From the daily archives:

Monday, February 1, 2010

Is family the major obstacle to reform in the Arab world?

February 1, 2010

in Lost in Translation

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: Guardian journalist Brian Whitaker gave a speech where he highlighted what outsiders considered problematic with the Arabic world, and what issues Arabs themselves deemed to be priorities. Taking 10 hot-topic statements on the Arab world, issues from social discrimination, religion, oil, to family, education, media and democracy, Whitaker presented them in front of 20 Arabs during lengthy interviews. The surprise?  Nobody wanted to talk about democracy. But everyone wanted to talk about family, especially the statement “The family is a major obstacle to reform in the Arab world.” Since a family is essentially a microcosm of society, it is important to become acquainted with…

Spotlight on Berlusconi: First Gates, now Italian magistrates

February 1, 2010

in Machiavellian Machinations

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Excerpt: Not the best week for Berlusconi on the PR front. After getting called stingy and vain by Bill Gates for Italy’s miniscule contribution to foreign aid, members of the Italian judiciary system staged a walk out to protest against Berlusconi’s abuse of the legal profession, and his proposals to reform the courts. The Parliament – controlled by Berlusconi, is looking at laws that would limit the length of legal cases, which opposition say would effectively shut down the two ongoing cases against Berlusconi himself. “The government has now approved the 19th measure of the Berlusconi era, expected to have effect on a trial…

UK an unequal, but open society?

February 1, 2010

in Culture, Society, & Economy

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Excerpt: A new government report coming out of Britain has revealed the not-so-shocking news that over the last few decades, the country has become the most unequal since WWII.  While many lament the multitude of wealth gaps based on gender, class, and geography, and social mobility, City Journal zeros in on the race-gap. [I]t listed the average net household wealth in Britain by religious affiliation. The figures were as follows (I convert into American dollars): Muslim: $68,000 None: $224,000 Hindu: $337,000 Christian: $361,000 Sikh: $371,000 Jewish: $684,000 And makes the not entirely convincing argument that sounds vaguely American. These figures conclusively demonstrate what statist social reformers have long sought to…

Land disputes behind most “ethnic” conflicts in Africa

February 1, 2010

in Politics & the Economy

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Excerpt: CSM has a series of articles the past weekend on the perils of ignoring land disputes in Africa. Perhaps not at all surprising, given survival in largely agricultural and herding communities depend on pastoral and grazing grounds. Most of the deadly conflicts in Africa over the last two decades erupted from unresolved land issues: Darfur, DRC, Ethiopia vs. Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe; and trouble brewing on the horizon: Burundi, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, are all related to land. Even the Nigerian riots over the weekend, supposedly as a result of religious frictions between the Muslim and Christian groups, can really be…

Two can play this game: China reciprocates missionary impulse of the West

February 1, 2010

in Machiavellian Machinations

Archived; click post to view.
Excerpt: While the west flounders: with liberal democracy project stalls, unlimited expansion of capitalism convulsing internally and beat down with populist pitchforks, identities of staunch republican states scrutinized through public eyes, China’s confidence is growing by the day. Increasingly assertive (some may say aggressive) in its participation of global relations, China is following the path paved by al-Jazeera, in staking out its territory in the game of media and PR. And it starts with the state media Xinhua sending a team of reporters to an Indian reservation in New Mexico, to dig up some American dirt. Adam Cathcart says, and I concur: [T]his might be…