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Kyrgyzstan: Coalition building, Machiavelli style · Global Voices
Chris Rickleton

Niccolo Machiavelli, the Florentine renaissance era political philosopher, had an especially bleak view of human nature. Exiled in his native Italy and publically denounced by popes and politicians in the centuries since his death, his eminent treatise ‘The Prince’ is nevertheless still devoured secretly – and compulsively – by diplomats, mob bosses and MBA candidates all over the world. Far from being a dour analysis of the art of statesmanship, ‘The Prince’ reads more like a juicy thriller; a punchy novella-sized text which glorifies political cunning and excuses any number of means in pursuit of the ultimate end – raw, unbridled power.
“A prince,” Machiavelli writes, “must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps and a lion to frighten the wolves.”
Kyrgyzstan’s Jogorku Kenesh parliament is thick with wolves. One such lupine character might be seen in the form of Felix Kulov, a former prime minister of the country and the leader of the faction Ar-Namys, or “Dignity”. Having gallantly given his blessing to the parliamentary coalition formed by Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan (SPDK) head Almazbek Atambayev, Kulov’s party, left in a minority by the arrangement, proceeded to vote solidly against the proposed speakership of Ata Meken leader Omurbek Tekebayev, thus helping to derail the coalition on its inception; all in the interests of national unity, of course.
In Machiavell's world of animal metaphors, Tekebayev, the author of Kyrgyzstan’s new parliamentary constitution, increasingly resembles a sacrificial lamb. Described by one media outlet as a “tragic political character”, Tekebayev now finds himself well and truly in the wars.
An entertaining piece entitled ‘The Kyrgyz Parliament in Figures’, by Kyrgyzstani blogger Marat Sartpaev [eng] considers the mathematical conundrum offered by Tekebayev’s non-election to the speakership:
“I was both confused and entertained when I heard the first coalition did have the majority of votes (67 MPs out of 120), yet failed to appoint its own candidate Omurbek Tekebayev [as] the speaker of parliament. This (planned?) failure reveals many factors including, but not limited to, certain discontentedness with the very candidacy of Tekebayev, internal divisions and lack of integrity inside the parties and the “opposition” parties’ potential role in disintegrating the coalition.”
While Sartpaev’s analysis of the voting arithmetic makes interesting reading in itself, it is sufficient to say that in addition to a bloc vote by the two parties in “opposition”, a certain element in the coalition must have voted against their own nominee. Sartpaev quotes two “anonymous Respublika MPs” as admitting to having done precisely that, an assumption shared by political analyst Marat Kazakpaev.
So what is the next stage in the process? The mandate to build a coalition has now been transferred by President Rosa Otunbayeva to Omurbek Babanov, leader of Respublika, the assumed ‘rebel’ faction in the last coalition. He will thus enjoy the final chance to fashion a government on his own terms before “snap” parliamentary elections are held; a costly and undesirable alternative for each of the five parties, not least because a sixth party may creep into the mix, thereby reducing everybody’s share of the spoils.
Naturally, it wouldn’t be a proper Central Asian conspiracy if Russia wasn’t involved somewhere in the plot. In what may turn out to be a prescient analysis, RFE/RL columnist Daisy Sindelar [eng] wrote back in November: “To be certain, Russia has invested considerable energy in ensuring its presence is felt in the new parliamentary arena. All but one of the parliamentary party heads has spent time in Moscow since the elections – [the “Pro-Western”] Tekebayev being the exception… With this in mind, pragmatists have suggested that Respublika (whose leader, Omurbek Babanov, has strong business ties with Russia) and the Social Democrats (whose head, Almazbek Atambaev, secured $50 million in Russian loans following the April revolution) may ultimately find a partnership with Ata-Jurt and Ar-Namys (both openly pro-Russian) a more suitable political strategy.”
Yet even this version of events is complicated by the fact that the latter two parties are both openly against the new parliamentary system per se, and consequently have an inherent interest in watching it collapse. For impartial onlookers meanwhile, the machinations taking place in and around Kyrgyzstan’s main representative body are taking on an increasingly exhausting quality. EurasiaNet’s Central Asia Editor David Trilling neatly sums up the general mood : “Inhale deeply, again.”
Addendum: For those sick of reading about the trials and tribulations of the country’s would-be- rulers, it may be a relief to know that non-political adventures can also be had in Kyrgyzstan. Armed with two Kyrgyz language translators and a Fulbright grant, Dennis Keen’s blog keenonkyrgyzstan is an eloquent and entertaining insight into some of the more appealing aspects of the national heritage: Falconry, Komuz playing and literary hero Chingiz Aitmatov.

author: Chris Rickleton


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Nigeria: Wikileaks’ latest leaks focus on Pfizer- Nigeria lawsuit  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Wikileaks cable leaks continue and today, makes allegations on Pfizer's attempts to influence a settlement on the clinical trials lawsuit filed against it by Nigeria

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Poland: President Meets With Medvedev and Obama · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Leopolis reports on the Polish President's recent meetings with his Russian and U.S. counterparts.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: Assange for Nobel Peace Prize? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Siberian Light writes that “Russia seems to be having great fun with the whole wikileaks affair”: “And the latest – Russia has gleefully seized the opportunity to suggest that Assange has done such a service to the world that he should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. […] Next thing you know, they’ll be offering Assange a seat in the Duma, so that he can claim immunity from prosecution…”


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Russia: Political Implications of Kushchevskaya Massacre · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Good Treaty and The Power Vertical write about last month's Kushchevskaya massacre and its political implications.


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Serbia: Novelists Participate in “Blog Day” Project  · Global Voices
Sinisa Boljanovic

On Dec. 8, Laguna, one of the largest publishing houses in Serbia, launched an interesting project: called Blog Day, it represents a unique example of web activism in Serbia that will be taking place four times a year. Using its reputation, confidence and 12 years of experience in the community, Laguna wishes to contribute to the collective effort of solving relevant social problems.
Each Blog Day will have a different, but always socially-important, topic. All Blog Day content will then be published in an electronic book that will be free for download from Laguna's website.
The topic of the first Blog Day was Ecology, and over 20 Serbian novelists have posted their very interesting – and, often, quite witty – contributions.
Below are excerpts from some of the posts.
Aleksandar Ilic published a post titled “Phenomenology of ecological consciousness,” in which he drew a parallel between Serbia's ecology and economy:
The phenomenology of ecological consciousness of Serbs does not exist […]. In regards to ecology, the average course of consciousness […] goes like this: the first association to the word “ecology” is nature, and the first association to nature is barbecue. Barbecue further evolves into mixed grills, hamburgers, drumsticks, chicken fillets and sausages. In the end, everything boils down to the proportion of the number of kilograms of boneless meat per capita. Therefore, the phenomenology of Serbian ecological consciousness would have the task of describing the proportion of the number of kilograms of boneless meat per resident. The number of residents per number of kilograms of boneless meat results in the economy. To the Serb, therefore, economy is the flip side of ecology and ecology is the flip side of economy. So, the phenomenology of the Serbian ecological consciousness can be easily moved to the field of economy. The word “economy” has only two instances: the first is “salary” and the latter “a small salary.” Who's going to f*** around with ecology when we're all croaking of starvation. […]
Vesna Dedic, a Belgrade-based novelist who was born in Montenegro, a country that was declared an “ecological state,” admitted her ecological consciousness is not ideal and compared it to her daughter’s. She wrote:
The difference between me and my child is that her awareness of environmental protection is a part of her upbringing and education. She was told that she couldn't throw garbage on the streets because this disrupts the ecological balance. When I was her age, I was told not to do this because it was not culturally and socially acceptable. When someone, as a remnant of [Tito’s] time, tells me that something is socially unacceptable, I have an incredible urge to show that I don’t care. The difference is also that my daughter has accepted ecology as the fight for biological survival of the endangered planet, while I first heard the word “ecological” in the 1990s, in the name of some political party.
Dedic considers the debate on ecology hypocritical and refers to the Law on Protection of Citizens from Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, which was put into effect last month:
They banned smoking last month and now we are sitting in our fragrant, airy offices, in which smoking, drinking coffee and using Facebook are forbidden. Mistake. Without good wages, these were the only joyous motives for which Serbs went to their jobs. Now I stroll around Belgrade, smoke and carry cigarette butts in my hands to the first trash can because the authorities forgot to set ashtrays before they adopted the law. When I said that to a [communal police] chief in some broadcast, and when I added that the smoke ban was not the same thing for the French and for the Serbs, that mental and all other frustrations are different in these countries, the chief replied: “Go to France.” Twenty years ago, I would have said: “I'm going!” Ten years ago, I would have gone, but I couldn't obtain a visa. Today, I say: “I will not!” There, my daughter would have to eat unhealthy cheeses and sauces, I would have to drink expensive wines, while I wish to feed my child organic apples, and I wish, at my age of 42, not to be a lady, but, with my hands in pockets, to smoke in the streets and, starting tomorrow, to hit everyone who annoys me in taverns with butts of cigarettes. Why? Because I don’t care about wise discussions on ecology as long as they set ashtrays for me, repair toilets in primary schools, incarcerate everyone who uses their hands [not tissues or handkerchiefs] to blow their noses, as long as we realize how hypocritical it is to prohibit smoking in a city that sends as much sulfur from Pancevo directly into our bronchi as the whole nation can’t smoke in a century.
Vule Zuric is a native of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, who moved to Serbia during the war and now lives in Pancevo, a town located about 20 km east of Belgrade. It is the center of Serbia’s petrochemical industry and one of the most polluted places in the region. Zuric wrote:
[…] In Pancevo, as far as the stench is concerned, thanks for asking, everything is well. Excellent! […] It means that the industry, brother, is working. There will be export-import, salaries, holidays, travel, there will be diseases. Hospitals will be working. Doctors, nurses and pathologists will be doing their jobs. And the gravediggers? […]
Zuric further reminds readers of the time of the 1999 NATO bombing and the ecological consequences that the attack caused, as well as of the promise given by the Russian company Gazprom, which bought Serbia’s oil company NIS a few years ago:
[…] First the Americans bombed us, and then the Russians bought us. It’s obvious that both of them have respect for us. The former tried to close us with several direct hits. The black Danube of poisonous smoke was flowing over the sky. And the latter is promising [ecological] filters and similar things. Yet, the former haven't closed down our “store” – and the latter haven't reconstructed it. […] So many years after the war, the air is clean in Sarajevo. But, brother, the factories are not working. […] And what if this happens in Pancevo? That clean air, a crowd of unemployed people in the clean air? What I'm saying is: there is no solution. Either you live in a forest, eat berries, milk sheep, or you remain urban, nibble at pumpkin seeds and yell: “Uaaa…” […].
Novelists Dusan Miklja, Ivana Mihic, Igor Marojevic, Ljubica Arsic, Goran Skrobonja, Miomir Petrovic, Masa Rebic and others took part in the first Blog Day as well.
This project is also supported by the Ministry of Environment and Urban Planning.

