Expatriates Today

In light of our recent discussion concerning expatriates and extraterritorial jurisdiction, I thought this article concerning expatriates in Dubai was an interesting modern approach to expatriates and the cultural conflicts that can arise. This article from the New York Times explores the controversy occuring in this city (and many other Arab areas) during this Ramadan holiday. In Dubai, foreigners cannot claim citizenship, and are therefore considered expatriates. However, only about 250,000 of the 1.2 million residents are citizens, making for an interesting cultural situation. Many consider Dubai "one of the most diverse cities in the Middle East," ecompassing more than 150 nationalities. For decades, Dubai has encouraged tourism as a valuable economic boost and worthwhile venture, but recent debate has questioned this practice.

The cultural conflict recently surfaced when an English-speaking tabloid, 7Days, published a story under the headline "Show Some Respect," reminding the expatriates that this is an Muslim country in which they are visiting. The laws of Dubai often follow Muslim laws, "a man and woman kissing in public can be arrested; one can be ticketed for dress baring too much skin, or for eating or smoking during daylight hours during Ramadan, and altercations with locals can sometimes land expatriates in detention." Often, in such a tourist-driven city, these laws are rarely enforced. However, during this Ramadan, the complete disregard for Muslim rules by Western expatriates has caused significant tension within the city. Media such as 7Days call for an increased level of expatriate awareness and respect during this sacred holiday.

It is interesting to realize that a similar tension occurs between local and visiting cultures today as it has in the past. As Scully explores the relations between China and Western nations from 1844-1942, we see a similar pattern of clashes between Chinese interests and foreign influence. The Chinese also felt pressure from the informal Western imperialism as a result of extraterritoriality. While the modern case does not include this, the West has successfully proved its influence by insisting that the city's established laws do not apply to Western visitors. Additionally, in both cases, the economy plays a large role in the motivation for continued relations between the two cultures. In our increasingly globalized world, many such conflicts have occured, and can be expected as a result of power relationships and increased cultural interaction.

The Northern Rebuttle

Well I took Evan's test, and since I'm apparently a "Yankee Doodle Dandy beyond question" I figured it was my duty to represent my roots. So here's another origin of yankee and a response to the Doobie brothers.

As reported by wikipedia:
The origins of the term [yankee] are disputed. One theory claims that it originated in the 1760s from an English rendering of the Dutch language "Jan-Kees" (two of the most common given names of the Dutch), a nickname used by Dutch settlers in upstate New York referring to the New Englanders who were migrating to their region. Another theory holds that the term may be derived from a name used by the Native American tribes that allied with the French during the French and Indian wars (1689 to 1763) to refer to English settlers. It is thought that the Native American tribes fighting with the French against the expansion of English settlements north and west from New York into the Upper Hudson River valley, the Ohio river valley, the Eastern Great Lakes, and the southern banks of the St. Lawrence River, began to use the pejorative French term for the English settlers - "L'Anglais" - to describe all non-French white settlers coming into the region. The Native American tribes pronounced the word "yangleez", which is believed to have later been corrupted to "yangeez". The first recorded use of the term by an Englishman to refer to Americans appears in the 1780s, in a letter by Admiral Lord Nelson.

And in light of my New Jersey, Yankee nature, I feel it only appropriate to let the boss speak for himself.

Thunder Road
Bruce Springsteen

The screen door slams Mary's dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch
As the radio playsRoy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again
Don't run back inside
darling you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright
Oh and that's alright with me
You can hide `neath your covers
And study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers
Throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a savior to rise from these streets
Well now I'm no hero
That's understood
All the redemption I can offer, girl
Is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now
Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow back your hair
Well the night's busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in backHeaven's waiting on down the tracks
Oh oh come take my hand
Riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road
oh Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late we can make it if we run
Oh Thunder Road, sit tight take hold
Thunder Road
Well I got this guitar
And I learned how to make it talk
And my car's out back
If you're ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open but the ride it ain't free
And I know you're lonely
For words that I ain't spoken
But tonight we'll be free
All the promises'll be broken
There were ghosts in the eyes
Of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach road
In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets
They scream your name at night in the street
Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet
And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines roaring on
But when you get to the porch they're gone
On the wind, so Mary climb in
It's a town full of losers
And I'm pulling out of here to win.

Additionally, I found a funny site on "You know you're a southerner if..." and my favorite characteristic was you know you're a southerner if your family plans vacations around the various hunting seasons.
:)

It is raining man...

As the US suffers from environmental problems, so does Germany. Growing environmental problems are a global problem, undoubtable a side-effect of globalization.

As I noticed from Der Spiegel-Online, Germany has to face serious climate change, due to global warming... Thus, the German government comes up with announcing the reduction of carbon dioxide by 40%, because the German Institute for Economics warned the governtment that the losses caused by climate will rise up to 27 trillions.

We will see what the future will bring and how much of their initial ideas will be realized, but nevertheless I found it really interesting how the German government tries to divert its course...

