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Won Geun Jung

Georgians Build Ties With Russian Caucasus - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...13georgia.html

Georgia Russia build ties

shared by Won Geun Jung on 01 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • First Caucasus News was broadcasting in Russian — its target audience includes viewers north of its border, in the mountainous and restive Russian region known as the North Caucasus.
  • As the debut approached, the channel’s general director promised repeatedly that Kanal PIK, as the channel is known, would not be used as a vehicle for anti-Russian propaganda.
  • “The North Caucasus has become a ghetto,” he said. “These people have been given to the local feudal lords, who can kill them, rape them, hang them by their feet, torture them, take everything. Obviously, these people behave one way there, and a different way when they enter a country where there is rule of law.”
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  • Georgia went on to drop visa requirements for residents of the North Caucasus — including Russian republics like Dagestan, Ingushetia and Chechnya, among others — allowing them to enter the country freely for 90 days. The offer attracted more than 12,000 visitors in the next three months, many of them Muslim pilgrims taking advantage of an overland route to the hajj, Georgian officials say.
  • Meanwhile, Caucasian solidarity is an increasingly fashionable topic in Tbilisi, which last year hosted two conferences on Russian atrocities against the Circassians, an ethnic group driven out of the region in the late czarist period.
  • In a wide-ranging report to be published later this month by the Center for American Progress, based in Washington, Samuel Charap and Cory Welt say the policy was begun “unilaterally, in the absence of normal diplomatic relations, and to a part of Russia that is the locus of its greatest internal security threat: a violent and growing Islamist insurgency.”
  • It is Georgia’s second attempt to break the Kremlin’s near-monopoly on television news in Russian territory. A previous Russian-language channel, called First Caucasian, went off the air last year when its French satellite operator backed out of a deal, saying it had received a better offer from Russia’s Gazprom Media Group.
  • Won Geun Jung on 01 Mar 11
     
    Georgians Build Ties With Russian Caucasus - NYTimes.com http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/world/europe/13georgia.html?_r=2 Summary: After the war between Russia and Georgia, Russian Caucasus looked like a ghetto because of the tension of the war.  So, the government of Georgia went on to drop visa requirements for residents of the north caucasus.  However it is still in tension of war and even threaten to 2014 Olympic. Reflection:Although it was big trouble of war, I am so pleased that the war would be solved peacefully.  Also, Both countries tried to find solution what is good for then or not.  I wish both countries will be better. Question: Why Russian Caucasus are here in Georgia? Why Russian Caucasus looked like a ghetto? How to be peaceful both countries.
Won Geun Jung

Georgians Build Ties With Russian Caucasus - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...13georgia.html

georgians Russia US

shared by Won Geun Jung on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Won Geun Jung on 17 Feb 11
     
    Georgians Build Ties With Russian Caucasus - NYTimes.com http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/13/world/europe/13georgia.html?_r=1 Summary
Luke Terpstra

Georgia Has Veto Power Over Step in Closer U.S.-Russia Ties - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...08russia.html

