Running on the treadmill and listening to Bush's speech and the following press conference, I could not stop wondering about trying to impose Western [American?] structures and values on a millenniums old Middle Eastern culture. Although it may seem like an odd connection, I keep thinking about this article I ran across recently: Qatar trials robot substitute for child camel jockeys. Do we really understand the beliefs and value structure of their society? Can a western style democracy work?
Further reading:
Hooves of thunder
Camel races (State of Quatar, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Camel races (Doha Online network)
Camel races in the Middle East - the camel jockeys are child slaves
Kidnapped children sold into slavery as camel racers
Death in the desert for Pakistan's camel children
Father fights to keep son out of hands of camel jockeys
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