Nigeria- Presidential Election 2011

Between candidates Goodluck Jonathan and Buhari, I would probably vote for Jonathan. Nigeria, with its rapidly growing and young population, has an immense amount of potential to be one of the top economic nations in the next decade. Even though it has huge potential, this presidential election will decide if the country will take advantage of that, and become one of the leading countries in Africa. Choosing the wrong leader, however, could prove to be disastrous to Nigeria because of the fragile state that it is in. It is for this reason why the next leader of Nigeria must bring stability to the country. While Goodluck Jonathan certainly is not an ideal candidate for Nigeria, he is no doubt a better choice than Buhari. Being a fairly new country, it is important that Nigeria has a civilian leader to ensure its citizens that their system of government works and is not corrupt. Buhari, while some of his promises might be aspiring, does not have a record to back them. Buhari had been involved with government corruption and broken promises, displaying that voting for him would be a risk- a gamble that Nigeria in its current position simply cannot take. Overall, the most important aspect that the next Nigerian President could bring to his country is stability and a sense of unification; something that Buhari could probably not do by looking at his past records.

Sources:
http://naijan.com/nigeria-presidential-candidate-list-for-2011-and-their-empty-promises/

Nigeria- Biggest Problem

According to an article on CNN, currently one of Nigeria’s most serious issues has to do with the divisions within the country. Written in March 2010, author Tom Evans writes how the ex-President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, claims that the violence that had killed at least 200 people in Nigeria had nothing to do with tensions between the Christians and Muslims living there. Rather, the violence was sparked by “ethnic, social, and economic problems.” Tribal culture is still very prominent in Nigeria, and the ex-President discussed how if one group has land that is “encroached upon by another” group, they would fight back. He also mentions that Nigerians who are indigenous to a certain area feel as if they should be able to obtain a job there, and feel resentment when someone who is not native to that area is able to find employment when they can not. Obasanjo says that this violence is not based around religion as he cites the fact that Nigerian religious leaders “have come together and deliberated on the problems in Jos, which lies on a faith-based fault-line between” the Muslims and the Christians. Nevertheless, the source of violence aside, citizens of Nigeria are displaying their discontent with the government, dealing “from corruption to unemployment.” This makes it hard for Nigerian officials such as police to control the violence, as the citizens don’t look at the police as a source of justice. Instead, citizens believe that “local governors are trying to get away with as much as they can.” Ultimately, the violence is caused by unhappiness among the Nigerian people, and being such a fast growing country, the government of Nigeria needs to quickly find a way to make its people happy.

Sources:
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-03-10/world/nigeria.violence.obasanjo_1_president-umaru-yar-adua-nigerian-president-olusegun-obasanjo-nigerian-capital?_s=PM:WORLD

North Korea- Questions

1. Are there any significant differences in how Kim Jong-Il and his father ruled North Korea?
2. Does the average North Korean know that Kim Jong-Il enjoys imports even thought it's banned?
3. How do South Koreans view the situation in North Korea?
4. What exactly is an average school day like for North Koreans?
5. Is there any legitimate video footage of North Korean life outside of the major cities like Pyongyang?

North Korea and Nuclear Weapons

This video, put on YouTube in 2009, discusses North Korean plans to restart their nuclear program. Despite UN restrictions on the country, they are choosing to defy the international law, and develop nuclear weapons anyways. At the time of the video, North Korea had enough uranium to create as much as 6 nuclear missiles, and has been actively testing missile launches. This video further proves that North Korea is definitely a threat should they possess nuclear weapons. Although the UN is calling for increased sanctions, this would not help stop North Korea because they are already so isolated and if they absolutely need specific resources, China could back them. Overall, the United States and other democratic countries are put in an extremely difficult situation because of North Korea’s desire to have nukes.

Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYpUL6vnia0

Afghanistan- War

This video talks about the Taliban in Afghanistan and its methods of keeping power. The Taliban mainly uses terrorism against civilians, and while it bans entertainment of any kind, they spread propaganda by means of television and radio. This video shows various recordings made by the Taliban, which they then sent to Al Jazeera to display their power. As the war in Afghanistan is becoming a war in which the support of the Afghan people is needed to win, both sides have so much propaganda to sway the public that is it hard to know how true everything is.

Cuban Pop Culture

1. The music in Cuba is largely influenced by both Spanish and African music, and original Indian traditional music is almost non-existent in modern music.
2. Cubans love playing and watching sports such as boxing, but baseball seems to be a favorite nation wide.
3. Cuban music uses a lot of percussion instruments, since dance music requires a strong rhythm.
4. Cubans hold carnivals twice a year in Havana, where people wear colorful masks and costumes.
5. Hip-hop is becoming more and more popular among Cuba’s youth, but at first was resented by the government because it related to America and capitalism. However, Cubans put their own style into hip-hop, making it more acceptable.