Russia Georgia World Trade Organization W.T.O. bargaining membership

shared by Luke Terpstra on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • MOSCOW — When Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. sits down with Russia’s leaders later this week, a central topic will be the payoffs of the “reset” between Russia and the United States, among them Russia’s long-awaited accession to the World Trade Organization, which American officials have vigorously supported. But it is far too early to declare that project a success. Among the remaining sticking points is the fact that Georgia, which joined the trade group in 2000, has the power to block the admission of any new member.
  • For a decade, while grievances mounted between Russia and Georgia, the Georgian government has sought policy changes from Russia in exchange for its approval. Negotiations foundered in 2008, and a few months later, when war broke out over the separatist territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, further talks began to look like a lost cause.
  • On Monday, with the 17-year process of Russia’s entry nearing its endgame, Georgian officials confirmed that they would sit down with their Russian counterparts in Switzerland, which “has been mandated to act as a mediator between both countries,” said a spokeswoman for the Swiss Foreign Ministry
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  • For Georgia, “the W.T.O. issue is a double-edged sword,” said Svante E. Cornell
  • The issue is a difficult and occasionally painful one for all the parties involved: for Russia, which must reach out to a government it has demonized; for the United States, which has made Russia’s membership in the trade group into a central goal; and for Georgia, which has a limited window in which to negotiate before its allies become impatient.
  • Two and a half years after Russian forces routed the Georgian army in South Ossetia, tens of thousands of ethnic Georgians remain displaced from their homes in the enclave, and Russia has moved in heavy weaponry, including tactical ballistic missiles and rocket launchers.
  • Georgia’s veto power was one of only two or three issues — like intellectual property rights and agricultural subsidies — that were keeping Russia from membership in the trade organization. Members acknowledge Georgia’s right to strike a bargain with Russia for its consent, Mr. Aslund said, “but the W.T.O. accession for Russia is really moving on.” “Right now Georgia has great leverage, but it will soon disappear,” he said. “They should use this in an effective fashion.”
  • Luke Terpstra on 08 Mar 11
     
    Barry, Ellen. "Georgia Poses Hurdle for U.S.-Russia Ties." The New York Times 7 Mar. 2011 [Moscow] . Web. 8 Mar. 2011. .  Summary:       The issue facing russia and the World Trade Organization, is the fact that Georgia is already a member. With Russia wanting to join the W.T.O., Georgia has the power to deny Russia's passage into the organization. Georgia is trying to use this as leverage to make deals with russia so it can get peace and get the russian troops out of it's borders. The rest of the World Trade Organization views this as annoying but expects it to be solved and done with.  Reflections:       The fact that Georgia is using this as leverage is great. If I was in control of America I would also block Russia from joining in. I probably would not give up my denial of Russia until I got recognition of Georgia as a NATO member, a country that owns itself, and  get protection from attacks from Russia. I also would think that the rest of the world, just like me, would see this stupid, unneeded, bloody conflict as completely one sided. Questions: 1. What do you think Georgia should negotiate for? 2. Do you think it is fair to Russia to be denied by a country they oppress? 3. Do you think America should support them? Explain? 4. Do you think georgia should be completely supported by  America and its allies.? Why or why not?   
jeni bouwman

Hosni Mubarak News - The New York Times - 0 views

topics.nytimes.com/...index.html

shared by jeni bouwman on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • For close to 30 years, Hosni Mubarak was Egypt's modern pharoah, as he was often called. He became president in 1981 after Anwar el-Sadat was slain as Mr. Mubarak stood beside him.
  • ar el-
  • after 18 days of massive public protests against his rule, he resigned and turned power over to the military.
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  • In the face of a mass movement inspired by the revolution in Tunisia in January, Mr. Mubarak tried violence and lost the support of his military, which promised to protect the demonstrators.
  • of any Egyptian president since the ouster of the king in the 1950s — longer tha
  • n that of Gamal Abdel Nasser, a pioneer of Arab nationalism, and longer than that of Mr. Sadat, who was slain after making peace with Israel.
  • He maintained peace with Israel and close ties to America
  • position parties and rigged elections. Under a veneer of public apathy, anger grew as the cou
  • y's economy crumbled.
  • rak’s three-decade rule. The detention was a breathtaking reversal for Mr. Mubarak, whose grip on the country had seemed so unshakable just three months ago that some thought he could hand over power directly to his son Gamal, who is now being held along with his brother, Alaa, in Tora Prison in Ca
  • month had ended the 23-year-reign of Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, who, like Mr. Mubarak was a former military man turned autocratic ruler. The
  • rotesters in Egypt spoke of the same deep-seated frustrations of an enduring, repressive government that drove Tunisians to revolt: rampant corruption, injustice, high unemployment and the simple lack of dignity accorded them by the state.
  • chief, as the country’s new vice president. It is a post once occupied by Mr. Mubarak and not filled since he took power.
  • he Egyptian Army announced on Jan. 31 for the first time that it would not fire on protesters, even as tens of thousands of people gathered in central Tahrir (Liberation) Square for a seventh day to shout for Mr. Mubarak's ouster
  • In the wake of Mr. Sadat's death, Mr. Mubarak -- who was at Mr. Sadat's side -- continued a policy of maintaining ties with Israel, and cracked down on Islamic militants. His support for Israel won him the support of the West and a continuation of hefty annual aid from the United States.
  • Egypt has long been a leader of the Arab world, and Mr. Mubarak, successfully negotiated the complicated issues of regional security, solidifying a relationship with Washington, maintaining cool but correct ties with Israel and sharply suppressing Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism.
  • jeni bouwman on 14 Apr 11
     