Globalization Prior to Modernization?

While many of our conversations assume that a country modernizes as it globalizes, this is not always the case with less-developed countries. India represents one of these cases, as the booming economic sector calls for skilled workers, but the school systems provided by the government are often insufficient or incompetant. While the universities continue to "pump out" 400,000 engineers a year, their abilities in the field upon graduation are questionable.

As reported by the NY Times in an article entitled "Skills Gap Hurts Technology Boom in India," the engineers that India depends upon to keep their technology sector in tact. India depends on this area of the economy to help push the nation into the global spotlight. Techonology is often viewed as the Indian ticket to global influence and true development. However, the country has not developed its social system to support such a strong educational performance. Unless India begins to modernize its educational system to meet the needs of its techonological economy, its entire economy may be in jeopardy, and their hopes of modernization will suffer. Instead of over-emphasizing the importance of financial power and growth, India should first care for its own social systems in order to ensure that they can maintain any power they do obtain. The growth of globalization may invite many countries to try to quickly jump into the world of global influence, but if these countries do not properly modernize their nation to maintain this position, then their attempts at globalization will undoubtedly falter.

"Mississippi moon, won't you keep on shinin on me"

Here is a test to see if your language marks you as a southerner. My score told me I had some of the South in me.
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/yankeetest.html

Here is something I found on the root of the word yankee. It was first used by the British to describe colonists around 1756.

http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0618454500&id=cZ88p_bSt1EC&pg=PA327&lpg=PA327&ots=i_ZLpk-VqH&dq=%22root%22+of+the+%22word%22+%27yankee%22&sig=01Do4K7cSdE-F8mxiMT0aeeNaGQ

Here is song by the Doobie Brothers called "Blackwater" for those of you up North. (Just joking)

Well, I built me a raft and shes ready for floatin
Ol mississippi, shes callin my name
Catfish are jumpin
That paddle wheel thumpin
Black water keeps rollin on past just the same

Old black water, keep on rollin
Mississippi moon, wont you keep on shinin on me
Old black water, keep on rollin
Mississippi moon, wont you keep on shinin on me
Old black water, keep on rollin
Mississippi moon, wont you keep on shinin on me
Yeah, keep on shinin your light
Gonna make everything, pretty mama
Gonna make everything all right
And I aint got no worries
cause I aint in no hurry at all

Well, if it rains, I dont care
Dont make no difference to me
Just take that street car thats goin up town
Yeah, Id like to hear some funky dixieland
And dance a honky tonk
And Ill be buyin evrybody drinks all roun

Old black water, keep on rollin
Mississippi moon, wont you keep on shinin on me
Old black water, keep on rollin
Mississippi moon, wont you keep on shinin on me
Old black water, keep on rollin
Mississippi moon, wont you keep on shinin on me
Yeah, keep on shinin your light
Gonna make everything, pretty mama
Gonna make everything all right
And I aint got no worries
cause I aint in no hurry at all

Id like to hear some funky dixieland
Pretty mama come and take me by the hand
By the hand, take me by the hand pretty mama
Come and dance with your daddy all night long
I want to honky tonk, honky tonk, honky tonk
With you all night long

North Korea, my view amongst others

I think Julie has an interesting point that nations such as N. Korea are directing funding away from social programs in order to develop nuclear weapons. We happen to spend more on defense then any other item in our budget. Despite the rationale of Julie's statement, I think more emphasis should be put upon the fact that the US, UN, and others have failed to find a way to solve the problem. It may very well be that nuclear weapons are the best way for N. Korea to achieve security for itself when it is labeled as an axis of evil. A better way might be for the US to clarify that it has no intentions of removing the current government, but would rather find a solution that promotes security and prosperity for all; even if it means dealing with someone we do not like.
It is also interesting that the US is now a team player, using diplomacy to achieve a peaceful end to the conflict. If America is an empire, it is troubling that it cannot find a quick solution to a problem that has gone on for over a decade. It may very well be that the American Empire cannot sustain itself in the traditional military sense because the country does not have the will to make the human and monetary sacrifice necessary for a Roman type legionaire. Instead the US needs to understand how to use its collateral in the world arena to deal with problems logically instead waiting until they explode and require crisis (which may be what the world order needs to survive). Have a nice day.

After reflecting back on what we discussed in class today I decided to look further into this "extraterritorial jurisdication". I was curious to see where this has led the judicial system of today, since thus far Scully has only discussed past examples, mainly those dealing with China between 1844 and 1942.

I found an article on a foreign affairs webpage called "The Case for Universal Jurisdiction", written by Kenneth Roth. The article is a counterargument to Henry Kissinger's criticisms of this universal jurisdiction. Roth expresses a strong opposition to Kissinger's view. Roth takes several points that are emphasized by Kissinger and cleverly counters them using specific, impugning examples, based largely on actions taken by the United States in the past.

You can also read part of the Kissinger article that is subjected to Roth's disapproval. At the top of the page is a small summary to get an idea of what it is about (since the entire article is not available).

