- Cultural Region (Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, or Latin America)
- MLA Citation
- Concise (no more than 5 sentences) summary with a clear thesis statement
Sunday, January 31, 2016
FI Question #43 - "Current History" Article Summary
To complete question #43 on the "Foundations Investigation," select an article from a PRINT issue of Current History. Your comment should include the following:
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Region: Southeast Asia (China)
ReplyDeleteCitation: Gilley, Bruce. “Could China Be the Next Wave?” Current History 110.739 (2011): 331-33. Print.
Summary: Speculations continue to arise that China will soon make the transition from its current authoritarian rule to a democratic government based on several key pieces of evidence. First, the social values in China are becoming more pluralized, meaning that citizens have begun to utilize social media and other outlets to spread personal views and opinions. In addition, the principle of "god-given right to rule" is becoming less and less prominent in the belief structure of new authoritarian officials, thereby diminishing the support of the system. Lastly, China's current regime is in danger of implosion due to its unwillingness to adapt with the rest of the world. All of these factors weaken the political regime and bring more power to the citizens, thus moving the nation toward democratization.
Region- Sub-Saharan Africa
ReplyDeleteCitation- Winthrop, Rebecca. “Education in Africa- The Story Isn’t Over.” Current History: Africa 110 (2011): 191-95. Print.
Summary- The increased amount in children receiving an education in Africa is great news to hear, but is the education they are receiving even benefitting them at all? This article discusses how the enrollment for school in Africa have gone up immensely which is great, but it seems that those children are not grasping the concepts and therefore are not learning anything. It has been shown that the amount of years spent in a school environment does not matter if the material is not understood, and that is what is being discovered for countries in Africa. Overall, this article explains how although the quantity of children attending school has gone up, the quality of their learning is not being noticed.
Region: Latin America
ReplyDeleteCitation: Farnsworth, Eric. "Reinvent the Summit of the Americas." Current History Feb. 2013: 75-76. Print.
Summary: The author of this article strongly believes that the Summit of the Americas is an outdated mode of cooperation between countries. The article begins with a brief overview of Summits of the Americas prior to 2015, making a point of how a majority of the public only remembers the shockingly negative issues discussed, such as a Secret Service scandal and drug policies. The article then discusses the disagreement between the United States and some Latin American countries on the admission of Cuba to the 2015 Summit. These Latin American countries believe that because Cuba is part of Latin America it should be present in the Summit, but the U.S. believes that Cuba can not be admitted because it is nondemocratic and the original purpose of the Summit was to support democracy. The author then suggests that the Summit of the Americas either be reformed or replaced, and that the countries that cooperate should do so based upon similar interests or economies rather than geographic location, as the Summit of the Americas is.
East Asia (China)
ReplyDeleteCumings, Bruce. "China's Bullying No Match for US Pacific Power." Current
History (2014): 245-51. Print.
In spite of the common belief that China is becoming a great threat to the U.S in the Pacific, this is not the case. While recent Chinese aggression has indicated a threat to U.S power in the region, U.S allies pose a threat to China as well. While indeed China is getting stronger, their military technology is only as advanced as the USSR in the 1960s. This along with US alliances with powerful Asian militaries such as those in Japan and Vietnam united against China will prevent any major aggression towards U.S interest from China.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLatin America (Chile)
ReplyDeleteNavia, Patricio. "Chile's Middle Class Flexes Its Muscles." Current History 111.742 (2012): 75-76. Print.
Summary: Chile's middle class is demanding for the playing field to be leveled. One issue is that most Chileans are forced to go to privately owned businesses, which allows these businesses to take advantage of the consumers by charging them very high rates for people who miss payments. Another problem is is the fact that the government helps the poorest fourty percent of people, leaving the middle class on their own with no help. Lastly, the introduction of Piñera as the new president has been a major step in the right direction towards the middle class gaining strength. Even with the new president, Chile's middle class still protests to try and earn themselves better opportunities.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRegion: Europe
ReplyDeleteCitation: Müller, Jan-Werner. "Which Way Out?" Current History 114.770 (2015): 118-19. Print.
