Questions for Josh Fox

1. Why did you decide to film your receiving the letter asking you to lease your land?

2. Did you already have a documentary in mind before receiving the letter?

3. Do you know what the situation with the families you interviewed is now?

4. What are some of your future projects?

5. Will you do any more documentaries on hydraulic fracturing?

Sarkozy Reappoints Prime Minister

Francois Fillion

French President Nicholas Sarkozy reappointed his Prime Minister, Francois Fillion, on Sunday, November 14, the day after Fillion had announced his resignation from the post. Fillion had resigned as  way for the cabinet to be reshuffled, as every cabinet minister is required to resign upon the prime minister's dismissal. After Fillion's reappointment, it was stated by Sarkozy's chief of staff, Claude Gueant, that new ministers would be brought into the government. Though Fillion was in talks with these new choices and is required to formally appoint them, in actuality, they were chosen by Sarkozy. Alain Juppe, a former Prime Minister, was named Defense Minister and Michelle Alliot-Marie, who will become Foreign Minister, are among these new choices

The reason behind Sillion's reappointment was to create a cabinet more in line with Sarkozy's center-right political party, Union for a Popular Movement. Sarkozy currently has low approval ratings with the public. Of the French public, only between a quarter and a third of citizens have a favorable opinion of Sarkozy's policies. The next presidential elections are in 2010 and Sarkozy is widely expected to run for reelection. Sarkozy's sinking popularity already took a serious blow after the signing into law a bill that would raise France's retirement age from 60 to 62. The passage of the bill prompted angry citizen's and worker's unions to organize strikes which almost brought the nation to a standstill.

 By replacing cabinet minsters with those with more party loyalty, Sarkozy is trying to unite his party base to stand a better chance of reelection in two years. The reappointment of Fillion is both politically motivated and politically savvy, as Fillion is more popular within the political party and with the general public. 

Sources include:

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-11-14/world/france.pm.reappointed_1_francois-fillon-reshuffle-cabinet-shakeup?_s=PM:WORLD


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/world/europe/15france.html?_r=1&src=twrhp


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703649104575613983333295548.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

"Obama Ends G-20 Summit With Criticism of China" The New York Times

This article is by Sewell Chan, a journalist for The New York Times covering the G20 Summit in Seoul, South Korea. The G20 summit is a gathering of the leaders and finance ministers of  19 of most affluent countries in the world, including the European Union. From November 11-12, the G20 leaders have discussed the economic troubles facing the world community, as well as other financial issues on the table.

This article concerns a statement given by US President Barack Obama on November 12, the last day of the summit. Obama reportedly criticizes China for deliberately undervaluing its currency, the renminibi, in order to to promote its own exports. Obama blames this practice as a cause for the financial uncertainty the globe is facing and calls for China's leaders to act more "responsible". The article goes on to discuss how this adds to the current tension between the two nations, how it could further complicate relations in an upcoming state visit by the Chinese president, and other matters debated, resolved, or unsolved during the two day summit.

The evaluation of the shaky relationship between the US and China is an interesting one. As now both America and China are equal partners on the world stage, any source of conflict between the two is certain to have ripple effects around the globe. The currency war being waged does have roots in China's currency practices, but it is peculiar that why President Obama would take such a harsh tone in public, especially before a state visit by China's leader. It is possibly supposed to be a show of force on the part of the United States and Obama, to show that it still is a powerful player despite the rise of India and China as economic powers.

Well, enough said. Here's the article
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/13/business/global/13group.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Afghanistan's Educational System

School room in Afghanistan

Afghanistan seems to have two types of education: an older traditional system, and one which is more progressive and adapted to modern times. Most of the Afghan populace lives in rural areas. As such, formal education for children living in rural villages is conducted by local religious leaders. Children in rural villages attend their nearest mosque for proper schooling. The mullah's teachings stress the religious scriptures of the Qur'an, as well as other subjects including reading, writing, and standard mathematics. More recently, actual schools have been constructed in remote, rural communities throughout Afghanistan. Schools have been built with aid from Western volunteers, most notably Greg Mortenson, whose Central Asia Institute has built over 131 schools in rural parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

University in Afghanistan in 1950s or 60s

Though traditional education continues to be practiced, Afghanistan also has a history of proper education based on Western styles. Several universities, including Kabul University in 1932, were established in Afghanistan with assistance from Western and developed nations.  Under the reign of King Zahir Shah, a constitution drafted in 1964 provided free and compulsory education, which meant free tuition and the extension of primary and secondary schools in the country. By the 1980s, Afghanistan was estimated to have 800 primary schools and 300 secondary schools.

