International and Area Studies Commons^™

Wmu International News February 2009, Haenicke Institute For Global Education

WMU International News

In this issue:

Community celebration honors life of former president Haenicke

Universidad de Burgos and WMU celebrate a decade of study abroad

Funny Hats Ice Capades

WMU international researcher out to double the number of women in physics

Report from Shanghai

WMU CELCIS hosts writing class at University of Tokyo

Jared Edward Siang’ani spotlight

Indomitable Patriarchy, Ambivalent Masculinities? Investigating Men's Gendered Relations In Egypt /, Katherine Pavljuk

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Faq#8: Was There A Master Plan To Use The Olympic Games To Promote A Positive Image Of China To The World ?

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

(And What was the Strategy for Dealing with the International Criticism on Human Rights)?

(This is a shortened version of a paper presented at the conference on ““The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: Public Diplomacy Triumph or Public Relations Spectacle?” organized by the Center on Public Diplomacy, US-China Institute, and Center for International Studies at the University of Southern California, January 29-30, 2009.)

There was a common perception outside China that the Beijing Olympic Games involved a master plan to promote a positive image of China to the outside world and that this was one of the major goals of hosting …

Protecting Human Rights In Conflict, Clair Apodaca

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The Just War Theory of Jus in Bello is the international community’s attempt to ensure respect for human rights and human welfare during armed conflicts. The principle of proportionality and the obligation to distinguish between combatants and civilians in attacks are two related notions that are fundamental to the protection of human rights during conflict. The principle of proportionality limits the amount of violence and destruction that is morally permissible. By contrast, the principle of discrimination (or distinction) discriminates between legitimate targets, such as soldiers and weapons depots, and illegitimate targets, specifically noncombatants such as civilian populations and their property.

Stopping The Killing And/Or Stopping Human Rights Violations, Edward Friedman

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The relationship between promoting human rights and stopping wars can be perplexing. The 19th century origins of the Geneva Convention and the International Commissions of the Red Cross (ICRC) are warnings about the moral danger, ambiguities, or tensions of bringing war within the arena of human rights considerations. Human rights and war can be a toxic cocktail. One should not want to make war more likely or legitimate or deadly by seeming to say that the killing machine on one side or the other is acting humanely, as if that makes war okay. War is hell.

Proportionality And Unjust Wars, Sarah Stanlick

Human Rights & Human Welfare

As violence rages in the Middle East, policymakers, academics, and the public alike have been embroiled in debate over the proportional use of force. As The Economist article points out, historical grievances leave both Israelis and Palestinians with compelling arguments for defense and resistance. However, at this point, the cycle of violence has perpetuated blame that goes beyond a simple tally sheet. World leaders remain divided on the rights and wrongs of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but human rights groups internationally are crying out for Israel and Hamas to end attacks that “do not discriminate between civilians and military targets.” While …

"La Slovacchia E La Santa Sede Nel Xx Secolo: Atti Del Convegno Promosso Dall’Ambasciata Della Repubblica Slovacca Presso La Santa Sede In Occasione Del V Anniversario Della Firma Dell’Accordo Base Tra La Repubblica Slovacca E La Santa Sede. [Slovakia And The Holy See In The Xx Century]" - Book Review, Francesco La Rocca

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Proportional To Life, Emma Gilligan

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The Economist piece entitled “Proportional to what?” poses a dangerous question. The notion, as the article suggests, that proportionality in war is a “slippery idea” or that the facts are “nebulous” is the work of either an intentionally provocative or idly cynical author. Whatever the motivation for the words, it is precisely the dismissive tone embodied in such statements that has contributed to and defined the attitude more recently of larger states, like Israel and Russia, to issues of accountability for the death of civilians.

Healing From War To End All Wars, Christien Van Den Anker

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The First World War was known as the war to end all wars. After the Second World War, and especially in reference to the Holocaust, the urgent slogan was “Never Again.” Although these hopes to end war and genocide have not yet been fulfilled, they inspired the worldwide moral stance against war and a host of international instruments and bodies contributed to the protection of both civilians and combatants during war.

