Russia - the CIS, one big happy family

The recent meeting of the 12 heads of state that make up the Commonwealth of Independent States, in St Petersburg, hasn't had much coverage. That's probably because few people know it still exists.

The former president of Moldova, Petr Luchinsky, echos a point, more from Kommersant..., that EU boosters often put forward - that the neighbours will envy the success of the EU's regional structure and try and imitate it. The article doesn't mention what Vladimir Putin thought of this suggestion

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Kosovo - you first, no, before you...

Macedonian and Montenegrin Presidents have rushed to declare they're not rushing to declare anything at all about the status of Kosovo anytime soon.

Wisely so perhaps, given the less than unanimous support among EU member states, more from Balkans Insight... 

Reaction generally seems to range from fears over a Greater Albania, precedents for other break away areas and the idea that it might be a triumph for human rights, more from Transitions Online...

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South Korea - new wave, old wave

The soaring popularity of Korean pop culture in neighbouring Asian countries has been much analysed in the media for the last 5 years or so. In China the term 'hallyu' was coined to describe this 'Korean wave', but you can have too much of a good thing.

A recent report in the Korean media noted that, for things like TV shows, Korea's output had a cultural resonance in places like China and were cheaper than Western imports. However, they've now become so dominant some sort of artistic protectionism is feared more from the JoongAng Daily...

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China - TCM Bad Medicine ?

When considering Chinese traditional medicine would you say that it "being among the quintessence and treasures of Chinese culture, represents many of her salient features and superiority" or that it "is not itself a science and has no experimental backup". Both these views have been quoted in the media recently in a renewed debate in China concerning the future direction the health care systems should take. That's not so unusual, but the fact that the debate has been sparked by a blog and internet based petition is a bit new.

The academic Zhang Gongyao was quoted as doubting the scientific basis of TCM diagnosis techniques and the fact that he posted such views on his blog and organised a 10,000 signature petition in his support seems to have provoked a strong defence of TCM from the Health Ministry more from the Asia Times...

This isn't the first time Zhang has challenged the rationality of tradition - previously attracting publicity for his views on the awkwardness of using the lunar calendar more from Danwei...

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Georgia - pressed on wine

The EU acts as an economic magnet, those outside the Union are drawn towards the wealth in trade it represents and are willing to adjust their own laws and standards across the board in order to join the club. Within the Russian sphere of influence it seems to be all stick and no carrot as states attempting to break away, like Georgia, are threatened with different kinds of trade embargo - first gas, now food and wine.

It's a very blatant strategy more from Reuters...and probably not realistic in the long run as there are always others trade partners to turn to. Although whether Georgia can really shift it's exports to China remains in doubt more from Kommmersant

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Montenegro - promises, promises

In Montenegro the upcoming referendum on independence from Serbia has to meet certain EU sponsored rules. One is that the 'Yes' vote must be over 55% to succeed and a second is that there must be at least a 50% turnout. With the polls suggesting a close vote the focus is turning to those minority communities that may swing the result either way - i.e. how will the ethinc Albanians vote ?.

There are only around 30,000 people in the 'Albanian vote' but that's 5% of the population in Montenegro so some are suggesting promises of greater autonomy are in the air more from Transitions Online... Representatives of this community point out that such pre-election promises are not new and are rarely honoured after the event.

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Italy - boiling baby talk

Silvio Berlusconi's election campaign has not gone all that well - latest exit polls show him in a tight race - but at least the Chinese will remember him if he fades from view. During an election rally in Naples he alluded to the supposed historical Chinese Communist practice of boiling dead babies to make fertilizer. "Groundless talk" say the Chinese.

The Italian media have noted that it's a shame that it's the Italian year of culture in China - an expensive promotion by the Foreign Ministry that didn't include such an interesting perspective more from the Corriere Della Sera...

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Greece - a fear of bugs

The Greek government is to introduce new laws penalising phone tapping after many top political figures found out their mobiles were bugged.

Vodaphone has some explaining to do more from the BBC...

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EU - talking points

While EU officials try to square the circle of sounding sympathetic to those offended by the Danish cartoon row while not suggesting the EU will impose any kind of press restrictions the European Parliament has put off having any kind of extensive debate.

There may be a limited discussion next week but it's clear no-one wants to touch this issue until some sort of dialogue has been started with the EU's Muslim neighbours, more from the EU Observer...

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Turkmenistan - health worries

While other post-Soviet states saw their health infrastructure collapse Turkmenistan seems to have the unlucky distinction of seeing it's health-care system deliberately destroyed.

