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Law, politics and labour -- Issues and Experts
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September 08, 2004
Will the long arm of the law take hold?...In a precedent-setting legal case, a Vancouver man is being tried in Canada for alleged sex crimes involving child prostitution committed in another country. The law was introduced seven years ago to punish those who sexually abuse children, including child prostitutes, while outside Canada. This case is the first application of the law. While Neil Boyd has written extensively about pornography, John Lowman is an expert on prostitution. The two SFU criminologists can comment on the likelihood of this law sticking in court, and the defendant's alleged human rights issues.
Understanding the Middle East cauldron of politics…SFU historian, and expert on Middle Eastern politics, Bill Cleveland takes the reader into the cauldron of politics swirling in the Middle East in A History of the Modern Middle East, the third edition. Cleveland's new book, published by Westview Press, makes timely links between events and issues of the recent past and contemporary developments. Cleveland correlates the prolonged aftermath of the United States' 1991 attack on Iraq to its invasion and current occupation of the Middle Eastern country. He also examines the impact of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in the U.S. on American foreign policy in the Middle East, and offers a critical analysis of American actions in Iraq up to the summer of 2003.
Lessons to be learned from the Scots…Although many Canadians may find it hard to relate to the Scots' custom of wearing kilts and eating haggis, they may find lessons to be learned in Scots' silvicultural and intercultural history. Two lectures, to be delivered by T.C. Smout on Thursday, September 16 at SFU, will delve into these subjects. The coordinator of SFU's centre for Scottish studies, Harry McGrath, can elaborate on how Smout's upcoming talks relate to B.C. and Canada. Making Scotland a Little Bit Like Canada: Forestry in Britain in the Twentieth Century will discuss the impact of the introduction of Pacific North-West conifers into Britain's and Scotland's landscape in the 19th century. Four Centuries of Anglo-Scottish Union will trace the strains and successes of the 1707 union of Scotland and England, and the eventual redefinition of the union -- not unlike Anglo-French relations in Canada. Smout is a professor emeritus of Scottish history and a well-known historiographer.
- Neil Boyd, 604.291.3324, 1.604.947.9569, neil_boyd@sfu.caJohn Lowman, 60.-291.3185, john_lowman@sfu.ca
Understanding the Middle East cauldron of politics…SFU historian, and expert on Middle Eastern politics, Bill Cleveland takes the reader into the cauldron of politics swirling in the Middle East in A History of the Modern Middle East, the third edition. Cleveland's new book, published by Westview Press, makes timely links between events and issues of the recent past and contemporary developments. Cleveland correlates the prolonged aftermath of the United States' 1991 attack on Iraq to its invasion and current occupation of the Middle Eastern country. He also examines the impact of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in the U.S. on American foreign policy in the Middle East, and offers a critical analysis of American actions in Iraq up to the summer of 2003.
- Bill Cleveland, 604.291.5815, clevelan@sfu.ca
New study scapegoats labour movement…SFU historian Mark Leier is panning a new study done by the Fraser Institute, a right-leaning economic think tank. The Institute recently surveyed job markets in 50 American states and 10 Canadian provinces. Its study concluded that Canada's strong unions and large public sector are responsible for the country having weaker job markets than the United States. Leier notes several factors indicate the Fraser Institute is turning unions into scapegoats. “The economic sectors that are growing are service sectors, high-tech and other sectors that are hard to organize and have little tradition of unionization.” He adds the decline of resource-based industries have actually resulted in thousands of unionized workers losing their jobs and having to retrain in industries that are not traditionally unionized.
- Mark Leier, 604.291.5827, mark_leier@sfu.ca
Lessons to be learned from the Scots…Although many Canadians may find it hard to relate to the Scots' custom of wearing kilts and eating haggis, they may find lessons to be learned in Scots' silvicultural and intercultural history. Two lectures, to be delivered by T.C. Smout on Thursday, September 16 at SFU, will delve into these subjects. The coordinator of SFU's centre for Scottish studies, Harry McGrath, can elaborate on how Smout's upcoming talks relate to B.C. and Canada. Making Scotland a Little Bit Like Canada: Forestry in Britain in the Twentieth Century will discuss the impact of the introduction of Pacific North-West conifers into Britain's and Scotland's landscape in the 19th century. Four Centuries of Anglo-Scottish Union will trace the strains and successes of the 1707 union of Scotland and England, and the eventual redefinition of the union -- not unlike Anglo-French relations in Canada. Smout is a professor emeritus of Scottish history and a well-known historiographer.
- Harry McGrath, 604.268.6810, hmcgrath@sfu.ca