author: Sinisa Boljanovic


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Slovenia: More on Public TV Referendum · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sleeping With Pengovsky posts the last installment on the upcoming public TV referendum: “If the law is confirmed, common sense and quality media have a fighting chance. Nothing more, nothing less. If the law is defeated, then… well…”


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South Korea: Free School Meals Debate Sweeps the Nation · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

A serious debate on the free school meals system has swept South Korea this week, as a minority opposition party succeeded in passing a bill through parliament that expands free meal coverage. The bill has caused a huge backlash from the ruling Grand National Party which has called it a populist policy. The Korean public, which supported the idea several months ago, has rapidly turned against the bill as it has realized that free lunches means higher government spending.
There might be no politician who would oppose the idea of feeding starving students, at least in front of their voters. But the problem lies in the concept of a mandatory, universally free meal system that offers free food to every kid in school, including students who can afford school meals. Seoul’s mayor Oh Se-hoon has written about the issue on his blog, lambasting the concept as ‘a populist idea that ruins the nation’, and has challenged the opposition lawmakers to an open debate.
민주당 시의원들의 이 망국적인 포퓰리즘 전략을 어떻게 막아낼 수 있을지 정치인으로서의 책임감으로 가슴은 점점 더 답답해져 갔습니다…선거 때 ‘무상급식'이 달콤한 반짝 효과를 거뒀을지는 몰라도 성숙한 우리 사회는 이제 부자 아이들에게까지 지급되는 전면 무상급식에 반대하는 데 힘을 실어주고 있습니다[…]무상급식은 결국 세금급식이요, 부자급식이며, 보편적복지가 아닌 무차별적 복지입니다. 게다가 아직 서울시의 많은 학교는 무상급식을 할만한 물적, 인적 조직이 전혀 갖춰져있지 않습니다.
Photo by Raspberry Sitcom, Used with Permission
Blogger Raspberry Sitcom, after comparing the Korean case with other developed countries such as Finland and Denmark which are famous for their top-notch welfare systems, argues that even though she is against a radical shift to an all-out welfare system, the current situation has to be adjusted. Under the current selective free meal system, poor students who are unable to afford school meals often choose to skip lunch instead of risking public embarrassment in front of the entire class, as they have to submit papers proving their low income status to teachers to apply for free meals.
우리나라에서 무상 급식의 비율은 전체의 17% 수준이다. 이는 선진국의 비율에 비하면 현저하게 낮은 수치이다. 그렇다고 이것을 한 번에 100%가까이 끌어올리는 무상 급식을 당장 시행하기에는 우리나라의 실정을 고려하지 못한 이념에 치우친 주장이 될 수밖에 없다[…]저소득층만 대상으로 급식비를 지원하는 것이 더 타당해 보일 수 있다. 하지만 현재까지 이루어져왔던 저소득층 시혜적 복지는 아이들의 자존감을 지켜주지 못했다. 스스로 가난을 증명해야만 가난을 인정하는 현실은 안타까울 뿐이다[…]시혜 대상자를 선별하려고 하다가 교묘한 틈새로 빠져나가 형편이 되는데도 급식지원을 받았다거나, 실제 어려운 상황임에도 급식 지원을 받지 못해 밥을 먹지 못하는 상황인 아이들도 있다.
What worries people is the tremendous budget spending required for the expansion of the free meal system. It is assumed that about 70 billion Korean Won (US $61 million) which takes up to 0.4 percent of Seoul city's yearly budget may be needed to feed all. On the Naver Q&A forum Netzen ID: a cwj8842 comments:
무조건적인 무상급식은 한편으로는 평등이라는 면에서 보면 옳은 것으로 보일 수 있으나, 이는 오히려 평등이라는 이름하에 불평등을 초래할 수 있다고 생각됩니다, 민주당에서 무조건적이고 전면적인 무상급식을 의결하는 것은 현실을 무시한, 정말로 사회주의를 꿈꾸는 몰상식한 처사라고 생각됩니다, 무상급식을 의결한 당신들이 먼저 의정활동비란 명목으로 받아 가는 돈을(물론 의원으로 일하는 동안의 돈이죠) 모두 무상급식비로 기부(?)하는 모습으로 모범을 한번 보여주시죠.
Photo by Raspberry Sitcom, Used with Permission
Twitter user @Kennedian3 from Daum's Agora stresses that the idea is far from being a populist one, but is rather a move that can benefit the next generation in the long run.
(의무급식은) 우리 아이들의 위화감과 정서적 상처도 줄일 수 있습니다. 실제로 제 트위터에는 지방에서 교사로 계신 분이 아이들의 3분의 1만 급식지원을 받는데, 일부 부모들이 아이가 낙인 찍힐까봐 급식지원 신청을 하지 않는다고 소식을 전해주셨습니다. 그리고 친환경 식단으로 우리 아이들 건강을 지켜서 장기적으로 각종 성인병 예방해서 미래의 의료비용, 즉 복지비용 지출을 줄일 수 있습니다[…]그런 면에서 의무급식을 잘 운용하면 오시장이 걱정하는 과도한 복지 지출이 추후 발생할 소지를 오히려 현저히 줄일 수 있습니다.
Kennedian3 later added that what Koreans should be concerned about is not ‘populism in the welfare sector’ but ‘populism in the development sector’, pointing to the city governments’ astronomical spending on building stadiums citizens don’t have access to, local airports that nobody uses and gigantic government buildings for no specific reasons.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Suriname: Art & Houses · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The Surinamese house from the 19th century is disappearing from the Paramaribo scene and with it a piece of our history”: Srananart's Blog features a painter who is passionate about “characteristic old wooden Surinamese houses.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe’s model constitution · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Zimbabwe's model constitution: “We have just included all the content from the Model Constitution compiled by the Law Society of Zimbabwe into our indexed online constitution resource. Visitors to our site are now able to browse through this lengthy document”


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Bangladesh: The Judiciary And The Parliament · Global Voices
Rezwan

“In Bangladesh, among the three pillars of the State, undoubtedly Parliament has become the most weakest, largely because it had acted as rubber stamp for the people in power- either military rulers or elected governments,” comments Adnan M L Karim at  Law Chronicles Online.

author: Rezwan


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Bolivia Opposes UN Climate Summit Declaration  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Ben from The Latin Americanist reports: “Bolivia stood alone today at the UN Climate Summit in Cancun as the only country that opposed the summit's declaration. Why? Bolivia felt the declaration didn't go far enough to curb greenhouse gas emissions or to support the renewal of the Kyoto Protocol before it expires next year.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Brazil: Pension rights for gay couples · Global Voices
Diego Casaes

Marcelo Marques in Blog do Bacana [pt] informs of a recent decision by the Social Security Ministry in enforcing a rule that recognizes that the social security benefits to relatives, such as pension in case of death, must include partners of same sex in stable marriage.

author: Diego Casaes


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Colombia: Nukak Maku Indigenous Peoples Forced to Leave Their Territory · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In Colombia Passport, Albeiro Rodas writes: “An indigenous leader of the Nukak Maku peoples, a group of nomads in the State of Guaviare, Amazon region, denounced in a session in San José with the Senate commission for human rights and international observers, that members of the Farc guerrilla forced them to leave their territories. Other three indigenous groups of the region were affected, he said.”


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Côte d’Ivoire: Anger and Sarcasm in Citizen Media after the Elections  · Global Voices
Julie Owono

This post is part of our special coverage Côte d'Ivoire Unrest 2011.
After a hopeful start, the presidential elections in Cote d'Ivoire took a dramatic turn that led the country in a seemingly hopeless political stalemate. While the crisis persists, the Ivorian blogosphere seems to be split between either taking the events with a hint of  humor and sarcasm or debating passionately  the political and legal implications of the latest events. Julie Owono explains:
While the political situation grows tenser everyday, the sense of humor  of the Ivorian blogosphere came through and percolated online.
Choosing Humor
Weary of the continuous political infighting and instability of the past years, Ivorian who weighed in on twitter with the hashtag #civ2010 seemed to have chosen to take the current political in strides and a zest of humor.
@sanders225, for instance, was particularly active the day after the elections and he weighed in   thusly as both candidates were sworn in (fr):
“Bonjour à tous et bienvenue en Côte d'Ivoire, 1 pays 2 présidents, 3 premières dames #civ2010”
The sarcastic tone of the twitter updates tagged with #civ2010 was ranked as the #1 conversation on the francophone twitterverse for a week on twirus but it might be difficult to fully grasp the humor   of the 45,000 updates ( archived here) without a bit of  context.
For instance, William Ahouma (@Ahouwilliam), who chose not to vote because of the violence after the 1st round  wrote: (fr)
“Je suis content de ne pas avoir voté. Dans cette situation, mon expérience me dit que la solution c'est Jésus”
The sentence may seem innocuous to those who don't know the slogans of each candidate. Laurent Gbagbo's slogan was : “The Man of the Situation” and Alassane Ouattara's was: “Solutions for Côte d’Ivoire”.
On Facebook the group “Tous présidents” (We are all presidents) was created in the same vein. The description of the group by its creator is quite telling (fr):
“On en a assez que les politiciens s'amusent avec nous!
alors on a décidé de s'investir chacun dans son salon et de devenir tous présidents de la Côte d'Ivoire! c tout! pour le moment!”
The creator of the group, Jacques Kouame Akpegni shares his , photos à l’appui7 tricks that can lead every Ivorian to the presidential position:
sitting amongst its presidential peers; a humouristic photo montage by JK Akpegni
Irate partisanship on the web
While  the tone is light and conciliatory on twitter, it is quite a different beast on facebook. The debates are more frank, maybe driven by the perception that on that social network, the conversations are more “private”.
This polarization is very clear on the fan pages of the candidates where the supporters of each camp don't hesitate to engage in written confrontations.
Laurent Gbagbo's electoral victory was recognized by the Constitutional  Court but not the independent electoral commission. Cyrille Guéi, on the   On Laurent Gbagbo's  page, says he has nothing but contempt for the opponent's camp (fr):
“NOTRE SOUVERAINETE N'EST PAS NEGOCIABLE!!! Et s'il faut qu'on fasse un passage en force on le fera. On a pas peur et on se tient toujours prêts pour la défense de notre patrie. On fera durer cette crise le temps que le monde entier entende la vérité. LMP n'a pas besoin d'afficher ses alliés et ses amis comme le fait le RDR (avec un tissus de mensonge pour faire peur aux ivoiriens). La Côte d'Ivoire a un seul président et c'est Laurent Gbagbo! Quiconque osera l'attaquer nous trouvera sur son chemin.”
On Alassane Dramane Ouattara page, the voters still urge Laurent Gbagbo to quit the presidency, or risk being kicked out of it.
Hubert Kouadio affirms :
“Le combat pour la liberté et la démocratie continue et se radicalisera si KOUDOU s'accroche au pouvoir.”
Pour Toofa Cool :
“Au NORD comme au SUD c’est la CI… vous accusez la France pour rien si vous divisez pour pouvoir règner…BOLORE et BOUYGUES sont des groupes Français avec lesquels Laurent Gbagbo a signé des contrats. Il vous ferme les yeux à cause de vos sentiments de haine…ne vous réveillez pas hein !!! nous on avance !!!”
Expert Debates
Ivorian citizens are also trying to direct the debate onto the judicial field, either to confirm or deny Gbagbo's victory.
Les citoyens ivoiriens, tentent également autant que faire se peut d’orienter le débat vers des positions plus juridiques, aussi bien pour confirmer ou infirmer la victoire de Laurent Gbagbo. Christian Roland (@Chroland) asks on Twitter:
“Bon les amis, sujet de reflexion: http://tinyurl.com/2b6gtro article 64 nouveau du code electoral? le conseil constitutionnel  ne l’a pas appliqué, pourquoi?”
The article 64 stipulates that the constitutional court must void the entire election if serious infractions were made. The opponents of this theory argue that article 63 gives the court the authority to have the final decision on the matter. That's what Akwa Bahi JC says in this article entitled:   “L’ONU contre le Conseil Constitutionnel” (The UN against the constitutional court)  (fr) :
“Comme dans presque toutes démocraties, comme en France, le Conseil Constitutionnel est la plus haute autorité d’un pays. Outrepasser sa décision c’est menacer la souveraineté d’un pays, c’est inconsidérer la souveraineté de la Côte d’Ivoire acquise il y a cinquante ans”
Ivoirian netizens want to move forward
While the political and legal marasm continues, the ivorian citizen media moves forward.
2 major events of the “Ivorian ICT” were scheduled before the elections and they still took place as planned. A contest for developpers on open source software took place while Laurent Gbagbo took his oath in his palace on december 4th 2010. One of the organizers Wilfried Akakpo (@toussine) wrote on that day:
“13h de worksphop online, 810 visitors, 1784 comments, 236 participants. An app 70% done.. It was Hack225 ”.
Another event that is still on schedule is the  Ivoire Blog Awards and it still accepts submissions. The president of the jury Diaby Mohamed sarcastically wrote on a comment about the awards on facebook:
“Celui qui ose contester ma présidence… pour moi là c'est pas vos affaires de médiation qui n’en finissent pas là … déposez vos dossiers de blogs on va les analyser et puis notre grand conseil va choisir un vainqueur ”
In Côte d’Ivoire, humor, politics and internet are the ingredients for quite an unusual cocktail.
This post is part of our special coverage Côte d'Ivoire Unrest 2011.

