Ana Ila studies Economics at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Vienna. Her academic interests include (but are not limited to) dynamics of interactions between interest groups and international security. She became interested in student activism because she believes young people should care about their communities and keep on improving them. Ana also, besides activism, enjoys practicing martial arts in her free time.
Ana Ila – Issue Analyst
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The world under binoculars
May 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment
This April, the family of spy agencies in the USA received a new member agency, which will focus on Iran, North Korea and China. The new Defense Clandestine Service has now increased the number of intelligence agencies in the US to seventeen. The US is attempting to cover all its counterparts. According to the defense secretary, Leon Panetta, the US is attempting to “do global coverage.” The new agency has been designed to assist Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in strategic issues. So far, DIA has been swamped with intelligence gathering in … [Read more...]
The European Dilemma
May 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment
According to the European Anti – Poverty Network (EAPN), one in seven persons in the EU faces the risk of poverty. Children and older persons are at even higher risk. One of the causes of neglect towards the situations of these individuals is that many in power associate poverty with developing countries. The problem lies in the European institutional constructions of identity. According to EAPN, poverty is a state of being that violates our human rights. They argue that poverty: “is a direct attack on people's fundamental rights, limits the … [Read more...]
As Europe fights against recession, social unrest and inequality bloom
May 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
In April this year, the International Labor Organization (ILO) warned the EU of annihilating consequences for the labor market of the EU austerity measures. Hatred, insecurity and suicide have increased, while the economy remains in ruins. Unemployment is on the rise globally. According to the ILO estimate, around 202 million people will be unemployed in 2012, which is an increase in 6 million from 2011. More than two thirds of European countries have experienced an increase in unemployment in the last six months. According to Eurostat, “24.772 … [Read more...]
Depleted uranium: Side effects of nuclear weapons development
April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Since their use in the Gulf War for the first time, depleted uranium penetrators continue to haunt most areas where the US troops were deployed in the Middle East. However, the threat they pose to people and their connections to nuclear weapons have been overlooked by most politicians and civilians. Depleted uranium (DU) is a lethal weapon. DU is a highly concentrated substance left over from the enrichment process that produces nuclear fuel and bombs. DU bullets were developed in the 1970s with the purpose of destroying top-line Soviet tanks. As a … [Read more...]
New START without nuclear weapons
April 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
On April 8, 2010, President Obama signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), a treaty between the United States and Russia regulating the buildup of nuclear weapons. The treaty entered into force in 2011. New START is a beginning of a new chapter, a “new step,” after the Cold War as the US faces new challenges in foreign affairs. There are benefits to the New START. According to Lindborg, ratification of New START signified a shift in nuclear arms control and an improvement in severely damaged Russian-U.S. relations. The cap was … [Read more...]
US foreign policy and responses: Sanctions on Iran
April 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
On December 31, President Obama imposed sanctions on Iran because of its nuclear weapons program, and since then, responses from other countries have been mixed. BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) have mostly refused to follow the US in public, but meanwhile secretly heed the US calls. Whereas power balance in terms of oil production might change, it is yet to be seen how much of a change this will generate and who will benefit from it. In January, Emily Burlinghaus argued that US sanctions would be influential in influencing Iran’s … [Read more...]
Asymmetric warfare, relativity, retaliation and lessons for the future: The Taliban behavior and the future of asymmetric warfare – Part II
March 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
As mentioned in the previous post, the Taliban soldiers are mistreated. However, their actions provoke retaliation and mistreatment. Though militarily wise, their actions serve as an example of asymmetric warfare, where the weaker violate human rights in order to gain an edge, but are then left with no rights once caught. Taliban actions do not alleviate their problem either. The Taliban use techniques which violate the Geneva Conventions. They use indiscriminate explosions and guns. They also attack civilians in order to gain publicity (Owen & … [Read more...]
Asymmetric Warfare, Relativity, Retaliation and Lessons for the Future: The treatment of the Taliban soldiers – Part I
March 24, 2012 By 1 Comment
Recent events in Afghanistan where US soldiers desecrated the Taliban corpses gained a lot of media coverage in the US. Moreover, they were supported by some public figures who justified these actions by comparing them to the behavior of the Taliban soldiers. The recent events indicate that retaliation and relativity are present in the international community’s actions against the Taliban soldiers. These events also depict problems of asymmetric warfare, which should be avoided in the future. Recent events confirm predictions made in 2002 by Michael … [Read more...]
American multiculturalism in danger?
March 23, 2012 By 1 Comment
In 1982, a young Chinese man named Vincent Chin was murdered on a racial and ethnic basis. The cause of Japanese growth and exports to the USA. The new culprit, besides Islam, seems to be China. Similarly to Japan in the 1970’s, China has recently experienced an unprecedented level of economic growth and exports to the USA. However, the USA is suffering from a recession, which has led many young Americans to view China as a threat. Among threats to the US, China is seen as being one of them. According to the 2012 study by Generation Opportunity, 6 … [Read more...]
War against Iran: an ambitious attempt
February 20, 2012 By 1 Comment
According to Lt. Gen. Ronald Burgess, Iran has the missile capability to reach Eastern Europe and the entire Middle East. Though the US is militarily the most powerful country in the world, Iran is capable of significant retribution for any U.S. or Western attacks. Iran can significantly damage US interests in the region. According to Lt. Gen. Burgess, Iran can close the Strait of Hormuz and reduce the oil supply to the world. Iran can bomb all of Eastern Europe, including US allies. Iran can bomb US facilities in Iraq or Afghanistan. It can also … [Read more...]
