It is clear now that while the 2016 U.S. election may be over, much of the bitter rancor remains. The latest controversy now swirls over how long-time foe Russia may have hijacked America's election to secure a Trump presidency. Americans seem to be transfixed by this latest treachery, with President Obama promising retributions, but Trump warning against politicizing … [Read more...] about How Americans Are Looking at the Russian Hacks All the Wrong Way
sovereignty
“China’s Tibet”: A Perfectly Normal Turn of Phrase
In the field of media criticism, it pays to be picky about language. Around touchy issues of sovereignty and legitimacy, journalists frequently navigate intractable disputes where no term is truly "objective". A wise man once said, if you want to create social change, then it is of paramount importance to identify "who are [your] enemies [and] who are [your] friends?" But … [Read more...] about “China’s Tibet”: A Perfectly Normal Turn of Phrase
The Myth of Chinese Non-Intervention
Unlike most other myths about China that are created and perpetuated by the West, this myth - the notion that China does not ever interfere in the internal affairs of other sovereign nation states - was created by China itself. It is perpetuated primarily by China's historical record of non-intervention. Consequently, over time this principle of non-intervention has … [Read more...] about The Myth of Chinese Non-Intervention
Is self-determination a tool for liberation in today’s world?
Increasingly, self-determination is used as a rallying cry for separatist movements around the world, from Kosovo to Tibetan independence. Many separatist movements have leveraged symbols of European Imperialism to cast their cause as a fight for freedom. On the one hand, such use of self-determination seems to be appropriate. The West conquered a large part of the world … [Read more...] about Is self-determination a tool for liberation in today’s world?