In The News

In Departure, China Invites Outside Help

Howard W. French May 16, 2008
An earthquake, 7.9 in magnitude, struck the heart of China, and the government has responded quickly by seeking disaster relief experts and rescue equipment, reports a team of New York Times reporters. China invited and received assistance from Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea and Singapore. China has also mobilized thousands of soldiers and emergency workers. The official death toll exceeds 21...

Facing Facebook

Magda El-Ghitany May 7, 2008
Facebook, an online social networking site, encourages young users to share photos, hobbies and cultural opinions. But in Egypt, the social site has emerged with a strong political edge. In April, a 27-year-old Egyptian woman was detained for 16 days after organizing a Facebook protest on rising food prices – and Egyptians expect the government to pursue online monitoring and regulation. But some...

China Ascendant – Part III

Wenran Jiang April 30, 2008
China is a world power on the rise, with a growing economy, a proud citizen base that cherishes education, and leadership that promises peaceful transitions to democracy. All will be on display with the Beijing Olympics in August. But national aspirations can collide with the expectations generated abroad, explains analyst Wenran Jiang in the final article of a three-part series. Tibet has been...

Talking to Ourselves

Susan Jacoby April 23, 2008
The best ideas emerge when people hear out all opposing points of view. Unfortunately, Americans are less willing to attend lectures, read books or listen to radio that might offer new points of view. Instead, many increasingly read or listen to commentary that reinforces their beliefs. “Indeed, virtually everywhere I speak, 95% of the audience shares my political and cultural views – and...

Torch's Guards Have a Link to Tibet

Gordon Fairclough April 10, 2008
A global procession kicks off the Olympic Games, with athletes sharing the honor of bearing and passing off the lit torch. The journey starts in Athens and extends to cities throughout the world. But this year’s torch relay is complicated, as protesters line the route. Members of the People’s Armed Police of China – which provide security in China and assisted in quelling protests in Tibet –...

Race and the Social Contract

Eduardo Porter April 3, 2008
The United States has a long history of both racial diversity and racial discord – a history that has traditionally distinguished it from many nations in Europe. The US also distinguishes itself from Europe on another score, by not adopting the large-scale spending on social programs that characterize the modern European welfare state. Eduardo Porter in the New York Times suggests that these two...

Taiwan’s Success Could Show the Way for Tibet

Humphrey Hawksley March 31, 2008
Demands of the global supply chain and tightly interconnected trade have tempered both China’s rejection of capitalist ways and the West’s criticism of politics and human rights in the world’s largest communist country. But independence movements in Taiwan and Tibet have the potential for ruffling relations. The Taiwanese-Chinese relationship – avoiding direct political control while continuing...