author: Julie Owono


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D. R. of Congo: From Lubumbashi to Kinshasa by road · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Photos of a couple who traveled by road from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo.


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Eritrea: Eritrea and the shadow of WikiLeaks · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Gabriel Guangul discusses WikiLeaks in the context of Eritrea: “Somewhere along the lines of US embassy cables being laid bare on WikiLeaks, one could imagine the dark clouds behind the façade of Eritrea’s defiant image.  In fact, that is exactly what it was all time – a shop window for total control and defiance.”


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Honduras: Increased Militarization · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

RNS from Honduras Culture and Politics says that, “Daily life in Honduras is increasingly much like it was under the military dictatorship of the early 1980s. In the name of security, the country is gradually being militarized.”


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India: Sari Is Not A Terrorist Outfit · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ambassador Meera Shankar of the Republic of India presents credentials to US President Barack Obama. Photo by Lawrence Jackson, courtesy of US Department Of State. From Public Domain.
The Indian ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar was pulled from a security line at the Jackson-Evers International Airport in Mississippi, USA, and was subsequently forced to undergo a pat-down body search by a Transport Security Administration (TSA) agent. On December 4, 2010 Shankar was about to board a flight to Baltimore after attending a Mississippi State University programme and although she did not set off the airport's metal detectors, she was singled out on grounds that she was wearing a sari, India's national dress. She mentioned her diplomatic status, but it did not stop the ordeal in front of the other passengers. Last September, Shankar underwent a similar pat-down in Chicago.
The incident sparked strong protests from India. Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said that the incident is not good public diplomacy shown by USA and India's Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna reiterated that this is unacceptable to India. Indian opposition party BJP has demonstrated near the US Embassy in India demanding apology from US. The blogosphere is also buzzing with reactions as details are emerging.
There were mixed responses from the US authorities. The US Department Of State has reached out to the ambassador regretting the incident. However, according to news sources, TSA defended their action mentioning that diplomats are not exempted from the searches and that Shankar was “screened in accordance with TSA's security policies and procedures”. It may be mentioned here that not all passengers are subject to pat downs, only those passengers who set off the metal alarm have to go through the screening, and “Ms. Shankar had passed through the metal frame without setting off the alarm”. The US border search exception rule asserts that the officer must have reasonable suspicion or prior information to believe the search will reveal threat or contraband, and may have to have a higher standard or court-reviewed warrant for some of the more invasive searches.
The ambassador visibly felt humiliated as she was searched openly, inside a transparent booth. Pavani at Sepia Mutiny writes:
The airport involved did not have the new body scanners available so that option was out for the ambassador. But a clear box hardly sounds private enough for anyone uncomfortable enough to request a private search. And if simply wearing a sari is going to trigger a serious full-body pat-down, then an actual private option should be offered, as it should be to anyone requesting a private search.
Vivek comments on the above post:
One item that didn't make it into any of the news stories was that a TSA official, Anna Dushas, tried removing Shankar's sari before her supervisor, Kris (we only know her first name), intervened.
The incident shows the ignorance about the Sari, the national outfit of many South Asian countries which is worn by millions of women in this region and all over the world. A comment at NYDailyNews.com perhaps shows how many Americans feel about Sari:
Wear the garb of a terrorist and you should expect to be searched. Good work TSA.
Bhai wonders:
What the reaction of the Americans would be should any of their officials (senators, ambassadors…) are subjected to a similar search in India?
Rajeev at Random Thoughts opines:
Rather than whine about it, we in India, need to take lessons from their security procedures and subject everyone to stringent security checks in our environment too. In matters of our country's security we should not be bothered about others’ opinions!!


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Japanese Expat Population · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Adamu at Mutantfrog reviews [en] the situation of the Japanese expats around the world.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Jordan: Football Violence or Racism?  · Global Voices
Betsy Fisher

News reports estimate that 250 people were injured following a football game in south Amman between the Wihdat team, usually followed by Jordanians of Palestinian heritage, and the al-Faisali team, usually supported by Jordanians of Transjordanian heritage.
Some Tweeters focused on condemning the violence:
@Namleh Athletes must have a forgiving heart & high respect for each other! sadly that was not the case at the football game in #jo
Others blamed one team for the violence; 5hadz blamed the Faisali supporters:
@anammari No, el Wehdateye bi7ayathom ma balasho fight, it's always been el Faisaleye.
http://twitter.com/5hadz/status/13531784515952640
Dania Ab blamed the Wehdat fans:
We all know how savage wi7dat team are,oo ya reet kan el darakyeen thaba7ohom o 7aragohom kman bekon a7san #Jo” هذاتفكيرلايجدي
Noha Safar was quick to condemn this violent language:
“@Daniiiaa: We all know how savage wi7dat team are,oo ya reet kan el darakyeen thaba7ohom o 7aragohom kman bekon a7san #Jo” هذاتفكيرلايجدي
Even an MP joined in the blame game:
@5hadz Even MPs .. الفايز مع اتخاذ عقوبات بحق النادي الذي تسبب جمهوره بهذه الاحداث He means Wehdat? http://bit.ly/gmK2ca
Many Tweeters, though, focused their ire on the Al-Jazeera coverage of the events, which blamed the Jordanian police forces, and ongoing racism for the violence:
Sanad Azab wrote:
Such a BS misleading report “@fayez: تقرير #الجزيرة حول ضرب الدرك للجمهور #jo #video http://j.mp/e0PePz”
Ayment Saket agreed:
Although #AlJazeera stated that #AlWihdat fans broke the fences in celebration, and crushed each other, they put the blame on #Jo police.
Ahmad Ammari wrote:
We all know it's not but Al Jazeera is trying to make it #JO Gov thing now RT @5hadz: اه لإنو هاي هي مشكلت العنصرية في الأردن، لعبة كرة قدم!

author: Betsy Fisher


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Lebanon: Blogger Farfahinne’s First Arrest · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