    Summary: Hosni Mubarak has been Egypt's modern pharoah for close to 30 years now. Mr. Mubarak stood by his side. Hosni Mubarak now resigned and he turned his powers over to the military. When president Mubarak tried violence he lost a lot of his support from his military. Mr. Mubarak coming into be the president, thought he had grip on the country but found out he was very shaky- and he thought he could just hand over his power to his son Gamal who is now in prison in Cairo. Response: I thought this article was very interesting because it shows how easy the president thought it was going to be going into it with his head all high and nothing could break. But found out everyone is protesting against him and no one is happy with him being the president.  Questions: 1. Why did he turn his power over to the military? 2. Why would president Mubarak want to keep fighting to e president if he's doing such a bad job? 3. How is he loosing grip so fast? 4. Why is he trying to hide from his people when Obama was there? 
megan lemmen

Mexico Finds Dozens Buried in Mass Graves - 0 views

ic.galegroup.com.references.herrickdl.org/...NewsDetailsWindow

Mexico graves drug

shared by megan lemmen on 28 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • soldiers have found at least 51 bodies dumped in mass graves after what appeared to be a series of executions by drug gangs in northern Mexico.
  • The bodies were buried in several graves scattered over an area the size of three soccer fields in an isolated zone east of the city of Monterrey, Mexican officials said
  • There were so many bodies that the authorities were using refrigerated trucks to hold them.
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  • Many of the dead, he said, appeared to have been tortured. ''Some were tied up with rope, others taped up with their hands bound with tape,'' he said. ''There are others with handcuffs. Most of them have tattoos.''
  • Photographs showed charred spots on the ground, suggesting some bodies may have been partially burned.
  • Mexico's drug cartels sometimes use corrosive liquids, fire and other methods to dispose of victims or make it harder to identify the bodies.
  • A state government spokesman said the bodies had been found both whole and in parts, with some buried in pits and others at or near the surface.
  • Officials said it appeared that the victims -- 48 men and 3 women -- had been dead about 15 days.
  • The area around Monterrey, Mexico's industrial capital and an important site for American investors, has become a central battleground in the country's drug wars over the past 18 months, with drug traffickers able to block roads and paralyze the city at will.
  • In May, investigators found 55 bodies in an abandoned silver mine shaft in the Pacific Coast state of Guerrero, near Taxco, a favorite tourist spot.
  • megan lemmen on 28 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: How does the Mexican drug war affect the government and people of Mexico? Source: Malkin, Elisabeth. "Mexico Finds Dozens Buried In Mass Graves." New York Times 25 July 2010: A10(L). Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 2 Feb. 2011. Summary: Fifty-one bodies were found in mass graves in northern Mexico, east of Monterrey. This area is extremely industrial for Mexico and is a main point of violence for the drug wars. The bodies seemed to be tortured, tied up, or burned-they had been dead for approximately fifteen days. "There were so many bodies that the authorities were using refrigerated trucks to hold them." The bodies were found both whole and in parts, and at different depths in the ground.  Reflection: My first reaction was "Wow!" this seems like something from a CSI episode. Horrific mass-murders like these seem so distant to me. It's almost impossible to imagine digging up fifty-one bodies out in the middle of nowhere, finding them beaten and maimed. This is just one examle of the horrible violence that is occurring in Mexico.   Questions:1) Were these bodies of members of drug cartels?2) Have all of the bodies been identified?3) How many other instances like this have occurred?4) Was there any way to trace who killed these people?
Jodie deVries

