George Washington University’s Elliott School by Estreetbeat » China

Susan Aaronson about Chinas censorship

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:10:50 +0000

Susan Aaronson, professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs entered the debate surrounding China’s attempted censorship of the results generated by Google , the most popular Internet search site in almost every country except China.
For years acquiescing to China’s demands that they censor the results that the search engine generates (blank pages appear whenever the user searches for something untoward) , citing that the Communist regime is merely trying to root out things like pornography and sexual exploitation through blocking the access , Google has finally decided to withdraw their agreement to censor their pages, due to a justification based on defending the rights of the common citizen to browse for and download what they wish and combating the alleged protectionist strategy that the Chinese government is using in its Web-based market.
Whether this is simply a PR exercise or a genuine concern of Google’s , their recent decision to go to the World Trade Organisation over the issue will prove to make for an interesting scenario, especially for the students at the Elliot School of International Affairs, situated in George Washington University. Aaronson, professor at the School , commented on Google’s actions “It’s a shrewd strategy… Yes, it’s slower, but you force them to defend this in a public setting.” , referring to the litigation process of the WTO that can take over two years to conclude.
China would undoubtedly not have been able to achieve the unprecedented level of economic growth and industrialisation it has done without employing some protectionist trade strategies, and their use was not argued over widely by the global economy , as protecting the infant industries in China presented interesting opportunities for foreign investment , but now that China is such an economic powerhouse, its continuing policy of “rampant protectionism” has been referred to as “[going] against basic international trade principles” with regards to its favouring of domestic Internet search providers.

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Susan Aaronson and George Washington

China’s Great Potential

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:34:40 +0000

By Bobak Tavangar

“China is the country of the future!…China has most great capability. The Chinese people are most simple-hearted and truth-seeking…He must entertain no thought of his own, but ever think of their spiritual welfare…each one of whom may become a bright candle of the world of humanity. Truly, I say they are free from any deceit and hypocrisies and are prompted with ideal motives.”

~Abdu’l-Baha, China Tablet, The Baha’i Faith

I love China. I mean, I’ve fallen head over heels….over head over heels……in love with China. I’ve spent some time thinking about why this is; why a Persian kid from Philly feels something so penetrating in the Far East. It’s not the economic prowess, political intrigue, or social change that draw me to this beautiful country, although they are all fascinating to follow. It’s something much more subtle and powerful than those external trends. In fact, it is the source from which I believe those other things emanate.

What connects me to China is nothing less than the pervasive spiritual maturity of the Chinese people that Abdu’l-Baha speaks about in the above quoted passage from His China Tablet.

In reference to the passage, it might be easy to confuse “simple-hearted” with simple-minded but this could not be further from the reality of the Chinese. Never before have I come across such an insightful, ingenuitive, and naturally united people as those I interact with on a daily basis. They have the natural “truth-seeking” quality that has served them so well and are proactively developing their capacity to become “bright candle[s] in the world of humanity”. The simple-heartedness that I have seen in the people here is a beautiful willingness to learn without attachment to ego. It’s a somewhat lost art in the West as we have been taught that an opinionated mind and clash of egos are the mark of the educated man. I think we pursue this path of thinking to our own detriment.

Being here fills me with so much joy. In a given day the energy I receive from just waking up and interacting with the people animates me to live, learn, and laugh in an entirely new way. The first time I came to China was during the Olympics, and the moment I arrived at Pu Dong International Airport in Shanghai it felt like I was coming home for the first time. I later described to my parents that it felt like the last piece of a puzzle had clicked into place to illuminate the sense of completeness I felt. I will spend the rest of my life learning from and serving these magnificent people. What a bounty I have been given.

Bobak is a junior in the Elliott School of International Affairs, majoring in International Affairs with concentrations in International Economics and East Asia. In addition to being passionate about world unity and the Baha’i Faith, Bobak’s Persian heritage, American upbringing, and obsession with the People’s Republic of China lend him a unique perspective on what is unfolding around us. Duck and dumplings are currently on the menu as Bobak is in the midst of spending a full year in Beijing, China studying Mandarin and working for a Chinese environmental NGO.

