“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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“Wealth is praiseworthy in the highest degree, if it is acquired by an individual’s own efforts and the grace of God, in commerce, agriculture, art and industry, and if it be expended for philanthropic purposes. Above all, if a judicious and resourceful individual should initiate measures which would universally enrich the masses of the people, there could be no undertaking greater than this, and it would rank in the sight of God as the supreme achievement, for such a benefactor would supply the needs and insure the comfort and well-being of a great multitude.”

~Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, The Baha’i Faith

In light of a variety of factors–the undeniable truth of the above quotation, a new book I’m reading called The Blue Sweater, a global financial crisis whose most dire implications seem to somehow trickle down to our impoverished brothers and sisters around the world, and my own musings and observations here in Beijing–I have decided on what I need to dedicate myself towards: rewiring the global economy for inclusion and true prosperity. The means? For-profit models of investment. The end? The complete eradication of poverty world wide. I’m sick and tired of NGO’s being run by a few underpaid visionaries to benefit only a few of the billions who yearn for real economic equity. And as for governments: human beings want dignity, not hand-outs in the form of “aid”. I think it’s time the world made a real effort to make this ‘end’ a reality. This realization I’ve had has been a long time coming but trust me folks, it’s here to stay.

I want to create the next bubble. We just saw several pop (real estate, finance, the MBA degree etc.) but I don’t think a bubble is necessarily a bad thing if created in the right sectors. One example that quickly comes to mind is clean tech./alternative energy. Would it be so bad if we inflated this underdeveloped but arguably critical area of industry? Would it be so wrong to provide financial incentives, hundreds of billions of dollars in investment, and tens of thousands of jobs for the sake of reconstructing the foundation of the global economy? Such a ‘bubble’ would inflate supply of capital/labor and demand for the application of green technology while pushing down costs of production and attracting intelligent competition to the market. A regulated bubble could quickly gains its own momentum. I say yes, and I think we can do the same for poverty eradication.

It should start with the simple premise that all human beings are intricately connected and that not only do we harm ourselves when large portions of the population are stuck in poverty but we will exponential increase our potential as a world to learn, provide, create, thrive, and endure when all are extended the gift of opportunity. In short, I know that we (humanity) are capable of so much more but we aren’t giving ourselves the chance.

How should this be done: retool for-profit models of investment (VC/PE) for large scale involvement in the developing world (i.e. invest in sustainable solutions to chronic problems–education, energy, housing, access to clean water, basic health care, universal Internet connectivity and access to technology). At this point in time there is only one power in the world seeking out this opportunity: the government of the People’s Republic of China. In the West we choose to antagonize them for this but I maintain that it only lays bare our own insecurity at their effectiveness and our lack thereof (this topic deserves its own post…). There are several existing groups like Acumen Fund and Relief Development Consulting that have just begun to scratch the surface but I know it will take more than isolated and uncoordinated efforts by a few brilliant individuals. It will take government. If there is one thing that I’ve learned while here in China it’s the immense potential of government–to build, to improve, to adapt, to protect. To transform the lives of 1.4 billion people.

This post doesn’t have a happy ending but I’m thinking that’s a good thing. In the words of John Legend: “This ain’t a movie, no. No fairytale conclusion y’all–it gets more confusing everyday…” More thinking on this topic to come.

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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“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.

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.

My name is Brian Engel, and I’m a rising senior in the Elliott School of International Affairs pursuing a degree in International Affairs and Political Science.  I’m spending this summer living and studying abroad in Amman, Jordan, at the Qasid Institute for Classical and Modern Standard Arabic.  My concentrations in Conflict & Security and Middle Eastern Studies made the decision to study Arabic, as well as the decision to go abroad to the Middle East, relatively painless.  I can honestly say that while I’ve only been here for roughly a month, I have no regrets thus far.

The Qasid Institute has been a great experience all around.  The faculty is informed and helpful, and their method of teaching Arabic matches up well with the classes I’ve taken at GW.  While I’m enrolled in the Modern Standard track, I know a number of students who are studying the Classical track and enjoying their time just as much.  Additionally, the Institute also offers classes in Colloquial Jordanian dialect, Ammiyya, as well as Tajwid, the science of producing the correct pronunciation and intonation in Arabic.

Amman has proven to be a wonderful city to be a student in.  Jordan’s relatively small size makes day trips and weekend trips—even to neighboring countries—possible.  Having only been in the country a short time, I’ve already explored the ruins of Jerash, the old market in al-Balad, the Citadel ruins, the Dead Sea, Wadi Mujib, and Petra.  Each of these trips has been its own micro-experience in bringing to life what I’ve spent the last three years learning about in classrooms in 1957 E Street.

