- Cultural Region (Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, or Latin America)
- MLA Citation
- Concise (no more than 5 sentences) summary that includes a clear thesis statement
Monday, September 2, 2013
F.I. - Question 53
To complete question #53 on the "Foundations Investigation," select an article from a PRINT issue of Current History. Your comment should include the following:
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Europe
ReplyDeleteAron, Leon. "After Putin, the Deluge?" Current History Oct. 2007: 307-13. Print.
"The article, "After Putin, the Deluge?," outlined the potential hardships of Russia that the next president will face after Vladimir Putin leaves office." Some of the central points discussed were the impending social and economic meltdowns that the Kremlin could face because of the growing corruption and energy crisis. Moreover, Russia's one hundred and forty billion dollar oil business appears to be declining due to the new, corrupted, state-owned companies operating the projects. Additionally, the transition from a corrupted communist state to an organized democracy is still in transition, and the country's history will always be a reminder of its unspoken past. Overall, Russia may appear healthy to an outsider, but the country is still a long way from becoming a strong democracy, and the progress of Putin has helped the country considerably, but the subsequent leaders will need to do the same.
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ReplyDeleteCentral Asia
ReplyDeleteMedeiros, Evan S. "Is Beijing Ready for Global Leadership?" Current History Sept. 2009: 250-56. Print.
This article written by Evan S. Medeiros is explaining the global financial issues involving China's leaders. It also explains that China has to 'think globally' in order to act locally. China does not allow itself to act as a global power, however in the upcoming years it must adapt and take a seat at the 'table.' Finally the article answers the prime question, "Is Beijing Ready for Global Leadership?" The answer is "not any time soon," says Medeiros. He explains this throughout the article using details including how the U.S. has responded to this.
Middle East
ReplyDeleteRobinson, Glenn E. "Syria's Long Civil War." Current History Dec. 2012: 331-36.
This article talks about the civil war in Syria and how long it has been going on, even when people may have though there was no civil war going on. There were a few “rounds” of civil war in Syria and this article says that when the rounds were over, they weren’t over. All of the rounds were fought over the same things by the same people, even though they were years apart. The people who fought in these rounds were part of “a minority based regime, allied with other minorities along with privileged elements from the majority population, ruling over a poor and often dysfunctional state that does not tolerate dissenters.” When the rounds were over, these issues would continue to persist and, ultimately, cause another war to break out.
Middle East
ReplyDeleteBarfield, Thomas. "Afghans Look at 2014." Current History Apr. 2012: 123-28.
Print.
In this article, Barfield discusses the possible issues that may arise when the American and NATO forces vacate Afghanistan. Based on the three previous evacuations of foreign armies (namely Britain and the Soviet Union) there, the Kabul government of Afghanistan will maintain some stability, but attacks by the Taliban, civil war, and/or the disintegration of the country are not too far of a stretch. President Karzai was very popular when he was elected, but he has since shown himself to be fraudulent and a somewhat inferior decision-maker. Additionally, while Afghanistan has a generally good relantionship with Iran, the opposite is true with Pakistan, which seems to encourage Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Overall, nobody knows what will happen in Afghanistan in the coming years, but an alliance with India and the decisions of Pakistan will decide whether Afghanistan remains peaceful or dissolves into civil war.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"With the advent of new political powers and open mindsets, Ukraine is slowly but surely shifting away from authoritarian rule, as practiced in Russia, to a more Western, democratic approach in an uprising dubbed the Orange Revolution." In 2004, when Russia-loving Viktor Yanukovych ran for president, his campaign was plagued with scandals, as he allegedly poisoned his opponent, Viktor Yushchenko; as a result, the voting was annulled and Yushchenko was inaugurated as president in January of 2005. Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine’s “orange” leader, has pledged to fight corruption in the country by creating new laws that combat scandals in Ukrainian administration. Yushchenko and Tymoshenko, along with the Orange coalition, have successfully increased Ukraine’s economic standing, as the country joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2008 and experienced a 7.6 percent annual growth from 2001 to 2007. In total, the emergence of this new party foreshadows a bright, more fair future for Ukraine and its citizens.
