With Obama meeting other East Asian countries in Hawaii these few days, the "American re-engagement with Asia" story is all of a sudden in vogue again. This new way of thinking actually started with President Obama's promise couple of years ago to double America's exports in the not too distant future. The goal itself is worthy and is an excellent way to channel America's … [Read more...] about America feeling missing out in Asia
Analysis
Is the West building a case for the invasion of Iran?
Remember the 1990s and early 2000s hunt for WMD in Iraq headed by the former director-general of the IAEA, Hans Blix? No WMD has been found, but during that period, the propaganda within the NATO countries arguing for war ultimately led to the 2003 Iraq invasion. Now, fast forward to 2011. I get the sinking feeling we are witnessing the repeat of that. Remember the … [Read more...] about Is the West building a case for the invasion of Iran?
Hans Rosling: sovereignty and capitalism got China and India moving
Following is a TED talk given by Hans Rosling about two years ago. Rosling has a unique skill in visualizing large data sets that span civilizations. In a nutshell, it was freeing from colonialism and foreign invasions followed by capitalism that is finally enabling China and India to slowly catch up to their Westerner counterparts. His data and visualization couldn't make … [Read more...] about Hans Rosling: sovereignty and capitalism got China and India moving
Got freedom of expression?
The west loves to criticize China for its lack of freedom of expression. I personally think that this is a serious problem for China (though not the most serious problem facing the society which I consider problems with social justice and the environment). But the west has serious issues with freedom of expression as well. The US has sent its own people to prison in recent … [Read more...] about Got freedom of expression?
Hunanese vs Hakka
Does all Chinese dialect group have the same representation in politics historically? The question first appeared to me when I read Li Guangyao's 李光耀(Lee Kuan Yew) autobiography, The Singapore Story and From Third World to First: The Singapore Story. He mentioned that Hakka is disproportionately represented in politics in Singapore and other Chinese communities. At the writing … [Read more...] about Hunanese vs Hakka