Article Alert

August/September  2007

ALERT, a monthly publication of the Information Resource Center at the American Center for Educational Exchange, offers abstracts of current articles in major areas of U.S. domestic or international affairs. Full-text articles are available to you upon request. To request articles, please contact the Information Resource Center by telephone , fax, e-mail ircacee@state.gov, or by mail. To request by mail, please circle the articles you wish to receive, include your name, address, and telephone number and return this list to us.  DISCLAIMER: articles and links to non-U.S. government Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.

The Rule of Law

1.DEMOCRACY WITHOUT AMERICA : THE SPONTANEOUS SPREAD OF FREEDOM

Mandelbaum, Michael
Foreign Affairs, vol. 86, no. 5, September-October 2007, pp. 119-130

The author writes that the Bush administration has made democracy promotion a central aim of U.S. foreign policy. However, in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other parts of the Arab world where the prospects for democracy once seemed promising (Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Egypt), American efforts have not succeeded. In fact, democracy is not even close to being securely established in any of these places. The key to establishing a working democracy has been the free-market economy which generates organizations and groups independent of the government: businesses, trade unions, professional associations, clubs, known collectively as civil society, are indispensable to a democratic political system. Arab countries are also unlikely candidates for democracy because their populations are often sharply divided along tribal, ethnic, or religious lines while in Russia, the prospects for democracy within the next two to three decades are brighter despite the present situation of a government does not respect liberty and was not chosen through free and fair elections. However, democracy's prospects matter most in China, the world's most populous country with one of the fastest-growing economies.

2. WHEN CONGRESS STOPS WARS
Howell, William G.; Pevehouse, Jon C.
Foreign Affairs, Vol. 86, No. 5, September-October 2007

Howell and Pevehouse, professors of public policy at the University of Chicago, find little truth to the maxim that politics stops at the water's edge. The spirit of national unity during World War II was the exception, not the rule; in fact, every foreign military action taken by U.S. presidents has roused partisan congressional resistance. The larger the presence of the opposition party in Congress, they say, the more wars are scrutinized in oversight hearings and restricted by legislation. While presidents have the strong advantage of commanding military forces, Congress has a strong advantage over time in shaping public opinion about foreign wars because of its influence in shaping news reporting about those wars.

Economics and Trade

3. CHINA'S RISE: AN UNLIKELY PILLAR OF US HEGEMONY
Yiwei, Wang
Harvard International Review, vol. 29, no. 1, Spring 2007, pp. 56-59

China's economic rise, characterized by huge reserves of U.S. dollars and a towering trade surplus with the United States, is bolstering rather than undermining U.S. global hegemony, asserts the author, a professor at Fudan University in Shanghai. With their interlocking economies accounting for half of global economic growth, the author states, "China's rise is actually supporting US hegemony." He argues that China's economic growth dampens criticism of U.S.-led globalization and thwarts the development of regional trading blocs. If regionalization became the dominant economic trend, then the United States would see its global influence curtailed, although it would certainly remain the preeminent power in North America, Yiwei writes. "Regionalization cannot be sustainable in the long run, and could result in a far more unstable world than one marked by a power-sharing arrangement between China and the United States," he concludes.

4. ENERGY ECONOMICS: A PLACE FOR ENERGY POVERTY IN THE AGENDA?
Birol, Fatih
Energy Journal, Vol. 28, No. 3, 2007, pp. 1-6

The issue of energy poverty has been overshadowed by energy security and climate change, says the author, chief economist of the International Energy Agency. The lack of access to electricity and reliance on traditional biomass for cooking and heating have a number of negative consequences for the world's poorest people, such as inadequate education and healthcare, low worker productivity and deforestation. Birol argues that, without a sharper increase in electricity rates and use of alternative fuels, eradicating extreme poverty in the next two decades will be impossible. He claims such an increase can be achieved quickly at modest short-term costs and views strong political will of the poorest country governments as necessary conditions. What he doesn't say is that the policies aimed at mobilizing investment necessary to build energy infrastructure have rarely been pursued by governments of developing countries because they have lacked the will or resources. For the poorest countries, public-private partnerships, rather than exclusive reliance on private capital, may be one way forward, Birol says.