Lebanese human rights activist and blogger Farfahinne shares her story[Arabic] of getting arrested by the Lebanese security forces last month (October 2010) when she tried to claim her right as a citizen to visit the Palestinian refugees camp “Nahr al-Bared” in north Lebanon.
The young blogger headed to the camp from Beirut to meet a friend and she was surprised when the officer didn't allow her to enter the camp based on her civil registration card (an official identification document other than the Lebanese ID). She said:
وأعطيته إخراج قيدي. فأخذه ليرده لي مسرعا “ما فيكي تفوتي على إخراج قيد”. قلت أنني لطالما دخلت من دون أية مشكلة بناء على إخراج القيد! فقال “معك هوية؟” قلت “لا” فقال “باسبور؟” فتساءلت لماذا سأحمل باسبورا على الأراضي اللبنانية؟ لماذا يمكن أن أدخل بموجب باسبور لا بموجب إخراج قيد؟ فهل الدخول الى المخيم هو كما تجاوز حدود بلد غير لبنان؟ على الرغم من أن اللبناني\ة مثلا ليس\ت بحاجة لأكثر من إخراج قيد للدخول الى سوريا! فكيف إذا يتعذر عليّ التنقل على “أرض لبنانية” بموجبه؟! قال “هيدا قرار جديد” قلت “هل بإمكاني الإطلاع على القرار؟” ، فرد بعصبية “ومينك إنت تطلعي على قرار؟” فرددت “أنا مواطنة أسأل عن قرار يطالني ولي الحق على ما أعتقد الإطلاع عليه” فرد “هذا قرار من القيادة العليا” فقلت “هل لي الإتصال بهذه القيادة؟”، فقام بإتصال “بالقيادة” فجاء الجواب الرفض القاطع للدخول. عندها توجهت إليه قائلة أنني سأعتصم هنا الى أن تسمحوا لي بالدخول.
She gave it another try at another checkpoint to be faced with the same response: “You cannot enter!” She was furious and outraged because of how the Lebanese officials treated her as “guilty until proven innocent.” She headed to a nearby library and got a cardboard which she wrote on:
“لا للتصاريح المذلة عند مدخل مخيم نهر البارد”
She didn't have to wait for a long time –  five minutes later, a man showed up and identified himself as an army secret intelligence agent. He threatened her and tried to rip off the sign from her hands and when he failed, he tricked her to go with him to his “boss” who could give her the permit to enter the camp.
In an army intelligence center, they started asking her about what she was doing. She asked for a lawyer and a phone call but was denied both. She managed to send a text to her friend that only said “arrested” before they found out about the phone and took it away from her.
During the interrogation:
من كانوا معك؟
-كانوا معي؟!!!!
-إيه… لكانوا معك وصوروكي؟
-لكني قلت لك أني إعتصمت لوحدي؟
-هلأ منشوف
-بس عم قلك إنوا لجايبينن مين ما كانوا، ما إلهم علاقة بالموضوع!!!
-هلأ منشوف
-طب…ممكن تعطيني أسماء تقلك إذا بعرفهم على الأقل؟
-ما بعرف أسماء
Farfahinne was surprised when she then saw two young men – whom she didn't know – handcuffed. Their charge was “taking photos of her while protesting.” In the afternoon, she has been taken (along with the two young men Nader and Khaled) to a military police building where they took their statements.
The blogger continued:
بعدها تم الإتصال بالنائب العام الذي أصدر قرارا بإخلاء سبيل تام لنادر وخالد. أما أنا، فصدر القرار بحجزي حتى منتصف الليل ليخلا سبيلي بعدها بموجب سند إقامة. مما يعني أنه ممكن إستدعائي الى المحكمة العسكرية لاحقا. أما التهم التي تم على أساسها إحتجازي، فهي إلى الآن غير معروفة بالنسبة لي. لم يسمح لي بمكالمة إلا بعد صدور قرار النائب العام أي حوالي الساعة الثامنة…فإتصلت لإطمئنان أمي القلقة بعد ساعات من إختفائي ولولا إني ما إستطعت إرسال الرسالة النصية لصديقي لما علم أحد بمكان تواجدي لساعات.
The young activist wonders what guilt has she had committed to be treated like a criminal. She concluded saying:
ما هو القانون الذي خرقته؟ أية مادة منه؟ ما هي تهمتي؟ تهديد الأمن القومي؟!! التعرض لهيبة المؤسسة العسكرية؟!! لم أتعرض لأحد بالسب أو الإهانة أو الشتم…كل ما فعلت هو الإعتراض السلمي على تدبير أمني منعني من دخول المخيم لملاقاة أصدقائي وأحبتي…وهذه ليست بتهمة أو بجريمة يا حضرة النائب العام. أما القانون فيكفل لي الحق بالإعتصام السلمي وبما أن عدد المعتصمين كان أنا- أي شخص واحد فقط، بالتالي لست بحاجة لعلم وخبر!
وبما أنه ليس هناك من مخالفة قانونية، فإني أعتبر أن إحتجازي كان تعسفيا وهو عقاب “أو ترباية” (مثلما قال لي أحد من الشرطة العسكرية) وهذا يعد إنتهاك صارخ لحريتي في إبداء الرأي وفي التعبير.
And since there hasn't been any violation of any law, I consider my detention arbitrary and was a punishment (as one of the military police told me) and this is a flagrant violation of freedom of opinion and expression.

author: Layal Al Khatib


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Lebanon: What are people wondering about? · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

Lebanese geek and blogger Mir is surprised by the Google search suggestions that she found while she was using the localized www.google.com.lb and posted her findings in her latest contribution to LifeGeeked.


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Morocco and WikiLeaks: Royal Corruption and Balanced Reactions · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Image from MoroccoBoard.com
With the release of over 1,000 cables so far, no nation is immune to the WikiLeaks phenomenon.  So far, cables related to Morocco discuss the state of the military, corruption amongst Moroccan officials, and royal involvement in business decisions, among other things.  Moroccan bloggers opine on the cables, offering a variety of thoughts on the meaning and influence of WikiLeaks in the Maghreb.
Maghreb Blog offers an introduction of sorts, with a promise to provide more in-depth analysis on specific cables related to Morocco and the Western Sahara:
As in various regions of the world, the Maghreb has not been immune to Wikileaks. The leaked cables provide some empirical insight into the politics of the region and the interplay of power between different states of the Maghreb.
On the Wandida blog, Lbadikho doesn't believe that WikiLeaks will effect change in the Middle East and North Africa.  He writes:
Now let’s try to speak  seriously : Why wikileaks will not produce change in the MENA region?
As I previously defended it on Talk Morocco with some scientific-like arguments, my viewpoint is: what internet and especially social media can do in the region is  still insignificant. The average Joe takes his news from mainstream  media -mainly television –  moreover, those who get the latest news from  the net have left the off-line-on-the-ground events to more comfortable  “intelligent-debating-platforms”, discussing with each other and having  the illusion to buzz and change the world… Expecting change by social  media in the MENA region is just like El Baradei expecting to be  Egyptian president, with his Teletubies-like tweets which I find funnier than the sarcastic website ElBaradei Quote Generator .
In a later post, the blogger summarizes mainstream media reactions to WikiLeaks.
Analysis of the latest developments from a blogger at The View from Fez shows a balanced response from the Moroccan street. The blogger writes:
On the street, Moroccans are generally supportive of Wikileaks because of the insight the cables have given into the behind the scenes attitude of American diplomats. Most revelations caused little surprise to Moroccans here in Rabat, especially the WikiLeaks cables that portray Saudi Arabia as a cash machine for terrorists and in another cable that claims al-Jazeera changed coverage to suit Qatari foreign policy.
For their part, the Americans are in damage control mode and not reacted in the most sensible way. Calls for attacks on Wikileaks and its founders are beginning to backfire. Foaming at the mouth, calling for the killing of Mr Assange and choking his bank account have proved internationally unpopular. Shooting the messenger is not the best response. Instead, the Americans should look to their own cyber security. Their blustering attacks have turned Wikileaks and its founder Mr Assange into a modern folk hero. Thankfully, the public response from Morocco has been dignified silence.
For more news on Morocco-related leaks, follow @WikiLeaksMOR on Twitter.  For more in-depth analysis, check out blogger Larbi‘s short tour [FR] of Morocco-related WikiLeaks cables.

author: Jillian C. York


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Nigeria: Our Senators and our health · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nigerian Senators simply don't get it: “How can we possibly afford to pay Senators in Nigeria N15.18m in salaries and allowances monthly ($100,000.00), when we cannot pay our doctors, teachers, nurses, a fraction of that. That is the absurdity of our country.”


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Puerto Rico: Original version of Wikileaks · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

An anonymous team has founded the website Iupileaks [es] in which they are posting documents of the administration of the University of Puerto Rico (Iuipi is the colloquial name of the main campus of the University): “We are a small group of people who attempts to inform the public about the secrets of the administration of the University of Puerto Rico.”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Russia: Photos and Videos of Soccer Fans Protesting in Moscow · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Blog of Novaya Gazeta [RUS], Radio Liberty [RUS], aleshru [RUS], and vadimb [RUS] share pictures and videos from the mass protest action of soccer fans in the center of Moscow. It is the second public event since the murder of one of the fans this week. Snob.ru hosts [RUS] discussion on the political consequences of the action.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Saudi Arabia: Free Saudi Scholar Dr Mohammed Alabdulkareem  · Global Voices
Haifa Alrasheed

Dr Mohammed Alabdulkareem. Image from his Facebook fan page
Saudi Dr Mohammed Alabdulkareem was arrested after publishing an article on the effectiveness of the political regulation among the royal family [Ar]. The scholar holds a PhD degree in Islamic Regulations, and teaches at Al-Imam Muhammed ibn Saud Islamic University. And the article was not his first, as he had written several others discussing political issues within the Saudi community.
The Arrest
According to Dr Alabdulkareem's Facebook fan page, he had expressed his expectations to be arrested to his friend Abdullah Almalki, after publishing the article and prior to his arrest.
Reporters Without Borders notes that Dr Alabdulkareem was arrested at his home by four men with no warrant on  December 5, 12 days after posting the article.
Free Dr Alabdulkareem
As a reaction to the arrest, social media was filled with calls to release the scholar. Two fan pages was created in response to the arrest on Facebook. They are: “Free Dr.Alabdulkarim” and “We are all Mohammed Abdulkarim.” Moreover, on Twitter the hashtag #FreeDrAbdulkarim was used to call for his release. Many blog entries were also written with calls for his release. Below are some of the reactions.
The blogger Talaf poses questions about his country:
From Twitter, Abdulrahman Alnasri, is willing to be arrested for standing up for his country too:
From the scholar's fan page, Khaled Alhojoori comments:
Finally, Nofah wondered about Dr. Alabulkareem's fate, and whether he will spend the rest of his life in jail, like many other political prisoners:

author: Haifa Alrasheed


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South Africa: The Vuvuzela gets a makerover · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Vuvuzela's new role: Regrdless of its irritating “virtues”, the Vuvuzela’s place in history as the symbol for the first African World Cup is assured. Thanks to Matt Blitz and his colleagues at advertising firm Leftfield launched, the Vuvuzela is gearing up for a new role.


