Before I begin, I need to clarify something. If you know what Reddit (stylized as “reddit”) is, this paragraph isn’t pertinent. If you don’t… reddit (http://www.reddit.com/) is a content aggregation website, which is split up into subsections, or subredddits, devoted to different topics. Users either post links to external websites, or “self posts,” blocks of text. Users can then comment on those posts. There is A LOT of inane content: “funny” pictures, sexual content, and other such relatively base things. However, there are a lot of more intellectual subreddits that facilitate incredibly deep discussions.

The two most relevant subreddits to this class are http://www.reddit.com/r/polandball and http://www.reddit.com/r/history. However, this post is not about either of those two. Rather, it is about http://www.reddit.com/r/hfy. The “hfy” stands for “Humanity, F*** Yeah!”, and consists of science-fiction stories about how awesome humanity is, as written from the point of view of non-humans. These stories largely center on the fact that humanity is underestimated by nonhumans as stupid, unadvanced, lazy, incompetent, and undeserving of contact outside their species, and usually result in humanity displaying its awesomeness.

When I found this subreddit, I thought back to the Enloe reading, and how it talked about, to borrow from the title, “how to overcome the underestimation of power in international relations”. The author discussed a pyramid of power (which initially elicits a mental image of an ‘80’s workout pose) at the base of which are those at the margins of power. They argue that the base is more powerful  in the long-term than the top.

In these “hfy” stories, humans are the base of the power pyramid. We are slow to react and almost always technologically behind, but when stimulated, we transfer latent power into real power through unabashed paeans by the authors of these stories (who are, in fact, humans) to the values of humanness, human creativity, ingenuity, and adaptability, and other similarly subjective and illogical concepts. In reading these stories, I found myself thinking to realism quite a bit, due to the heavy focus on the military and the description of our latent power.

At descriptions of our might, I found myself getting a bit teary eyed. I recommend this story (http://imgur.com/gallery/w3nA4). Happy readings!

India offers polio aid to Pakistan

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/india-offers-to-help-pakistan-eradicate-polio-infection/article6531898.ece

           The article above reports that the health minister of India has offered to aid Pakistan in eradicating polio in the country. The offer of aid from India is a bit surprising because Pakistan and India have not been friendly neighbors since the end of WWII. There have been multiple disputes, often centering on the territory of Kashmir. India’s offer of medical aid probably stems from the country’s desire to keep polio out. Pakistan would be wise to accept India’s aid because India has experience treating the virus, the Pakistani people are unlikely to trust aid from the United States, and India gains mutual benefit from the eradication the virus in Pakistan.

Polio is a virus that causes inflammation in the spinal chord that can extend up to the brain stem. Swelling in the spinal chord and brain stem can cause paralysis or breathing problems. Recently the virus began spreading in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. According to the article 85% of the world’s polio cases are in Pakistan. India had its own polio problem in the past, at one point serving as home to 60% of the world’s polio cases. India is now a certified polio-free nation. India has major crowding issues and living conditions there are conducive to the spread of polio. Despite the obstacles, India still managed to eradicate polio through heavy vaccination and could help Pakistan do the same using a similar vaccination campaign.

India will face resistance from Pakistan because of a CIA operation that took place in 2011 while the CIA was hunting for Osama bin Laden. In an effort to locate bin Laden the CIA employed a vaccination campaign in Pakistan. The campaign used fake vaccinations in an effort to acquire DNA that could be linked to bin Laden. Pakistanis found out about the campaign and the Taliban banned vaccinations. Since then vaccinators have met violence and even been killed in Pakistan. The way the United States employed fake vaccinations means it is unlikely that Pakistan will accept any aid from the US in fighting polio; indeed, Pakistan will probably have a difficult time trusting any vaccination plans. That being said Pakistan should trust India.

            India shares a border with Pakistan. Contact between citizens in border regions could lead to the reappearance of polio in India. This is an outcome India would like to avoid as its urban areas are still densely populated and the dirty conditions are conducive to the spread of polio. In this case it is feasible to believe India would put aside past conflict with Pakistan in order to achieve an outcome that benefits both nations.