5. A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS
Greenberg, Maurice; Peterson, Peter
National Interest, no. 90, July/August 2007, pp. 17-22

In this two-part series on the monetary challenges facing the U.S., Greenberg, in MONEY, MONEY EVERYWHERE, notes that the United States has benefited for a long time as the dollar has been the world's de facto currency; however, he says, this is changing. As policymakers in Washington wallow in complacency, Brazil, Russia and Western Europe are rising in the international pecking order, and their currencies can compete with the dollar as a global reserve. In NO FREE LUNCH, Peterson identifies vulnerabilities in the American future -- an explosion of demands on Social Security and Medicare as the population ages; high levels of debt to foreign nations; exploding health-care costs, and an out-of-control dependence on foreign oil. Peterson writes that one serious national misstep shaking the world's trust in the American economy could make these weaknesses spiral into crisis.

6. HOW CAPITALISM IS KILLING DEMOCRACY
Reich, Robert
Foreign Policy, no. 162, September/October 2007, pp. 38-43

The fortunes of capitalism and democracy are beginning to diverge, says the author, secretary of labor during the Clinton administration. Free markets have brought unprecedented prosperity to many, but their expansion also has produced widening inequalities, heightened job insecurity and environmental hazards, he notes. Democracy, designed to allow citizens to address these issues, has been eroded by forces driving the supercharged global economy. No democratic nation effectively copes with capitalism's side effects and several countries such as China and Russia have embraced market economy but not political freedom, Reich says. The erosion of democracy derives from our desire to get bargains and high returns that trumps our civil and social concerns, he says. In effect, citizens and governments leave it up to corporations to set the rules of the game. And corporations, under pressure from fierce global competition, exploit and abuse the democratic process. What's needed, Reich says, is a clear delineation of the boundary between global capitalism and democracy, between the economic game and the rule-setting process.

7. IMPACTS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS ON TRADE FLOWS IN ASEAN COUNTRIES
Doanh, Nguyen Khanh; Heo, Yoon
Journal of International and Area Studies, vol. 14, no. 1, June 2007, pp. 1-15

The authors use empirical analysis to study the linkages between enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) and trade flows in ASEAN countries. Their analysis seeks to answer three main questions: Does stronger protection of IPRs affect ASEAN's exports and imports? How does IPR protection affect the trade flows of individual industries differently? Which policy implications can be derived from this study? The answers are complex, sometimes ambiguous, and IPR policies in the rest of the world have to be factored in along side those of ASEAN countries. An important consideration in building stronger IPR, they note, is it is needed to gain membership to the World Trade Organization. They expect the impact of WTO membership on the market power and market expansion effects on trade to be large in magnitude.

8. THE WALL STREET SLIDE
Baker, Gerard
International Economy, vol. 21, no. 2, Spring 2007, pp. 26-28

"New York is losing its mojo!" scream the financial pundits. Over-regulation is driving business away from the Big Apple to other global financial centers such as London and Hong Kong, they charge. Or is it? Gerard Baker challenges the notion that U.S. financial markets are losing out to more nimble, less tightly regulated markets in Europe and Asia as a result of legislation in 2002 following the Enron and other financial scandals. Nothing of the sort, he says. The rise of London and Hong Kong as financial centers is not because of regulatory differences but is simply a reflection of a more balanced global capital system, Baker writes. He says that London has emerged as the consolidated financial market for Europe, where in the first quarter of this year, the combined market capitalization of companies quoted on European exchanges exceeded that of American companies for the first time since World War One. He said the growth of Hong Kong's equity market reflects the explosive expansion of the Chinese economy. What unites London, Hong Kong and New York is far more important than what differentiates them, and that is the prevalence of Anglo-American common law.

