In The News

Spirit of the Tiger (and Wild West)

Jane Perlez July 22, 2003
A traditional Javanese dance drama has begun to incorporate elements from American movies. Javanese men perform the traditional dance - a depiction of the historic indigenous resistance against Dutch colonialists - at important village events. This traditional art form has survived in spite of modernization and the increased integration of the Javanese region into the global economy. However,...

Take Mexico Instead

Abdel-Moneim Said July 21, 2003
If colonial ambitions are really the reason America invaded Iraq, why did it choose such a far-flung and relatively resource poor country, asks Egyptian political scholar Abdel-Moneim Said. Why not invade Mexico or Canada? They're closer, wealthier, and just as poor a military match for the superpower. According to Said, America would have every reason to invade these countries if it only...

Cancun: A Battle for Life

Yanuar Nugroho July 16, 2003
Developing countries must be prepared to wage war on unfair trade regulations at the next round of WTO talks in Cancun, says an Indonesian scholar in the Jakarta Post. Recession has slowed the economies of the developed world and the September meeting in Cancun will likely be aimed at reducing trade barriers and opening the markets of developing countries to rich nations like the United States...

Is Iraq Becoming a New Vietnam? - Part Two

Timothy Carney July 16, 2003
Seen by a veteran US diplomat with long years in Indochina and a recent stint as an adviser in occupied Iraq, the scene in Saddam Hussein's former stronghold is worrisome but not hopeless. Timothy Carney notes the challenges before the provisional American authority and the issues that have fueled Iraqi discontent. Cultural insensitivity and the tactical clumsiness of a foreign occupying...

Xenophobia has no place in Thailand

Pravit Rojanaphruk July 16, 2003
Writing in Thailand’s major newspaper the author urges his fellow citizens not to view Burmese refugees as unwelcome invaders. Though historical enmity, national security, and the "ungratefulness" of Burmese people are regularly cited whenever there is a crackdown against student protestors or migrants, Thai people should not be blinded by mistrust. The reality is that, regardless of...

Workers Falling Behind in Mexico

Mary Jordan July 15, 2003
In Mexico, there are too many workers and too few jobs. The country has failed to recover from the financial crisis of the 1990s that sent the peso and the average standard of living plummeting. And, while the number of unskilled laborers remains high – indeed higher than ever before as women increasingly enter the workforce – lower wages in countries like Indonesia and Guatemala have lured...

A Muslim Missionary Group Draws New Scrutiny in US

Susan Sachs July 14, 2003
Tablighi Jamaat, a conservative Muslim congregation of traveling proselytizers, is facing increasing scrutiny of its members and activities by the FBI in the United States. Founded 75 years ago in colonial India, the Tablighi Jamaat is a nonpolitical congregation of Muslim preachers, who – much like Christian missionaries – travel throughout the world to proselytize. The Tablighi Jamaat has a...