Thailand: An Independent State?
THAILAND: AN INDEPENDENT STATE? Thailand (formerly Siam) is unique among Southeast Asian states because it was able to avoid being directly colonized by a Western power. This is a source of great national pride for…
Democracy leads to Socialism (10/10/2010)
In his work “Capitalism and Democracy,” Gabriel Almond explained that Schumpeter, an academic writing during World War II, “projected a future of declining capitalism, and rising socialism.”1 A look at recent events in America (including…
Turmoil in Thailand (10/14/2010)
Thailand has had a turbulent history. The only country in Southeast Asia to avoid European colonization, Thailand has proven to be subject to many of the same problems of its less fortunate neighbors: frequent military…
Human Rights in China (9/24/2010)
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has had a very painful history when it comes to human rights. The PRC has only recently accepted any responsibility to conform to international human rights norms and law….
Noam Chomsky distorts the truth (9/19/2010)
This was a review of a video interview given by Noam Chomsky to Democracy Now! You can see the interview for yourself at http://www.democracynow.org/2006/3/31/stream. After listening to this interview and reading the transcript, I was…
China, Railroads, and Iran (9/8/2010)
One thing I find extremely interesting is how China is trying to expand its ties to Iran. China is planning to expand its rail infrastructure to include a railway line to Iran. Aside from the…
From Chechnya to Gaza: Instability in the Caucasus and the Middle East (7/28/2010)
Both the Middle East and the Caucasus are filled with discontent, instability, and terrorism. These two regions, so different culturally and historically, have three common sources of instability and violence. First, both regions are unstable…
Water Shortages in the Middle East (7/18/2010)
The Middle East is facing water shortages throughout the region, due to rapid population growth in an area with little water to begin with. In large part this could be alleviated by importing food supplies…
National identity in the Middle East (Written May 16, 2010)
National identity based on a pluralist, secular state with constitutional guarantees of protection for ethnic, tribal, and sectarian minorities has the greatest potential for social coherence in the Middle East. In the film Lawrence of…
Georgia and NATO: A Conflict of Interest
The Republic of Georgia has a very interesting history, and its relationship with NATO is no exception. Until 1991, it was the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic and an integral part of the Soviet Union. Today,…