Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s failing health

Click to see satellite image of Zimbabwe

• President Robert Mugabe is now 87 years old.
• He has traveled to Singapore 5 times to seek medical attention.
• He has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.
• He has said that despite his age, he is still fit to rule the country.
• Mugabe called for an election to occur in the current year, but regional mediators said it would be too early for a free and fair poll.
• A referendum on constitutional reform is slated for september.
• Its not clear if a regional summit on Zimbabwe will go ahead as planned in Namibia's capital, Windhoek.
• Mugabe's office said it received an invitation to go to Windhoek on Friday.
• At the last regional summit in Zambia in March, Mugabe and his party received a stern reproach over the slow pace of reforms in Zimbabwe and continuing political violence.
• Mugabe was transported around that summit venue in an electric golf cart, due to his poor health.

Colombian Civil War

• Began in 1964 due to low-intensity armed conflict between the Colombian Government and Peasant Guerrilla groups.
• Some of these guerilla groups include; Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and the National Liberation Army (ELN).
• The FARC claim to be fighting for the rights of the poor in Colombia to protect them from government violence. Also to provide justice socially, through socialism.
• The Colombian government claims to be fighting for order and stability, the rights and interests of its citizens, private companies and multinational corporations, from guerrilla attacks
• Everyone involved in the conflict has been criticized for multiple human rights violations.
• The fighting has killed tens of thousand of citizens and displaced millions.
• It was the Colombian Government’s attack on the community of Marquetalia that forced the rebel creation of FARC.
• For most part the guerilla groups have roots deep in the jungle, due to government attacks.
• The most recent deaths were in January of 2010. 18 FARC members were killed when the Colombian Air Force bombed a jungle camp in southern Colombia.

Satellite view of Colombia

Interrelated

Political	Economic	Social/Cultural
Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez, stated his disapproval with the FARC strategy of armed struggle and kidnapping. He repeated his call for a political solution and an end to the war on March and June 2008. The United States has been heavily involved in the conflict since its beginnings USA has spent over $3 billion in Colombia, more than 75% of it on military aid. Before the Iraq war, Colombia was the third largest recipient of US aid only after Egypt and Israel.	From 2002-2006, during President Uribe's first term in office, the security situation inside Colombia showed some measure of improvement and the economy, also showed some positive signs of recovery according to observers. But relatively little has been accomplished in structurally solving most of the country's other grave problems.	In the development of the country, Colombia, like many other Latin American countries, became very segregated between the rich descents of the Spanish and the original people. Social leaders, political activists, human rights campaigners and trade unionists are most at risk of being kidnapped or assassinated. Many indigenous communities have also suffered attacks.

Controversial

How did this issue start?

How should it be resolved?

The 1948 assassination of populist Jorge Eliecer Gaitan lead to the Bogotazo, an urban riot killing more than 4,000 people, leading to ten years of sustained rural warfare between members of Colombian Liberal Part and the Colombian Conservative Party, which took the lives of more than 200,000 people throughout the countryside. It was the 1964 attack on the community of Marquetalia that motivated the later creation of FARC, which lead to the technical beginning of the conflict.

The ICC (International Criminal Court) has already created a law that states: if members of any armed rebel force agreed to abandon the group, they would “face a maximum conviction of five to eight years if they released hostages, made a sincere and full confession, helped to locate the corpses of the disappeared people and paid damages to victims”. This approach has been relatively successful and 1,626 cases are in the beginning stages.

My Opinion

In my personal opinion, I think that there should be a branch created off the ICC to specifically deal with the conflicts in Colombia. I think that if there were a powerful organization to step in and take charge, the war could come to a stop without many more deaths. If the USA, who is already sending a lot of money to help, invested in this new branch of the ICC for Colombia, then the rest of the world would take note and probably invest as well. The end of the war would be in sight, at close range too, if the world contributed.

America sends $97 Million in Equipment and 30,000 Extra Troups to Afghanistan

Article about Navistar's $97 million order.

