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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: frankw1900 who wrote (21998)	3/23/2002 1:41:30 AM
From: LLLefty	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 281500

>>> a thing for American academics?<<< Yesterday's Washington Post op-ed carried a fascinating contrarian piece about a China's's reputed rapid economic growth. The author rips in no particular order the CIA, the Economist Intelligence Unit (not so intelligent), others in the expensive newletter trade, all the media, East and West, and almost anyone else who writes about China. Academia, of course, rightly gets it for group-think. I can't pull up the piece--it's by Arthur Weldron of AEI (don't hold that against him, John M; he's an academic as well) but in effect he says: China's economy is one disfunctional mess, the elites are looting the country, urban idle are growing, workers are protesting almost daily, energy use is falling and the economy very well may be shrinking. In all, it's a charade and, once again, "we look look like gullible fools to the Chinese." To me, it's a case of deja vu. A half-century ago, I studied Chinese affairs at the U of Washington and later served in Hong Kong with a wire service. America' academics, particuarly the Ivy League crowd, were smitten with the romance of China and The Long March and Edgar Snow's earlier reporting and the simple life of Mao and charm of Chou en-lai. Worth posting but I can't pull it up. It's by Arthur Waldron and titled "China's Economic Facade." Thursday's op-ed page. -0-0- Ken: That's terrific about the Forbes piece. Best of the web; that takes in a lot of territory and you toss in your sense of humor for free. Congratulations.

To: frankw1900 who wrote (21998)	3/23/2002 9:56:33 AM
From: JohnM	Respond to of 281500

John I read it again. I think it's more the gadfly thing than demonizing. I see what you mean, Frank. And I certainly would not argue that all academics are extremely competent in their fields, wonderful lecturers, etc. But I was reacting to Kramer, who now seems to have a life's mission--accusing the field of middle eastern studies of incompetence, at best, something much worse, at worst. For me, his work is a part of the great "right wing" attack on the American academy which seems to now have its life mission to be the demonizing of an entire industry. It's always got select instances from which it attacks, in a mean spirited way, everyone in the field. John