ARTICLES by John Barham
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1.LESSONS LEARNED IN THE MIDDLE EAST:
The first in a series of articles on Saudi Arabia and it’s position in the Middle East
It was the late summer of 78, and after six weeks of traveling through Turkey and Iran, I had just returned to the university town in the South where I taught as a tenured associate professor of history...
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2.LESSONS LEARNED IN THE MIDDLE EAST: An Awakening
The second in a series of articles on Saudi Arabia and it’s position in the Middle East
As a newly arrived expatriate in Saudi Arabia in 1978, I could not escape a feeling of newness. Owing to the construction that one encountered almost everywhere in Riyadh, the skyline of the city was...
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3.ISLAM AND THE BRUTALITY OF SHARIA LAW: Will the United States tread the path of Europe?
The Islamic Republic of Iran, which had been lobbying hard earlier this year to join such steadfast defenders of liberty and freedom as the Russian Federation, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan...
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4.FROM MY ARRIVAL IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA TO A MOSQUE BESIDE GROUND ZERO:
30 years of observing Islamic peace and love
Although the nearly 13-hour flight out of New York’s JFK Airport was uneventful, I found myself somewhat apprehensive as my Saudi Airlines flight prepared to land in Riyadh. Despite having spent a few weeks...
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5.RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AT GROUND ZERO: History interpreted as challenge & cyclical process
As a wet-behind-the-ears undergraduate during the 1960”s, there were certain theorists, historians and philosophers that together had the effect of forming my understanding of history and how events-from one...
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6.LA FRONTERA SANGROSA: Time to reconsider U.S. drug policy?
Although the Calderon government in Mexico claims that 28,000 individuals have died during the four years that Mexico has waged war against the drug cartels, keen observers along the border feel that the number...
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7.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH - LAS ZONAS DE TOLERANCIA, or BOYS TOWNS:
La Frontera and the oldest profession
During the Texas gubernatorial campaign of 1990, wealthy Republican oil-man and rancher Clayton Williams was quite early enjoying a 20-point lead in the opinion polls over Democratic standard bearer Ann Williams...
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8.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH - CURANDISMO, BRUJERIA & BORDER CULTURE: Part 1
The Nino Fidencio
Brownsville”s Market Square, which dates to the 1850’s, is surrounded by some of the oldest buildings in south Texas, and it’s shade makes it a nice place to rest on a typically scorching day in late summer...
9. NORTH LOOKING SOUTH - THE DARK SIDE: Palo Moyombe, Santeria, Drugs and Death
The Matamoros Murders of 1989
A Second Column on Curandismo, Brujeria & Border Culture
Spring break in South Texas centers on the beaches of South Padre Island, where annually more than 100,000 students, largely from the Midwestern and Southern colleges and universities, make the month of...
10. NORTH LOOKING SOUTH - GUNS ALONG THE BORDER:
Drugs move North & Weapons go South
When a vehicle pulls up to one of the international bridges in Brownsville in order to enter Mexico, one of the first things noticed is a huge sign warning of the dire consequences of crossing into Mexico with guns. And...
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11.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH - A FEBRUARY REVELATION BY THE LEGION OF CHRIST: A crisis of
faith for Mexico, A crisis of confidence for Benedict XVI
The success of Dan Brown’s DA VINCI CODE and the subsequent film version of the novel focused a great deal of public attention on the enigmatic Roman Catholic organization called Opus Dei. Composed of both...
12. A REVIEW: SAM OGLESBY, POSTCARDS FROM THE PAST: Portraits of People and Places
Sam Oglesby, a retired diplomat and international civil servant for the United Nations and the U.S. State Department, most recently contributed to Atencion with his article on Oaxaca in the August 25th edition...
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14.JOSE MARIA MORELOS: A perilous divide in Mexican History November 24, 2006
For those living in the Bajio it is quite natural that much of the history of the Revolutionary movement that began in 1810 is concentrated on Padre Hidalgo and Ignacio Allende...
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15.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: July 28, 2006
In last Tuesday’s addition of Excelsior, in the “Codigo” section, a staff article on child-sex abuse in Mexico quoted Ana Rosa Payan, the director of the National System for the Essential Care of the Family...
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16.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: Oaxaca: The Face of Tomorrow? August 11, 2006
With peaceful but massive demonstrations taking place in Mexico City, many are awaiting the September decision by the Electoral Tribunal as to what candidate will take the office of the presidency...
17. NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: JUNE 9, 2006
Is there a future for globalization in Latin America? A major tenant of globalization is that open markets and the free flow of capital, drawn by competitive labor pools and resources...
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18.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: Oil, Congressional sparks likely to fly in 2007: July 28, 2006
Recently while skimming through the pages of an American business journal, I noticed that the Baker Energy Corporation of Houston, Texas, had been awarded a contract from Grupo Delta...
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19.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: Some reflections on the 2006 election: July 21, 2006
The 2006 election has come and gone, and by the narrowest of margins in what was a down-to -the-wire-cliff-hanger, the PAN’S Felipe Calderon has seemingly emerged as the winner...
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20.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: NAFTA 12 years later: June 16, 2006
After it’s signing in 1992 by George H.W.Bush, Carlos Salinas de Gotari and Brian Mulroney, the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect on January 1, 1994. Significantly...
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21.DOWN TO THE WIRE: Mexican Politics at a Crossroads: June 23, 2006
Polls after the second and final presidential debate on June 6, showed the PAN’S Felipe Calderon ejoying an extremely slight advantage over PRD rival Andres Manuel Lopez...
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22.THE INCONSISTENCY OF AMERICA’S INVASION OF IRAQ: March 21, 2007
With 4 years gone by since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, I, like many other Americans have been pondering the motives for the invasion which were given by the George W. Bush...
23. NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: History as a Cyclical Process: August 25, 2006
When I was a young history major during the 1960’s, a couple of significant works had the effect of forming my understanding of the development of history and how events from one generation...
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24.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: Some Thoughts on Poverty and the Mexican Economy:
December 15, 2006
Last week in an act reminiscent of the Lazaro Cardenas presidency of the 1930’s, Mexico’s new president, Felipe Calderon, announced that he and his cabinet members would take 10% cuts in pay...
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25.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: Some Thoughts on Women and the Mexican Economy:
December 8, 2006
Last Friday, 44-year-old Felipe Calderon was inaugurated as president of Mexico. Virtually all observers of the Mexican political scene agree that the challenges facing the new president...
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26.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: Can Mexico become a Latin American Powerhouse?:
November 17, 2006
Last week, while combing the pages of various Mexican dailies, many of the lead stories focused on the lineup of president Felipe Calderon’s economic team...
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27.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: Why the Republicans Lost the November 7 Election:
November 17, 2006
When I was a youngster growing up in Missouri, my father explained to me in no uncertain terms that individuals who exalt and parade their own religiosity are usually charlatans..
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28.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: Adios Saddam: A Consideration of Saddam Hussein and
George W. Bush: January 19, 2007
During a six-year stay in the Middle East, I had the opportunity to visit Baghdad and Mosul in Iraq. It was a time just before the Iran-Iraq war, and my main impression was...
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29.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH: Militant Christian Fundamentalism and American Foreign Policy:
April 20, 2007
Growing up in a denomination in the American “Bible Belt” that was fundamentalist and evangelical, I was exposed quite early to many who espoused a literal interpretation of scripture...
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30.NORTH LOOKING SOUTH:Going Postal at the Border: June 20, 2006
Running a fairly high fever with a sore throat and clogged ears, after an all night bus ride, I was not looking forward to hoofing it across the old Brownsville-Matamoros bridge recently...
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31.CINCO DE MAYO: Cultural Amnesia North of the Border
With the Hispanic population of the United States estimated to account for up to 14% of the total population, Cinco de Mayo has become a major holiday north of the border...
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32.LESSONS LEARNED IN THE MIDDLE EAST: EGYPT
During my first year as a faculty member and administrator of King Saud University in Riyadh, I took up a new athletic endeavor - squash. The university had completed a new athletic complex...
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33.LESSONS LEARNED IN THE MIDDLE EAST:THE HOUSE OF SAUD: PART I
Living in the absolute monarchy that is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can be a challenging experience. Thus my first year at King Saud University in Riyadh not only found me in a demanding work setting, but also on...
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34.LESSONS LEARNED IN THE MIDDLE EAST: THE HOUSE OF SAUD: PART II
By the early 1920”s, Abdulaziz was for all intents and purposes King of the Najd. Although he had finally destroyed the Rashid family’s political power, he preferred rather than to immediately assume the title...