Thank you James for all your help and support over the previous year. Writing for the NM while you have been in charge has been such a pleasure. But more than that, over that time I have come to depend on NM more and more – both for the depth of analysis, but also for the innovative nature of the style and content. I think NM coverage of the death of King Bhumibol was genuinely superb – unrivaled.
Wishing you all the best to you and your family for future endeavors.
“US Government agencies in late 2016 began helping Myanmar mount a defensive diplomatic strategy, while allowing Myanmar’s Government to avoid adopting effective policy measures.”
How exactly is the US helping Myanmar mount a defensive diplomatic strategy? In major multilateral diplomatic forums including the UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Council the US has been pushing Mynamar to hold those responsible for human rights abuses to account.
I don’t brush up on or remain current with linguistics, and have felt that it is at best an imprecise and and at worst a much abused endeavour. Perhaps my view is jaded, having spent some time with John Grinder (try not to laugh) and more recently trying to pull the useful teeth out of some posts by another self-promoting linguistics man.
What you seem to be saying is that every national culture has it’s own gossip ‘shape’ and syntactical structure, because each gossip is undertaken in it’s own language. So it isn’t the gossip that is uniquely influenced by culture at all, but the precise words and language used in that gossip. OK if you think that’s a useful distinction to make – personally I’m not so sure its merit flies well. Or at all. It seems like stating the perfectly obvious to me.
I have no doubt that Christine is more on the ball (though you don’t state which ball) than I am, but consider this – it’s her job. Her chosen profession. It would be a poor old day if she wasn’t more on the ball’ than me, even if she did sound a bit psychedelic for a moment there – I do sympathise with that though, it’s really hard to disguise an insult when you know the moderators are watching. The piece itself was pure scuttlebutt, with nothing whatever to substantiate it and from which there was no useful conclusion. Academically dubious – must have been a quiet day. AMM had the measure of it when he stated that ít wasn’t [her] best piece. I agree but I’m not looking for a fight with you, if you think it was the bees knees then good luck to you, and of course you’re perfectly free to rank posts and comments according to whatever criteria you choose.
I don’t believe I missed the point Chris, I think I got exactly the point – which was that there wasn’t really a point at all; which appears to be why she (and perhaps you) feel so uncomfortable with my comments, though it does seem like it’s de rigeur to try and impute some usefulness to it. Nature abhors a vaccuum.
Being a successful Thai King must be the most difficult job in the world. Successfully – and diplomatically – managing New Mandala must be among the second. Congratulations James for steering NM through all the minefields.
Morgan – you should brush up on Chomsky’s linguistics – especially syntax. Yes, of course gossip is common to all languages, just as language is common to all human beings – and underlining it all is a common, basic syntactic structure. But equally ALL languages have their own individual, identifying structure – eg. Persian is different from Arabic simply because it has a DISTINCT “p” sound, whereas Arabic does not. Ditto with gossip – a variable subset of common language, often mixed with slang. Gossip has its’ own syntactic structure – and conveyed MEANING – specific to the culture it is grammatically transformed in. Christine is more on the ball (such a gossipy term, that), than you. It’s not that you are totally wrong – it’s’ simply that you miss the point. I would love to hear Christine’s current gossip – syntactically structured in Thai. THAT WOULD BE SOME EVIDENCE. Does she have an audio-recording ?
Neptunium – the US is note the SOLE perpetrator of “Might is Right”. It is simply one among many. And the most powerful. As Henry Kissinger forcefully argued ( in every sense) : ” morality between states can not be the same as morality between individuals”. Machiavelli reigns supreme.
Rainsy’s CNRP does n’t have much of a realistic policy, if he’s hostile to Vietnam – and also because Hun Sen has out-manoeuvred him with friendship towards China. This is paying big economic dividends to Cambodia – as also is Hun Sen’s friendship with South Korea, France, etc. Rainsy is simply not in the same league, by any measure.
Come on – The US is the sole perpetrator of “Might is Right”. Take a look around you. The US is started or instigated wars around the globe, and please do not give the the utter bull about “moral high ground”
Jon Fernquest – Christine’s piece here, and all her others – OBVIOUSLY bolster the study of “Thai law and society”. And even of public health and education – given that ALL these issues depend heavily on the Royal Family. And indeed, are often PAID FOR, by the Royal Family. God bless them.
These two rival political parties are little more than the patronage systems of two rival elite factions. But what little they stand for matters a great deal. The CPP stands for good relations with Vietnam and the CNRP stands for the opposite. Take your pick.
Thanks. Let’s see what happens in the HRC this afternoon when there is expected to be a vote on the revised and expanded ‘kitchen-sink and all’ Western draft Resolution which includes a Fact Finding Mission. Kofi Annan favours an independent and impartial investigation, as do I, but formal HRC FMMs are a bit like sanctions – applied by rich countries from the moral high ground against poor countries, but never the other way round.
Don’t really think I am far off the mark here. I have been travelling to Cambodia in the last few months and have observed first hand the on-goings. met with and talked with a lot of people, as I am working as an advisor for several projects there.
