Jeremi Suri

Archive for the ‘Teaching’ Category

July 4th celebration

Patriotism often gets a bad name from its most bombastic exponents. Is it really patriotic to tell other people how to live their lives? Is it really patriotic to proclaim the universal greatness of everything American?

I consider myself a proud American patriot, but I disdain American self-centeredness. Patriotism, I believe, is an appreciation for the many accomplishments of our society and a commitment to improve those areas where we are not at our best. For other societies we can offer a model in our behavior, not in our bombast.

This is why I love the fourth of July. It is a perfect way to celebrate the kind of patriotism that I embrace. July 4 is a holiday for family and friends when we reflect on our nation’s past and look to learn from that past for the future.  We eat, drink, play, talk, and plan for the rest of the summer. Most of all, we appreciate our society’s environmental and consumer abundance, hoping that we can all work together to build on these blessings for ourselves, our children, and those who are less fortunate. July 4 encourages the good patriotism that would please our greatest predecessors.

One of my former students, David Hoyme, has recently joined an NGO working in Africa. He has sent me a very revealing account of Chinese foreign policy in Africa, as seen through the recent experiences of Zambia. See below.

Thank you, David, for sharing your insights!

David Hoyme

The initial reaction my Zambian friend, Tom, had about the Chinese in his country was an exasperated laugh: “Oh those guys!” The sum of the conversation was that there is mutual racism between Zambians (read Africans as a whole) and the Chinese. The Chinese are very insular, they keep to themselves. According to my friend, about 75% of shops are Chinese-owned in Lusaka and many in our town of Livingstone. They treat Africans very poorly, and Africans view them with a mutual standoffish attitude. My brother, who has lived here for a number of years, says that he has only seen the Chinese working on the roads. They hold about 60% of the road construction contracts in Zambia and much of the mining concessions. This is true for most of Zambia’s neighbors as well. The Chinese come in and underbid everyone. It is widely rumored that they can underbid because they use low quality materials and rush the job, but the Zambian government benefits from this in two ways:

1. They get much needed labor and projects on the cheap

2. It lets them say to their country and the world: “hey we’re getting something done.”

So, the Chinese influence has little or no effect socially, but it has great effect economically and therefore politically. One of the candidates in the last election (Michael Sata is his name, I believe) ran almost entirely on an anti-Chinese platform and gathered a substantial following. At the last minute people voted against him because they knew if he won the major source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) would be threatened.

I am sure you know this, but China is gaining a foothold in Africa because its economic aid and civil service projects do not come with the laundry list of requirements that accompany those from the US, the EU, the IMF or the World Bank. It is simple cost benefit analysis: African leaders can get desperately needed aid without having to address their own domestic shortcomings. In return, China gets needed raw materials to fuel its growth. The Chinese can also flood local markets with cheap consumer goods. You can draw your own moral judgments…

D-Day Map

June 6, 2009 marks the 65th anniversary of the allied landings on the Normandy and adjacent coastal beaches of Northern France. Led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, this was the first successful military crossing of the English Channel since William the Conqueror in 1066. Through the Great Depression and the Second World War the United States displayed remarkable resilience, courage, and creativity. During the long struggle against the fascist powers the United States also displayed a savvy ability to nurture diverse international allies. These are attributes we need to encourage in our society today. We still have a lot to learn from the history of the Second World War…

"Spy vs. Spy"

This innovative and experimental course includes separate concurrent versions for 150 undergraduates and more than 30 military officers and other “special students.”

See: http://iss.jasons.wisc.edu/