Sources:
http://www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/soc/ccameron/soc215/cuba/cuba.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Cuba
http://www.cactuslanguage.com/en/culturesmart/culture_cuba.php

Cuba- Education

Considering how life for the average citizen isn’t prosperous in Cuba, the country does have a relatively great educational system. Cuba’s modern educational system came into play after the 1959 revolution, when Fidel Castro decided that education, more specifically the literacy rate, was to have top priory. Today, 10% of Cuba’s central budget is spent on education, compared to the 4% in the UK and 2% in the US. Prior to 1959 22% of Cubans over the age of 15 were illiterate with 60% of the country as a whole semi illiterate. After the revolution, however, advancements were made and by 2000, 97% of Cubans between the ages 15 to 24 were literate.
In present day Cuba, all children are required to attend school from ages 6 to 15 or 16 and they all wear color-coded uniforms based on the student’s grade level. Higher education, while not mandatory, is offered to those who attended pre-university secondary education, with the alternative being similar to a vocational school. All schools in Cuba are public and controlled by the government, who took over private institutions without reimbursement after the revolution. Being operated by the government, the school system teaches “strong ideological content… with the constitution stating that educational and cultural policy is based on Marxist ideology.” While the subjects students are learning about can be debated, Cuba has proven itself to be one of the most literate nations in Latin America.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Cuba

Cuba

1. How does Cuba’s government work?
Cuba is a communist totalitarian “police state,” thus the government does not provide much freedom to its citizens. The government does not have a high sentiment of legitimacy from the people, so “intense physical and electronic surveillance of both Cuban citizens and foreign visitors” is common throughout the island nation. Cuba’s current Constitution, put into law in 1992, specifically recognizes the Communist Party as the “leading force of society and of the state.” The highest position of power in Cuba is the first secretary of the Communist Party, who also retains the title of President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers. These two councils consist of members who are voted in by the National Assembly of People’s Power, who also elects the President. This Assembly meets twice a year, and has 609 members. The President of Cuba can serve for five years, and has no limit of the amount of terms he can serve in the future. For its judicial sector, the Supreme Court of Cuba is the “last resort for all appeals against the decision of provincial courts.”

2. What was life like under Fidel Castro’s rule?
Under Fidel Castro, life under Cuba was, for the lack of a better term, miserable for the average Cuban. After the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro took power and, although at first he denied being communist, he nationalized just about every industry and service. The Committees for the Defense of the Revolution was created in 1960 and it called for neighborhood spying for “counter-revolutionary activities,” closed all opposition newspapers, radio and television went under government control, and “moderates, teachers, and professors were purged.” According to Wikipedia, about 20,000 people were held captive and were tortured every year. Fidel put many groups of people, such as homosexuals for example, in concentration camps for “re-education.” The U.S. trade embargo mixed with the dissolution of the Soviet Union would only make situations worse in Cuba. 85% of the Cuban economy disappeared, causing extreme shortages of all necessities.

3. What had changed since Raul Castro has come to power?
Raul Castro, the younger brother of Fidel Castro, came into power when Fidel decided to step down. Even though life in Cuba is by no means prosperous, Raul has been able to make the situation better. Since his election, he has eased government restrictions. For example, Raul has allowed the purchase of products such as DVD-players, computers, rice bookers, and microwaves, and private farmers were given land unused by the government in “an effort to boost food production.” The average Cuban was able to further enjoy more freedoms when state-run companies were reformed to reward harder working employees with better wages, and when cell phone restrictions were removed.

Sources:
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1097.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidel_Castro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raúl_Castro

China- US Relations

The relationship between China and the United States affects all parts of our nation, but ordinary Americans should be most concerned with the economic relations, as that is what directly impacts them. As it is now, the Chinese government does not provide its people with decent working conditions, and has one of the world’s lowest minimum wages, lower than 32 African countries. This situation makes our economic relationship with China a double-edged sword. For example, the average American benefits because they are able to enjoy a very high standard of living, but at the same time we are losing jobs. On the other hand, China is able to provide a lot of jobs for its people, but the Chinese have a very low standard of living. This is because the Chinese are able to provide extremely cheap labor, resulting in cheap products, which become available for Americans to purchase. During growing economic times, the average American would prefer to have a devalued Chinese currency, but that situation cannot last forever, as displayed by our current economic crisis. With an unemployment rate above 9%, more and more Americans would like to see the Chinese currency be revalued so the labor overseas is not as cheap, leading to an increased sources of jobs here in the United States. On scale of 1 being expensive Chinese labor but an abundance of American jobs with a low standard of living and 10 being inexpensive Chinese labor to the point of the United States having tremendous unemployment but extremely cheap products, I would say that the most ideal economic relationship with china would be around a 6 or 6.5, allowing the US to have a higher than average standard of living, but not an unacceptable unemployment rate.

