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That Shirt Looks a Little Weird

March 20, 2013 in Articles, Asia

By Aniket Maitra

Walking through the streets of any major city in India, you will notice that shirts have a lot to say. They may say ridiculous things like “take me home with you, I’m single” and even the most profane phrases that could not be said on most airwaves in the English-speaking world. Some of the T-shirts even have top brand names written all over the shirt. Nike, Adidas, Reebok….. there’s no end to the list. But perhaps you’ll notice something interesting about the shirts that you’ve always noticed. The Nike sign seems a little too curved. The Adidas sign is backwards. And perhaps the Reebok sign doesn’t even look like Reebok logo. All these shirts are worn by the driver of the smallest auto rickshaw to the vendors on the street.

The world of ideas today has produced imitation products of all sorts. This is not an uncommon story in a country where most people probably can’t afford Nike shirts or Reebok shoes to go with a typical outfit. But it’s produced a completely new consumer market whose implications should be looked at a little closer.

While the world of Nike factories might be well-known in the news for exploitation of labor in countries in Southeast Asia, China, and Mexico, their products have moved beyond that into a market system that has been created solely by brand consumerism. While perhaps involving labor violations, these name-brand imitation shirts are the ultimate source of revenue for street vendors in places like India whose customers appear to care about the brand but not exactly where the shirt came from or whether it’s actually an original.

The list never seems to end with this story. We all know that Rilex is a brand name watch company and so is Adibas in the trade of sportswear but did we really think there would be Facebook bags? Apparently, these items and watches made by none other than BNW are the norm.

Interestingly, next to some of these stalls are A/C-running and glass-doored authorized Reebok and Adidas outlets in many urban areas. They carry pants, jackets, and shoes that can be bought at standard prices that would be charged in the U.S., UK, or Hong Kong. It appears that the fake and real while competing simultaneously for customers are competing for two different consumer groups. 

This explains why fearing the entry of Wal-Mart into a country like India shouldn’t really be feared. Wal-Mart will perhaps never eliminate local vendors in India because those that go to Wal-Mart shop elsewhere in the Indian economy anyway. Tea stalls won’t have to relocate to a coming Starbucks because the college students drinking at Café Coffee Day (an Indian coffee shop chain) aren’t going to drink street tea but the patrons that always come will keep coming regardless of the globalized franchises appearing. This phenomenon also explains the role that corporation have taken in many countries. While considered a mediocre eatery in many parts of America, McDonalds is a fairly fancy sit down restaurant in India.

Perhaps we should take a look at the way globalization is shaping these corporations and sometimes look at the way they are being shaped by the country and how they are shaping the countries as well, sometimes even, for the better.

 

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Preparedness Level: Kim Jong-un

March 18, 2013 in Asia, The World Today, United States

AP Photo/The Santa Maria Times, Daniel Dreifuss

 

By Stewart Benson

In response to Pyongyang’s recent daring threats against South Korea and the United States, recently appointed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced a $1 billion deployment of ballistic missile interceptors along the Western coast of the United States. The deployment is a clear indication that North Korea’s young leader, Kim Jong-un, is becoming increasingly unstable and without China’s normal restraint. After China helped draft a Security Council resolution enacting even tougher sanctions on the already impoverished country, the relationship between the two can only be described as severely frayed. The number of interceptors in Alaska and California will increase from thirty installations to forty four, and will be completed by 2017.

 Senior Obama Administration officials have acknowledged that part of the reason of deployment has been the severity of the North’s threats, but also because China seems to be losing control of its once strong ally. In the past, any provocations of the North would be handled accordingly by leadership in Beijing, making sure things did not become out of hand. After the Security Council resolution was approved, and general discontent among the Chinese towards their North Korean neighbors has become vocalized, the increasing isolation has led to the present case of belligerence.

 The installations have been called as a reminder to the world that the United States will stand firm against aggressors towards the homeland and their allies. The threats of North Korea breaking a long-standing cease-fire with South Korea and of a pre emptive nuclear strike has propelled the U.S. to develop a ‘two-tiered’ response to any North Korea threat. Admiral James Winnefeld Jr., the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has described this system as one where the U.S. has the deterrence capability for any North Korean strike, but if they do commit a strike, then serious costs will be put upon them. While worded in generalized terms, this warning suggests that North Korea would be sufficiently disabled from performing any military action in a time of war with the United States.