Economic Liberalization And Female Labor Force Participation In Egypt: Women Empowerment Or Feminization Trap?, Dahlia Hassanien

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Formalisation Of Information Systems In Sub-Saharan African Small And Medium Enterprises: Case Of Botswana, Richard Duncombe, Alemayehu Molla

The African Journal of Information Systems

This article provides an exploratory model that assesses the factors that influence formalisation of information systems (IS) for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in sub-Saharan Africa drawing on data gathered in Botswana. The paper defines four levels of formalisation of IS for SMEs and identifies the internal and external factors that influence the process of IS formalisation. Key findings demonstrate a strong reliance on informal information practices amongst SMEs, alongside widespread unmet demand for formal information. It is also observed that successful enterprise development requires optimum use of both formal and informal IS. Evidence suggests this is achieved through developing …

The Global Text Project, Richard T. Watson, Donald J. Mccubbrey

The African Journal of Information Systems

The Global Text Project is intended to create global free textbooks for students in the developing countries. We argue that two key technological and social developments offer an opportunity to create a new model for textbook publishing. First, the Internet is a low cost channel for distributing information products in digital form. Second, global digital communities have created the platform for collaborative creation of content. Through this model a free and open content library will be developed for students covering all major subjects for an undergraduate education. This project is a contributory measure to the global efforts to address the …

Religious Identity And The Gospel Of Reconciliation, Miklós Tomka

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

“Christianity And Socialism Are Not Opponents”: The Propaganda Offensive In Berlin-Brandenburg Under Soviet Occupation Concerning ‘Religious Freedom’ Under Communism, Sean Brennan

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

February Roundtable: Introduction

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

“Proportional to What?” The Economist. December 30, 2008.

Negotiations For The First Land-Based Oil Concession In Qatar, Ivan Rosales-Montes

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Analyzing And Forecasting Business Cycles In A Small Open Economy: A Dynamic Factor Model For Singapore, Hwee Kwan Chow, Keen Meng Choy

Research Collection School Of Economics

A dynamic factor model is applied to a large panel dataset of Singapore’s macroeconomic variables and global economic indicators with the initial objective of analyzing business cycles in a small open economy. The empirical results suggest that four common factors are present in the quarterly time series, which can broadly be interpreted as world, regional, electronics and domestic economic cycles. The estimated factor model explains well the observed fluctuations in real economic activity and price inflation, leading us to use it in forecasting Singapore’s business cycles. We find that the forecasts generated by the factors are generally more accurate than …

The Talent Of Shu: Qiao Ami And The Intellectual World Of Early Medieval Sichuan, Alan Kam Leung Chan

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

Portrayals of the intellectual scene of the early medieval Chinese “Sanguo” or “Three States” period (220–280) generally privilege major figures associated with the state of Wei, such as He Yan and Wang Bi, over those who made their mark in Shu (modern Sichuan) and Wu, the other two states contending for the right to rule “all under Heaven” after the demise of the Han dynasty. Michael Farmer sets out to redress this imbalance through a study of the Shu statesman and historian Qiao Zhou (c. 200–270). The book thus harbors a dual purpose, reflected in its title, for in presenting …

Coming Distractions: The Annual Aas Meeting

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

Robert Buswell, Association for Asian Studies President, and Jeffrey Wasserstrom, the editor of the Journal of Asian Studies (and a China Beatnik, of course, who regularly contributes to this blog), have released a joint letter that may interest those who will be or are considering attending the AAS annual meeting in late March (or who simply like to follow the organizational goings-on of AAS and its flagship publications).

In the letter, Buswell, a U.C.L.A. specialist in Korean studies, and Wasserstrom lay out changes to this year’s and future annual meetings, including efforts to expand the scope of the association to …

A Bible For Beijing, Pierre Fuller

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

A few weeks ago my mother learned at her Greenwich, Conn., church that, beyond church grounds, Bibles cannot be purchased in the People’s Republic. Her informant was a man from the Bible Society of Singapore who gave an evening talk on the state of Christianity in China at my parents’ mainstream Protestant parish. My mother soon asked her son in Beijing, me, about this fact over the phone and I couldn’t say either way: a Chinese-language Bible was not something I’d been actively looking for yet I could have sworn I’d spotted one in a shop a while back when …

Healing The Planet And Its People: The Need To Create A Global Vision Of Leadership For The Planet, Connie I. Reimers-Hild

Kimmel Education and Research Center: Presentations and White Papers

No abstract provided.

