Blogging the democratic revolution
I will be updating this post throughout the day as events unfold. Don’t forget to check out the photos and videos of world-wide protests for this cause. Here are more pictures. BLOGS TO CHECK OUT: Caveman in Beirut, Across the Bay, and Syria Comment. The colors are red and white, in accordance with the nation’s flag — minus the green — and I have seen in a few places the term Cedar Revolution. According to Lebanonwire, 10,000 people have poured into Martyr’s Square between late Sunday night and 5:00 this morning, despite a ban on protests: BEIRUT, Feb 28 (AFP)…
I just caught wind of this on the news. The Israeli government will shortly announce a transcript of orders delivered by the Syrian government to the terrorist group that carried out the attack in Tel Aviv. I haven’t been able to find an article on the net as of yet, but will post one as soon as I do. My prediction: If anything, Monday is the day of the Lebanese revolution. If Israel attacks and destabilizes Syria for any amount of time during this, they will lose control of the situation there and Lebanon will go free. Who knows what…
Take a look at consultative council just advised: DUBAI (AFP) – Academics and members of the appointed consultative council in the United Arab Emirates came out in favor of elections in the Persian Gulf state, arguing that it could not stay out of the regional trend toward elected bodies. When millions of Arabs in Palestine, Iraq and Saudi Arabia have gone to the polls, the UAE cannot continue to lag behind, Professor Abdul Khaleq Abdullah of the UAE University told the English-language daily Khaleej Times. “I strongly support the idea of having elected members” in the Federal National Council, said…
UPDATE: Read this post, and then continue on to my new post following the protests that are under way. In the latest developments from Lebanon, the government fears a showdown: Lebanon was headed for a showdown between the opposition and the security forces as thousands of demonstrators massed late today in Beirut in defiance of a ban on protests by the pro-Syrian government. Shouting “Syria out” and waving the Lebanese flag, the protesters converged on the central Martyr’s Square as hundreds of heavily armed troops aided by police deployed jeeps and trucks to the main crossroads leading to the square.…
A couple of days ago, I posted the full transcript of the press conference between President Bush and Putin after their meeting. In that post, I highlighted in bold what I thought were remarks worth noting and looking into. One journalist, in particular, threw a weird question out there, asking: To follow up on the issue of democratic institutions, President Bush recently stated that the press in Russia is not free. What is this lack of freedom all about? Your aides probably mentioned to you that our media, both electronic and our printed media, have full coverage on the manifestations…
CLIFFNOTES: 1) Mubarak’s announcement and actions seek to legitimize his own government, not reform. 2) Opposition has little time to develop a massive grass roots campaign. 3) This does open a window for regime change if actions outside of Mubarak’s control occur. Alright, so I’m a little skeptical. From the Christian Science Monitor: BEIRUT AND CAIRO ???????? When Egyptians head to the polls later this year to elect a president, they will face something they have never seen before on the ballots: options. In a surprise announcement Saturday, Egypt’s long-ruling president, Hosni Mubarak, ordered constitutional changes that would open the…
I emailed Nathan over at The Argus what he thought about the lack of protests, or anything for that matter, in regards to the Tajik elections. Here is his insight: I think the thing is that Kyrgyzstan is kind of deceptive. Akayev has run the place more or less like a normal country, and people have gotten a taste for the comparative freedom they’ve enjoyed. It’s hard to describe, but the country struck me as incredible after I’d been in Uzbekistan for about a year. People are laid back, all kinds of products are available, and you can get margaritas!…
Zed just let me know of his latest Daily Burma post. There is a new publication in Canada that is the first in North America to print in Burmese! Check it out, he has the PDF file of one of its issues.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has a great primer on the events there. Here is the first, second, and third parts in the series. Make sure to check out the RFE/RL feature page on the election. Nathan also has a huge roundup. This article explains procedure for monitors, and while the headline says there are no violations, this says differently: BISHKEK. Feb 27 (Interfax) – A Kyrgyz opposition leader said violations have been reported in Sunday????????s parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan. ???????Reports have been arriving since the morning about flagrant violations of election regulations and about the use of administrative pressure during…
This will be a post updated continuously through Sunday. I am going to sleep right now and will begin when I wake up. until then, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has a great primer on the events there. Here is part one, two, three, and four. And make sure to check out RFE/RL’s feature page on Tajikistan. There is apparently high voter turnout already: Prague, 27 February 2005 — Voter turnout at polling stations in Tajikistan early today was reported to be higher than during parliamentary elections in 2000. In some areas, reports say voters were lining up at polling station…
It’s only for two days, so don’t worry too much about it. I have a lot of work to do in my school life. We’re performing a mock trial on Saturday and I need to be prepared for it. I also have a lot of essays to write as the quarter comes to a close. Sunday, though, is the date set for the Kyrgyx and Tajik parliamentary elections. That will be my pet issue for the entire day. Monday, the no-confidence vote goes to the Lebanese parliament, a day I have been hedging bets will be a big day for…
Rather unprecedented: President Chen Shui-bian yesterday reiterated that he will not seek Taiwan’s independence, as he and opposition leader James Soong issued a rare joint statement agreeing to put aside partisan interest in pursuit of cross-strait peace. The head of state and the People First Party chief issued the joint statement after meeting behind closed doors for more than two hours in the first fence-mending talks in four politically tumultuous years. They said in order to protect Taiwan’s interests, it is vital to “find viable solutions to the issues of importance, that being: permanent peace across the Taiwan Strait, and…
Not anything to get worked up over: BEIRUT, Feb 25 (AFP) – Syria, under intense international pressure to end its tight military and political grip on neighbouring Lebanon, prepared Friday to redeploy its troops toward the border, Lebanese officials said. That news came as Al-Arabiya television said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had demanded that Damascus pull its troops out of Lebanon by April or face “measures” from the Security Council. But Annan’s spokesman denied the report, issuing a clarification. Damascus’ move comes as the Syrian-backed Beirut government was braced for a parliamentary no-confidence vote, which could bring to a…
Read what it is. I think a lot of people have this dream.
Zed is back from his break, and is keeping us up to date with a new Daily Burma. Check it out!
I liked this article, because I think humor sets a good mindset. KHOST, AFGHANISTAN – Mubariz Bidar would give Robin Williams a run for his money. He’s an Afghan comic who has this city – once ruled by severe Taliban – howling at their former oppressors. His spot-on impressions of everyone from a Taliban soldier to an Afghan drug addict would have even Mullah Omar giggling into his turban. At a recent impromptu performance, Mubariz wraps on a long black turban – a favorite Taliban accessory – and twists his face into a scowl. He grabs a Kalashnikov to complete…
Andy has got his weekly round up news from Russia, focusing on domestic, foreign, near-abroad, and business. Well, that’s just about everything. Did I mention it’s Andy’s birthday? Go over and give him so love.
Orange Revolution reports that PORA has acquired contacts among uncountable numbers of youth in Russia, and that they are seeking ways to have a movement of their own. Yabloko’s Youth wing and a new movement “Moving without Putin” have signed a pact to consolidate youth groups opposed to the Putin regime. PORA has reported the expansion of contacts with Russian youth seeking to replicate the success of the Orange Revolution: That’s a good sign. In other countries such as those in Central Asia, opposition groups are fragmented, which makes it much harder to carry out their opposing. The consolidation of…
Reading over the actual transcript of the press conference has been a lot more interesting than just reading the news articles about that. I guess those in the press just haven’t caught on to my tastes yet, but I can forgive them for now. At the beginning of the press conference, both President Bush and Putin give their littles speeches. The action didn’t start until the newspeople started asking their loaded questions… something that made for even better answers. You’ve got to love it. I’ve put in bold some parts of interest; things that many of us have wondered about.…
I came across an article a couple of days ago detailing how Russia killed some Chechen rebels by using gas and storming the building. Russian troops on Sunday used heavy weaponry and gas to kill three rebels holed up in a house near Chechnya, local media reported. The rebels were besieged in an apartment block for more than a day, before dozens of special forces troops with armored vehicles subdued them, leaving their apartment in flames, Reuters news agency reported. Now, what I’m getting at is not how dire the situation is between these two factions, but the use of…
Nathan has got today’s roundup posted. Along with some cool buttons I’m going to ad to the side bar.
Not only are people taking to the streets in huge numbers, but now business, banking, and industrial leaders will be totally shutting down on the Monday vote of confidence in the government. BEIRUT, Feb 23 (AFP) – Leaders of Lebanon’s banking, industrial and commercial sectors said they would shut down next Monday to demand the country’s pro-Syrian government resign and that a “neutral” one replace it. The strike would coincide with an expected vote of confidence in parliament, two weeks after the murder of former premier Rafiq Hariri in a bomb blast for which the opposition has pinned blame on…
Abdymok has a great interview with a Dmytro Potekhin, who details how preparations for the Orange Revolution began, and how the money donated by some organizations was used. even amid all the media speculation about ???????revolution templates??????? last fall, few reported what pro-democracy activists were actually doing to set the stage for the non-stop demonstration against voting fraud that erupted in kyiv on nov. 22. Good point. And a good reason to read the interview.