wmjs.com - India, Fall 2004

Diplomat of Terror With a Place At the Table: A Review of "Covering Islam�? by Edward Said

Sat, 04 Dec 2004 00:45:55 +0000

Edward Said was a controversial figure right until his untimely death of Leukemia in 2003. He was an obdurate critic of Israeli and American foreign policy in the Middle East and an ardent supporter of Palestinian statehood. His supporters eulogized him as one of the “most gentle and thoughtful defenders�? of the Palestinian cause (Dirlik 2003). On the other hand, his opponents knew him for heated exchanges and “famously rude, insulting, slanging polemics�? (Freund 2001). Among other things, Said’s membership in the Palestine National Council (until 1989), his close relationship with Yasir Arafat, and a widely-publicized photograph showing him throwing a stone at Israeli soldiers, earned Said such titles as: “Ideologue of Terrorism�? and “Professor of Terror�? (Alexander 2000). Said himself recalls being treated as “a diplomat of terrorism, with a place at the table�? (Quot: Economist 2003). Still, for every person who dirtied Said with invective, another was quick to lavish unblemished praise.

The ‘Mexican-American’ War: Or Was it the ‘American-Mexican’ War?

Fri, 03 Dec 2004 00:18:07 +0000

In 1824, the United States and Mexico were similar in size and population. Mexico had 6 million inhabitants on 1.7 million square miles of land. The United States had 9.6 million inhabitants on 1.8 million square miles. However, by 1848, the United States had wrested approximately one million square miles from Mexico. This was accomplished thanks to a belief in Manifest Destiny, President James K. Polk, and the American-Mexican war.

The paper begins with a discussion of Manifest Destiny—the ideological backdrop that made the American-Mexican War possible. Next, the paper relates the events of the American- Mexican war, beginning with American settlement of Texas and ending with the Gadsden purchase. Then the paper examines the anti-war protest movement. Finally, it concludes with some observations about the impact of the war on the present-day relationship between Mexico and the United States.

A Review of "American Empire" by Andrew J. Bacevich

Thu, 02 Dec 2004 21:56:05 +0000

The Post-Cold War story, according to some, goes like this: The United States spent decades, after the World War II, wielding its economic, political, and military might to protect the world from expansionist communism. It lifted high the torch of liberty and dazzled the earth with its light. It opened the reservoirs of freedom so an ocean of opportunity could inundate the planet, restoring peace and prosperity to the parched land. Even the moon proudly waved a star-spangled banner. American submarines and spy-planes governed the sea and the sky; and American troops filled the earth. Heroically, and at great cost, they subdued communism. As the dust from the Berlin Wall settled in the last decade of the twentieth century, the United States finally emerged from the Cold War as the world’s only superpower. Then—now!—the American people surveyed the work of their hands and what they had toiled to achieve, and they saw that it was good.

The Electoral College: Federalism's Curious Relic

Wed, 01 Dec 2004 00:00:28 +0000

The United States is perhaps the only country in the world where a candidate running for the office of Head of State can (legally) win the national popular vote but loose the election. Not only is this possible, it happened several times. The most recent occurrence was in 2000, during one of the most controversial elections in the history of the United States. Nationwide, Democrat Al Gore received half a million more votes than Republican George W. Bush. But, given the archaic rules of U.S. presidential elections (plus the influence of friends, family, and conservative judges in high places), 527 votes in the state of Florida tipped the race—and the White House—to Bush.