In The News

English Butler Leads China's Latest Cultural Revolution

Jonathan Watts October 26, 2005
The austere refinement and discreet assistance long associated with a traditional English butler is now a commodity available globally. In the past decade, Robert Watson has taken his business – training aspiring manservants in ettiquette, wine-tasting, table-dressing and other skills – to numerous continents. Watson's latest expansion is in the Far East, where Chinese authorities have...

China, India Superpower? Not so Fast!

Pranab Bardhan October 25, 2005
Every day, countless commentators prophesize the ascendance of the world's next superpowers, China and India, the two "Asian giants" shaking off their ancient slumber and rising to the call of the 21st century. According to popular punditry, their place in the firmament of globalization's success stories is already guaranteed. Yet economist Pranab Bardhan argues that a much...

Defiant Turkish Writer Says "Genocide" Taboo an Obstacle to EU Entry

Ramsay Short October 19, 2005
In a development that recalls the Iranian theocracy's 1989 fatwa forcing author Salman Rushdie into exile, Turkish officials have criminally charged novelist Orhan Pamuk for his comments condemning the country's slaughter of Armenian residents at the beginning of the 20th century. Pamuk, a native Turk whose work has received numerous accolades, has made no bones about his stance on the...

China's Color-Coded Crackdown

Yongding October 18, 2005
In response to the recent democratic "color" revolutions in Georgia, Ukraine, and Kyrgyzstan, the Chinese government is taking action to prevent similar uprisings in its own country. Under new "counterrevolution" measures approved by President Hu Jintao, censorship of web sites, books, and blogs has increased. But non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have borne the brunt of...

China Builds Its Dreams, and Some Fear a Bubble

David Barboza October 18, 2005
China is experiencing a building boom, the scope of which means that cities like Shanghai now dwarf New York in terms of skyscrapers and vast networks of upscale apartment complexes. As a result of its unprecedented construction sector growth, China is scouring the world for energy and natural resources so that its cities, 170 of which have more than 1 million people, can meet and surpass Western...

Seeking Effective Ways to Talk to the World

Daoud Kuttab October 17, 2005
In the wake of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, Palestinians have to rebuild more than their country's physical infrastructure. The top brass of Palestinian public and private sectors gathered recently to discuss how to mold a more effective image of Palestine. Speakers agreed that while international public opinion bills the Palestinian cause as one of "the world's most just...

U.S. faces challenges on three fronts

Kwon Ji-young October 14, 2005
In a speech at the World Knowledge forum in Seoul, Korea, renowned historian Paul Kennedy warned that America's status as an unchallenged global hegemon may be on the decline. The US faces three challenges that are currently threatening its sole-superpower status: terrorism, economic rivalries and a diminishing cultural reputation. At their current rates of growth, the economies of China...