U.S. Sanctions on North Korea

In this article, the recent sanctions that the United States placed on North Korea over the summer are discussed. These sanctions were made to cut off North Korea's funding sources that are used for their nuclear program. North Korea claims that these sanctions may increase their chances of developing more nuclear weapons.
In the article, North Korean spokesman Ri Tong Il is quoted. "The sanctions are a direct expression of intensified hostility. The U.S. should make concrete steps toward engaging in dialogue if it is serious about ridding the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons."
I find this quote pretty ridiculous. The U.S. is not being hostile by preventing North Korea from building more nuclear weapons as if they don't have enough of them already. I also don't know how someone from North Korea, a threatening country with nuclear weapons that holds innocent people in concentration camps, could call these sanctions "hostile."
Also, the spokesman suggests that the U.S. should take smaller steps in discussing this issue with the DPRK if they want denuclearization. The U.S. has been doing that in the six-party talks that North Korea recently backed out of. If North Korea cooperated a bit more, perhaps the U.S. wouldn't have had to place these sanctions on them. If North Korea wants us to be less hostile, they should probably think about being more negotiable.
The intentions of the U.S. were not harmful in the least bit. According to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the sanctions were placed on the North Korean government and not the citizens, who have "suffered too long due to the misguided and malign priorities of their government." Our country recognizes the horrific issues in North Korea whether it be nuclear programming or the lack of human rights and is trying to resolve these. Clinton also said that the sanctions were partly because of North Korea's fatal warship attack on South Korea, which North Korea still refuses to apologize for.
After reading the article, North Korea certainly sounds more "hostile" than the United States... and hypocritical.

North Korea A Slave State

This article titled "Worse than 1984: North Korea, A Slave State" discusses the treatment of North Korean citizens and their lack of freedom. The author of the article compares it to George Orwell's novel 1984, and even says that their conditions are worse than the fictional ones created in the book. This surprised me a little bit. I have read the book and thought Orwell's ideas were far-fectched and unrealistic. But once I read this article, I realized that it can indeed be compared to North Korea's reality.
In the DPRK, everyone has the same curfew time at which they may not be wandering the streets, but at home and in bed. The country is famined. Entire towns are abandoned and destroyed. People suffer from malnutrition. It's no wonder why the amount of people taking risks by crossing the border to China is increasing.
Many people are starting to leave North Korea with the constant threat of being sent back home. Human rights is a huge issue in the region and needs to be recognized. I agree with the author when he said "Other countries, including our own, should announce that they will take specified numbers of refugees, in case the current steady trickle should suddenly become an inundation." Refugees can't just flood into one country, so other countries should offer hospitality and be willing to assist those who have gone through so much in order to receive the rights every human deserves. It is urgent that something be done about this problem, and seeing that Kim Jong-il and other slave masters are only making matters worse with North Korea's concentration camps, other countries should step in to save the miserable state of the people there.

Human Rights Violations in N. Korea

This article summarizes how abused North Koreans truly are. We did not talk much about human rights in the simulation because of the communist countries present, but it's an enormous issue. North Korean's are put into work camps because they, or a family member, are a "threat" to Kim Jong Il. They can be sent to the work camps for something like forgetting the words to a patriotic song or not working fast enough. Also, if they upset Kim Jong Il enough to get the death penalty, it's usually a public event. Often times they hang or shoot people. The DPRK law also states that citizens need special permission to travel, not only outside but, within the country's borders.

Before this simulation, I was not aware of any of this going on in North Korea. It amazed me that humans are still treated this way, expecially in a country where economics are fairly good. It made me think of all of the Americans who do not know all of the words to our patriotic songs, a good percentage of us would be put into work camps. It's also insane how citizens need special permisson to travel within their own country, it just shows how insecure Kim Jong Il really is, even though how he has successfully brainwashed the majority of his people. They thank him for absolutely everything and do not get the chance to even see what a better life is.

North Korea News

This article pretty much summarizes what we have discussed in the simulation. It discusses how North Korea has come into nuclear power, and how threatening that idea is. It also discusses the instability of Kim Jong Il, and the uncertainty of his likely successor, Kim Jong Un. However, another question was brought up. It has to do with the sinking of the South Korean war ship which killed 46 sailers in May. American officials believe that Kim Jong Il ordered his military to do so in order to secure the succession of his son.\

The only reason this article did not shock me was because we have talked about it so often in class. The part that caught my attention the most was when it discussed Kim Jong Il's tactic of gaining popularity for his son. I had not thought about using military forces in such a way to help someone else succeed. This was a bizarre thought but, then again, it's Kim Jong Il. It makes a little more sense after further research because the world knows basically nothing about Kim Jong Un, only that he has studied in Switzerland, however we don't even know what he studied. Kim Jong Il, or Kim Jong Un, sunk the South Korean war ship to show how great North Korea is to ensure he gains popularity with the brainwashed population.

X-Rays Help ID Korean War Casualties

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/10/26/x_rays_help_tp_id_kprean_war_casualties/

North Korea Policy Options

Questions to Address:
1. What should be the MOST important goals in this simulation?
2. What steps should your country take toward achieving your goals?
3. What options do you have if you DO NOT achieve your goals?
4. How will the people of North Korea be affected by your plans?
5. Explain the strongest arguments supporting your plan. Provide evidence demonstrating your plan is likely to be successful.
6. What are the two strongest arguments opposing your plan?

