Struggle For Equality in Afghanistan: Women Treated as Second-Class Citizens

Millions of women throughout the world live in conditions of abject deprivation of, and attacks against, their fundamental human rights for no other reason than that they are women.

According to CNN, 19-year-old Bibi Kuku was forced to marry, therefore, she set herself on "fire in an extreme act of self-harm."

Although the sucide rates, and killings of women have rised, "strides have been made for women's rights in the post-Taliban era, many women are still made to feel like second-class citizens."

Women in Afghanistan are treated like incomplete humans, they do not have the right to go to the doctor or the other rights, to get education. ""Men think that they have the right to kill their wives because they think that when they get married, their wives, or maybe their daughters, [become] their private property and ... you can do anything -- you can throw them away, you can demolish them." Moreover, the article states the simple fact that "the culture allows Afghan men to go even further"

So, at present, women throughout the region are second-class citizens, being denied their full legal identities by being excluded from the rights, privileges, and security that all citizens of any country should enjoy. Should there be a law designed to protect women beyond their role in the family? Should women have the right and freedom to marriage? Or is this the beauty of the Arab culture that should be embraced and preserved?

Earthquake Hits Lima, Peru

Hundreds of families slept on the streets outside ruined houses after a major earthquake hit the capitol of Peru. The powerful earthquake killed at least 437 people, Civil Defense authorities said today.

The earthquake, whose magnitude was estimated at 7.7 to 7.9, was centered off Peru’s Pacific shore near Ica.

The president of Peru, Alan Garcia, arrived in Pisco around late in the morning to view the damage firsthand, the agency reported. According to the New York Times, the United States as well as the countries part of the EU were ready to provide aid and assistance, and that a team from the Agency for International Development was in Lima assessing the situation and coordinating with the Peruvian government.

Is this just aid out of kindness? Or, is the United States and other countries helping to secure friendship for future needs? Earthquakes are not a new phenomenon in Peru, often, if ever, it take a long time to re-build what has been lost or damaged. I wonder how long it will take for the Peruvian government to re-build Lima this time?

Is Chavez's Venezuela Really a Socialist Utopia?

This story by the New York Times addresses a pressing issue of underdevelopment in Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela.

The article begins by crediting Americans who tried to develop Venezuela in the 60s. "When a group of urban planners from Harvard and M.I.T. arrived here in the early 1960s to design an industrial city almost entirely from scratch, they envisioned a “Pittsburgh of the tropics” that could anchor industrialization and population growth in southeastern Venezuela." These first few sentence in themselves show the pure lack of knowledge in the journalist. I think he may have forgotton the aspect of greed and money on the parts of Americans who went to 'aid' Venezuela.

Furthermore, according to the article, the American vision in this region failed because of population growth, which increased from 250,000 to 1 million. Its impact: a severe housing and job shortage that has led to frequent clashes between the police and squatters, commuters too poor to afford cars, and a massive divide between the elite and servants.

Moreover, the article continues to touch on the 'experiments' of socialism in Chavez's Venezuela; "these experiments with socialism have not created enough economic opportunities for residents here." The shortages have raised important questions about how far the commitment to a better life for Venezuela’s people extends.

I think it is important to look at Chavez's rhetoric before labeling it socialism. From what I've read in the past, it is not pure socialism, he is implementing capitalism as well. Do you guys feel that this article gives enough information on the region and of the situation at hand to make an educated opinion on the issue? I personally think there is more to the story of why this region failed to develop than just simply population growth. Looking at the large picture, what do you all feel about Chavez's idea of reforming Venezuela?

The Putin Generation

I highly recommend this clip for anyone interested in learning more on Russia's present-day politics.

Basically, the 12-minute clip focused on a pro-Putin youth movement in Russia led by Vasily Yakemenko.
The movement, Nashi, demonstrates against what they see as a growing power of Nazism/Fascism in Russia.
This group is sponsored and advocated by the Kremlin. The clip does a great job depicting the sentiments of Russia's youth and what they stand for. One of those being the growing influence of the United States in Russia. In the clip, Yakemenko and some youth stated that their fear that Russia will become a colony of the United States like Ukraine.

It is so interesting for me to see that the majory of the younger generation support Putin. The surprising part of all this is the fact that support for Putin has proven consistently high. The percentage of Russians approving of their president's performance has barely contracted since Putin came to office with a 79% positive rating.

It seems to me that the youth may not be looking at the larger picture. Of course, they are benefiting from this "open" democratic society, but if they took a minute to look beyond themselves, they would see that not much has changed since Gorbachev's reign. First, the "disappearances" of detainees in the custody of Russian federal forces in Chechnya is a major human rights crisis that the Russian government and the international community must address. But, of course Putin has not addressed this pivotal issue. Hence, the war in Chechnya is still going on! Second, the killings of journalists are not investigated and are treated like an every day occurrence. Until these and many more key issues are addressed and solved, Putin's Russia is just another reflection of the Stalin regime in my eye.



Link:
http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=1a7c4150ea13e0996c864b8df4783e26ceb9ef0d

Mastermind Behind the September 11th Attacks

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, has admitted being responsible behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States is a step closer to facing military charges.

With Mohammed's capture, Al Qaeda's stable of operational planners grows ever smaller. Other key figures still at large include Saif al-Adil, bin Laden's security and intelligence chief; Shaikh Saiid al-Masri, his financial chief; and operations chiefs Tawfiq Attash Khallad and Abu Musab Zarqawi.

I thought this was an important fact to point out, according to CNN, "Mohammed said he was responsible for the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
http://www.danielpearl.org/about_us/danielpearl_bio.html


Link:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/09/enemy.combatants/index.html

The Power of the Pen

This story in the New York Times discusses the death of journalist Chauncey Bailey. He was shot to death in downtown Oakland on August 2nd. According to article, Chauncey was the co-founder of New America Media. He was one of the best investigative journalists working. He brought a brave in the face of whatever challenges he had to confront. And now, according to the New York Times, "a 19-year-old handyman at a bakery has confessed to murdering" the editor.

After reading this article, I was forced to re-examine my beliefs of freedom of speech and the press in the United States. We often hear about the killings and murders of journalists in other countries, but what about our home land? Why is it that we seldom hear about the assassinations of editors and reporters? Is it because they do not occur, or rather because they go unreported?

Wiretapping in the United States

President Bush signed into law on Sunday legislation that broadly expanded the government’s authority to eavesdrop on the international telephone calls and e-mail messages of American citizens without warrants.

The president, the vice president, the secretary of state, and the attorney general tell us that the president can order domestic spying inside this country -- without judicial oversight -- under his power as commander in chief. Really? Where do they find that in the Constitution?

So much for freedom of speech in the United States. The Bush administration is not just above the law, this administration seems to be saying that it IS the law!!!


Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/washington/06nsa.html?th&emc=th

Worldwide Emergency

Every year the floods in India leave a trail of destruction, washing away villages, drowning livestock, and causing loss of human life and property. According to CNN, the recent "Monsoon rains in South Asia have driven millions from their homes and caused what the United Nations says is the worst flooding in living memory." So far, more than 1,000 people have been killed or injured by rising waters, but aid agencies say the figure is expected to rise sharply.



Link:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/08/03/soasia.floods/index.html

Caps on Prices Only Deepen Zimbabweans’ Misery

The conditions in Zimbabwe keep getting worse and worse, and there is no end in sight. It's dispiriting as all get out. Bread, sugar and cornmeal, staples of every Zimbabwean’s diet, have vanished, seized by mobs who denuded stores like locusts in wheat fields. Meat is virtually nonexistent, even for members of the middle class who have money to buy it on the black market."

The current president, Robert Mugabe has been ruling for more than 27 years. Throughout Mugabe's reign he has continued to set new records for incompetence for a despot. He is proving that he is much worse than a colonial government in ruling Zimbabwe and he is making apartheid look like the good old days when people were not starving.

What do you all think of the conditions in Zimbabwe? Is there a solution to the growing problem? Has Mugabe destroyed Zimbabwe's economy with his reforms? Whose to blame?



Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/world/africa/02zimbabwe.html?th&emc=th

Rumsfeld Denies Cover-Up Attempt in Tillman Case

Pat Tillman. Remember him? He was the star National Football League defensive back who, after the 9/11 attacks, walked away from his $3.6 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist as an elite U.S. Army Ranger and go off to Afghanistan to whip some terrorist ass!!! Well, he's back in the headlines, again.

According to the New York Times, ex-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is denying any cover-up for the military's bungled response to Pat Tillman's friendly-fiery death. The former football star was killed in Afghanistan, but he and other former Pentagon leaders insisted that there had been no attempt to cover up the way it happened.

According to his father, "The administration clearly was using this case for its own political reasons. This cover-up started within minutes of Pat's death, and it started at high levels."

I personally think there has been apparent conspiracy to conceal the truth in this case. Is this another case of our corrupt administration? Will we possibly see a real investigation into how Pat Tillman died? And in that case what about how other soldiers have been killed?

