In The News

Nationalism Pits Shanghai Against its Global Ambition

James Farrer April 29, 2005
As China's center for foreign investment and cosmopolitan culture, Shanghai provides an intriguing case study on the intersection of globalism and nationalism, writes James Farrer. During the recent wave of anti-Japanese protests, demonstrators' voices alternated between an intensely nationalist rhetoric and a more subdued, moderate internationalism. And as for government reaction to...

Not Your Average Chinese Worker

Edward Cody April 29, 2005
NBA player Yao Ming can add a new award to his collection: the title of "vanguard worker." The honor, bestowed every five years upon people whom the Chinese Communist Party believes to be exemplary, selfless workers, has ignited debate over what it means to be a Chinese worker. For many in China, the 7-foot-6-inch (2.28 meter) millionaire does not fit the tradition of blue-collar...

Quietly Sprouting: A European Identity

Katrin Bennhold April 27, 2005
Recent debate over the ratification of the EU constitution indicates that the political unification of Europe may lag behind its cultural, educational, and economic unification. Today, many Europeans, from countries far in the west to newly-admitted EU member states in the east, admit to feeling more "European" than any distinct nationality. While strong associations with a home country...

Reality Check for European Union

Jonathan Fenby April 27, 2005
One year ago, the European Union seemed to be on a roll. Membership had grown to 25, and many in the Union saw a united Europe as the surest method of challenging American hegemony. Now that dream may be on the brink of failure, writes Jonathan Fenby. If public opinion polls are correct, French voters will reject the proposed European constitution in a May 29th referendum. A "no" vote...

A Hundred Cellphones Bloom, and Chinese Take to the Streets

Jim Yardley April 26, 2005
Cellphone text messaging may be the next big thing for China’s grassroots organizers. A swift and convenient method of mass communication, cellphones have already spread among the general population like wildfire. Users proved in the recent anti-Japanese protests that cellphones could also be a powerful tool in organizing marches, boycotts, and public demonstrations. Although the recent protests...

Is Democracy in the Middle East a Pipedream?

Fawaz Gerges April 25, 2005
The winds of democratic change are sweeping the Middle East, but there is still much mistrust to overcome. According to Middle East scholar Fawaz Gerges, the current stirrings against autocratic rulers, from Beirut to Cairo to Jerusalem, herald a more assertive civil society and a true longing for political emancipation among Arabs. The roots of Middle Eastern political oppression lay in the...

Power Plays in Asia

Jim Hoagland April 22, 2005
Protesters recently filled China's streets, objecting to Japan's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council; Japan, the protesters maintain, has yet to atone sufficiently for its crimes during World War II. As this Washington Post article points out, however, "It is a mistake to write off the political turmoil in Asia as a case of resurgent nationalism in a region that...