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