Contemplating the value of my dollar

Going to Montreal used to be a quick vacation for little money.  But as of yesterday, the trip doesn’t sound so appealing anymore, since the value of the US dollar is equal to the Canadian dollar.  I do somehow imagine that there are lots of Canadians smiling at this fact.  This afternoon, as I was [...]

The Benefits of American Military Intervention

Our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have resulted in the collapse of brutal regimes and the supposed arrival of democracy.  One of the less discussed issues has been the economic reconstruction.  Two recent articles give a good sense of the recent economic “progress” in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In Kabul, two cities are rapidly emerging.  There are [...]

The Chinese Obsession

After taking my tenth grade world history course, more than one student has joked that I have an obsession with China.  In many ways they are correct.  China definitely has become one of the main foci of my world history course.  Part of the reason is that China has historically been one of the most [...]

Explaining Myself

I still find myself defending Saudi Arabia more than I ever would have imagined.  It’s not that I’m on the payroll of the Saudi government.  I’m not even convinced that the Saudi Arabian economy won’t collapse in ten years because they will run out of oil.  But I’m surprised by how much people seem unwilling [...]

Highs in Riyadh, women of Jeddah, Souqs, and Immigrants

I just came back from another fancy dinner.  This time it was in Spazio on the seventy-seventh floor of the Kingdom Tower.  We sat by the window with an incredible view of the city of Riyadh.  After dinner, we went up to the observation deck on the ninety-eighth floor and looked out over the city.  [...]

Saudi Update

I’m in Jeddah now.  I arrived here last night.  Aramco employees met us at the airport, picked up us luggage for us, and arranged a police escort for our bus all the way to the Hilton.  I never quite expected to be treated this way.  Aramco is basically rolling out the red carpet for a [...]

The Scariest Thing Imaginable

A New Weapon for Wal-Mart: A War Room – New York Times
It comes as no surprise that Wal-Mart is a scary company.  It abuses workers, forbids unionization, uses prison labor in the U.S., and relies heavily on cheap labor from the developing world.  But after reading this article about the Wal-Mart war room, I [...]