Articles by DN

Eqbal Ahmed argued that "armed struggle was supremely unsuited to the Palestinian condition" and that "it was a mistake to put so much emphasis on it". He emphasised the principle of morally isolating the enemy and of choosing methods of struggle that would accomplish this aim. The objective was to expose the contradictions between Israel's claim to victimhood and its suppression of the Palestinians. Eqbal Ahmed spoke about his proposal a number of times to Arafat, but Arafat did nothing. The last time he visited Palestine, shortly before his death, Arafat did not even meet him.

In China the phase of rapid growth was based on agriculture and other on-farm production which both reduced rural poverty and provided surpluses for industrial investment. But agriculture quickly came up against the barrier of diminishing returns - in the absence of technological change - and capital began to be diverted to other, more profitable investment activities. How has this drain of savings from rural to urban areas been reversed?

Social structures are crucial in determining who is able to access any technology and use it beneficially. While making new information and communication technologies (ICTs) cheap will make them more accessible to the poor, there will be other factors which determine their impact. The current low penetration of ICTs is a reflection of the digital divide in overcoming which there is no way to bypass a confrontation of low educational levels, which itself is linked to landlessness.

Notes on South-East and East Asian Crisis DN THE economic crisis that has been sweeping large parts of south-east and east Asia has already taken a high human toll in terms of job losses and falling incomes. Of course, the rich across the region have also lost subs- tantial portions of their wealth and income, Bangkok has become famous for its new week-end 'flea market' of the rich, where you can buy anything from fancy watches and jewellery to pleasure boats and light aircraft. One need shed no tears for those whose fortunes have been diminished. But millions have been pushed into unemployment or have found their incomes falling. An ILO report (1998) on the social impact of the economic crisis points out that women and migrants figure disproportionately among the victims. The youth passing out of high school and even college suddenly find that the job market has literally evaporated, The anger at those who built fortunes while the going was good and still continue to profit from misery has exploded into wide- spread struggles against the Suharto regime in Indonesia. In South Korea militant trade unions and students have been repeatedly clashing with the police. While the rest of south-east Asia and east Asia has not seen the kind of widespread turmoil in Indonesia or even South Korea, nevertheless everywhere one can sense a loss of faith in the established systems of government and business.

Impressions of a Visit to Yunnan Yunnan is one of the most backward provinces of China and it was instructive to note what could be seen in this backwater of the possibilities of capitalist development.