I thought it was an interesting article and one that I should share. Another related topic I found on the same webpage is a review by Ikenberry of The Pinochet Effect: Transnational Justice in the Age of Human Rights, by Naomi Roht-Arriaza. Unfortunately you have to subscribe to read the full review, however, just this first part had enough to get an idea of what the book is about.

Although I am still trying to fully grasp what Scully says in her book, Bargaining with the State from Afar: American Citizenship in Treaty Port China, I think it helps by understanding a little bit of how her ideas relate to today.

Amerikapolitik

Found another interesting (sorry folks, this time only in German) article from the German Institute forInternational and Security Affairs that dealt with Germany's position to the US. Peter Rudolf, the writer of this article called "Amerikapoltik", argues that Germany's relation to the US should be characterized by a mix of three stragies:

1. Germany should show unity whenever/whereever German coincide with American interests.

2. Germany should form a counterweight to the US whenever Germany's interests are "endangered". This counterweight should be achieved by using international institutions in order to limit American power and to deprive the US international actions of their legitimicay.

3. Germany should act upon a "conditioned cooperation", which is characterized by certain demands on the US

I argue that Rudolf does not come up with a complete new therory of how Germany/ Europe s hould take influence on the hegemonic power, the US, but he reminds us of our own, inferior position to the US and makes us aware of how we could improve our "ill" foreign relations...

Puerto Rican Citizenship

This article from the Miami Herald seemed all too appropriate in light of our recent discussions.

U.S. CENSUS
Puerto Ricans deserve to be counted
BY KENNETH D. MCCLINTOCK
Friday October 13th, 2006
America is reaching a demographic milestone, so says the U.S. Census Bureau, which is reporting that there will be 300 million ''Americans'' by the end of the year.
The fact, however, is that this country surpassed that milestone months ago, and the U.S. Census Bureau knows it. Yet, for some reason, our government willingly excludes nearly four million U.S.-born citizens living on U.S. soil, in Puerto Rico, as part of this important count.
It is truly an arbitrary and mind-boggling way to count ''We, The People.'' For some reason, when the 10-year census is completed, our government chooses to exclude Americans residing in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories from the national total. Yet the census counts people living in Washington, D.C., which isn't a state.
What makes this policy even more inconsistent is that ''resident aliens'' living within the 50 states are counted in the 10-year census. Yet, full-fledged Americans who just happen to live in Puerto Rico are not.

While Puerto Ricans have been US Citizens since 1917, the recent 10-year census count does not reflect a US population which includes citizens residing in US territories. The numerous inconsistencies in our governmental policy toward the territories continues to harm to Puerto Rican population. An accurate census count for Puerto Rico is essential in determining private financial funding and distribution. Being the largest US territory, Puerto Rico deserves this (and all other) rights and priveldges alotted to the US citizens of the mainland. Additionally, the fact that this article was written on Friday reflects the continued lack of US consideration for Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rican Revolt - 1950

This is the wikipedia version of events... I find it interesting that the Puerto Rican National Guard was called in to aid the people. The fact that a Puerto Rican National Guard even existed is significant to our discussion of territorial boundaries and citizenship rights.

Revolt against the United States

During the mid-1940's various pro-independence groups, such as the Puerto Rican Independence Party, which believed in gaining the island's independence through the electoral process, and the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, which believed in the concept of armed revolution, existed in Puerto Rico. On October 30, 1950 the nationalists, under the leadership of Dr. Pedro Albizu Campos staged uprisings in the towns of Ponce, Mayagüez, Naranjito, Arecibo, Utuado, San Juan and Jayuya.

Blanca Canales

The most notable of these occurred in Jayuya in what became known as El Grito de Jayuya. Nationalist leader Blanca Canales led the armed nationalists into the town and attacked the police station. A small battle with the police occurred; one officer was killed and three others were wounded before the rest dropped their weapons and surrendered. The nationalists cut the telephone lines and burned the post office. Canales led the group into the town square where the illegal light blue version of the Puerto Rican Flag was raised.^[47] In the town square, Canales gave a speech and declared Puerto Rico a free Republic. The town was held by the nationalists for three days.^[48]

The United States declared martial law in Puerto Rico and sent the Puerto Rico National Guard to attack Jayuya. The town was attacked by air by U.S. bomber planes and artillery. Even though part of the town was destroyed, news of this military action was prevented from spreading outside of Puerto Rico. It was called an incident between Puerto Ricans. The top leaders of the nationalist party were arrested, including Albizu Campos and Blanca Canales, and sent to jail to serve long prison terms. Griselio Torresola was in the United States where, together with fellow nationalist Oscar Collazo, he decided to assassinate President Harry S. Truman. On November 1, 1950, they attacked the Blair House where Torresola and a policeman lost their lives. Oscar Collazo was arrested and sentenced to death. His sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment by President Truman and he eventually received a presidential pardon.^[49]