Global Voices Online

At neweurasia, Vadim reports that Tajik presidential candidates are rather reluctant to take on the incumbent, leading him to conclude that they are indeed window dressing to make the election look more democratic than it is.

KZBlog reports on local elections for executives in some parts of Kazakhstan, noting that some local media did not find the elections all that newsworthy.

Alexander Sadikov explains how Tajikistan's plans to become an energy exporter are causing problems in relations with Uzbekistan.

Notes From Hareinik draws attention to the depopulation of Kashatagh, territory captured by Armenian during and settled by Armenians after the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Vadim reports on the latest buzz in the Tajik blogosphere.

Black Looks has been nominated for Best of Blog Award, “Received this email yesterday: Black Looks has been selected as one of 10 nominees in the Best Weblog/English category of the Best of the Blogs (www.thebobs.com), making Black Looks open to two awards. The first comes from the BOBs’ jury - The second is decided by public vote.”

Kubatana Blog writes about the initiative by the UNDP in Zimbabwe to broker meetings between the government and the civil society organizations, “In response to this initiative, a few civic and human rights organisations have asked, “are you mad?” - you want us to speak with a Government that brutally suppresses freedom of assembly and expression? A Government that displaced 700 000 people during a mass eviction campaign in 2005.”

While he's not against supporting Venezuela for a seat on the UN Security Council, St. Lucian blogger Matthew Hunte cautions against not factoring self-interest into that and similar arguments.

The long dark tea time of the soul discusses going nuclear with respect to India and if it has helped at all. “We have achieved absolutely nothing by having nuclear weapons. And lost a lot. Nuclear war reduces the whole paradigm of war to a competition of which country can kill more number of oridinary people, and who can withstand more casualties of its citizens.”