After careful reflection of the issues discussed this schoolyear, I have come to conclude that the central theme of the issues is stability. This showed up in almost every issue in a different and unique way. Sometimes it was a lack of stability that drew our attention to a particular issue, like the Arab Israeli conflict. This world issue consumed the majority of our course, and it was clear through the AIC simulation that what the region needed ultimately was stability. Other things have to be achieved in the region as well, like peace, equality and understanding, but the eventual result of all of these other achievements is stability. The end goal for the region is stability. Another way that stability made its way into the other issues was instability as a means to eventually achieve stability. I know this sounds strange, but it is the best way to describe the revolutions in the Middle East. The main places that we studied this year were Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. All three of these countries fought against their long time oppressors- therefore putting the country into varying states of disarray. However, these were all in order to eventually get to a better place than before, a place of democracy, freedom, and most importantly a place of stability.
The goal of most people is to live a good life surrounded by good people and a good government. It is what the majority of Canadians enjoy, and it is something a lot of countries seek to achieve. Even the death of bin Laden gave us a glimpse of the stability the world wants to see in terms of the destruction of al-Quaida. While the death of one man certainly does not mean terrorism is even close to being eradicated, the death of this particular man represented a great start and a promising path in the fight against terror.
Monday, May 16, 2011
World Issues Impact
Participating in a class such as World Issues has really impacted how I approach and think about issues. It is easy to hear about an issue, react based on if it is "bad" or good" and shelve it without much thought. Before this course, that is how I approached a lot of scenarios. This class has changed that for me. We spent a lot of time discussing with eachother, and I got to hear many different opinions from a variety of backgrounds and beliefs. Participating in discussions like this has helped me to realize that things are rarely as simple as "bad" or "good" and that there are different sides to every situation.
I used to think that if a situation was dire enough, someone else would act, someone more important could have more of an impact, and that one person can't change anything on their own. This is clearly not the case, as we have learned from various case studies. The exact opposite is true, actually, because without the starting point of one person taking a stand, a group would never form.
An aspect of this class that I will probably never forget is the political atmosphere we were immersed in. Before this class I knew the general principles that each party stood for, I knew what my parents believed in and voted based on, and I was looking to establish this for myself. It is very fitting that I turned 18 over the course of this year, and I was able to carefully take in a lot of what was debated on in class, forming my own opinion in the process. It was through this balance of listening and asking questions that I was able to feel informed enough to vote for the first time in a very memorable election.
I used to think that if a situation was dire enough, someone else would act, someone more important could have more of an impact, and that one person can't change anything on their own. This is clearly not the case, as we have learned from various case studies. The exact opposite is true, actually, because without the starting point of one person taking a stand, a group would never form.
An aspect of this class that I will probably never forget is the political atmosphere we were immersed in. Before this class I knew the general principles that each party stood for, I knew what my parents believed in and voted based on, and I was looking to establish this for myself. It is very fitting that I turned 18 over the course of this year, and I was able to carefully take in a lot of what was debated on in class, forming my own opinion in the process. It was through this balance of listening and asking questions that I was able to feel informed enough to vote for the first time in a very memorable election.
The Death of bin Laden
As everyone knows, Osama bin Laden was found and subsequently killed earlier this month. I won't rehash the specifics in fear of sounding redundant, but it is important to note that this was an American operation that had been planned since August of 2010. It was kept very much under wraps until helicopters descended on bin Laden's hiding spot in Pakistan- a large, guarded and fenced compound.
Osama bin Laden had to be kept in hiding for the majority of these ten years since 9/11, and for this reason he could not directly lead al-Quaida missions or operations like he had in the past. He was more of a figurehead for the organization than a real leader. Because of this, his death may not impact anything directly in terms of the war itself. However, I think that bin Laden's death does have a huge impact on society and its outlook on the War on Terror. Although it is becoming evident that bin Laden didn't have a leadership role in al-Quaida for quite some time, the fact that the man behind the horrific attacks of September 11th 2001 is dead sends a powerful message to the world. It is clear that America never gave up, and all of their efforts came to fruition, even if it did take ten years. Attitudes definitely changed after the news hit America. For example, Obama's approval ratings shot up following bin Laden's death. Some are saying that it is directly due to this that Obama may have a shot at a second term. That in itself is a significant impact, not only for American but for the rest of the world as well, because the identity of the leader of the free world impacts us all.
