The New Middle East: Iran & Israel (Part Three of Four)

One of the most annoying countries in the Middle East is Iran. The reason I state that Iran is “annoying” is due to its ability to always do something that interferes with the safety, and security, of the United States.  It is clear the relationship between the two nations has been strand since before the Jimmy Carter Administration.  It is only recently that the Iranian Government has really been a growing thorn in the United States’ side. Iran’s stance regarding Israel, its continue hatred for the U.S. and its allies, the nuclear weapons program that they state are not building, and other stressful issues are just the tip of the iceberg of a major headache for U.S. foreign policy.

Let’s take one issue at a time.  In fact, let’s start with Israel. Since the signing of the Camp David Accords in September of 1978, Israel have been connected, politically of course, at the hip. For the past few administrations, they have all been supportive of the right of Israel to be a nation within the world.  Presidents Bush & Obama have stated that their administrations are ready to defend Israel in the event they are attacked from Iran – or any other aggressor. The main reason I keep bringing up Iran is because they have continually called for Israel to be “wiped off the face of the map” and to be eliminated as they pose a threat to the region.  The fact that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is no longer the president of Iran is a potential good sign for the region.  Granted, it will be interesting to see how the new President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, goes about dealing with the west.  During his campaign, he proposed the idea that he would be able to resolve the issues with the western hemisphere (mainly the United States) which is interesting because he believes Israel is “a wound that needs to be removed” and essentially putting Israel in a state of constant jeopardy – more than what they are already accustomed to by living in the region. 

When the thought of Israel having nuclear capabilities to retaliate against an Iranian attack, it makes sense for the United States, and the rest of the world, to step back and quickly try to expedite a peaceful solution to end any hostile tensions.  This would be an ideal time to point out that the Non-Proliferation Treaty doesn’t have the United States’ signature, which is just a tad bit hypocritical.  The point I am making is that we should not pressure other nations to end their nuclear programs or ambitions when we haven’t even taken measures to eliminate or reduce our own.  The United States likes to “lead by example” but at this point, the United States needs to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.

The nation of Iran has a new leader; hopefully, their new president will be able to reconcile their ties with the west.  In that same token, it is important for Iran to recognize the existence of the nation of Israel in the region.  Granted, it will take time (I’m guessing within the next twenty to twenty-five years), but I fear it will come at a deadly cost of cross exchanges between Iran & Israel.  It is because of this the nations of the United States, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain, the People’s Republic of China, and the French Republic to step up and exercise extreme delicacy regarding the looming Middle East conflict surrounding the nations of Iran & Israel.  In the end, they will be able to live in the same region, but have a low tolerance of each other.

The New Middle East: Afghanistan (Part Two of Four)

     Since the Afghanistan war started in the fall of 2001, it has been really hectic within the region.  I remember being in high school and the whole drama of September 11^th and the aftermath of the event.  When the decision was made to go to Afghanistan to fight terrorism, it made sense and seemed like the right thing to do.  I will still defend the decision that President Bush made to go into Afghanistan. [Yes, during my high school years, I was an avid republican who was heavily involved with politics – surprise, surprise.]  The sidestep of going into Iraq due to their connections with 9/11/01 was a complete travesty.  The “weapons of mass destruction” quagmire was just “rally around the flag” rhetoric. It makes sense to support one’s country and their international positions, but it also takes a lot to question the reasons behind such decisions as well as looking at all the facts surrounding the critical events surrounding such long-term consequences.

            The fact that the United States neglected Afghanistan for a long time, well not neglect per-se but not consider enough time and resources to the issue, circumvents the reality of Afghanistan being an albatross around the United States’ neck. The fact of the matter is that the United States has made Afghanistan a better country, but at the same time the government that was hand-picked by U.S. personnel has essentially given us a slap in the face when it comes to cooperation.  There have been more attacks within the country since 2006 due to U.S. involvement, the Karzai administration has stated multiple times that the Obama Administration is not trusting and the relationship has been strand by broken diplomacy between the Obama Administration.

            Let me back up for a moment and state that the United States has done a lot of good things for the country.  We have assisted in the building of their police force, we have trained her military, we have helped rid their land of ground explosives and roadside bombs, and we have helped educate their children. In turn, the Afghanistan government doesn’t trust the Obama Administration, they have discussed the major exit of U.S. troops by the end of 2014, doesn’t trust security forces of the US (and other countries but more-so the United States), making claims against the United States helping terrorists destabilizing the Afghan country, and basically acting like a spoiled little brat child.  At this point, I feel that the United States has done as much as it can do with regards to getting the country back on its feet.  We have been there long enough and it is time for the United States to exit Afghanistan.  It does us no good to continue to occupy a country that clearly doesn’t want us there. In fact, it is because of the heated tensions between the United States and Afghanistan governments that lead me to believe that the “War on Terror” in Afghanistan may have been won at the very beginning, but we are slowly going back to the way things were pre-9/11. Are we really winning in Afghanistan? I really don’t think we are….we have only wasted a lot of money in an area of the country that we were justified in occupying; but, since we have completed major tasks within the region, we can shift our focus on more pressing matters such as domestic issues and other international areas of the world.  Will we ever learn…I would like to think we can learn something.

