Mark MacKinnon
Encyclopedia
Mark MacKinnon is a Canadian journalist, currently the Beijing bureau chief for Canada's national newspaper, The Globe and Mail
. A graduate of Carleton University
in Ottawa, Ontario, he is a two-time winner of the National Newspaper Award, Canada's top reporting prize.
Before moving to China, he was based in Moscow (as bureau chief) and later Jerusalem for The Globe and Mail. He has covered wars in Afghanistan
, Chechnya
, Iraq
and Lebanon
, as well as the revolutions in Georgia
and Ukraine
.
In 2010, he was one of two foreign correspondents trapped inside the sanctuary of Bangkok's Wat Pathum Wanaram
during the violent finish to the rolling protests organized by the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, better known as Thailand's "Red Shirts." At least seven people were killed inside the Buddhist temple.
MacKinnon first book, The New Cold War: Revolutions, Rigged Elections and Pipeline Politics in the Former Soviet Union was published in 2007 by Random House
in Canada, and by Carroll and Graf in the United States. It is "a nuanced study that demonstrates the continuity of conflict between the U.S. and Russia", and discusses the emergence of a new "Cold War
" in the 2000s.
MacKinnon has interviewed Israeli President Shimon Peres
, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko
, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko
, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak
, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri
, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra
, as well as King Abdullah II of Jordan
and former Soviet leaders Mikhail Gorbachev
and Eduard Shevardnadze
.
He is also the author of a popular blog
. http://markmackinnon.blogspot.com
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
. A graduate of Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
in Ottawa, Ontario, he is a two-time winner of the National Newspaper Award, Canada's top reporting prize.
Before moving to China, he was based in Moscow (as bureau chief) and later Jerusalem for The Globe and Mail. He has covered wars in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, as well as the revolutions in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
In 2010, he was one of two foreign correspondents trapped inside the sanctuary of Bangkok's Wat Pathum Wanaram
Wat Pathum Wanaram
Wat Pathum Wanaram is a Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand. It is located in the district Pathum Wan, between the two shopping malls Siam Paragon and CentralWorld, and across the street of Siam Square....
during the violent finish to the rolling protests organized by the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, better known as Thailand's "Red Shirts." At least seven people were killed inside the Buddhist temple.
MacKinnon first book, The New Cold War: Revolutions, Rigged Elections and Pipeline Politics in the Former Soviet Union was published in 2007 by Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
in Canada, and by Carroll and Graf in the United States. It is "a nuanced study that demonstrates the continuity of conflict between the U.S. and Russia", and discusses the emergence of a new "Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
" in the 2000s.
MacKinnon has interviewed Israeli President Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri
Saad Hariri
Saad-eddine Rafiq Al-Hariri is a Saudi-Lebanese billionaire who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 2009 until 2011. He is the second son of Rafiq Hariri, the former Lebanese Prime Minister who was assassinated in 2005...
, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician, who was Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, when he was overthrown in a military coup....
, as well as King Abdullah II of Jordan
Abdullah II of Jordan
Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein is the reigning King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. He ascended the throne on 7 February 1999 after the death of his father King Hussein. King Abdullah, whose mother is Princess Muna al-Hussein, is a member of the Hashemite family...
and former Soviet leaders Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
and Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze is a former Soviet, and later, Georgian statesman from the height to the end of the Cold War. He served as President of Georgia from 1995 to 2003, and as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party , from 1972 to 1985. Shevardnadze was responsible for many top decisions on...
.
He is also the author of a popular blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
. http://markmackinnon.blogspot.com