About Nothing To Envy | Nothing to Envy - 0 views

nothingtoenvy.com/about-nothing-to-envy

northkorea people nothingtoenvy

shared by Jodie deVries on 14 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • In NOTHING TO ENVY, Demick follows the lives of six people: a couple of teenaged lovers courting in secret, an idealistic woman doctor,  a homeless boy, a model factory worker who loves Kim Il Sung more than her own family and her rebellious daughter.
  • six years painstakakingly reconstructing life in a city off-limits to outsiders through interviews with defectors, smuggled photographs and videos.
  • While many books focus on the North Korean nuclear threat, NOTHING TO ENVY is one of the few that dwells on what everyday life is like for ordinary citizens. 
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  • Demick brings to life what it means to be living under the most repressive totalitarian regime in the world today.  She gives a portrait as vivid as walking oneself through the darkened streets of North Korea.
  • Jodie deVries on 14 Apr 11
     
    How does North Korea's communist government and nuclear technology influence the lives of its people? Summery: This book is about the lives of people living in North Korea. It is written by a woman who interviewed defectors  and looked at smuggled photos and videos. It is one of the few books written about the lives of people rather than the government or nuclear threat.  Response: This is simply an "about" for the book. I have a copy of it at home and I am reading it. I am about 40 pages in and have already learned so much about the horrors and hopes of the people living in North Korea. It is a book that so directly ties into our research question that I will read the entire book before world cultures night.  Questions: At this point many of the questions I would ask I hope will be answered by the book but I will put some of the questions I hope to have answered here. 1) What is the life of an average citizen? 2) How extreme is the control of the government on the average person? 3) Is there any hope for the North Korean People?
Haley Luurtsema

Survey Highlights Haitians' Vulnerability; Access to food, shelter, healthcare less pre... - 0 views

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Haiti Earthquake effects

shared by Haley Luurtsema on 17 Feb 11 - No Cached
  • Haitians' lack of access to basic needs such as food, shelter, and healthcare, even relative to neighboring Dominicans.
  • The effects of a 7.0-magnitude
  • 60% of Haitians said there had been times in the past year when they didn't have enough money to purchase food that their families needed, while 51% said there were times when they could not afford adequate shelter.
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  • Haitians were far more likely than any other population in Central America or the Caribbean to say they have had trouble providing shelter
  • Haitian President Rene Preval said some hospitals have collapsed as a result of the quake, further handicapping a public healthcare system poorly equipped to handle a disaster of this proportion.
  • Fewer than one in four (22%) said they were satisfied with the availability of quality healthcare in their communities, and one in nine (11%) said healthcare is accessible to anyone in the country.
  • Poor sanitation and lack of access to clean water are likely to make cholera and other waterborne diseases a major problem
  • including roads and highways, and schools -- were decimated by the quake. These facilities too were already seen as insufficient by most Haitians polled a year ago. About one-third were satisfied with the roads and highways (31%) and the schools (35%) in their communities
  • n the wake of a disaster, friendships and family ties become lifelines, serving as conduits for material as well as emotional support.
  • 30% said they have no relatives or friends they can count on for help
  • foreign aid both to make the country more resilient to natural disasters, and to improve access to basic social services like healthcare
  • Haley Luurtsema on 17 Feb 11
     
    Research Question: Still today, what are the social, economical, and political effects of the earthquake in Haiti? Citation Source: "Survey Highlights Haitians' Vulnerability; Access to food, shelter, healthcare less prevalent than in neighboring countries." Gallup Poll News Service (2010). Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Summary: This Article is about the Haitian people and their lack of basic needs such as food, shelter, and healthcare. The 7. magnitude earthquake effected manly lives of civilians in Haiti. Although, 60% of the people said that in the past year they didn't have enough money to even purchase food for their families needs. While 51% said that they could not afford a shelter. President Rene Preval said that hospitals having been destroyed, the public healthcare system is even more helpless. The Article tells us that less than 22% say that healthcare was fine to begin with in Haiti. Along with 11% that said healthcare was accessible to anyone in the country. Which leads to poor sanitation and lack of clean water in the area. In conclusion, Bill Clinton emphasized that foreign aid must make the country more resistant to natural disasters, and improved basic needs such as healthcare if people wish to survive. 
megan lemmen