Summary: Presently, the European region finds itself in a debt crisis that is an issue of Europe's own making. Essentially, this is the result of a financial market crisis, where the economy is struggling and employment rates are decreasing. It is argued that the European currency system was doomed to result in crisis to begin with, and that it forced too many different economies to cooperate. The author then asserts that removing the Euro and creating a new form of currency is not a viable option for the European region. To conclude the article, it is stated that Germany has not experienced many disadvantages as a result of the Euro-crisis, but two solutions are offered as to how Germany can save itself from becoming a victim of this crisis in the future: Germany must become a less "export oriented" economy, or that this country must create a new, national "European Union."
Region: Latin America
ReplyDeleteCitation: Smilde, David. “The End of Chavismo?” Current History Feb. 2015: 49-55. Print.
Summary:
After many unsuprising results of Venezuelan President, Nicolas Maduro's unpopularity, statistics show that his approval rating is less than 25%. Many are wondering if this could be the end of what Hugo Chaves started. Even nearby governments such as Brazil, Bolivia, and Uruguay have had re elections to change their corrupt and unjustified political systems. The inflation rate in Venezuela at the end of 2014 was 60% while oil and other goods prices shot down 50%. "Chavismo" has won 21 out of 25 national elections since 1998.
Region: East Asia
ReplyDeleteCitation: Finan, William W., Jr. "China's Shame and Rejuvenation." Current History 112.755 (2013): 244. Print.
Summary: China's humiliation from foreign powers was, unfortunately, necessary on its path to economic dynamism. It all began with the First Opium War in 1842 against Great Britain, in which China had lost. Despite the loss, China was able to hold its own throughout the rest of the nineteenth century and most of the twentieth century, until new actions were to be performed. In 1979 China was now under the control of the Communist Party and became determined to never be humiliated by foreigners again. This strong sense of nationalism, set forth by the leaders at the time, lead China onto its path to major economical success.
Region: Southeast Asia
ReplyDeleteCitation: Weatherbee, Donald E. “Indonesia’s Image and Reality.” Current History 110.737 (2011): 249-50. Print.
Summary: Indonesia is considered to be a middle-power player in the world, however there are still issues that keep them from progressing further. Indonesia is a very populated country and has the largest economy in Southeast Asia. Indonesia also faces political challenges like corruption. There president though says he will do great things for the country, yet he has not did what he said. Where Indonesia is a located also does not help progress them furtherer in the future because Indonesia is disconnected from a lot of countries and they could lose international political respect from the rest of the world.
Region: Europe/Middle East (Turkey falls into both)
ReplyDeleteCitation: Reynolds, Michael. "Why Turkey Has Been Quiet about Crimea." Current History 113.765 (2014): 290-92. Print.
Summary:
The article explains the history behind why it is surprising that Turkey has not been opposed to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and justifies why Turkey has remained uninvolved in the conflict. To begin, the article provides a brief history of the Ottoman Empire and its clashes with Russia; including, the Ottomans support of Germany’s decision to spilt Ukraine from Russia at the end of World War I. Next, Reynolds discusses contemporary Turkey’s economic success and renewed confidence. These two facts combined lead one to believe that Turkey would strongly oppose Russia’s occupation in Ukraine. However, today Turkey and Russia are huge trading partners and live alongside each other, which makes Turkey not want to disrupt this newfound peace.
Great article! We'll explore the Ottoman Empire & the 'Great Game' in unit 3.
DeleteMatsaganis, Manos. "The Catastrophic Greek Crisis." Current History 113.761 (2014): 110-16. Print.
ReplyDeleteThis article discusses the many problems in Greece as it became the president of the European Union. Greece has experienced problems such as complaints about the country's judicial system and it's corrupt politics. In addition, violence caused by the upcoming election has lead to multiple deaths, and it's economy is suffering as well. Greece has been trying to unite it's people of the European Union as a way to stop the violence and problems that are occurring.
Region: Europe
ReplyDeleteCitation: Kuhnle, Stein. “Turning Point for the European Social Model?” Current History Europe ser. (2010): 99-104. Print.
Summary: This article focuses on the European Union and its failure to achieve its goal of being a great, knowledgable economy. Also, in the discussion of how and why these economic hardships occurred, the article talks frequently about the continent’s welfare state institutions and their ability to survive two world wars. The economic crisis’ have in fact strengthened the government’s role in this matter. Without the extensive buildup of the national welfare states, Europe would be even more unstable. In essence, welfare played a major role in the economy of Europe and has served a component to hold it together.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRegion: North America
ReplyDeleteCitation: Mandelbaum, Michael. “Can America Keep Its Global Rule?” Current History (2014): 6-7. Print.
