Wordless Wednesday -- What Is This Thing?
Barack Obama Promises Attention to Afghanistan
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is touring Europe, the Middle East, and Afghanistan this week. Mr. Obama is calling for a political solution to the crisis in Iraq, and renewed U.S. attention to our "other war" -- the fight against the Taleban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
He is quite right on this issue, in my opinion. The situation in Iraq will probably be ugly whenever U.S. troops leave, whether it's sixteen months from now, or sixteen years. However, Iraq has the resources (especially with oil at $130/barrel), to put itself back together again.
Afghanistan, in contrast, is dirt-poor. Its one significant cash source is opium poppies; the Afghan government and NATO troops have been working hard to eradicate the fields, leaving farmers with few options.
The United States also has a significant moral obligation to help Afghanistan. Between 1979 and 1989, the U.S. and Soviet Union fought a proxy war on Afghan soil. Both sides trained and armed Afghani fighters. After the Soviet withdrawal, the U.S. pledged aid to help stabilize and rebuild Afghanistan... but we failed to follow through on that promise.
The result? A vicious, multi-faction civil war, which ended in the Taleban take-over of the country in 1997. The Taleban provide a sanctuary for Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda movement, and the rest is history.
We cannot afford to repeat this mistake. We owe it to the long-suffering people of Afghanistan, and to our own security, to get it right this time.
Photo of Barack Obama and Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq, July of 2008. U.S. Army / Getty Images
Why Study History?
The curmudgeonly lexicographer Ambrose Bierce defined history this way: "HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools."
The study of history can be an intensely frustrating pursuit. Recorded history is an incredibly complex collection of documents, millions upon millions of pieces of information. It's too much to learn in 100 lifetimes.
On the other hand, our records are incomplete, irretrievably biased in favor of the winners, and also strongly biased toward the deeds of the wealthy and the powerful.
Some say that we must study history so that we won't repeat past mistakes. I have seen no evidence that we truly learn from history, though. The same kinds of mistakes, atrocities and acts of kindness or self-sacrifice thread through the human story -- regardless of how well-read the actors are.
So, why study history? Despite it all, I believe that we do gain important perspective from history. It may not actually change our actions... but at least we can't say we were never warned.
Is It the Weather? Territorial Disputes Flare Across Asia
Protestors in Seoul have been throwing eggs and tomatoes at the Japanese Embassy, and the Seoul subway system was forced to remove advertisements for Japanese condoms, according to a report out today on BBC. The protests stem from renewed Japanese claims to the disputed islands of Dokdo, called Takeshima in Japan.
South Korea has also recalled its envoy to Japan over the Dokdo issue.
Meanwhile, Cambodia has deployed 800 troops to the Preah Vihear temple complex, while Thailand has more than 400 just across the border.
Perhaps the biggest dispute of all involves the Spratly Islands, located in the South China Sea. Not two, not three, but six different countries have made formal or constructive claims to the cluster of islets: China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei. China and Vietnam seem to be reaching a consensus on the issue... but that leaves four other claims unresolved.
Photo of Dokdo, aka Takeshima, by Chung Sung Jun / Getty Images.
Preah Vihear Update
The government of Cambodia is sending troops into the Preah Vihear area after reports that about 40 Thai soldiers crossed into Cambodian territory near the disputed temple on Tuesday.
According to a report on the BBC website, the incident began when three Thai protestors were arrested at the site. Whether or not Thai troops actually entered Cambodian territory, tensions between the two neighbors are sure to increase as a result of this military build-up.
Wordless Wednesday -- Thubten Gyatso, the 13th Dalai Lama
The 13th Dalai Lama, who ruled Tibet until 1933.
Library of Congress Prints & Photographs, George Grantham Bain Collection
Under Construction - A Glossary of Asian History Terms
Keep an eye on the "Glossary" link at left. It is under construction, and growing every day!
Here you can find definitions, examples, and a little extra information about topics ranging from Ainu to yurt.
If there is an Asian history term that you'd like to see included, feel free to email me with suggestions!
The Karmapa Spells Hope for Tibetan Buddhism
Whither Tibetan Buddhism?
Tibet and its majority religion are at a crossroads.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and a revered figure the world round. He is aging, however, and has been in exile from his native Tibet since 1959. To some young Tibetans, the Dalai Lama has lost touch with his people. They resent his unwillingness to call for full independence from China.
The second highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism is the Panchen Lama. At the moment, though, there are two Panchen Lamas; the one recognized by Tibetan Buddhists, and the one put forward by the Chinese government as the "true" reincarnation. The Tibetan-supported Panchen Lama has not been seen since his arrest in 1995.
More and more, younger Tibetan Buddhists are looking to the third-ranked teacher, the Karmapa. Just 22 years old (in his current incarnation), the Karmapa brings a much-needed hint of youth and rebellion to the Buddhist leadership. He certainly is courageous: The Karmapa escaped from his Chinese minders in 1999, and crossed the Himalayas on foot to reach India (much as the Dalai Lama did in 1959).
Hopefully, he will grow to be a key leader in the struggle for Tibetan self-rule.
Photo by Ed Fladung on Flickr.com.
U.S. Stood By During South Korean Massacres -- Korean War
It has long been known that North Korean troops massacred political prisoners and POWs during the Korean War, and that the South Korean military summarily executed dozens of "Communist collaborators" after retaking Seoul in 1950.
The South Korean Truth and Reconciliation Commission, however, recently revealed that executions of civilians by South Korean forces was far more wide-spread and systematic than previously known. The Commission estimates that between 100,000 and 200,000 villagers were rounded up, had their hands tied with wire, were marched to freshly-dug trenches, and then were shot. In most cases, the evidence against them was tenuous at best... and none had a trial.
What, you may ask, were U.S. troops doing while their allies slaughtered these innocent people? They were standing by, sometimes raising feeble protests, and sometimes giving the go-ahead. Dithering, in other words, in the face of mass murder.
It is outrageous and disgusting that our people did not have the courage to stop these killings, just five years after the Nazis were defeated in Europe. We seem to learn so little from our own history...
Tablet Reveals that Resurrection of Jesus Wasn't a New Idea
I'm no Biblical scholar, but this story in today's New York Times suggests to me that a newly-analyzed first century B.C. document could rock the foundations of modern Christianity!
Scholars and the faithful alike have long believed that the story of Jesus' death and resurrection after three days was unique. However, according to a stone tablet discovered near the Dead Sea, the idea of a messiah who would be killed and then rise from the dead after three days was already a known part of ancient Jewish belief, decades before the birth of Christ.
If the stone is authentic, then the life and death of Jesus will be seen in an entirely new context.
To my mind, this find lends credence to the ultra-controversial Gospels of Judas as well.
If Jesus sought martyrdom at the hands of the Romans, in order to fulfill his destiny as the messiah (per the tablet), then Judas may well have been acting upon his orders. In that case, Judas wasn't such a villain after all. Even more shockingly, Jesus wasn't unheralded in the Jewish traditions. He was... dare I suggest it?... following a script.