Links 30/05/14

Politics: 

bookforum has a collection of link to provide insight on the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crisis (here is a detailled analysis on the causes, nature and implications of the crisis).

This a harrowing essay about the search for mass graves in Bosnia.

In the Egyptian presidential election, former army chief Abdel Fatah al-Sisi won a sweeping majority of the votes (with a turnout of 46 per cent), but international observers critisized the "repressive political environment".

A picture taken in Melilla.

This very critical review of a new book titled "The French Intifada" is also a very interesting insight into the history of France and Northern Africa.

The UN just added Nigeria to the list of countries with al-Qaeda affiliates.

The United States intend to keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan beyond the 2014 withdrawal tasked with "counter-terrorism". The Atlantic points out a connection to the alleged Taliban fighters still imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay ("Once a war ends, prisoners of war must be released. That's the straightforward logic cited by lawyers for Guantanamo Bay detainees, who insist that once the Afghanistan war ends, there will be no justification for holding alleged Taliban fighters."). In a foreign policy speech delivered as a commencement address at the Military Academy West Point (about American leadership in "this new world" - fittingly, here are some bookforum links on "American power in transition").

On the other hand, when issues of global concern do not pose a direct threat to the United States, when such issues are at stake, when crises arise that stir our conscience or push the world in a more dangerous direction but do not directly threaten us, then the threshold for military action must be higher. In such circumstances, we should not go it alone. Instead, we must mobilize allies and partners to take collective action. We have to broaden our tools to include diplomacy and development, sanctions and isolation, appeals to international law, and, if just, necessary and effective, multilateral military action. In such circumstances, we have to work with others because collective action in these circumstances is more likely to succeed, more likely to be sustained, less likely to lead to costly mistakes.

NY Magazine summarizes some of the "harsh reactions" to the speech.

Pop Culture: 

Andrés remixes of Mr. Scruff are simply gorgeous.

Here's a 20-minute documentary on the fraught history between London police and the City's grime scene.

Pop Matters looks at the history and takes a very critical look at the influence of riot grrrl 20 years later.

The LA Time once again hosts roundtables before the Emmy Awards in July (one of them features comedy actors, among them Carrie Brownstein from Portlandia and Taylor Schilling from Orange is the New Black).