October 2011
“There’s a city in our hemisphere overrun with guns, corruption, smuggling, and a smattering of Islamic terrorism. And with the right guide, it’s not a bad place to spend a weekend. Ciudad del Este (“City of the East”) is an essential stopping point on any tour of the world’s most infamous places. Built by the late Paraguayan dictator General Alfredo Stroessner on the Parana River—which runs through the dense jungles of the Triple Frontera border region shared by Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina—it is the capital of the illegal businesses on which Paraguay thrives. The city’s reputation for corruption and violence is derived from its place as the center of smuggling operations that send electronics, cigarettes, tires, stolen cars, pirated DVDs, marijuana, cocaine, and weapons across South America. A large amount of the illicit commerce on which Ciudad del Este depends moves through the hands of a tight-knit Lebanese Shiite community of approximately 30,000 people who live and work on both sides of the Brazilian and Paraguayan border and send millions of dollars home to Hezbollah-controlled areas of Lebanon, leading to allegations that the city supports what one former U.S. Treasury Department official has described as “a rich marriage of drugs and terror.” I was eager to witness this union firsthand, but also glad that I would not be going there alone.”
—The New Dodge City.(Ciudad del Este’s crime and corruption) | HighBeam Business: Arrive Prepared
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“NOT for the first time, and probably not for the last, large numbers of Chinese citizens are awash in a potentially dangerous flood of patriotic indignation. The cause this time is what they see as grossly unfair criticism of China by foreign activists and governments, and biased coverage of China by foreign news outlets. In mid-March riots in Tibet laid bare the vast differences in Chinese and foreign perceptions of China’s human rights in general and its rule of Tibet in particular. No French fries for himReuters
At first Chinese anger was largely confined to the internet, with fiery postings on blogs, message boards and purpose-built sites (eg, www.anti-cnn.com). But now the rage has begun to take to the streets. On April 19th crowds of protesters, estimated by the police at between 1,000 and 2,000, carried banners and chanted patriotic slogans in several Chinese cities. Small-scale protests took place even in Beijing, where hypersensitive security officials seldom tolerate such things. But whereas, on the internet, bullying, foul language and explicit threats of violence have been commonplace, the demonstrations have been peaceful and orderly.” —China: Manage that anger | The Economist
At first Chinese anger was largely confined to the internet, with fiery postings on blogs, message boards and purpose-built sites (eg, www.anti-cnn.com). But now the rage has begun to take to the streets. On April 19th crowds of protesters, estimated by the police at between 1,000 and 2,000, carried banners and chanted patriotic slogans in several Chinese cities. Small-scale protests took place even in Beijing, where hypersensitive security officials seldom tolerate such things. But whereas, on the internet, bullying, foul language and explicit threats of violence have been commonplace, the demonstrations have been peaceful and orderly.” —China: Manage that anger | The Economist
“NOT so long ago the word “Vietnamese” was almost inevitably accompanied in press reports by the phrase “boat people”. For two decades after the fall of Saigon in 1975, the defining image of Vietnam was the waves of bedraggled refugees washing up on its neighbours’ shores, fleeing oppression and penury back home. How things have changed. Today, many former refugees are returning to seek new careers and start businesses in a transformed Vietnam. It is now one of Asia’s fastest-developing countries, with annual growth averaging 7.5% over the past decade. Although this is less stellar than China’s growth, our special report this week finds that Vietnam has made more impressive progress in cutting poverty than its vast northern neighbour. The government’s initial hopes for 9% growth this year may be dashed, as the country struggles with double-digit inflation and a yawning trade gap. But the long-term outlook remains promising.”
—Vietnam: Asia’s other miracle | The Economist
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