Umarov, the Uzbek opposition politician who has presented the most reasonable challenge to President Karimov so far. He was detained in late October. Here’s the text of the resolution. The resolution prompted the White House to issue a similar statement of support for Umarov and condemnation of the Karimov government. WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) – The United States issued a sharp rebuke to the Uzbek government on Wednesday over the arrest of opposition leader Sanjar Umarov and…