Nuclear Fallout — In an essay for Dawn.com Rafia Zakaria mulls the meaning of ‘the bomb’ in Pakistan’s collective consciousness. “The bomb that was supposed to deter and defeat has been unable to frighten anyone into leaving us alone,” she writes. “It has revealed, instead, the flimsy remains of our national pride and a confused, …
Japan’s Unlikely Saviors: Elderly Willing to Toil in a Nuke No-Go Zone
In ancient Japan, or so the folktale goes, there used to be a mountain where old people were taken and abandoned once they reached 60 years of age. Although the practice of obasute was probably more rural legend than actual reality, it is a chilling reminder of the perils of old age in a nation where roughly one-quarter of Japanese are …
A Tale of Two Videos: Two Ways to Make an Argument About Gaza
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The release of another fabulous video by Gisha, a small Tel Aviv nonprofit that champions freedom of movement for Palestinians, points to what a professor of rhetoric might term the vital importance of tone when making a persuasive argument. If your field is advocacy, it never hurts …
Did Haiti Commit Disaster Inflation? A U.S. Study Raises the Possibility
Updated 5/31/11
Those of us who cover the developing world deal increasingly today with a new kind of inflation: disaster inflation. I first really noticed it in 1998, while reporting Hurricane Mitch. The storm ravaged Honduras and Central America, but governments felt compelled to inflate the death toll. Even today, the official …
FIFA’s Deepening Crisis: Global Soccer’s “Arab Spring”?
The line may well earn a spot aside infamous expressions of denial like Richard Nixon’s “I am not a crook”, Bill Clinton’s “I did not have sexual relations with that woman”, and MLB star Roger Clemmons’ suggestion a fellow pitcher “misremembers” their discussions about The Rocket’s use of banned steroids. Like other …
What Kandahar’s New Police Chief Says About Afghanistan’s Sorry State of Affairs
To get an idea of just how badly things are going in Afghanistan, take a look at the latest “good” news coming out of the prominent southern city (and Taliban strong hold, and heroin trafficking center) of Kandahar: the appointment of a new police chief, Brig. Gen. Abdul Razik, to replace the earlier one who was killed in a suicide …
Global Briefing, May 31, 2011: ‘Happy Birthday, Salman Taseer’
Remembering Taseer — In the Express Tribune Ayesha Tammy Haq reflects on the life and death of Salman Taseer. “Today he would have been 67-years-old but we have silenced him and with him, killed hope,” she writes. Moderate Pakistanis must speak out against the violence: “The quieter we stay, the more difficult it becomes for people to …
Calling China? Corruption Taints the Lucrative Telecoms Business.
Another day, another corruption scandal. So goes life in China, where tales of official graft are so common that a newspaper wouldn’t be complete without a rundown of the sordid details. But even by Chinese standards, this one looks like a doozey. According to state media—and by the time it appears in the official press, chances are …
In “Post-DSK” France, Minister Falls To Accusations of Sexual Harassment
Is the downfall of former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn amid charges of attempted rape in the U.S. inspiring women in France to denounce the sexual coercion and aggression they’ve suffered from men for so long? The resignation Sunday of a French government minister accused of sexually harassing and assaulting …
Burma’s Suu Kyi Announces High Stakes Political Tour
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Pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi confirmed Monday that she’s planning a visit to Burma’s provinces this summer. “I hope to be able to travel out of Rangoon in the month of June, as soon as I have got rid of all the work that has piled up,” she said in a video …
Global Briefing, May 30, 2011: Control Freaks and Calls to Arms
Last Legs— Panicking over the demonstrations, Assad has backtracked on economic liberalization, reports our correspondent in Syria. Will economic collapse end his rule?
Control Freaks — America’s response to the ‘Arab Spring’ is an attempt to re-assert its control over the region, argues Soumaya Ghannoushi at AJE. “After watching …
Chinese Authorities Try to Limit Protests in Inner Mongolia
Parts of Inner Mongolia, the region that forms much of China’s northern border, have been put under tight control following protests touched off by the hit-and-run death of a herder who was run over by a coal truck. The killing of Mergen, who like some ethnic Mongolians goes by a single name, has raised concerns about development and …
Can Zuma Pull Off a Surprise in Libya?
South African President Jacob Zuma flies into Tripoli Monday to try to forge peace between Libyan leader Mouamar Gaddafi and the country’s rebels. Top of the agenda, according to Agence France-Presse: persuading Gaddafi to go. Zuma’s initiative, conducted on behalf of the African Union (AU), has met widespread skepticism, particularly …