 The antimissile systems will also serve other purposes. The Senate Armed Services Committee has stated that they will also be needed to not only successfully deter North Korea, but also the growing threat of Iran’s nuclear program. However, the reliability of these interceptors has been in question. Administration officials and members of Congress are wary of pouring additional funds into these programs, which have only proven a success rate of around fifty percent. The Pentagon has stated that the new antimissile systems will have to prove reliability before they are deployed. They will stick with their ‘fly before we buy’ approach and cited a successful launch in late January. However, Congress is adamant that the systems need to be successful in order to avoid wasting taxpayer money. 

 In addition to the interceptors being deployed in the U.S., Patriot Missile batteries will be installed in South Korea and U.S. warships with ballistic defense capabilities will be stationed off the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. is also working closely with Japan in deploying missile-defense radar in the region. While it is hopeful that the recent North Korean provocations will be unfulfilled, the threats have clearly struck a nerve with the U.S. and its allies, the most severe in recent memory. 

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Cyber Wars

February 25, 2013 in Asia, The World Today, United States

Martin H. Simon/Pool via Bloomberg

By Stewart Benson

The Cold War may be over, but it looks like another type of “cool” war is brewing between the United States and China. Instead of the buildup of nuclear weapons as a form of deterrence, the two prefer the use of cyber attacks by hacking groups. Last week, the Obama administration sent a confidential list of computer addresses to U.S. internet providers who have stolen data from American Corporations. These addresses are all linked to a specific hacking group in China: the Chinese military’s cybercommand. The fact that all of these attacks from China are coming from one source, connected to the military and government, is a very troubling find for the United States. China has repeatedly denied issuing state-sponsored cyber attacks, however the evidence points that not only is the military behind the latest attacks on American corporations and even The New York Times, the hacks are being traced to a specific address in Shanghai. Confronting China over the attacks is a sticky situation for President Obama; how do you threaten such an important trading partner and, technically, your bank?

The Obama administration had previously kept the source of the cyber attacks a secret to the nation’s internet providers and to those affected because there is still a question on what should be the correct course of action in confronting China. In the latest State of the Union Address, President Obama spoke on foreign countries stealing American corporate secrets, but avoided mentioning China by name. He also said these enemies were conspiring to sabotage our power grid, financial institutions and air traffic control systems. There is sensitivity in Washington over outright accusing the Chinese of issuing the cyber attacks; perhaps there is worry that the Chinese will become even more defensive and perhaps nationalistic, making future talks uncomfortable and unproductive. However, Attorney General Eric Holder as well as members of the House Intelligence Committee are backing confrontational approaches to the Chinese, saying it is without a doubt the Chinese are behind the hacking.

One way in convincing the Chinese to stop the attacks is the toll the espionage is taking on American global firms. Over the last several decades, these multinational corporations have forged a strong economic relationship with Chinese firms, resulting in trade priced at $425 billion in goods last year. It could be very effective to tell the Chinese that continued attacks will erode their alliance with the American business community, hurting not only the U.S. but the Chinese as well. American officials have said that in the next few months, private warnings will be issued to many Chinese leaders, including new president Xi Jinping. National Security Adviser Tom Donilon and Secretary of State John Kerry will be making trips to China to further cement these warnings, hopefully convincing the Chinese that more attacks on American global firms will undermine the special U.S.-China economic relationship.

There are only a few ways to deter cyber attacks by another country, and the U.S. is facing the problem of choosing the best course of action. The Chinese have been aiming at American commercial targets, such as plans for aerospace design and wind-energy products, and American officials have demanded that these need to end. But in what way do we convince the Chinese? As of now, the only way to end cyber attacks is either through negotiations, economic sanctions or cyber counterattacks. If an attack is made on American infrastructure or another massive American institution, then counterattacks should be ordered. However, that has not yet come to fruition, thankfully. According to Robert Hormas, the under secretary of state for business and economic affairs, convincing the Chinese  that future attacks will hurt their hopes for economic growth is the best choice. Hopefully negotiations will be successful, but you can be sure that the debate over retaliation to cyber attacks is just beginning in Washington.

