Here’s another installment of “Global view” — a feature bringing you opinions, analysis and commentary from local contributors with ties to Orange County but global expertise and connections.Nasrin Rahimieh is Maseeh Chair and Director of the Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture and professor of comparative literature at the University of California, Irvine.Born in Iran, she has lived in Europe, the United States and Canada. She was professor and Dean of Humanities at McMaster University in Canada prior to moving to California in 2006.

Dr. Rahimieh writes:

“In his April 3rd interview with Vik Jolly of the Orange Country Register, the former chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix voiced lingering concerns about a possible U.S. attack on Iran. Providing North Korea as a noteworthy counter-example to Iran, Blix wondered why similar strategies could not be deployed in approaching Iran’s ambitions.

(Read the views of other local commentators by selecting the Global View category on the right or by CLICKING HERE.) 

Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s another installment of “Global view” — a feature bringing you opinions, analysis and commentary from local contributors with ties to Orange County but global expertise and connections.

Benjamin J. Hubbard, professor emeritus of comparative religion at Cal State Fullerton, teaches courses on Judaism, religion and the media, and world religions. His co-authored book “An Educator’s Classroom Guide to America’s Religious Beliefs and Practices” came out in April.

Dr. Hubbard writes:

DOES MODERATE  ISLAM HAVE A CHANCE?

Dr. Hubbard writes:

“Al-Qaida’s Ayman al-Zawahiri issues another threat against America and Jews, a Muslim fanatic murders eight students at a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem, religious strife—even Shi’a against Shi’a—festers in Iraq, and a Catholic bishop is found murdered there.  This is the sort of news that makes headlines, adding to the profound skepticism among Americans about Islam’s claims to be a religion of peace and reason.

(Click here to read more commentary and analysis by Dr. Hubbard and other writers with an Orange County perspective.)

Read the rest of this entry »

UCI history professor Jeffrey Wasserstrom just wrote a  piece for The Nation titled China’s Olympic Dilemma.

Read an interview with Wasserstrom in  The Register on China’s move last year to boot Starbucks out of Beijing’s Forbidden City by clicking here.

Prof.  Wasserstrom is the author of “China’s Brave New World - And Other Tales for Global Times” (Indiana University Press), released last year.

To watch a clip of Wasserstrom speaking about Starbucks in China, CLICK HERE.

Here’s another installment of “Global view” – a feature bringing you opinions, analysis and commentary from local contributors with ties to Orange County but global expertise and connections.

Dr. James J. Coyle is the Director of the Center for Global Education, Chapman University. He is also chairman of the World Affairs Council of Orange County.

Dr. Coyle writes:

“2008 is quite a year for elections: not just in the United States, but around the world.  We have already experienced elections in Russia and Spain where the ruling party was returned.  This week we face change elections in Iran and Taiwan.

___

Read the views of other local commentators on national and international events or select from the Global View category on the right.

___ Read the rest of this entry »

A mission to promote a free and fair election seemed to succeed. Read the views of a U.S. election observer recently returned from Pakistan in The Orange Grove.

Also, here’s a full story from the Washington Post on the swearing in of the new Pakistani parliament.