I’m increasingly coming to appreciate the importance of making the link between what you learn as an international affairs student from books and lectures, and coming to understand different people, cultures, and ideas based on your own experiences.  As I spend more time in Amman and around Jordan, I grow more and more convinced that each is necessary to becoming a well rounded student.

I couldn’t be happier with my decision to go abroad.  My Arabic is improving, I’m learning new things about the culture, meeting new people and other students—ones who have different perspectives and backgrounds than mine—and coming to understand life outside of GW, Washington, D.C., and the United States.

Brian is a rising senior in the Elliott School of International Affairs pursuing a B.A. in International Affairs and Political Science. Around GW, he is a member of the GW Cheer Team, a Brother of Sigma Phi Epsilon, and he spent last summer as a member of the 2008 Colonial Cabinet. This past year, he interned for the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in their Commercial Office working on various economic research projects, and has spent the summer in Amman, Jordon, studying at the Qasid Institute for Classical and Modern Standard Arabic.

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By Alison Chatfield

As Americans witness the close of the first 100 days of President Obama’s term in office, I’ve been busy watching a very different system of politics morph before my very eyes.  Or at least, I’ve seen a lot of political posters.  Posters making dramatic proclamations in multiple languages, posters with posed national leaders in crisp business suits and even crisper smiles, posters with some very controversial color choices.  Basically, there were a lot of posters in Cape Town this April.

Being in South Africa for the re-election of the African National Congress (ANC) Party was not as exciting as it seems.  It was a predictable victory that carried over the same leadership and swept the country with an easy majority of the vote.  What was exciting, however, was the campaign process.  Although all of South Africa, and the world, knew that the ANC would sweep the majority of South African voters in this race, political control over the economically prosperous Western Cape Province, where Cape Town is located, was hotly contested.  In the end, the ANC’s most robust opponent, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Party won the province, leaving many of my American friends to ask me why and how.  Although I’m not sure I can do justice to the depth of the question, I can certainly address an aspect that was prevalent in my day-to-day life in Cape Town.

The campaign process was nothing short of fierce, on a much more ‘on the ground’ level than we see in the States.  Or should I say, in the air.  Political posters here in Cape Town are not simply pieces of cardboard attached to streetlamp poles, they are potent symbols of the ranking of the sixteen parties represented in parliament, ranging from the upstart ANC-breakaway party COPE to the radical South African Communist Party.  Every morning when I walked to class, more and more posters would go up as the elections drew nearer, resulting in a kaleidoscope of colors, slogans, languages, and seemingly trustworthy – if not a tad bit frozen – smiles.  Not only would more and more appear, the ordering of the posters became increasingly metaphorical, with the ANC apparently having more manpower and/or budget (or at least, a taller ladder) than its less powerful competitors, who were physically ranked lower on this totem pole of political importance.

Meaningless sayings such as “Vote to Win” (DA) or illegibly ambiguous graphics (thanks, Inkatha Freedom Party for the lovely visual of an elephant family) left me feeling simultaneously entertained and bored.  My favorite poster strategy was the DA’s effective employ of Barack Obama’s symbol of the road and the setting sun, this time comprised of the colors of the South African flag: red, white, and blue (this is a democracy we’re talking about, after all) and yellow and green…with a suspicious absence of black.  Significant, maybe.  Overanalyzed, definitely, as some newspapers have cited this symbol as the key to the winning votes here in the Western Cape, ignoring the DA’s appeal to the relatively wealthy, liberal constituency who are fed up with ANC leadership and that are the obvious voting pool for the official opposition.

So what about the real issues?  How were they represented on the posters?  It seemed that the bigger the party, the simpler the poster.  The ANC certainly didn’t have to explain itself too much.  South Africans vote for the ANC en masse for various reasons, not the least of which is due to its impressive legacy as the political party who took over in the post-apartheid era.  It is also the party of Nelson Mandela, glorified not only for his accomplishments in office but also for his unwavering selflessness that saw a peaceful transition of democratic power when many South Africans would have been happy to see him stay in office for multiple terms. However, the disappointments of the recently deposed Mbeki administration and the misgivings about Jacob Zuma do much to make the ANC of Mandela look more and more distant from the ANC of today.