Summary: North America, particularly the United States, has shown that it helps other countries tremendously and overtime has built itself up from alliances and power. There are two main policies of the states that make it more successful than other countries; the alliances formed with areas such as the Middle East, and its spread of nuclear weapons using economic and diplomatic power. Because America has done such a great job separating itself from the rest of the countries, the nation will most likely continue to succeed in decades to come. Other countries in the near future will attempt to either join forces with or team up against America, but defeat is unlikely considering the United States is already superior because they have formed alliances with other powerful nations and control a large amount of weaponry.
Region: Middle East
ReplyDeleteCitation: Moubayed, Sami. "Letter from Damascus: Will Syria Descend into Civil War." Current History 110.740 (2011): 339-44. Print.
Summary: This article presents the idea that Syria may fall into a Civil War. It starts with the fact that the Tunisian revolt influenced many Syrians to rise up and support the act of rebellion, soon, the tensions were risen when there were a series of uproars including the arrest of two school children occurred, and there seems to be no stoping the violence. The country has gone forward by reforming the government and even allowing competition in the political parties. Syria has had sanctions put on them and credit cards cut off from them, which raised tensions even higher than before. As a result of this, there have been assassinations and a war may be on the verge of breaking out even though the country says that everything is fine.
As we look back from the vantage point of 2016, it's hard not to wish that greater action wasn't taken to prevent the horrors of the conflict in Syria.
DeleteRegion: South Asia
ReplyDeleteSummary: "India Flexes Its Foreign Aid Muscle" is about India growing as a foreign aid country. While it has at least 300 million people living below the poverty and receives a decent amount of foreign aid, people do not expect them to be a helpful country. In reality, India gives out a tremendous amount of foreign aid, and is a top 5 donor to many countries. With the continuation of giving out foreign aid, India's economy is rising and will continue to rise if they keep heading in the same direction.
Citation: Mullen, Rani D. “India Flexes Its Foreign Aid Muscle.” Current History 111.744 (2012): 154-57. Print.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRegion: East Asia
ReplyDeleteCitation : Kurlaztzick, Joshua. "Political Weak Spots of Asia." Current History Jan. 2011: 29-30. Print.
Summary: Political unrest has been common throughout East Asian nations as a plethora of dictatorships, ultra-nationalist groups, and corrupt leaders hinder any cooperation between the nations of East Asia. For instance, the Chinese are taught in schools to hate the Japanese while the Vietnamese are taught to hate the Chinese. This in effect leads to multiple generations of biases against particular groups, and that's detrimental when it comes to business, finance, and economics. Furthermore, aquatic border disputes wreak havoc among the politicians of these nations, as a prominent example are the waters of the South China Sea. In essence, East Asian Nations will need to step up their values and learn how to cooperate politically and socially in order to cooperate financially and economically.
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa
ReplyDeleteCitation:
Klopp, Jacqueline M. "Kenya Struggles to Fix Itself." Current History 111.745
(2012): 181-86. Print.
Summary:
Kenya, seemingly politically stable up until 2007, is in massive trouble as it attempts to repair itself politically and economically. Post-election violence in 2007 and 2008 nearly resulted in a civil war, but, though it avoided full-blown war, it still damaged the country socially, as 1,300 people died and 600,000 people displaced, economically, because markets, capital, infrastructure, and businesses were annihilated, and politically, as the country is close to falling into war and authoritarianism. However, a National Accord and Reconciliation Agreement was made in February 2008, and political reform began. A new constitution was created in retaliation to the violence and parties behind it, and was signed into law on August 27, 2010; though imperfect, it contains many reformations that will benefit the country by fixing some of the causes behind Kenya's long history of violence. In essence, the National Accord bought Kenya a bit of time in reform with its new constitution, right itself, and prevent causes of violence to spring up again.
Very interesting! I'm curious to see how this relates to the history we'll be studying in unit 2.
DeleteRegion: Europe
ReplyDeleteCitation: Erk, Jan. "The Famous Dutch (In)Tolerance." Current History 110.734 (2011): 110-16. Print.
