In the early days of the Iraq war, the analogy of choice for the Bush Administration was the post-World War II occupations of Japan and Germany. They had been bitter enemies of the United States; were both destroyed in a merciless world war; and eventually turned into peaceful, democratic allies of the first order. Anyone who said democracy couldn’t come at the barrel of a gun was denying the obvious.
Tag Archives: chinese
Roadside Bombs: An Iraqi Tactic on the Upsurge in Afghanistan
The highway that runs between Kabul and the southeastern city of Kandahar is the most brutal evidence of the Taliban’s IED offensive.
China’s Crackdown on Internet Porn Sows Anger, Confusion
“This is flat-out corruption,” wrote one infuriated netizen on China’s popular website Tianya.com.
English getting its millionth word Wednesday?
English contains more words than any other other language on the planet and will add its millionth word early Wednesday, according to the Global Language Monitor, a Web site that uses a math formula to estimate how often words are created.
New Orleans mayor quarantined in China for possible flu exposure
The mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, has been quarantined in China after possible exposure to the H1N1 virus, his office said Sunday. Mayor Ray Nagin, who traveled to China on an economic development trip, flew on a plane that carried a passenger being treated for symptoms suspected to be from the virus, commonly known as the swine flu virus, the mayor’s office said in a statement. Nagin, his wife and a member of his security detail have been quarantined in Shanghai, China, though all three are symptom free, the statement said.
Rio Tinto to China: Thanks, But No Thanks
Xiong Weiping, the chief executive officer of China’s largest aluminum company, Chinalco, spent the better part of the last four months doing something no other CEO of a state-owned Chinese company had ever done.
Japanese Automakers Launch Their First Battery-Powered Cars
As Japan’s top automakers, Toyota and Honda, battle it out for supremacy in the hybrid car market, Japan’s smaller car companies are taking a different eco-car road. Mitsubishi Motors on June 5 presented its zero-emissions i-MiEV — Japan’s first fully electric vehicle for the global market. Production of the egg-shaped vehicle, which has a range of 99 miles on a single charge, kicked off this week; fleet sales will start in Japan next month and the car is expected to reach U.S.
The Most Important Economic Indicator You’ve Never Heard Of
Those bullish on global economic recovery have their data points: the steady upward climb of world stock markets, three straight months of Chinese manufacturing expansion, the weak dollar. But there are still plenty of skeptics of a rapid and robust turnaround, with their own set of numbers to cite: continued bleeding of private-sector jobs in the US and Europe, more record lows in new home construction, and, er, the weak dollar
Bus fire kills 24 in southwestern China
A commuter bus caught fire during the Friday morning rush hour in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, killing at least 24 people, state-run media reported.
Rio Tinto scraps deal with Chinalco
A deal between mining giant Rio Tinto and Chinalco, a state-owned Chinese aluminum company, was called off after it became a hot-button issue in Australian politics. Meanwhile, Rio Tinto announced it has signed a non-binding agreement with BHP Billiton for iron ore production in Western Australia.