Category Archives: international development

Review of Peter Hessler’s River Town

Posted on March 27, 2013 by hnbjr

Peter Hessler was a Peace Corps volunteer in Sichuan in 1996-1998 and his book chronicling his life there, River Town, is an excellent Peace Corps memoir. Even though I can’t think of a place more different from Macedonia, where I served, … Continue reading →

Posted in america, Balkans, Chinese, education, international development, macedonia | Leave a comment

Italy and Refugees

Posted on March 28, 2011 by hnbjr

As Italy struggles to accept massive flows of refugees from the Arab Spring, one hopes that the G7 country has learned something in last 20 years.  As Berlusconi’s channel report that the refugees are complaining about the quality of food … Continue reading →

Posted in decline of empire, human rights, il cav, immigration, international development, international justice, italy, lega nord, libya, maroni, the italian left, the italian right | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Song for the New Breed

Posted on February 28, 2011 by hnbjr

Rory Stewart‘s The Places in Between, an account of his walk through Afghanistan in 2002, is every bit as good as critics say it is. (I can’t remember the last time when I read a book that proudly announced that … Continue reading →

Posted in afghanistan, international development, UN | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment