Stories about Politics from May, 2011
Bahamas, Jamaica: Caribbean Climate Change
Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe is “all for going green voluntarily…and in time”, while Labrish Jamaica warns: “There is no debate anymore about climate change. It is here. If sea level were to rise only 1 metre in the Caribbean, the impacts would be catastrophic.”
Caribbean: FIFA Foul
Regional bloggers congratulate the Bermudian and Bahamian football representatives – now being lauded as whistleblowers – who refused to accept bribes from FIFA; Globewriter republishes suspended vice-president Jack Warner's statement on the FIFA ruling and Plain Talk says that he is not as concerned with Jack Warner the FIFA rep...
Jamaica: Garvey's Good Name
Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp has begun an online movement to clear Marcus Garvey's name – his aim is “to get 10,000 signatures and to deliver the petition to President Barack Obama.”
China: Sex, nation and cultural traitors
Siweiluozi has written an excellent piece, in response to the State's interrogation of Li Tiantain's sex life, to discuss the formation of China as a nation through discourses about sex and women as cultural traitors.
Bhutan: Perspectives From The Villages
Bhutanese blog Whatever Matters provides some perspectives from the villages on some contemporary issues of Bhutan including the wedding of the Bhutanese King and the controversial tobacco control act.
Nepal: The Difference The Maoists Have Made
Maila Baje at Nepali Netbook discusses about the difference the Maoists have made in Nepali politics.
Twitter monitor of Thailand election
The twitter account @ThaiElection11 provides English news updates about the July 3 general election in Thailand. The news source is from The Nation, a leading broadsheet in Bangkok.
Thailand: Tourism woes
Khon Kaen advises the Tourism Authority of Thailand to learn from the aggressive tourism campaign of Laos to revitalize the country's tourism industry
Vietnam: Ben Tre activists convicted
Seven land rights and non-violent democracy activists were found guilty of attempting to overthrow the government of Vietnam. The closed-door trial was held in Ben Tre, Vietnam. Supporters of the activists held a vigil in Saigon before the trial.
Russia: “My Perestroika”
Dina Fainberg of The Dustbin of History writes about My Perestroika – “a lovely documentary by an American film-maker [Robin Hessman] about how four classmates were affected by the changes in Russia from Brezhnev to Putin” – and the Q&A that followed the film's screening in London.
Russia: State Duma Whistleblower Intern's Case
Sublime Oblivion writes about the case of Evgeny Starshov, who was tweeting and blogging about his internship at the Russian State Duma until he got fired for it.
Abkhazia: Sergei Bagapsh Dies
In Moscow's Shadows and Foreign Policy Association's Russia blog write about the implications of the death of Sergei Bagapsh, the president of the Republic of Abkhazia, on May 29.
Africa, France: Who is Nafissatou Diallo? Victim or Conspirator?
In the debate over the alleged sexual assault by French politician Dominique Strauss-Kahn of a Guinean hotel chambermaid in New York, attentions from France to Africa have now shifted to the identity of the alleged victim, Nafisatou Diallo.
Serbia: Mladic Arrest Update
Bill Kralovec of Bill's Blog and Kirk Johnson of Americans for Bosnia share thoughts on the arrest of Ratko Mladic; YakimaGulagLiteraryGazett is posting links to English-language media stories on the issue.
Mexico: Blood Fountains
During the last weekend of May 2011, activists from the movement "Let's stop the bullets, let's paint the fountains" stained the water of a famous statue in Mexico City blood red. Participants walked around the monument shouting slogans like "Not one more dead!" and "Out Calderón!"
China: Detained Rights Lawyer Interrogated About Sex Life
After three months in detention, Chinese lawyer Li Tiantian described on Twitter how her interrogators used intimate details of her personal life to harass her. In the past months, more than a hundred human right lawyers, activists, writers and artists have been arrested or prosecuted in China as a result of the crackdown on the Jasmine protests.
Gambia: On Gambia's First President
Mathew K. Jallow discuses the legacy of Sir Dawda K Jawara, Gambia's first president: “As president, Sir Dawda Jawara was unlike most African leaders and politicians of his generation; leaders who took advantage of their positions to enrich themselves with the wealth of their people. If there was one negative...
France: #frenchrevolution in photos and videos
The Bundlr site presents a compilation [dead link] of photos, videos, links and tweets about the raising of the Place de la Bastille in Paris, to echo the protests in Spain and Greece.
Tunisia: Deputy Minister Slim Amamou Resigned
On May 23, Tunisian blogger Slim Amamou announced [fr] on Twitter his resignation as Secrétaire d'état [deputy minister] for Sports and Youth. Amamou was known to livetweet cabinet meetings on his personal Twitter account @slim404 [fr]. He explains why he has resigned here and here [fr].
Egypt: Letter from Military Prison Cell No. 10
During their arrest period in a military prison activist Mosa'ab Elshamy and his cell mates wrote notes and messages, which he later on (after his release) published on tumblr [en and ar]. Ahmad el Azhary says in one of them: “Cell no 10. Guys 10/10. Companionship for a Cause rather...
South Korea: Students Protest Over High University Tuition
Thousands of students took to streets in protest last weekend, demanding the lawmakers and universities to lower high tuition. South Korea's one of the most influential citizen journalists, Media Mongu posted photos. University fees in South Korea have more than doubled over the past ten years, prompting more students to...