Drug Trafficking, Violence and Mexico's Economic Future - 0 views

knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm

trafficking drug violence

shared by megan lemmen on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • In August, the bodies of 72 migrants were found in northern Mexico. They had been shot after refusing to work for a drug gang. Days later, a prosecutor and police officer investigating the crime disappeared.
  • Its largest market, the U.S., sources 90% of its cocaine from Mexico.
  • Drug trafficking is a lucrative activity for the Mexican cartels, generating estimated annual revenues of US$35 billion to US$45 billion for Mexico, with a profit margin of approximately 80%.
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  • Currently, seven powerful drug-trafficking organizations occupy different regions of Mexico -- La Familia Michoacán, the Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas, the Beltrán-Leyva Organization, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Tijuana Cartel, and the Juárez Cartel.
  • For example, the Mexican government is working to improve the effectiveness of its federal police force, planning to hire 8,000 additional police investigators during 2010, while at the same time trying to purge the force of corruption.
  • In August 2010, nearly 10% of the federal police were fired for failing lie detector, drug, or other tests that form the "trust control exams" designed to identify officers with ties to organized crime.
  • In addition, Plataforma México, a recent reform related to information management, aims to create real-time interconnectivity within Mexico's police force by developing a national crime database to facilitate tracking drug criminals.
  • More importantly, the government is taking the punishment of convicted drug criminals seriously and has increased extraditions to the U.S.
  • An estimated 7,000 people died in Mexico in 2009 as a result of the drug war -- significantly more than the 1,300 people who are believed to have died in 2005 before the war began. There were also an estimated 1,200 kidnappings in 2009.
  • Pemex, the state-owned petroleum company, has been a repeated target of the cartels. In 2010, the company experienced multiple kidnappings and theft by the cartels and corrupt employees. Reuters estimates that Pemex loses "US$750 million of fuel and oil from its pipelines each year" along with "valuable spare parts and equipment."
  • In August 2010, the far-reaching impact of Mexico's drug-related violence prompted Calderón to open debate on legalizing drugs.
  • For the past two years, American Chamber Mexico (AmCham) has conducted a survey of its members -- foreign and national managers -- to gauge their sentiment regarding corporate and personal security: 75% say their businesses have been affected by the country's insecurity.
  • Nearly 60% of the respondents felt less secure on a personal level in 2009 than in 2008; but the same respondents were equally divided as to whether their respective companies were more, less, or equally secure across the same period.
  • Of the third of the respondents who viewed their companies as being less secure than the year before, the most commonly noted contributing factors were the strengthening of organized crime activity, impunity in the judicial process, and activities associated with drug trafficking. Among those who felt their companies were more secure, 25% credited the work of the Mexican authorities, while 75% attributed the improvement to the results of efforts within their own companies.
  • As previously noted, vehicle armoring is a principal offering of the security industry, and it is not surprising that the growth of the market is most visible in this subsector. In Latin America, the armoring market has increased by 850% in the last eight years, and Mexico is now the second largest market after Brazil. Since 2008, the number of armored cars has increased by 25% in Mexico City and by 60% in the rest of the country. This market is expected to grow by 20% in 2011. Businesses have responded to this need: There are now 70 registered providers of armoring, compared to only three 15 years ago.
  • Kroll estimates the direct cost of insecurity to the government, businesses, and citizens to be US$65 billion, or 8% of GDP.
  • focuses
    • megan lemmen
      megan lemmen on 08 Mar 11
       