ReplyDeleteEurope
ReplyDeletePifer, Steven. "Ukraine's Perlous Balancing Act." Current History Mar. 2012: 106-11. Print.
Since 1991 when Ukraine gained independence, it has been hard to keep a balance between west of Ukraine and Russia. Ukraine befriended the United States, took a visit to Kiev and left with peace treaties, and allowed the black sea fleet to base in Crimea. The CIS, EU, and NATO's Partnership for Peace Program allowed Ukraine in also but, the one thing that had Ukraine so unbalanced is it marry-go-around of presidents and prime minsters political views changing constantly between pro-west and pro-Russia. From 99 to 03, Ukraine was pro-Russia, from 04-2010 they where pro-west, in 2010 they where back for Russia again, but in 2012, they got themselves in trouble. After not agree for a small bit of time, then saying they want to be balanced in relationships made it ten times harder, because rebuilding relations with the west will possibly damage to interests with Russia.
Europe
ReplyDeleteBeckfield, Jason. "The End of Equality in Europe?" Current History Mar. 2013: 94. Print.
It seems that inequality is beginning to rise in Europe, because of the free market turn in European policy. The author states that he believes the financial crisis of the United States ruined some economies and led to European inequality. He says that Welfare states could continue to be on the downfall and inequality will keep on rising. He also sees the other side of the story and says that as the market improves Europe could become more equal in little time. All in all, the reason for the new inequality is the crisis from 2008-11, and the Sovereign debt crisis from 2010-13, without those, he claims Europe would be fine.
East Asia
ReplyDeleteKurlantzick, Joshua. "The New Schizophrenia: Asia Between Integration and Isolation." Current History Jan. 2010: 24-30. Print.
In this article Kurlantzick examines the recent cultural, economic, and political trends of China in order to thoroughly investigate the achievements and follies of its government and culture. First, the article accounts for China's recent connectivity between its neighboring countries, which is partially due to an increase of cross-border trade and investment flows. However, Kurlantzick uses conducted studies to find that a majority of Chinese citizens believe that their culture is superior, creating a resentful relationship between China and its allies. Despite these cultural ideologies that hold the country back, China continues to progress due to its accommodation to modern laws and technology. In summary, the article discusses the Chinese government and culture as it sustains high rates of economic growth.
Latin America
ReplyDeleteMaguire, Robert. “Rebuild Haiti, Not Just Its Capital” Current History Feb. 2011: 81-82. Print.
This article, written by Robert Maguire, discusses the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010, killing 300,000 people and leaving over 1 million homeless. Before the earthquake, Haiti had been divided into two republics: the wealthy Port au Prince and the remainder of the country. Port au Prince, with its attention, services, and investment attracted many people, and the population grew right before the earthquake hit. After the earthquake, the survivors of the quake escaped the destroyed city and moved to towns that were unaffected by the natural disaster. Currently, Haiti faces a reconstruction period, and there is much hope that it may one day be restored to a better state than it once was, with the two republics becoming equally wealthy and the entire country of Haiti becoming a prosperous place to live.
Sub-Saharan Africa
ReplyDeleteStearns, Jason. "In Congo's Conflict, a Surprising Twist." Current History May 2009: 202-07. Print.
This article discusses the interesting tactical move of Congo to align themselves with Rwanda against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The article goes over the history of the conflict in Congo to help the reader obtain a better understanding of what is going on. Stearns presents views of foreign diplomats including the American ambassador to Kinshasa and the British army's chief of staff on the subject. He sums up his article by stating that the partnership has worked out nicely so far but there is still a long way to go.
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ReplyDeleteSouth Asia
ReplyDeleteCohen, Stephen P. "Shooting for a Century: The India-Pakistan Conundrum." Current History Apr. 2011: 162-64. Print.
