World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

The New York Times ran a story on the wealth of the Chinese leaders which is mind-boggling (and probably very embarrassing to the Chinese).  The world has been dazzled by the extraordinary economic growth in China over the last 20 years, but there have also been hints of widening economic inequality associated with that growth.  What we haven’t known is how the economic wealth has been concentrated within the political leadership (a phenomenon that has been well-documented within many of the rich countries, including the US).  The question raised by the article is whether China is just another rich country or whether its economic path is truly distinctive (and presumably better, as has been claimed by the Chinese).  Since it is a long article, I will not post any other articles for today.

One of the questions surrounding the opposition forces in Syria is the extent to which those forces represent extremist views that are opposed to liberal interests.  Salon published an article by one of the few journalists in Syria and the report indicates that there are indeed some forces that regard Western interests as illegitimate.  Unfortunately, while suggestive, the article does not give any idea of the relative power of these groups within the opposition.

African countries are enjoying a period of extended economic growth–a story that is not reported often in the media.  The statistics are clearly encouraging, but one should remember that we’re looking at aggregate statistics.  The growth of economies at the national scale only indirectly reflects the economic status of the people living in that country.  But the overall statistics are genuinely encouraging.

Globalization inevitably leads to the diffusion of technological innovation.  In no industry is this attribute more obvious than in high technology and communications.  Here’s a great article on how this diffusion occurs.

Sudan is accusing Israel of attacking a munitions factory in Sudan.  Israel denies the charge, but has often accused Sudan of supplying arms to Palestinian militants.  Long-range operations are not uncommon in Israeli foreign policy, but against the backdrop of continuing fighting along the Gaza border, this possible escalation is disquieting.

The BBC published an article that gives a little taste of what it was like to live through the Cuban missile crisis.  It is very hard for me to think about it being 50 years ago this week.  I’m clearly not THAT old.

As we discussed in class, the Syrian crisis has many dimensions.  One of those dimensions is the relationship of the Kurds in Syria to the Kurds in Turkey.  The Economist has published a nice primer on how to think about that aspect of the crisis.

American political rhetoric pales in comparison to the political rhetoric of some other countries.  Here’s a speech to the European Parliament by a British MEP, Nigel Farage, who has a long-standing reputation as a viper-tongued critic of the European Union.  Enjoy!

Iran has been subjected to some of the most severe sanctions in the modern history of world politics.  Yet one should never underestimate the ability of determined states to figure out ways to avoid such measures.  There is apparently a very robust gold trade between Turkey-Dubai-Iran that allows Iran to remain somewhat active in world markets.  The creativity (and duplicity) of the trade is breath-taking, and impossible to stop.   If one is willing to take on the obvious risks of these transactions, one can become incredibly wealthy.

How long will  the US wage the Global War on Terror (GWOT as it was termed during the Bush Administration)?  Apparently, for a very long time.  The Washington Post published an article on the new techniques being developed by the Obama Administration to continue the war on extremists.  It is not an uplifting read.

The Pew Research Center has posted a quiz on global perceptions of the US.  Take the quiz and I’ll poll the class on Wednesday to see how you all did.  I won’t ask any questions on the weekly quiz about the Pew quiz.

In our discussions on liberalism, one of the key tenets of the ideology is its belief in scientific rationality.  There seems to be an increased willingness in the world to question scientific evidence, whether it be on the question of evolution or climate change.  A recent case in Italy raises even more dramatic evidence of whether science is losing its ability to persuade.

The handover of power in China continues to spin along an uncertain route.  Everything seems to set in place, but the power of leftists in the Party still threatens to derail the stability of the succession.  Indeed, the boldness with which the leftists are defending Bo Xilai suggests that a very deep internal struggle is still going on.

Desmond tutu has written a wonderful essay comparing the protests in Great Britain (against austerity) with the protests in South Africa by the miners.  The link between the protests in rich and poor countries is rarely mentioned, but it is unquestionably powerful.  The poor in the rich countries have interests similar to the poor in poor countries.  And the same is probably true of the rich in both poor and rich countries.

The 24 October quiz for Politics 116 at Mount Holyoke will be on the Rachman and Lieber readings and the blog entries from 18-22 October.

Those of us who have been listening to the rhetoric of the US Presidential debate know that taxes have been a central theme.  The Economist published a great graphic that puts the American tax situation in context.

Ragu Rajan is a prominent economist who has published a very important book on the financial crisis of 2007-08.  In this essay he questions one of the central assumptions of liberalism: that market capitalism and democracy are compatible in a single framework.

There was an election in the West Bank and Fatah won the elections (as expected).  However, the turnout for the election as very low suggesting that people were hardly enthusiastic about their choices.   This lack of faith signals a serious problem for Fatah as it faces serious Hamas, as well as even more radical Palestinian factions.

American elections are a curious phenomenon, and they tend to mystify non-Americans.  The interesting thing about American elections is how many assumptions are taken as “given” by most Americans, even though some of those assumptions are contestable.  The theme that “explains” this critical lack of self-awareness is American exceptionalism.  The New York Times ran a great op-ed examining this critical theme.

We’re beginning to get more information about the Greek Party, Golden Dawn.  Right wing movements often start during periods of economic turmoil, and the rise of this party has been nothing short of meteoric.  What is also interesting is that the party leading in polls in Greece right now is the hard left party, Syriza.  The polarization of politics is not confined to just the US.

The New York Times reported that the US had agreed  “in principle” to have bilateral talks with Iran over its nuclear program.  If true, and the report was immediately denied by the Obama Administration, it would mark a significant breakthrough in US-Iranian relations. Despite the denials, it seems unlikely that the Times would have published such a blockbuster report unless it was absolutely certain of its sources.  We’ll see how this unfolds.

There has been another escalation in the Syrian crisis: the assassination of Wissam al-Hassan, the intelligence chief of Lebanon’s internal security forces.  al Hassan was killed in a massive car bomb blast that killed 7 others.  As of this writing, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, and Hezbollah, a close ally of Syria has condemned the attack.  But most analysts suspect that Syria had some role in the killing.  The Guardian is posting live updates to this story for those who wish to follow it carefully.

As Greece struggles with its third general strike in a month, and as the deadline for reaching agreement with the IMF, the EU, and the European Central Bank grows closer (mid-November when Greece literally runs out of money), perhaps an even more serious crisis is affecting Greek society: the rise of the neo-Nazi party, Golden Dawn.  The party is doing remarkably well in the polls, and its members are taking to the streets attacking those it regards as immigrants with impunity.

The Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo contains the remains of 14 Japanese soldiers who were convicted of war crimes after World War II.  As such, it is anathema to citizens of countries which were occupied by Japan; for some Japanese, however, the shrine is a sacred place, honoring those who upheld a distinctive sense of military tradition.  Visits to the burial places of the war criminals are statements, and the recent visit by some prominent Japanese politicians has stirred up the already hostile feelings in China toward Japan.  It is clear that some in Japan see anti-Chinese statements are politically useful.

There are more slaves today than at any other time in human history.  Most people consider slavery to be a thing of the past, but it remains one of the most persistent of all human evils.  Many, however, are working hard to eradicate the institution and the BBC reports on some important developments in the struggle.

The Washington Post ran an interesting article on the different factions in Syria.  It provides a good background on the groups and what their interests seem to be.  As you read the article, remember that no group is monolithic and that stereotyping the groups is a misleading and dangerous thing to do.  But interests do tend to “cluster” and such simplifications are necessary for some degree of analysis.