The change in atmosphere is quite apparent, compared with the Cambodia, a decade ago, when I was last there.
“To date, no government has taken PM Najib to task”
I believe I mentioned this on numerous occassions. As long as the Govt is “West” friendly…. Everything is about Geopolitics.
As for the “East”, they do not give a damn what you do in your own country..
At first glance it is reassuring that Ms Bishop, the new Mahatma Gandhi of Australian foreign policy, should relegate the pernicious doctrine of ‘might is right’ to ‘bygone eras’. But the reassurance vanishes when one tries to work out when precisely the doctrine might have expired. Certainly not when the UN was founded, since the right of veto was given to five victors of the Second World War, who won precisely because of their might, not because of displaying any greater attachment to ‘right’ than other potential claimants to the privilege of holding a Security Council veto.
Should Ms Bishop’s appeal to ASEAN fall on deaf ears, as Dr Davies suggests it will, we will have to fall back on our American ally. Armed with a huge defence budget, a formidable nuclear arsenal, hundreds of military bases scattered across the globe like so many rubies, pearls or diamonds, in addition to half a dozen or so military commands that neatly carve up the world in a historically unprececedented way, the US is surely best placed to combat the ‘might is right’ doctrine should it ever re-surface.
I think Greg’s point is very germane. One has to be very careful vis-à-vis
the Malaysian Government, even from outside Malaysia. It is up to each individual what risk they wish to take on. Certainly Sarawak Report has been brave in this regard, though perhaps a bit reckless. UMNO doesn’t listen to Malaysians anyway, so I believe if enough criticism comes from outside, their may be a more amenable response. To date, no government has taken PM Najib to task for innumerable legal, financial and human rights violations.
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Good bye Giggacher!
Thank you James for all your help and support over the previous year. Writing for the NM while you have been in charge has been such a pleasure. But more than that, over that time I have come to depend on NM more and more – both for the depth of analysis, but also for the innovative nature of the style and content. I think NM coverage of the death of King Bhumibol was genuinely superb – unrivaled.
Wishing you all the best to you and your family for future endeavors.
The problem with a one woman show
The next Panglong conference is now expected to take place in early May.
NLD must lead on Rohingya
“US Government agencies in late 2016 began helping Myanmar mount a defensive diplomatic strategy, while allowing Myanmar’s Government to avoid adopting effective policy measures.”
How exactly is the US helping Myanmar mount a defensive diplomatic strategy? In major multilateral diplomatic forums including the UN Security Council and UN Human Rights Council the US has been pushing Mynamar to hold those responsible for human rights abuses to account.
Risk, gossip and retribution in Thailand
Hmmm. Maybe.
I don’t brush up on or remain current with linguistics, and have felt that it is at best an imprecise and and at worst a much abused endeavour. Perhaps my view is jaded, having spent some time with John Grinder (try not to laugh) and more recently trying to pull the useful teeth out of some posts by another self-promoting linguistics man.
What you seem to be saying is that every national culture has it’s own gossip ‘shape’ and syntactical structure, because each gossip is undertaken in it’s own language. So it isn’t the gossip that is uniquely influenced by culture at all, but the precise words and language used in that gossip. OK if you think that’s a useful distinction to make – personally I’m not so sure its merit flies well. Or at all. It seems like stating the perfectly obvious to me.
I have no doubt that Christine is more on the ball (though you don’t state which ball) than I am, but consider this – it’s her job. Her chosen profession. It would be a poor old day if she wasn’t more on the ball’ than me, even if she did sound a bit psychedelic for a moment there – I do sympathise with that though, it’s really hard to disguise an insult when you know the moderators are watching. The piece itself was pure scuttlebutt, with nothing whatever to substantiate it and from which there was no useful conclusion. Academically dubious – must have been a quiet day. AMM had the measure of it when he stated that ít wasn’t [her] best piece. I agree but I’m not looking for a fight with you, if you think it was the bees knees then good luck to you, and of course you’re perfectly free to rank posts and comments according to whatever criteria you choose.
I don’t believe I missed the point Chris, I think I got exactly the point – which was that there wasn’t really a point at all; which appears to be why she (and perhaps you) feel so uncomfortable with my comments, though it does seem like it’s de rigeur to try and impute some usefulness to it. Nature abhors a vaccuum.
Good bye Giggacher!
Being a successful Thai King must be the most difficult job in the world. Successfully – and diplomatically – managing New Mandala must be among the second. Congratulations James for steering NM through all the minefields.
Risk, gossip and retribution in Thailand
Morgan – you should brush up on Chomsky’s linguistics – especially syntax. Yes, of course gossip is common to all languages, just as language is common to all human beings – and underlining it all is a common, basic syntactic structure. But equally ALL languages have their own individual, identifying structure – eg. Persian is different from Arabic simply because it has a DISTINCT “p” sound, whereas Arabic does not. Ditto with gossip – a variable subset of common language, often mixed with slang. Gossip has its’ own syntactic structure – and conveyed MEANING – specific to the culture it is grammatically transformed in. Christine is more on the ball (such a gossipy term, that), than you. It’s not that you are totally wrong – it’s’ simply that you miss the point. I would love to hear Christine’s current gossip – syntactically structured in Thai. THAT WOULD BE SOME EVIDENCE. Does she have an audio-recording ?
