Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Map For Reference

Please refer to this map for the article below.

5 comments:

... said...

What man!!! No one's writing commenst on this piece...it could be a tad too much to swallow after the movie reviews... don't tell me you haven't seen any movies lately???

itinerant said...

I know, I am surprised too.

I think this is quiet provocative despite his paean to "point of this exercise is not to draw maps as we would like them but as local populations would prefer them", it is in the end exactly what he complains against in the first place, "Drawn by self-interested Europeans (who have had sufficient trouble defining their own frontiers)".

I was hoping Omair still checks my blog, this was the test!

If he reads this, I bet he would be turning over and ready to explode with indignation and fire some crazily brilliant idea that would in turn elicit reactions from the readers.

What do I have to say about this piece?

Well, the first point is made above.

Secondly, I would hazard talking non academically and state that the Americans really need to grow up or atleast American Foreign Policy (Though you could here accuse me of the lack of courage to think 'out of the box').

No, doubt we in the third world have been reined in by extreme sensitivity to territoriality and sovereignity, mostly owing to the colonial experience.

This above point also flows out of the post-industrial, soft borders, globalization experience of the West and the fact that in the Westphalian (the Treaty of Westphalia, 1648 marks the beginning of the modern system of nation-states or "Westphalian states". This interpretation comes from the treaty's role as the first acknowledgment of each country's sovereignty. Subsequent European wars were not about issues of religion, but rather revolved around issues of state.) sense they have a head start of over 200 years on the rest of the non-european world.

... said...

So...has Omair passed the test???

Anonymous said...

Hi Satya,

To let u know that you are being watched!!!!

Hey buddy sorry could not write much, dont have much say over your areas of expertise. I call them MWWSA as in mmmmmwaaaaasaaaa. But, your thoughts are appreciated, and they do make an original and interesting read.

Dobby

itinerant said...

dear Anon nee Dobby sir,

Balle Balle...How are you paji?

Myself very fine thank you. YOu are SO welcome here, guruji.

On a serious note, I will soon be writing on your areas of expertise then you wont have such complaints.

Women did I say?

hahaha