There are few places in the modern world that have not been touched by the U.S. As the richest nation on earth, its foreign policy is global, affecting every part of people’s lives. The world today is a strange mix of extreme wealth and desperate poverty. Over the past decades asia and especially China have made themselves known as economic power., As new powers rise, new tensions appear. Starvation and war affect nearly every continent. Where the final spark that ignites the world will occur, is uncertain. However one thing is for sure; America will play a large role.
Starvation and poverty often lead to war. In South American countries such as Brazil, entire cities of slums dot the landscape. As a result of the poverty, many young people get involved in gangs. They join in order to make money, protect their families, or because they have nowhere else to go. Police fight a daily war with gangs in cities such as Rio de Janeiro where, as of 2007, the average homicide rate was near 80 victims per week according to official information. Without sufficient funds or political support from the global economy, Brazil cannot combat the gangs and help people get out of the desperate situation they live in.
Ethnic causes also lead to crisis around the world. For example, the conflict in Darfur has killed and displaced millions. Of all the developed nations in the world, the U.S. supplies the most financial and humanitarian aid to the refugees in Sudan. However, as this conflict escalates, evidence has surfaced showing that the Sudanese government is working with the Janjaweed to commit genocide, it has become apparent that more than humanitarian aid is needed to end this war. America has advocated the U.N. for peacekeeping troops, but a large force is needed to remove the current Sudanese government from and stop the raids and slaughters that go on. America, as a powerful and rich nation, has a responsibility to the rest of the world.
The most difficult conflicts in terms of morality are those that are fought for political reasons. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is politically backed. one thing one thing that makes it such a complicated matter is the fact that there are good moral reasons for fighting in these countries. Ending regimes, bringing modernization, revenge on terrorists. However the U.S. is using these reasons to fight as an excuse to gain territory and influence in the Middle East. In order for the U.S. to be recognized as a respectable country whose opinions are seen as benificial for the rest of the world, America must shape up and fight for truly respectable reasons.
The U.S. has a complicated place in the world. It is a powerhouse both economically and militarily and should use that power responsibly. The U.S. must help the rest of the world to reach a stable and peaceful relationship with itself.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
Essay Topic #5
There are few places in the modern world that have not been touched by the U.S. As the richest nation on earth, its foreign policy is global, affecting every part of people’s lives. The world today is a strange mix of extreme wealth and desperate poverty. Over the past decade it has felt as if the global community is walking blindly towards calamity. Starvation and war affect nearly every continent. Where the final spark that ignites the world will occur, is uncertain. But one thing is for sure; America will play a large role.
Starvation and poverty often lead to war. In South American countries such as Brazil, entire cities of slums dot the landscape. As a result of the poverty, many young people get involved in gangs. They join in order to make money, protect their families, or because they have nowhere else to go. Police fight a daily war with gangs in cities such as Rio de Janeiro where the average homicide rate is 80 victims per week. Without sufficient funds or political support from the global economy, Brazil cannot combat the gangs and help people get out the desperate situation they live in.
Ethnic causes also lead to crisis around the world. For example, the conflict in Darfur has killed and displaced millions. Of all the developed nations in the world, the U.S. supplies the most financial and humanitarian aid to the refugees in Sudan. However, as this conflict escalates, evidence surfaces showing that the Sudanese government is working with the Janjaweed to commit genocide, it becomes apparent that more than humanitarian aid is needed to end this war. America has advocated the U.N. for peacekeeping troops, but a large force is needed to remove the current Sudanese government and stop the raids and slaughters that go on. America, as a powerful and rich nation, has a responsibility to the rest of the world.
The most difficult conflicts in terms of morality are those that are fought for political reasons. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is politically backed. What makes it so difficult is the fact that there are good moral reasons for fighting in these countries. Ending regimes, bringing modernization, revenge on terrorists. But the U.S. is using these reasons to fight as an excuse to gain territory and influence in the Middle East. In order for the U.S. to be recognized as a respectable country whose opinions are seen as good for the rest of the world, America must shape up and fight for truly respectable reasons.
The U.S. has a complicated place in the world. It is a powerhouse both economically and militarily and should use that power responsibly. The U.S. must help the rest of the world to reach a stable and peaceful relationship with itself.
Starvation and poverty often lead to war. In South American countries such as Brazil, entire cities of slums dot the landscape. As a result of the poverty, many young people get involved in gangs. They join in order to make money, protect their families, or because they have nowhere else to go. Police fight a daily war with gangs in cities such as Rio de Janeiro where the average homicide rate is 80 victims per week. Without sufficient funds or political support from the global economy, Brazil cannot combat the gangs and help people get out the desperate situation they live in.
Ethnic causes also lead to crisis around the world. For example, the conflict in Darfur has killed and displaced millions. Of all the developed nations in the world, the U.S. supplies the most financial and humanitarian aid to the refugees in Sudan. However, as this conflict escalates, evidence surfaces showing that the Sudanese government is working with the Janjaweed to commit genocide, it becomes apparent that more than humanitarian aid is needed to end this war. America has advocated the U.N. for peacekeeping troops, but a large force is needed to remove the current Sudanese government and stop the raids and slaughters that go on. America, as a powerful and rich nation, has a responsibility to the rest of the world.
The most difficult conflicts in terms of morality are those that are fought for political reasons. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is politically backed. What makes it so difficult is the fact that there are good moral reasons for fighting in these countries. Ending regimes, bringing modernization, revenge on terrorists. But the U.S. is using these reasons to fight as an excuse to gain territory and influence in the Middle East. In order for the U.S. to be recognized as a respectable country whose opinions are seen as good for the rest of the world, America must shape up and fight for truly respectable reasons.
The U.S. has a complicated place in the world. It is a powerhouse both economically and militarily and should use that power responsibly. The U.S. must help the rest of the world to reach a stable and peaceful relationship with itself.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Emotion Paper.
One of the most frightening moments I have experienced in a long time occured after a funeral for my fathers cousin Rochelle who had passed away after a drawn out battle with a brain tumor.. My father's family is jewish and so it is a custom after a funeral for the extended family to gather and rember the person who has just passed. Although it is a sad event, family members are also supposed to refelect on happy experiences that they had together. In short, it is a celebration of the individual's life. I personally met members of my family whom my father had not seen in twenty years, and whom i had never met. We were eating lunch at the house and I was sitting with my mother listening to Rochelle's brother tell a story about my father and him unwittingly playing with fiberglass as children when my grand-uncle Harold turned white and passed out. We called 911 poured water on him and lay him down on a couch. Now It must be understood that the entire family was under a lot of stress at the time, so for such a moment to occur was terrifing. The paramedics arrived and took over, but as they were talking to him he stopped breathing and passed out again. Imedeatly they began to perform CPR until he woke up. As soon as he was awake, he thanked them, and tried to get up and walk away. Of course no one let him and he ended up going to the hospital where and explnation was discovered. Harold had been on vacation in florida when Rochelle passed away and had driven all the way to New Jersy for the funeral. He had also just begun to recieve and a new type of medication for blood pressure. His doctors had given him the wrong amount and it had caused his blood pressure to become dangerously low hence the fainting. I will never forget the sense of fear I felt as I watched him turn white and fall off his chair. Nor will I forget the one thought that kept racing through my head. "Harolds going to die during a funeral".
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