The end of the US military’s operations in Iraq is very welcome in the US as well as in the country where many see them still as occupiers. The war that couldn’t be won is now in the hands of the Iraqui people themselves who have to stand up and rebuild their country but for the many fighting women and men in the country, it’s off the battlefield in one country and back into another war. Afghanistan was first to be invaded by the US military who deplored the rule of the Taliban they say is responsible for the attacks in the US, but political analysts and even some military experts now argue that the link was so poorly made that they say there was no ever link except for sporradic calls and other intelligence information that couldn’t be substantiated today. US policy towards such countries are indeed shifting, mainly due ot rising costs, American Taxpayer dollars that are now harder to come by in today’s recession. The military may have saved a lot of lives and money by pulling out of Iraq, but jumping right back into another battle may soon sway more minds as to the true purpose of these wars, wars that many are now seeing as mistakes, paid with the lives of coalition forces from which a large part are Americans.
Many think of Tibet simply as the picturesque area that lures tourists, But the territory claimed by Tibetan activists designated in 1965 as the Tibet Autonomous Region is more than twice as extensive as the land. Beijing Buddhists, and mountain climbers,knew this. The so-called Greater Tibet includes all of China’s largest province, Qinghai, as well as portions of three other Chinese provinces
The Obama administration continues to reveal the steps it is taking to solve the crisis that has been plaguing the US for months now, the repercussions of which have been felt in varying degrees all throughout the world.
Obama has only recently announced an aid grant to General Motors and Chrysler, as the two biggest auto companies struggle with million-dollar losses. Obama has stressed a need to maintain an American auto industry, as many American jobs depend on it.
The first African American president in the history of the United States also indicated a more intensive campaign in Afghanistan, where he plans to send 4000 more troops specifically to root out Al-Qaeda. But part of the American campaign in the Afghan region is to win the hearts and minds of the locals through offering advancements in healthcare, agriculture and infrastructure.
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The world has seen him take center stage and it is now time to go to work. This is the world of US President Obama who is en tasked to do something difficult, get the ball rolling again for the recovery of the US economy. There have been a lot of critics to his proposed bailout measures to boost the economy but according to him, this is something that just had to be done. True to the point, companies are still shedding jobs as the economy bottoms and the end is yet to be seen for many who are suffering from the economic recession. Much work has to be done and he has started by taking on all the aspects of the government, from the way they project their stance in global politics to how they do business back home.
The road is long and perilous but many who pinned hopes are truly hoping for the best. The job is too great for one man to fix and it’ll take the effort of all Americans to fix the problems currently facing them in the tumbling economy. The housing market, financial markets and all other economic structures have been hit hard, just hope he comes up with the best solutions to the worst problems quick so they can get back on the road to recovery, fast.
The political stance of the Us in global politics has changed little in it’s long history, no support and talks with countries who support terror groups and support those who have anything to do with the terror attacks in the US. Many have been awaiting his input on the matters of international diplomacy and his first 100 days are said to be the litmus test of his true colors. His interview with a Muslim network was clearly a sign of his cautious approach to the critical issues regarding Muslims as a whole and their relationship with the US. He avoids answering directly opting to use his exceptional public speaking skills to give these people the round-about without solid facts.
He wants to reinforce the fact that the US is not the enemy of the Muslim world though he (and the American Public despise what they do), staunchly stands by his view that he will not give into a Nuclear armed Iran. He also expresses his great interest in resolving the problems in the Middle East by immediately sending a high-level adviser to conduct talks and investigate on the government’s behalf. The view of Muslims on the US as a whole may never change or will it, only the path this leader and his government would take will make this apparent in the years to come.
Image Source: awm.gov.au
Last Tuesday, Europe remembered the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War. A handful of veteran survivors attended at the vanguard of commemorations for the fallen soldiers. It is interesting to observe that the leaders of the nations that fought each other during the war are now allies, and stand side by side to pay their respects to the victims of the war and gathered at the site of the Battle of Verdun in 1916. 300 thousand people were slaughtered during that battle. The French president spoke at the village of Douaumont where lies the thousands of those killed in the battle. He spoke of the need to honor and respect all that had died without exceptions. Also, small memorials were held in smaller towns across France, Britain and other countries.
Image Source:iasociety.org
President Bush announce just last week that the United States is repealing visa requirements for the citizens of some European countires and South Korea, as part of a move to do away with the source of contention among allied nations. The six countries are Estonia, Latvia, Hungary, Lithuania, Czech Republic and Slovakia. These countries allows US citizens to come to their countries without visas. It got mixed feedbacks from Americans, Fearing it would make it easy for terrorists to smuggle themselves in the country. It is very vulnerable to exploitation by the enemies. Adding that the Homeland Security Department has no system to monitor those who enter. The countries included in the program are taking measures to come up with tamper proof passports, using biometrics so it will be hard to forge. These seven countries agreed to share information about security threats so as to improve security over the nation.
We all know about stars like Barbra Streisand and Jane Fonda actively campaigning for their favored political parties, but this year’s presidential campaign will probably go down in history as having the most celebrity participation of all time. From Oprah (who unarguably holds a lot of clout for her daily viewers) to Samuel L. Jackson, Hollywood certainly seems to love Barack Obama. And now comes a music video by will.i.am, singer of The Black Eye Peas, “Yes We Can” and “We are the Ones” that are based on Obama’s speeches.
Originally released in YouTube and Dipdive.com, the songs feature cameos by several celebrities who support Barack Obama. “Yes We Can” even won an Emmy for Best New Approaches in Daytime Entertainment, and won a Webby Award for will.i.am as “Artist of the Year”. It is now being promoted as a viral video on Obama’s campaign website. You can check out more about the songs in Wikipedia.
image source: www.travelblog.org
The current Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has made some huge political blunders both internally and internationally such as bringing Thailand close to fighting with Cambodia over the border line surrounding the Preah Vihear temple which was settled in 1962 by the World Court. The Thai People always felt cheated about this and PM Samak had “solved” the problem in a one day meeting with the Cambodian leader about six months ago. There has been a military build up on the border near this temple in the last few months…
So … between the conviction and some actions and decisions that are not particularly cared for by the general population many Thai People are not happy with the current Prime Minister. The opposition party is staging protests and has been for the past 3 or more months. Peaceful protesting is a healthy expression of democracy, when the government allows people to express themselves in the open. The protests became unhealthy last week. The protesters were met with a rival group of “anti”-protesters supporting the current government. The two groups clashed and resulted in a death and over 40 injured people. The clash led to a “state of emergency” declaration by the government causing concern for the situation throughout the world.
To go Kazakhstan Pope John Paul II has risked a lot not least his health at the age 81, to plead the case of peace. He did it with so much unusual force, at a mass attended mostly by Muslims, asking Americans for restraint in their response to the terrorism, and telling the Islamic world that there is no such thing as a holy war.