Conflict began between India and Pakistan in 1947 when partition killed hundreds of thousands of people and turned millions more into refugees. There have been many wars since and there are six main causes for the hatred between the two countries. These main causes include the different religions, Muslim and Hindu, their state identities, the power and politics of each country, geography and how it affects their militaries, political viewpoints, and United States alliances with both countries. India and Pakistan are now using nuclear weaponry in their wars and battles. It is not yet sure if now is the time for a resolution but if these two countries do not come to peace, there is sure to be more fighting in the future.
Southeast Asia
ReplyDeleteGodwin, Paul. "Asia's Dangerous Security Dilemma." Current History Sept. 2010: 264-66. Print.
This article is about how China is building up their military forces to protect their interests. Beijing did declare that they will continue with the military modernization effort, but will have to wait till around 2050. These programs help out all of the warfare domains, which are space, air, naval, land, and cyber war. This to help sustain the national development that is crucial to China's future as a world power. These are some of the reasons that China trying to build up its military so that it can soon become the world power that it desires to be.
Southeast Asia
ReplyDeleteGodwin, Paul. "Asia's Dangerous Security Dilemma." Current History Sept. 2010: 264-66. Print.
This article is about how China is building up their military forces to protect their interests. Beijing did declare that they will continue with the military modernization effort, but will have to wait till around 2050. These programs help out all of the warfare domains, which are space, air, naval, land, and cyber war. This to help sustain the national development that is crucial to China's future as a world power. These are some of the reasons that China trying to build up its military so that it can soon become the world power that it desires to be.
Central Asia
ReplyDeleteTrenin, Dmitri. "Russia's Post-Imperial Condition." Current History Oct. 2011:272-76. Print.
This article discusses Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union and how the country is attempting to become a great power. Russia will never again be an empire like it was in the past, but the country is now stuck between no longer being an empire and not yet becoming a nation-state, like many other countries did. Over the past two decades Russia has experienced great growth, from attempting to integrate itself into the West, to trying to independently become a world power. The biggest issues that Russia is having are adjusting to the new world, and the most likely way that they will do this is through nuclear arsenals and missiles. Russia needs to modernize itself in order to become a great power, and that's their biggest challenge.
Sub-Saharan Africa
ReplyDeleteJohnson, R. W. "Zimbabwe: The Case for Intervention." Current History 106.700
(2007): 233-34. Print.
This article speaks about Robert Mugabe, the dictator of Zimbabwe. His current leadership actions are driving his country to the ground by means of disease, starvation and overall poor economics. To make matters worse, Al Qaeda has also entered Zimbabwean boarders. The world leaders must now debate on what to do about this poor leadership and possible genocide. All in all, the world's general consensus forces Zimbabwe to make it on corrections and over through Robert Mugabe.
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ReplyDeleteLatin America
ReplyDeleteGonzález, Francisco E. "Mexico's Drug Wars Get Brutal." Current History Feb.
2009: 72-76. Print.
This article written by Francisco E. González explains how the drug wars in Mexico have come to be and how they have escalated. The article, Mexico’s Drug Wars Get Brutal, explain how when drugs came to be in Latin America the governments let the cartels go to avoid violence. It states that it was not until Nixon that the war on drugs begun. The United States now helps several Latin American countries with money and other aid in the war against drugs. This article shows that the war on drugs continues to escalate and get bloodier by the year.
Sub-Saharan Africa
ReplyDeleteLustig, Joshua. "The Scramble for Africa's Farmland." Current History May 2013:
198. Print.
This article describes how Africa’s farmland is quickly diminishing due to government ownership of land, the elimination of farms, and unfair deals for investors. First, the government owns most of the land, allowing them to choose what the land will be used for, such as industrial farming that will bring in more profit. Next, African farms are being eliminated to create more room for industrial farms such as the ones mentioned earlier. Finally, investors are offered deals from chiefs who do not consult the people just so that they can increase productivity to get more money.
Europe
ReplyDeleteHarper, Sarah. "Aging Europe's Demographic Destiny: Framing the Challenges Ahead." Current History Mar. 2011: 117-19. Print.
