September 26, 2005
More Posts Later
Editor's Note: Look for more posts around 7:30 p.m. Central Standard time in the United States.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)
September 18, 2005
My Africa Blog Makes Its Debut
Quentin Reade at Web User reports that, "The BBC has launched a new site that hopes to bring together Africans in the continent and Africans in the UK through online diaries and photo galleries."
The site is called 'My Africa.' "At the heart are the voices of diarists who share their personal experiences through their blogs," he wrote. Read more here.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2005
Waiting for River Bend
River Bend, Baghdad Burning's Iraqi proprietor, hasn't posted since July 15, 2005. I miss her commentary and hope she's alright.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2005
Why Was Journalist Stephen Vincent Killed?
Jenny Booth at Times Online notes that, "There is speculation" that Steven Vincent, the "freelance American journalist" and blogger who was killed in basra, Iraq on August 3, 2005,
was murdered in an attempt to silence him. Four days before his death he had written an opinion piece in The New York Times in which he said that the police force in the British-controlled city had been infiltrated by Shia Muslim extremist militias, who were responsible for carrying out hundreds of murders of prominent Sunni Muslims. He criticized the British, whose 8,000 troops in the area are responsible for security in Basra, for turning a blind eye to abuses of power by Shia extremists. The whole city was "increasingly coming under the control of Shia religious groups, from the relatively mainstream... to the bellicose followers of the rebel cleric Moqtada al-Sadr."In his final blog," Ms. Booth said, Mr. Vincent wrote:
The British stand above the growing turmoil, refusing to challenge the Islamists’ claim on the hearts and minds of police officers.I suspect the British know this is a battle they will never win.
See "Basra blogger is abducted and murdered" for another reason why Mr. Vincent may have been killed.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:08 PM | Comments (0)
July 31, 2005
Mr. Djerejian's Apology
Gregory Djerejian at The Belgravia Dispatch, a blogger I regularly read and appreciate although I find myself disagreeing with much of what he writes, offers "Sincere apologies to any B.D. regulars out there (those of you who don't just land here after an Insta or Sully or RCP link etc. etc.)." for his irregular posting schedule of late. He added: I've always strived to keep this site 'fresh', not least because the blog medium seems to demand a certain frequency and topicality of posting. This has often meant rather hurried (and tired...) post 10-11PM blogging-- but even that has simply proven impossible of late. I'm still alive and kicking--and I'm keeping a (somewhat listless, truth be told!) eye on the blogosphere when I can--while nevertheless hoping to get back in the saddle in relatively short order.
I know how Mr. Djerejian feels and don't blame him for not forcing himself to blog. After a long day of conducting discovery, doing legal research and other chores that go into preparing a defense in a case, I am often too tired to blog. Sometimes I actually fall asleep at the computer, trying to post items for European readers who are awake when we are asleep here in the U.S.
See "In-House News" for more of Mr. Dejerejian's apology.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:54 PM | Comments (0)
July 23, 2005
Thanks To The Diplomatic Times Review Readership
Since March 20, 2005, readers from 108 countries have visited The Diplomatic Times Review, according to our weblog statistics. Most visitors, 21, 210, came from Mexico. The United States is the runnerup with 5, 666. Norway, 2, 386; Colombia; 2, 328; and Brazil, 2, 188, make up the top five.
To date, we've had approximately 219, 894 visitors. This means that we are barely on the radar compared to the more influential blogs. (A lower figure posted earlier was wrong).
Nevertheless, I greatly appreciate Diplomatic Times Review readers who have helped us get this far. You are appreciated regardless of your political persuasion or religious view. The goal here is simply to present information, offer commentary and add to the discussion of ideas and global issues that the Internet allows because of its ability connect people from all over the world.
Munir Umrani
July 23, 2005
Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
TPM Cafe: An Informative Companion To Talking Points Memo
Joshua Micah Marshall's second blog, TPM Cafe, provides informed coverage of news and opinion by a variety of commentators. It fits well with Talking Points Memo, his flagship blog. The Diplomatic Times Review highly recommends TPM to its readers around the world.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Why 'Rightwing' U.S. Bloggers Targeted Dilpazier Aslam
The Guardian of London noted July 22, 2005 that, "Rightwing bloggers from the US, where the Guardian has a large online following, were behind the targeting last week of a trainee Guardian journalist who wrote a comment piece which they did not care for about the London bombings." See "Aslam targeted by bloggers" for more.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 10, 2005
Middle East Policy Blog
A blog that The Diplomatic Times Review intends to keep an eye on is Nassim Yaziji's Middle East Policy, which went online June 26, 2005. According to Mr. Yaziji, "This blog informs about the western and American policies of the Middle East, the reality of the Middle East, and the relevant research work, with focus on the Middle East democratization. It raises debate on the Middle East policy issues, conveys the Middle Eastern viewpoints, and intends to serve as a bridge among the scholars, researchers and politicians of the western democracies and their counterparts in the Middle East.