Source:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/30453/

China- Cultural Heritage

The Chinese are known for having such a rich culture that has survived over thousands of years, something that they take pride in. Displaying this pride, China’s top legislature has just passed the nation’s “first law for intangible cultural heritage.” According to the article, this piece of legislation has been in the making for ten years, and has a purpose to “ensure the better preservation of the country’s cultural legacies.” Zhu Bing, a member of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, helped the legislation become law and mentions that “Chinese traditional cultural practices now have legal protection,” rather than only tangible ancient materials. Covering “traditional oral literature, performing arts, craftsmanship, medicine and fold customs,” the government recognizes that modern urbanization has the potential to destroy traditional villages, and thus a part of Chinese culture. This law, however, “will help raise awareness among the local governments and individuals of how to better preserve their precious cultural legacies.” How effective this law will be is unknown, however, especially considering it has the potential to slow down urbanization in some areas.

Sources:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/video/2011-02/27/c_13752622.htm

China- Government Protests

In an article from the Los Angeles Times, author David Pierson covers the steps that the Chinese government has been taking in order to subdue the small revolts occurring in Beijing. Possibly inspired by the recent and successful uprisings throughout the Middle East, “an anonymous online campaign calling for pro-democracy demonstrations across China” has emerged, calling for a “jasmine revolution” in major Chinese cities. As the article mentions, the revolts are nowhere near as revolutionary as those in Egypt or Libya, however they have caught the Chinese government’s attention, maybe hinting at the fact that Chinese officials fear that similar revolutions could take place. The government’s fear can be displayed by the action it is taking to stop the possibility of revolution. For example, Chinese officials have “charged five activists this week with ‘subversion of power’ and ‘inciting subversion of state power,’ serious crimes that carry” relatively long prison sentences. In addition, the article suggests that these arrests “coincide” with the recent disappearances of three human rights lawyers. The government has done much more, however, than only targeting individuals who have spoken up. The Chinese government has always been more stringent in its censorship policies, so it comes as no surprise that Twitter, a site where revolutionary supporters have been communicating, was blocked in 2009. Along with Twitter, China has banned the search of “Wangfujing,” a neighborhood in Beijing where certain protests are “supposed to take place,” as well as searches for “Egypt,” “Jasmine,” “Jon Huntsman,” (American ambassador seen as a protest) and the social networking site “LinkedIn.”



Sources:
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/26/world/la-fgw-china-crackdown-20110227/2

**Image is not necessarily from these recent protests

Colombia

In an article from September 9, 2010, guardian.co.uk reports that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has angered Mexico by comparing their current situation to that of Colombia's past. According to the article, a project called The Colombian Plan sent US forces to help with the Colombian security forces in handling their drug problem and also trained and armed Colombian troops. Since the plan's beginning, $7.3 billion has been spent and Colombia's "once-mighty guerrillas are reeling but drug trafficking continues almost unabated. Looking at the recent news of the submarine-like vessel found in Colombia only a few days ago, and the fact that certain rebel groups have innocent hostages, the problem, while it may be better, certainly still exists. Hillary Clinton wants to develop a very similar plan for not only Mexico, but other Central American countries as well.

On the other hand, Mexico claims that while they obviously do have a drug problem, they are not in the same situation that Colombia was in, thus a similar plan wouldn't work as well. The article points out some differences between the two, such as: Mexico hasn't elected a drug lord to Congress, the confrontation of the Mexican army to stop drug cartels, and that the US demand for drugs and the easy gun policy have all contributed. Mexican senators have even stated that they will not accept an equivalent of the Colombian plan, claiming that the dissimilar situations aside, the Colombian Plan itself did not work as well as the US is saying.

Overall, it would seem that the US is looking into a similar plan for Mexico modeled off the Colombian one. Mexico, on the other hand, does not think that such a plan would work because the US is mistaken for thinking Mexico is mirroring Colombia's past. From what I've read on this article, I would have to agree with Mexico with the idea that only putting in US troops and training the Mexican military would solve the problem. The only permanent solution would be to somehow diminish the high demand, which, in my opinion, would mean to legalize certain drugs for private use. A US intervention, however, would do nothing to the high demand of the drugs.

