The Current Discussion: China's on a resource-buying spree, most recently paying US$13 billion for a stake in an Australian mining company. Is this a threat to your nation and its economy? To the world's?

Acquiring resources for economic wealth has been the hallmark of modern civilization. Whether in the context of colonial expansion, imperialist conquest or modern wars, economic gain has been one of the motivating factors for each of these actions. In the world of commerce, it’s considered perfectly normal to secure resources via acquisitions and mining rights, subject to a certain acceptable decorum on such acquisitions and conduct of mining. China's case is all the more touchy as it is not a democracy and its standing on human rights is dismal; yet the exigencies of commerce force countries that would in other cases talk of human rights and sanctions to ignore China's conduct.

Continue »

I come from a tribal family from Pakistan and was brought up to respect the religious wishes and inclinations of all people. This meant that my mother and sisters never wore the veil, and even when my mother visited the tribal areas for the first time in 1942 and wanted to wear a veil, my father told her she should not wear it if she did not wish to. My uncles and aunts were initially shocked by my mother turning up in a sari and no veil, to which my father replied that religion was a personal matter.

Continue »

The Current Discussion: For Valentine’s Day, this question: What is the future of love?

Although our moderators asked this question in the interest of lightening up the debate, it comes across somewhat like asking as to the future of global warming, or the future of the U.S. economy. Perhaps our approach to life, love and happiness is too stunted to consider the esoteric elements of life anymore; is it in earnestness that we have commercialized Valentine’s Day and Christmas?

Continue »

The Current Discussion: With Castro gone, will Cuba become America's 51st state?

America's obsession with Cuba is an interesting study of how the U.S. responds to those who stand up to it. Throughout the Bay of Pigs incident, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the even since the fall of Soviet Union, Fidel Castro's dogged determination not to let Cuba change has been a constant irritation to Washington. Fidel Castro belonged to an era of revolutionaries, and there’s no doubt he and Che fought a dictatorial government. One wonders the course of Cuba-U.S. relations would have been different if, during Castro’s visit to Washington in April 1959, President Eisenhower had met him instead of going off to play golf. Perhaps things wouldn’t have changed much, as Castro's nationalization of private property had put him on a collision course with free enterprise. His repression of former Batista supporters meant there was not much to cheer about for the Castro camp.

Continue »

The Current Discussion: Are the U.S. and Europe right to recognize Kosovo and continue to poke Russia with a stick?

The U.S. and European policies on Kosovo and the Balkans have been rare in seeking to protect and stabilize the region. While the idea of independent countries being carved out of the former Yugoslavia is difficult to swallow for federal-minded observers, the fact remains that the ethnic cleansing of the region resulted in the need for a comprehensive solution. Though some may argue that U.S. and European self-interest might well be driving their policy there can be no denying that in Kosovo and others in the Balkans, it was the right thing to do. If there is to be a triumph of U.S. policy, then this is clearly it.

Continue »