Group items tagged

It's interesting to not only compare policies between the US and other countries, but within our own country. Opinions and laws vary from state to state, region to region, city to city. Many European countries don't allow guns to be carried as an everyday accessory/emergency-self-defense device, and yet the USA is now allowing guns to be carried by civilians in bars (at least in certain states). It's an interesting argument for self-defense, but I wonder how good a judge you are at distinguishing between defense and offense when you're drunk.

Congress also passed a law a few months ago allowing loaded guns in national parks. . .

Strong opinion piece about Spain and the EU. It goes in hand with our discussion of Dani Rodrik's article--national self-interest is growing; interests of the individual nation-states comprising the EU are foremost while the common interest of the whole takes the back seat.

Through this article I have gained a deeper insight in how public expenditures and public goods promote wealth equality in a society. "Public services are an important antipoverty tool."

Cool theory in regards to "the tipping point". Interesting, and solid criticism of large social expenditures. Wonder how socialists view this, as opposed to free-market economists.

"Public services are an important antipoverty tool. Their benefit doesn't show up in income data, but they appear to play a key role in reducing material hardship." INteresting to see the statistics and how social expenditures help reduce poverty and the wealth gap.

I chose this article about the Israel-Palestine conflict because it talks about how this conflict is not an isolated battle between Israel and Palestine. The Op-Ed columnist David Brooks writes that because of all the conflict in the Middle East each country, group, or "political contour" that is striving for power influences the actions of either the Palestinian or Israeli parties. For example, Brooks mentions how Egypt blocked 95% of the tunnels that connected Egypt to Gaza, which costed Hamas $460 million a year. Hamas could not attack Egypt, so they attacked Israel instead. The public dissatisfaction caused Egypt to end the blockade. Thus, the external parties in the Middle East have a large effect on the Israel-Palestine conflict, and Brooks says that the conflict should therefore be analyzed from a different perspective: "It, like every conflict in the region, has to be seen as a piece of the larger 30 Years' War" (Brooks). This article shows us that we need to think a little more broadly when analyzing certain conflicts.

I think it's interesting that these outside countries are involving themselves by using all the deaths of the Israelis and Palestinians as leverage to get what they want. The violence in Gaza negatively influences all of its surrounding regions. Violence only brings more violence.

This article was a great way to clear the air on many misconceptions that have been floating around that make the Israel-Palestine conflict seem like a very straightforward conflict. This makes it clear that many of the warfare between Israel and Palestine isn't related to conflict between these two nations, rather in some cases it is attempts by Palestinian states and Muslim rebels to show dominance to other Middle Eastern countries and sects in order to make political and economic moves. With so much intertwining of conflict with the Egypt and the Islamists at the Arab Spring and the closing of the 95% of the tunnels being closed between Egypt and Gaza. The Brotherhood, ISIS, and other militant groups are vying for power throughout the Middle East and flexing their muscle on anybody and everybody to establish political dominance.

Russia has recently shifted from policies designed to preserve self-sovereignty ideologically to more practical policies geared toward economic growth and security. Russia is now seeking to improve relations with the E.U. for these reasons, but Germany has requested concessions in return, mainly help in helping Transnistria, a region governed by a pro-Russian movement. It would be interesting to see how far Russia is willing to go in order to solidify relations.

It will also be interesting to see what comes from the talks both today and tomorrow between Russia, France, and Germany, and how France and Germany feel about Russia's involvement or if they feel that there are certain things that Russia must acheive to gain involvment on the level it wants.

This article, from a self proclaimed "unbiased" German media source, explores how Japan was able to limit covid cases so well. Compared to most other countries, Japan has significant risk factors: a dense population with a large concentration of old people and a flow of traffic from neighboring China. Yet, they have wildly low numbers of cases and deaths. Although some political scientists theorize that the government has under tested in order to appear organized and keep their 2020 olympics position, many believe that tests were simply preserved in case of emergency. In either case, Japan's hygienic culture is indisputably helpful. An interviewed citizen said that they "didn't need" covid to "teach" them how to wash their hands or wear a mask. In fact, wearing a mask is seen as a civic duty and is seen as the bare minimum for every person. (Flu rates actually decreased due to such strict mask wearing). As a result, Japanese people are able to continue with many regularly scheduled activities; school, festivals, even amusement parks began to re-open by March.

I think it's really interesting how unspoken rules/cultural norms were able to in some ways make up for the failures of the Japenese government's response in terms of testing.

Hi Cooper! It is so interesting how the different cultures have influenced how much the virus spreads. Seeing how in the US, the government played a huge role in influencing the spread of the virus, I'm curious if any other political factors have also played a role in Japan's success.

I mentioned this op-ed in a comment on somebody else's post. I linked it in case anybody was interested.

This is a really interesting perspective on this issue and on interventionist foreign policy as a whole. The current situation in Afghanistan is clearly reflective of a larger pattern of American foreign policy and attempted nation building.

Thank you for the exchange of ideas here, CoPo students. . . . it sure feels lousy to have left Afghanistan. I do wonder what the next 12 months will bring.

After a slight turn towards the better, the relationship between Venezuela and the United States has tensed up again. After one of Maduro's allies, Alex Saab, was extradited (handed over (a person accused or convicted of a crime) to the jurisdiction of the foreign state in which the crime was committed), Maduro called off all negotiations with the US that could have lead to rapprochement. This article then details some of the mistrust the US government has in Maduro.

The current Kazakh president has not been both indecisive and self-interested shaping the nation's alliances. At the beginning of this year, Tokayev shut down the whole country due to protests, and gave the equivalent to the national guard shoot to kill orders. He invited Russian forces to intervene. Then, bizarrely, when the draft in Russia began, Kazakhstan accepted fleeing Russians without giving them problems, and had a falling out with the Kremlin. Now, Tokayev reaffirmed positive relations with Russia. This is probably a matter of money moving hands.

Three more bits from the article: 1. from Tokayev, the Kazakh leader: "For Kazakhstan, Russia is and has always been a strategic partner." 2. Putin told Tokayev that relations between Moscow and Astana have a "special character." 3. Speaking at a summit of the Moscow-led CSTO security bloc in Armenia last week, Tokayev called for a "joint collective search for a formula for peace." . . . "We must not allow the fraternal Russian and Ukrainian peoples to part ways for tens or hundreds of years with mutual unhealed grievances." Sounds like Tokayev has a tricky line to draw in his relationship with Russia. Really interesting, Slava!

Fairly self-explanatory. It seems like Cuba wants approval from the UN to export more vaccines, and that there was a prior agreement for Venezuela to buy some vaccines from Cuba. However, the Venezuelan National Academy of Medicine seems to be concerned about the research that went into these vaccines.

Interesting. For a long time (under Castro) Cuban doctors were held in high respect in the developing world.

Should Congress split the BBB Bill into separate voting items, like Henry Clay did with the Compromise / Not Compromise of 1850?

This was one of our recent debate topics!