· October, 2010

Stories about International Relations from October, 2010

Pakistan: Who’s perception is this?

  30 October 2010

Faisal Kapadia at Deadpan Thoughts questions the transparency and methodology of the Transparency International's Pakistan operation and the validity of its corruption perception index.

Iran:Palin, Crowley in Twitter Duel

  30 October 2010

According to several news sites “a tongue-in-cheek US birthday message to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over Twitter [by PJ Crowley State Department spokesman] may not have reached the intended recipient, but triggered a rebuke from someone else — Sarah Palin.”

China: Debate on Rare Earths Export

  29 October 2010

With the rise of nationalistic sentiment in China, a majority of mainland Chinese support the government's policy in restricting the export of rare earths to Japan and other western countries.

China and the U.S: Fuss about rare earth

  29 October 2010

Adam Minter from Shanghai Scrap looks into the data of China agricultural trade and points out that the recent intimations of a ban on the rare earth elements has been overstated. On the other hand, the Chinese experts have underestimated the importance of low-cost soy beans and wheat to social...

China’s image in posters

  29 October 2010

Annie Lee from China Hush translates a feature article [cn] which looks into China's image in political posters in the past 61 years.

Egypt: Why Does Saudi Arabia Need So Many Helicopters?

  28 October 2010

Issandr El Amrani, from the Arabist, wonders why Saudi Arabia needs to purchase so many helicopters. “What will they use all of these helicopters for? Future incursions into Yemen? Riot control in Dhahran province? Counter-terrorism in the Empty Quarter? Helicopters, unlike F-15s, are not really for engaging another state (like...

Haiti: Upcoming Elections

  27 October 2010

“Fanmi Lavalas (FL) is widely seen as the Haiti’s largest and most popular political party”, yet it is being excluded from the upcoming elections. Wadner Pierre reposts an article he wrote, suggesting that “the uncertainty that plagues over these elections can comprise the legitimacy” of the elected representatives.

Haiti: MINUSTAH

  26 October 2010

An experience during a recent protest against the UN peacekeeping mission prompts Mediahacker to say: “Makes you wonder how ordinary Haitians are treated, day in and day out, in places where there are no cameras.”

China: Rare earth

  25 October 2010

George Chen blogs about the international and domestic debates over China’ exportation of rare earth.

Georgia: Teach and Learn English

  24 October 2010

Dream is Destiny [GE] posts the addresses of the blogs established by some of the 350 native English-language speakers documenting their stay in Georgia as part of the new official policy to have English replace Russian as the second-language spoken by its citizens.

Armenia: Prolific blogger suspended on LiveJournal

  24 October 2010

Kornelij Glas [RU] details the case of Pigh, an Armenian blogger prolific in the mutual tit-for-tat online information war with Azerbaijan and Turkey. Speaking to Global Voices, Pigh says that his blog on LiveJournal was suspended on 8 October after some Azerbaijanis made complaints to the site's administration which included...

China: Looking at Xi Jinping, possible future ruler

  23 October 2010

As with all of China's top leaders, little is known or allowed to be known about the country's likely next ruler, Xi Jinping, despite a curious public. The man has lots of fans, though, and despite wide-ranging censorship, together they have a few important things to say about Xi and China's future.

Haze envelops Singapore

  22 October 2010

Haze in Singapore and south Malaysia! They blame it on the burning of trees in Sumatra, Indonesia where farmers are preparing for the crop planting season. Residents are coughing and complaining. The haze makes everyone dizzy and the web is buzzing about it

Shintaro Ishihara’s views on China, Japan

  21 October 2010

Shintaro Ishihara is a politician, author and governor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government since 1999. He is well known for his critical stance on Japan’s dependence under the US-Japan security alliance. In 1989, he co-authored the book The Japan That Can Say No with then-Sony chairman Akio Morita. He is...