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On to the Next One

February 11, 2013 in Asia, The World Today, United States

By Stewart Benson

As the War in Afghanistan reaches its twelfth year mark, the American and international military missions are under command of their 15th and final leader, General Joseph F. Dunford Jr. In a traditional handoff ceremony conducted in Kabul yesterday, Dunford was officially given command of over 100,000 troops, overseeing the withdrawal process of that also consists of 68,000 American troops. Dunford, along with withdrawing troops and a large amount of equipment and cargo, must also successfully transfer security responsibilities to Afghan forces. Large swaths of the country are still fighting the Taliban insurgency, especially in the East and Southern regions, and in some of these areas the Taliban has successfully regained complete control. While many see the road towards a unified, peaceful Afghanistan, once American and international troops withdraw, as unrealistic, Dunford has expressed hope for the landlocked country that has been ravaged by war for decades.

 Gen. Dunford takes over duties from previous supreme commander Gen. John Allen, whose time in Afghanistan was marked by diplomatic reassurances that saw damaged relationships between the Afghan government, American troops and the Afghan public. During the ceremony, Allen also expressed hope for the country’s future, while also recognizing the tremendous sacrifices made by foreign troops and Afghan security forces. The persistence of Taliban forces were very real, Allen admitted, however he also expressed the opinions that Afghanistan will never be caught in international feuds again and will never become a safe-haven for terrorist organizations. There is increasing uneasiness that Al-Qaeda and its affiliates will call Afghanistan home once again, and a guarantee that this will not come true, in a war plagued by underestimations and misconceptions, will surely not sway many. When speaking of the Taliban, Allen said nothing of successfully expelling them from Afghanistan, admitting that victory against the Taliban may not “be marked on a calendar.” The road ahead for Afghan security forces is especially troublesome, noting the growing number of Afghan soldiers and police who have died fighting the insurgents in recent months. Instances of Taliban sympathizers within these forces are becoming even more a problem, with “friendly fire” deaths growing rapidly.

 Addressing these issues will be difficult for Gen. Dunford; however President Obama will announce specific plans and troop levels in the coming weeks. Dunford has served on a number of senior posts within the military, most recently as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. Once arriving in Afghanistan, Dunford has sat beside Allen at several meetings, understanding concerns and learning the responsibilities of his new post. Dunford’s new job will be severely difficult, and will hopefully end with full American withdrawal and complete Afghan responsibility. Perhaps the toughest part will be having Afghan security forces perform their own recruiting, training, and equipment supply. Currently they rely on American troops for nearly everything, including medical evacuation, intelligence and logistics assistance. Afghanistan must be self-sustaining if a victory over the Taliban is to be had, and the road towards this goal will be difficult without some sort of outside assistance. 

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A Very Angry North

February 4, 2013 in Asia, The World Today, United States

Ed Jones – AFP/Getty Images

By Stewart Benson

In a recent rush of threats and warnings, North Korea, under leadership of Kim Jong-un, is accelerating its nuclear enrichment and missile weapons programs, specifically targeting both the United States and its neighbor, South Korea. Seen as a response to recently approved international sanctions drafted by the United Nations, North Korea now has a mission statement for its ballistic missile program: a nuclear test of higher level will target the United States, the “sworn enemy” of the Korean people. While American intelligence agencies are skeptical of how capable North Korea is of delivering a nuclear payload to the United States, recent missile tests by the isolated country indicates their missile technology has come a long way in recent months. The recent test of a satellite launch proved that North Korea has the ability to send missiles thousands of miles, possibly even reaching Hawaii. However, a strike towards the Continental U.S. is said to be still three to four years away. The North’s specific warnings against the U.S. also mentioned a plan for a third underground nuclear test. While in direct violation of the United Nation’s Security Council resolution, the test would be the first under North Korea’s new leader and a chance for the Obama administration to see how sophisticated their nuclear program has become.

At a time of immense insecurity in the region, these new threats by North Korea might be an indicator of the United State’s recent focus only on Iran’s nuclear program, a situation where the U.S. may have lost some diplomatic leverage. Ahmadinejad and Netanyahu butting heads several months ago, along with construction of new nuclear enrichment sites in Iran, placed American intelligence analysts solely focused on Iran. The past several years also saw nuclear talks with the North go sour, giving North Korea the opportunity to go ahead with the tests without much trouble. Perhaps adding to the acceleration of their tests, China has seemingly left North Korea alone, approving the Security Council’s resolution condemning the North’s satellite launch. However, China still maintains economic and diplomatic ties with the North, and has stated that instability within North Korea is more of a threat than further nuclear and missile testing.