Global Issues

9. THE GREAT LEAP BACKWARD?
Economy, Elizabeth
Foreign Affairs, Vol. 86, No. 5, September-October 2007

Economy, director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, says that China's environmental quality is deteriorating rapidly as local officials, ignoring central government environmental regulation, press for continued rapid economic expansion. Besides poisoning China's air and water and turning China's land to desert, Chinese polluters are aggravating global climate change by indiscriminate and illegal logging in tropical rainforests, degrading the oceans and producing vast quantities of coal-fired power plant emissions, which are circling the globe. By ignoring the environmental mess much longer, the Chinese could bring their remarkable economic expansion to a halt. Foreign governments and non-governmental organizations need to press China to clean up its act, institute necessary political reforms and combat corruption.

10. THE PHYSICAL SCIENCE BEHIND CLIMATE CHANGE
Collins, William, Et Al.
Scientific American, vol. 297, no. 2, August 2007, pp. 64-73

The authors, all scientists who participated in Working Group I of the 2007 IPCC assessment, write that the growing record of observations and study show that over the past twenty years, evidence that humans are affecting the climate has "accumulated inexorably", and that scientific community is more certain of this than ever. The authors summarize the findings of the latest IPCC report, noting that 11 of the past 12 years have been the warmest since reliable records began around 1850, and that concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today are roughly 35 percent above preindustrial levels. They discuss some of the uncertainties, noting that climate model predictions become cloudy out beyond a century or so -- but the earth "will be living with the consequences of climate change for at least the next thousand years."

11. THE PIRATE HUNTERS
Raffaele, Paul
Smithsonian, vol. 38, no. 5, August 2007, pp. 38-44

Piracy on the high seas soared in the 1990s after many countries reduced the size of their navies with the end of the Cold War; as a result, maritime authorities worldwide have had to step up efforts to protect shipping and trade. About 95 percent of the world's trade travels by water; in 2007, estimated value of such trade was at least $6 trillion. Estimates of the value of goods lost to pirates ranges into the billions annually. The foremost organization combating ocean-going piracy is the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which operates the Piracy Reporting Centre, the world's only such operation. The shipping lanes near Somalia are considered among the most perilous in the world; other piracy "hot spots" are the waters off Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nigeria. In the Persian Gulf, authorities are concerned about terrorism as well as piracy; Coalition vessels, including those manned by the U.S. Coast Guard, patrol exclusion zones around Iraqi terminals where tankers take on millions of barrels of oil daily.

12. SOLAR ELECTRICITY FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD
Ratterman, Walt
Home Power, no. 119, June/July 2007, pp. 96-100

The author writes that installing solar-electric systems in developing-nation communities is as much about "training yourself" as it is about training others, and is fundamentally about helping local villagers improve their lives in a manner in which they choose. He notes that before any hardware is installed, his group first travels to a village to teach the residents the basics of energy management and to develop an energy budget. Training villagers to troubleshoot and repair the systems, and fostering a sense of ownership, to include fiscal management strategies is vital; quality control and adherence to National Electrical Code standards is especially important when installing systems in remote areas. The article illustrates projects installed in India, the tribal areas of Pakistan, Ecuador, Peru, Rwanda and the Thailand-Burma border areas.

13. SOWING A GENE REVOLUTION
Raney, Terri; Pingali, Prabhu
Scientific American, Vol. 297, No. 3, September 2007, pp. 104-111

Raney and Pingali, economists with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, review the impact during the past decade of genetically modified crops. In the 22 countries where transgenic crops are grown, harvests have increased, raising the income of many farmers and reducing their use of pesticides. Multinational corporations have developed transgenic soybeans and maize suitable for temperate-zone farms, but little public or private research is being done on developing transgenic varieties of the crops -- wheat, rice, sorghum, pearl millet, pigeon pea, chickpea and groundnut -- which provide the majority of the food supply in developing countries. Most such countries lack both the research capacity to develop the varieties and the support structure for farmers to realize the benefits of growing them. The authors note that "only if formidable institutional challenges are met can transgenic crops achieve their full potential to improve the livelihoods of farmers in the developing world."

