In The News

The Rise of the Net Dissidents in China

Frank Ching May 22, 2003
In a society where sensitive topics are avoided, virtual space has provided the Chinese people an online civil society where they can be more anonymous and enjoy more freedom of speech. However, the government is also catching up on it, employing tens of thousands of people to monitor web forums and chat-rooms all over China. While most governmental websites are still strictly controlled, more...

We've Seen This Situation Before

Mark Turner May 21, 2003
Almost a decade ago half a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred in Rwanda through a "state-sponsored genocide." Recent reports of ethnic killings in the northeastern part of Congo have international observers fearing a repeat of Rwanda. But this time the UN seems determined not to have the international community be mere bystanders, and already efforts to form a sizeable...

Chinese Beats... on Cuban Streets

May 20, 2003
Chinese migration to Cuba rose significantly in the mid-19th century with the demand for unskilled labor in the island's sugar industry. Over the years, the overseas Chinese community has been involved in Cuba's war for liberation from Spain, endured U.S-friendly Batista's dictatorship and Castro's nationalization project. One Chinese immigrant, Rolando Ziang Lian, reminisces...

After the Bombing, Reflections

Abeer Mishkhas May 20, 2003
Now that bombs have finally reached Saudi Arabia's own capital, the illusion that the Kingdom could not be a target has disappeared. Abeer Mishkhas argues in this Arab News article that ignorance is what has led to prejudice and hatred, and that "if ignorance is removed, the evils can be conquered." A more tolerant teaching philosophy that educates the children to think...

The Unseen War

Michael Massing May 19, 2003
In this article, veteran journalist Michael Massing expresses concern about the American media's coverage of the Iraq war. The Coalition Media Center in Baghdad was a very "uninformative" source for the media, as described by Massing, yet its official news briefings – which were usually very upbeat and pro-Coalition – seemed to be accepted as 'the final word' by most...

A Bombing Shatters the Saudi Art of Denial

Neil MacFarquhar May 18, 2003
Until the recent car bombings in Riyadh linked to Islamic fundamentalist group Al-Qaeda, Saudi Arabia’s rulers, the Al-Sauds, had been able to keep up a pretty good balancing act. It seemed they were able to maintain absolute political control while they negotiated with religious leaders the rights to control over the country's social life. However, alarmed now by the terror at home, Saudi...

EU Ministers Snub Matrix Reloaded at Cannes

May 16, 2003
Many associate the French city Cannes with the most prestigious film festival on a global level. At the Cannes Film festival, films from all over the world are viewed, judged and awarded prizes. Apart from films from even the remotest corners of the world, Hollywood too makes an appearance, as the sequel to Matrix, Matrix Reloaded, did this year. While this futuristic drama, with its special...