Beginning

Friends, family, and fans... I have returned to the blogosphere.

I'm preparing to spend the next 10 months doing Fulbright research in Vietnam, moving between Hanoi and Saigon in search of answers to the transcendental questions I established two years ago. Yes, I know it's been two years, and no, my questions (why are companies flooding the Vietnamese economy with investment? will foreign direct investment foster political change in Vietnam?) aren't that difficult. But hey, the Fulbright people thought enough of them to sponsor me, so I'm packing my bags and digging even deeper. I hope you'll come along for the ride.

My research project will examine how foreign investors -- notoriously attentive to sociopolitical nuance and traditionally averse to the sort of uncertainty inherent in authoritarian societies -- influence Vietnamese economic policy through their dealings with the Communist government. I'll be spending the first part of my fellowship at Vietnam National University in Hanoi and the second in downtown Saigon (location TBD -- tips and offers appreciated!)

A lot's happened since I last updated my blog. I've written a thesis, which I'll soon make available online, about the relationship between American companies and the Vietnamese government. I've (sort of) learned Vietnamese through instruction at the University of Florida, and I've completed an internship in the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution (fantasy land for nerds... like me). My family now resides in West Bloomfield, Michigan where my father owns and operates a meatpacking plant. My sister, Jamie, just finished her freshman year at Indiana University, and I've deferred my admission to the Master's Program at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Alright, now that that's settled...

Next time.

I miss you, em!