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Does money trump values? The China, U.S. dance
By Tom Watkins
Many of you may have heard
what my grandma always told me, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
While it’s likely that President
Obama received this same advice, he seems to have disregarded it when it came to his recent visit with the Dalai Lama.
The Presi-
dent, wanting to show respect to the Tibetan spiritual leader, did so privately, out of sight of the American press, in an at- tempt to show support for the Dalai Lama and his cause while not upsetting the Chi- nese Communist Party further.
Tom Watkins
Typically when the President
meets with a high profile foreign dig- nitary, the press and photographers are allowed to record the event, take a few candid photos and pose a few questions. This did not occur.
To be clear, this was not an event
held in China, but in the White House and in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”
For a President that entered
office criticizing his predecessor for his lack of openness and transpar- ency, this was neither.
To be fair, other U.S. Presidents,
going back decades have also have attempted to keep their visits with the exiled spiritual leader out of the
glare of our open society. Not that it would offend the American people, but these visits do offend the Chi- nese leaders. Only George W. Bush appeared in public with the Dalai Lama, presenting him with the Con- gressional Gold Medal at the U.S. Capitol in 2007.
The rationale is we do not want
to anger Chinese leaders who paint the Dalai Lama as a troublemaker intent on splitting China. The Dalai Lama responds that he has no inten- tion of “splitting China” but simply wants the Chinese to allow the Ti- betan people their autonomy and accuses the Communists of practic- ing “cultural genocide” against the Tibetan people.
As China opened to the world in
the past decade to become one of our largest banking lenders and un- derwriting our increasing deficits, the axis of power between our two countries has tilted.
Even as America continues to
flaunt its strong human rights face to the rest of the world, we need China as a global stakeholder in such global issues as Iranian and North Korean relations, fighting terrorism, helping alleviate global warming — all the while remaining a partner in our increasingly con- nected world economy. Not to men- tion continuing to underwrite our debt.
After the meeting between Presi-
dent Obama and the Dalai Lama, China responded by “demanding the U.S. immediately adopt mea- sures to wipe out the baneful impact and stop conniving and supporting anti-China separatist forces that seek Tibet independence.” A Chi- nese Foreign Ministry spokesman
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
THE DANCE
How has the U.S./China relationship changed exactly? Consider:
Old Paradigm
■ U.S. was the sole economic and military superpower. We would thump our chest and the world jumped.
■ U.S. used threats, economic sanctions or invest- ments and military action to control our interests abroad.
■ China was nationalistic, closed off to the world.
■ Millions of Chinese died in Mao’s “Cultural Revo- lution” and “Great Leap Forward.”
New Paradigm
■ China moves from the back to the front seat of world power.
■ China boasts the world’s fastest growing, most dynamic economy, likely to surpass Japan this year as the world’s second largest economy.
■ China exerts its economic and soft power around the globe.
■ China is nationalistic and strong.
■ China throws open its doors to the world and ex- ports globally.
■ China becomes the U.S. banker, underwriting our debt to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars.
went on to say, “The U.S. should stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and take concrete action to maintain healthy and steady growth of China-U.S. re- lations.”
Let’s hope the rhetoric is toned down soon and
our world leaders find ways to disagree while moving forward in productive and mutually respectful ways. We should proceed as if how we resolve our disputes impact all of humanity — because it does.
Tom Watkins has a lifelong interest in China and
has been working to build cultural, economic and ed- ucational bridges between our two countries for two decades. He can be reached at
tdwatkins@aol.com.
North African jewelry featured at Arab American museum
An exhibition of jewelry and
historic photographs from the North African nations of Alge- ria, Libya, Morocco, Egypt and Tunisia opens to the public on Wednesday, May 5, at the Arab American National Museum (AANM), 13624 Michigan Ave., in Dearborn.
“Noble Jewels: North Afri-
can Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier Guerrand- Hermès Collection” presents never-before-exhibited pieces of stunning North African jew- elry and late 19th- and early 20th-century
photographs
by some of the period’s most prominent
photographers.
Organized by the Museum for African Art in New York, “Noble Jewels” will be on view at the AANM through Sunday, Aug. 8. The exhibition in the Main Floor Gallery is free with museum admission.
The public is invited to cel-
ebrate the exhibition opening with complimentary jewel- themed desserts from 5:30 p.m. to 7, Wednesday, May 5 in the AANM’s Community Court- yard. Additionally, groups of eight or more may now opt for a new, North African-themed docent-guided tour of both the jewelry exhibition and the AANM’s permanent exhibits.