So far, it's editorial slant is pro-western. Based on what I've read to date, I expect it to stay that way.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:48 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2005
WSJ Highlights Blogger Coverage Of London Bombings
On July 7, 2005, the day that four bombs exploded in London killing more than 45 and wounding hundreds more, The Wall Street Journal Onlinepublished an interesting article headlined "Bloggers and Photographers Chronicle Chaos in London."
Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:40 PM | Comments (0)
July 08, 2005
Guardian: Bloggers Reacted Quickly To London Blasts
On July 7. 2005, Chris Johnston at Guardian Unlimited noted that, "Bloggers have been quick to react to today's events in London, from practical advice about how to get home to analysis of how well the major news outlets have covered events." For more, see "Bloggers react quickly to London blasts."
Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:31 PM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2005
Bloggers And The Downing Street Memo
Kevin Anderson, in a June 17, 2005 post at the BBC News Website, reports that, "Since early May, left-leaning blogs have been trying to get mainstream media to pay attention to one - and now two - leaked secret memos from meetings that Prime Minister Tony Blair had with key cabinet members and intelligence figures in the summer before the war in Iraq." he added:The bloggers believe the memos, leaked to the Sunday Times, show that the Bush administration had made up its mind to attack Iraq and then went about trying to justify it. With the release of the second memo, blogs can take some credit in raising the profile of the story in the US media.
"And," he opined, "Mr Bush's Democratic opponents sense a political opening to attack a now seemingly vulnerable president."
There has definitely been a shift in perception. See "Bloggers' 'victory' over Iraq war memos" for more of Mr. Anderson's analysis.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 17, 2005
Iranian Bloggers Discuss Iran's Presidential Election
"During the past weeks, the Iranian urban middle-class has published a huge amount of articles on weblogs about its preoccupation with the presidential election," according to Mehdi Jami at BBCPersian.Com. "They have left no stream of thought unrepresented."
Mr. Jami added: "These discussions are invariably about one of two topics: Boycotting the election or voting for three of the candidates - former police chief Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, former science minister Mostafa Moin or former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The other candidates are not talked about as such on the weblogs," Mr. Jami noted. Here's more. Also see "Iran's presidential hopefuls."
Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 05, 2005
Why JWN Put 'Democracy Denied In Iraq' Counter Back Up
Helena Cobban at Just World News (JWN) has "put the "Democracy Denied in Iraq" counter back up onto the JWN sidebar." Read why.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 24, 2005
Raw Story: 'Bloggers Take on U.S. Over 2002 Iraq Planning Memo'
John Byrne at Raw Story has an important post headlined "Inspired by Kos diary, bloggers take on U.S. over 2002 Iraq planning memo."
It's about DowningStreetMemo.com, which was established in "response to U.S. media silence surrounding the official minutes of a pre-war meeting leaked on the eve of the recent British elections," according to Mr. Byrne, who noted that the memo was "authored by a foreign policy aide to British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
He said "the minutes are perhaps the most damning ammunition in the arsenal of those seeking to demonstrate that the decision to go to war in Iraq was fixed. The memo is definitely worth reading. I was struck by its candor.
This article is cross-posted at The National Political Observer.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 12:14 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 19, 2005
Gregory Djerejian: 'Can't We All Just Get Along'?
Gregory Djerejian at The Belgravia Dispatch has thoughts on the feud between Andrew Sullivan and Instapundit Glenn Reynolds. Here's his opening paragraph: There's an increasingly nasty spat brewing between Andrew and Glenn. As these are my two favorite bloggers, all told, I'm a tad saddened they are quarreling so. Andrew today calls Glenn a "shill" for the Bush Administration. Meanwhile, Glenn simply writes: "I find the question of what Andrew thinks less pressing than I used to." Ouch.
