archives: Politics
Peace Matters: 8 Reasons Why Obama Earned The Nobel Prize
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As past Laureates welcome our President into the fold, we take a look at the concept of peace in the wider world. More »
Everything Is Okay: London Protestors Encourage Free Speech (And Hugs)
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Spreading their grassroots activism via megaphone, The Love Police hope to wake everyone up from the real-life matrix. More »
The Political Power Of Words
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As words lose their potency in the West, places like war-traumatized Cambodia are still swayed by the power of the pen. More »
Respect For Others: What We Can Learn From the Obama Debacles
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Many of us learned as children to think critically and listen to what others have to say. When did we decide to stop following this sage advice? More »
The Last Shangri-La: Bhutan Grapples With Rapid Westernization
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For that past 30 years, Bhutan has been ruled by a benevolent king. Suddenly, their country is about to change. More »
Interview: Tim Cleveland Aims To Support Disabled Vets By ‘Uniting The Divide’
A filmmaker is aiming to right the wrongs for disabled soldiers by shooting a new doc following them on a motorcycle trip across Middle America. More »
The Psychology Behind North Korean Gulag Camps
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Stories of former work camp inmates and guards give an indication as to how such horrific death camps can still exist in the 21st century. More »
Media Banned From Tiananmen Square By Umbrella Wielding Police
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On the 20th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy activists, Chinese authorities have blocked media access to the Square. And they hav More »
Bounty On Bush: Are Americans Still In Denial About The Iraq War?
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With a foreign bounty on George W. Bush, are we just as complacent with the Iraq war as the Germans were in WWII? More »
Response: Travel Writing As A Political Act
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Travel writing, a discipline that can be flaky, shallow and commercial, can also be a powerful form of journalism and a force for social change. More »
The Ghost Schools Of Pakistan
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Sarah Stuteville and her husband offer a peek inside the Pakistan behind the headlines. More »
Waging Peace: Israeli Mother And Palestinian Soldier Unite
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Two people, caught between the sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, show that peace is possible. More »
Chinese Government Manual: How To Beat Up Street Vendors
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Urban enforcement squads attack unlicensed street sellers as Chinese council introduces new human rights plan. More »
Pakistani Politics: Why Women’s Voices Matter
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Violence in Pakistan dominates the headlines. But rarely do we hear reports on the perspective of women. More »
1,500 Indian Farmers Commit Suicide: Are GM Crops To Blame?
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The business of GM crops are pushing farmers over the edge all around the world. Here's how to help. More »
Me, Myself And Mine: The Philosophy Of Liberty Explained
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If only we could live by the principles of liberty, we'd all be better off right? More »
5 Compelling Reasons To Visit Banned Countries
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Some travelers morally object to visiting certain countries with poor human rights records. But is there a case for visiting these outcast nations? More »
Where To Draw The Line When Defending Cultural Norms
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When we respect the sovereignty of other cultures, is there a danger of compromising our own values? More »
Is Foreign Aid Killing Africa?
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Zambian economist Dambisa Moyo argues that aid to Africa promotes poverty and corruption. More »
Dealing With The Economy Through Spiritual Activism
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If you look around, you'll see an unprecedented movement towards bettering our world. More »
Obama Eases Travel To Cuba, But Will Exiled Cubans Return?
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The Obama administration recently "eased" travel restrictions to Cuba for those Cuban Americans who have relatives on the island. More »
50 Year Anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Sparks Protests, Bombs
With the world economy in a shambles, will Tibet's fate fall to the wayside? More »
Suicide Bomber Caught On Tape
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In Sri Lanka, a reminder of how fervently humanity can hate. More »
A Taste Of The Anarchist’s Cookbook
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"We are too often considered proxies onto which the bubbling rage of neglected and ignored allies can be expelled." More »
Bullets And Backpackers: Political Tourism Hits The West Bank
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Take a political tour of this controversial territory. More »
8 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates On How Leadership Can End War
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What qualities does it take to end conflict? More »
Holy War: How Conflict Shapes The Culture Of Israel
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An agnostic's visit to the homeland of her family. More »
Left Or Right? How Political Ideology Shapes Your Moral Worldview
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Political parties share many similarities... if you know where to look. More »
From Iraq To Samoa: The Traveler’s Guide To Outposts Of The American Empire
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From Iraq to Samoa, the gang's all here. More »
Rick Steves: I’m Not Pro-Drugs, I’m Pro-Common Sense
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Rick Steves takes on the backwards pot laws in a new interview. More »
Lessons Abroad: Why Ireland Wants Obama As America’s Next President
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While America debates, Erin Byrne discovers the Irish have already made their decision. More »
Why There’s No Way I’m Voting For McCain
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John McCain is angry, confused and out of touch. More »
10 Revolutionary Acts Of Courage By Ordinary People
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They stood up for peace and human rights, inspiring countless others to do the same. More »
10 Key Points For Understanding The Protests In Thailand
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Learn who's protesting and what's at stake. More »
Will Religion Prevent Us From Saving The Planet?
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It just might, with nearly half the American population anticipating the end of the world. More »
8 Ridiculous Political Ads From The 2008 Presidential Race
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From Chuck Norris, to Moses, To Paris Hilton, the ads are all here. More »
White Skin: Why Racism In Asia Isn’t Quite What You Think
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In Asia, white skin is in. But it's not for same reasons as the West. More »
Olympic Ethics: Is Traveling To China Worse Than The USA?
