news commentary: due Tues, 1/31 before school

[Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)]

Please post a commentary on any NTY article you read over the past
week: 1/23 - 1/29 (1/28 on the web) that interested you. Please
identify the article title and date.

[Sarah M]

Chinese Crackdown to Curb Unrest Among Tibetans in Western Sichuan
January 29

I thought that this article about China’s actions to prevent Tibetan
uprisings was interesting. Earlier in the week, there was an article
about the Chinese government shooting on Tibetan demonstrators in
western regions of China. Though the region of Chengdu isn’t very
close to the area where the violence broke out, it seems the
government is being proactive in tightening security there due to
historic ethnic tensions and Tibetan sympathies. Armed soldiers and
police officers have been sent to patrol the area and create fear in
people before they decide to rebel. This is kind of similar (but at a
less extreme level) to the Iranian government’s practices of arresting
journalists and bloggers that voice dissent before they can stage
protests or demonstrations, especially concerning the controversial
parliamentary elections occurring in the near future. Both governments
are attempting to nip rebellion in the bud before they have to use
military force and be seen as violent or aggressive.

[Alexa Lee]

Transfer of Vatican Official Who Exposed Corruption Hints at Power
Struggle
By ELISABETTA POVOLEDO
Published: January 26, 2012

This article interested me because there has been a lot of news lately
about the Catholic Church's problems. The article talks about
Archbishop Viganó wanting to fix corruption within the Catholic
Church. He wrote a letter to the Pope asking if he could continue
cleaning up financial affairs. Additionally in the letters 'he said
he was working to correct “corruption, private interests and
dysfunction that are widespread in various departments."' In response
to the letters he was removed from his position as Archbishop and
became the Ambassador to the United States. Apparently the Church did
not want Viganó to continue correcting corruption or even be present
in the Holy See. They claimed that the change in position was just
"proof of unquestionable respect and trust" because the position is
“one of the most important roles in Vatican diplomacy." But, is it
not more important to have good internal politics, especially as a
church, before seeking good international relations. Good uncorrupt
internal politics will lead to a respected international image. Thus
it was illogical of the Church to refute the criticism and explain the
reasoning behind removing Viganó in such a manner. It is terrible
that of all institutions a church system is corrupt and molests
children.

On Jan 30, 2:21 pm, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"

[Steven Wood]

Stalemate Deals Grief and Fury in Syria
By KAREEM FAHIM
Published: January 24, 2012
I couldn't find an exact article that illustrated my point properly
because of the vast volume of articles this week pertaining to Syria.
I am reacting to this article, and many others, in awe. Specifically,
I am reacting to the thousands of killings that have occurred in
Syria, and where the blame is placed. The Syrian government blames
the protesters and the protesters blame the government. To me this
seems like an unending circle that is focusing the people of Syria on
who to blame rather than how to solve the "conflict" in Syria. This
may seem like a trivial statement, but I believe instead of focusing
on such things, the government and protesters should find a solution
to this enormous predicament.
On Jan 30, 11:21 am, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"

[Maddie Chapin]

An Ambitious Arab Capital Reaffirms Its Grand Cultural Vision
1/25
by Anthony Shadid

This article featured the United Arab Emirates, a country whom we
don't hear about as often as others, and how they affirmed their
ambitious project of building three huge museums by 2017. Not only is
this a country that doesn't seem to have much significance, but are
building a huge project in Abu Dhabi which will help this city emerge
as a global capital. Although this is a very lengthy process, it is
smart of this city because although they are spending so much money
into the efforts of building the museums, they will be reimbursed by
the higher rates in tourism for the city which they need. Although
there were many clashes between people over this project, I praise the
city to move ahead with "one of the most remarkable art and culture
projects in the world" and think it will be effective and
significantly help the growth of this city. I am excited to see how
this project moves along and how, in the far future, it will affect
the growth of Abu Dhabi as a world capital.

