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In the Human Interest – Mel Gurtov

In the Human Interest – Mel Gurtov

Critical appraisals of foreign affairs and politics from a global-citizen perspective

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Author: Mel Gurtov

I am Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Portland State University (Oregon) and Senior Editor of Asian Perspective, an international affairs quarterly, after many years (1994-2017) as Editor-in-Chief. I have published over 20 books on the international politics of East Asia, US foreign policy, and human-security issues. My latest books are Engaging Adversaries: Peacemaking and Diplomacy in the Human Interest (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018) and Will This Be China's Century? A Skeptic's View (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2013) This blog is dedicated to promoting ideas, policies, and organizations that seek to advance international understanding and the quality of life, especially for the largely impoverished global majority. I do not purport to represent the human interest; but my analysis of world affairs does seek to promote the human interest, guided above all by humane values and ideals rather than by the interests of governments or corporations. As a global citizen, my priorities are social justice, environmental protection, human rights, and peace. Greed, injustice, and violence are my targets; and diplomacy focused on engagement is my preferred strategy for transcending differences. Einstein once said that “those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act." I write with that sense of responsibility. I currently am writing a book, "Engaging Enemies," that focuses on strategies of engagement, with case studies of US relations with Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Russia, and China, as well as Israel-Palestine. I live in Deadwood, a very small community in western Oregon, where I help my wife in the beautiful Heirloom apple orchard she has created.
BLOG

Post #215: On Dealing with China

18 Sep 201826 Sep 2018
(Note: A slightly different version of this article has been published as "The China Conundrum" at https://www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-policy/the-china-conundrum.) A Self-Confident China Ever since China’s economic reforms began in 1978, the goal…
APB

Coming Apart? Maybe Not

6 Sep 20186 Sep 2018
Day by day the Trump administration is coming apart. Revelations abound about the dysfunctions of the Trump team, about Trump’s ignorance and incompetence, and now about a “resistance” group in…
APB

Another Week Under Trumpocracy

21 Aug 201820 Aug 2018
Some takeaways from another week under He Who Would Be Emperor: “All politics is local.” Speaking to local issues rather than echoing the official mantra may be the only way…
BLOG

Post #214: Saving Democracy

15 Aug 2018
Writing on democracy, I’m reminded of a great old Stevie Wonder song, “Love’s In Need of Love Today.” Democracy is in need of love today: It is taking a beating…
BLOG

Post #213: While Rome (and Most Everywhere Else) Burns

3 Aug 20182 Aug 2018
By now we’re accustomed to learning that every year brings record high temperatures around the world. Extreme weather, says Prof. Michael Mann of Pennsylvania State University, “is the face of…
BLOG

Post #212: Some Dare Call It Treason

19 Jul 201819 Jul 2018
Is Donald Trump not merely gullible, uninformed, and indifferent but actually treasonous when it comes to Russia? More and more high-profile people are saying so. He’s acting like “a Russian…
BLOG

Post #211: At Home and Abroad, Trump Abandons Human Rights (Part 2)

16 Jul 201814 Jul 2018
(Note: This is the continuation of Post #210, published July 7. The full version is available in The Asia-Pacific Journal/Japan Focus, https://apjjf.org/2018/15/Gurtov.html. Deceptive Reporting Discussion in the Trump administration of…
APB

“Gangsterism” or “Progress”? Examining North Korea’s Latest Statement on Denuclearization

9 Jul 20188 Jul 2018
Most US news reports are suggesting that the North Koreans may be backtracking on their commitment to denuclearization,calling the US position “gangster-like” following the visit of Secretary of State Mike…
BLOG

Post #210: At Home and Abroad, Trump Abandons Human Rights (Part 1)

7 Jul 20187 Jul 2018
In January 1941, with the prospect looming of US involvement in another European war, President Franklin Roosevelt spoke of America’s purpose in the world: to protect and promote “four freedoms.”…
BLOG

Post #209: After Singapore, is Iran the Next US Target?

23 Jun 201822 Jun 2018
Predictably, both sides at the Singapore summit are claiming victory. Kim Jong-un, having shared the stage with Donald Trump, can say that North Korea is now recognized de facto as…
BLOG

Post #208: What Happened? Assessing the Singapore Summit

13 Jun 201813 Jun 2018
“Peace and prosperity,” “lasting and stable peace,” “peace regime,” “denuclearization,” “new US-DPRK relations”—these fine words and phrases dominate the joint statement of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. Yet it’s difficult…
BLOG

Post #207: Trump’s War on the Poor: An Impeachable Offense

6 Jun 20187 Jul 2018
Were it not for the source, it would hardly be news to learn that the United States can’t take care of its most needy—that it may be the richest country,…
APB

Who Is Kim Yong-chol?

30 May 2018
General Kim Yong-chol is arriving in New York to discuss North Korea’s denuclearization with top US officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo whom Kim has met twice. The meetings…
BLOG

Post #206: In Iran and North Korea, China Holds Some Cards

25 May 201825 May 2018
Donald Trump made his television reputation by telling people “You’re fired.” The same bullying approach now substitutes for his international diplomacy, with Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran…
APB

Who’s To Blame if the US-North Korea Summit Isn’t Held?

16 May 201817 May 2018
Virtually everyone in the US faults North Korea for threatening to cancel the Trump-Kim summit scheduled for June 12 in Singapore. No one, including the liberal media, bothers to address…

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