The New Middle East: Pakistan (Part One of Four)

With the Middle East going through a second great awakening, or Arab Spring depending on how you chose to word it, it seems important that we take a moment to understand some of the countries in the region that are news-makers on any given day. I’d like to start out with the country of Pakistan.

            The country of Pakistan is south of Afghanistan and northwest of India.  This is the main issue for the country of Pakistan. They do not get along at all with India.  The region that the two countries always get into a dispute about is the region of Kashmir.  To make matters more challenging, both countries have nuclear capabilities. That alone makes the rest of the world both weary and pay closer attention.

            The region of Kashmir involves a certain amount of power and control…in addition to a certain amount of religion.  There have been many wars fought over this region since 1948 when Bangladesh became an independent country a year before (which was formerly known as Eastern Pakistan).  Due to India becoming a larger and more powerful country during the time, Pakistan felt threatened and started putting small troops in the Kashmir region in order to rise up again India and to drive out any forces within the region.  The outcome was less than ideal as India fights the rebellion and a war breaks out with the region.  The outcome involves the United Nations to order a cease fire on both sides and everyone complies. In January of 1966, the “Tashkeut Declaration” was signed which states that neither side will shoot each other.  The great travesty of the treaty is that it has no conditions to solve any of the political issues between the two countries.

            The nuclear issue is rather serious since both nations posses such weapons.  India tested their first successful nuke on May 18, 1974. To the shock of many, Pakistan okays the Nuclear Weapons Program [and their testing]. Then in 1998, India detonates their second nuclear bomb and within a week later, Pakistan responds by testing five nuclear bombs.  In fact, according to the New York Times, the United States has recalled its troops out of the Pakistan-India region.  The latest rounds of Pakistan-India rivalry involves accusations of Pakistan trying to orchestrate an ambush against India; at the same time, Pakistan accuses India of killing Pakistani civilians in a retaliation-type situation.

            The United States is slowly backing out of this particular conflict as well as reevaluating it’s position regarding Pakistan (mainly due to events of the past two years).   It will be interesting to see what happens within the next six-to-eight months regarding this country in the middle east.

Justice Is Indeed Blind…That’s The Point

A lot has happened this weekend.  Currently, there are protests and other “peaceful demonstrations” taking place across the country. There are even reports that the Los Angeles Police Department is using rubber bullets on demonstrators.  It is one of the many venues of having a democratic system of government.  However, the reason of all the demonstrations is in regards to a controversial ruling of the trial of George Zimmerman.  He shot, and killed, a seventeen year old child named Trayvon Martin.

The jury found Zimmerman not guilty of killing Martin under the “Stand Your Ground” law in the state of Florida.  There were a few things that I found unsettling in this case: the fact that Zimmerman admitted to shooting, and killing, the unarmed child (actually, he was armed with a bag of Skittles…apparently Zimmerman didn’t want to taste the rainbow); he changed his story up to six times and yet was still found to be not guilty; certain charges couldn’t be made – such as second degree murder or manslaughter (the prosecution tried but couldn’t deliver); Zimmerman was allowed to act as if nothing had happened (never booked, never arrested, waited for other cops to show up and have his co-workers [that’s right, Zimmerman is a cop] console him and treat him like the victim, and many other things that I could discuss but I’m sure, by now, everyone knows the facts of the case.

Now before I get any further into this, I should note a disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and I’m sure there will be things said that will make some people mad, so, I apologize in advance.

While it is important that we all remember that the demonstrations are within constitutional boundaries of the law (freedom to petition and assemble come to mind under the first amendment), it is also important to remember that the jury reached a verdict of the accused.  Personally, I don’t agree with it and I, like many others, feel that George Zimmerman was guilty on many charges including murder.  That is one of the things that make a democracy a double-edge sword; we have to love it when it works for us, and love it when it goes against what we believe.  I would like to remind you that this is not the first case they have gotten wrong.  George Zimmerman is, in my mind, just as guilty as OJ Simpson, Andrea Yates, Casey Anthony, and countless others.  Is it fair, yes (because a jury found him not guilty); but is it right, not in any way. I view the demonstrations as a positive step because it only reinforces the notion that Americans are fed up with laws that are not creating an equal ground for all American citizens.  Sometimes is takes a tragedy to spark an outrage and to create an atmosphere of change in the laws being passed (or being repealed). The family of Trayvon Martin are putting their faith in God.  Personally, I believe in God. I know that one of the commandments is to not kill (I think the actual wording is “Thou Shall not Kill” which many have argued that it meant murder – if you kill something then it means that it was been murdered in one degree or another [again, my logic]).  I believe the American public will have their day, not in a courtroom, but in a voting booth. Okay, moving on…

This court case will obviously be a turning point for race relations and the many answers that are being demanded by the demonstrations across the nation.   

 For many, they fear their child might be the next statistic due to the color of their skin; women are not only afraid of their sons, but daughters are also fearful of their father’s and brother’s lives.  This isn’t just an African-American concern; it is a concern for all minorities in the United States.  The perception that the justice system doesn’t consider them equal under the law is a chilling notion to think, especially in the year 2013.  The fact of the matter is, minorities are feeling the burden of being “unwanted” by the rest of the nation.  It is evident every day. The Republican Party, in various states, are restricting the right to vote for minorities – not just African Americans; they are even restricting access to a woman’s healthcare options. The Democratic Party is not as ideal as I would like it to be either.  The minority, for them, are those that are religiously affiliated, the fiscally conscious, and those that protect the second amendment just as bad as they do their religion. (See, I can be unbiased). The point is, both parties need to overcome their differences and determine the best way to mitigate the racial tensions in this great nation. We need to remember that there is more than one racial minority in this country.  We cannot forget that, and we certainly cannot put one over another.  I guess the one thing I disliked about the Trayvon Martin case is the fact that people failed to realize that it was not a “white on black” hate crime; it was a “Hispanic on black” hate crime.

Now, in case you didn’t know, I am Hispanic.  I think it is horrible that a Hispanic did this to another individual of a minority.  I will again state that I believe George Zimmerman is guilty.  However, I think the best thing for me, and others, to do is to get more involved in the democratic process (hard to image since I’m already highly involved, but I digress).  I guess that is the point I’m trying to make: If you are at a peaceful demonstration/protest, that’s good; if you are angry, get involved; if you don’t like the way something is, focus on changing it so it is better – and equal – for everyone. These are the next steps for us to take.  This is the current challenge that we are facing.  We need leaders and those willing to get a little dirty to make some changes for the better of the country. To be a community, be involved and check up on one another. In order to believe in Democracy, you have to be an active participant in it. I hope the Martin Family continue to stay strong during this time and I ask whoever reads this to be more involved in your community, in your online presence, and in the American system.

We can all be better teachers. We can all be better leaders too; but it only takes a handful of people to stand up and lead.

…To The Future Political Endeavors Of A Certain Member Of Generation Y

    To continue the discussion from the last blog piece, the Supreme Court also voted on a case involving the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  Now, in case you didn’t know, or forgot since you were in school, the Voting Rights Act ensured that African Americans, in addition to other minority groups, had the ability to vote in a free manner within the eleven southern states. The actual ruling on the case was struck down based on the fact that the “times have changed” in the United States.  Thus, the law is outdated and according to five [out of the nine] Supreme Court Justices felt that it was time to strike out this key provision within the Voting Rights Act (in turn, making it somewhat mundane as well as superfluous). It potentially opens up the door for states to discriminate against minority groups who vote, as this provision ensured their vote would be counted.  I’m still trying to understand this logic of the argument.  It is possible for states to pass laws that would require proof of residence and/or photo identification. It would be up to the courts to determine if these would fall under a form of “test” to determine if it is needed to vote – in which case, if it was then it would be unconstitutional. 

An individual told me that my right to vote has been minimalized since I am considered a minority.  I would love for someone to attempt to deny me my right to vote. I know the election laws, and I also know my rights as an American.  While I am still trying to understand the decision of the Supreme Court, and the dissenting opinion of the Court, I feel that the law is meant to be changed as society progresses (such as the Defense of Marriage Act). Perhaps it is time to reconsider this one and change the law instead of just striking out a section of the law. At the same time, it is just as important for all citizens [of every minority] are guaranteed their right for their vote to count. I personally don’t see a problem with having a citizen present a valid form of photo identification.  Again, I’m probably in the minority (and the pun was semi-intended).

      Now that I’ve discussed enough political news (and honestly, there is more news but I would hate to bore my readers with just that) it is time to discuss some personal news…yay!  Some of the things that I’m working towards is my political ambitions and also my acceptance to a graduate program.  After I take the GRE later this month, I hope to go to the University of Chapel Hill and I have my alma mater (Western Carolina University – GO CATAMOUNTS) as a back-up option.

            I might even make a run for public office soon. I’m not sure yet, so I’ll keep you wondering on that, ha-ha!