      Reflection: There is no possible way to completely eliminate corruption, even in the United States; the fact that Mexico realizes, however, that there is a problem is a step in the right direction. While it's great that Mexico is making efforts to decrease corruption in the police force and government, it's a task that will take a long time to complete. It's horrifying to think that a birthday party-a normal, friendly activity-could be so terribly interrupted by the drug cartel. As to legalizing the drugs, I think that it would cause more problems than it would solve. Yes, it would decrease the price of drugs and decrease the demand from drug cartel, but then how would they get their money? They would go to other means of earning a living; men who can be violent like this would have no problem getting money through other horrifying crimes. Questions:1) What are all of the positive and negative effects of legalizing drugs?2) Is there a better way to screen government and police officials in order to decrease corruption?3) What are other safety measures that the typical citizen can go through to be more safe?4) What else can be done to decrease the drug cartels?
  • megan lemmen on 08 Mar 11
     
    Research Question: How does the Mexican drug war affect the government and people of Mexico? Source: Duff, Devon, and Jen Rygler. "Drug Trafficking, Violence and Mexico's Economic Future."Knowledge @ Wharton. N.p., 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. . Summary: Mexico is making efforts to cleanse their police force by performing drug tests, lie detector tests, and other exams to make sure that the officers are being honest. There is also a new program called "Plataforma México" that will try to connect the police force better in order to catch criminals. Many Mexican businesses are suffering due to the violence; drug cartels are using theft or kidnapping to gain power or profit. A birthday party was even interrupted by the drug cartel-the violence is now affecting the citizens. Legalizing drugs has been considered as a means to decrease the price of drugs, and thus get rid of the drug cartels. Some think, though, that this will increase their violence in order to earn more of a profit. Private security has increased due to the lack of trust in Mexico's public security. Tourism has decreased, not only due to the violence but swine flu as well in 2009.  ***rest of info is sticky noted on this page
Joy Merlino

