There has been terrible violence in India's Assam region recently and the violence has spread to other parts of India. Since this is a blog on China, not India, I am not going to dig too much into the cause or even meaning of the riots. But I do want to point out the relatively "favorable" coverage India is getting. In almost all reports I see, India is cast as the force … [Read more...] about Riots in Assam
Opinion
Stephen Prothero tells CNN viewers “Dalai Lama should condemn immolations”
The world seems to be on pause while everyone's attention have been put on the Olympics. Shortly before the Olympics, Stephen Prothero, a religion scholar from Boston University wrote in CNN's blog that the Dalai Lama should condemn the immolations: If the Dalai Lama were to speak out unequivocally against these deaths, they would surely stop. So in a very real sense, their … [Read more...] about Stephen Prothero tells CNN viewers “Dalai Lama should condemn immolations”
The Political Olympics
As the Olympics wind down in London, there can be little doubt in anyone's mind that this Olympics is about politics. How else can one explain the string of smears against Chinese athletes and their performances - coming from unexpected sources such as the prestigious journal of Nature - all in the name of "science and objectivity" - as well as expected sources such as the NY … [Read more...] about The Political Olympics
A Follow Up on the Hong Kong Curriculum Protest – Who’s doing the “brainwashing”?
@DeWang already addressed this topic, but I felt it appropriate to add a more visual perspective on this, and a simple commentary to the last blog entry simply does not suffice. I did an image search on the term "Hong Kong education protest", and here are just a few of the numerous pictures that appeared. The question that comes immediately to my mind is: Anyone notice all … [Read more...] about A Follow Up on the Hong Kong Curriculum Protest – Who’s doing the “brainwashing”?
Three Common Myths about Democratic Institutions
It is obvious to any China watcher that in the western media, there is ample criticism and exposure of the numerous social and political side effects that accompanies China's rapid modernization. Three such side effects seem more frequently mentioned than the rest: abuse of unaccountable power, the rise of violent civil unrest, and the growing wealth gap between rich and poor. … [Read more...] about Three Common Myths about Democratic Institutions