Recently sworn in Secretary of State John Kerry has the opportunity to approach North Korea with perhaps more focus and energy than recently departed Secretary Hillary Clinton. There is little doubt that U.S. foreign policy will take more direct action against North Korea; the severity and specificity of the new threats are a real cause for concern. It should be interesting to see how diplomatic policy with the North will change under Kerry, and if China will become more involved with the sophistication of North Korea’s weapons programs is substantial. With Israel recently targeting a Syrian chemical weapons depot, it might be possible that the U.S. and its allies could target North Korean facilities. How China will react to direct strikes will most likely be negative, but that is a reality that could take place if international sanctions continue to fail. 

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Singapore Means ‘Lion City’ in Malay

January 30, 2013 in Asia, The World Today

By Aniket Maitra

The author William Gibson once coined the phrase, Singapore is “Disneyland with the Death Penalty” as a description for its autocratic and law-abiding structure that stifles creativity among its citizens.

Singapore is a tiny island off the southern cost of Malaysia. It’s not just an island though; it’s a tiger as well. By the 1990’s, four countries fit the mold of industrialized nations commonly known as “Asian Tigers” (ironic considering its name). One of them was this small 5-million-person nation of Singapore.

When you land at Changi Airport in Singapore, you’re not quite sure what to make of where you are. Everything surrounding you is perfect in its place. Step off the plane and you’ll step on floral carpeting usually reserved for only the best of hotels, surrounded on multiple sides by orchids adjacent to koi ponds where even the scales on the fish are perhaps measured and colored to perfection. When you ask the lady at the front counter of the currency exchange how much the fee to convert money is, the answer is “No fee sir.” If you ask how a system like this (without profit) is possible, you get the same answer. And when you look for a place to plug in your laptop or other another electronic device, it looks as if Singapore has multiple plug point systems for at least a dozen different nations.

When you walk outside of the airport you see an industrial port that has among the highest per capita incomes in the world usually ranked higher than the United States and slightly below Qatar. Besides the skyline and the efficient traffic, you’ll also notice the streets are absent of ugly gum stains that grow black with time. It’s even a place where multiple ethnic groups of Chinese, Indian, and Malaysian people have made their permanent home. It’s a strikingly attractive place, and then there’s the other side of Singapore. This includes the authoritarian side that considers drug trafficking a capital offense and famously canes Americans who get a little out of control with their graffiti art.

Though many accuse Singapore of this utopian society that stifles any dissent, you have to appreciate what the country has done since independence and how it continues to be a model for development. Everything in the country from its Marina Bay Sands Casino (which has the longest elevated pool on top of a 55-story hotel) to its world-class airline is a matter of presentation. And while other airlines hope you survive the undercooked meat, Singapore Airlines not only treats you like a first-class passenger in Economy, the fleet of A380s operated by Singapore Airlines have suites for those that want a homely rest at 560mph.

Singapore has become a global model for development that even industrialized nations may look up to. There is something about the culture of rigidness with professionalism, social harmony between different cultures, and a pleasing environment inspired by the idea to make their country into more than a presentation everyday that makes Singapore a place that will not just bring tourists to visit this Lion City once but inspire them to come again and this time, to bring their money.

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English in an Indian Accent

December 2, 2012 in Asia

By Aniket Maitra

Living in the United States, we don’t find language very trivial. All across America, English is used as a primary mode of communication, and in certain communities Spanish also plays a very large role. Yet, if we travel from Arizona to New York or Oregon, we don’t seem to find any trouble speaking English. And when we travel abroad, we use the unofficial international language again, English.

Now imagine a country in which most states have a different local language. India, there are 22 official languages recognized by the central government. Then, we forget that in that list there are two languages that are recognized as national languages, English and Hindi.

While today millions of children continue the cultural tradition of learning their mother tongue, Hindi, however one language is the language of opportunity: English. While being bilingual or trilingual may get you around all of India, being monolingual in English will get you into a good university, make you fluent in a language the rest of the world knows, and make you the most competitive for the best job opportunities.

The story of English here starts with the British. As a result of the British rule that first started with the British East India Company (from around 1757), and later with the British Raj (from around 1858), the influence of the British, and especially the English language, never quite left. In 1947, India gained its Independence and became the Republic of India. While maybe unsuccessful in religious and many cultural exploits, the British made English, in many ways, the lingua franca of India.

Today, many middle and upper class parents send their children to English-Medium schools, which means that the primary mode of the instruction in the school will be English. While English is used as a secondary language in many homes, it might just be the most useful language. That’s because higher education is often taught in English, and lucrative jobs will require English whether you seek employment in a call center or plan to become the head of a large firm.