Unlikely Friends

Thanks to Devin for this touching elephant story. Please click on the link and watch the video about the unlikeliest of friends.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/02/assignment_america/main4696340.shtml

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1985026,00.html

In this presented article, it gives one example of a girl, Dimple Yadav, who is only 11 years old and takes on tremendous daily chores and tasks, things of which we don't even consider till we are living on our own at around 20. Not only does she have to do the daily labors of an adult, such as cleaning, cooking, and taking care of her younger siblings, but she is also deprived of a benneficial education, one that we students in the United States take for granted. Even though the RTE (Right to Education Act) was passed for children between the ages of 6 and 14, it shows little improvement to the millions of young girls who get taken out of school due to their agricultural and house-hold duties. Fortunately though, the government plans on building new schools, however not solving the problem of the continuous rate of girls dropping out due to their needs at home. The percentages of girls who drop out is absolutely astonishing! Just to even imagine what these girls must go through in order to keep a stable home-like, the risk their own education and their own future in order for their parents to keep their jobs and feel secure. Taking a moment to reflect and imagine ourselves, dropping out of school to help clean the house, feed our families, and care for our younger siblings-throwing away everything that we have worked hard for and tried to achieve in school is completely impossible-for me atleast. They say that their biggest problem is not to get the girls to go to school, but to keep them there. The UN, or even simply the Indian government, should take into account how devistating this is not only to their own citizens, but for their economy. Even though their economy is on a rise, getting more educated girls could really help with businesses, government, and even teachers-evening out the student to teacher ratio. Hopefully, this issue would soon be resolved, giving young Indian girls the education they deserve

US and Allies Walk Out on Ahmadinejad's Speech

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/09/23/sot.ahmadinejad.remarks.911.cnn?hpt=T1

Let's Adopt an Orphaned Elephant!

Click on the link to watch the 60 Minutes episode on the elephant orphanage I talked about in class.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/04/06/60minutes/main1479398.shtml

How do we raise money to adopt our own elephant?

Another Useful Site for Kashmir

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/south_asia/03/kashmir_future/html/

Useful Website for Kashmir Simulation

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2010/0811/The-other-Kashmir-problem-India-and-Pakistan-tussle-over-water

Little Bee Discussion

Why does Little Bee insist that we must all see scars as beauty (p. 17)?
I think the reason Little Bee wants to see scars as beauty is because scars show that you survived. Little Bee even says on page nine (of this publication) "A scar means, I survived." I believe that by this, Little Bee is saying that surviving is beauty, and overall, life is beautiful. By overcoming what gave you that scar, you are strong and being strong you are, once more, being beautiful. We must see all scars as life, as being able to survive that bad. Scars show the strength one has, the strength one has to live.

Were you surprised by the novel's ending? Would you describe The Other Hand as a bleak book? A political treatise? A melodrama? Or something else?
Personally, I don't think any of this titles fit what Little Bee is. Little Bee is a mixture of so many emotions and personal stories that it is hard to give it a name. This book was definitely a drama, but I'm not sure you can call it a melodrama. It surely exemplified the faults in the British governmental system. I wouldn't exactly call it bleak either, it had it's horrifying stories, but Little Bee showed how so many people can care for another; the way Sarah loved Charlie, how she loved Little Bee, and the way she felt about both men in her life, Andrew and Lawrence. It showed how Little Bee could care for Charlie, how she connected with him, the sorrow she felt for Andrew, and the distain for Lawrence, but she didn't want to hurt Sarah so she pushed through the hatred for Lawrence and tried to be friendly. I don't think the ending was quite a happy ending, it seemed it would be until the soldiers appeared on the beach. In the end, I knew that Little Bee's real name, Udo, would be told, and I knew that Charlie would finally take off his Batman costume. The end of the story is happy in a way that everyone finds out who they truely are, Batman is Charlie, Little Bee is Udo, and Sarah actually has compassion and isn't completely selfish. Although the soldiers got to them, I think the three characters are finally realived to know the true meaning of themselves and life.

Calling IR II Students--Create a Mini-Simulation!

Warning: Disturbing Video

Click on the link to the 60 Minutes website and watch the video titled "War Against Women." Address the questions, "What could the UN have done to prevent such atrocities? Also, what can the international community do NOW to prevent them from continuing?"

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/11/60minutes/main3701249.shtml

Is America Islamophobic?

Please click on the following link to Time Magazine's article and answer the title question, "Is America Islamophobic?" http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2011798,00.html

Is Progress Possible?

Please click on the following link, read the story that appeared in the August 9, 2010 edition of Time Magazine, and respond to the question, "Is progress possible?"
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2007238,00.html

How the US Ranks in the World

Click on this link and read the article: http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/16/best-countries-in-the-world.html

Haiti Earthquake

The recent earthquakes in Haiti have caused untold amounts of destruction and require the immediate attention of the international community. Millions of people are being affected right now by these quakes , the first measuring about 7.3 on the Richter scale and the second about 6. The death toll in Haiti has reached about 50,000 people but it is estimated that nearly 200,000 people have been killed overall and nearly everyone in the entire country has been affected in some way. While the international community has been quick to provide as much aid as possible, the process is slow and many people have become impatient with the serious lack of supplies and money necessary. They have become rioting in the streets out of pure desperation for the simplest of supplies that they need to live. One of the most important and necessary of the supplies that the people need is tents. So many people are living without any shelter and they simply can't deal with it. Another serious thing that these people are lacking is access to clean water, but sending supplies at this point may not be the best thing to do. The best thing to do at this point is to just send money. That way, the organizations in charge of handling the money can decide what to buy for the people that they feel is of the utmost importance. What we don't need to do is over send a certain type of item and then they get stuck with stuff that they don't need. Overall, this situation has been a devastating blow to the Haitian people and it will be some time before the country will be able to return to normal functioning.
-Alex Mercier