Sources:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/09/hillary-clinton-mexican-drug-war-insurgency

Mexico- Los Zetas

Juan Carlos Olivera Acosta has been arrested by military forces in Mexico, a large step forward in the fight against violent drug cartels. Acosta is suspected to be the boss of Los Zetas, a group that began when four Mexican soldiers belonging to an elite special forces abandoned the Mexican army. Los Zetas has had a large influence on the drug trafficking in Mexico because of their violent tactics and their strength. The violence of the group is so extreme, that other drug cartels have frowned upon Los Zetas and have formed alliances against them, claiming that they discredit "true drug traffickers," in which cartels participate in the illegal drug trade, but do not harm innocent civilians. With the suspected leader of a huge drug cartel, it would seem as if the Mexican government is showing that there is an effort to stop the drug trade, and has actually succeeded in some areas. However, it could be assumed that as long as there is corruption and poverty as prevalent as it currently is in Mexico, the drug cartels will remain a problem.

Source:
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/02/15/army-troops-capture-zetas-cartel-boss-northern-mexico/

**The image is not necessarily that of Los Zetas, but is it in fact a Mexican drug cartel, displaying just how organized and powerful these groups can be.

India- Hinduism

What are the basic teachings of Hinduism?
The basic teachings of Hinduism are difficult to define because of how broad the Hindu tradition is. While many refer to Hinduism as a religion, it is more accurately defined as a way of life based on the ideas on karma, the Vedas (body of sacred literature), and the objectives, according to Wikipedia, of human life: Dharma (righteousness), Artha (livelihood), Kama (sensual pleasure), and Moksa (liberation, freedom from samara). While there are many sects of Hinduism, most tend to believe that the atman, the spirit or soul, is eternal. Becoming aware of one’s own atman results in a person reaching Moksa, releasing them from the reincarnation cycle.

What aspects of Hinduism do you like?
I actually liked most aspects of Hinduism, mostly because of how lenient it is, and how it gives individuals more freedom compared to other religions like Christianity or Islam. I like the fact Hindus believe that anyone, no matter what religion they follow, can achieve life goals, in contrast to religions such as Christianity that will punish you if certain rules are not followed or will have you live in eternal agony should God be denounced (the article points out that some, but not many, Hindus are atheists too). Overall, I enjoy how Hinduism is very accepting, and I find it interesting how it is more a way of living, rather than a religion.

What aspects of Hinduism do you find confusing?
The main fact about Hinduism that I find confusing is how it is able to encompass many different believes and religions, such as Buddhism for example. It is hard to me to understand how Hindus can feel a sense of unity if they focus their worshipping on different gods and hold different values.

Sources:
Movie watched in class
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism

News on Egypt due Monday

Everyday this week new news stories on Egypt have appeared, each displaying the amount of chaos that has and is occurring. The current dictator of Egypt, Mubarak, has called back the police resulting in pure lawlessness with the goal of having the Egyptian rebels wanting him back in power in order to restore order. As shown by events occurring last week, however, the rebels are still standing strong, armed with anything they can use for a weapon to defend themselves against looters and escaped convicts. Mubarak has announced that he will not, after 30 years of ruling, seek to “run” for another term, and will step down from power when the elections take place after seeing how firing his entire cabinet did not change the rebel’s sentiment towards him. Unsatisfied, the rebels want him to leave office immediately, under the assumption that in the time between now and the next elections, Mubarak could either regain power or rig the election to his favor, allowing him to continue to have power. With the army now present in Cairo, some of the chaos has died down; nevertheless, violence and protests are still prevalent. Considering the steps that each side has taken, such as the government shutting down the Internet and other communication devices, to extreme violence displayed by certain protesters, it does not seem as if either of them will peacefully step down.

Sources:
Various news articles + news on TV over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

India- Advantages and Disadvantages

What is the greatest attribute India has in ensuring a bright future?
The greatest attribute India has in ensuring a bright future is undoubtedly its economy and the current direction in which it is moving. Since the economic reform to move away from socialist policies and towards free-market policies, the Indian economy has been rapidly growing as shown by its 7% growth per year since 1997. According to the CIA World Factbook, services are the major source of the recent economic growth with more than half of the nation’s output and only one-third of the labor force. With a population of over a billion people and with a median age of about 26, India’s workforce will continue to grow at a rapid rate and with such a large part of the nation in the work force, the economy will in turn continue to expand.