In addition to Jacob Zuma’s cocky grin is Helen Zille’s noticeable presence on the poster front this political season.  As Party Leader of the DA, she has been able to maintain power of the Western Cape as well as increase the number of parliamentary seats by twenty and take 12% of the total South African population.  While Hillary’s pantsuits made a stir in the American media, Zille has made a name for herself as a proven leader ranging from her famous 1970s expose about the death of Black Consciousness leader Steven Biko to her recent recognition as World Mayor of the Year of Cape Town.  She certainly looked more approachable in the posters than Jacob Zuma, whose smile does little to improve the image that newspaper headlines on neighboring street lamp poles perpetuate: “Zuma to Marry – Again!” (In reference to his polygamous lifestyle) “Zuma: Showering Prevents AIDS” (He did say that he showered after sex with an HIV positive woman in order to avoid contracting the disease) and “Zuma a Rapist?!” (Oh yes, the previously mentioned woman also claimed he sexually assaulted her, but he was later acquitted).

It worried me how often the political posters were mentioned by residents of my neighborhood, even in jest, yet the real issues were only discussed by those truly dedicated to researching the issues.  In this way, politics is the same as in every country, with some citizens taking it upon themselves to make an informed decision when voting and others who take politics at face value and vote based on things like advertising strength alone.  Thankfully I was lifted out of my cynicism by attending an impassioned public debate held at the University of Cape Town that hosted major political leaders from the four largest parties, the ANC, the DA, COPE, and the Independent Democrats.  The student turnout was great, and the insightful questions asked by the crowd were compelling.  With clouds of corruption marring the relationship between the ANC government and the people of South Africa, the future of this fledgling democracy is unclear.  As much as I found the importance of the street lamp posters to be amusing, they can be seen as a tangible assurance that although democracy might not be completely well, it is still very much alive here in South Africa.  In the end, it is up to the young people of South Africa to read past the slogans if their nation is to continue to uphold its new democratic tradition.

Alison is a junior in the Elliott School majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in International Development Studies.  She is also pursuing a minor in Sociocultural Anthropology.  She has been abroad for the year, studying at Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey in the fall and is a current student at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

In the fall of my junior year, I was beside myself with too many options for how to spend the rest of my time at GW. I didn’t know whether I wanted to stay on campus or go abroad, or what I really wanted to commit my time to. It seemed like every choice I made would impact my path further down the road, but I felt pulled in too many directions and didn’t know how to start streamlining my activities and stop driving myself crazy. Instead of being excited by all the possibilities before me, I was overwhelmed.

All of that changed when I decided to go to Cairo.

As an International Affairs major with a Middle East concentration, studying in the Arab world was indispensable. First and foremost, going abroad made everything I was studying suddenly important. Issues seem endlessly far away when distilled down to several hundred words in 12-point black font in an academic journal. They’re even less interesting when a professor requires you to read them and may only spend a few minutes (if any) discussing them in class. It sounds silly to say in retrospect, but going to the Middle East made everything I was studying suddenly real. I witnessed student demonstrations and bread riots while they were happening. I traveled to countries that were not on excellent terms with the United States, and spent hours waiting for border guards to let my friends and me through security. Going abroad not only reaffirmed that I was incredibly interested and passionate about what I was studying, but also gave me a great holistic introduction to the region and showed me that different social, political, cultural, and economic issues are very real and very connected.

Fortunately for me, I ventured into Egypt armed with some very useful information. The best thing anyone told me was that Egypt was a miserable, hot, dry, loud, and inhospitable place, and that I would have a terrible time there. The reason this was great was because it vastly lowered my expectations. I was pleasantly surprised when I went to Egypt. It wasn’t always easy, and it certainly didn’t feel like I was lounging on a nice, quiet, balmy, tropical isle, but I ended up loving it. I admired the energy and vitality of Cairo, and the fact that it was so completely different from anything I’d known before. I also wish that my friends had told me to bring my own shampoo, sunscreen, and to anticipate the medication I might need for different ailments, because what I wanted wouldn’t always be readily available in Egypt. I wish someone had told me a little bit more about what to expect from male/female relations, and I wish someone had tried to explain the decision-making apparatus and bureaucracy of my school before I got there. However, I greatly benefited from talking to many people before I went, and I would very much encourage anyone else going abroad to do the same. I ended up loving being abroad and traveling so much that I decided to head off to a whole other region of the world and spend my summer in Argentina before returning to the US six months later. Looking back, I’m incredibly glad that I decided to go abroad, and would encourage anyone else in the Elliott School to do the same.

Leah is a senior in the Elliott School, majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in the Middle East.  She studied abroad in Egypt and Argentina and hopes to pursue further studies abroad after graduation, preferably through a Fulbright Fellowship to Jordan.