On Jan 30, 2:21 pm, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"

[Ben Cohen]

"A South African Party’s New Face, and Lightning Rod"- John Eligon
This article interested me especially because of the recent African
presentations. This article talks about a black women, Lindiwe
Mazibuko, who just recently became head of a primarily white political
party in south Africa. She is criticized for being "white on the
inside". To me this article shows there are still many racial
conflicts in South Africa. It seems as though both blacks and whites
do not like each other and are not willing to cooperate with each
other. Many blacks believe that the party Lindiwe Mazibuko is leading
is still for white elitists, which may be true. I believe part of the
racial conflict in South Africa exists because of poverty and a large
income gap. Many white elitists are still wealthy, and a large
percentage of the poverty-stricken lower class of South Africa is
black. I do not believe the racial conflict in South Africa will be
resolved until the income gap is shrunk, which is a hard tasks due to
corrupt government. This is a good example of almost unsolvable
problems plaguing Africa.

On Jan 30, 2:21 pm, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"
<kenneth.sk...@rtsd.org> wrote:

[Drew Vollmer]

"Court Keeps Hitler's Work from German Newsstands"
By Melissa Eddy
Published: January 25, 2012

Bavarian courts have recently banned the publishing of certain
excerpts from Adolf Hitler's autobiography, "Mein Kampf". Modern
Germany has been forever striving to cover up and forget the horrible
events of the Holocaust, specifically to the public. Unfortunately,
neo-nazism still persists in Germany, with a suspected 26,000 of these
extremists among the national population of 82 million. The current
situation against Germany's indelible mark in world history is a
complex one. On one hand, the government wants "Mein Kampf" to be
available so that the citizens understand what it is. On the other
hand, the publication of Hitler's work will make his ideals and
propaganda more available for the neo-nazi organizations still
present. Recent investigations have uncovered rings of far-right
extremists and cases related to them. One group was recently revealed
to have killed nine German citizens between 2000 and 2006, all of
which were of Greek or Turkish descent. What the problem really boils
down to is if the public can handle the publication of this
information in a responsible manner. As Stephan Kramer (Secretary
general for the Central Council of Jews in Berlin) explained that the
population of Germany must be willing to handle this information in a
mature manner. Unfortunately, certain groups have been unable to do
so, and thus publication of certain passages have been censored, in
order to avoid rekindling the fires of the Holocaust.

On Jan 30, 2:21 pm, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"
<kenneth.sk...@rtsd.org> wrote:

[James Lofton]

U.S. Swoops In to Free 2 From Pirates in Somali Raid
By: JEFFREY GETTLEMAN, ERIC SCHMITT and THOM SHANKER
Published: January 25, 2012

Late in the night of Tuesday-Wednesday of last week a group of US Navy
Seals from Seal Team 6 airdropped into central Somalia, navigated
several miles of terrain, and extracted 2 abducted aid workers, one
American and one Danish, all under the cover of darkness.
I feel like this article shows how America is adamant about enforcing
their will on people that carry out actions against us. This is a
great thing. We took it into our own hands to execute the mission
agains Osama bin Laden, however he was a known international villain,
responsible for taking thousands of innocent lives, so it is not a
surprise that he was taken out in a high-profile attack by the Seals.
However, the fact that the Obama administration took a stand, stopped
negotiating with the pirates, and executed another high-profile
infiltration operation into a sovereign country for the life of 1
american citizen, shows the US's supremacy. People can look at the
economy, the lack of jobs, and lament about how the government is
useless. But the American people should look at their government and
notice that they are getting stronger in the international community.
They are sticking the chin out at unfavorable governments and
organizations saying that if you get in our way, we won't get out of
yours. Showing this much care for 1 abducted american citizen should
give all Americans a bode of confidence in the willingness of their
government to help, no matter the situation.

Now on another note, Seal Team 6... how sweet are they. This is almost
coming out of a video game or movie script. These American men and
women have been, and continue to be, the, if not one of the, greatest
fighting forces on the planet. In retrospect, these actions are
probably carried out more often then the public realizes, but with
these two missions executed to near perfection over the last several
months, they are the true heroes.

On Jan 30, 2:21 pm, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"
<kenneth.sk...@rtsd.org> wrote:

[Claire Kirby]

"In Cradle of Games, a New Olympic Trial: Debt"
by Ken Maguire; published 1/29

   Due to the ongoing debt crisis in many parts of Europe, primarily Greece and Italy, there is fear that Greece will not be able to fund their Olympic teams and compete as avidly as normally seen. This is a major upset because Greece is where the Olympic games originally were started, and to have the games without Greece would be extremely unusual. Athletes have told reporters that coaches have gone months without a paycheck, and athletes are receiving less pay as well, naturally. Many sports training centers and facilities in Greece were shut down due to financial problems, and many young, new athletes are getting worried about the crisis. This problem is greatly upsetting the country, athletes, and fans of the national teams.
  This topic really interested me because I am an athlete and I love following and going to see sports. I will be in Europe during the Olympic games this year, and there is a chance I could go watch some trials. Also, it really bothers me to see that historic countries like Greece need to possibly give up traditions in the near future, even though they have been participating for centuries, due to global financial problems. I am happy to see that companies and sponsors have donated supplies such as free flights to London for the Greek athletes, allowing the international tradition to continue the same way for at least another year.

[Allie Martin]

"In Britain, a Partial List of Those Who Declined to be Called 'Sir'"
January 27, 2012
I thought this was the most interesting article of the week because
you never hear about the people who don't want to be knighted. And
when you think about it, who doesn't want to be knighted? But poeple
have good reasons and personal objections to turning down the honor.
People who turned them down include Aldous Huxley, Roald Dahl, and
David Bowie along with other scientist, politicians, and writers. Many
people on the list refused to accept because of their lack of belief
in the monarchy, the ties to the non-existent British Empire, or maybe
even being angry they didn't get a higher position. Some even see it
as hypocritical, as the monarchy criticized them for doing the very
thing they are being awarded for. There's also the story of John
Lennon giving back his "Member of the British Empire" becuase of
England's role in the Vietnam War at the time. Whatever the reason,
its certainly cool to accept knoghthood, but it may be even cooler to
turn it down.

[Melissa Lee]

Latin America Looks at West's Fiscal Crises, and Sees Its Own Past
By Simon Romero
1/27/12

Economic trouble is amidst Europe, and the many Latin American
countries are able to reminisce upon the days when they had felt the
weight of what Italy would call “the spread”, or the gap between
borrowing costs, and low interest rates. Unrest related to the
economic woes of the European nations, such as Greece, Spain, and
Italy, continues to rise as solutions become more and more distant.
However, the flourishing countries of Latin America have seen a
gradual comeback from their despair through recent low unemployment
rates in Brazil and growing commodity pricing. I thought the
psychological concept of maintaining certain ideals to have them
backfire and wind up hindering progress was interesting, as learned by
an economic downfall in Argentina. With many South American countries
finding developing economic success in a world where the US, a
prominent economic power, struggles with debt, and Europe has
difficulty getting back on their feet, it was interesting to see the
current contrast of economic status. Also, the parallels of US
political conflicts among socioeconomic classes to those of Latin
American countries in the 60s showed ways nations that are not
completely friendly are able to relate and maybe learn from each
other.

On Jan 30, 2:21 pm, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"
<kenneth.sk...@rtsd.org> wrote:

[Ashley Gubernick]

Croatia Votes 2 to 1 to Join European Union
By STEPHEN CASTLE
Published: January 22, 2012

Croatia took a vote Sunday to get an idea of how the majority of the
country feels about joining the EU. Despite the ongoing Euro crisis,
66% of voters (the majority) said joining the EU is of interest to
them. Croatia would join on July 1, 2013 if everything goes to plan.
By joining the EU, Croatia would adopt the Euro. Adopting the Euro
would take time, not happening right away, but is required if Croatia
wishes to be initiated. This could be why 33% of voters said NO they
do not want to become a member of the European Union. What I found
particularly interesting though was not the 66% or the 33%, but that
extra 1% that was read as invalid. Adopting a new currency (Croatia
currently uses the "kuna" also written as "HRK"), especially one that
is in major debt, is pressing issue, so who exactly is this 1% that
does not seem to care? As of 2010, Croatia has a population of
4,424,162; 1% of the population would be about 4,421 people. Even
though throwing out the statistic "1%" sounds small, in actuality that
is a lot of people. Compared to the total population, 1% is a small
number, but 4,000 people seems like a big number to me in such an
important vote. That is like all of Bryn Mawr, PA writing invalid
answers if Pennsylvania were to switch currencies. Immediately while
reading this article I wondered what these 4,421 people could have
written down that was invalid? This membership in the EU would effect
all Croatian citizens, so it seems unfathomable that even 1% would not
care enough to vote correctly. Luckily for Croatia, that 1% was not
needed to sway the vote and the 66% majority, along with parliament,
agree joining the EU will be a turning point for the country. Come
2013 Croatia hopes to be accepted into the EU and have a currency
change. I would assume Croatians also hope the Euro can improve
within this year before it ruins the Croatian economy in its
disastrous wreckage.

On Jan 30, 2:21 pm, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"
<kenneth.sk...@rtsd.org> wrote:

[Ashley Gubernick]

The comparison made is a little off percentage wise bryn mawr:pa is
not equal to 1%:croatia; however, bryn mawr is about equal to the
population of 1% of croatia was my point.

[Maureen McDermott]

Croatia Votes 2 to 1 to Join European Union

By Steven Castle
1/22/11

Croatia voted on whether or not they want to join the European Union,
and two thirds of the country voted yes. They are now set
(tentatively) to become a member of the EU on July 1, 2013. Before
that can happen, though, they have to meet the economic criteria for
joining, which I would assume entails that they have at least a
functioning economy, and good markets and stuff, although I'm not
entirely sure on that. Croatia would also most likely switch over to
the euro, although not right away. The biggest question I had about
this is the reasoning behind Croatia actually wanting to join and
especially now since the euro is not doing well at all, and the entire
EU is scrambling to help pick it up. I was doing some research on it,
and it said that, besides the fact that the EU is regarded as a kind
of prestigious group to be in, the Croats are also trying to escape
corruption. And I'm don't really know that much about the Croatian
government, but I found out that the government has taken bribes in
the past, and some of the government officials have spent government
money on themselves. So I think that's the main reason why the Croats
were so in favor of joining the EU, and they hope that they EU will be
able to help them expel the corruption, even though the EU is not in a
very good state right now.

[Maureen McDermott]

oooh Ashley we just wrote about the same thing...awkward

On Jan 30, 2:21 pm, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"
<kenneth.sk...@rtsd.org> wrote:

[Leigh]

U.N. Sees an Unexpected Arrival: Bags of Drugs

by Neil MacFarquhar, January 27th 

This article talked about the suspicious delivery that arrived at the UN from Mexico. It was a cloth bag containing notebooks that had been hollowed out and filled with cocaine. I found this story particularly interesting because its just funny. First of all it was delivered to the UN. I can't help but think what consequences a diplomat would if they had actually ordered all that cocaine. Unfortunately, no one knows who it belongs to or if it was even supposed to be sent to the UN. Secondly, I feel having been to the UN and passing through their security I realize just how important safety is to them. Its very important for the UN to be secure because many important people meet there. So of course the package was going to be thoroughly checked. Clearly whoever sent the cocaine wasn't really thinking, because otherwise they would realize they were wasting their time. I think although I'm responding to this article very lightheartedly, there is also an underlying problem with this story. It shows that despite various attempts to stop it, the drug trade is still just as bad.

[Cat Mosier-Mills]

For Many in Pakistan, a Television Show Goes Too Far
1/26/12

This article stated that a reality TV show in Pakistan, which has been
recently televising live "hunts" for people without proper marriage
identification or couples engaged in immoral behavior, has gone too
far. The TV show spurred outrage, reminding Pakistan of its former
days of controlled TV programming and leading citizens to think that
the media has become less free.
It interested me because it exposes the media corruption in Pakistan,
as well as the recent trend of media issues in Muslim countries. (For
example, Iranian TV stations and media coverage has been severely
censored by the government, including some recent films.) But it was
interesting to see the religious women taking the matter into their
own hands, as opposed to the situation being handled by the
government. I was even more surprised to hear that women were doing
this, because Shariah law seems to directly affect women (and men.)
However, similar to how exposé stories on our TV stations cause
outrage, some of this is merely to get ratings, and to spice up
Pakistan's diverse TV programming.

On Jan 30, 2:21 pm, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"
<kenneth.sk...@rtsd.org> wrote:

[Connor]

"Yemeni Leader Arrives in U.S. for Medical Treatment"

By: Sarah Maslin Nir

January 28, 2012

This article talks about Saleh finally embarking from Yemen to the United States. After a long period of time where people questioned whether or not he would ever leave Yemen, Saleh entered the United States. He seeks medical treatment in New York because of the injuries he sustained earlier this year from an explosion.

I think that although it does not look great for the United States to appear to be harboring a dictator, it ultimately is in the U.S.'s best interest. The U.S. will surely face criticism for welcoming a dictator, who is hated by many, into the country. I think that the United States is just happy the Saleh is out of Yemen before violence escalated any further. Elections in February will determine Saleh's successor and Saleh has pledged to return to Yemen for the elections. It is still unclear whether these elections will not be fraudulent. In the end, I think that Saleh took the way out of power akin to Ben Ali of Tunisia. By exchanging power for immunity, Saleh will probably live out the rest of his life in luxury rather than dying or being publicly tried and sentenced. 

[Rachel Hochberger]

At War With Sao Paulo’s Establishment, Black Paint in Hand
By Simon Romero
1/28/12

This article describes how the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo is
attempting to beautify the city by destroying old buildings, removing
billboards, and knocking down a large highway. It was not so much this
that interested me as how the people of this city are reacting. Many
feel that this beautification is not progressive at all, claiming the
movement is actually “class warfare”. But these people refused to be
silenced, and took black paint throughout any available surface of the
city, and spread this message through pichaçao, or graffiti. They
proved that the struggles of the lower classes are still very much
alive, as is the urban culture of Sao Paulo. I found it surprising
that these people reacted so strongly, but was also impressed by the
risks they took in order to get this message across, some even risking
death climbing up buildings in order to let their message be heard,
showing how valued culture is to these people, and how hard they will
fight to maintain it.

[Quincy Shuda]

Bill Gates Donates $750 Million to Shore Up Disease-Fighting Fund
By Donald G. McNeil Jr.
January 26, 2012

This article was very interesting to me, and I was very excited to see
it show up in the news (the topic also came up a few days before)
because it involves my research topic for the Africa project: malaria.
The article is about how the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis
and Malaria has been running low on funding. After coming up 1 billion
dollars short of their 13 billion dollar goal, the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation decided to donate a huge amount of money to the fund.
Bill Gates said he thought it was a great foundation and that people
need to give to the world’s poorest in times of need. Previously, he
had donated large amounts of money to private research of an HIV
vaccine, but he felt the foundation was in need of some major support.
I found this article to be truly amazing when it talked about things
like how many lives had been saved from this foundation. Lately in
politics, many people have been criticizing the “l %” who are the
wealthiest part of out country. But when you look at someone like Bill
Gates, you can see that America isn’t as greedy as some people make it
out to seem. Sure, there are the families who make loads of money from
important jobs and spend it on fancy vacations, but there are also so
many generous people out there who know that they can help and then
actually do something about it. This contribution will undoubtedly
save lives of people who would otherwise be dead. So looking at the
big picture, I think sometimes everyone needs to thank that 1% because
they really can be great people who help miracles come true for
someone.

[Shefain Islam]

Latin America Looks at West's Fiscal Crises, and Sees Its Own Past
By Simon Romero

Published: January 28, 2012

This article explains how the woes of the current global economic crisis that countries in Europe and the U.S. are heavily involved in are a lesson learned for many South American countries, especially Brazil. Brazil's low unemployment rate of 6.8 percent is a safe number compared to the U.S.'s 85 percent and Brazil is further reveling in the joy of surpassing the U.K. as the world's sixth largest economy. People who once witnessed poverty and received aid are going to foreign countries like France and becoming grateful for the life they live in the once pitied South America. The statistics given in this article are alarming. The value of one Brazilian bank if worth more than Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs combined! Towards the end of the article, the author mentions a quote in which the U.S. is being told to take a seat in the loser ring of world economies right next to France. I found this quote pretty hilarious and worrisome at the same time. Where have the world powers gone? We aren't exactly Ethiopia, although Ethiopia isn't doing as badly as it used to, but we are definitely losing out against countries like China, India, and the lesser known power, Brazil. In the State of the Union speech, President Obama acknowledged this fact and blamed it an uneven playing field with countries like Brazil and China practicing very unfair protectionism. This fact is very true but how much of this an unfair playing field and how much of the blame can we put on ourselves as Americans and how much blame can Europeans countries put on themselves. Not knowing much about the downward spiral that led the Euro to this point, I don't want to comment too much on Europe but I would like to comment on America. Businesses outsourcing and governments giving countries tax cuts for outsourcing can only be blamed on us. For the average American, at least a 1/4 of the items in our home are made outside the U.S. and this is a very low estimate. The everyday American is contributing to the downfall and helping other countries like China rise by giving our hard earned dollars to another country, allowing them to prosper much more than us. It's not easy to just force all businesses to put MADE IN AMERICA on their products since after all, it is business. However, how much of this can we control as a entity (the U.S. and the government) and as an individual? I'm not sure of this answer but what I do know is that being told to get into the loser circle for our economy is not something that I would want to see happen again.   

[Josh Klag]

"In Police Training, a Dark Film on U.S. Muslims"
by Michael Powell
1/23/12

Although not technically "international" news, this article is set in
international context and may have international repercussions. The
article deals with the recent confirmation of accusations that a film
called "The Third Jihad" was being shown to New York police officers
in training. This film portrays images such as Muslim-on-Christian
violence and an Islamic flag flying over the White House, attempting
to convey the "true agenda" of American Muslims, which is to
"infiltrate and dominate America". After reading this article, I was
simply appalled. I was shocked by the bluntness and ignorance of this
film, not to mention that it was being shown to young police officers.
It made me realize how deeply prejudiced some Americans are towards
Muslims, and that the Arab world's hatred of America sometimes goes
both ways. I often like to think that the Radical Muslims are the bad
guys who hate America for no reason. But this piece of news shines a
light on the true nature of American resentment towards Muslims,
regardless of whether they share the same nationality.

[Lizzy Hilt]

Possible Tokyo Evacuation Was Kept Secret in Nuclear Crisis
January 25th, 2012
Following the 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan, the government
wrote a document that called for thousands of people to be evacuated
for miles surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. It
also warned that citizens in Tokyo could be required to evacuate as
well. Unfortunately, the citizens of Tokyo were not informed on how
serious the matter could have been. In fact, the government still
refuses to release this document to the public. They were trying to
prevent a possible panic by the 35 million residence of Tokyo. The
question still remaining, should the government risk these panics? In
my opinion, it is necessary to warn the people about what could
possibly happen. Keeping them in the dark is just as dangerous as
providing them with the information. If anything were to have happened
to citizens, it would have been the fault of numerous government and
plant officials. This is a political risk they cannot take, but on the
other hand, they would have been responsible for a mass panic that may
have been deadly for people.

[Jeremy Rhome]

"Jonathan Idema, Con Man and Afghan Bounty Hunter Dies at 55"
By Douglas Martin
January 29th 2012

Jonathan Idema, a mysterious man who was a former Green Beret and
served in vietnam died at the age of 55 because of AIDS. It is not
his death that is most interesting, but how he lived his life. After
the Green Berets he moved to Afghanistan to be a bounty hunter for
Osama bin Laden. He was then convicted of running a civilian prison,
torturing people, and posing as US military in his home in
Afghanistan. He was sentenced for 10 years in Afghanistan but
received an apartment like cell and was pardoned by Karzai after 3
years. He claimed he had been working with US and Afghan forces but
they deny his claim. He also went to Lithuania to train police there
and was involved in a trade of backpack sized nuclear weapons. He
also is famous for numerous lawsuits including one against Steven
Spielberg claiming he based a movie off of him. The shroud of
mystery surrounding his life and how he carried out such missions is
most interesting. Particular why Hamid Karzai would pardon a man who
tortured people for information and posed as an American soldier.
This leaves many questions for the reader as to the details of his
operations. It also reveals the truly lawless nature of war and the
uncertainties and mystery that war presents. Despite the established
rules of war, what it comes down to is that war is war. and it is
lawless by nature. But how could such a man go into Afghanistan, buy
a house, and set up a prison without the US knowing his intentions?

[Shefain Islam]

I just realized I wrote about the same article as Melissa so this is my new post.
In Reversal, Iran Allows Interest Rates to Increase
By: Rick Gladstone
Published: January 25, 2012

This article is discussing how Iran has finally allowed banks to increase their interest rates in order to get a hold of the slipping rial. This is an interesting turn of events as Iran have constantly denied the effects of sanctions imposed on them as a result of the development of nuclear technology in Iran. The article said that Ahmadinejad had been shrugging off the sanctions and has ignored advice from economic experts to raise interest rates to try and save the rial. I think this a pretty funny incident since when I read this article all I could imagine was a little boy trying to attempt something a large man would be able to do, only to fail and walk back home, head hung low, to his mother. Iran is that little boy who said things that they could obviously not back up. This incident is just another example of Iran, as Mr. Sklar said, "blowing hot air." Iran stands by the fact that on the battle of sanctions, they hold the reigns since they have control of the Strait of Hormuz. They have warned over and over again that the sanctions will not hurt Iran and will cause Iran to retaliate by closing off the Strait of Hormuz, hurting the world powers instead. Now who's talking Mr. Ahmadinejad? While the Iran Nuclear issue is and should be placed on the top of the list of world issues, the things that Iran says just make you want to laugh sometimes and I find it hard to believe I haven't read an article yet directly mocking Iranian political strategy. While Iran continued to "ignore" sanctions and say they are useless, they obviously had a big enough impact to force them to do the thing that they outright refused to do and that is raise interest rates. This is a moment of pure weakness for Iran and shows that yes, the sanctions are having some sort of an effect. While Iran was walking back with it's tail between its legs, Iran continued to blow hot air at the same time. I don't want to go too much into the issue but Iran did warn that they would be willing to shut down exports to Europe which makes this incident even funnier. The main point of this article is show how much hot air Iran can really blow and how weak Iran really is in the scope of the world, which need not be said is very weak (compared to the U.S, EU, etc.).

[Kaleigh Link]

French Bill on Genocide Is Denounced by Turkey
By SEBNEM ARSU and SCOTT SAYARE
Published: January 24, 2012
This article talked about Turkey's reaction to a bill criminalizing
the denial of officially recognized genocides, including the Armenian
genocide in 1915 but the Turks. In this article I'm surprised by
Turkeys drastic reaction to the bill. France has a serious issue at
hand, if they want to keep their relationship with Turkey then they
need to veto the bill. But since it's something that they are
passionate about, it's hard to change your opinion about the Armenian
genocide. I believe that if the French are going to pass the bill
that they shouldn't specify upon which genocide was committed because
if they do that (which they have) they are going to offend somebody
and end up hurting their own government. Either that or they should
just leave the whole situation alone, although genocide is absolutely
terrible and shouldn't have happened; the French should't be bringing
the past back up, they should leave it where it is and move on,
because as much as I too would like to go back and change what
happened nobody can, and pin-pointing somebody out for something that
many countries has done is just horrendous, and maybe the Turks are
embarrassed about it and know that it's wrong (not that I'm creating
an excuse for them for denying things) but it could be a possibility.

On Jan 30, 2:21 pm, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"
<kenneth.sk...@rtsd.org> wrote:

[Alex Freedman]

Europe and U.S. Tighten Vise of Sanctions on Iran (1/23)

I believe that the fact that Europe and the US are tightening already
severe sanctions on Iran show their dedicated support to Israel.
Iran's nuclear program directly effects Israel because if/when they
acchieve nuclear weapons, the first thing they do will bomb Israel.
Therefore, this cements Europe and the US's alliance with Israel. This
interests me because we had been discussing in class the possibility
of Iran attacking Israel and it is now becoming more and more
realistic, so this is an important event. Also, I am very passionate
about Israel, so this interests me on a personal level. I know how
important that Israel, while equipt to counterattack Iran or defend
themselves, cannot completely defend against a nuclear bomb and need
the support of big countries like in the EU and the US.

[Colin Castro]

Russian Liberals Growing Uneasy With Alliances

By: Michael Schwirtz

Date: January 29th, 2012

This article highlighted an interesting part of the Russian revolution and that was the position and the role of somewhat radical nationalist groups. While these groups are small they hold power and sway in a changing Russia. Liberals are planning for a February 4th protest. However, the Liberals who've organized this have become increasingly uncertain in how the nationalists will play a role. While they're key, the Liberals have serious questions about many of the nationalistic ideals. Some nationalists are calling for a Russia of ethnic Russians, also racist violence and anger toward Slavs has painted a frightening image of many nationalist groups. That said, these groups have great experience and work in protesting and campaigning. They're ideals and values also tend to reach more rural Russians, and many leaders of these groups are carefully with their words and avoid painting the common picture of hostility and craziness. Many of these nationalists also come off as clearly anti-democratic. But, in conclusion the Russian Nationalist groups hold a key to the future and can play a vital role in the end of Putin's soft authoritarian rule. 

