Ukraine-Russia Standoff — Ugandan Anti-Gay Law — Israel Convoy Bombing — Indian Third Front — Nigeria School Attack — Poynter
As the world's media goes into full gear over Ukraine-Russia standoff, we look at the timeline of events. Uganda has now passed some of the worst anti-gay laws in the world. Israel admits yet does not admit to destroying another weapons convoy heading to Lebanon from Syria. Smaller parties in India unite to form an alternative to the big 2 in the upcoming election. Boko Haram militants attack a boarding school in Eastern Nigeria. This week's Newz Source is the Poynter Institute.
Mark Fonseca Rendeiro
Caldas da Rainha, Portugal
Tim Pritlove
Berlin, Germany
- New Ukrainian Government In Standoff With Russian Military and Opponents of the Revolution in Crimea
- Yanukovych Leaks
- Quote of the Week: “You just don’t in the 21st century behave in 19th century fashion by invading another country on completely trumped up pre-text.” – US Secretary of State John Kerry on the Russia-Ukraine situation.
- Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Ugandan President Passes Severe Anti-Gay Laws
- Israeli Air Force Bombs Weapons Convoy Along Lebanon-Syria Border
- Third Front Party Formed for Indian Elections
- Boko Haram Massacres Boarding School Students in Nigeria
- NEWZ SOURCE: Poynter
This new episode did not appear on the app.net Metaebene account which I regularly check. So I only noticed it today.
Actually of the members of the Community for Democracy and Rights of Nations the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is not associated with Russia other than historical ties and the latter’s involvement with the international management of the conflict. The majority of the population is Armenian. As to what the other three get out of this, I think there is financial aid, but all these conflicts are at some level about self-determination albeit so muddled up with Russian geopolitic interests that it’s probably impractical to separate these two motives.
Much the same is true of Crimea. What I find a little underreported is that Russia already has had problems with Ukraine regarding the Black Sea Fleet, such as the imposition of fees or restrictions on the size and type of deployed vessels. Russia has started the construction of a backup naval base at Novorossiysk on the opposite site of the Kerch Strait a while back. Here is an article from last year that looks at this: http://www.lucorg.com/news.php/news/6765 So in the discussion in Germany it is sometimes implied that Russia is overreacting in seeing the status of Sevastopol and other installations threatened, but I think it is reasonable to assume that more problems would have arisen with an even less favorable government in power in Kiev. On the other hand I think Novorossiysk could substitute for Sevastopol in the long run, I don’t think Crimea is critical in that regard. Except of course when you think about who could move in next and if you are a paranoid Russian strategist you are thinking big NATO naval base. So there is that, but mostly it’s a cultural-political issue for Russia. As much as Putin is painted as a solitary leader, he is a nationalist politician with a power base to please.
You didn’t mention the US evangelical angle with the Ugandan law. There is an upcoming documentary, “God Loves Uganda”, that portrays the role missionaries supposedly played in getting it started. Here is a short preview video from the Guardian website, that also shows some eerie footage from the parliament and the cheerful reception the proposed bill got there: http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/feb/25/us-evangelical-missionaries-gays-uganda-video
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