The assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem and The front

Abstract

King prawns bristle at the rim

Of his glass, curled in a show of red

Around fresh lettuce and mayonnaise.

He dabbles the fingerbowl, brushing off

The odd pieces and whiskers. As wine

Is served, a small carp appears

Out of air in a bowl of aspic.     

《源氏物语》与《蜻蛉日记》之间关系探微

《源氏物语》与《蜻蛉日记》两部文学作品之间关系密切,《源氏物语》是《蜻蛉日记》的继承、扬弃与超越。本论从两位女性作家的执笔动机、文论观念、女性意识3个方面推考两部著作的内在联系。两部作品中的若干相同与相似重申了被男性主流文学掠过边缘经典女流文学的价值,正是这一边缘经典文学更为真实记录了当时社会现状、女性思想、男女的情感生活,两位女性作家的叙事才情更是勿容忽视。     

The Indonesian crisis and beyond

The crisis in Indonesia is first and foremost a political crisis that has been exposed and complicated by the financial crisis, says Jusuf Wanandi, Chairman of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta. The riots of 14 and 15 May 1998 forced President Soeharto to transfer power to his vice‐president, B. J. Habibie. However, because Habibie lacks credibility and legitimacy as a leader, he has been considered from the outset a transition figure. There is great hope that the general elections in June 1999 will solve the questions about the legitimacy of the government, and restore stability, security, and economic development throughout Indonesia, but there are still many obstacles to overcome if the elections are to be held on schedule. Furthermore, if the election results are not deemed fair, a political upheaval will likely occur. Indonesia, Wanandi says, cannot afford any further mistakes.     

Jordan and The Peace Process

The following speech by HRH Crown Prince Hassan of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was delivered by Jawad Anani, Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs, in Washington, D.C., on September 26,1994, at a meeting sponsored by the Middle East Policy Council.     

The country and the cities

Labour migration between countries such as Indonesia and Hong Kong needs to be contextualised within the general patterns of movement throughout the Asian region. These patterns are long term, but accelerated in the late colonial period. As well as physical mobility, such patterns of movement involve cultural and even social forms of mobility. They should be seen as continuous with processes of urbanisation, particularly the formation of “urban corridors” where the distinction between “country” and “city” has increasingly become blurred.     

The Hadhramaut and its past

Sir Aurel Stein: Archaeological Explorer. By Jeannette Mirsky. Chicago and London, Chicago University Press, 1977. Pp. 547. Maps. Illus. Bibliog. Notes. Index. $17.50.     

The Liberals and Vietnam1

How did the Menzies Governments of the early to mid 1960s arrive at the position of sending Australian troops to Vietnam? During the 1950s, Menzies, and especially his External Affairs Minister Richard Casey, developed an appreciation of the strategic significance of Indochina, but struggled to view the conflict in Vietnam in ways other than through Cold War lenses. By the 1960s too, Britain's capacity to demonstrate a lead for Australia in foreign policy for the region was diminishing with its power, and the Menzies Governments were mindful of the need to support an American preparedness to intervene in Southeast Asia against communist‐led forces. This logic became more compelling in the face of Indonesia's “Confrontation” with Malaysia from 1963. As a result, the Liberals were not reluctant to support US military intervention in the region, in Vietnam.