AIDemocracy.org

Egypt’s Difficult Road to Democracy

February 14, 2013 by Ana Ila Leave a Comment

In 2011, the Arab Spring changed the political systems in many Arab countries, including Egypt. However, the road to democracy is not an easy one. The old constitution was dismantled and a new has been introduced. However, until today no constitution has been agreed upon by all sides in Egypt. Though the constitution has been passed, there is little chance that stability will be the norm in Egypt. There are several interest groups in Egypt. The most powerful is the Islamists. Then there are liberals, secularists, Coptic Christians, and the National … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Arab Spring, Egypt, Morsi, referendum

Drone Warfare and the Rule of Law

December 4, 2012 by Ana Ila Leave a Comment

The first drone attack was conducted in 2001 in Afghanistan (Bergen, 2012). Since then, the number of drones increased from 50 to 7,500, as did the total number of attacks. According to Anna Mulrine, America’s use of drone warfare makes the U.S. less safe for three reasons: 1) lack of oversight; 2) civilians are killed as well, which leads to human right abuses and, in turn, an increase in terrorists; and 3) other countries will be encouraged to acquire and deploy drones as well. However, a more crucial question to an American, or any other citizen … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: drones, international security, rule of law

Palestine and Israel in dialogue?

November 30, 2012 by Ana Ila Leave a Comment

On 30 November 2012, Palestine was awarded non–member United Nations (UN) observer status. The UN “by a vote of 138 to 9, with 41 abstentions … voted to upgrade the status of Palestine to nonmember state which altered Palestine's status at the UN from an ‘entity’ to a ‘nonmember observer state’” (Haney). Though many media houses around the world criticize such developments, others claim this conflict should have been left to the diplomats in the first place. Still, this development could lead to positive effects for both sides. Many … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: civilians, Israel, Palestine, Peace, UN, violence, war

Less Visible, but Nonetheless Important Issues: The Democratic Republic of Congo

November 7, 2012 by Ana Ila Leave a Comment

The news headlines are filled with information on Syria, the United Nations, sustainability, and anti – Western protests, as well as the everyday discussions of how much tax money the rich should pay each year, or how much in social welfare the poor deserve. As these discussions continue, a group of profiteers quietly plunders the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) riches. Though this issue is not often reported by the Western media it is just as important as the issues dominating the headlines. In 2006, AIDemocracy approached the democratic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: advocacy, DRC, minerals, refugees, Rwanda, Syria, Uganda

Incorrect Political Approaches and Possible Consequences

November 4, 2012 by Ana Ila Leave a Comment

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s uninformed statements on Iran and Middle Eastern geography continue. Such statements are embarrassing in a presidential candidate but will be downright dangerous should he could become the next president of the United States. Uninformed beliefs and opinions lead to uninformed decisions. Romney’s statement on Syria being Iran’s route to the sea is just another gaffe for the opposition to laugh at now, but if Romney is elected this type of misinformation could influence presidential decisions. The result … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: civilians, Iran, Iraq, Mitt Romney, President Bush, presidential candidates, Syria

Why It’s Important to Save Face in Iran

October 23, 2012 by Ana Ila Leave a Comment

A recent article by Nicolas Davies points out to the similarities between Iraq and Iran in terms of oil. Just as Iraq, Iran too is suspected of building nuclear weapons. However, proof of such activities is once again blurry. Iraq is a stain on the reputation of the US diplomacy. Davies cites the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director ElBaradei (2007): Most Americans now understand that the U.S. war against Iraq was based on lies cleverly disguised as secrets. Instead of consulting its intelligence agencies and making a decision on war … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less Tagged With: diplomacy, IAEA, Iran, Iraq, WMD

Rio 2012, Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship PART III: Some are more equal than Others Scenario

July 10, 2012 by Ana Ila Leave a Comment

According to Wendt’s “Why the world state is inevitable,” in the long run we should have a truly global society. However, developments in the short run have so far proved otherwise. Warfare has been internationalized, as has education. However, what has arisen out of these developments is a more unequal and disunited world: one where the political and economic elites dominate, and ordinary citizens obey. There are dangers lurking on the roadside. Arms races and a new Cold War may be fostered. Countries may vie for recognition in power or … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Climate Change, Security Tagged With: 1992 Rio Conference, Cold War, globalization, international elites, Iraq, UN, world state

Rio 2012, Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship PART II: The Solutions

July 10, 2012 by Ana Ila 1 Comment

The Rio + 20 Conference is not expected to have a strong impact on the environment. The agents of change – our global leaders, scientists, and those in attendance at the conference – have so far not produced needed changes to the environmental degradation. Indifference to change, however, can be combated through a better sense of interconnectedness provided by global citizenship. Different approaches to global citizenship also deal with environment. McGill summarized and categorized them according to the philosophy they subscribe to: 1. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Climate Change, Security Tagged With: Alexander Wendt, global citizenship, globalization, security, Waltz Kenneth

Rio 2012, Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship PART I: The Puzzle

July 10, 2012 by Ana Ila Leave a Comment

This June, the Rio + 20 Conference held amongst world leaders tackled the issues arising from climate change and unsustainable development. However, while little change is expected from these world leaders, mutual cooperation and genuine concern are urgently needed. Little has been achieved since the 1992 Rio Conference and the signing of the resulting Declaration on Environment and Development, to which all participating world leaders committed. At present, subsidies for fossil fuel consumption ($470 bn) outweigh the subsidies for renewable energy … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Climate Change, Security Tagged With: 1992 Rio Conference, climate change, Dough McGill, global citizenship, Rio 20+Conference, subsidies

The world under binoculars

May 15, 2012 by Ana Ila 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...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: CIA, Defense Clandestime Service, DIA, John Kiriakou, Tom Drake