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The Latin America Personal Democracy Forum As Seen by Bloggers · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Personal Democracy Forum. Photo by Luis Carlos Díaz, under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic licence.
The Latin American Personal Democracy Forum took place on the 18 and 19 of November in Santiago Chile. On one hand lecturers and conference speakers with expertise in areas of technology applied to the media and democracy, among other subjects, gathered together, and on the other hand an audience primarily composed of technologists and people from civil organisations united, all eager to learn about the different experiences offered in the forum.
They were two rather lively days (you can see two posts summarising each day here [es] and here [es], or consult the live coverage [es] of the second day by Luis Carlos) in which, apart from the shows planned by the organisers of the event, there was cheering and booing, complaints and congratulations, but above all, a motivational atmosphere ripe for debate and an exchange of ideas, something which was also one of the goals of the event, as Natalia Fidel expressed from the official PDF website [es] describing the inaugural session on the first day of the forum:
Los organizadores del evento Diego Beas y Felipe Heusser dialogan con los fundadores del Personal Democracy Forum, Andrew Rasiej y Micah Sifry, quienes destacaron la necesidad de traer esta conversación a America Latina, con el objetivo último de construir y organizar comunidades. El anfitrión Felipe Heusser los alerta de las particularidades del contexto latinoamericano, pero esto parece no afectar a los fundadores quienes ya vivieron la transformación de la conversación producida en Estados Unidos en torno a las campañas políticas
Christopher Torres from the Chilean group blog Política Rock, attended the PDF and has a similar interpretation [es] of the theme of politics:
Una de las ideas fuerza que rondó el ambiente en los dos días que duró el encuentro es que la política ya no es una interacción entre un emisor activo (político) y un receptor pasivo (votante), sino que ahora es entre emisores y receptores activos, donde la gente opta por interpelar a sus representantes a través de variadas instancias, ya sea en una reunión, la feria, un puerta a puerta o en la cuenta de Facebook o Twitter del político en cuestión.
However, Rafael Uzcategui, a Venezuelan activist who also attended the event, expressed certain interesting discrepancies [es] on the topic:
Las palabras de bienvenida … colaron, de entrada, que lo que se venía a conversar era más sobre “tecnología” que sobre “política”. Bastante extraño para un evento cuya consigna, precisamente, era sobre cómo la tecnología estaba transformando la política.
Rafael also filmed the talk that David Sasaki gave, entitled “Intimately Linked: the expansion of technology and human rights” and shared the video on his blog [es]. But later he also tells us about what seemed to him to be the best meeting of the day:
Despues del almuerzo –dos sanduchitos de pan de baquete, gasesosa y manzana- participé en uno de los cuatro paneles: “Cómo puede ayudar la tecnología a construir movimientos de base en sociedades desiguales”, una excelente elección. Deanna Zandt, una activista norteamericana muy clara y estimulante, Roberto Lovato de la campaña contra CNN y Lou Dubbs, así como Pepe Huerta de la propuesta chilena por la neutralidad de la red. Cortos, directos y motivantes. Espacio para la interacción con el público.
The next day there were also several interesting things, like the long presentation by former Chilean president Ricardo Lagos, about which Peruvian blogger Alberto de Belaunde posted [es]:
de las exposiciones que más me gustó fue la del ex  presidente chileno  Ricardo Lagos. Su interés por los temas de nuevas  tecnologías no es una  novedad, los invito a revisar su discurso de asunción del mando el año 2000 donde habla de la necesidad de invertir en estos temas.
A talk which had generated much expectation was that of Claire Williams Díaz from Twitter, but as it was just about to go ahead, the presentation that she had prepared failed, as she herself explains in her blog. She sorted it out anyway, although many were still somewhat disappointed.
Undoubtedly the most controversial talk of the entire event was the eagerly awaited speech [es] by Alec Ross, from the US Department of State, especially when he said: “The Che Guevara of the XXI century is the internet”. Diego Beas, editor of PDF gives his interpretation:
Una provocación por parte del cerebro detrás de las  nuevas iniciativas  diplomáticas del Departamento de Estado no exenta de  controversia. … Si el acceso (a la red) se garantiza, la ciudadanía se  alfabetiza y una buen parte  de las luchas políticas se trasladan a las  trincheras digitales, la  innovación y el cambio —la revolución, diría  Ross; yo sería más cauto—  se gestarán en la propia red. … En síntesis,  lo que Ross quería decir es que si la participación cívica  digital  lograra alcanzar un nivel alto y la apertura se ensanchara, el  cambio  social necesitaría cada vez menos de la figura carismática y   unipersonal para provocarlo y cada vez más la del colectivo. … ¿Algo de  wishful thinking made in USA? Sin duda, pero también contiene  una buena  dosis de creatividad al imaginar los modelos políticos del  futuro y  cómo están siendo transformados por tecnologías que permiten  formas de  participación que hasta hace muy poco resultaban  inimaginables.
Alec Ross at the PDF Santiago Chile
A little more critically, the journalist Marc Cooper expressed that the mention seemed interesting to him but that it demonstrated little tact:
How much do you have to know, or not to know, about the region to not understand that an American using the example of Che, in any way or manner, is attaching himself to a political third rail? Ross found that out as he immediately drew fire from both the right and left attending the conference. Some Cuban dissidents were audibly horrified that Guevara should be framed as some sort of implied democratic figure, even if Ross was saying that the Web offered a more open democratic channel. … Many on the left present at the conference were equally angered. With what moral authority does a U.S. diplomatic representative raise the example of Che Guevara in any fashion given that it was, quite literally, a CIA-led squad that hunted down and shot Guevara in cold blood — after he was captured and in custody. And exactly what sort of charismatic, or more to the point, strong-armed, individuals has the U.S. supported in these parts not so many years ago? ) The name Augusto Pinochet sort of pops into mind.
The video of Ross’s talk can been seen here [es]; the mention of Che is at approximately 6:06 minutes. From 24:20 minutes, questions from the public can be heard, firstly one regarding Wikileaks (before the latest leak), then at 27 minutes, one related to Che Guevara asked by a Cuban exile, Ernesto Hernandez Busto, which caused a backlash from some of those present.
The blog La pupila insomne [The insomniac pupil] by Cuban Iroel Sanchez Espinosa, has plenty of criticism [es] of the PDF in general:
A pesar de efectuarse el Forum en Chile y de la  proclamada intención norteamericana de “ayudar a grupos de la sociedad  civil de  todo el mundo”, no hubo una sola palabra en el evento para los  mapuches chilenos que protagonizan una larga lucha por sus derechos, ni tampoco para los mineros de ese país que luego del festín mediático de su rescate siguen denunciando las oprobiosas condiciones de   explotación a que son sometidos. Al parecer, ellos no caben en el   concepto de sociedad civil que promueve el PDF.
Stephanie Falla, editor of Maestros del Web [Web Masters], posts her impressions of the event in three different sections: the positive of the event, the lesson that we take with us and suggestions to improve future programs. Here I show you an example of each section:
(Lo bueno) Proyectos: la combinación de conferencias  temáticas y proyectos tangibles con resultados, procesos y herramientas  utilizadas  ayudó a tener referencias de cómo se han resuelto temas  específicos en cada país como para implementarlo.
(Aprendizaje) Soluciones a problemáticas en común: nos  dimos cuenta que los problemas sociales en nuestro país en realidad son  comunes en la  región. Esto nos hace ver que la iniciativa de algunos  proyectos que han tenido éxito en un país puede implementar a cualquier  otro de la  región.
(Propuesta) Conexión: como es típico en los eventos que  involucran el internet la conexión es fundamental, en el evento falló  en múltiples ocasiones incluso para los expositores, tomar en cuenta que  este detalle es escencial para que existan conversaciones y  retroalimentación.
(The Positive) Projects: the combination of thematic lectures, projects with tangible results and the procedures and the tools used, helped to show how specific issues have been resolved in each country, like how to implement the solution.
(Learning) Solutions to common problems: we realised that the social problems in our country are in reality common to the region. This makes us see that the initiative of some of the projects that have been successful in one country can be implemented in any other in the region.
(Proposal) Connection: As is typical at events that involve the internet, the connection is fundamental, at the event it failed on multiple occasions even for the speakers; take into account that this detail is essential for the existence of conversations and feedback.
And the Venezuelan Héctor Izarra from Ethosgeek provided us with two posts where he too shares what he learnt at the PDF: “9 keys to how technology can help to build grassroots movements in unequal societies” [es] and “Technological tools helping social and political change.” [es]
Finally, Juan Fernando Giraldo from inventio•lab also posted [es] the lessons learnt at the event, among which appears “Social and political transformation is not for the lazy”:
Una  conclusión a la que llegaron casi todos los  expositores fue la paradoja  de la participación en las redes sociales.  Lo que la hace más viable y  le da el potencial de masiva, es lo mismo  que le da su carácter volátil y  en ocasiones vacío: la ausencia de  fricción. Entre menos energía tenga  yo que dedicar a una causa o  iniciativa, es más fácil hacerme parte de  ella, pero si esa energía no  pasa a las calles, si no se enfrenta al  mundo real, si no pasa a  generar fricción, no genera chispa. Si la emoción no llama a la acción,  no habrá transformación.

author: Juan Arellano


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Venezuela: New Bill Cracks Down on the Internet · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In Caracas Chronicles, Francisco Toro blogs about “a draconian set of amendments to the Orwellianly named Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television to extend its reach into the online world and dramatically expand the categories of banned speech.”


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Algeria: Ba’athists and Mauritania · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Algerian-American The Moor Next Door shares an insight on the history of the Ba'athist tendency in Mauritania.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Armenia: Police target Emos · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Although understood to be a fairly conservative and traditional country, reports that police in Armenia were targeting Emos, a stereotypically melancholic sub-culture associated especially with teenagers, caused alarm and outrage among some more open minded bloggers and Facebook users.
Last month, for example, Unzipped especially voiced its concern in a post sarcastically noting the police were hunting down Emos and confiscating “weapons of mass distraction.”
This all began a month or two ago when quite a few Armenian media outlets started systematically publishing sensationalist articles and reports linking virtually all teenage or youth suicides in Armenia to emo. Needless to say that in most, if not all, cases, they had no evidence whatsoever to support their claims, except for wild speculations. […]
And how easy. Nobody cares why those young people commit suicides. Finally, they found an easy solution. A new ‘enemy of nation’. To ‘neutralise’.
[…]
In reality, this is a pretty organised attack towards youth, or anyone for that matter, who look and behave differently, different from what is perceived to be ‘normal’, ‘acceptable’ look or behaviour.
Emigrant Emo, a non-Armenian blog specializing in covering the sub-culture also noted the inaccuracies in press reports, but considers that coverage could reflect the prevalent mentality in local society.
Another day down and emo continues to spread through the world. This time, this “misguided” attempts to describe the underground culture may not necessarily be incorrect for the way the ideas of emo in its new territory. Though Siranuysh Gevorgyan’s recognition of emo’s origins runs the usual misguided list of concepts, it may be that definition in Gevorgyan’s native Armenia.
[…]
Is this interpretation of emo wrong though? Gevorgyan gives it the old-media shine for people with a relatively sympathetic view of the kids -the later of which is a nice change of pace. But, the culture in its native country is all about interpretation among individuals there. […]
[…]
[…] However, considering the tough history the Armenian people have endured these recent decades and centuries, I would think (and hope) that there is a little more depth to these kids’ rebellion beyond the cute, cut-and-paste emo fashion that Gevorgyan describes. Either way, they’re doing it on their own, and that’s a solid feat, especially in the face of many a misunderstanding individual.
In recent days, however, the story has appeared in the international media. Unzipped, for example, tweets that Rolling Stone magazine has even picked it up. The piece was accompanied by a photograph taken by Global Voices’ Caucasus Editor.
Photo © Onnik Krikorian
Now Rolling Stone posted re cracking down on emo in #Armenia. Ridiculous being of police chief. […] via @writepudding
Nevertheless, despite the small numbers of Emos in Armenia, a Facebook Group, United Emos of Armenia, was set up in their support. In its earlier post, Unzipped also noted than some local bloggers launched their own campaign, “I Am Emo,” too, with perhaps the most inventive post coming from alkhhimik [RU].
The blogger, instantly recognizable by his shaven head, posted a doctored photograph of himself as an Emo.
Господин главный млица Армении решил, что ему отныне нечем заняться, посему надо начать отлавливать эмо. Вот здесь — предыстория, группа в фейсбуке. Комитет защиты эм в ярости!
Отвали от детишек, мужик!
Или и меня задержи, и с побоями увези в кутузку, ибо
Я — ЭМО!
According to press reports, the Head of the Armenian Police said that he considered Emos to be ‘dangerous,’ even though few consider there to be more than a handful in the country, as they threaten to ‘distort’ the ‘Armenian gene pool.’
In response, and in order to highlight how anyone ‘different’ in Armenia is usually stereotyped negatively, some Facebook users started to post a YouTube video of a song by teenage pop-punk combo KED, “Es Emo Chem” (I am not Emo).

