Global Voices Online

Sikander Hayat discusses about the hurdles in the path of resolving the conflicts between Pakistan & Afghanistan and some possible solutions.

AdnanEmin's Blog, Prison Diary, a new blog from Azerbaijan, has been set up to republish letters sent from prison in the oil-rich former Soviet republic by Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, two detained video blogging youth activists sentenced last week and considered by Amnesty International to be prisoners of conscience. The first post carries a message from Milli after his sentence.

Brave New Foundation posts a petition and YouTube video with young veterans asking Obama not to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Musafirbek says that the president of Uzbekistan officially thanked the cotton-growers for gathering the harvest of this strategic product for Uzbekistan. However, those who sweat away, collecting this cotton (including children) were not mentioned in the president’s address.

Alexander Visotzky writes about the opening of a monument in Astana, the new capital of Kazakhstan, where the authorities uncovered a 15-foot high bronze statue of incumbent president Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Dafydd reports that the EU has lifted the arms embargo on Uzbekistan. Reasons given are abolishment of the death penalty and release of political prisoners.

Bilguun watched the change of the government in Mongolia, starting from resignation of S.Bayar under health reasons, nomination of Su.Batbold (then Minister of Foreign Relations) and his instatement.

Ahad Abdurahmon reflects on the issue why democracy is failing in Kyrgyzstan, a country which was so promising?

Sailani says that in response to continuing threats to the foreign staff in Afghanistan, it now appears that a decision has been made to withdraw about six hundred UN international officers from Kabul.