President Niyazov has been blamed by many outside observers for the current poor state of care facilities. Actions like replacing 15,000 health-care workers with army recruits in 2004 and threatening to close all Hospitals outside the capital, Ashgabat, in 2005 seem to support their view, more from EurasiaNet...

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EU - no laughing matter

Faced with the uproar over the Danish cartoons the EU has so far done nothing. Is this wise ?

Adopting a wait and see policy may work in the short term but soon some sort of policy will have to be agreed more from the EU Observer...

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S.Korea - new history

No political system fits exactly into a 'left' and 'right' wing, but in general, in South Korea, the Grand National Party are written about as on the Right and that means strongly pro-US and anti-communist, while the Uri Party are of the Left and see anti-Americanism as overdue and feel the communist North will respond better to the carrot than the stick.

The bitterness with which their debates are carried out, and it's physical nature in Parliament, can seem a bit surprising to outsiders. The publication of a new version of a classic modern history of Korea may be the first sign that something more fraternal is just around the corner though.

The 'New Understanding of Post-Liberation History' will revise some of the received ideas of those on the Left as it updates a classic work from 1979. Some liberal commentators see this in the more balanced approach to issues like how much choice the first President, Syngman Rhee, had in accepting the division of Korea and think it a signal for a move towards the centre by all political movements - there's even talk of a 'third way' which will jolt the memory of any UK readers more from the Joong Ang Daily...

The conservative press also welcomed this revision and talked about a less divisive future more from the Chosun Ilbo...

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Italy - make believers

While the new Pope, Benedict XVI, has had his first encyclical letter described in the media as being the kind of thing a theologian would produce, it's unclear how many of the faithful in Italy are paying close attention to the Catholic Churches instructions.

Although often assumed to be increasingly secular a recent survey suggests that there seem to actually be more believers than ever, it's just that they may not be keen on all the Churches teachings.

The letter does not go into great detail about dogma, more from the Corriere Della Sera... but the same paper also lists the results of a survey claiming the majority of believers back civil unions and divorce, while only a third go to mass on Sunday.

There's also a mention for the 8% who only go to Church three times in their whole lives - by car, still more from Corriere Della Sera...

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US - Shanks' pony

A revolutionary new trend in modern living is sweeping the Golden State, apparently, reshaping the very fabric of everyday life. Walking. Where California leads surely the world must follow.

Cheap shots aside, the fact that as car centred a culture as Southern California could even consider using cars less is news, more from the LA Times... Although some sceptics noted that it handily allowed new suburban developments to be much denser

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Japan - recent history

As the Japanese Foreign Minister calls for the Emperor to visit the controversial Yakuzuni Shrine it makes the uninformed observer wonder why he's not visited it before. Perhaps what looks like an historic dispute has more recent roots.

While describing the story the BBC notes that the Emperor used to visit the shrine until 1978 when some new additions where made - 14 'Class A' war criminals more from the BBC...

After the war the American occupation forces gave the shrine the choice of becoming part of the Japanese secular state or to be established as a separate religious foundation. By choosing the latter the shrine escapes direct instruction from the state - so any changes (like moving the war criminals to another shrine) must be voluntary more from Wikipedia...

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Georgia - in the pipeline

Why bother with strange stunts like blowing up pipelines ? Georgia may be feeling the strong arm of a game of energy monopoly.

The Georgian President has claimed he's being blackmailed into selling Gazprom the pipelines that run through his country. more from EurasiaNet...

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Turkey - dropping insults

The case against Orhan Pamuk, brought for the crime of insulting the Turkish state, has been dropped because of what looks like a technicality. That solves the problem - but only for now.

The new penal code still includes something of the same ban so the issue will resurface more from Zaman Daily...

EU representatives, like Olli Rehn, have welcomed the news but have called for these 'loopholes' in the law to be filled more from Turkish Press...

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Mongolia - resigned to dispute

Mongolia's coalition government seems to be on the verge of breaking up as the old communist party, the MPRP, withdraws it's members from the cabinet. With a bit of mild disorder thrown in Mongolia makes the headlines.

Despite a growing economy many remain in poverty, up to a third by some estimates, and it's this that the MPRP claim is the reason for their action. Other commentators say it's an attempt to seize power from the opposition

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Kazakhstan - electioneering

Recent Presidential elections in Kazakhstan were, unsurprisingly, ruled unfair by Western monitors - so why do the more 'managed' democracies bother letting them in ?, and do they have any effect ?

It may be that each country will be different, more from EurasiaNet...

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Georgia - the hard sell

The economic impact of the closure of Russian bases in Georgia was meant to be offset by increased state spending. It hasn't happened on the scale expected and the obstacles to trade say a lot about just how hard it is to create new markets in the ex-Soviet states.