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: Stepanakert · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Marut's Blog posts photographs taken during the Soviet era of Stepanakert, capital of the breakaway territory of Nagorno Karabakh. An autonomous oblast situated within Azerbaijan before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the region declared itself independent in 1991, but remains internationally unrecognized. Negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan to determine a final status for the mainly Armenian-inhabited territory continue to falter since a 1994 ceasefire agreement ended the war that followed.


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Bahrain: Beans and Petrol Prices Going Up  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The price of petrol …and beans is set to rise in Bahrain. Mahmood Al Yousif offers his two cents.


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Bahrain: Proud of Qatar for Hosting 2022 World Cup · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini Mahmood Al Yousif is proud that Qatar will be hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022.


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Bangladesh: The Trigger Happy Indian BSF Exposed · Global Voices
Rezwan

Jyoti at Unheard Voice highlights the recently published report of Human Rights Watch chronicling the situation on the India Bangladesh border. The report documents indiscriminate killing and torture by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) against both Bangladeshi and Indian nationals in the border area.


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Botswana: President in racist outburst against Kalahari Bushmen  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

In an astonishing outburst, Botswana’s president has today described the Kalahari Bushmen as ‘primeval’, ‘primitive’ and ‘backward’.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Botswana: The Problem with local publishers · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Lauri discusses the problem with local book publishers in Botswana: “Book publishers in Botswana work like this:
They wait for the Ministry of Education to put out a tender for the books they need. The publishers then run around trying to get writers to write those books. They submit the books to the government.”


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Burundi: A documentary on land rights · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A documentary focusing on land right issues caused by returning refugees from the Burundi genocides.


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China: “the person I most admire has the surname Liu.” · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

Danwei has translated a range of Chinese microbloggers’ tweets and posts celebrating their heroes. Those mentioned are all surnamed Liu, and share similar traits with Liu Xiaobo, this year's imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner.

author: Marta Cooper


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Colombia: Twitter Solidarity with Victims of Rainy Season · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

Colombian Twitter users have joined to support the victims of this year's heavy rainy season, which has affected at least 1.5 million people. Twitteratón [es] started on December 8 as an event in Medellín [es] to collect donations for the victims, prompting similar events in other cities like Bogotá (12/ 11), Barranquilla [es] (12/11), Pasto [es] (12/12), and Cali [es] (12/19 [es]). A virtual auction [es] of works by illustrators, photographers, and artists is also on the works.

author: Julián Ortega Martínez


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Egypt: Happy Sixth Anniversary Global Voices! · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian Mohamed ElGohary marks Global Voices Online‘s sixth birthday with a post.


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Indoleaks: Indonesia’s version of Wikileaks? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Indoleaks was recently launched as Indonesia's answer to Wikileaks.

author: Mong Palatino


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Indonesia: Flogging for extramarital kiss · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Ross from Indonesia condemns the flogging received by a couple in Aceh after being caught of engaging in an extramarital kiss.


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Indonesia: On whitening lotion promotion · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

elmefan3 criticizes the obsession of some Indonesians with whitening lotion products.


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Japan: Asahi’s English Daily to become Electronic Only · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Andy Sharp at the Diplomat's Tokyo Notes reports that the print version of Asahi Shimbun’s printed English-language daily will be discontinued next February and become electronic only. This leaves two printed English-language dailies in Japan, and Sharp notes “given their precarious positions, it would not come as a shock if, five years from now, the only English-language Japanese dailies read on Tokyo’s commuter trains will be constituted of electronic ink.” Ken Doctor also blogged about it as part of a growing trend, which blogger takosaburou has translated [ja] into Japanese.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Japan: Opposing Proposed Bill to Restrict “Harmful” Anime and Manga · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

The anime and manga industry's protest again Tokyo's proposed bill for tighter restrictions on content sold to youths escalated on Friday when ten publishers announced that they would not participate in Tokyo International Anime Fair. The Japanese twittersphere is abuzz with this topic, as reflected in Togetter [ja], where it is the focus of 7 out of 10 most popular threads this week.


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Japan: The Fear of the Internet · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Last year W. David MARX at Neojaponisme wrote a thoughtful post on “Japanese internet aversion” [en], in which he proposed an interpretation of the Japanese attitude toward the Net that is still valid today.
According to the blogger, the fear of the internet manifests itself as “user trepidation” and “corporate indignation”: “The unreliable police may be a cause for Fear #1, but Fear #2 tends to go hand-in-hand with Japanese society as a whole”.


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Japan: Web Service Togetter now in English · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Togetter is a popular Japanese web service that allows users to bundle tweets under any given topic. They launched an English version of the service as Chripstory last week. Many Twitter users have voiced their encouragement and support, as bundled in this Togetter thread [ja].


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Jordan: From the First Arab Social Media Forum  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Jordan, Kinzi attended the First Arab Social Media Forum and shares her experience here.


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Jordan: Time for the Palestinian Jordanian Conversation  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Jordan, Naseem Al Tarawneh gives us an insight on chaotic football and the much needed Palestinian Jordanian identity conversation. “If there was ever a time for the taboo chains to crumble, the chains that have long ensnared any attempts to host a national dialog over the issue of identity – this would be it,” he notes.


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Lebanon: Delicious Zaatar Batons · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Here's the recipe for making delicious zaatar (thyme) sticks, in addition to links about zaatar and other Lebanese food that can easily be made at home.

author: Moussa Bashir


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Macedonia: Introducing the Hunza Affair · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

On the Nationalities Blog, Anastas Vangeli, aka Vuna, analyzes from the perspective of Orientalism an ongoing Macedonian political affair: fraternization with the “Hunza people” from the remote mountainous region of Pakistan, who claim ancestry from the soldiers of Alexander the Great.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Malawi” 29 New tweets matching Malawi  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Cryton Chikoko posts new 29 new tweets about Malawi:missbwalya - “Is anyone really surprised at Mutharika's mismanagement of Malawi's top job? Rewind to COMESA days. #Malawi”


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Pakistan: Human Rights and Blasphemy · Global Voices
Rezwan

“If blasphemy is a simple matter of disrespect, then we Muslims are the biggest blasphemers,” says Teeth Maestro from Karachi, Pakistan.

author: Rezwan


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Qatar: 165m Euro for Barca · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Qatar Foundation's record shirt sponsorship 165 million Euro deal with football team Barcelona has readers excited at Qatar Living.


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Qatar: World Cup 2022 Celebrations on Twitter · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

DigitalQatar takes note of Twitter reactions after Qatar won the bid to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup here.


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Qatar: Zooming in on Jumo  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The launch of Jumo is the subject of this post at DigitalQatar. Jumo is described as “the social network connecting individuals and organizations who want to change the world.”


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Russia: More Photos of Nationalist Riot Near Kremlin · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

LiveJournal-user Zyalt [RUS] and DervishRV [RUS] published more photo reports of riots of soccer fans and nationalists that took place next to the Kremlin's wall in Moscow. After the protest has been dispersed the crowd started to attack everyone with non-Slavic look on the streets and in the metro.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Senegal: A tale of two taxis · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A Tale of Two Taxis (or maybe even three or four…) in Senegal: “Taxi drivers here seem to “troll” for customers. They drive looking for people to take somewhere. They slow down at intersections, crawl through crowded areas, and honk at potential clients”


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Senegal: Aid is not free · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

jdelrosario's advice for Senegal: “Based on what I have learned this term I have two major pieces of advice for the leaders of Senegal. First and foremost I would like to make it particularly clear that nothing is free, not even aid.”


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Serbia: The Controversy of the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony · Global Voices
Sinisa Boljanovic