I see a lot of connections between this and the Arab Spring and its aftermath today. For many revolutions, specifically in places like Libya, nationalist groups with bloody histories played dominant rules in defeating tyrannical rules. This underlying issue in a reliance on Nationalism is that once in power, they are very likely to abuse it. Nationalists are most affective in revolution, they're unified, and strong, however when it comes to operating as a faction of real government their beliefs and ideologies can cripple that government and its progress. Libya is really struggling to move on post-Qaddafi, because the Nationalist groups quarrel and create violence. It will be important to examine what path these Russian Nationalists take, and how active a role they acquire in a possible post-Putin Russia. 

[Addy]

Sharp Rise in Violence Halts Monitoring by League in Syria
By KAREEM FAHIM and NADA BAKRI 1/28/12
This article talks about the Arab League pulling out of Syria. They
say that the reason is because the situation is too dangerous for
continued presence. This move really shows how bad Syria is right now.
The fact that these moniters think that it's too dangerous to continue
their work there is a big move. I think that this really brings to
light the violence, chaos, and total anarchy that has gripped Syria. I
think that this move will put alot of national and international
pressure on Assad to step down and end the violence. The pressure is
already enormous, but this will increse it ten-fold.

On Jan 30, 2:21 pm, "Ken Sklar (Radnor High School)"

[Michael Wong]

Chaotic Start to Egypt's First Freely Elected Parliament
by David D. Kirkpatrick

Egypt has long aspired to a a model democracy, attempting to wow the
world with it's ability to turn from dictatorship to a democratic
utopia in a matter of months. While the promise of democracy
sweetened their revolution, the reality of democracy is less
tasteful. The root of Egypt's democratic plight lies within the
distinct party factions, Salafi Islamists, the Muslim Brotherhood, and
finally Liberals and Secularists. The Brotherhood dominated
elections, occupying close to half the total seats, with the satellite
conservative and liberal parties both fearing a return to single party
domination. The hesitance of the other 50+ % to agree with the
Brotherhood's installments for fear of marginilization combine with
each parties own internal strife made the simple electoral task of
selecting a speaker drag on for several days. A testament to the
divide lies in Abdel Fotouh's running for president. Sponsored by an
ex-brotherhood leader he could run against a Brotherhood candidate and
to complicate the situation his suporters Aim to ally both Salafis and
Liberals in his support to undermine the Brotherhood. In the mean
time few can agree on the Military's role, while the Brotherhood has
accepted an election date other parties are hesitant and their
supporters continue to protest.
As the unification force that was Mubarak fades away cohesiveness also
fades, testing the will to collaborate in the name of democracy- for
the people who stood up to a dictator and demanded his resignation
this seems a small task; yet, small tasks are now strategic points for
any aspiring Egyptian faction and they appear to compete without the
intention of common good. I believe that the will to achieve
stability will right the situation and prevent seriously debilitating
standoffs, after all, it's the people's democracy not the Salafi's,
Brotherhood's, or Liberal's.

[Erica F]

"Court Keeps Hitler’s Work From German Newsstands" by Melissa Eddy
1/25/12

This article is about a recent court case in Germany regarding a
British publisher asking to put excerpts of 'Mein Kampf' in a
magazine. A Bavarian court ruled against publisher Peter Mcgee, who
wanted to sell 100,000 copies of this magazine issue in Germany.
German authorities recently released the results of a new study,
revealing that one in five Germans still have some anti-semitic
beliefs, even though Germany has made a point to include tolerance and
Judaism in their school curriculums. Keeping this in mind, many
Germans are hesitant about the release of any excerpt from 'Mein
Kampf', in belief that it will provoke right extremists. This is a
truly scary statistic to me-what will it take to get these feelings of
hatred out of Germany for good? To think that after all that's
happened, people STILL have anti-semitic beliefs is just disturbing.
There's simply no other word for it... this disturbs me to my very
core, since it's been almost 70 years.