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Human Potential in Beijing

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 07:44:09 +0000

By Bobak Tavangar

“The endowments which distinguish the human race from all other forms of life are summed up in what is known as the human spirit; the mind is its essential quality. These endowments have enabled humanity to build civilizations and to prosper materially. But such accomplishments alone have never satisfied the human spirit, whose mysterious nature inclines it towards transcendence…”

–The Promise of World Peace, Universal House of Justice, The Baha’i Faith

Walking the streets of Beijing, China. Photo: Bobak Tavangar

I’ve been thinking a lot about human potential. Who? How much? How do we know? Where does it come from? How can it be unlocked?

Here in Beijing I see so much potential inherent not just in the individual but in Chinese society as a whole. History has shown us how capable the Chinese are with significant contributions to science, governance, commerce, and social theory and it is proving no different now. This country is rediscovering what it means to harness the world around them for the sake of progress.

But is this all that matters? Is it sustainable? Does it necessarily lead to a society of rational and socially conscious citizens or could it possible widen the abyss between wealthy and poor while leaving both no better prepared to make moral decisions for themselves, their children, their countrymen, and ultimately their fellow world citizens?

I ran into a good friend last night in the Sanlitun area of Beijing while deciding which crepe I wanted to order. We got to talking and to my great joy the conversation quickly turned substantive. We found a couple of chairs and vented. Both she and I have been taking careful note of what we see around us here in the hub of China: the alarming social trends, the blistering pace of development, the stark difference between newly wealthy Chinese millionaires and the mud-soaked migrant laborers who build their movie theaters, apartments, and mega malls. Our conversation spanned energy, religion, governance, and numerous other topics relevant to this beautiful country’s emergence. Ultimately we decided this: material development alone will not lead to a happy China. I’m guessing we’re not alone.

I like to reference the sad case of Japan to underscore the importance of our conclusion. Japan is, without a doubt, one of the remarkable economic miracles in human history. In just short of a century the country achieved near universal poverty eradication and material success but has been left a mere shell of its former glory–mired in incipient political, economic, and social turmoil. Left to its own devices–in this case blind greed and an ego-driven desire to develop–Japan was able to recreate its reality as a nation but without the comprehensive sense of prosperity that we have been taught should come with increased access to material goods. Today it is the high suicide rate that most often comes up in a conversation about Japan, not the brilliance of their engineers or greatness of their achievements. I fear the same fate awaits China if they don’t learn from their neighbor.

The quote above was taken from a document prepared by the highest elected body of the Baha’i Faith, The Universal House of Justice. It contains stunningly poignant analysis of the ills afflicting the globe and the remedy needed not just to allay the pain it is currently feeling but also to usher in a new era of well being. There is indeed something very mystical about the human soul (I would argue the core of our being) and its need for more than raw material consumption; an activity also pursued incessantly by members of the animal kingdom. I think that humanity is quickly waking up to the reality that our true nature as human souls is not just characterized by the need to consume, but more importantly by the need to give. To give of our knowledge, our time, our love, our inspiration, our very being–it’s something profoundly different from the way we have been wired to think about our reality on this earthly plane but is, in my opinion, a necessary change in mindset if we envision an advanced global community united behind genuine feelings of equality and brotherhood.

This brings me back to China. I am of the opinion that the “post-unipolar” world will not be another jostling between a few great powers that leaves most of the population disenfranchised. It will be a system of great powers who will be forced to choose between collaboration to correct the chronic mismanagement of the world or crumble where they stand. China will be one of those great powers and in order to ensure that it chooses the former and not the latter, the Chinese people themselves will need to be guided by the same global consciousness I mentioned above. I make this specific to China not just because I am based in Beijing, but because I see limitless potential in the Chinese people themselves to realize the importance of this shift in mentality. As a people they have never shied away from a seemingly insurmountable challenge and I have no reason to view this time as being any different.