In another sense, it is the language of exclusion. It is the language that must be known to function at the top level of India society. When entering the pillars of modernity, whether it be a mall, a modern grocery store, or a five-star restaurant, English is all but required.

While those that learn English thrive in these environments, those that primarily study in their native tongues feel a new sense of domestic cultural imperialism.

The prevalence of this language is so great that many young people now speak more fluently in English than their native tongue and find it easier to talk about politics or their majors in college in English.

While English might be leaving some people out of the conversation, today we have entered the world of the economics of language. It might not be your family background, caste, or your choice of college to study at that may determine your future, but whether or not you know English.

While the spread of this language is quite prevalent, the only question is, will the Republic of India ever standardize the Indian accent in English?

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Nachos in India

November 4, 2012 in Asia

By Aniket Maitra

Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) is a mega city in Eastern Indian with a population of over 14million.

As a Singapore Airlines flight arrives in Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Terminal, nothing in this government-run airport has changed for years. The first thing you notice when you get off the plane is that stairs lead down on to the tarmac of the airport with a pathway dileanted for you to take a bus to the main terminal. In most cases there is no airbridge between the airplane and the airport. When you arrive at the airport you see dull yellow signs pointing to immigration or the bathroom and when you claim your luggage, the conveyer belt looks like it hasn’t been replaced in decades. There is a sense of mediocrity that hasn’t kept pace with the modernity that we here about in India. That’s because modernity has occurred without the help of the public sector.

Globalization has had its stark impact on India. In 1991, India removed economic barriers and began the process of the economic liberalization to outside markets and welcomed in a plethora of foreign industries.

Take a look at any modern-day private urban business and you feel as if you are in New York, London, or Singapore. The Chinese restaurants behind glass doors have air-conditioning, dim-lighting, a “classy” flute version of an Enrique Iglesias song in the background, and the presence of middle or upper class clientele. The menus are all in the English and the attire at these restaurants is implicitly Western.

The roads haven’t changed but the cars have. The most popular car 15 years ago might have been a small Suzuki Maruti (a small Japanese hatchback) or an Ambassador Classic (a car based on an English design that hasn’t changed a bit since the 1950s). Today, everything is available: Ford, Chevy, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Hyundai.

The place where modernity is most obvious is the malls. There is no difference between an American mall complex and an Indian mall. Toy stores, chocolate fountains, Tommy Hilfiger outlets, and that shop with bath salts. The language spoken often is English and when you go the movie theater, you can find a commodity never heard of in India before this globalization trend, nachos.

Just walk about 300 feet from the malls and the other side of the India is seen. It is the one a security guard from mall returns to. A one room home that an entire family shares in which the door is a curtain and the door to the outside world might be a small Philips tv. There are no iPhones in the pockets of these people, there is only the sight of the 7% GDP growth rate that has forgotten about them.  

While economic growth and modernity might be the pillars of a prospering society, an imitation of the West cannot occur with 30% of the population left behind. This 30% includes those unable to afford food due to hyperinflation occurring throughout the nation and unable to afford houses in megacities like Mumbai and Kolkata due to a real estate market that thrives with a growing middle class. While it appears that the private sector really can’t take care of the poor, it appears that the job must be taken care of by governments spending more on social services and imitating something else about the West: making governments functional and for the people.

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Kristmas In Kolkata

October 28, 2012 in Asia

By Aniket Maitra

I am often asked the question whether I have seen the “Diwali” Episode (Season 3, Episode 6) from the popular NBC TV series “The Office”.

My answer for about a year has been yes. Diwali, popularly known as Festival of Lights, is largely celebrated throughout South Asia and by those of South Asian descent living abroad.

However, the festivals in India and in neighboring countries like Nepal and Bangladesh are often ethnically and religiously specific.

While many of these ancient festivals have become meshed together as part of a pseudo-South Asian identity, many of these festivals are often regionally specific as well. In Eastern India, especially in cities like Kolkata, you can see the largest event of the year called Durga Puja celebrated by an ethnic group of Bengalis who are overwhelmingly followers of the Hindu religion.

Durga Puja is like Christmas in America but five times longer.

Just as the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony in Rockefeller Center often comes at a time when most Americans are preparing for Christmas, Durga Puja has those early special preparations as well.