The War on Terror, however, will continue on. Realistically, al-Quaida has been operating independent of bin Laden for a decade. However, American spirits may be up, morale is definitely higher, and this feat may kickstart even more successes. Al-Quaida could really take this either way. They may be discouraged or even afraid after the death of their ultimate leader, or they may take this as fuel for their fire and fight back harder than ever. Only time will tell at this point, but it is clear that the world is definitely different now that Osama bin Laden is dead. For many in my generation, this has a huge impact because we were only around 8 when 9/11 occurred. We have never really known a world without hearing things about Al-Quaida and Osama bin Laden, and his death is definitely momentous for a lot of people.
Osama bin Laden had to be kept in hiding for the majority of these ten years since 9/11, and for this reason he could not directly lead al-Quaida missions or operations like he had in the past. He was more of a figurehead for the organization than a real leader. Because of this, his death may not impact anything directly in terms of the war itself. However, I think that bin Laden's death does have a huge impact on society and its outlook on the War on Terror. Although it is becoming evident that bin Laden didn't have a leadership role in al-Quaida for quite some time, the fact that the man behind the horrific attacks of September 11th 2001 is dead sends a powerful message to the world. It is clear that America never gave up, and all of their efforts came to fruition, even if it did take ten years. Attitudes definitely changed after the news hit America. For example, Obama's approval ratings shot up following bin Laden's death. Some are saying that it is directly due to this that Obama may have a shot at a second term. That in itself is a significant impact, not only for American but for the rest of the world as well, because the identity of the leader of the free world impacts us all.
The War on Terror, however, will continue on. Realistically, al-Quaida has been operating independent of bin Laden for a decade. However, American spirits may be up, morale is definitely higher, and this feat may kickstart even more successes. Al-Quaida could really take this either way. They may be discouraged or even afraid after the death of their ultimate leader, or they may take this as fuel for their fire and fight back harder than ever. Only time will tell at this point, but it is clear that the world is definitely different now that Osama bin Laden is dead. For many in my generation, this has a huge impact because we were only around 8 when 9/11 occurred. We have never really known a world without hearing things about Al-Quaida and Osama bin Laden, and his death is definitely momentous for a lot of people.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Middle East Revolution
Throughout the past few months, a complete revolution has occurred in the Middle East. Many dicatorships have fallen and fled, many oppressed people have risen up, risking everything they have, even their lives, all for the sake of democracy. What ended up being a huge, historical uprising, started in Tunisia due to high unemployment, corruption, lack of many freedoms including free speech, and poor living conditions. This resulted in many deaths and injuries, and ultimately led to the exile of Ben Ali, who had been ruling the country for over two decades.
Once the Tunisian revolt was underway, big changes occurred in Egypt. The world watched in awe as Egyptians followed suit and major revolutions were sparked through a facebook page. The social media site allowed protestors to congregate and carry out peaceful protests. It started out small, with a few people in the main square, and it grew in overwhelming numbers until supporters of President Mubarak fought back, turning the protests violent. On February 11th, President Mubarak fled as it was made clear that the protests could not be quelled and his rule had crumbled.
Following this success, anti-government protests started up in Libya four days later. Within a few days, the rebels controlled the majority of Benghazi, which is the second largest city in the country. Troops were dispatched and repelled. Thousands of people had already been killed by this point. Soon after this, protests spread to the capital city of Tripoli, which prompted a television address by the leader Gaddafi, who warned protestors to cease or their efforts would lead to a civil war. Fighting kept going, however, because it was clear that if the protestors stopped fighting, they would be murdered by Gaddafi's men. They had put everything on the line and there was no going back from here. Government forces have been slowly gaining back territory, and in March the UN put in a no fly zone over Libya. Once it was in place and international forces had started bombing pro-Gadaffi assets, rebel forces quickly moved along the northern seaboard. However, pro-government forces have retaken a lot of cities, forcing the rebels to withdraw quite a bit. This story continues to develop and will surely have an unprecedented turn out no matter what ends up happening.
Once the Tunisian revolt was underway, big changes occurred in Egypt. The world watched in awe as Egyptians followed suit and major revolutions were sparked through a facebook page. The social media site allowed protestors to congregate and carry out peaceful protests. It started out small, with a few people in the main square, and it grew in overwhelming numbers until supporters of President Mubarak fought back, turning the protests violent. On February 11th, President Mubarak fled as it was made clear that the protests could not be quelled and his rule had crumbled.
Following this success, anti-government protests started up in Libya four days later. Within a few days, the rebels controlled the majority of Benghazi, which is the second largest city in the country. Troops were dispatched and repelled. Thousands of people had already been killed by this point. Soon after this, protests spread to the capital city of Tripoli, which prompted a television address by the leader Gaddafi, who warned protestors to cease or their efforts would lead to a civil war. Fighting kept going, however, because it was clear that if the protestors stopped fighting, they would be murdered by Gaddafi's men. They had put everything on the line and there was no going back from here. Government forces have been slowly gaining back territory, and in March the UN put in a no fly zone over Libya. Once it was in place and international forces had started bombing pro-Gadaffi assets, rebel forces quickly moved along the northern seaboard. However, pro-government forces have retaken a lot of cities, forcing the rebels to withdraw quite a bit. This story continues to develop and will surely have an unprecedented turn out no matter what ends up happening.
Japan- March Break News
On March 11th 2011, Japan was struck with a huge earthquake. It was a 8.9 magnitude earthquake, which is almost unimaginable. In order to put this scale in perspective, it needs to be known that a magnitude-8.9 earthquake releasesover 100 times more energy than a magnitude-7.5 quake does.This sort of earthquake was a huge surprise to the area.The earthquake occurred 130 kilometers east of Sendai and 373 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, along the boundary between two tectonic plates, where the Pacific plate is being drawn under the Japanese islands. As if this wasn't devastating enough- soon after the quake hit, a 23 foot tsunami was triggered. It killed hundreds and swept away cars, homes, buildingd and boats. For a place as structurally developed as Japan, the effects were devastating. The cooling systems of several reactors went off line, adding another layer of worry to people in Japan and across the world. This increases the risk for long term health issues stemming from radiation, something we have seen in different areas of the world, including Chernobyl, but it has never been on such a large scale before. This was definitely the biggest news story for the first week of our March Break.
Wikileaks
Wikileaks has been in the news quite a bit this school year. This is of course, the website which holds a number of supposedly "secret" documents from various governments and agencies. The site is aimed at exposing any discretions or plans the authorities are attempting to withhold from public knowledge. While this sounds like a good idea at first, when you take a look at some of the documents posted it is clear that this revolutionary website could be a very dangerous thing. It posts things from war and secret missions both in the United States and out, and does not omit the names of those involved. This is dangerous because some of these missions are extremely secret and dangerous, and exposing the names of the people who aided in the completion of such a mission could jeopardize their lives and the lives of their family members. Giving this much knowledge to the general public is questionable as well, because anyone can access this site. If something is posted about a battle against Al-Qaeda, or a planned attack about any terrorist organization, these posts can be accessed by the terrorist organization themselves. That would mean that the mission was effectively ruined. Wikileaks can also hurt international relations. Some items being posted are private communications between different factions within the American government. Some of these posts have questionable yet harmless criticisms about other countries or other governments. This is the equivalent of one friend showing another friend a text message sent about them...it is completely out of context and in most cases harmless, yet could lead to some serious issues in that friendship. Countries cannot afford to hold grudges over things like this, and wikileaks is aiding that. This is definitely a case of a liberty gone too far. In order to maintain a safe and free society in North America, we need protection. Sometimes this protection needs to restrict the general public from certain knowledge, or there will be serious and irreversible repercussions for all of us.
Globalization
Globalization is the integration of different economies, societies and cultures through communication, transportation and trade. Basically it is the process of the world becoming a global village where everyone is accessible no matter where you live. When people talk about globalization, they mostly mean economic globalization, which turns national economies into international economies through things like trade, investment, the spread of technology and the presence of military. This doesn't mean that is all there is to globalization, however, since this process is driven by a number of factors, including economic, cultural, political and biological factors. Globalization also includes the global circulation of ideas, languages and even pop culture. As technology increases, so does globalization. The correlation is huge due to social networking sites, the instantaneous nature of webcams and television boradcasting, as well as the technological advances made in travel. The effects on the world have been profound, and they continue to shape who we are as a society. There is much wider availability of a lot of foreign products for consumers as well as companies, which is a big industrial impact. This has aided international trade. Immigration, travel, and tourism have also increased. Culturally, globalization is huge. Multi-culturalism has made its way into the mainstream, because everyone has access to the same things online and through the media. This has allowed the world to enjoy foreign goods and ideas, acquire new technologies and ways of life, and ultimately participate in a world culture. While these are all good things, countries need to make sure they are preserving some of their own unique culture, and a sense of individualism. If this isn't preserved, the world will be extremely homogeneous and while travel will be extremely easy, people won't want to travel abroad if every place they visit is exactly like their homeland.
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