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded this year's peace prize to the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who could not attend the Dec. 10 ceremony in Oslo because he is serving his 11-year prison sentence.
A few days ago, the Chinese authorities sent an official diplomatic note to many countries around the world and called them not to attend the award ceremony in Oslo. Nineteen countries – including Russia, Serbia and Ukraine – chose to skip the Nobel peace prize event.
In one of his first statements after the media broadcast the government’s official decision, Vuk Jeremic, Serbia's minister of foreign affairs, gave a brief explanation of some of the reasons for making it:
All our decisions, like the decisions of all others governments, concern national interests and the priorities of the state.
Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said:
This is Serbia's tactical move aimed at maintenance of strategic relations with China.
NGOs, political parties, mainstream and citizen media discussed the government’s attitude, demanding that minister Jeremic submit resignation.
Pescanik website published a statement of the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM). Among other things, YUCOM wrote:
Boycotting this year’s ceremony of the Nobel peace prize award, the Republic of Serbia confirmed once again that it is very far from the truthful fight for human rights and all the values that characterize a modern, European, democratic society.
After the horrible things of the 1990s, we are supposed to show that we are the first ones who will support those people whose rights are endangered and who risk their lives for world peace. […] Serbia needs the politics of respect for human rights, not the politics that makes that one bridge* more important than one human life. […]
* Author’s note: The Chinese government gave a cheap loan to Serbia in order to build a bridge in Belgrade, the so-called “Chinese bridge.”
In an editorial, E-novine wrote:
[…] From the list of countries that are boycotting the Nobel peace prize ceremony, it’s clear that we are talking here about the non-democratic regimes which, like China, have problems with their own dissidents, or about countries that are under strong influence of Beijing. […]
On Dec. 8, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia published a petition, which was signed by many Serbian human rights activists, intellectuals, journalists and politicians:
With this petition, we, the undersigned human rights defenders and democracy activists, speak in the name of thousands and thousands of citizens of Serbia, eager to see their country firmly committed to European course and the highest values of the contemporary world.
Hence, we, the undersigned, strongly disapprove our government’s decision to place Serbia in the circle of democratically disputable countries the representatives of which will boycott the ceremony of The Nobel Peace Prize bestowal on Liu Xiaobo, the man whose years-long, consistent and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China earned him the respect of the civilized world.
With this petition we wish the Nobel Committee and the world public to know that really many citizens of Serbia would not back this latest, shameful decision by their government, that they strongly oppose its “political barters” so characteristic for the nationalistic Serbia before and after the wars of 1990s, and that because of these wars’ and other bloody traces of autocratic rules and “greater-nation” policies – subjugating individual rights to “national interests” – they raise their voice against any form of servility to the country that, in the 21st century, commits a human rights activist to prison and holds his family and colleagues under house arrest to prevent them from traveling to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace award on his behalf.
Blic, a Belgrade daily, published an article titled “Government for the boycott, Tadic against it,” emphasizing a discord among the high-ranking state officials on the issue and citing a statement by the spokeswoman of European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuehle:
It is expected from a country aspiring to join the EU to share the EU values.
The disputed decision divided not only President Tadic and minister Jeremic, but also readers who left more than 250 comments on the article, mainly discussing its foreign policy consequences.
Below are some of the comments:
NenadRu:
[…] Therefore, none of the European countries decided to boycott the ceremony, only Serbia and its “pro-European” ministers. […] Awful, can we know what the national politics is?
Zele:
Just one question: what kind of benefit do we have from that? When we become a member of the EU, then we will vote like others, but what kind of obligation do we now have toward them? They make pressure on us to renounce Kosovo, don’t allow us to integrate in the EU, they bombed us and haven’t paid any war reparation. […]
TZTTZ:
Honestly, I don’t know what is better for us: to go or not to go [to Oslo]. […] But, China didn’t recognize Kosovo, while the EU did.
In his guest post on Srecko Sekeljic’s B92 blog, Milos Bogicevic wrote:
[…] The question is whether some future generations will proudly emphasize the fact that Serbia, on the Human Rights Day 2010, boycotted the Nobel peace prize award, or whether they will be ashamed of it. Maybe we should be ashamed already today.
On Thursday evening, December 9, one day before the award ceremony, Serbia's Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic seized the initiative and decided to travel to Oslo as an independent representative of the Republic of Serbia, having realized that the Serbian government was not going to change its official decision. Then, due to public pressure, PM Cvetkovic asked  Jankovic on behalf of the government to give his personal congratulations to the Nobel Committee and Liu Xiaobo.

author: Sinisa Boljanovic


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Sri Lanka: Studying In Sinhala · Global Voices
Rezwan

Za Za writes that studying only in Sinhala language can be challenging for the Sri Lankans.


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Taiwan bloggers on Wikileaks · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

Schee, project owner of Hopendata, calls for more attention on Wikileaks by hosting an event on Dec.22 about “Wikileaks and Freedom of the Internet” while setting up a mirror site at “wikileaks.com.tw“.  On the other hand, Influential blogger Billypan builds the Taiwanese version of Wikileaks that aims to crowd-translate the 3,456 cables leaked from American Institute Taiwan.

author: Portnoy Zheng


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Azerbaijan: Adnan and Emin are back… and say thank you · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

In Mutatione Fortitudo posts the first YouTube video by Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli since their release. In the video, the two video blogging youth activists in Azerbaijan say thank you to all those who followed their case and contributed to international pressure calling for their release. From world leaders to international organizations, Global Voices is also thanked in the end credits.


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Azerbaijan: Looking in from the outside · Global Voices
Aygun Janmammadova

For those living in a particular country, many things can sometimes be taken for granted. But when others from outside discover it for the first time, often experiencing new colors and traditions, a fresh insight is often the result.
Photo from http://shekiazerbaijan.blogspot.com/
In an extended blog post, for example, Meaning Full details its experience of Azerbaijan, the oil-rich former Soviet republic in the South Caucasus, and touches upon many aspects of life from culture and identity to thoughts on Islam and gender. The Portuguese blogger says that at times she felt as if in a fairy tale.
I just could not imagine that to some extent I’d feel like Alice in Wonderland in this journey into a brand new country for me. In fact, many things simply don’t work under the same logic as I’m used to, but it is still a wonderful country with fine, warm, welcoming people.
[…]
Something that becomes obvious – at least in the interior Azerbaijan villages, […] is the abundance, the prevalence, the concentration of men. Men, men, men everywhere. Few women on the streets, few women doing things, at least outside, very few in hotel jobs. […]
[…]
Azerbaijan seems to want fiercely to be a modern country. I felt it for several times, in several details. It seems the government and the official structures want to get the pace and “catch the train” of the outside world. Azerbaijan is assumed to be a “moderate Islamic” country. One of the first things I asked Rachad, our Azeri guide, was how should I dress. Short trousers? Could I ware t-shirts without sleeves? Azerbaijan is a modern country, he answered!
Nevertheless, the blogger also admits to having some concerns regarding safety before her arrival, but says that they disappeared once on the ground. Although identifying some of the problems typical for a patriarchal and moderately Islamic country, she was fascinated by the vibrant rays of the capital Baku and its residents.
When coming to the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, I had no idea of how it would be. I had been worried if I could be safely walking alone in the city or not. My worries vanished, when my colleague Farida kindly offered to a guided tour. I had the opportunity to see the pleasure of the walking zones of the city. So many women and children, families walking by, relaxed and simply enjoying the city. So many water games and fresh gardens, and by night so many people walking by the long water front of the calm Caspian Sea. […] I felt the beat of a city that moves and breaths collectively, where people truly enjoy their own city.
Many foreigners in the country do, however, often raise the issue of gender roles. Relaying an experience with the matriarch of the family she live with, and affectionately calling her ‘mom,’ Making Wool from Eggs, the blog of a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) in Azerbaijan, notes the expections society has of its women.
[…] The week before Thanksgiving I decided to make a preliminary pie for my family. […] When we got to my house, I start making the dough, and Alise starts peeling the apples. My mom watched us intently and was very impressed with my abilities to make and roll out dough. She was so impressed in fact, that she remarked “You can do something!” […] She told me that I was “ready for marriage.” Here, when a woman learns to cook, she is ready to marry and cook for her husband However, my friend Alise is not ready for marriage. My mom does not like the way she peels apples. […]
Even so, foreigners in the country are also taken with how refreshingly simple life in Azerbaijan can appear Dream it, Plan it and Do it! , another PCV blog, for example, shares its thoughts on the lifestyle compared to back home in the U.S..
Every day, I have time to read, to write, to work, to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have time for my daily exercise, to shop in the bazaar and I even have time to bake a cake. My working hour at the bank is from 9:30am to 4:00pm. There are no deadlines, no pressure, no boss to make my life miserable and definitely no work on the weekends. In terms of material things and luxury life style, I admit, I have none. […]
But it is this simply life that makes me very healthy and fulfilling. I look at the mirror in the morning, the high humidity of this country makes my wrinkles disappear, my daily exercise keeps me strong, a well balanced, greasy free, and cholesterol free diet keeps me in good shape. Last but not least, a stress free environment helps me to maintain an optimistic altitude. I feel younger and happier each day.
Perhaps I am in fact living in a dream. […]
A Peace Corps Volunteer chooses from dried fruit offerings at a local market in Azerbaijan.
On a similar note, on From the Land of Fire blog, a former PCV also recalls good memories of living in Azerbaijan for more than 3 years and that this time spent has reshaped her priorities in a life.
[…] I find I miss so many little things about Azerbaijan that I'm feeling frustrated adjusting to life in the US. I often feel out of place here now that I've spent so long overseas.
I miss the cheap fresh produce every day. I miss the rusty, old, ridiculously fast driving public transportation that took me anywhere I wished to go in the city for only .20 qepik. […] I miss having a job, a place to go where I feel valuable, and feel like my work is important and means something. I miss my boss and my counterparts at work. I miss having someplace to go every day. […] I miss feeling connected to my community.
[…]
Sometimes we here in America tend to think that life is so much better here than it is in other places. […] Honestly, I felt, and still do, that life in Azerbaijan was more simple. It gave me a chance to learn to love my job, figure out what my passions are, and gave me a chance to enjoy life and everything in it. I'm feeling a little “homesick” for Azerbaijan.
True, life in a country such as Azerbaijan for a foreigner can be more privileged than for most locals who still lead difficult lives in other ways, but they also offer a colorful image of life which is sometimes taken for granted and forgotten by many during an often painful period of transition.

author: Aygun Janmammadova


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Bangladesh: The Real Crowd · Global Voices
Rezwan

Jerome at Bangladesh, Canada And Beyond explains with pictures what is meant as “crowd” in Bangladesh.