The process often begins with construction of large idols of the Goddess Durga followed by her four children: Ganesha, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Karthik (starting from the left with Durga in the middle). The idols are sculpted from clay and straw for months before the large five day festival with every detail intact, from Durga’s fierce stare at the demon she is killing (the demon’s name is Mahishasura) to the ten arms on Durga, each with a weapon that are part of the idol.

 

Around the same time as the creation of the idol begins, the process of making pandals also commences. While the term pandal (pronounced pan-del by Bengalis) may seem very complicated, it is just a collection of large bamboo shoots and cloth covering the area. In this temporary structure, the religious idols will be placed inside for viewers from all over the city to come and see.

While the idols itself are surrounded by religious significance, it may appear to the Western eye that something incongruent is surrounding the pandal. That is where the concept of themes comes in.

While the bamboo and cloth pandal is quite simple, it is surrounded by enormous works of art made from various materials. While everything seems to be covered in religious significance, the concept of modernization has hit pandals as well. The pandals are often filled with extravagant themes ranging from Disney Land to the various tribes in India to a beehive. In one ocean themed pandal, Bob Marley’s hit song “Jamming” is played by a few musicians wearing Hawaiian shirts.

There are five full days of nonstop celebration in which every neighborhood in a city like Kolkata is filled with cheers, honks, and firecrackers, all felt by every resident. On the last day, these beautifully constructed idols are dumped in the Ganges River signifying the return of the mother goddess Durga to her husband Shiva in the Himalayas.

While modernization has caught up with this ancient tradition, it will be an ancient Hindu event practiced by Bengalis and those who join for generations to come.

So next time when you ask someone from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or another South Asia country when they’re celebrating Diwali, consider what region they’re coming from.

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On the Streets of Hong Kong

July 9, 2012 in Asia, The World Today

 

By Hugo Polanco

Hong Kong is a thriving metropolis in Southern China. It has enviable levels of development in almost every indexable category, from life expectancy to education, and is a leading financial and cultural center in Asia. Yet this past week has seen Hong Kong rise up in protest with up to 400,000 city residents marching through the streets in anger and frustration. This is the latest manifestation of the uncomfortable and rapidly fraying relationship between Hong Kong and mainland China, a relationship that was inaugurated fifteen years ago with handover of sovereignty from the United Kingdom to China. The handover was a powerful symbol that China had come into its own, and that the last monument of capricious western imperialism was to wiped away from Chinese soil. In Hong Kong, this feeling was tempered by uncertainty for the future and fifteen years on this uncertainty still permeates the territory. The territory was handed over with the promise that China would preserve Hong Kong’s political and economic systems for 50 years. The protests suggest that Hong Kongers are not pleased with China’s upholding of this promise. For one they have a limited say in who runs their government, the Chief Executive or Hong Kong’s boss is elected by an election committee of 1,200 members. The election committee is composed of mixture of representatives from Hong Kong’s business community, religious community, and government representatives with the business sectors holding the bulk of the votes. The business sector in turn elects executives who protect their interests, meaning leaders that won’t rock the boat and upset the lucrative trade Hong Kong business leaders have with the Mainland.

 

Hong Kong has also been inundated with Mainlanders seeking to visit and live in the territory. While the mainlanders drop money into the Hong Kong economy, many of the Mainlanders are China’s nouveau-riche, billionaires and millionaires seeking the freedom and security that mainland China does not offer. However this group is driving up the prices of goods and housing to unbearable levels and are seen as being contemptuous of Hong Kong culture and customs. Compounding this friction is the fact that the recently elected Chief Executive ,Leung Chun-ying, violated housing restrictions. This scandal is especially damning because Leung was only selected because his chief rival Henry Tang was brought down by an identical scandal less than six months ago and because in cramped Hong Kong housing rights and space are near sacrosanct. The way forward for the embattled new leader is to try to buy goodwill with an expanded welfare and public housing program to ease the economic inequality and crushing price rises. Even Hu Jintao recommended this course of action as he visited the territory to inaugurate Leung. However the swelling crowds outside were not only calling for economic remedies, they were calling for democracy and for change in China itself. Now fifteen years after that proud day when China took control over its long lost territory from the British, the old colonial flag is being flown again by the citizens of Hong Kong. This time it is not being flown in deference to foreign occupier, but as an act of defiance and frustration in the inability of their compatriots both inside and outside the territory to just let them rule themselves. 

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