Mr. Djerejian added: "What's a pity here is that, deep down, I suspect Glenn still does value Andrew's opinions and that, similarly, Andrew doesn't view Glenn as a rank patsy for the Bushies. But here we are in this escalating war of words. What to make of this internecine blogospheric fracas?"
Nothing much. Bloggers are no different from anyone else when it comes to acting silly. Besides, a feud between two of better known bloggers makes things interesting. Read more here.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:27 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 15, 2005
Helena Cobban's 'Open Thread' on Iraq
Helena Cobban at Just World News has an "open thread" on Iraq going. She welcomes your participation.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 08, 2005
Welcome Back Gregory
I'm glad to see that Gregory Djerejian, the proprietor of the highly recommended Belgravia Dispatch , is back from his hiatus. While Joseph Britt , a Wisconsin free-lance writer, did a fair job of guest blogging for him, there is nothing like the real thing. Welcome back, Gregory. By the way, take a look at his Mail Bag. There's interesting reading there.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Nossel and Greenberg Guest Blogging at Daniel W. Drezner
Suzanne Nossel, a Senior Fellow at the Security and Peace Institute, and David Greenberg, a Journalism and Media Studies and History professor at Rutgers University and a columnist for Slate, is guest blogging for Daniel W. Drezner while he attends his brother's wedding in Hawaii. It's good of him to let two liberals guest blog while he is away.
Last week, Mr. Drezner, a conservative University of Chicago Assistant Professor of Political Science, guest blogged for Kevin Drum at Political Animal, hisWashington Monthly blog. Here's Mr. Drezner's note to his readers.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:10 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 03, 2005
Drezner Guest Blogging for Kevin Drum at the Washington Monthly
University of Chicago Assistant Political Science professor Daniel Drezer, who blogs at Daniel W. Drezner, is guest blogging for the Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum. Mr. Drum is the proprietor of The Political Animal.
Mr. Drezner's first post went up May 2, 2005. The second post was May 3, 2005. "I'll be defending the Bush administration's grand strategy on democracy promotion here this week," Mr. Drezner told Political Animal readers. He's been getting good responses to his posts
Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 16, 2005
Juan Cole on 'The Blogging Phenomenon'
Juan Cole at the always interesting Informed Comment discusses Newsweek Columnist Steven Levy's "Blogging Beyond the Men's Club" that, according to Mr. Cole, "asks why blogging is dominated by white males, and what the implications of this configuration are if blogging replaces traditional media. "He quotes presenters at a recent Harvard conference who worried that the newsrooms of the major print media have only recently begun to be diversified with regard to gender and race, and that the white male bloggers could crowd out the voices of these professional journalists," Mr. Cole said in a March 16, 2005 post.
He critique's Jeff Jarvis position on Blogging and journalism. Hopefully, Mr. Jarvis' response will be civil and not the name calling and sarcasm he often uses in referring to Mr. Cole. As for Mr. Levy's "column about blogs in Newsweek," Mr. Jarvis thinks "...well, not to put too fine a point on it," it's "a crock." Here's a link to his post. Here's more of Mr. Cole's commentary.
NOTE: This post is also at The Foreign News Observer.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 26, 2005
UN Dispatch Getting Blogger Coverage
The UN Dispatch noted on February 26, 2005 that it "has received a fair amount of attention from bloggers this week." For example, it said:
Henry from Crooked Timber says, "[B]logs like the newly created UN Dispatch can fill an unmet need, giving us a take on the UN that isn't limited to cheap gotchas about corruption and sex scandals.... it appears to be rather stronger on actual factual information about the strengths and weaknesses of the UN than any of the other blogs opining on UN-related issues. One that I'll be reading."UN Dispatch cited 15 additional blogs that mentioned its debut. Although The Diplomatic Times Review reported on the blog, it was not among those listed. I think the UN Dispatch is a valuable resource that should be checked daily by anyone who wants more than scandal reporting about the U.N.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 24, 2005
A Lively Debate About the 'U.N. Dispatch'
Henry Farrell's February 22, 2005 post at Crooked Timber headlined "UN Dispatch" has generated a lively debate on the value of the obviously pro-UN blog. As commenters defend and denounce the blog, Henry steps in and interjects comments that centers the debate. The back-and-forth between the writer and the audience takes the discussion beyond the praise and condemnation stage. I found the discussion stimulating. But like Henry, I would love to see more bloggers make an effort at blogging on international affairs. Here is the UN Dispatch. The Belgravia Dispatch also has a post on the new blog.
Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