Israel's Neighborhood Watch | Foreign Affairs - 0 views

www.foreignaffairs.com/...israels-neighborhood-watch

Israel Conflict Palestine

shared by Joy Merlino on 08 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • Until a decade ago, every Israeli government, left and right, was committed to a security doctrine that precluded the establishment of potential bases of terrorism on Israel’s borders.
  • That doctrine has since unraveled. In May 2000, Israel's unilateral withdrawal from southern Lebanon led to the formation of a Hezbollah-dominated region on Israel’s northern border. Then, in August 2005, Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza led to the rise of Hamas on Israel’s southern border.
  • As a result, two enclaves controlled by Islamist movements now possess the ability to launch missile attacks against any population center in Israel. And Iran, through its proxies, is now effectively pressing against Israel's borders.
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  • For Israel's policymakers, the nightmare scenario of the recent Egyptian upheaval is that Islamists will eventually assume control
  • Until now, the Muslim Brotherhood has faced a sworn enemy in the Mubarak regime. But if it were to take control in Egypt, then Hamas, the Brotherhood's descendant within the Palestinian national movement, would suddenly have an ally in Cairo. Hamas has significance for the Arab world: it is the first Sunni Islamist movement to align with Shiite Iran. So far, Hamas has been an aberration in this regard. But it could be a harbinger of an Egyptian-Iranian alliance that would create an almost complete encirclement of Israel by Iranian allies or proxies.
  • At the very least, Egypt’s instability will reinforce the urgency of Israeli demands for security guarantees as part of a deal on a Palestinian state. Those demands will include a demilitarized Palestine, Israel’s right to respond to terror attacks, and an Israeli military presence along the Jordan River.
  • The Israeli centrist majority views a Palestinian state with deep ambivalence.
  • On the other hand, centrists see a Palestinian state as an existential threat to Israel. An unstable Palestinian state on the West Bank could fall to Hamas, just as Palestinian Authority–led Gaza did in 2007. Israel would then find itself “sharing” Jerusalem with an Islamist government, turning the city into a war zone.
  • In that balance between existential necessity and existential threat, Egypt’s unrest only heightens Israeli anxieties of a Palestinian state.
  • Even a relatively more benign outcome -- such as the Turkish model of incremental Islamist control, with the government maintaining ties to the West -- would mean the end of Israel’s sense of security along its long southern border. And this uncertainty will certainly adversely affect the Israeli public’s willingness to relinquish the West Bank anytime soon.
  • Contrary to much of the public reaction in other Western nations, President Barack Obama's instant abandonment of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the United States’ closest ally in the Arab world, is being cited by Israeli commentators on the left and right as a warning against trusting the administration.
  • The Obama administration, along with much of the international community, has been motivated in its approach to the Middle East by two assumptions -- both of which have been proven wrong in recent days. The first is that the key to solving the Middle East's problems begins with solving the Palestinian problem. The second is that the key to solving the Palestinian problem is resolving the issues of the West Bank settlements and the status of Jerusalem.
  • The first premise was undone in the streets of Cairo.
  • Even if the Palestinian issue were to be somehow settled, the Arab world would still be caught in the shameful paradox of being one of the world's wealthiest regions and one of its least developed.
  • Moreover, as the WikiLeaks documents revealed, Arab leaders are far more concerned about the prospect of a nuclear Iran than about ending the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.
  • The second premise -- that settlements and Jerusalem are the main obstacles to an agremeent -- has been disproven by leaked documents from the Palestinian Authority published by Al Jazeera and The Guardian. Those documents reveal that on the future of Jerusalem's Jewish and Arab neighborhoods, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators were largely in agreement
  • Instead, the main obstacle remains what it has been all along: the Palestinian insistence on the "right of return" -- that is, the mass immigration to the Jewish state of the descendants of Palestinian refugees.
  • Olmert also rejected Palestinian demands that Israel accept blame for creating the refugee problem -- given that the 1948 war that led to the refugee tragedy was launched by Arab countries. And so Olmert's offer to withdraw from more than 99 percent of the territory was, in the end, a nonstarter, with the disagreements between the two sides about the refugee issue remaining irreconcilable.
  • All of which only underscores for Israelis the grim logic of developments in the region. With peace with Egypt suddenly in doubt -- a peace for which Israel withdrew from territory more than three times its size -- I
  • sraelis are wondering about the wisdom of risking further withdrawals for agreements that could be abrogated with a change of regime. Such a dilemma is all the more pressing when the territory in question borders Israel's population centers.
  • For Israelis, this is a time of watching and waiting. Despite conventional wisdom in the West that a Palestinian state needs to be created to contain the Islamist threat, Israelis believe the reverse to be true. Only in a Middle East able to contain the Iranian contagion can Israel afford to take the risk of entrusting its eastern border to a sovereign Palestine.
  • Joy Merlino on 08 Mar 11
     
    How does the conflict in Israel affect the future of Israeli children compared to Palestinian children? Halevi, Yossi K. Foreign Affairs. N.p., 1 Feb. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. . Summary: With the Muslim Brotherhood poised to gain control in Egypt, Israel sees itself as almost completely encircled by hostile forces. Is an Egyptian-Iranian alliance a possibility -- and where would this leave the future of a sovereign Palestinian state.  Reflection: This article has everything to do with the future generation of Palestinians & Israelis. Everything in the Middle East is changing and uncertain at the moment. The current state of Israel & the focus of its conflict is bound to change with these new developments. Especially given the actions of Iran after Mubarak's regime was dismantled. Israel, I am sure, is on high alert at the present, and we will have to wait and see if these new developments have an affect on Israel's borders and their status as an independent state. 
Mackenzie Haveman

Student Edition  Document - 0 views

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Haiti earthquake effects

shared by Mackenzie Haveman on 10 Mar 11 - No Cached
  • The American Institutes for Research (AIR), as part of its commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) to help Haiti's education system, has responded to the devastating January 2010 earthquake by assembling emergency classrooms and providing special training for teachers to help them cope with the lingering effects of the disaster.
  • AIR has assembled temporary schools and classrooms, improved school hygiene facilities, distributed school materials, and provided training and psychosocial support for teachers and school directors.
  • AIR has also compiled a directory that identifies Haitian organizations that support primary and secondary education and school-based health activities in the country. The directory has made it easier to identify organizations working to provide education assistance in Haiti.
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  • At least 322 emergency classrooms have been assembled. More than 25,000 students have been able to resume their education. A total of 733 teachers and school directors have received special training so they can return to work.
    • Mackenzie Haveman
      Mackenzie Haveman on 10 Mar 11
       
