English

Recent: 

Egypt: What is between the Army and the Muslim Brotherhood:  https://sofarsoclose.net/2013/10/25/egypt-what-is-between-the-army-and-the-muslim-brotherhood/

To understand what is happening in Egypt is not so difficult; instead of merely over-simplifying and synthesising, we need to correlate these events with similar political processes in our own countries – especially those where reality is not just black and white either.

Ukrainians are outraged when the foreign press, both Western and Russian, write about the split of the country into white/blue and orange, or East and West, about ‘the irreconcilable opposition of supporters of Europe or Russia.’ However, we readily use the word ‘split’ when talking about liberals and Islamists in Egypt. We speak easily of ‘separatism’ in other countries, while being astonished at groundless talk of ‘the division of Crimea’. We explain that the language issue is not the number one problem, but is in fact one of the cards which politicians play. So we should understand that in the Arab world, the best way to drag the voters’ attention away from economic problems is religion. Ukrainians are offended when the foreign media draw conclusions about the racism of the whole population based on a few video frames of far-right football fans; in the same way, the Islamists in Egypt do not represent the entire population. Ukrainians who did not vote for the incumbent president argue that his electoral victory does not mean he has the support of the majority; and so in the case of Egypt, the Brotherhood were supported by just one-eighth of the population. We really do not want the West to declare  the end of the Ukrainian democracy, since not all Ukrainian society wants to be led by a ‘strong hand’, where there is still (albeit just barely) a civil society, an independent media, an educated youth. Thus the fact that active young people, a small number of independent media, and maybe even the relative development of civil society –  gives the reason to speak about the potential development of democracy in the Middle East – provokes denial.

Freedom for Sale: John Kampfner talks about new authoritarianism and threats to online privacy. John Kampfner is a writer, journalist, and now an advisor on freedom of expression and culture for Google. In his book Freedom for Sale: How We Made Money and Lost Our Liberty, he takes an insight into the rising new authoritarianism in the world, compatible with economic rather than political rights. Covering Singapore, China, Russia, UAE, India, Italy, the UK and the US, his journalist investigation is an attempt to understand why so many people cede their liberties for economic welfare, thus undermining Francis Fukuyama’s established concept of liberal democracy: http://ukrainianweek.com/World/85837

The story about the best ever journalism existing in this world http://ukrainianweek.com/Investigation/63897  Investigations Without Borders. Paul Radu: “Once we get rid of offshore companies, we can break most of the world’s corruption scams”

A War Against the People http://ukrainianweek.com/Security/63893 In his exlusive interview with, Yasser Abboud, a commander of the Free Syrian Army,  South, who talks about the struggle with the Assad regime

The interviews about US-Ukraine relations with the President of Freedom House  David Kramer http://ukrainianweek.com/Politics/65808 and  Senior Advisor with the Washington-based Brookings Institution focusing on arm controls in Ukraine and Russia Steven Pifer http://ukrainianweek.com/Politics/65807

From this blog:

Amman. Part 2: شو – The Question Which Doesn’t Need an Answer [EN]
https://sofarsoclose.net/2012/10/25/amman-part-2-what-the-question-which-doesnt-need-an-answer/

“The meaning of my stay there is to stop, slow down, immerse myself in the tough, bitter-sweet ordinariness of this city and these people, to feel their slow pace – tying the laces on our faded yellow-green sneakers; searching for chains for the dogs; and before that, spending half an hour looking for two clean cups to make tea with mint.”

Amman. Part 1: Where All the Arab Black Cats Live

http//sofarsoclose.net/2012/10/24/amman-part-1-where-all-the-arab-black-cats-live-en/

‘My stereotypes are different. This one – well, he’s just John the Baptist, whose head Salome is holding on a tray. Even he would not understand that. How can you tell to somebody that he looks like a beheaded head on a tray? This one looks like Peter, just as the third cock was crowing. This one would make a benign Judas. And you will not tell that girl that she resembles Mary Magdalene just before the angry mob wanted to stone her.’

Thank You. شكرا https://sofarsoclose.net/2012/09/19/shukran-en/

“I love to listen to the pray at 2:45am and wait for another one at 4:30am when the mosque is on the hill in front. Though I’m not a drinker I love to look how whiskey glasses dance being accompanied by voice of a muezzin.”

Invisible Solitude: http//sofarsoclose.net/2012/09/page/2/

Nobody may guesses that I don’t count meetings by the minutes I spent. Nobody knows and actually shouldn’t care why I really undertake this trip and how much I had done for it to happen.

More Than A Hundred: https://sofarsoclose.net/2012/09/07/more-than-a-hundred-en/

“My head is full of unnecessary knowledge. In Deli the alcohol bought at duty free is handed just while boarding. At the Beijing airport currency exchange kiosks don’t work before 8am, so spend all the last yens for tea. In Viennese Schwechet the DKNY Green Apple sale lasts already for 5 years. While in Havana there is a chance to wait for a delay sitting beside Gael Garcia Bernal.”

Some very serious stuff:

Ukraine: The Logic of Absurdistan.http//www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/nataliya-gumenyuk/ukraine-logic-of-absurdistan

“While the rest of the world is embracing new forms of civil activism, Ukrainians, who were once responsible for one of history’s most symbolic and peaceful revolutions, are staying at home. With the country in severe economic difficulty and the Yanukovych government winding back all but the most trivial of Orange reforms, there is no shortage of reasons to protest. So what is keeping Ukrainians from the streets? asks Nataliya Gumenyuk”

“Ukraine could have been one of the main sources of arms shipments to the Balkans during the war, despite the embargo”. http://ukrainianweek.com/Investigation/52033

The information found by two Slovenian investigative journalists triggered the first international investigation in the history of the EU, involving the police of three of its member-states

Soviet Echo and Ukrainian People  http://ukrainianweek.com/Society/54774 – Because of a lack of information, foreigners expect the worst of Ukraine and are generally pleased with what they see. Meanwhile frequent foreign guests are surprised by the fact that old Soviet habits are dying so hard in Ukraine. During the European Football championship in Ukraine

While hereby there are few links to some stories which has little to do with journalism. Yet they are in English and Russian:

M@nifest: http//chtivo.org/archives/1035

“We are just voyeurs–exhibitionists able just to voyeur, exhibit, follow and envy. We are happy to come across a sad song posted to expose and hopelessly hope that it could be a sign, a symbol. While we know that symbols aren’t longer existing since symbols had become just symbols of symbols. Anymore we are not able to do anything but voyeur, exhibit, follow, and do not dare. Do not dare to get wasted and waste, do not dare to be captivated and captivate, do not dare to be obsessed and obsess, to return and turn back, to get in and get out on time, to betray ourselves and just betray, to fuck around and fuck it all.”

Silent Scream in Smooth Stacatto: http://chtivo.org/archives/1151

“There is no water in the bathroom, so I can easily remove never made tattoos with the birth dates of my never born children. Since I am not blind – I cannot see, since I am not deaf – I cannot hear, since I am not numb – I cannot talk, I even cannot ask for help which I do not need.”