James Bond theories arise in Korean ship sinking

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-fg-korea-torpedo-20100427,0,2552538.story

A 1200 ton South Korean patrol boat called the Cheonan split and sunk March 26 while it was on a mission in the disputed sea border between North and South Korea. Investigators are pointing to possible North Korea involvement suggesting the Cheonan was with struck by a floating mine or an enemy torpedo. North Korea has denied responsibility, but at least one North Korean defector and an activist in Seoul have provided details of an elite unit of 13 commandos in mini-submarines. The North Korean defector, Jang Jin-sung, who once worked within Pyongyang's spy network, said he is also convinced the Cheonan was hit by a so-called human torpedo.

I picked this article because it reminded me of our reading of Sex Among Allies from two weeks ago. The tensions that existed then between North Korea and South Korea still exist today. Instead of the prostitutes being the actors, the governments and their militaries are the actors in this situation. However, the alleged “suicide bombers” are also the actors because they are the ones being utilized by the government just as the prostitutes were. In addition, there are realist politics at play here. South Korea is contemplating how to respond to North Korea as to express appropriate retaliation, but not to come off too aggressive as to spark a nuclear war.

Iran marks anniversary of failed US rescue attempt

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100425/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_us

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press Writer – Sun Apr 25, 5:40 pm ET

On Sunday, April 25, hundreds of hard-line Iranians marked the 30th Anniversary of the failed US rescue attempt (of the Americans held hostage at the embassy. The 1980 attempt, Operation Eagle Claw, caused major embarrassment for the US when a helicopter crashed during a sandstorm, killing 8 US servicemen. The crash was (and is) a cause for celebration for some Iranians, however, who saw the event as a "divine miracle" to protect Iran from the "evil" US. Hundreds of people gathered at the crash site, as they have in previous years, nearly 400 southeast of Tehran, to remember and celebrate the event. A "Mosque of Thanks" had been built on the site, and there are plans for a museum on the site as well.

This fits well with the blog theme of "What in the 'past' is not really past?"
It also goes well with Derek Gregory's "The Colonial Present." It goes to show that events that happen in the past (even "one-time" events, like a specific accident) can have great relevance to the present. As Gregory's book implies, when one country intervenes in another there are profound consequences, often unanticipated but nonetheless long-lasting. The chain of events that led to that crash (and the response of some Iranians) is very complex. It is also interesting to think that while the US framed the conflict as Good vs. Evil (with the US being the force of good, of course), some Iranians saw it the opposite way. This just goes to show the extent that rhetoric of war is portrayed as narrative.

South Park Controversy

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/arts/television/23park.html?src=me&ref=arts
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/ynews_ts1763

This isn't my post for the week, but just an issue I've been hearing a lot about lately and I was wondering what your opinions on it were. You've probably all heard about the controversy regarding a recent episode of "South Park" that planned to depict the Prophet Muhammad and was censored by Comedy Central after threatening statements about the shows creators appeared online. (If you haven't heard about, here a couple links to articles that describe the controversy). I have never watched "South Park" (nor do I have any desire to). If any of you watch the show (or even if you don't), what do you think about this issue? Could representations (of Muhammad and others) on this show be considered Orientalist? If portraying Muhammad is very offensive to some people, should others be allowed to do it simply because it is not offensive to them? Should the network have taken the steps they did to censor the episode? I'm not quite sure how I feel about this complex issue, and I'm curious to know what you guys think.

school lunchs as a security threat?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_school_lunches_threat

Some have called unhealthy school lunch programs a threat to national security because it leads to poor health and therefore inadequate soldiers.

This hearkens back to the day of the Boer war- around the turn of the century, Great Britain was fighting to maintain its colony in South Africa against the "Boers," the Dutch settlers. Because of the industrial revolution and the unhealthy living/working conditions in cities, many of the young men who tried to enlist in the military in Britain were deemed to be physically unfit to serve. This caused great concern and led to the establishment of education reforms, such as including physical fitness as part of education, and the promotion of sports for young men.

Edward Said videos

Here is a link to the Said interviews/videos that we watched in class today (Tuesday). You can watch the remaining segments as well if you like. A warning applies about the terribleness of youtube comments, however.

Role of Sports in International Relations

http://english.aljazeera.net/sport/2010/04/2010420174912560221.html

http://english.aljazeera.net/sport/2010/04/2010417183527498531.html

These first two links discuss recent developments in the cricket world. The first one is connects particularly well with what we discussed in class today about imagined geographies.

"Afghanistan may pose more of a threat to South Africa's hopes of winning cricket's Twenty20 World Cup than the leading nations, Proteas captain Graeme Smith said, pointing to their "war zone" mentality."

This is in a way implying that Afghanis would be more aggressive given the country they grew up in. This assumption is further implied later in the article.

"It's going to be nerve-wracking playing them. I read their opener (Karim Sadiq) said he was not scared of facing Dale Steyn and I wouldn't be either if I grew up in a war zone. That's the thing, they have no fear and they have nothing to lose, which makes them dangerous."

The second link is about a bombing that occurred outside an Indian Primer League stadium. It is currently unknown who was behind the bombings. This is not the first time the sport has been a target for attacks. "Pakistan lost co-host rights for the World Cup a year ago after terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team convoy in Lahore, killing six police officers and a driver. Sports venues in India have faced tight security amid fears that Islamist radical groups may target them, with last year's IPL being held in South Africa."

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/egypt-and-algeria-brace-for-match-of-hate-sequel/

This links to a blog about the violence before an Algeria-Egyptian soccer match. Part of this violence was due to the last game played between the countries in 1989, which cause an extreme amount of violence. One Egyptian player even compared it to the war against Israel in 1973. The second game, the game that the article was blogging about, had become known as a "match of hate."

And, of course:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gfD134ED54&feature=related

It is clear the sports arenas are not spared from violence or political tensions. Is this simply because of the nature of sports, and their fans? Or do these international sporting events take on a boarder meaning? These players in a way represent their country. Going to the example of the "Miracle on Ice," the hockey players had nothing to do with the situation with the Soviets in Afghanistan, but that did not prevent the game from taking on a symbolic meaning. (Does anyone who has seen the movie "Miracle" remember the "Soviets: Get the puck out of Afghanistan" banner?)

It seems that these internationally-competing sports teams cannot escape political tensions or assumptions that correspond to their country. In this way, sports teams can play an interesting role in International Relations.

American Perceptions of Islam

I saw this picture the other day and thought it was relevant to we were talking about today. Someone said that we generally have more knowledge about Islam and the Middle East now than pre-9/11. For the Macalester crowd, this most likely led to a greater understanding of Middle Eastern culture, but for the rest of the US, 9/11 may remain the only thing people associate with Islam.

http://gawker.com/5520077/a-picture-of-911-is-not-a-thing-to-put-on-your-truck