February 2010 – Page 4 – Com 121 Spring 2010

Climate Change Policy Has Roadblocks in Washington

admin / February 12, 2010

As the Copenhagen Summit drew to a close, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a surprising announcement: the United States would raise $100 billon in annual aid for developing countries by 2020, and in return they “open their carbon-accounting book.” There was only one problem with this plan– Congress had not signed off on this promise. The U.S. needs the support of Congress for policy to be put in place to see the pledge through, and Clinton’s remarks were immediately met with opposition back in D.C. Now you may be wondering (along with your Congressmen) who will pay this $100 billion. Here is where this money could come from:

Offset projects– projects, such as planting trees, that help to reduce carbon in the atmosphere
- In a cap and trade program, offsets could help companies meet emissions requirements
- The European Union already uses such a system
Some taxes

This week, talks of the 2011 budget were abuzz at Capitol Hill. Among those discussions was environmental policy. Some of the things Obama is calling for in his budget are:

Money for renewable energy research– solar, wind, and geothermal
Expanding nuclear power
Make cuts in tax breaks for large fossil fuel companies

Environmental policy is something that Americans will be hearing about more and more as our administration, along with leaders from around the world, work to improve our world.

Tensions Rise Over Dalai Lama Meeting

admin / February 12, 2010

The White House announced yesterday that President Obama will meet with the Dalai Lama on February 18^th. Among other recent controversies, this is the latest in line to further sour the rocky relations between China and the United States.

Ma Zhaoxu, Foreign Ministry spokesmanfor China, responded quickly, “We urge the U.S. side to fully understand the high sensitivity of Tibet-related issues, honor its commitment to recognizing Tibet as part of China and opposing ‘Tibet independence.’”

You may recall that the “Tibet issue” received a large amount of attention during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. But, you might not know why the protests were occurring. While it is impossible to fully explain the reasoning behind the protest of the Dalai Lama meeting in one post, here are a few points to consider:

The origin of the controversy is the “17-Point Agreement”

China claims the “17-Point Agreement” signed by the 14^th Dalai Lama in 1951 is proof that the Chinese have sovereignty over Tibet

Other sources indicate that the Tibetan government was independent until 1951 and that the “17-Point Agreement” was signed under duress and is therefore not valid

China argues that their influence has reformed and improved Tibet, specifically economically and in terms of human rights

The Dalai Lama’s director of information, Thubten Samphel, asserts that the PLA is responsible for over 80,000 Tibetan deaths between 1952 and 1958

More recently, the March 2008 protest in Tibet was in regards to “widespread mistreatment of the Tibetan population and a denial of religious and political freedom.”

The rift between China and Tibet runs deep and it can only be inferred that a meeting between Obama and the Dalai Lama will not bode well for US-China relations. The only question left to consider is “How will the impact manifest itself for the United States and for Tibet?”

The Cold Hard Truth

admin / February 12, 2010

Upwards of 27 million people are held in some form of slavery, sexual trade, or indentured servitude.
According to the United Nations, human trafficking has become a $12-billion-a-year industry impacting nearly every country, surpassing all criminal markets other than drug and arms trades.
Slaves today are usually valued at less than $100, giving slaveholders minimal incentive to take care of them.
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), almost 200 million children (5-14 years) are put to work to help support their families in the developing world.
In an attempt to combat human trafficking, the US created a tier system, 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Act, rating countries on the degree at which they are fighting trafficking:

Tier 1: Countries are considered active in fighting trafficking
Tier 2: Countries are making moderate efforts against trafficking
Tier 3: Countries have done nothing to prevent trafficking. If a country is categorized in Tier 3 for three consecutive years, all U.S. non-humanitarian funds will be withheld.

Several Country Specifics:

Nearly every country plays some role in human trafficking. Frequently, it is the cooperation of the trafficking networks that connect countries, allowing for the illegal kidnapping across borders, and fostering the continuation of the slave trade. However, human trafficking seems to appear in different forms from country to country.
Approximately 90 percent of girls in rural parts of Albania cannot go to school for fear of being kidnapped and sold into prostitution.
Moldovan women may make up to 80 percent of prostitution trafficking in Western Europe.
Trafficking for labor rather than sex is more prevalent in African countries.
Asian victims are often sold to traffickers by their own families in hopes of providing an escape from poverty.
Some 25,000 women and children are trafficked each year out of Bangladesh.
Thailand is a prime destination for pedophile sex tourists fueling the demand for the trafficking of children.

Sources: The CQ Researcher, March 26, 2004, Volume 14, Number 12, pages 273-296

Photo Source: http://nimg.sulekha.com/Others/original700/malaysia-human-trafficking-2009-7-27-1-10-0.jpg

NAFTA Spells Oppression

admin / February 11, 2010

Earlier this month, Mexican officials announced they expect the economy to grow by 3.4% in 2010. Despite this projected growth, much of the country is ravaged by poverty and inequality. Mexico has one of the most disparate wealth distributions in the entire world. NAFTA is largely to blame.

When President Bill Clinton implemented the North American Free Trade Agreement I don’t think he knew its implications for Mexico’s poorest citizens. At least, I hope he didn’t.

Signed into law in 1992, NAFTA is a tripartite agreement between Mexico, Canada, and the United States stipulating the equal flow of goods between the countries. Although well-intended, the sudden influx of drastically discounted goods into Mexico crippled farmers and indigenous populations who have survived off the profits of their land for centuries.

NAFTA quickly put the majority of rural farmers out of business.

Mexican farmer selling corn in the marketplace.

Corn subsidies only exacerbated the problem of selling products in the local market. Seed prices are up 20%. In February of 2008, hundreds of thousands of Mexican farmers rallied in the streets of Mexico City, the nation’s capital to protest the corn subsidy.

Corn is not the only crop that has gone to pot since NAFTA began, literally.

According to an article in La Jornada, the relationship between the signing of the bill and drug trafficking has become tighter. In places such as Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Veracruz, the growth of marijuana and poppy seed has increased with unprecedented intensity. 1/3 of all arable and permanent croplands in Mexico are used to grow illicit substances. (I will explain more about the War on Drugs in later posts.)

While it is true the Mexican economy as a whole has made slight gains in the years since NAFTA, the campeñeros are bearing the brunt of this preferential agreement between the United States and Mexico.

(RED): The Color of an Emergency

admin / February 10, 2010

“We must all come together in supporting the global fund and the fight against AIDS.

…I applaud (RED) and its partners for their vision and commitment.” –Nelson Mandela

This quote by former South African President, Nelson Mandela, is printed at the top of one of the most well-known AIDS philanthropic organizations, “The (RED) Campaign.” Mandela is right, with HIV/AIDS continuing to be a growing epidemic, people all around the world need to work together in order to stop the spread of this fatal disease. Foreign Policy and governmental aid are doing all they can in order to help with programs such as PEPFAR and USAID but they are not enough to stop this epidemic, therefore there are hundreds of philanthropic groups devoted to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS.

(RED) is one of the leading philanthropic organizations and most well-known. Founded by U2 front man, Bono and Bobby Shriver in 2002, The (RED) Campaign raises awareness and money for the Global Fund by pairing with the most popular icons in today’s world such as; American Express, Gap, Apple, and Starbucks.

Today, there is an estimated 33 million people living with HIV, and 2.7 million people were newly infected in 2007. HIV/AIDS can be stopped if everyone works together. For example, with the help of (RED) and its sponsors the purchase of one Ipod and nine Starbucks drinks provides someone living with HIV in Africa with three weeks and three days of lifesaving medicine. This is incredible, and if everyone continues to be informed and work together, hopefully the battle with HIV/AIDS will come to an end.

Checking and Vetting

admin / February 9, 2010

The slogan posted at the top of TSA blog website reads,

“Terrorists evolve. Threats evolve. Security must stay ahead. You play a part.”

In order to uphold their goal of lowering the risk of air travel, the TSA has implemented new and strengthened former security regulations.

In June 2007, the job of “Document Checker” was created. Trained Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) use black lights and magnifying glasses to check boarding passes and forms of identification, such as driver’s licenses or passports. These people are stationed at the head of every security checkpoint in every American airport. Since the inception of the program, these TSOs have uncovered “thousands of suspect, illegible or expired documents.”

Another new program that the TSA has created is Secure Flight. A recent TSA press release read, “TSA’s goal is to vet 100 percent of passengers on all domestic commercial flights by early 2010 and 100 percent of passengers on all international commercial flights into, out of, or over the U.S. by the end of 2010.” The airlines can now ask for a passenger’s name, DOB, and gender when making a reservation. This added information is used to crosscheck your information with international watch lists, such as the No Fly list, in order to prevent any suspect passengers from even getting a flight reservation.

While the job of Document Checkers may seem mundane, and has caused you frustration while traveling through an airport, their jobs are actually quite effective in stopping passengers with counterfeit papers. The Secure Flight Program is an up-and-coming process that will hopefully be effective in halting any and all passengers on watch lists from even getting close to an airport.

Will China Levy Sanctions Against the US?

admin / February 8, 2010

The Chinese government announced that they may enact trade sanctions on foreign arms contractors (meaning any U.S. company that sells or distributes arms to Taiwan). This response came shortly after the announcement was made on Friday, February 5, that the United States would be selling Taiwan a $6.4 billion arms package. Boeing is a good example of a company in threat of being sanctioned.

Several reports doubt that China would ever put these sanctions in place. The reason? Boeing products comprise 53 percent of civilian aircraft in China. It seems that China would only be hurting itself because they would be subject to World Trade Organization rules. If successfully challenged, “Beijing could face sanctions against its own exports that would be equivalent in value to the estimated loss of business to US companies.”

The Taiwan dispute is nothing new, but it is integral in foreign relations between China and the United States or any other country that recognizes Taiwan as a state separate from China. Japanese colonization of Taiwan from 1895-1945 sparked a “century of humiliation” that would only end with the reunion of China and Taiwan. Chinese possession of Taiwan is so deeply entrenched in Chinese pride. Any country committing the act of attempting to help Taiwan defend itself is undermining Chinese authority and esteem. Saving face is a large motivator in the Chinese government’s action or inaction, which brings us back to the threat of sanctions.

Ultimately, times are tense for US-China relations and it is unknown if tensions will increase or decrease as this story develops. There is currently such a torrent of news items on US-China relations, that there is no telling what’s next.

A Review of the Copenhagen Summit

admin / February 7, 2010

I want to start this blog with a review of the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference, or known commonly as the Copenhagen Summit. This summit is significant to the topic of U.S. foreign policy in regards to the environment and climate change, because it is the latest attempt to bring many nations together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here is a some fast facts about the Summit:

Leaders from 193 nations around the world met in December 2009
Individual nations made commitments to lower their own impact global warming
Did not make a binding international treaty to lower environmental impact– failing to meet a goal of reaching such an agreement by 2010
Failed to name strict goals for lowering greenhouse gas emissions
Obama said that of the Summit: “We’ve come a long way but we have much further to go.”
EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the agreements fell “far short of our expectations”

Here is a slideshow of images from the Summit.

This information should be helpful as we continue to look at the relationship between the U.S. and the European Union in regards to climate change.

Source:

New York Times with Google

Photos:

Poster; World Leaders; Plenary; Obama; Prince Charles; Sarkozy; Protests; Comic

Obama Falling Short in Immigration Reform?

admin / February 6, 2010

“Esperábamos más” or “We expected more” was the phrase that was in the minds of many Hispanic immigration activists after hearing President Obama’s first speech at the State of the Union Address. According to an article I read on Univision.com many in the Hispanic community feel that President Obama focused more on issues such as the economy, homeland security, the war in Iraq, and the earthquake in Haiti. Immigration activist Vanessa Cárdenas states, “This speech did not manifest the compromise that we wanted to see. There was no affirmative word. There are other priorities. To some extent he deceived us.”

Furthermore, the article states that he only spoke a few seconds on the issues of immigration reform and the legalization of undocumented citizens. I read his speech and unfortnately the only time immigration reform is mentioned is when President Obama states “And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -– to secure our borders and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation.”

After reading this article and President Obama’s speech I do believe that immigration activist such as Cárdenas have a point that it has been pushed to the side. However, I believe that this is due to the fact that the economy and issues such as health care and homeland security have been become more prominent to the majority of American citizens. However immigration reform is not an issue that can just be pushed under the rug. There still needs to be some work taking place to change the U.S. immigration system because it affects the lives millions of U.S. residents, legal or not.

President Obama’s State of the Union Address full text

Information about Immigration Reform Bill

Treatment or Prevention- What Should We Buy Into?

admin / February 4, 2010

Since the AIDS outbreak in the 1980s, people have been scrambling to treat those already infected and prevent further infections. In Africa, especially, there are major obstacles to overcome. This could explain why “two-thirds of the world’s 40 million HIV/AIDS cases are in… sub-Saharan Africa… and 72 percent of the 3 million people who died from AIDS in 2006 were Africans” (Bristol). So how should we as global citizens try to help? To figure out the solution one must recognize the myriad and endlessly complex obstacles getting in the way:

Obstacles to treatment:

Weak health systems— many African countries suffer from a “brain drain,” meaning medical students leave for school then never return to practice medicine
Antiretroviral pills (ARVs) used to treat AIDS
Lack of medial workers— “Africa… bears 24 percent of the world’s burden of disease but has only 3 percent of the global health workforce and 1 percent of its physicians” (Bristol)
Limited funding— most of the people who need antiretroviral (ARV) treatment are not receiving it consistently or even at all
Stigma of the disease— AIDS carries with it a harsh stigma, causing many to refuse to recognize it for the deadly disease that it is

Obstacles to prevention:

Cultural norms— many social norms stimulate the spread of AIDS, including objection to male circumcision, prevalence of male-dominated culture, and the tendency of concurrent sexual partners
Misinformation & lack of education— myths are widely circulated, such as the belief that having sex with a virgin will cure a man of AIDS
No AIDS vaccine in sight— it will be many years until we even begin to see a cure

While there are differing opinions as to the main obstacle, ultimately we must focus on both prevention and treatment to be successful. So where has the US contributed its funds? Next time I will focus on some of our government’s efforts in Africa.