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Barbados: Recession Christmas  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cheese-on-bread! acknowledges that this Christmas “feels a bit different because, well, let's face it, we're in a recession”, and offers a few ways to “enjoy the holidays and not break the bank.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Brazil: Recognition of the Palestinian State · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Palestine flag in Brazil, by Flickr user Setesete77 (Creative Commons 2.0: by-nc-sa)
On  December 3, 2010 Brazil officially recognized [pt] the Palestinian state  within the 1967 borders – before the Six-Day War – by note No. 707 of  Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Itamaraty.
Since 1975 Brazil has recognized the PLO – Palestine Liberation Organization – as the legitimate  representative of the Palestinian people. Since 1993 it has, in Brazil, had a Special Delegation, and since 1998 the status of Embassy. The recognition came after a letter sent [pt] by the Chairman of the  Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas to the Brazilian President Lula asking for the recognition of a Palestinian state.
Journalist and historian Rafael Fortes, in his blog, comments [pt] on Itamaraty's note,  praising the decision, which he considers consistent with the foreign  policy practiced by President Lula in recent years:
O texto é claro, direto e correto. Corresponde, aliás, à  política externa do Governo Lula, que nada tem de radical, apesar da  histeria da mídia gorda (principal partido de direita do Brasil, hoje).  Exemplo disso é a intensificação das trocas comerciais com Israel –  inclusive pela compra de armas e outros produtos e serviços de segurança  e inteligência, cujo “laboratório” são os  territórios ocupados e as  “cobaias humanas”, a população palestina. Estas trocas comerciais  contribuem para o fortalecimento de um país que deveria sofrer boicote  da comunidade internacional, tal qual a África do Sul do apartheid.
Miguel Grazziotin, in his blog, salutes [pt] Brazilian diplomacy's decision, which he considers fair, given that Brazil also recognizes the state of Israel:
Muito acertada a decisão deste presidente, do qual muito  me orgulho.
Se existe o reconhecimento de um Estado Judeu, Israel, nada mais  justo que o reconhecimento do Estado Palestino.
Embora saibamos que no mundo ocidental, dominado pelos sionistas, há  coisas que só o “povo escolhido” pode fazer ou ter…….
Marcos Guterman, in his blog, on the other hand, criticizes [pt] the decision, citing possible mistakes:
Tecnicamente, é um erro falar de um Estado palestino com  “fronteiras anteriores à guerra de 1967”. O que há são acordos de  armistício, e o que Israel conquistou não foram territórios  “palestinos”, mas egípcios (Gaza) e jordanianos (Cisjordânia).
Conceição Oliveira, at the blog Maria Frô, considers [pt] that the recognition by the Brazil of the Palestinian state within the 1967 borders was the most important news of the day, and she takes the chance to criticize the Brazilian media coverage of the case:
Diplomacia é isso, aprendam aí gringos, ao invés de ficar  bisbilhotando chefes de Estado, façam o  que tem de ser feito:  contribuam para o diálogo e processo de paz não dizendo amém para o  imperialismo da política sionista.
Para mim foi a notícia mais importante do dia, mas os brasileiros  preferiram falar e sonhar com IPad e a imprensalona a dar voz ao Estado Sionista.
Three days after the Brazilian decision was made, Argentina also announced the recognition of a Palestinian  state, as Opera Mundi informs [pt]. Oliveira comments [pt] on the impact that has had in Brazilian media coverage of the issue, given the fact that until then the news had little been noticed on the Brazilian blogosphere and in the press:
Houve pouca repercurssão na blogosfera e na imprensalona o  viés de sempre: o que os sionistas acharam da nota do Itamaraty, nenhum  linha sobre a repercussão do reconhecimento brasileiro entre os  palestinos.
Após a Argentina também reconhecer aos palestinos o direito de  constituir um Estado livre e independente os portais brasileiros  começaram a dar mais bola para notícia.
Ao menos entre os palestinos as expectativas diante do fato de O Cara  reconhecer o direito de formação do Estado Palestino são a de que o ato  do presidente Lula produzirá uma onda de apoio à luta de décadas dos  palestinos contra a opressão do imperialismo sionista. Acompanhemos.
Meeting between President Lula da Silva and Mahmoud Abbas in November 2009. Photo by Manu Dias / AGECOM shared by Flickr user Gov/Ba (Creative Commons 2.0 by)
Claudio Ribeiro at the blog Diversas Palavras [Many Words, pt] also criticizes the media's coverage, accusing it of having ties with American interests – those that are opposed to the recognition of Palestine:
O Brasil não está isolado e nem fazendo “pirotecnia  diplomática” ou agindo sem qualquer sintonia com seus pares e/ou  vizinhos, como insistem em afirmar os prepostos americanos:  grande imprensa local e políticos da oposição.
For a long time, according to the blog Kaos en la Red [Chaos in the Web, pt/es], Brazil has sought an active position on the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the  recognition of the Palestinian state can give more strength to Brazil in  participating in such negotiations. Jorge Seadi, writing for the Sul21 [South21, pt] blog, analyses the meaning of the recognition for the Brazilian government and its practical effects:
O reconhecimento das fronteiras como eram em 1967  significa que, na opinião do governo brasileiro,  Israel deve devolver  os territórios ocupados — Cisjordânia, Jerusalém Oriental e Faixa de  Gaza. O presidente Lula escreveu ao líder palestino que “o  reconhecimento de suas fronteiras é parte da convicção brasileira de que  um processo negociador que resulte em dois Estados convivendo  pacificamente e em segurança é o melhor caminho para a paz no Oriente  Médio”.
Georges Bourdukan, on his blog, also adds [pt] that the United States criticized Brazil's decision to  recognize the Palestinian state, and offers reasons, such as the  necessity for the U.S. to maintain its burgeoning war industry through the  support given to Israel:
Criticar  a atitude brasileira é querer transformar o  Brasil no Iran da vez.
Os Estados Unidos, por, exemplo, consideraram “lamentável” e  “imprudente” a decisão brasileira.
O que confirma, mais uma vez, que os Estados Unidos farão de tudo,  como têm feito até hoje,  para impedir a criação do Estado palestino.
É fundamental para eles que não haja Estado palestino.
Um Estado palestino significa o início do fim do atual estado de  Israel, cujos dirigentes, como se sabe, transformaram o país num posto  militar.
Israel existe para manter florescente a indústria bélica e a  sobrevivência dos EUA.
The MOPAT (Movement Palestine for All) welcomed Lula's decision, but asked him to for more concrete actions against  what they call the “Zionist occupation” of Palestine.
The Israeli government, according to Braulio Wanderley from the blog História Vermelha [Red History, pt] condemned the  recognition, saying that it “does not help, but hinders the peace  process.”
This post was proofread by Marta Cooper

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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China: A Nobel Peace Prize for Assange?  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

David Bandurski from China Media Project translated the December 10 2010 editorial of Beijing Daily which criticized the Nobel Peace Prize as a “tool of Western values and ideology,” and snidely suggested that this year’s prize be given instead to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Alleviating traffic jam in Beijing · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Stan from China Hearsay comments on a set of drafted policy that aims at alleviating traffic jam in Beijing.


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Costa Rica: The History of a Village in Calypso Songs · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Dr. Bombodee, Walter Ferguson's last CD
Walter “Gavitt” Ferguson, said to be the last remaining Calypsonian,  has become  the memory keeper of Cahuita in Costa Rica's Caribbean south. He sings  about his life and the history of his town; from Cacao plantation, to banana republic and finally, to national park and touristic destination.
The story of Walter Ferguson was told in this 1999 documentary by the Long Distance University of Costa Rica (UNED) which they have now uploaded and shared online. In it he tells of how he learned to play music on borrowed instruments and how he got involved in calypso the old fashioned way: by listening to the older calypsonians challenge each other by rhyming back and forth. He also goes on to explain about the inspiration for most of his songs, mainly based on events that happened in his village, giving a nice perspective to what life used to be like in Cahuita in a time when moonlit nights hosted impromptu concerts, the streets were of grass and medical emergencies had to be evacuated by paddling up the coast to the port city of Limon:
In these past 10 years, much has happened: Walter Ferguson recorded 2 CDs with the label Papaya Music, who wanted to have him record a CD so bad that when Mr. Ferguson declared he didn't want to go to San Jose to record, the label improvised a recording studio in his Cahuita home, as told by Roberto in The Silver People Chronicles in his article  The Reign of Walter Ferguson:
They literally jumped through hoops in order to record this portable musical genius. They improvised a recording studio in one of Ferguson’s family cabins covering the walls of the room with mattresses to elevate the room temperature until they were able to isolate his voice and the sound of his guitar alone. In the meantime they managed to silence the dogs and the parrots that live in the patio of the Calypsonian’s house. They silenced the dogs by feeding them long ropes of sausage while the recording was in progress. It was in this manner, with the noise, the humidity, and only with his voice and guitar, that they were able to produce the record for Papaya Records.
It is a common occurrence for people to stop by the hotel and seek out Mr. Gavitt in Cahuita, as can be seen in this next video shot last October, where the simple fact of meeting Walter Ferguson is worth documenting and sharing online:
He was even visited by former Presidential Candidate Ottón Solis:
Walter Ferguson's songs reflect the history of Cahuita: from the monilia fungus that decimated the region's cacao production, to the arrival of the United Fruit Company, the train and the banana plantations for an all too brief period after which they departed leaving farmers once again facing a crisis. He also writes about the creation of the National Park and how it affected the community who was removed from their lands to make way for conservation and how that finally changed the community's livelihood from agriculture to tourism.
Ferguson's song Cabin in the Wata, tells of a friend in Cahuita who when government officials told him he couldn't build anything on his lands because they had become part of the National Park, then decided to build in the sea instead.  This song was featured as the soundtrack in a Visa credit card commercial featuring all sorts of logos and ending with the slogan: You live in this world. You need Visa. This struck Jazmin Ross as a bit odd, as she wrote back in 2006:
“Vivís en este mundo. Necesitás Visa”. Curiosamente la voz y la música que acompaña las imágenes que muestran un Buenos Aires glamoroso, hipermoderno, por el que se puede transitar sin restricciones con una tarjeta de crédito, pertenecen a un viejito caribeño de 86 años que nunca puso un pie en un estudio de grabación, jamás entró a una cadena de hamburguesas y su única relación con las computadoras es un calypso que les dedicó a esas “loras de vidrio” que lo volvieron loco dándole y quitándole una pensión.
You can hear a bit of his music in this fan video from Argentina, where his song Rumba en Cahuita seems to be the perfect companion to a somewhat surreal road trip:
This year, in honor of Walter Ferguson, a festival of arts and culture in Cahuita now has his name, as Kimberly Barron from Eye on Costa Rica wrote:
Cahuita, a small tourist town located on the Southern Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica is planning to make cultural event a yearly party of dance, music, typical food and a celebration of the Afro-Costarricense culture. Named in honor of Walter Ferguson, known as the “King of Calypso”, he is best known for songs such as Cabin in the Wata and Callaloo. The highlight of the festival is expected to be a Calypso concert at Cahuita’s Central Park, which will feature local Cahuita performers, as well as musicians from Limon and Puerto Viejo.
In the same article, Kimberly goes on to translate an interview the national newspaper La Nacion had with Gavitt where he candidly discusses many details from his life. Walter Ferguson is now into his 90s, mostly blind and no longer playing music, since he says that when he sings, the sound doesn't come out like he would like it to.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Digital historical archive Japan Air Raids · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Cary Karacas and Bret Fisk [ja] run the digital historical archive Japan Air Raids. The site, available in English and Japanese, is “an ongoing project to build a digital archive dedicated to the international dissemination of information about the World War II air raids against Japan”.


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Guyana: Sun/Rain Love  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal blogs beautifully about the relationship between sun and rain.


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Haiti: More Than Politics · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the wrangling continues after Haiti's controversial elections, prophet N asks: “How will these political solutions fix something that has become about so much more than politics?”


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Jamaica: Celebrated Journalist Dies  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Distinguished Jamaican journalist John Maxwell has passed away; The National Gallery of Jamaica Blog pays him tribute, while Geoffrey Philp adds: “In this time of Wiki Leaks and other journalistic scandals, his ethics, wisdom, and courage are surely needed…”


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Japan: “What’s Wrong with Being No. 2?” · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

Roland Keats published “What’s Wrong with Being No. 2?” in the Adbusters site: “Japan may be the first nation to opt for a no growth, steady state economy.“.


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Maldives: The Political Stunt Backfired · Global Voices
Rezwan

Hassan Ziayu describes the unfortunate course of events that followed the resignation of the whole cabinet of Maldives at the same time on 29th of June, 2010.