• Navistar is a holding company whose individual units provide integrated and best-in-class transport solutions.
• Works closely with the American government
• Navistar received $97 million in orders form the U.S. Army for vehicles and supplies to be used in Afghanistan.
• The orders included 265 troop transport vehicles, 160 buses, and 829 kits to protect from rocket propelled grenades.
• Vehicles will support armies in Afghanistan and national police mission
• The buses will carry afghan troops and equipment throughout the country
• Deliveries of these products are said to be completed by fall of 2012
• America already had roughly 70,000 troops in Afghanistan, and Obama recently sent 30,000 more. Making the total American troops, 100,000

Interrelated

Political	Economic	Social/Cultural
Other countries are following in Americas footsteps and sending more troops to Afghanistan. PM Gordon Brown of Britain said they Britain would send 500 more troops, totaling their number to 10,000. France, as usually, is disagreeing with America and has decided not to send any extra troops. They currently have 3,900 people in Afghanistan. By sending more supplies to Afghanistan, America is just making the war worse. They are fueling the afghan’s anger by fighting harder.	The 97 million dollars put into the war, raises the current trillion dollar deficit in America, higher. This order by the U.S. Army to Navistar sent the Navistar stock up 57 cents to close at $68.21 the day the news of it came out.	The people of USA and Afghanistan are both scared The people of the USA are scared because this means they are going further into the war, and many of them really don’t want to continue fighting in Afghanistan The people of Afghanistan are afraid because the USA has been an intrusive force in their lives and they don’t like the meddling. They are also upset about the number of civilian casualties.

Controversial

How did this issue start?

How should it be resolved?

The issue arose when the war in Afghanistan started, which was on October 7, 2001. It began shortly after the September 11 attacks on the USA and causes the USA to retaliate against the terrorist groups in Afghanistan. The Americans are still angry with Afghanistan (not to mention Iraq and Iran) and continue to fight out of that anger. America also likes to keep the world on its feet by continually proving their ‘tough’ role in the world.

The USA and Afghanistan should come to an agreement and stop the fighting. This sounds like a dream, but really, is the best way to go about doing it. The US could also just finish their work in Afghanistan, by finishing off the terrorist groups that originally lead the attacks on 911.

My Opinion

In my opinion, I don’t think America, or any country for that matter should be sending troops into Afghanistan, especially not an extra 30,000. I think that the $97 million sent into Afghanistan was a waste of money, because I don’t see the war ending with more fighting. I think that all countries involved, America and Afghanistan especially should have a conference at some world headquarters and discuss why they are still fighting. It was sad yes, horrible even, but the terrorist attacks have (for the most part) stopped. We are, currently, losing too many soldiers to make this a worth while war.

Pakistan, Blasphemy Laws Controversy: Shahbaz Bhatti

** WARNING** - At the bottom of this post is a picture of the vehicle in which Shahbaz Bhatti was murdered in. If you do not wish to see this, please scroll slowly!

• Shahbaz Bhatti was killed in Islamabad, Pakistan.
• Shahbaz Bhatti was the only Christian member of Pakistan's federal Cabinet.
• 42-years old, he had been aware of the danger, saying in a video-taped message meant for broadcast in the event of his death that he was being threatened by the Taliban and al Qaeda
• The assailants were supposedly al Qaeda and Taliban.
• The video-taped message was left with the British Broadcasting Corp. and the Al-Jazeera satellite TV station to be aired after his death.
• He said on the tape that threats by al Qaeda and the Taliban would not change his views, including speaking out for "oppressed and marginalized persecuted Christians and other minorities" in Pakistan.

• He had been nervous about using security guards because it was a bodyguard in January that killed Punjab province Gov. Salman Taseer, another opponent of the blasphemy laws.
• The Islamic Republic of Pakistan uses its Penal Code to prohibit and punish blasphemy against Islam.
• The purposes of the blasphemy laws are to protect Islamic Authority, while still forbidding prejudice and hurtfulness of others religions.

Interrelated

Political

Social/Cultural

Political workers and other people in power are being targeted by racist terrorist groups. When people are told not to do something, they do it. Those who are accused of blasphemy may be subject to harassment, threats, and attacks. In the Bhatti case, Government officials condemned the killing, but made no reference to the blasphemy law controversy. Several Muslim leaders in Pakistan either offered a tepid condemnation or alleged the assassination was part of an American-led conspiracy to drive a wedge between Muslims and Christians.

Al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban have gained power from the murders, for they have claimed responsibility and there earned respect in their own ranks. Rev. Federico Lombardi of the Vatican said the slaying is a "new episode of violence of terrible gravity.”... "Demonstrates just how justified are the insistent statements by the pope regarding violence against Christians and religious freedom." Many other people who oppose the blasphemy laws have been murdered, and threatened with death.

Controversial

How did this issue start?

How should it be resolved?

The main issue began at the start of war in the Middle East. The issue was that all the Islam people felt oppression and anger towards the western world, and Christianity included. The blasphemy laws took place to protect those who celebrated different religions then the state religion, Islam. The blasphemy laws have been controversial since they were implemented. Causing strife for people other than the Islamic people, even police, judges and lawyers have been threatened.

