Global Voices Online

Of Kevin Sites' recent Hot Zones coverage of Haiti, Yon Ayisyen writes (Fr): “His visit helped me realize how narrow and even possibly twisted an image he portrays of the places he visits. He did not go farther than the well established cliches of this country.”

From Haiti, Yon Ayisyen points to (Fr) sites of pictures of Haiti taken by Haitians.

Robert Koehler in Marmot's Hole has two posts on Korea-U.S relation regarding the withdrawal of U.S troop or the flexible military strategy in South Korea. The first one is a comment on an opinion piece written in Chosun Ilbo. The second one is a summary of varous reactions towards the agreement.

Bingfeng is now translating comments from present and ex-foxconn workers on the working conditions in Foxconn from the two First Financial Daily workers' blog. According to Bingfeng, the newspapers company has a meeting last night to collect evidences to prepare for the libel case.

Shang pei-jin from Shanghaiist has a detailed sum up on Chinabounder (Shanghai foreign sex blogger) issue.

Having watched the trailer for a newly released film set in Uganda, Jamaican novelist Marlon James announces that he's sick and tired of “stories of a white man trapped in black (and sometimes yellow) hell where in the midst of all this inhumanity he discovers what it means to be human.”

Raúl Castro appears to have made his first official appointment, writes Luis M. Garcia: “analysts and Cuban watchers will have a field day over the next few hours with these latest news from Havana. Does it mean Raul is really in charge?“

Srdjan Cvijic of The TransAtlantic Assembly a translates an article by a renowned Serbian political analyst on Kosovo, the West and the feeling of collective guilt.

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes about a recent attack on an Israeli in Belgrade and the hype it caused.

David McDuff of A Step At A Time translates an article on the tenth anniversary of the end of the First Chechen War.

J. Otto Pohl translates a decree that ordered deportation of the Volga Germans to Kazakhstan and Siberia in 1941.

Our Man In Tirana writes about Albania's upcoming football battles.

Konstantin Dlutskiy of Russian Marketing Blog writes about guerilla promotion of The Sopranos.

Ibn ad Dunya writes about the 300 Egyptians who seek asylum in the Czech Republic. He said: “Who can blame them for wanting to go to Europe, to leave Egypt is a dream for many young Egyptians, and only to achieve the goal of getting a visa to America, Canada, Australia or the EU is tough post 9/11 and with Europe showing it’s nicest smile towards any potential refugee seeker, before sending him back with the first available flight if possible.”

Ammar is calling to hold a closed forum of well-known intellectuals and dissidents with the purpose of coming up with a draft for a Syrian national pact or charter where all issues related to peaceful change in the country. Then, he will demand that Syrian opposition groups sign on to it. Those who do will be invited to attend a general conference where elections will be held to form a government-in-exile consisting of a parliament, a PM and a small cabinet.