School damaged by blast

 While Afghanistan seemed to have a progressive educational system prior to 1978, the outbreak of war in the country that year did considerable damage to established education in the country. The 1978 overthrow of the monarchy, the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the subsequent fighting in the 1980s virtually destroyed the educational system established by King Zahir Shah, and contributed to its poor state today. After the rise of the Taliban in 1996, education continued to decline because of policies banned the education of women, and mandated religious schools, madrassas, as the official source of primary and secondary schooling.

Afghan school girls

Since the Taliban was overthrown by US and allied forces in 2001, the new interim government and coalition forces have continued to reconstruct Afghanistan's damaged education system, with considerable progress. As of 2010, an estimated 5.4 million Afghan students are enrolled in school, with 35% of them being girls. More school buildings are being built and he infrastructure of those buildings are continuing to be improved. Despite this optimistic sign, education in Afghanistan continues to face obstacles. Of the entire population, only 28.1% of Afghans can read, with the larger percentage being women. Funding for education is also struggling as the government's budget is reliant on donors for support. The insurgent Taliban also are waging a war against education by attacking schools that educate girls and by threatening and murdering teachers. Education in Afghanistan is on a long road to recovery before it can once more reach levels prior to 1978.

Sources include:
http://www.afghanistans.com/information/people/education.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Afghanistan
http://www.afghan-web.com/education/
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html

VA Hospitals in the US

In the United States, the Department of Veterans Affairs is responsible for overseeing government programs which benefit and aid American veterans and their families. An important aspect of this is the management of centers which medically assist veterans across the country. The Veterans Health Administration, a branch of the DVA, is in charge of the management of hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes. The VHA is the largest component of the DVA, employing more personnel than any other branch of branch of the department.

VA hospitals treat veteran patients both for physical and psychological damage they have sustained in combat. These treatments are often long-term and include veterans from America's current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and from previous wars including World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Because of the War on Terror, the DVA is one of the military-related departments of the executive branch that has received an increase in its budget. This years fiscal budget includes an increase of funding for the department of 25 million dollars for the next five years. This new funding allows the department to invest  more in training new employes, diagnosing PTSD in patients, and developing new prosthetic limbs for disabled veterans.

Despite the praise that VA department has received for its treatment, it has also become embroiled in scandals concerning the conditions of these hospitals. In 2007, the Washington Post released a series of articles which revealed dilapidated conditions that veterans were coping with at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. The reports prompted Congressional investigations into the conditions of Walter Reed, and as more sickening details became public, the commander of Walter Reed resigned.  In the aftermath of the scandal, the VA announced that it was conducting its investigations into the state of VA hospitals across the country. These investigations are still underway and some of the news has not boded well. In 2008, a VA hospital in West Virginia was cited for health and safety violations after a discovery of mold was disclosed by a patient. It is not known if cases such as West Virginia are just one bad cases or not, but it is clear we will not know for sure until official investigations are concluded.

Sources include:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/fy2010_department_veterans/
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258347,00.html
http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=183186&format=html

The Players & The Reason

1; C) In today's Afghanistan, there are many various groups, each vying for influence and control in Afghanistan's political system. As Afghanistan is a predominately Muslim country, the mullahs, Muslim religious leaders, have great influence in the population. Most Afghans are strong practitioners of Islam on a daily basis. As with religious figures in the United States, the political views of mullahs often resonate with their congregations. That is why both belligerents (United States forces, the Afghan government, the Taliban) in the current war in Afghanistan are attempting to reach out to mullahs and gain their support. Right in the middle of the fight of the war between the Afghan government and the Taliban are local warlords who have control of large swaths of territory in areas with little contact with the government or whose representatives are ineffective. These warlords are a government onto themselves; they impose their own laws over local Afghans and act as basic administrators. Similar to mullahs, warlords have influence with the local population, and as a result are sought out by US forces in the fight against the Taliban. However, much doubt has been placed on their reliability, whether whey are just simply mercenaries; guns-for-hire who will join whoever can pay the best.  

