March 25, 2010 at 2:15 pm
French President Nicolas Sarkozy (r.) is being challenged from within his own party by former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin (l.). The challenge could split Sarkozy’s ruling conservative party in the 2012 elections. International relations Professor William Keylor reminds that Villepin was the aristocratic French foreign minister who scolded U.S. Secretary of State Powell during the U.N. debate over the Iraq war.
“The contrast in style between the two rivals within the French conservative ranks could not be more striking — it’s like a pedigreed poodle challenging a pit bull.”
Contact William Keylor, 617-358-0197, wrkeylor@bu.edu
March 25, 2010 at 6:00 am
Award-winning chef, television personality and author Jacques Pepin will host “Food and Memory: Biography, Autobiography, and Film”, a panel discussion, reception, and screening of Nora Ephron’s film Julie & Julia today at 6:00 PM at Metcalf Hall (2nd floor of the George Shurman Union, 775 Commonwealth Avenue). The panel discussion and film screening will explore the genres of biography and autobiography and discuss the influence of Julia Child, co-founder of Boston University's Culinary Arts Program. The event is open to the public. To register, call 617-353-9852.
March 24, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Reports say North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is indeed ill, suffering from kidney failure requiring dialysis. International Relations Professor William Keylor, an authority on U.S. foreign policy, says the absence of a system of succession could become a critical obstacle to the resumption of the six-party nuclear disarmament talks.
"Reports of discontent within the North Korean ruling elite suggest that if the Kim Jong-Il becomes incapacitated and attempts to transfer authority to the number three son, there may be an attempt to prevent the transfer of power. That could mean a brutal struggle for succession."
Contact William Keylor, 617-358-0197, wrkeylor@bu.edu
March 24, 2010 at 10:21 am
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu got a cool reception from the Obama White House, as a dispute over new housing settlements in East Jerusalem continues to roil U.S.-Israeli relations. International Relations Professor Augustus Richard Norton, a Middle-East authority, says in his blog that Netanyahu operates within an ideology that basically rejects a two-state solution with the Palestinians and more Israelis are getting uncomfortable with that attitude.
“Notwithstanding Netanyahu's embrace by some congresspeople, one of the promising developments since the Biden slap has been evidence of growing unease in Israel about Netanyahu's leadership. A wise U.S. President will not do anything to reduce the doubts.”
Contact Augustus Richard Norton, 617-353-7808, arn@bu.edu
March 24, 2010 at 8:00 am
The Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center will host a Dance Spotlight with the Boston Ballet tonight at 7:00 PM in the Tsai Performance Center (685 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston). The event will include an advanced look at Boston Ballet’s upcoming production of Jiri Kylian’s Black and White including excerpts from the world’s foremost contemporary choreographer. The evening will also include discussions with the artists and is free and open to the public.
March 23, 2010 at 10:22 am
U.S. "Pay Czar" Ken Feinberg is writing all 419 firms that took taxpayer bailout money -- not just the big seven taking TARP bucks -- seeking to review their executive compensation, and maybe asking for some bucks back. Law Professor Cornelius Hurley, director of the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law, says the deep review is appropriate and fair.
"Whether or not his legal mandate extends to the particulars of the grants made, his capacity to ‘name and shame’ should be exercised to the fullest in any instances where executives were rewarded for the very acts that endangered their companies."
Contact Cornelius Hurley, 617-353-5427, ckhurley@bu.edu
March 23, 2010 at 8:53 am
After Internet search giant Google redirected millions of Chinese users too its uncensored Web site in Hong Kong, the Chinese government countered by blocking access to the alternate site. Political science and international relations Professor Joseph Fewsmith, a China expert, says move by the government that insists on censorship wasn't a surprise.
"I'm surprised Google thought there was room to negotiate on that [censorship] point."
Contact Joseph Fewsmith, 617-353-6344, fewsmith@bu.edu
March 22, 2010 at 11:17 am
President Obama said it was answering "the call to history" when the House passed the Senate's version of healthcare reform and sent the bill to his desk for signing. Political Science Professor Graham Wilson, author of "Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Perspective," says GOP unity in opposition shows how far right the party has moved on domestic policy since the days of Richard Nixon.
"But the situation so baffling to citizens of other democracies in which the United States was the only advanced democracy in the world that did not have health insurance for all its citizens is over."
Contact Graham Wilson, 617-353-2540, gkwilson@bu.edu
March 19, 2010 at 3:33 pm
Ex-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has acknowledged the Fed's failure to grasp the magnitude of the housing bubble, but offered some policy prescriptions to avoid another crash. Economics Professor Laurence Kotlikoff, whose new book "Jimmy Stewart is Dead" is about bankings's future, applauds Greenspan for saying banks should have to hold bonds that automatically covert to equity when capital falls below a certain threshold.
"That's a big step toward ‘Limited Purpose Banking,’ which I've been proposing and which Bank of England Governor Mervyn King is very strongly considering."
Contact Laurence Kotlikoff, 617-353-4002, kotlikoff@bu.edu
March 19, 2010 at 11:46 am
The Washington Post reports the U.S. military cyberattacked and shut down a joint Saudi-CIA Web site which had been set up to uncover terror plots in Saudi Arabia. The military said it was putting Americans at risk. International relations Professor Joseph Wippl, a 30-year CIA operations officer, says the shutdown could have been more tactful by informing the Saudis, but it's not a surprise.
"The military will always expose any clandestine operation and ignore consequences to the operation if U.S. lives could be in jeopardy. It's the gorilla in the room."
Contact Joseph Wippl, 617-353-8992, jwippl@bu.edu