Regional Security

14. BALANCING ACT: AUSTRALIA'S STRATEGIC RELATIONS WITH CHINA
AND THE UNITED STATES
Cobb, Adam C.
Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, vol. 8, no. 2, Summer/Fall 2007, pp. 71-79

The U.S. must not take Australia for granted, says the author, professor at the Air War College in Alabama, who evaluates Canberra's efforts to navigate between a long-time ally and a rising China, which is becoming a major regional strategic player and a key trading partner. While its security ties are based on its historical ties to Great Britain and the U.S., geography is shaping its economic future, where it risks increasing long-term dependence on its role as an energy and natural resources supplier to China. The author suggests that Australia consider using its energy resources as the basis for a new grand strategy, building a balance of power with China, India, and the U.S. based on a doctrine of "security through energy." By doing so, 21st-century Australia can build a position for itself in the Pacific, similar to that of Switzerland in Western Europe.

15. THE BIG TEN: THE CASE FOR PRAGMATIC IDEALISM
Baker, James A. Iii
National Interest, no. 91, September/October 2007, pp. 14-19

Baker, former Secretary of the Treasury and of State, and co-chair of the Iraq Study Group, outlines ten guiding principles which he believes will "offer our surest guide and best hope for navigating our great country safely though this precarious period of unparalleled opportunity and risk in world affairs." While asserting that the U.S. will remain the dominant global power for some time, he warns that its power must be used carefully, that "spreading it too thinly can lead to disaster," and offers the following maxims to guide policymakers: 1) The United States must be comfortable using its power. 2) We must remember that even U.S. power is limited. 3) Be prepared to act unilaterally when the situation demands it. 4) Appreciate the importance of allies. 5) Use all possible means to achieve the objectives. 6) Be prepared to change direction if warranted. 7) Understand that the United States will sometimes have to deal with authoritarian regimes. 8) We must be prepared to talk with our enemies. 9) Values are important, but they are not the only thing that should guide our policy. 10) Domestic support is vital to any successful foreign policy.

16. DARK POWER: GLOBALIZATION, INEQUALITY, AND CONFLICT
Maier, Charles S.
Harvard International Review, vol. 29, no. 1, Spring 2007, pp. 60-65

Harvard University history professor Charles Maier examines sources of power in this article. He argues that the notion of power as possessed by nation-states is evaporating, and that we can no longer analyze international relations based upon a balance of power. Although the U.S. now holds the majority of military power, these resources clearly have limits. International institutions, such as the United Nations and the International Court of Justice, should not be viewed as constraints on American power, but as facilitators of U.S. influence.

17. THE DAY AFTER: ACTION FOLLOWING A NUCLEAR BLAST IN A U.S. CITY
Carter, Ashton; May, Michael; Perry, William
Washington Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 4, Autumn 2007, pp. 19-32

The authors warn that events such as nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, instability in Pakistan, and insufficiently guarded nuclear materiel in the former Soviet Union have increased the likelihood of terrorists' obtaining nuclear weapons or fissile materials which could be used to attack the U.S. It is therefore imperative that we plan for such a contingency. Actions will fall into two categories -- recovery from the first detonation and prevention of another. A ten-kiloton groundblast would destroy everything within a one-mile radius. Because nothing could be done to help people within five to ten square miles, responders would "concentrate on minimizing the radiation dose to the population further downwind and preventing chaos among the rest of the population, which would be physically unaffected but traumatized and deprived of whatever utilities and services were located in the affected area." The authors list more details and ideas for planning, stressing the need for the federal government to assume responsibility and authority for dealing with the catastrophe.

18. ESCAPE FROM THE STATE OF NATURE: AUTHORITY AND HIERARCHY IN WORLD POLITICS
Lake, David A.
International Security, Vol. 32, No. 1, Summer 2007, pp. 47-79

The conventional assumption is that international relations are a free-for-all, with each nation pursuing its interests and attempting to avoid domination by other nations. The author argues, in contrast, that the international order is not a free-for-all, and that nations are like people -- they are willing to set aside the struggle for dominance if they can be part of a stable hierarchy that protects them. Oddly, accepting subordination to another nation has its advantages: more economic benefits go to consumers, and less money is spent on the military. Thus, proud nations are willing to barter away some of their independence for protection by a stronger power against security threats. The author attempts to construct objective measurements of security and economic hierarchies and coercive capabilities. He posits hierarchy measurement as a way of considering whether America is or is not an empire. Lake asserts that the U.S. has managed to construct a favorable political, military and economic hierarchy, first in Latin America, then Europe, and since then elsewhere. However, he adds, this hierarchy is now in jeopardy due to the war in Iraq, which is being waged without the support of America's allies.