2; D) The United States is currently engaged in a war of weapons and minds in Afghanistan as we struggle to establish a functional democracy in the country. One of the many conflicts they are fighting is too convince the Afghan population, and the world community, that the current Afghan government is legitimate. After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, an government body was established (having been pre-prepared before the US invasion) in Afghanistan. An Islamic Republic was formed and three years later Hamid Karzai was elected Afghanistan's first democratic president. Though this seemed to be a promising start for reconstructing the country, the new government began to immediately experience problems. The administration was, and continues, to be plagued by corruption. Government ministers take bribes and turn a blind eye to illegal activities. One of President Karzai's own brothers is said to profit substantially from the opium trade from his government position in Kandahar province. Last year, the legitimacy of the government was bruised badly during the country's presidential elections. Karzai won re-election amidst allegations by Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), according to a Time Magazine article, that his government had been involved in widespread ballot stuffing, and other election rigging. Karzai's claims to power seemed shaky in the eyes of the world community, with key Afghan allies, including the United States, condemned the elections. A painful strain now rests between the US and Karzai because of this, making it harder for the US to advance Afghanistan as a functioning democracy.

Sources Included:
http://afghana.com/SocietyAndCulture/History.htm
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1929210,00.html

Political Culture of Afghanistan

A) A major influence on Afghan politics comes from religion, and ethnicity and tribal background. As a largely Islamic nation, most Afghans are connected to each other through a shared organized religion. Therefore, Muslim holy leaders, known as mullahs, hold a large sway of influence over the political positions of ordinary Afghans. Afghanistan is a mixture of numerous ethnicities and different tribal groups. Since Afghanistan has lacked a strong central government for the past 30 years due to constant warfare, their loyalties will tend to be with their own group with whom they share a community with and have similar customs then with a distant unitary government. Other agents of socialization are more traditional ones being built on by the Afghan government and its Western Allies, those being a nationwide media, government programs, and the nation's fledgling education system.

B) Legitimacy for the current Afghan government has been a hard, challenging process which continues to persist to this day. Ever since the overthrow of the Talban regime, the United States and its allies have tried to construct a democratic government to fill in the void left by the Taliban. The goals and aims of this government, as declared by the United States, have been to reconstruct an Afghanistan that recognizes basic human rights, especially those for women. The Constitution of Afghanistan promises freedom of religion(within the boundaries of the law), expression and speech, and basic human rights, including life and liberty. The Afghan government, however, still is trying to gain total legitimacy in the eyes of its allies and the world. The government has long been plagued by corruption, ethnic disputes; factors which make it difficult to establish a stable democracy. It seems to have little direct control beyond urban cities, and cannot extend services or protection to its citizens. Without the support of the United States and its allies, the government would probably collapse from  both inside troubles and from the straining war with the Taliban.

C) In Afghanistan, laws and regulations enacted by its government have had a dangerous affect of alienating the mainstream Afghan society.  Progressive measures  have been taken since the fall of the Taliban to try to ensure the elevation of women in society. Afghan women are now recognized as full citizens and are no longer are mandated to wear the burqa, a symbol of repression under the Taliban regime. These actions, however, are viewed by some as too radical a position for women in Afghanistan. Afghanistan's traditionally conservative society argues that this change is too swift and full integration will only happen at a slower pace. Other acts which have the government unpopular with the public is the open corruption in numerous branches of the government. Afghanistan has recently been ranked as the second most corrupt nation in the world, second to Somalia. Such blatant corruption is undermining faith in an already fragile government, making the mission of strengthening all the more difficult.

D) According to the Afghan Constitution, citizens, including both men and women, are eligible to vote in presidential and parliamentary elections. Despite Afghanistan's democratic society, however, actual political participation among citizens is still less frequently made use of. Partly to blame for this may be a society which has never experienced true democracy in their country prior to 2001. With most Afghans having no experience in political socialization, it is hard to expect them to immediately become more involved in politics. Most of the population lives in rural areas and are more concerned with their own lives and communities than  actively engaging in political events elsewhere in the country. With the war against the Taliban still waging, many are afraid of retribution from the Taliban if they openly participate in political rallies.

E) A majority of Afghanistan's population can be described as being political subjects. As most Afghan live in rural areas, rather than in the cities where politics matters more to citizens there, they are both physically and theoretically cut off from political engagement. Afghanistan's varying landscape makes travel difficult for ordinary Afghans, who only travel outside their communities for personally important business. Since they are so detached from political life, these Afghans amy feel as though laws and decisions made in Kabul don't directly affect them.

F) Afghanistan has experienced a series of different governments for the past forty years, ever since the overthrow of Afghanistan's king in 1973. Since that time, Afghanistan has been witness to a series of leaders, from a "republic" led by the king's cousin, a communist government held up by Soviet troops, a period of anarchy between feuding warlords, the Taliban, and the current Islamic Republic of Hamid Karzai. Due to these unsettling political changes, the citizens of Afghanistan have been unable to truly have an active participation in government. Most Afghans continue to be in the "subject" category of citizens relationship with their government.