The blasphemy laws could be stronger endorsed. The Pakistani government could step up and protect those of other religious backgrounds. We could send in troops to take all the other people out of Pakistan, and bring them to a safer and more accepting country.

Complex

My Opinion

I believe that deaths due to religion differences are stupid. Not a mistake, or foolish, or rude or bad. Stupid. Its stupid that just because people have different ideas and beliefs that they should be murdered for expressing them. The blasphemy laws are a good idea, to a point. The government just has to start enforcing them, seeing as they ARE their laws. I personally believe that it’s stupid that Shahbaz was murdered due to being Christian. I can’t express how upset I am at the stupidity of the murderers. It’s unfathomable to me that they would kill a good person, just because he was religious, in a different way then them. S-T-U-P-I-D.

**WARNING** - Shahbaz Bhatti's blood spattered in the seat of his car, where he was shot to death. At least 8 bullets hit him.

No Money? Fight the Government: The Athens Recession Protests

• Protests in Athens, Greece turned violent on February 23 2011.
• Protesters and the police were raging outside many squares and important buildings throughout the city.
• Reports said that heavy battles between youths and the Greek riot police units took place with both police officers and protesters being hit with Molotov cocktails.
• Stones, bottles, tear gas and stung grenades were flying throughout central Athens.
• The unions organizing the strikes are the civil servants union ADEDY and GSEE, which represents the private sector

STRIKE

Their debt and deficits, our debt struggle.

We are witnessing the most brutal attack on the rights and lives.

The government and the Troika, on the pretext of economic crisis and debt problems, through the memorandum, remove - if these rights and achievements of employees and society to meet the interests of lenders, speculators, the bankers and employers.

The attack that we all respect our rights. Our incomes are reduced by cuts in the 13th and 14th salary and allowances, with increases in the prices of popular consumer products, with increases in ticket prices, tolls, the accuracy and the irresponsibility of the market. The insurance and pension rights we abolished the anti-insurance laws.

Merge, remove, degrade public services and public companies with the sole criterion to reduce costs and find funds for lenders. Restructured public transport, Public Education, Public Health Service with deletions and carrying costs on the backs of workers and society.

Abolish collective agreements and collective rights to ensure greater profits for employers.

• This excerpt is directly from the ADEDY Website(translated in Google Translator) and briefly explains the union’s reason for the strike.
• Riots have been common, violent, and deadly. In May 2010, three people were killed in blaze at a bank after demonstrators pelted the building with petrol bombs and set it on fire.
• Salary cuts have pushed Greece into a deepening recession with many analysts doubting whether its ailing economy can keep up with its loan obligations.

Interrelated

Political	Economic	Social/Cultural
Greek Government introduced severe cuts in spending and in the benefits and public services. Investors have lost confidence in the Greek government's ability to pay back the borrow money.	The austerity was to try and receive financial aid from the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Greece secured a 110 billion euro bail-out from the EU and IMF in May 2010. In Greece, tax evasion is commonplace and pension rights are unusually generous	Opposite the Greek Parliament buildings is the ‘arena’ of often violent protest rallies in Athens. Rallies have become to turn violent, causing injuries. Tension is growing between citizens of Athens as the protests continue

The protets on the 23rd became especially dangerous when a police officer was hit with a Molotov cocktail which burnt his uniform.

Controversial

How did this issue start?

How should it be resolved?

Like many countries, the Greek government relies on borrowed money to balance its books. The recession has made this harder to achieve, because tax revenues are falling just as welfare payments start to rise. Using public spending to even out the bumps of the global downturn is what most large developed economies are trying to do right now. Investors have been demanding higher rates of interest to compensate for the risk that they might not get their money back.

Greece has already tried to get out with huge spending cuts coupled by big tax increases. The Greek citizens should try and wait it out, while their government gets control over their ever plummeting economy. "Greece owns buildings, companies and uninhabited islands, which could all be used for debt redemption," said politician Josef Schlarmann. Greece could also put what little they have into travel, because much of the countries income is from the tourism industry.

Complex

This mind map shows in some detail my thoughts and knowldge of the protests in Athens.

My Opinion

I believe that the protests in Athens are acceptable, to an extent. I believe that many of the Greek citizens that participated were over-reacting and foolish. It was also mainly the younger Greeks that were throwing the Molotov cocktails at the police and causing the protests to become riots. I also think that the government should get better control over their money so they have a better change of being able to get out of the current slump.