February, 2009
Stories from February, 2009
9 February 2009
Armenia: Eurovision Hopefuls
Although considered by most viewers in Europe as somewhat of a joke, there is no doubt that the Eurovision international song contest is taken very seriously indeed in the South Caucasus. Seen as a perfect opportunity to showcase national culture and identity, many in Armenia are already impatient to discover who will represent them at the contest to be held in Moscow in May.
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Georgia: Royal Wedding
Yesterday's wedding between two descendants of the Bagrationi dynasty which ruled Georgia for at least 10 centuries has captured the imagination of royal watchers worldwide. However, for those pondering the state of democracy in the post-Soviet country since the November 2007 unrest, the marriage has also reinvigorated talk of reestablishing the monarchy.
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Azerbaijan: Obama campaign manager in Baku
Just weeks before a controversial referendum will likely remove a constitutional two-term restriction on the presidency, Barack Obama's campaign manager yesterday visited Baku, capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan. With foreign broadcasts recently banned in the oil-rich former Soviet republic, the trip has not been well-received by most online political commentators.
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Ecuador: An Interview with Winner of Best Latin American Blog
Even though he was unable to travel to Spain to receive the prize for “Best Latin American Blog” in the contest sponsored by 20 Minutos, Carlos Suasnavas is humbled by the recognition and dedicates it to his readers. In this interview, he talks about his blog, which he co-writes with Evan from Argentina, is called Sentando Frente Al Mundo (Sitting in Front of the World) about why he believes he may have more readers outside of Ecuador.
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I think the reason it stuck with me is that I was fired from my first real job--teaching at a...