G)  As previously explained, Afghanistan's unstable condition has been damaging to the process of political socialization. Most Afghans are not involved in any political activity and some still have loyalty to their own ethnicity or tribe. These factors make it difficult for the Afghan government to establish a bond with its citizens. 

H) The political subculture of Afghanistan is difficult to decipher. There is no clear consensus whether average Afghans are supportive of their government and its ally the US. There are some sources which claim that a majority of Afghans wish for the US to leave their county after nine years of occupation; on the other hand there are sources which also claim that Afghans wish US troops to stay longer to bolster up the government and prevent the rise of another Taliban regime. An established fact is hostility to the Taliban, according to a Western media poll, which shows 90% of Afghans opposing the Taliban. About 60% favored peace talks with the Taliban, though 71% believed such talks should only continue if the Taliban would stop fighting.

Sources included:
http://www.afghan-web.com/woman/
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/Latest-News-Wires/2010/1027/Corrupt-countries-Iraq-Afghanistan-among-most-corrupt
http://www.afghan-web.com/politics/current_constitution.html
http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_57168.shtml

Somalia: The Anarchist Nation

Probably the most prominent example of the failed states in modern times, Somalia has been identified with having many of the components which usually comprise such an environment. Since 1991, after a military coup, according to the BBC News website, Somalia has lacked a strong central government, and in effect, any standard type of law and order. Somalia is currently split into sub-governments. There is a Western-backed democratic government, which has the backing of the United Nations, but yet is also very weak and lacks broad support from across the country. The Northwestern part of Somalia declared itself to be the Independent Republic of Somaliland in 1991 and though it does not have much international recognition, it is perhaps the most stable part of Somalia. Individual warlords control large swaths of territory throughout Somalia and since the past decade an Islamic insurgency has increasingly been on the rise, due in part to the Western backed governments alliance with neighboring Ethiopia.

Years of conflict have made it difficult to fully evaluate the economic situation of Somalia. The country's GDP is estimated to be around 3.3 billion About 65% of the population is engaged in agricultural work, with modern industry only composing 10% of the national GDP. Most Somalis live on less than 1 dollar a day from agrarian work and live in rural areas spread far across the country. Despite these limitations, it has been estimated that, despite years of conflict, Somalia may experiencing an improving economy. Since 2009, Somalia's GDP has approximately risen to 5.7%, with a projected growth rate of about 2.6%, good signs for improved times ahead.

In terms of political efficacy, most Somalis have little to no trust in any form of government. Since a fully functional government has not existed for the past 2 decades, there has been little political socialization imposed on Somali's, specially to create a system of trust and pride in a central government and country. Many Somali's have more loyalty toward tribal heritage then to a government that seems distant from them. Past failures by the government to protect its citizens, from warlords to natural disasters such as the famine which caused widespread suffering in 1992, have cemented the belief of Somalis that central government is ineffective and too weak to serve their interests.
Sources for this blog include:
CIA World Factbook- https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.html
BBCNews- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/country_profiles/1072592.stm
   

Drug Trafficking & Failed States

Drug Trafficking


1) Latin American Drug Cartels

2) Mexican Drug War

3) US-Mexico Drug Trade: How each country affects the other

4) Italian-Mafia Drug Ring

5) Golden Triangle(Southeast Asia)

6) Afghanistan Opium Trade/The Golden Crescent

7) Corruption and Drugs

8) US War on Drugs

9) Economics and Drugs

10) Legalization of Narcotics: An Ongoing Debate

11) Rehabilitation or Restriction: Debate over US Drug War

12) Eastern European Drug Trade

13) Drug Trades through Africa

14) Drug Penalties in separate nations

15) The Costumers: Who are the consumers of illegal narcotics?

Failed States


1) What exactly defines a failed state?

2) Are all failed states third world countries?

3) Somalia: The Anarchist Nation

4) Zimbabwe: Self-destructive state

5) Pakistan: On the Verge of Collapse?

6) Haiti: Poorest Nation in the Caribbean

7) Modern Genocide: Sudan & the Darfur Region

8) Democratic Republic of Congo: An Extended Civil War

9) North Korea: Behind the Bamboo Curtain

10) Liberia: Rocky Road to Recovery

11) Sri Lanka: An End of Conflict?

12) Afghanistan: The Long War

13) Ethiopia: World's Poorest Nation

14) Yemen: Critical Western Ally

15) Burma: Can the Junta be Challenged?