After my return from Mindanao, I sat down and put to paper my thoughts on the proclamation of a state of emergency by President Arroyo. For more than one reason, this is a depressing story. As a liberal at heart, I abhor situations in which governments curtail the civil liberties of their citizens. I also […]
Apart from meeting criminologists, I took time out to explore Cagayan de Oro, a city that claims to be “in blossom, in bloom and in boom.” While I find that PR-statement exaggerated, one can easily notice efforts of the municipal authorities to give a face-lift to the place to attract investors and tourists.
Unlike other Philippine […]
I missed the “political action” last Friday in Manila, because at the time the president proclaimed the state of emergency, I was in Cagayan de Oro to present a paper on “Terrorism as Political Ideology” at the first Mindanao-wide conference of the “Professional Criminologists’ Association of the Philippines” (PCAP). I enjoyed that meeting and the […]
The news from Southern Leyte is both horrendous and depressing; it is difficult to find words befitting the suffering. It is not the first, and unfortunately probably not the last time, that such calamities strike this country. In this regard also, the Philippines belongs to the less fortunate group of nations.
As the rescue operations continue […]
I am back in Manila from a weeklong visit to Thailand. Coming from the Philippines, I was impressed to find out that in that country too domestic politics are in a state of turmoil. According to my favorite English-language Thai daily (The Nation), the campaign to unseat Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra “seems to be dividing […]
You may have wondered why I cared to mention that I would have dinner at a Greek restaurant yesterday. Those who know me are aware of my special interest (some would say affection) for all things Greek. In the many years I spent in Hellas (the official name of that country), I not only learned […]
The idea of having to update this publication is still relatively new to me. But, I agree that blogs need new material every few days, because that’s the only way to attract you, my dear reader.
Since leaving Manila last Sunday for Thailand, I have been extremely busy. So busy that I did not even find […]
Dr. Ronald Meinardus spends his professional life working for an institute that aspires to promote liberal politics in various countries of the world. After a ten years tenure in Asia, he recently returned closer to home to overlook political educative projects in Northern Africa and the Middle East from Cairo.
