Our live G+ video hangout with +Nicholas Kristof and United Nations Ambassado...

I'm raising my hand. My question is posted at the NY Times site: http://goo.gl/HCqSs

My question is about Tunisia, since the Arab Spring is mentioned above. We need to help Tunisia and other Arab countries. There is strong competition from wealthy Gulf states.

May 8, 2012

Mallory Lee

I am raising my hand.

As a 19 year old college freshman studying english and journalism in New York City, it is clear that seemingly international issues are increasingly becoming national concerns. As Martin Luther King poigantly stated, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere".

My question for Ambassador Rice and Mr. Kristof is the following,

From the turmoil in the Nuba Mountains in Sudan, to the blatant human rights violations President Assad and his regime have imposed upon innocent civilians, how as an international community have we grown since the Geneva Convention? The world has heard the reprise "Never Again" and hope was born when the United Nations declared that any state party could call upon the U.N. to prevent or to punish acts of genocide. Yet, here in the 21st Century, pleas for help from victimized ethnic groups are overlooked when countries, called to help aid, become fearful of retribution from allies, or countries whom they are linked to econmically. Therefore, how as countries who agreed to be bound by this international code of ethics, can we ever stop horrific acts, if we are afraid of watching political ties be broken and economic alliances destroyed?

May 8, 2012

Arvind Bakhru

I'd love to know what they think they can do for international conservation. Their thoughts on the topic and how does it place in their priorities.

May 9, 2012

Samuel Liu

I am an Asian-American high school student in the San Jose district of California. As someone who has deep Chinese roots, I have a fascination for Chinese-American relations.
When used as a verb, “to dream” can be directly translated (in Chinese) to “keep dreaming.” Not only is the phrase “to dream” used derogatorily in Chinese, it is also spoken in a sarcastic manner, as if the speaker thinks that dreaming is a waste. Through this cultural nicety and others (I’m full of Chinese proverbs), one can see the root of differences in political policy, such as the lack of freedom of expression in China. I find that the countries formerly dominated by autocrats (think Russia) tend to embrace unity rather than self-expression, and that is a key in international affairs. A country that disvalues personal freedoms and the individual, after all, also disvalues human rights.
1) I feel that Americans are scared that we are losing our seat as the number one superpower to China. Already, we’ve seen our culture try to become more Chinese, such as with the tiger parenting movement. Former president Ronald Reagan once said, “The march of freedom and democracy . . . will leave Marxism-Leninism on the ash heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people.” I fear that China may prove Reagan wrong. Do you think that China’s dominance will be “left in the ash heap of history?” Why or why not?
2) I remember going to Shanghai 10 years ago; it was all countryside. When I went back last year, I rode on the bullet train and gazed at highways far cleaner and more complex than the ones we have here. I’m frightened by their speed of growth but also curious. How in the world did China reach their current power and how do we maintain (or redeem, some would say) our top status?
3) The Chen Guangcheng situation highlights the China and America’s differences in culture. When I asked my Chinese grandma from Hang Zhou about Chen, she replied “Who? The blind guy?” Rather than a human rights activist, Chen is called a “xia zhi,” which means blind person but has a rather negative connotation. My great uncle from Shanghai said “We don’t understand him, we don’t know whether he is good or bad.” Though this may be a small sample size, I suspect that the majority of Chinese are not sure what to think about Chen, or don’t give him much thought. In China, it is nothing new to be persecuted for thought crimes; it is a matter of fact. An activist is an anomaly, and in China’s culture of conformity, Chen stands out like color against black and white. Americans must not assume that helping Chen will help their popularity in China. Should America risk relations with China to help one “xia zhi?” Or is saving a brave dissident soul crucial to helping Chinese understand the importance of individual freedoms?

May 10, 2012

Ty Lawson+1

Raising my hand too. I'm a graduate student in Agricultural Economics and a RPCV who served in Malawi. My question: several governments in Africa have been selling land for production of grains to corporations and governments in wealthier nations, such as South Korea and Saudi Arabia. By doing so, these African governments are kicking smallholder farmers off their land exporting vital soil nutrients and water resources; these governments are able to do this because of the lack of property rights to the land. What can the US and the international community do to stop this form of kleptocracy?

May 10, 2012

Sour Cherry

awesome

May 15, 2012

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