      Response:I think that what AIR is doing is definitely very helpful. It is very important to help keep their kids in school and have them grow up with an education. I think that this is they type of help that Haiti needs in order to recover. I think that if there were different organizations or countries that could focus on one specific thing to help out with, like education, Haiti could be on their way to a healthy rebuilding. My research question is, "What are the social, political, and economical effects on Haiti after the earthquake." I think that this article definitely ties into my question in that of it can connect to the political point. The education system is definitely part of the political standpoint, and there are much more systems that are to be fixed that are parts of their politics. I think that education is definitely a great place to start because they can teach their children a new way of life, and it can potentially give hope for the country's future.  Questions:1. What are other systems that we can help in where we an go in and teach them? 2. Could the new generation of students potentially flip their society?3. Besides classrooms and training teachers, what else could be helped through the education system if they want their students to help make a difference?
  • Mackenzie Haveman on 10 Mar 11
     
    "AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH'S CLINTON GLOBAL INITIATIVE COMMITMENTS BENEFIT CHILDREN IN HAITI AFFECTED BY THE JANUARY 2010 EARTHQUAKE." States News Service 21 Sept. 2010. Student Edition. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. Summery:  This article is about what The American Institutes for Research (AIR) is doing in helping the effects on Haiti. This institute has tried to focus on students and on education systems. They have helped assemble emergency classrooms and they have trained for teachers to be a part of a good education system and helped them deal with the unforgotten effects. There have been at least 322 emergency classrooms assembled, more than 25,000 students have been able to resume their education, and a total of 733 teachers and school directors have received training so they can return to their works.   
Mark De Haan

Hezbollah will not recognise Israel - Middle East - Al Jazeera English - 0 views

english.aljazeera.net/...200931322165471789.html

Israel hezbollah

shared by Mark De Haan on 11 Apr 11 - No Cached
  • Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, has said his movement would never recognise Israel, rejecting a US precondition for dialogue with the group it considers a terrorist organisation.
  • The White House said on Tuesday that both Palestinian movement Hamas and Hezbollah must renounce violence and recognise Israel before they can expect even low-level US engagement.
  • the en
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  • "We reject the American conditions ... Today, tomorrow and after 1,000 years and even until the end of time, as long as
  • Hezbollah exists, it will never re
  • cognise Israel," Nasrallah said.
  • Nasrallah also saluted recent moves to smooth over Arab differences, with Saudi Arabia and Egypt seeking to improve ties with Syria, which has supported Hezbollah. "All Arab reconciliation reinforces us," he said. He called for Riyadh and Cairo to "extend a hand" to Iran, Hezbollah's main backer.
  • A Hezbollah-led alliance has veto power over major decisions in the current unity government formed in July following a political crisis that brought Lebanon to the brink of civil war.
  • Mark De Haan on 11 Apr 11
     
    Al Jazeera English - Hezbollah Will Not Recognise Israel http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/03/200931322165471789.html Hezbollah will not recognise Israel. Al Jazeera, 13 Mar. 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. . Summary: This article is all about Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, saying he will never recognize Israel as a state. The United States is willing to mediate between Israel and Hezbollah and Hamas and try and find peace, but will only do so if Hezbollah recognizes Israel, which they refuse to do.  Reflection: This seems to go along with everything that I have learned so far about Hezbollah, that they are a stubborn group who refuses to see Israel as a state, and almost hurts themselves through their refusal. If they would see Israel as a state, they could possibly move closer to peace and away from the violence that has littered their existence as a political group and military force. Questions: 1. What role has Hassan Nasrallah played in Hezbollah over the years? 2. Have their been any conflicts with Israel since the war in 2006? 3. Will the current upheaval in the Middle East result in more support for Hezbollah as the article suggests?
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