            If Pakistan hopes to rid itself of polio it needs to start vaccinating citizens. In order to most quickly vaccinate its population it would greatly help if Pakistan accepts India’s assistance. India’s mutual interest in eliminating polio from the region has led it to extend an olive branch to Pakistan. It would be silly for Pakistan to decline.

Aiding the Ebola Outbreak( Blog Post #2)

This post is in reference to the CNN article "Report: First confirmed Ebola patient in Mali dies"

The Ebola outbreaks have struck fear across central Africa, typically near rain forest and most recently in west Africa. The virus, otherwise known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, has  common symptoms of fever, severe headache, joint and muscle aches, and chills that can lead to fatality. According to the Center of Disease Control, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have been hit the hardest of the West African outbreak. Between the three countries there has been a collective total of 4,912 deaths.

According to the CNN article “First confirmed Ebola patient in Mali dies”, a young 2-year contracted the virus in Guinea after recent travels with her grandmother. The girl was officially diagnosed with Ebola in Mali on Thursday, October 23, 2014. She was pronounced dead on Friday, October 24, 2014. The West African region continues to be hit hard by the Ebola virus as Mali has become the sixth country to report the virus.  

The crisis in West Africa has prompted other countries and organizations to provide aid.  Most recently, the European Union and China have announced that they will increase their efforts to aid West Africa in their fight against the Ebola virus.  According to President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, the European Union will step-up their efforts to $1.2 billion to help West Africa combat the Ebola virus.  On Friday, President Xi Jinping declared that the Chinese government will provide $82 million worth of supplies and emergency funding to the three countries in West Africa that are being hit the hardest with the virus.

As arguably one of the most influential and powerful country in the world, it is safe to wonder why the United States has yet to increase their aid in West Africa. Should the United States increase their aid just because China has? Ultimately, The United States is focused on the internal cases of Ebola that have sprouted up within it’s borders.  The U.S. government has aimed their attention at containing and quarantining the reported cases. Though China has grown to become a major point of competition for the United States, it is most beneficial to focus on the cases in the U.S. Centering the resources within the states is ultimately more advantageous because as we have learned from the cases in West Africa, the virus can be passed along. This focus promotes human security in the states, this holds a greater priority than attempting to rescue other countries that are an ocean away.  

Second Blog Post

John Rookard (Second Blog Post)

The following blog post will be my response to this short video about Somalia

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/international/2014/10/08/nr-cnni-mann-intv-menkaus.cnn.html

            The video talks about how Somali troops and African Union Peacekeeping Forces have taken back urban towns from the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.  Al-Shabaab is known for being associated with Al-Queda.  The news anchor in the video speaks with Former Advisor to the UN Mission in Somalia, Ken Menkhaus.  This video relates to the topic of failed states.  Somalia is the number one failed state in the world.  Many critics would even go far enough and say that Somalia should not be considered a state.  I would argue that Somalia and other failed states should be considered states.  Also, I believe that Somalia deserves the intervention of the United Kingdom because the United Kingdom colonized Somalia.

            Somalia is a state that has been failed through colonialism and neo-colonialism.  Britain used Somalia for its location and exported goods from the coast throughout the early twentieth century.  Somalia shows much evidence of failure because of low literacy rates, lack of political control, human rights abuses, and civil war.  Many pessimists believe that Somalia is a failed state and it will never return to a state of economic and social prosperity.  However, there are only a few certain things that are needed for this to happen.

            The first thing needed to fix the situation in Somalia is momentum.  The retaking of key towns by Somalian soldiers has done this.  Ken Menkhaus warns us that small victories will not equate to direct change.  To a certain degree I agree with Menkhaus, however, if the small victories are constantly happening change will happen. 

            The next thing needed to happen to help Somalia out of its condition of being a failed state is the establishment of order in the towns that have been retaken by the Somali troops.  Menkhaus says in the interview that governments that follow in these retaken towns usually run amuck.  More needs to be done when discussing how stability will be implemented in these towns.  It is too easy for Al-Shabaab to come back to these towns and commit human rights violations against the citizens if there is no form of government or security in the town.  This government does not have to be a formal democracy.  A trusted local leader who will not rule improperly should rule these towns and be watched over by an African Union Peacekeeping worker.  Doing this ensures no corruption.

            Finally, to go along with the setting up of government in recaptured towns, a developed nation like the United Kingdom should help Somalia.  Ken Menkhaus said that the recapturing of key towns was a “concerted” effort between both the Somali troops and African Union Peacekeeping Forces.  These two groups do not have enough power to keep up this momentum without the assistance of a developed nation.  The United Kingdom is obligated to help Somalia since it once benefited from colonization.  A critic may say that the United States is a more suitable nation to help Somalia, however, I believe the United States will not help Somalia since the failed military mission in the early 1990s was a huge embarrassment to the United States government.

            In conclusion, this issue is nowhere near being finished.  Somalia will continue to be a failed state for many years but the change starts now if certain tasks are accomplished.  Al-Shabaab has been in control of some towns for over twenty years but I have hope for Somalia.  Somalia is a failed state but it is still a state that the United Kingdom has a responsibility to protect.

Second Blog Post: International Tensions Surrounding Iraq

Read the Article, this post is my commentary on it:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-drops-weapons-aid-to-kurds-fighting-islamic-state-in-syria/2014/10/20/2f1ed41c-5801-11e4-b812-38518ae74c67_story.html

As the fighting occurs in Iraq, intervention is occurring as the United States assists the Kurds by dropping supplies to them in Kobane. Iraq is considered to be a failed state, as it is in a bad neighborhood, the terrorist group ISIS has become prevalent, and the Iraqi government has failed to maintain internal sovereignty. This represents a security threat to the United States and its allies. As tensions surmount in Iraq, tensions are increasing for all parties involved.

Iraq has been disturbed because of the cold war . It was a sight of a proxy war between the United States and the Soviet Union. The United States put Saddam Hussein into power so that the US could secure its own interests(oil). However, in-fighting occurred because Saddam Hussein was a corrupt leader. He was leading a fractionalized country with many different interests. As a result, the US had to take him out of power and build up a new government that would align with the interests of the US and the interests of the people of Iraq. However, after the US left, a power vacuum has occurred,  with the different interests competing for power. Among these interests are the Kurds, ISIS, and the shiite muslims that want to gain control of the resources.  

Different states in the alliance against ISIS have different interests.The United States wants to ensure its own security and prevent terrorism from spreading in the Middle East. By helping the Kurds, the United States is helping them to contain ISIS. The Kurds are a native people, that have been marginalized throughout history. They are moderate muslims that allow woman to ride bikes, fight in its militias, and not wear burkas. However, the Kurds are also trying to fight the regime of Bashar Al Assad in Syria to create their own state within Syria and Iraq. This is a problem because Turkey does not want to cede territory over to the Kurds to create the Kurdish state. As a result, Turkey will allow the Turkish Kurds to help fight ISIS and the Syrian regime if the Syrian Kurds promise not to seek its own autonomy. The US wants the Kurds to unite so they can become stronger in the fight against ISIS. As the Kurds have limited ammunition, they could increase their power by using the aid from the United States and other countries.

Turkey does not want the Turkish Kurds to join the battle because it is worried that they will incite the other Kurds to attack Turkey. The Turkish Kurds have formed a terrorist organization called the PKK that has attempted to fight against the government in Turkey. This is a security challenge to Turkey as they have to choose between letting the Kurds unite to fight ISIS while allowing the Kurds to become stronger and possibly attack Turkey for more territory.

As the fighting occurs within Iraq between the Kurds, ISIS, and the alliance of other states, the tension has continued to increase. The States involved are attempting to promote their own security by attacking ISIS. The Kurds desire to create their own state and gain autonomy. Turkey will only help the Kurds if they decide to abandon the goal to create their own state.