Summary: This article is about the intolerance that has begun to rise in Dutch politics; in what was once a country of a majority of tolerance. The main variety of intolerance that has arisen is directed toward Islam, thus creating the anti-Islam movement. This intolerance has been demonization the Islamic people, to a point where they are being forced to convert to Christianity, although this anti-Islam point is being directed towards the Muslims more than the Islamic. Many political parties (PVV, CDA, VVD) have tried to use this to their advantage, to gain control in the country, although some have began trying to work together to revert this intolerance. Thus, the intolerance that has grown within the Dutch homeland, is not only cruel, but also misdirected, creating rifts within the people and the government, but some people within the political parties are trying to erase this indignity.
Region: Latin America
ReplyDeleteCitation: Starr, Pamela K. "Mexico's Problematic Reforms." Current History Feb. 2014: 51-56. Print.
Summary: President Enrique Nieto's first year in office possessed many legislative accomplishments, but they have also been accompanied by serious missteps that must be corrected. Although he brought many positive reforms, he neglected many key areas that caused a negative impact on everyday lives, which ultimately made many people doubt his abilities. He was assisted by the Pacto in ways that were never seen before, which encouraged unanticipated motivation for the president and the parties. Furthermore, self-inflicted wounds has sped up the process of Mexico sliding into recession. Much of what has already been accomplished has stemmed off of a return to Mexico's historic presidentialism and Peña Nieto will be able to prove himself worthy of this position in his next year as president.
Region: Europe
ReplyDeleteCitation: Busby, Joshua. "After Paris: Good Enough Climate Governance." Current History Jan. 2016: 3-9. Print.
Summary:
In December 2015, many countries met to discuss climate change and how they can reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses in order to help stop the climate change that is currently happening. They had been trying to solve this problem using a treaty-based approach for over a decade but now they are trying a new approach by having individual countries pledge to implement ways of reducing the emissions of greenhouse gasses. There has been a treaty in place since 1992 called the "UN Framework Convention on Climate Change" and the 196 parties that made up that treaty met annually but they saw little progress. Different countries decided on different years that they would reach their goals by which, for example, means that by 2030 India should have raised the percentage of non-fossil-derived electricity to 40% since they pledged to do so by that year. The Paris conference agreement is not completely fair to all countries since some countries such as the United States can get away with emitting higher amounts than other countries but this agreement is the starting point for further developments in climate change reduction to be made.
Cultural Region: Latin America
ReplyDeleteCitation: Isacson, Adam. "Why Latin America Is Rearming." Current History: Latin America 110.733 (2011): 62-67. Print.
Summary: The 33 nations of Latin America and the Caribbean spent $57.8 billion on their weapons in 2009, they have been spending way more than they have spent in years, and there's reason why. One reason is that Latin America has been having economic growth, so they chose to spend money on weapons that can protect their regions from other countries in other continents. They also need the weapons to protect themselves from the other countries within the borders of Latin America, due to the high crime rate. They also want to work with other countries to get weapons, "Brazil has led the region in arms purchases--among them a deal with France that included a nuclear-powered submarine." In conclusion Latin America has been rearming, because they want to protect themselves from other continents, from themselves, and they want to make trade.
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa
ReplyDeleteCitation: Kenny, Charles. “Millennium Goals Miss African Progress.” Current History 112.754 (2013): 195-97. Print.
Summary: Sub-Saharan Africa is setting goals to be free of poverty, mortality rates, and fatal diseases. The average amount of money that an Sub-Saharan African lives on daily is $1.25, or categorized as poverty. The Millennium Development Goals have set unrealistic goals for Africa to be out of poverty by 2015 and cutting their poor numbers in half. These goals should not have a dead-line, but should be made to push the motivation levels of Africa to want to achieve these goals. In summary, the goals set for Sub-Saharan Africa need to be notified to be realistic for them to achieve and for the world to support.
Region: Middle East
ReplyDeleteCitation:Chaudhary, Shamila N. "In Pakistan, a New Focus for Counterterrorism." Current History 112.753
(2013): 152-54. Print.
The United States wants to accelerate its counterterrorism activities in Pakistan before they withdrawal from Afghanistan. The United States has mainly focused on targeting Al Qaeda’s senior leadership and has been relatively successful by using drone strikes and sharing intelligence with the Pakistan military. There has become another with the domestic terrorist network in Pakistan that might require the United States to change how it approaches these issues. Many of these groups of started to work together due to the increasingly difficult environment that they operate in, these groups share funds and also violent ideology that has led to many deaths in the past. The United States now has the challenge on how to expand their focus from mainly Al Qaeda to the many other groups that now pose a large threat.