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The European Dilemma

May 13, 2012 by Ana Ila 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...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: EU, Europe, homelesness, poverty, racism, Roma, Romanies, social exclusion

A Brief Analysis of Iranian Global Relations Part I: EU, Brazil, Russia, South Africa

April 12, 2012 by Emily Leave a Comment

America’s recent responses to Iran’s nuclear program have stirred debate in the international community. Some condone America’s struggle with the Islamic Republic by supporting sanctions and oil embargoes; others denounce American imperialism and refuse to support sanctions. The European Union countries and, surprisingly, the previously Iran-backing countries of Brazil and South Africa, belong to the first group that condemns Iran’s nuclear program. In an April 6, 2012 Al Arabiya article, “Iran’s Moment of Truth,” Hassan Barari discussed … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, economy, EU, Europe, foreign policy, Greece, human rights violations, Iran, Latin America, Mexico, nuclear, oil, Russia, sanctions, security, South Africa, trade

Small Yet Agile; The US Military in 2020

February 4, 2012 by Ana Ila 2 Comments

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced plans for changes that the US military will undergo due to the current budget cuts. According to Secretary Panetta, US forces will be more tech-centric and more rapidly deployable. As previously announced, the Pentagon will decrease spending by $487 billion over the next ten years. Savings would start in 2013, and defense budget would be cut every year, adding up to the $487 billion by the tenth year. The military will undergo several changes, the first being an increase in mobility. The US military … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Aid Workers, economy, Europe, military, security, Somalia, terrorism, US military, war

U.S. Foreign Policy Alternatives in Iran Part 1: From Carter to Obama

January 8, 2012 by Emily 1 Comment

On New Year’s Eve, President Obama enacted new sanctions against Iran in a repeated effort to halt the growth of Iran’s nuclear program. The imposition of sanctions, however, has long fueled controversy among American foreign policy officials. Recent failures, combined with the Carter administration’s failed attempt to resolve the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979 and the subsequent failure of the Reagan administration to restore diplomatic relations with Iran, have cast a shadow over American foreign policy in regard to the nuclear crisis. Some … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: diplomacy, economy, EU, Europe, foreign policy, Government, human rights, India, Iran, military, nuclear, Obama, oil, sanctions, technology, United States

The blurry hope for a better 2012

December 31, 2011 by Ana Ila Leave a Comment

The year 2011 was dominated in the media by revolutions, summits trying to alleviate global problems, and natural disasters. As we reach its end, many problems remain to be solved in 2012. One such problem is the growing division among countries and their citizens in the wake of the global economic crisis. Whether it is the euro crisis or the climate change discussions, countries around the world and their citizens prefer autarky over cooperation and mutual responsibility over the events on global scale. The strength and commitment to the European … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Breivik, climate change, EU, euro zone, Europe, homelessness, right - wing parties, war on terror

No ramadan in Syria

August 16, 2011 by Anton 2 Comments

August is the Holy month of Ramadan. However, in some places across the world, it is not being celebrated. Instead, in places like Syria and Libya, they are still fighting for their leaders to leave office and for the system to be reformed. In other places like Somalia, people are dying from a man-made drought, of which Al-Shabab, the militant affiliate of Al-Qaeda, is primarily responsible. However, I want to focus on Syria in particular. Syria has been under the rule of Bashar Al- Assad. The US was trying to improve ties with this crucial Middle … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: aid, Europe, Government, Islam, Libya, Middle East, Somalia, South Africa, Syria, travel, Turkey

The media and its unfair view

August 1, 2011 by Anton Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, a truly horrific event occurred. A bomb went off in the Norway capital of Oslo. Occurring almost simultaneously, a man in a police uniform randomly went on a shooting spree at a family campground. As a result of all these atrocities, 76 people died. 76 lives were cut short and for what? The person suspected of doing this killing spree is 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik. Mr. Breivik was angry at the Norwegian government. But, can we guess who the media blamed for the violence that happened? Yep, you guessed it right, on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: aid, Congress, EU, Europe, Government, Homeland Security, Islam, law, media, Muslim, Muslim American, Politics, security, Somalia, Taliban, war, youth

Let us not forget

July 19, 2011 by Anton Leave a Comment

This year is the 10th anniversary of 9/11. We here, at AIDemocracy have launched a campaign called Be2021 (www.be2021.org) around this anniversary. We are actively collecting visions from young people of what they think the world should look like in another ten years. However, there is another event that is happening on the 10th anniversary, the 9/11 New York memorial is opening up on 9/12/11 to the general public. It will be open to the victim’s families on 9/11/11. The website managing reservations to see the memorial has already received over 42,000 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: 9/11, Barack Obama, Be2021, community, democracy, dialogue, Europe, Islam, Israel, Muslim, Muslim American, religion, youth

Peace Loving or Peace Destroying?

July 13, 2011 by Anton Leave a Comment

For the past few weeks now, humanitarian ships are trying to travel to Gaza, but this year it is not only one, but several. Twelve countries in Europe and one ship from the US will be traveling to Gaza in order to alleviate the blockade that Israel is imposing. The European ships carry members of parliaments and hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that he will continue to impose the blockade on Gaza and that these ships will be returned back to where they originated from. This rhetoric is quite similar … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: aid, democracy, EU, Europe, Government, Greece, humanitarian aid, IMF, Israel, law, Middle East, Palestine, Peace, religion, sanctions, security, Turkey, war, water

My Big Fat European Debt Crisis

June 24, 2011 by Rachel Merker 3 Comments

All you need to do is turn on the news to know that Greece is in financial crisis. But with European leaders locked in negotiations over how to rescue the nation's flailing economy and keep the debt emergency from spreading across the Euro zone, the future is anything but clear. And for those of us here in the US, the confusion is just made worse by the economic jargon dominating its media coverage. Read on for a 101 on Greece’s financial woes and what they might mean for the rest of the world. The Anatomy of a Debt Crisis Ten years ago, Greece … [Read more...]