Reflexiones internacionalistas

Throughout history, the Korean Peninsula has served as an example of three inevitable matters regarding national interest within world politics: division, defensiveness and political maneuvering. Since the end of the Second World War, Korea was turned into a battleground in terms of strategy thanks to its geographic position, and also into a political hub because we have two drastically different political systems close to each other.  Since there have been entries where reunification and economy issues have been discussed already, this entry will focus on the matter of division as unnecessary and as something that nowadays (moreover after the demise of communism and the Berlin Wall), is seen as archaic and even out of the question. Together, North and South Korea represent a lot of what is wrong with international politics, peacemaking processes, treaties and the whole definition of 'negotiation' and cooperation.  Experts on Korea normally have the unintentiona...

Una de las primeras entradas en este blog trató sobre el ascenso económico de China y se planteó la pregunta de si era un mito o una realidad. Desde el año 2003 el mundo comenzó a ver un aumento considerable en todos los indicadores macroeconómicos derivados de las agresivas políticas impulsadas por el gobierno de Hu Jintao, en donde el plan prioritario era un crecimiento sostenido, mientras más durara, mejor.  El punto más álgido de crecimiento se dio en el 2008, año en el que se dieron dos eventos relevantes: un levantamiento violentamente aplastado en el Tíbet y las Olimpiadas, en las cuales hubo evidencia de que efectivamente, China había crecido bastante y que tenían una infraestructura de buena calidad. Los logros en términos de infraestructura sí son irrefutables al menos en el aspecto físico, aunque el aspecto funcional, operacional y en temas como mejora de calidad de vida, y el costo humano de este crecimiento acelerado, son asuntos muy aparte.  Los resultad...

Lately I have been surrounded by difficult times, not in personal terms but regarding what has been around me in the country. My apologies to my readers for not writing anything different for the last weeks. Times have been a bit tough due to professional reasons, nevertheless I am hopeful for positive news soon. Regarding this wonderful human sentiment called hope, and in view of the anniversary of the atomic bombs dropped in Hiroshima and Nagazaki, I decided to write my thoughts about the issue.  My perception about Japan, as many might have already guessed, is positive in general terms. Japan, in many ways, has served as an example of the kind of country I wished I lived in, not only because of technology, or fashion, or manga, but because of how people regard themselves, their country, their potential, and most importantly, how they regard their past and how they have learned from it, and still keeping their essence and values against all odds.  My posture regardi...