Out of order
Neptunium – the US is note the SOLE perpetrator of “Might is Right”. It is simply one among many. And the most powerful. As Henry Kissinger forcefully argued ( in every sense) : ” morality between states can not be the same as morality between individuals”. Machiavelli reigns supreme.
Cambodia: towards single party dictatorship?
Rainsy’s CNRP does n’t have much of a realistic policy, if he’s hostile to Vietnam – and also because Hun Sen has out-manoeuvred him with friendship towards China. This is paying big economic dividends to Cambodia – as also is Hun Sen’s friendship with South Korea, France, etc. Rainsy is simply not in the same league, by any measure.
Good bye Giggacher!
Phew , for a stunned moment I read the headline as the top dog was bowing out ……
Luckly tis the editor moving on , best wishes to ya
one door closes another opens
long may NM shine
Risk, gossip and retribution in Thailand
‘Surely’?
No, I don’t think I missed the point, I think the point was unsupported and highly speculative without any real substance.
‘SPECIFIC Shape and Content of “gossip”‘?
You have to be joking. Gossip has a shape? The content of gossip is culturally determined? Gimme a break, Chris. It was a bad piece, end of.
Out of order
Come on – The US is the sole perpetrator of “Might is Right”. Take a look around you. The US is started or instigated wars around the globe, and please do not give the the utter bull about “moral high ground”
Risk, gossip and retribution in Thailand
Morgan – Christine was surely referring to the SPECIFIC Shape and Content of “gossip”. You have missed her point.
Risk, gossip and retribution in Thailand
Jon Fernquest – Christine’s piece here, and all her others – OBVIOUSLY bolster the study of “Thai law and society”. And even of public health and education – given that ALL these issues depend heavily on the Royal Family. And indeed, are often PAID FOR, by the Royal Family. God bless them.
Cambodia: towards single party dictatorship?
These two rival political parties are little more than the patronage systems of two rival elite factions. But what little they stand for matters a great deal. The CPP stands for good relations with Vietnam and the CNRP stands for the opposite. Take your pick.
Diplomatic protection for the stateless Rohingya
Thanks. Let’s see what happens in the HRC this afternoon when there is expected to be a vote on the revised and expanded ‘kitchen-sink and all’ Western draft Resolution which includes a Fact Finding Mission. Kofi Annan favours an independent and impartial investigation, as do I, but formal HRC FMMs are a bit like sanctions – applied by rich countries from the moral high ground against poor countries, but never the other way round.
Diplomatic protection for the stateless Rohingya
Thank you Dave for that enlightening insight. It is indeed an interesting perspective. I will definitely explore it further.
Cambodia: towards single party dictatorship?
Don’t really think I am far off the mark here. I have been travelling to Cambodia in the last few months and have observed first hand the on-goings. met with and talked with a lot of people, as I am working as an advisor for several projects there.
The change in atmosphere is quite apparent, compared with the Cambodia, a decade ago, when I was last there.
Playing Malaysia’s number game
“To date, no government has taken PM Najib to task”
I believe I mentioned this on numerous occassions. As long as the Govt is “West” friendly…. Everything is about Geopolitics.
As for the “East”, they do not give a damn what you do in your own country..
Out of order
At first glance it is reassuring that Ms Bishop, the new Mahatma Gandhi of Australian foreign policy, should relegate the pernicious doctrine of ‘might is right’ to ‘bygone eras’. But the reassurance vanishes when one tries to work out when precisely the doctrine might have expired. Certainly not when the UN was founded, since the right of veto was given to five victors of the Second World War, who won precisely because of their might, not because of displaying any greater attachment to ‘right’ than other potential claimants to the privilege of holding a Security Council veto.
Should Ms Bishop’s appeal to ASEAN fall on deaf ears, as Dr Davies suggests it will, we will have to fall back on our American ally. Armed with a huge defence budget, a formidable nuclear arsenal, hundreds of military bases scattered across the globe like so many rubies, pearls or diamonds, in addition to half a dozen or so military commands that neatly carve up the world in a historically unprececedented way, the US is surely best placed to combat the ‘might is right’ doctrine should it ever re-surface.
Playing Malaysia’s number game
I think Greg’s point is very germane. One has to be very careful vis-à-vis
the Malaysian Government, even from outside Malaysia. It is up to each individual what risk they wish to take on. Certainly Sarawak Report has been brave in this regard, though perhaps a bit reckless. UMNO doesn’t listen to Malaysians anyway, so I believe if enough criticism comes from outside, their may be a more amenable response. To date, no government has taken PM Najib to task for innumerable legal, financial and human rights violations.