Everything Old Is New Again

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

One year ago today, I posted an essay entitled “What Shall We Do with the Dead Dictator?”, which discussed the DPP government’s efforts to further the cause of transitional justice (轉型正義) by reexamining the legacy of former ROC President Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975). A number of related policies ended up sparking considerable controversy, included renaming the CKS International Airport asTaiwan Taoyuan International Airport, and especially changing the name of the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall.

The KMT regained power just two months later, following which things began to move in reverse. Most recently, the Ministry …

The Oxus And The Indus (1874), Evans Bell

Digitized Afghanistan Materials in English from the Arthur Paul Afghanistan Collection

Afghanistan history, 19th century

Anglo-Afghan relationship, 19th century

Afghan wars, 19th century.

Falsification Of Diplomatic Documents - The Affghan Papers

Digitized Afghanistan Materials in English from the Arthur Paul Afghanistan Collection

Anglo-Afghan wars

Afghan British relationship during the 19th century

The Past And Present Of The Ccp First Congress Memorial, Shanghai, Samuel Y. Liang

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

2009 is a year of anniversaries for China, with the 90th birthday of the May 4th Movement coming in the spring and the 60th of the PRC arriving in the fall. With this in mind, we’ve asked Samuel Liang of the University of Manchester, a specialist in Shanghai’s built environment, to provide our readers with background on a locale that has special significance for both of the just-mentioned anniversaries. Namely, the building where an early meeting of the Communist Party was held in 1921, which stands near the recently built shopping and entertainment district known as Xintiandi.

This structure, often …

Still Reading Mishra…This Time On Yu Hua

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

Just over a year ago, in one of the first posts that appeared on this site (and one of the very first commentaries I had written for any blog), I directed readers to five short pieces worth checking out that had one thing in common: they were about China but not by China specialists per se. One was a London Review of Books essay by Pankaj Mishra, who we’ve gone on to link to or quote often and who will be represented in our China in 2008: A Year of Great Significance, via a commentary on Tibet that first appeared …

Presidential Reading Recommendations: Ii, Kate Merkel-Hess

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

A few days ago, we ran the first installment in a feature that posed the question “What Should Obama Be Reading About China?” to prominent China watchers. While Evan Osnos at the New Yorker pondered Chinese responses to Obama’s inauguration, our contributors mulled over which five readings on China would give the new president the essential knowledge he will need to navigate one of the U.S.’s most critical relationships. Here are few more of the recommendations we’ve received this week…

Pankaj Mishra is the author of, most recently, Temptations of the West: How to Be Modern in India, Pakistan, Tibet, …

Self-Promotion Saturday: Upcoming Events

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

There will be three China Beat contributors participating in an upcoming conference at the University of Southern California. On January 30, Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Susan Brownell, and Kate Merkel-Hess will all be speaking at the USC Center for Public Diplomacy’s conference, “The 2008 Beijing Olympics: Public Diplomacy Triumph or Public Relations Spectacle?” In part, our participation at USC is an outgrowth of the things we have been writing at China Beat this year, as well as the content of our forthcoming volume, China in 2008: A Year of Great Significance.

There are a lot of China-related events in Southern California these …

In Case You Missed It: Capitalism With Chinese Characteristics, Eric Setzekorn

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

A Review of Yasheng Huang’s Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics: Entrepreneurship and the State (Cambridge University Press, 2008)

With China’s export-centered economy looking increasingly unbalanced and unsustainable, there has been growing public support for state involvement in the interests of rural development.Yasheng Huang, of MIT’s Sloan School of Management, provides a powerful economic rationale to this emerging movement with his new book Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics. Huang argues that urban biased government policies over the past fifteen years are the cause of skewed proportions of China’s economy and have tremendously hindered stable private sector growth. Huang debunks the consensus view that …

China At The World’S Fairs, Susan Fernsebner

China Beat Blog: Archive 2008-2012

The city of Shanghai will be the official host to Expo 2010, an international event celebrating the theme “A Better City, A Better Life,” with an opening celebration next May. As the event’s website and preview videos below reveal, Expo 2010 is intended as an example of a new and shared urban modernity. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the site personally and, if lacking an opportunity to visit Shanghai next summer, also to take a virtual tour of its grounds online.

As the videos note, Expo 2010 is intended as an event that will fulfill and expand upon …