Those interested in learn- ing more about North African jewelry traditions may enjoy a full-color exhibition catalogue with essays by Cynthia Becker and Kristyne Loughran as well as specially selected publi- cations from the museum’s Library & Resource Center during their visit.
Collected over three decades
by Xavier Guerrand-Hermès, “Noble Jewels” illuminates the diversity and beauty of traditional North African jew- elry design. Ornate necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings show the inventive composi- tions and dazzling creations of North African jewelry de-
April 28 - May 4, 2010
Page A-5
Men Who Dare, Inc.
In 1959 a group of men at a
local Baptist church noted the difficulties of a young man, a member of the same church, matriculating at Highland Park Junior College. The young man was unable to secure fi- nancial assistance and thus unable to continue his educa- tion.
As a way of raising funds,
the group of men sold bar- beque dinners to defray the tuition expenses. Because of the favorable outcome, the group decided in September of 1959 to form an organiza- tion devoted to helping young people secure financial aid further their education.
The original membership
consisted of fourteen coura- geous men. The name of the organization, The Men Who Dare, was selected after a great deal of thought because it re- flected the daringness of the undertaking at hand. In June of 1964, The Men Who Dare was incorporated and char- tered as a non-profit organiza- tion by the State of Michigan.
The Federal Government,
Department of Internal Reve- nue, granted the organization a 501(c) 3 tax-exempt status in December of 1966.
The Men Who Dare, Inc. is
signers and silver workers. Crafted from combinations of silver, coral, amber, coins and semi-precious stones, the exquisite collection includes wedding necklaces, hair or- naments, bracelets, earrings and fibula used to keep veils in place. The jewelry featured in “Noble Jewels” shows the common threads that run through North African societ- ies, and also local variations in materials and motifs.
For more information, call
(313) 582-2266 or visit www.
arabamericanmuseum.org. To schedule a docent-guided tour, call (313) 624-0202.
a scholarship organization whose sole purpose is to pro- vide its members with oppor- tunities to supply financial and other support for advanc- ing the education of at-risk and/or disadvantaged youth in the Detroit metropolitan com- munity. These youth must be enrolled or seeking full time enrollment in an accredited institution of higher learn- ing. They must demonstrate a strong will to succeed. They must be able to document fi-
nancial needs in access of their available resources. As an integral part of the Detroit Area Community, the MWD will establish alliances, with institutions of higher learn- ing,
local government and
other like-minded organiza- tions, which will improve their ability to support the organi- zations mission.
The membership of The
Men Who Dare consists of men who are in good standing (with all dues, fees and assess- ments up to date). The elected officers are the president, the vice president and the trea- surer/financial secretary, all of whom constitute the ex- ecutive board. The objectives of The Men Who Dare Inc. is to improve the legal, political, economic, educational and professional status of local area youth.
The Men Who Dare, Inc. is
an organization of Detroit area men from various backgrounds organized to help local youth obtain a higher education. Its members encourage high ethi- cal standards and give gener- ously of their time, talent and energy toward the education of Detroit area youth.
In its 48-year-plus history,
awardees have attended insti- tutions of higher learning that have included Wayne State University, Fashion Institute of America, Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Nearly 450 schol- arships have been awarded, and that aid varied from sev- eral hundred dollars to several thousand.
For more information, call
(313) call (313) 872-0052 or visit
www.menwhodare.org.
Sturgeon guarding program seeking volunteers
Sturgeon for Tomorrow
(SFT) Program continues to seek dividual citizens, as well as groups, businesses and or- ganizations to step forward to help protect one of the most valuable resources in Michi- gan.
Each spring, mature lake
sturgeon, a threatened fish species in Michigan and rare throughout the United States, briefly leave Black Lake in Cheboygan County, seeking spawning sites in the Black River. The sturgeon is highly
prized in our culture and when spawning on the shallow rocky beds, become vulner- able to poaching. For over a decade the Sturgeon Guarding Program has proven that citi- zens who watch over the river and report any suspicious ac- tivity have greatly reduced the unlawful take of this valuable fish, thereby assuring protec- tion and growth of the spe- cies.
To volunteer, call (906) 346-
9511 or visit
www.sturgeonfor-
tomorrow.org.
QUESTIONS CAN IMPROVE YOUR COMMUNITY.
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