Kenyan Farmers’ Fate Caught Up in U.S. Aid Rules

I came across this article in today's New York Times. According to the story, "The Bush administration is now trying to change the law so that up to $300 million of food in Kenya can be bought in poor countries during emergencies." The bill is being debated by the United States Congress. If the bill passes, advocates say we could see a big difference to the world's hungriest people: allowing the U.S. government to buy some food in Africa to feed the famished, rather than shipping it all overseas from America.


Is this another case of charity? Are we as Americans simply being the "givers" and Africa is the "receivers"? Is this empowering the nation or rather making them dependent? Besides the issues of interfering with local farming economies and driving prices down, there are other considerations. Is it not healthier for Africans to eat indiginous, fresh food rather than transshiped and industrially produced corn?



Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/world/africa/31food.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

8 million Iraqis 'need urgent aid'

This article discusses the pressing issues of the humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Iraq. According to relief agencies, "about 8 million Iraqis — nearly a third of the population — need immediate emergency aid." Furthermore, the report said 15 percent of Iraqis cannot regularly afford to eat, and 70 percent are without adequate water supplies, up from 50 percent in 2003. It also said 28 percent of children are malnourished, compared with 19 percent before the 2003 invasion.

It is obvious that this war has caused terrible consequences. Do you think our presence in Iraq has made the situation worse? If so, will the withdrawal of our troops provide immediate relief for that 33% of the Iraqi population who find themselves in this humanitarian crisis?



Link to story:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/07/30/iraq.humanitarian/index.html

Cuba Under Two Masters

For the first time, Raúl Castro, the acting president in Cuba, gave the traditional revolutionary speech during Cuba’s most important national holiday on Thursday, deepening the widespread feeling that his brother Fidel has slipped into semi-retirement and is unlikely to return.

Since becoming acting president, the younger Mr. Castro has twice offered to enter negotiations with the United States to end a half-century of enmity and sanctions. He repeated that stand on Thursday, noting that President Bush would soon be leaving office “along with his erratic and dangerous administration.”

Some have critiziced the fact Raul has not made enough reforms since taken power. According to the New York Times, “The answer is because Fidel Castro continues to govern." Moreover, Fidel Castro’s “main impact on Cuba is not his writings but that he’s alive, and it means Raúl and the others are reluctant to take major initiatives,” said Jorge I. Dominguez, a Harvard professor and Cuba expert.

What do you all think of the two leaders in power? Do you think Cuba should hold a democratic election for the next ruler? If one is to say that Fidel's government has "failed" to be "democratic enough", then perhaps something other than liberal or bourgeois democracy be counterposed to what exists in Cuba? In addition, how would you compare Venezuela's revolution to the one in Cuba under Castro's regime? Also, how do you feel about Castro's impact on Cuba and its people?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/world/americas/27cuba.html?th&emc=th

Panel seeks overhaul of U.S. military health system

We hardly ever hear about what happens to soldiers when they are injured in the Iraq War.

According to an article in today's New York Times, soldiers are not getting the treatment they need and deserve. A report was released on Wednesday concluding that the health system that soldiers receive is insufficient for the demands of two modern wars. In addition, the report called for improvements, including far-reaching changes in the way the government determines the disability status and benefits of injured soldiers and veterans.

This is a story that has deserved attention since Clinton's time. How much responsibility should the government take for this? Why are we just reading about this? Do you think the soldiers who serve our country receive the best health care possible? Or is there room for improvement?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/26/washington/26medical.html?th&emc=th

A Portrait of Sub-Saharan Africa

I came across an interesting article in today’s New York Times. The piece provides an insight on how Africans in ten different countries in the region feel about their current lifestyles. According to the poll, despite the troubles, from deadly illnesses like AIDS and malaria to corrupt politicians, a plurality of Africans say they are better off today than they were five years ago. In addition, according to poll, they are more optimistic about their future and that of the next generation.

The poll was conducted this spring. In addition, face-to-face interviews were also conducted in April and May. With this in mind, both the poll and interview were only conducted in Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. Do you think by only surveying ten countries in Africa, the poll provides a clear reflection of all the countries situation in the region? Also, if you take a look at the economic data, you can see that it provides a mixed picture. Do you think it is fair that the poll surveyed urban families rather than rural? Finally, I found the statistics on hunger to be rather interesting. It seems that a majority of respondents said that they had enough money to purchase food for their family. What are your thoughts on this in relation to development in the region?

The Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/ref/world/africa/20070724_AFRICA_GRAPHIC.html?th&emc=th