19. ILLICIT ACTIVITY AND PROLIFERATION: NORTH KOREAN SMUGGLING NETWORKS
Chestnut, Sheena
International Security, vol. 32, no. 1, Summer 2007, pp. 80-111

The author draws attention to North Korea's well-established transnational smuggling networks, which keeps the country stocked with hard currency, distributes counterfeit money and goods internationally, and, it is feared, gives Pyongyang the "means and motivation" to be a key player on the global nuclear black market. These smuggling operations, linked to criminal gangs and even terrorist networks, highlight the need for increased attention to tracking and curtailing them, since their activities ultimately exceed the control of the supplier states, making them a major proliferation danger. Law enforcement agencies must team with counter-proliferation experts to meet the threat of these illicit criminal networks.

20. IRAN'S NUCLEAR CHALLENGE
Dueck, Colin; Takeyh, Ray
Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 122, No. 2, Summer 2007, pp. 189-205

The authors write that Iran has legitimate reasons for wanting a nuclear deterrent, and the most promising route for the U.S. to take is that of containment, supplemented by direct bargaining. Iran's regime has numerous factions, but they all agree on the need for a nuclear protection from threats they see from Israel, other neighboring countries, and the U.S. The impact of the Iran-Iraq war on Tehran's nuclear calculations cannot be underestimated. "The international indifference to Saddam's war crimes and Tehran's lack of an effective response has led Iran's war-veteran President to perceive that the security of his country cannot be predicated on global opinion and treaties," the authors write. Iran is "not an irrational rogue state" seeking the bomb as an instrument of an aggressive foreign policy, nor is it likely to hand over an "Islamic bomb" to terrorist organizations, the authors argue, noting that Iran has long possessed chemical weapons and has yet to transfer such arms to its terrorist allies. "Since the U.S. is not about to invade and occupy Iran, an unwillingness to engage in diplomacy with its government amounts to tacit consent as Tehran develops the bomb," the authors say, recommending containment and "direct, hard bargaining" as the only chance to prevent Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons.

21. MAKING PROCESS, NOT PROGRESS: ASEAN AND THE EVOLVING EAST ASIAN REGIONAL ORDER
Jones, David Martin; Smith, Michael L.R.
International Security, Vol. 32, No. 1, Summer 2007, pp. 148-84

ASEAN, The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in August, was founded as an economic and security community, with a peaceful agenda for the region. Some observers believe that ASEAN has stabilized Southeast Asia by institutionalizing elite discussion and consensus, and is beginning to evolve a regional trans-national identity. Since 1997, it has been meeting with the East Asian nations of China, Japan, and South Korea, as well. The authors contend, however, that ASEAN is struggling for relevance as a result of globalization. In particular, the states of Southeast Asia have not been able to keep up with China's economic growth, and remain mired in nationalism and protectionism. The authors assert the fight against terrorism is more likely to involve cooperation with the United States than cooperation through ASEAN mechanisms. In effect, the relative geopolitical and economic weakness of ASEAN's major players in respect to Japan and China, the authors predict, will set bounds on ASEAN's abilities to forge of a translational identity and become a global force.

22. A NEW APPROACH: ENGAGING THE MUSLIM WORLD THROUGH PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Barron, Owen
Harvard International Review, vol. 28, no. 4, Winter 2007, pp. 30-33

Harvard International Review staff writer Owen Barron traces the history of American public diplomacy efforts. The author dwells on what is currently negative Arab public opinion of the U.S. However, although Arabs dislike American foreign policy, they affirm U.S. values. Barron offers several remedies for U.S. public diplomacy in this region of the world, including, not only explaining American values to Arabs, but, also, attempting to understand Islamic and Arabic cultures ourselves.

23. SOLDIERING AHEAD
Yeager, Holly
Wilson Quarterly, vol. 31, no. 3, Summer 2007, pp. 54-62

Women now make up 14.4 percent of enlisted personnel and 15.9 percent of the officer corps in the 1.4-million-strong active-duty U.S. military. They serve in more than 90 percent of military occupations, but are still barred from jobs having to do with direct ground combat. Nonetheless, they are getting shot at in Iraq, where they work as convoy drivers, military police, and a variety of other jobs having to do with supply and support. How are they doing? Admirably, says Yeager, who has covered the Pentagon for the Hearst newspaper group and Defense Daily and writes extensively about women's issues. Contrary to expectations, most women hold up emotionally in combat, and the American public has not howled in protest over the 70 female soldiers killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The increased number of women in the military has not fundamentally changed martial culture. What has changed, however, is management style, which is geared toward more family-friendliness. And this, the author says, is a plus for attracting and retaining an all-volunteer force. Even so, more women than men leave the service because of the demands of family responsibilities. And lack of combat experience will prevent most women from advancing to the highest levels of the military hierarchy.

24. STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Halloran, Richard
Parameters, vol. 37, no. 3, Autumn 2007, pp. 4-14

The author notes that the interagency process has "floundered in trying to organize a strategic communication campaign" even as America's image abroad has declined over the past five years. Part of the problem, he says, is the inability of U.S. political and military leaders to agree on a definition of strategic communications, which he defines as persuading others to accept one's ideas, policies and courses of action. Even the best strategic communication cannot rescue a poor policy decision, he warns. It is also important to identify the audience and realize that, although a message is targeted toward a specific audience, others will see it, too -- you can't say one thing to one audience and something different to another. Most importantly, Halloran notes, the written word is best understood in other cultures and less apt to be misunderstood than spoken language. Strategic messages should be communicated through every possible channel, from speeches to congressional testimony to ceremonies. Deception should be forbidden. Halloran advocates establishing a White House-based Office of Strategic Communications led by a director with Cabinet rank, but says all staff must be kept out of partisan politics.

25. THE TERRORISM INDEX
--
Foreign Policy, no. 162, September-October 2007, pp. 60-68

Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for American Progress conducted its third in a series of surveys of over 100 former U.S. government officials, retired military and intelligence officers, as well as distinguished foreign policy academics, who reported increasing trepidation about national security and America's place in the world. FP magazine reports that they "see a world that is growing more dangerous, a national security strategy in disrepair, and a war in Iraq that is alarmingly off course." Nearly every foreign policy initiative of the U.S. government -- from domestic surveillance activities, renditions of terrorist suspects, and detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to U.S. energy policies and efforts in the Middle East peace process -- was sharply criticized by the experts. Above all, 92 percent agreed that the war in Iraq harms U.S. national security; over half disagree with the surge of additional troops; and a bipartisan 68 percent majority would support draw-down and redeployment of U.S. forces out of Iraq.

26. TERRORIST RIVALS: BEYOND THE STATE-CENTRIC MODEL
Richardson, Louise
Harvard International Review, vol. 29, no. 1, Spring 2007, pp. 66-69

There is currently no country to rival the U.S. as a world power. However, terrorism threatens the U.S. because this country has failed to recognize the nature of its adversaries and transform its military might effectively against these adversaries. Military might is not the most effective weapon against terrorism. Instead, Louise Richardson, of Harvard University, outlines six more effective weapons against terrorist enemies, including, development of an achievable goal, commitment to American principles, acquisition of enemy intelligence, separation of terrorists from their communities, willingness to engage others in counterterrorism, and commitment to patience.

U.S. Society and Values

27. ART AND THE FEMINIST REVOLUTION
Wat, Kathryn A.
Women In The Arts, Fall 2007, pp. 8-13

A new exhibition set to open September 21 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., shows the impact of the feminist movement on art by women worldwide from 1965 to 1980. WACK! ART AND THE FEMINIST REVOLUTION includes among its 300 works by 118 artists such well-known pieces as Kristen Justesen's SCULPTURE II (1968), in which the artist shows herself nude crouching in a cardboard box, and Judy Chicago's PASADENA LIFESAVER RED #5 (1970). The exhibition also includes such famous performances as Yoko Ono's CUT PIECE, in which audience members cut away her clothing, and Serbian artist Marina Abramovic's video of herself combing her hair, ART MUST BE BEAUTIFUL, ARTIST MUST BE BEAUTIFUL. "Some artists included in WACK! do not consider their work to be feminist, often because they see their art as more personal than political," says Kathryn Wat, the author. "Yet the most intimate expressions can have the greatest political and cultural impact."

28. GOODBYE TO ALL THAT
Wasserman, Steve
Columbia Journalism Review, September-October 2007, pp. 42-53

While American newspapers have reduced the resources and page space for book reviews, the decline is not altogether recent and there was no "golden age" of book reviewing in the American broadsheet. While many attribute the decline to book sections' failure to generate sufficient advertising revenue, sports and other newspaper sections are not expected to serve as profit centers. Newspapers have in any case failed to exploit the commercial possibilities of reaching their most affluent, educated subscribers through book coverage. The real problem is "the anti-intellectual ethos in the nation's newsrooms."

29. "MEMORY IS A SHIELD": A CONVERSATION WITH ELIE WIESEL
Greene, Daniel
Museum News, vol. 86, no. 4, July/August 2007, pp. 36-41

Although many people have written about the Holocaust, few have done so with the poignancy of Elie Wiesel. Wiesel was fifteen years old when he was deported to Auschwitz; he survived the Holocaust to offer testimony about its horrors to a world that did not always want to remember. In 1978, Wiesel was asked by U.S. president Jimmy Carter to head his Presidential Commission on the Holocaust, a group later known as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council. The group visited former concentration camps, met with European officials to ask for records pertaining to Holocaust victims, and was responsible for the creation of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. In 1986, for his work on behalf of victims everywhere, Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. This discussion between Wiesel and historian Daniel Greene took place as part of the Museum's podcast series "Voices on Antisemitism", to raise public awareness about threats of prejudice and hatred. In his remarks, Wiesel talked about contemporary anti-semitism, memory and the role of museums in remembering tragedy.

30. U.S. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: CAN SCIENCE HELP?
Lord, Kristin
Foreign Service Journal, July/August 2007, pp. 14-15

Lord, associate dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, DC, notes that the very group tasked with reversing America's sinking global reputation, the State Department's public-diplomacy officers, are "overworked, overburdened with administrative work, and too few in number." Their frequent rotation inhibits their ability to develop lasting contacts. Lord argues that cooperation on science and technology (S&T) can provide a framework that is independent of the highly-charged foreign-policy atmosphere. She notes that in many Middle Eastern countries, public interest in U.S. S&T surpasses that for U.S. culture and our democratic system, and is an area that foreign audiences eagerly wish to engage in with the U.S. Lord writes that the State Department has many S&T experts who need to be brought into the critical task of public diplomacy.

31. THE VENTRILOQUIST WHO CHANGED THE WORLD
Havens, Earle
American Libraries, vol. 38, no. 7, August 2007, pp. 54-57

Alexandre Vattemare, little-known to most Americans, was a world-famous French ventriloquist who initiated a personal global campaign to unite the cultures of the world during the middle decades of the 19th century. Vattemare channeled his passion for performance into a personal quest to fund an international system for the free exchange of books, beginning with his own valuable personal collection of art, autographs, and books of all kinds, between Europe and North America, and to establish free publicly-funded libraries. A second visit to America in 1848 allowed Vattemare to work with the Massachusetts state legislature to arrange funding for the establishment of the Boston Public Library, a pivotal act in the creation of the modern public library. In 1956, UNESCO christened Vattemare as the founding father of the "start of organized exchanges between governments [which] begins with an organization that owed its existence neither to governments nor to its official treaties but it was the creation of a single private individual." In 2007, the government of the City of Paris and the Boston Public Library collaborated to produce a wonderful bilingual exhibition, which this writer visited last June in Boston, "The Extravagant Ambassador: Alexandre Vattemare, The French Ventriloquist Who Changed the World."

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