More players in the game

The Chinese footpoot growing across Africa (The International Herald Tribune)

This article highlights evidence of the growing involvement of Chinese individuals and organizations in the development of Africa. I'm not surprised at this, to me it's inevitable. The rich western nations aren't the only ones with money; they don't have a monopoly on aid, or funds for business and infrastructure development. If they continue to act like they do they will really be left behind when the rest of the world successfully partners with African nations and the political capital of the G8 and international goodwill towards them sharply plummets. The author made an interesting observation that the bulk of the western presence in Africa is aid workers, researchers and the like; while the Chinese presence is comprised of business people and investors. He noted that the West often regards Africa as a place of failure, while Chinese people see it as a place of opportunity. The G8 countries are becoming political dinosaurs of archaic thinking; and their days are numbered.

More Encouragement

I am so excited! The movement to fight climate change is growing and growing. It is so encouraging to see individuals from both the public and private sectors making this issue a priority. The latest - a carpet tile executive commited to greening his company, and encouraging other businesses to do the same. Check it out: Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet.

Also of note: Wolfowitz gone, World Bank seeks new identity: "The entire international economic architecture established after World War II... is buckling..." I'll say! This is the post-cold war world. Maybe even post post-cold war. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund are waaaaaay outdated in their policies and practices (two different things, of course). Anybody who knows what I studied in college probably already knows how I feel about this. I also think it's interesting that the U.S./Bush administration thinks it should continue to choose the president of the Bank when a) poor judgement in picking people for leadership roles is now the norm, and b) the U.S. contribution to the Bank is less than other countries.

And that brings me to Al Gore's latest book, the Assault on Reason; a book which I had actually dreamed of writing myself, and which I certainly want to read ASAP. Al Gore is much better as an activist than a politician. He has a lot to say about the Bush administration - but this stuff needs to be said, without fear of impunity.

Live from New York!

This is so exciting - world leaders and many of the leading urban cities in the world are joining together with multinational banks and other companies to retrofit older buildings to make them much more energy efficient and contribute that much less to climate change. This is incredible! I am also very proud because among the participatory cities, both Chicago and Tokyo have signed on.

(International Herald Tribune) Coalition to invest billions to save energy
(New York Times) Global Coalition to Make Buildings Energy Efficient

Read this article!

in its entirely. please.

It's not about RED STATES or BLUE STATES anymore. It's about a GREEN COUNTRY: The Power of Green

World Briefing

Reports of failed states and war-torn societies dominates most of the news on sub-Saharan Africa, but there are also great examples of highly successful states. Here are three:

For one, Botswana is highly successful - with steady elections since the 1960s, a functioning economy and a government that offers social services; plus, they've refused aid from the World Bank and the IMF, choosing instead to have full control over their government and policies.

The upper region of Somalia, Somaliland, is "The Other Somalia: An Island of Stability in a Sea of Chaos." Although not internationally recognized as independent, they have a separate goverment, currency and passport from the rest of Somalia. They have a functioning economy and even offer social services. Clan violence, which plagues the rest of Somalia, has largely been solved by a legislative system that includes clan elders and elected representatives. And again, they have done all of this without international aid.

In Niger, "Trees and Crops [are Turning] Back the Desert." What a victory for the people and the environment!

East Asian Update

Last night I had a crazy dream! A student of mine was jack-hammering outside of my window and rumbling my room. It wasn’t until my roommate opened her door and exclaimed – “Did you feel that?!” that I woke and realized I had just experienced my first Tokyo earthquake!

It wasn’t scary at all. I partially grew up in California, so it wasn’t my first earthquake. But after being away from the West Coast for so long, it’s strangely comforting to know that the earth beneath me is moving. It’s kind of like being back. Not in California, of course, but certainly a return to something I knew in my earliest years.

In other East Asian news, there is quite a bit going on out here politically! North Korea is all over the newspapers, but first - a new Japanese Prime Minister (Abe) was recently elected. It’s a big deal because he is really conservative, but he is also hoping to improve Japanese-Chinese (Sino) (and Japanese-Korean) relations. There is a shrine in Tokyo called the Yaskuni Shrine, which among other people honors four Class A war criminals from WWII. Every previous Japanese prime minister has visited it, and that really angers South Korea and China because for those countries it is a symbol of Japan’s aggression in those areas. Abe has not yet said whether he will or will not visit the Shrine. The Japanese PM’s usually make their first overseas visit a trip to Washington, but this time it was Beijing, which was a good sign. I’ve talked to a handful of my students about it, and they say they want relations with China to improve, but they don’t want to capitulate to Chinese and Korean demands about how to view and honor their history.

And then North Korea set off nuclear tests. Japan is reacting really severely, and in some regards independent of the UN because Japan and North Korea have a contentious history. A few years (or months, I can’t remember which) ago North Korea recently fired missiles over Japan, as a warning. Japan has totally banned all imports, vessels, and North Korean nationals from entering the country. Some of the history between Japan and North Korea is really interesting. For example, North Korea feels that Japan still hasn’t properly atoned for it’s aggression in Korea between the two world wars. In the 70s and 80s, Japanese citizens were kidnapped in Japan and taken to North Korea. Both countries still bring up these issues.

While Japan is taking a hard line towards North Korea, China is calling for a more moderate reaction than both Japan and the U.S. China has long been a supporter of North Korea, and regularly supplies the country with food and energy. China fears that if North Korea is pushed too far it will bear the brunt of whatever happens.

So it seemed like China and Japan could make progress, but they have such divergent attitudes towards North Korea, there may be a new set of priorities.