What is the greatest limitation India has in ensuring a bright future?
Considering the recent success that the Indian economy has been experiencing, it is surprising to notice the high levels of poverty, one of the greatest limitations India has in ensuring a bright future. The CIA World Factbook states that 25% of the population in 2007 lives not at, but below the poverty line, which, when considering a population of over one billion people is an overwhelming amount. Furthermore, the World Bank, according to Wikipedia, estimates that close to 80% of the population lives on less than $2 a day, very close to the poverty line of $1.25 a day. Nevertheless, it is true that the poverty rate has been declining over the years, and the Indian government has shown an interest in continuing to further lower the amount of Indians in poverty. Many contributing factors of poverty in India include: the Caste system, era under British rule, and the economic policies before reform in 1980s. While there does seem to be improvement on the poverty levels in India, the government will have to step up even more so in the coming years to face one of their greatest limitations for economic growth.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty_in_India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html

India- Economic Growth

India, while it is still considered a place with vast amount of poverty, has an economy that is drastically growing in size and its future among the most powerful world economies is gradually becoming more and more likely. In relation to the United States, India is where many outsourced jobs are located, mainly because of the economic benefits for larger corporations; further emphasizing India’s importance to markets around the world. According to the Central Statistical Organization (CSO), “the Indian economy is projected to expand by 8.6% to a record $1.73 trillion.” This is a huge breakthrough for the Indian economy, as the GNP of the projected economic levels would bring the country’s per capita income to about $1,200, “effectively making it a middle-income country.” While the current economic state of India is not yet at the required levels, they are no doubt on the right path. As stated in the article, the benefits of having a growing economy like India’s also come with various disadvantages. For example, while the economic growth will allow India to stand among other economic world powers and increase standard of living, the country will find it harder to obtain certain loans “from multilateral institutions for social sector projects.” While India certainly seems to be headed in the right direction for economic advancements, some claim that rising inflation could end up slowing growth. While India’s future is not set in stone, there exists a general feeling that over the next few years that it will show expansion.

Source:
http://www.livemint.com/2011/02/08021623/India-now-on-middle-income-pat.html?atype=tp

Russia- Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Lenin

While Vladimir Putin has moved farther away from Marxist ideology over the years, Vladimir Lenin had remained a Communist during his entire time as President of Russia. As said in the post below, Putin had moved Russia closer to a democracy by encouraging not only small businesses, but large corporations as well. Lenin, because he was a Communist, brought all aspects of life, especially the economy, under government control. “Government-accountable leaders” were appointed to head separate enterprises of the Russian economy, ultimately giving the government total control. Even though both of these past Russian Presidents implemented drastically different rules, they both were very well received by the Russian population of their time. Lenin was able to take control of Russia right after the Russian Revolution, and with the promises of the good that Communism would bring, the general public excitingly accepted Lenin. American journalist John Reed describes Lenin undisguised in public for the first time being received by “a thundering wave of cheers.” Even though Lenin enacted much more Communist laws compared to Putin, they were both extremely popular among the Russian civilians during their time in office, showing how Russians stress an importance of nationalism by supporting their leader.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin

Russia- Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin was the former President of Russia, generally well accepted by the Russian population. Currently, he is the Prime Minister of Russia because he was not able to run for a third consecutive term for the Presidency; however it is very possible that he will decide to run for office again in the next election, where it will be legal. According to a source cited at Wikipedia, Putin is “credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing the rule of law.” Russians have experienced a large amount of distrust towards their government as of lately, mainly because the country’s transition towards more Democratic ideals hasn’t proved to be beneficial to the average Russian. By bringing stability to the nation, it’s no doubt that Putin would be well accepted. During his time as President, Putin has called for many reforms dealing with many different sectors of Russia. Looking at the Russian economy, Putin was able to allow for a “real gains of an average 7% per year” along with growths in other sectors of the economy. Overall, Putin has advocated more liberal economic policies, a giant step towards Democracy and away from Communism. In particular, Putin had introduced a flat tax rate of 13%, which, compared to the United States, is very low. To help give businesses incentives to expand and innovate, the corporate rate of tax is now 24%, down from 35%. Wikipedia states that with the help of Putin’s legislation, “overall tax burden is lower in Russia than in most European countries,” displaying an eminent move away from Russian Communism experienced under Lenin and Stalin. While Putin certainly is not a perfect President and is rightfully criticized with certain issues, the Russian people have shown that they approve Putin and what he brought to Russia.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin