Newsletter, Edition 2, Vol 2, March 2013

Newsletter, Edition 2, Vol 2, March 2013

Editor’s Welcome

What an action-packed month the AIIA has had!

The seminars this month were exciting, engaging and very diverse. It was fantastic to see a big turnout each time (with seating capacity at an all-time high), indicating how popular the topics were with our audiences.

On top of all this, the AIIA has announced the new interns for 2013. Intern supervisors Ketevan Datukishvili, Holly Tattersall and Cassandra Switaj are thrilled to kick-off the year with a bang. This edition includes an article by Cassandra, describing the program to date. A big congratulations to the nine interns selected, and the AIIA looks forward to seeing what innovative projects you come up with throughout the year.

This edition is very special because it features a personal story by each intern, and how their passion for international relations began. I was very impressed and moved by the level of diversity, enthusiasm and worldliness of our interns.

I hope you enjoy these stories and the AIIA wishes you and your family a safe and happy Easter break.

If you have any feedback or wish to contribute, please email us at qld.branch@aiia.asn.au Milly Arsic | AIIA Council Member

Hot Topics this Month:

We had such a high calibre of speakers who presented on a broad range of international issues.

The AIIA heard from Mr Greg Kilmister, CEO of ALS Global who provided a case study of going global in uncertain times. We also heard from Mr Andrew Minogue, CEO of Pacific Games, discussing the interesting topic of sports diplomacy in the Pacific. The AIIA also had the privilege to organise an ad hoc seminar where we heard from the Egyptian Ambassador, His Excellency Hassan Hanafy Mahmoud El-Laithy, who spoke on the changes and continuities in present-day Egypt. More recently, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Monks, the former Director (Commanding Officers) of the Counterinsurgency Training Centre (Afghanistan, 2012) presented an engaging overview on counterinsurgency training in Afghanistan.

Register for next AIIA Event Confucian Values in the (Contemporary) Asian Century Presenter: Alan Chan When: Tuesday, 9 April 2013 6:00 PM for 6.30PM start Where: Harris Tce, 46 George St, Brisbane His presentation will touch on the following: 1) A quick grasp of the essential applicable doctrines of Confucius. 2) Confucian teachings are about human nature in this world, nothing paranormal. 3) Certain concepts are conducive to entrepreneurship, as demonstrated in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore in recent decades. Mr Chan is director of Confucius Neo-Institute, Qufu, China and Senior Fellow, East West Centre, Bond University. IMPORTANT MESSAGE: We have introduced registration for our events. It is not compulsory and people who have not registered will still be able to attend meetings. But we do ask you to follow these easy steps. To register for this event, go to: http://www.aiia.asn.au/add-events/event/676-confucian-values-in-the-contemporary-asian-century Then go to Guest Menu and click on Register.

AIIA EVENTS

SOCIAL PAGE:

Above and below: Interns hard at work

Above: Andrew Minogue, CEO of Pacific Games

Below: His Excellency Hassan Hanafy Mahmoud

El-Laithy, Ambassador of Egypt

Above: Mr Greg Kilmister, CEO of ALS Global

Below: AIIA members enjoying a seminar

The AIIA Queensland is proud to welcome our first interns

for 2013! This year, nine interns were selected from a

diverse range of universities throughout Queensland. Each

intern eagerly aspires to re-energise the connection between

young people and the AIIA. In this way, the internship

program is designed to ultimately promote a greater interest

in, and understanding, of international relations between

younger generations.

Each intern will have the opportunity to develop their own

projects while being involved in designing events for

universities, such as the University of Queensland and Bond

University. These projects will undoubtedly allow interns to

explore their special interests in the field of international

relations, while also developing new skills, ranging from IT,

event planning and social media. We hope that this program

continues to encourage not only the new interns, but also

younger people studying international relations in exploring

their life-long passions. We also hope they may build on

their every ambition by learning new skills and meeting new

people.

Intern supervisors Ketevan Datukishvili, Holly Tattersall and

Cassandra Switaj were very excited to hold the first AIIA

intern meeting on 19th March. With already so much energy

and enthusiasm at this stage of the program, there is no

doubt that this year’s interns and their projects will inspire

and set the standard for future AIIA interns.

AIIA INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Words: Cassandra Switaj

(Interns from left to right: Bernadette O'Brien, Olivia Anderson, Mary Overington, Elizabeth Feeney,

Aydon Edwards, Keilin Anderson, Gina Williams, Matt Dalziel, Samad Aftab)

Eggs, Bureaucracy and Trade Relations Words: Samad Aftab Each year, I travel by bus from my hometown Islamabad, Pakistan, to India, where a number of my close relatives reside. Following an overnight stay in Lahore, a major cultural hub near the Pakistani border, the next morning I begin an approximately 12-hour journey to our neighbour to the east. At the border, I complain to myself, to my family (depending on whether I’m traveling alone or not) or to whoever doesn’t mind listening, about the long delay at the border. At both the Pakistani (Wagah) and Indian (Attari) side of the border, it takes much longer than it should to process the immigration of just one busload of passengers. Despite the addition of computers to both sets of immigration offices, officials continue to hold on to an ethos of bureaucratic inefficiency. With blank expressions, they stare between the computer screens and paper documents over a dozen times. Add in a handful of stamps and finally you get to move on. Unfortunately, there are thirty more people behind you yet to get processed. However, I always tell myself to stop complaining when confronted with the long line of trucks, sometimes extending up to six kilometres that remain a constant presence there. It can take up to a week for a trucker to move his goods a few hundred metres across the border.1

Breakfast at the Pakistani side of the border involves a buffet of toast, chickpeas and a few dozen floating fried eggs. This is rather unfortunate as Pakistan is a country that has innumerable delicious (but a tad on the heavy side) breakfasts to offer. Perhaps, the purpose of this unpleasant offering is to discourage passengers from overindulging and subsequently needing to use the bathroom outside the three allotted stops during the journey. If the breakfast doesn’t seem a rise in quality, I do hope to witness a concrete decrease in the line of trucks standing motionless at the border, and an improvement in the efficacy and volume of trade between the two nations in the coming years. References

1 Dogra, C. S. (2012, December 22). From Across the

Border, a Trade Boom. The Hindu. Retrieved from<http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/from--‐across--‐the--‐border--‐a--‐trade--‐boom/

article4226750.ece> 2

Shaikh, H. (2013). Pak--‐India Trade: A Regional

Perspective. Jinnah Institute. Policy Brief. Islamabad, Pakistan.

Trade relations have improved between Pakistan and India in recent times, but huge potential lies untapped in the possible volume of trade between the two countries. The current value of trade stands at a meagre USD $2.7 billion. Over the next few years, this can increase to approximately USD $30 billion. Both countries must continue to implement principles of the South Asian Free Trade Area by removing barriers to trade. 2 Besides the obvious economic benefits of improving trade ties, better trade relations will open up an opportunity for the building of trust between the two states, which have had a deeply fractious relationship since their inception in 1947. Any form of effective reconciliation between the two has to be built over time, starting with an uninterrupted period of political and economic cooperation

Blockades, Crusades and Pivots: The Importance of Word Choice in International Affairs

Words: Mary Overington In world politics, great things have sometimes transpired owing simply to the power of words. Although instrumental in bringing constructive change, there is also an abundance of occasions where word choice has been, well, less than sensible. Taking a short moment to reflect on such instances is the task we now undertake. Where else to begin this journey but on the road of presidential faux pas? In 1861, Abraham Lincoln announced the Union’s “blockade” of southern ports.1 Of course one does not blockade their own ports, only that of the foreign enemy, so Lincoln tacitly recognised his adversary, the Confederacy, as a separate, national entity. This is not so wise when your purpose is to discourage secessionism. Naturally, it is hard to overlook the spectacular and various ‘Bushisms’ of the twenty-first century. One such blunder was George W. Bush’s portrayal of the war against terror as a “crusade” in one of his first public statements after 9/11.2 The eleventh to thirteenth century campaign by Christians against Muslims was probably not the best analogy to draw upon, given the sensitive international climate. For an administration that desired strong alliances within the Arab world, the use of such a loaded word was quite the strategic misstep. That’s not to say presidents aren’t occasionally on the receiving end of somewhat offbeat comments. Silvio Berlusconi’s description of the new President Barrack Obama as “young, handsome and tanned” springs to mind here.3

catch-phrase to mark a new leaf in US grand strategy, the choice of words received mixed reviews. To ‘pivot’ is to move from one point to another. For many, the inference here was that other areas such as Europe and the Middle East were now less important than Asia.7 It also connotes momentary change. Just as a netballer can pivot on nimble feet, the United States could quickly pivot somewhere else. Recently it appears to be pivoting away from its earlier motto towards a new one, the ‘Rebalancing towards Asia’.8 Words matter in international relations. As long as relationships are forming and growing, such mishaps will undoubtedly ensue. The best we can do is put on our thinking caps, take care about what is said, and remember that sometimes the silliest things can be said with the best of intentions. References: 1 Warner, J. 2006. Damn Slavers!: A History of the Sea, Lake

and River Battles of the Civil War. United States of America:

Authorhouse. 2 Carroll, James. 2004. ‘The Bush Crusade.’ The Nation. 20

September. Available at <http://www.thenation.com/article/bush-crusade>. 3 Glendinning, Lee. 2008. ‘Obama Is Young, Handsome and

Tanned, Says Silvio Berlusconi.’ Guardian News and Media. 06 November. Available at <http://www.guardian.co.uk /world/2008/nov/06/italy-barackobama>. 4 Daum, Andreas W. 2008. Kennedy in Berlin. United States of

America: Cambridge Associated Press. 5 ABC News. 2009. ‘Rudd jokes about mutual orgasm gaffe’. 28

August. Available at < http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-08-28/rudd-jokes-about-chinese-mutual-orgasm-gaffe/1408048> 6 Clinton, H. 2011. ‘America’s Pacific Century’. Foreign Policy,

189: 56-63 7 Lanxin Xiang, 'China and the "Pivot”’, Survival: Global Politics

and Strategy, 54(5): 113-128. 8 Ibid.

Blunders stemming from miss-translations are bountiful, and it is an encouraging sign of humanity when these are received lightly. After all, when John F. Kennedy proclaimed “ich bin ein Berliner”, the people of Berlin didn’t really believe that he could be the world’s first talking jam doughnut.4 The intricacies of Asian languages in particular bring such linguistic obstacles closer to home. When meeting Chinese delegates as a young diplomat, former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd wanted to comment on China and Australia’s fantastic, mutual partnership.5 As it happens, he mistakenly said they share something else that is mutual and fantastic, but usually experienced in a more romantic setting. Mandarin is a tonal language with many homonyms. Rudd probably made this blunder by substituting the phrase ‘Gòngtóng gāochāo’ for ‘Gòngtóng gāocháo’. This is a key example of how sentiments can be lost in translation. Reflecting on past gaffes can be amusing; however there are also relevant and current examples that highlight the importance of word choice. The term ‘Pivot towards Asia’ was coined by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2011.6 Whilst seemingly a great

The inhabitants, ‘Canadians’ or ‘Canucks’, were nice and some spoke French, which only added to the confusion, as I already had to decipher the ‘English’ speaking Canadians. All in all, as the years went by (and after I had contracted a thick Canadian accent) the rich cultural experience I gained was invaluable for my personal development as it made me more broad-minded and appreciative of cultural differences. Obviously this would not register highly on the Richter scale of culture shocks for some; however the impression it made on my younger self contributed an integral international flavouring to my interests today. Each generation is, to an extent, remembered synonymously with the conflict of that period. When you think of the 1930s-40s it is WWII, late 1940s-90s it is the Cold War (Korea, Vietnam, Suez Canal, Cuba etc.) and for my generation it is the ‘9/11’ and ‘post-9/11’ era. It is this particular episode of human indifference that has provided the backdrop of conflict to my generation. I believe, that at the heart of all state-based international policies, exist entrenched cultural nuances and values that invariably dictate state positioning on the world stage. It is these deep cultural sentiments that are often not communicated and fortuitously create tension. Growing up listening everyday about the constant conflict caused by complex cultural differences is frustrating to say the least (and that is coming from an outsider to these conflicts!) It is easy to become desensitised. It is also convenient to accept Hobbes’ notion that humans are inherently evil and that conflict is inevitable as a consequence. However I believe, through education and advocacy, cultural differences can become embraced, promoted and utilised to bridge deep-seated hatreds that inhibit the potential of humanity.

Cross-cultural Lessons from Sub-Zero Canada

Words: Aydon Edwards

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact moment you become interested in international affairs or cross-cultural relations. My personal view is that it has a lot to do with your upbringing. But again, it is hard to locate one memory that starts it all. For me, it could be that at a young age I was well-travelled compared to many of my friends, or that I was baby-sat by an Indian Diplomat and his wife, that my best friend in primary school was South Korean or even that my Nana hails from the Kingdom of Tonga. It is probably a combination of these factors; however if I were forced to pluck one defining memory, it would be Canada. Canada represents my first major international or cross-cultural experience and it began when I was seven years old. In 1996, I had moved away from sunny Sydney, Australia to the sub-zero climate of Ottawa, the Canadian capital. I vaguely remember the day my parents asked my younger brother and me if it was ok to move to Canada (as if somehow we could veto the plan at the combined age of ten). Considering we had only lived in Sydney for less than two years prior, I personally had little attachment to the place, and therefore my answer was “yes”. I didn’t know anything about Canada except that it was north of the ‘US’ and was perhaps full of polar bears and penguins - again I was seven. Just as I was beginning to learn about Ned Kelly, the penal colonies of New South Wales and other various histories of Australia, I was whisked away (on a Qantas jet, no doubt – the spirit of Australia) to this unfamiliar nation called Canada. Canada was cold. You probably think you know what cold is. The fact is, unless you’ve completed a polar expedition or are from Siberia, you do not know cold.

The Great Escape: A message of hope from Athens Words: Elizabeth Feeney I was in Greece in the summer of 2010. As clearly as it was yesterday, I can take myself back to the white-washed villas surrounded by vibrant bougainvillea, the clatter of donkey hooves, and a horizon that stretched so far into the distance, it was impossible to see where the clear blue skies ended and the sparkling sea began. And I can take myself back to the beehive farm in Corfu, set amid a forest of gnarled olive trees that I came upon quite by accident. I can remember the lady, and her story, though I was never able to find out her name. She was German-born, and had moved to Athens when she fell in love with a Greek tradesman. They lived there together in the city for a time, but things got tough, so they moved to the islands in search of happiness and self-sufficiency. Her story is one that I’ve thought of many times over the past few years, as I watch the tragic story of Greece’s spiralling economy unfold through our media outlets.

ways, the potential for an expansion of choice, and the hope for an alternative way of life. I think back to the beehives on Corfu, and the lady who told me that she collects the honey only when the cicadas are loud, for she knows intimately the harmony of her surroundings. The bees on Corfu sleep while the cicadas sing. And if the honey she gathers with this new-found knowledge is enough to sell by the roadside at a profit that keeps food on a sheltered table, then isn’t that as good escape from the strikes, noise, pollution and uncertainty of Athens? References: 1https://www.hellenext.org/reinventing-

greece/2012/07/as-greeks-leave-cities-and-return-to-rural-areas-one-group-is-building-a-new-sustainable-community/ 2http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2079205,0

0.html 3 http://rajpatel.org/2009/10/27/stuffed-and-starved/

During the 20th century, Greece was utterly transformed by two mass waves of urbanization that saw mass movements of Greek citizens relocating from countryside to city. And now, in the twenty-first century, faced with the grim prospects of the current economic climate, the exodus has been reversed.1 Young Athenians are returning to the village homes of their ancestors, taking with them their laptops, emails, and new ideas, and thus the tools with which revolution the traditional agrarian lifestyle that has long dominated both the mainland and the islands.2 Though the idea of dispirited and disenchanted Greek citizens fleeing concrete cities to find simple pleasures in ploughing new crops with a second-hand tractor shouldn’t be romanticised, nor the suffering experienced by the conditions that catalysed such change trivialised, I still believe that there is an enduring message of hope that threads these stories together. For me, this hope helps counterbalance the knowledge that in contemporary times, the millions of starving and obese worldwide are all linked together through the chains of production.3 When the global investigation into modern food production yields results that points to its agency in widespread famine and mounting farmer suicide rates worldwide, the return to the land in Greece represents, in many

Himalayan Dreaming Words: Olivia Anderson Tensions always run high in family car trips, but altitude sickness combined with the terror of sheer cliffs next to the unmade Himalayan road made for a hellish 5 hours. Our Jeep was parked at another ‘roadblock’ caused by an alleged valley landslide until the driver could find someone to guide us around. All the Communist government-marked cars were still allowed to pass through, leaving behind a slightly angry assortment of local vehicles. Although it was summer, the outside temperature was cool enough for jumpers, so staying inside the car was preferable to rummaging around tightly packed backpacks for extra clothing. Children with runny noses suddenly opened the doors, tried to pull out our plastic drink bottles and sell us rocks from the side of the road. The faces of an oppressed minority smiled at us- the tired, naïve white tourists. I’m not sure whether it was the shock of cold wind or obvious lack of regular bathing, but all familial tensions dissipated in the face of life outside our bubble. The same children were soon bribed to be our guides, showing us around the non-existent landslide and waving at us as we continued along the mountains. The image of those children has never really left me. I don’t think that once seen, poverty and injustice can ever be forgotten. There are few people I have met in activism or international affairs that don’t have some type of similar experience which keeps them motivated to work in their field. As our world becomes increasingly connected, we can’t ignore the problems that are glaringly obvious just outside our window. Another country’s problems are our problems. Ethics of cultural imperialism aside, I think the education and wealth we have (even as ‘poor’ university students) provides us with a solid platform to engage in global issues.

Studying both infectious diseases, and peace and conflict has led me to the conclusion that we cannot, unfortunately, solve the world’s problems. I will probably never see the end of poverty, the end of tuberculosis proliferation, or the end of violent conflicts. In light of this futility, I always come back to the image of the children in that valley. Although engagement may never lead to saving the planet, we actually can contribute to changes that will be beneficial for real people. Poverty may never be completely eradicated, but we can stop the spread of disease which often contributes to poverty. Violent conflicts may never cease, but we can create mechanisms to deal well with conflicts to mitigate civilian death rates and lead to peace agreements. The tension between idealism and realism is difficult to hold, but without dreams I think we would all be stuck thinking within our own little world. So, I will continue dreaming, remembering that roadblock and trying to understand the world well enough to contribute to the improvement of it. I know I have a lot from those of you who have been working to turn ideas into reality, but it’s pretty exciting to know that I am not the only dreamer.

Make Shift Medicine Words and photo: Sylvia C. Frain

South Korea: The Christian Capital of Asia? My Three-Month Internship in Seoul Words: Matt Dalziel There were many aspects of South Korean culture I was prepared for, including the strength and influence of the nation’s chaebols such as my company POSCO, as well as the better-known companies of LG, Kia, Samsung and Hyundai. I was also aware of the strong US military presence in the country, which currently numbers some 28,500 personnel. On a cultural level I was aware of the national obsession for fermented cabbage, known locally as Kimchi. It was, however, a shock to discover that such is the love for this cabbage that it is consumed with every meal, and that it demands its own climate controlled refrigerator, has a national day in its honour and was being touted as a potential cure for swine flu which was currently sweeping the nation. However, the facet of travel I most enjoy is discovering the more surprising aspects of a culture that catch you completely off guard. Therefore this article will focus on the presence and power of Christianity in South Korea. Christianity began its push into the Korean Peninsula in 1884 when the protestant missionary Horace Allen arrived in the Hermit Kingdom to “Christianise the locals”. Indeed, early missionaries such as Allen believed that the heavens were empty in Korea and therefore prime for the taking/converting. While Catholicism had arrived in Korea over a century earlier, it failed to successfully gain a foothold in the nation and was forced underground as its adherents begun to get heavily persecuted.

This early Catholicism experience did however mean that many Koreans had been exposed to the Bible and that a lot of the harder legwork had already been performed prior to the arrival of Allen and other missionaries a century later. The reason most often cited for Christianity’s success in Korea is the churches’ decision to align itself with the underground Korean progressive reform movements from 1884-1905. Later, this included the nationalist activism groups during the Japanese imperial rule of 1905-1945. By doing so, Christianity was able to associate itself with the ideals of freedom and liberty as well as modernity post 1945. However the main benefit to Christianity in these early years was that during Japanese rule, the only place where people were permitted to congregate was in places of worship. Hence when the Japanese withdrew from Korea there already existed an established well-organised hierarchy and bureaucracy within the church ready to step up and assume the leadership of the country. This strong Christian presence in the early years of Korean rule was still very much the case when I was in Korea in 2009-2010. For example all of the chairmen of South Korea's top-10 companies were Christian, as were the majority of the National Assembly members and the residing South Korean President Mr. Lee Myung-Bak (himself an ex-pastor). While 71% of the Korean population identify as either Atheist (45%) or Buddhist (26%), large sections of the political and business world remain Christians.

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing for Korea is not for me to judge, however without a doubt this aspect of Korean culture was by far the most surprising discovery I made during my three-month internship in Seoul. Of all the things I expected to find in Korea, a ruling Christian political and business elite was not one on the list.

Words: Bernadette O'Brien As talk of NCP enters the political arena, the implications pertaining to energy security must be analysed in order to safeguard Australian interests and security. According to Evans-Pritchard, the US will near the Holy Grail of “energy independence” before the end of the decade, as it is poised to become the world’s top energy producer in 2014.1 This new shift towards NCP has direct relevance to Australia and the broader international community. Despite predictions of the US’s decline, their newly acquired NCP sources could lead to it becoming one of the greatest exporters of energy.2 In fact, in the first six months of 2012, the US produced 81% of its total energy needs, the highest since 1991.3 The US’s so called “Holy Grail” has been achieved by its use of hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking”, a process used to extract shale gas and oil. The US Energy Information Administration predicts that shale gas will contribute to more than half of the US’s total gas supply by 2030.4 Traditional sources of energy like oil are increasingly critiqued as inefficient, costly and having surpassed their peak production points, which has led to greater exploration into NCP resources. NCP production has already altered the US’s economic outlook, with many scholars predicting a US recovery as a result of newly acquired “energy independence”. The International Energy Agency estimates that the US will replace Russia as the world's largest producer of natural gas in only two years. In addition, reports suggest that the US could also become the world’s top petroleum producer by 2017. 5

To bring to light the enormous geo-political significance of this new shift, the fate of other regions should be explored. The legacy of the Fukushima disaster has resulted in Japan shutting down its nuclear industry and many European countries that rely heavily on Vladimir Putin for their energy supplies also have scarce budget funds to invest in new energy after the economic downturn of the EU. Although China has invested heavily in African and Australian LNG, it also faces domestic growth pressures and requires excessive amounts of energy to meet its proposed economic objectives. In relation to Russia, Naughten argues that the expansion of US LNG exports to the EU undercuts Russia’s leverage as the major gas supplier, leading to a decrease in Russia’s export revenues and adversely affecting its economic outlook.6 Consequently, Russia, the former energy giant, is looking for gas markets in East Asia. If this new shift becomes a long-term phenomenon then the geopolitical implications are colossal for both Australia and the broader political arena. According to Naughten, if the NCP US-led boom sustains its macro-economic recovery at a faster rate than some of its rivals and allies, it will enhance US geopolitical power in general terms. However it is unlikely to be an imperial panacea claimed by some.7 Australia has embraced the new NCP trend, with its LNG gas refineries underway in Western Australia and its coal seam gas mines in Queensland and New South Wales. If Australia can ride on this NCP boom, then the future of Australia also looks bright. References: 1 Evans-Pritchard, A. “Shale gas transforming US economy”, Sydney

Morning Herald, 29.10. 2012 2 White, H. The China Choice, 2012

3 Evans-Pritchard Op. Cit.,pg 3

4 Phillips, S. “Fracking shifts the global power balance”, ABC news,

08.02.2013 5 Ibid., pg 2

6 Naughten, B. “How is US non-conventional fossil fuel affecting the rest of

the world?” The Conversation, 14.02.2013 7 Ibid. pg.3

The Geo-political ramifications of non-conventional petroleum (NCP): The need for energy security

Balancing the old with the new: A journey to Hong Kong Words: Keilin Anderson As one of the younger 2013 interns, fresh out of high school and in my first year of university, so much of my current journey is learning to balance the old with the new. I’ve always been passionate about international relations and, like so many, am particularly fascinated by Asia. It was on a recent trip to Hong Kong that I realised Chinese culture as a whole has perfectly balanced that age-old qualm - the old and new. Adapting to change but mastering continuity. Hong Kong, in all it consumer-delight, still provides a perfect window into China’s cultural heritage. If you are willing to skip a day of wishful window-shopping along Nathan Rd, you’ll discover the Special Economic Zone’s true story. Perched on the side of the hazy Peak is one of thousands of monasteries and shrines, a Buddhist temple teetering atop the craze of consumer China. It’s barely 6am and yet thousands of Buddhist pilgrims flock to the shambled structure. Hugely ornate flower offerings line every spare surface whilst coiling incense wands burn and crackle from the roof. China got it right. From religion to family customs, ties to the past blur the usually rigid distinctions in time and leave for a rich and exciting culture. It’s a place where the ancient meets the near futuristic. From Mao to Deng Xiaoping, leaders continued to respect, and even capitalize on, the society’s pride in its ancient religions. Officially now an agnostic demographic, the key values of Confucianism still underpins everyday Hong Kong life.

For China, and specifically Hong Kong, to maintain its rich heritage and history to the point that it remains integral to daily life is astounding - especially in the economic boom and rapid development the area has seen. For all its prosperous luck over these past decades, cultural integrity has never been compromised. Not only is it a stunning example to such a culturally young country like Australia, but so too is it important to acknowledge when developing relations in the area. Upon listening closer it appears the man on the iPhone is speaking English. He is closing a deal with counterparts in Europe. Later on he will swap his saffron gown for a slim black suit, head down the Mid-Levels and into Central. He’s the type powering along the phenomena of the Special Economic Zone. Securing the region’s future, but respecting its past. With the hustle of Hong Kong, both old and new at mind, one can only hope for a similarly promising future. At the start of the next chapter in my life, I am excited to build on past experiences and to seize the new opportunities this incredible internship grants me.

¡Viva La Vida, Hugo Chavez! Words: Gina Williams

“¡Chávez vive, la lucha sigue! (The fight continues, Chávez lives!)” These words echoed harmoniously across Caracas’s main square as the news of Hugo Chavez’s death reached the public ear. These cries seem to suggest that Chavez’s fight for a ‘just world,’ will continue despite the fact that his battle with cancer is now over. However, the pressing issue in the minds of a number of world leaders is what will be the future of Venezuelan oil relations? Venezuelan oil politics under Chavez was characterised by his desire to ‘balance,’ global power against the United States. His oil dealings with countries such as Iran, Syria and Cuba were considered controversial, from Washington’s perspective but from Venezuela’s eyes, Hugo Chavez was a socialist hero fighting for an equal society against a rising super villain branded U.S.A, whom he commonly referred to as ‘The Imperialist.’

Despite this, oil trade has been relatively stable between these two countries with both nations equally dependent on the other. Nonetheless, bilateral relations between these two headstrong states have always been volatile under Chavez; with his threats to cut oil ties and attempts to further diversify oil exports in order to lessen dependence with the U.S. Now with Chavez gone, U.S. – Venezuelan relations have been left opened to new possibilities, perhaps a reconciliation that would allow smoother oil trade for the U.S free from any forms of backlash and ultimately end this comic book rhetoric.

“These cries seem to suggest that Chavez’s fight for a ‘just world,’ will continue despite the fact that his battle with cancer is now over.” ‘I swear in the name of absolute loyalty to comandante Hugo Chavez,’ was the subsequent dialogue in this tale of friend vs. foe, as Nicolas Maduro voiced his loyalty to the Bolivarian constitution and to the memory of Hugo Chavez whilst being sworn in as interim president, an act, which the U.S. dubbed as ‘undemocratic.’ Not only ignoring this recommendation of their neighbor from the north, the Venezuelan foreign minister announced that the country will be cutting diplomatic ties with the U.S. However, some strings may still be attached as the foreign minister Elias Jaua declared that Venezuela would not reject future opportunities for a reinstatement of ties with Washington. Many supporters gathered to bid Chavez a final farewell at his state funeral in Caracas, amongst those included Iranian President Ahmadinejad, Bolivia’s Evo Morales, Cuban President Raul Castro and Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko. A group of U.S. democratic politicians stood by in the shadows, watching, as this charismatic leader was bid farewell by a crowd of citizens, celebrities and heads of states still loyal to his vision, memory and fight for social justice.