The article’s information provides analyzation about the changing demographics in Europe and the aftermath that will follow the shift in demographics. The article begins by giving statistics about the rapid change of population from young to old in Europe. Next, the article explains that the older population is more dependent and how social programs that help the elderly are failing in Europe. Options to save Europe's demographic program were presented. The article ends by predicting the future populations of Europe and how the demographics will continue to affect Europe.
Europe
ReplyDeleteTrenin, Dmitri. "Moscow the Pacific: The Missing Piece in the 'Pivot' to Asia." Current History (2012): 270-75. Print.
This article discusses why the United States has not included Russia in its plan to resurrect many alliances between powerful Asian countries, such as China and Vietnam, who the U.S. once fought against. The reason is because after the disband of the Soviet Union, their military and defenses have dramatically declined. This article, however, suggests reasons as to why the United States should in fact include Russia in their Asia-Pacific campaign. For example, with Russia's proximity to major U.S. allies such as China and Japan, and their control over oil and gas supplies, Russia proves itself a major nation in the national balance of power in the world. With the United States as sort of the police of the world, befriending Russia would be crucial to their campaign of helping to keep order in the world.
Sub-Saharan Africa
ReplyDeleteZuern, Elke. "Why are Protests Growing in South Africa." Current History May
2013: 175-80. Print.
This article main point of discussion is why there is still tension in South Africa nearly 2 decades after the apartheid. The most non-specific answer to give to that question would be the government. If you focus in more on the issue, the article tells one that there is still a large economic difference between black-South Africans and white-South Africans. White and Black is not the only issue though. Many South Africans are frustrated about the help that is being given to the rich rather than the poor. All in all, the South Africans are frustrated that the government is not fulfilling several of its promises.
Latin America
ReplyDeleteRoett, Riordan. "Toodle-oo, Lula: Brazil Looks Forward with Dilema." Current
Histroy: A Journal of Contemporary World Affairs Feb. 2011: 43-48. Print.
In this article, Roett talks about the transition of leadership from Lula to Dilma Rousseff and how she would create new financial, oil, and hydroelectric projects and plans. As well as keeping current capital controls, Rousseff may plan to increase restrictions of foreign exchange futures markets and eliminate a 15 percent income tax exemption to foreign investors to Brazil’s government. She also is creating plans to exploit a vast amount of oil found off Brazil’s coast and is initiating plans that will create a state-owned company, give other companies the opportunity to drill for oil, create a social fund to gain revenue that will be invested in other programs, and she is planning to determine the distribution of royalties. Another one of Rousseff’s new and improved policies involved hydroelectric power; although Brazil already gets eight percent of its power from hydroelectric dams, the country is in need of more energy, and Rousseff plans to work with environmental groups to build more dams efficiently and without environmental harm. All in all, Brazil is sad to see their favorite leader leave office; however, Brazil is excited to see their new leader initiate changed that could change the face of their country.
Middle East
ReplyDeleteTaspinar, Omer. "Turkey's Fading Dream of Europe." Current History: A Journal of
Contemporary World Affairs Mar. 2007: 123-29. Print.
This article talks about Turkey's failing integration of Europe. Taspinar examines the different difficulties of trying to integrate into Europe. However, he also examines Europe's problems and why Turkey wouldn't be able to integrate because of the joblessness, immigration, and terrorism happening.
East Asia
ReplyDeleteMerkel-Hess, Kate, and Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom. "A Country on the Move: China Urbanizes." Current History 108.717 (2009): 167-72. Print.
This article discusses how China has been able to grow drastically from "drab to fab" in the past years. China has changed from rural to urban through its government and the prosperity of the Chinese cities, at the expense of rural areas. People start to ask questions such as, "what will become of my rural village, as it fades just as it did in the last decade?" China has not yet developed the slums that exist in third world countries, such as Rio de Janeiro, Ciro, or Lagos. The future of China is dependent on the rural areas of the country side, and their fate will be determined on the longevity of the Communist Party reign.