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Why it's unfair to boycott China for their crimes. More »
Warning: Do You Know Who’s Spying On Your Private Data?
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And why AT&T may still be watching. More »
Why One Casualty In Iraq Is One Too Many
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Statistics tend to gloss over the true cost of war. More »
Who’s The More Cultured Traveler: Obama Or Mccain?
And how travel will influence their presidential worldview. More »
Why Travel Is The Most Patriotic Act You Can Do
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Julie Collazo explains how visiting Cuba makes her a true patriot. More »
Goodbye To Bush: Europeans React To President’s Farewell Tour
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For many, the Bush presidency is already in their rearview mirrors. More »
Hidden Kingdom: Understanding Womens’ Rights In Saudi Arabia
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For visitors to the Kingdom, judgement isn't always black and white. More »
Is The BBC Indirectly Funding Burma’s Military Regime?
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Burma Campaign UK says 'yes.' More »
6 Ways To Avoid Aiding Repressive Governments
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Travelers can help the people by not helping the government. More »
Why It’s Useless To Boycott The Bejiing Olympics
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History tells us the Chinese would never risk stability for acceptance. More »
Why We Still Need To Write About African Poverty
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Conflict, disaster, and shocking poverty are all part of the story. More »
Can You Face Your Own Nationality Abroad?
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Everything you do and say in your language, with your accent is duly noted by other cultures. More »
Could You Be A War Photographer?
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War photographers bear a terrible burden for witnessing the worst of humanity. More »
Can Tribal Tourism Actually Help Preserve Indigenous Culture?
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There’s a fine line between human interest and human zoo. More »
How I Made Peace With My American Identity
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Turns out not everyone loves Americans abroad. More »
Should English Be The World’s International Language?
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A modern convenience or curse? Terry Dip explores the popularity of the English language. More »
Will The Coming U.S. Recession Lead To Reflection?
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America, and the world, needs to chill out and slow down. We need to relax. More »
Budget Travelers Are Hippie Scum
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F. Daniel Harbecke rants about hippies: they’re out there. Somewhere. And you can’t tell by looking at Ã¢â‚¬Ë More »
Violence In Kenya: Is This What Democracy Looks Like?
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We’re in week three of a nation-wide civil uprising in response to the fraudulent December 27th Presidential elections in Kenya, and among the More »
Why Travelers Everywhere Must Resist Violence Against Women
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This New Year’s, I was horrified to read in The Hindustan Times that in Mumbai, India, outside of the JW Marriot Hotel, two women were felt up a More »
Punk To Police: Globalization From The Eyes Of A Chinese Expat
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I once had a university professor who I will describe as “mentally diverse.”
She was my favorite professor, although you never knew when More »
How Travel Will Save The World
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Spread throughout the world, spanning every region and boundary, is a vast, borderless nation.
Every year, millions migrate to this nation, with lan More »
5 Techniques For Surviving Political Debates
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You are sitting with a family that has invited you in for tea, one of countless offers of hospitality you have experienced since you arrived in the ne More »
Handup Or Handout? The Case Against Micro-Loans
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Is the principal effect of micro-lending to further hook people into dependence upon the money economy? Josh Kearns explains.
I want to urge caution i More »
How Local Self-Reliance Will Overthrow The System
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As humans, we have basic needs for food, shelter, medicine, and a few durable goods like clothing, tools and cooking implements.
The quality of our f More »
A Manifesto From A Young American
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Today I ended my hypocrisy. Today I sold my stock in multinational corporations.
Today I made a step towards moral and existential sanity. Today I More »
Defending the Dalai Lama
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I write for a newspaper, says Dan Gardner, in so many words.
When I author, I am relevant and topical. My vocabulary is college-approved, my messag More »
Why The GDP Says Little About Authentic Happiness
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Is there a link between monetary wealth and quality of life?
I pose this question because mainstream economic theory and the policies promoted by inte More »
The 9 Paradoxes Of Modern Tourism
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Tourism is the world’s largest export, yet it is ephemeral, produced within an encounter, usually fleeting, between host and guest. It has enorm More »
The Crisis Of Too Much Energy
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You may have heard of the recently announced collaboration between the University of California and BP in a big-money deal to research biofuels and th More »
We: An Exploration In Human Universals
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I didn’t quite know how to introduce this film myself, so here’s the description from their website.
This is an unusual kind of undergr More »
The Occupation Of Oaxaca
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In a war of many truths, how do you choose which side to be on?
Two years ago, on a wonderful January night, we married in the beautiful city of Oa More »
Do You Want Culture With That?
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In a city engulfed by corporations and Americana, the essence of true culture is always changing.
Mazatlan, Mexico. It conjures a precision of mem More »
Why We Need Micro Loans Instead Of Slum Tourism
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Recent articles by the BBC, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, The Smithsonian Magazine, and others have discussed various aspects of “slum tour More »
Waiting For Life To Begin In A Burmese Refugee Camp
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Part III in a series exploring the experience and responsibility of the traveler in the 21st century. Read the introductory post here then read Part More »
Atheists in the Holy Land
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Part I in a series exploring the role of the traveler in the 21st century. Read the introductory post here.
This article originally appeared on Glimp More »
The Role of the 21st Century Traveler
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For many travelers visiting a country wracked by the scourges of war, famine, or poverty, it is an overwhelming experience.
My own visit to Cambodi More »