The Georgian army can't replace the buying power of the old Soviet state and, until new road and rail links are put in, nor can the free market, more from the IWPR...

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Greece - wise monkeys

The scale of corruption in the Greek judiciary has reached 'Third World' levels, according to a top lawyer, due to years of weak oversight of judges decisions. Trial fixing, especially where drug money is involved, is a deeper problem than previously thought.

After over a year of these sorts of stories featuring in the press many think confidence in the fairness of the Judiciary has slumped more from the Kathimerini Daily...

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Spain - the military and the Republic

Suggesting the army would intervene if Catalonia gained too much independence from Spain was not likely to endear Lieutenant-General Jose Mena Aguado to the Spanish Government. It did make a lot of headlines though.

Acres news coverage have been devoted to saying this is not the old Republic and that in modern Spain the army is just like any other European army and takes it's orders from the politicians, not the other way round more from El Pais (via IHT)...still more from the BBC...

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US - global baby fashion

An Au Pair has often been seen as a kind of status symbol but the wealthy elites of New York may be taking things a bit further when the little mites are learning Mandarin from the Chinese Nannie. Der Spiegal seems to think this is a hot scoop - that the latest New York fashion item is a Chinese (Mandarin speaking only) Nannie, all the better to prepare ones child for the global power balance of the future, more from Der Spiegal.... Other services provided by the melting pot Nannies are more controversial - like 'Gripe Water' type recipies for colic ...each as varied as the cultures that appear in the service industry. The Cayenne Pepper mixture sounds a winner, more from the New York Times...

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Japan - enshrined

There no chance of improved ties with China and South Korea while Japan's Prime Minister Koizumi continues to visit the Yasukuni Shrine. Recent comments in the Japanese media suggest he will continue to view such visits as a "personal spiritual issue". That leaves a gloomy outlook for improved relations any time soon more from the Daily Yomiuri...

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China - the price of coal

China has been attempting to shut down it's most dangerous mines as they're accounting for some 5,000 deaths a year. Officials are punished and the price of 'safety bonds' for miners is increased, but as the price of coal keeps rising there is always a temptation for mine owners to take risks.

Without a large safety inspectorate to enforce regulations it's often the small village pits that escape any official notice. Since many farmers are looking to alternative employment to make ends meet it's these small operations where the death toll is mounting more from the San Diego Tribune...

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Kyrgyzstan - the colour of money

The most pressing issues facing Kyrgyzstan in the coming year include increasing corruption, organised crime and a bitter North / South divide. Not the best time for President Bakiyev to start giving senior diplomatic posts to his family.

The public is starting to think nothing has changed with the colour revolution last March except the family in charge. At the same time Russia will be pressing for the US military base to be removed - although rent amounts to 10% of GDP more from EurasiaNet...

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Russia - gas bypass

While Russia's gas customers fret over the rights and wrongs of the Ukraine price dispute Gazprom is planning a way round the problem - literally.

Building bigger pipelines to Europe would avoid any chance of the Ukraine siphoning of Europe's supply. The Blue Stream pipeline already passes under the Black Sea to Turkey and Southern Europe while another takes gas North through Poland to Germany more from Kommersant...

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Greece - to Russia with love

Russia's tough gas price dispute with Ukraine has alarmed many in the EU but not the more conservative sections of the Greek press. Not being all that dependant on Russian gas helps but there are other more political reasons for a warmer view of Putin's new state.

Despite being rather authoritarian just not being the US seems to be a plus. Supporting the Greek government position on Cyprus is a bonus too but the potential for positively influencing key states next door in the Balkans must be the biggest reason to grin and bear it more from the Kathimerini Daily...

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Japan - indirectly unequal

As the foreign media speculate - a bit over enthusiastically it sometimes seems - over the social problems caused in Japan by an aging population and young people being a bit slack, the government has realised getting women into the workforce may be the least worst alternative on offer.

While concern over 'NEETs' show the work ethic that has driven the economy is something people fret about, more from the New York Times..., the lowly position of women in the work place is something that laws can effect and is more acceptable than alternatives like increased immigration. As a recent Opinion piece noted, an office where 70% ofwomen leave when they have a baby can't be a very comfortable place to work for the men either more from the Asahi Shimbun...

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EU - circle of friends

Trying to join the EU can be an expensive business, as the Ukraine is finding out. Russian gas monopoly, Gazprom, is asking for a three fold price hike which some see as designed to influence elections in the spring.

As the EU becomes more reliant on Russian gas supplies this sort of economic issue becomes more political more from the EU Observer...

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