As you move into the next phase of your life, how will you try to effect change in the world regarding the issues studied in this course?

I will be attending university in the fall and I hope to effect positive change through scientific research as well as community (Hamilton) and global service (Dominican Republic).  Compassion must be the force to drive human advancement if we are to succeed in the years to come. I have seen inescapable poverty throughout my travels to India and Africa yet I’ve realized that care and compassion can have a powerful and positive impact.

I hope to one day be at the vanguard of medical/biological research and to solve some of the most dire challenges facing those less fortunate at home and abroad. Never, in the existence of mankind, has it been more imperative to understand critical issues facing us to advocate knowledgeably. 

What is the most important skill that you’ve learned through your participation in this course, and how will you use it as you move on with your life?

Skills acquired in this course such as communication, critical thinking, researching information and diplomacy were valuable and will serve all of us well in any of our post-secondary studies and future endeavours.

The most important skill I learned was developing the ability to think about current issues from different perspectives - especially debating on a side that was against my personal beliefs. This was a challenge during the corporate globalization debate – it is difficult to take a pro-business stance when you are an environmentalist/humanitarian at heart.

I will now 1) not be so quick to judge the actions of others until I obtain more information 2) weigh both sides of an issue or argument and 3) understand that issues are complex and do not always have clean-cut solutions.

I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the World Issues Conference held at HSC last fall and hope that this will continue for middle school students. It is important to engage kids early in global issues and to have them interact in face-to-face discussions – this is how the skill and art of diplomacy is learned. It is my hope that younger students will become interested in Model UN as they begin their high school years.  

What was the central theme for this course? Why? How does your choice relate to…(insert one issue as an example)…?

The main theme for this course focused around the need for education to raise awareness in communities and beyond around the globe. Everyone can benefit from ‘knowing something about the world’ – the more we know, the more we learn, understand and empathize with humanity…awareness will eventually lead to sustainable solutions.

 

We can effect change by learning history so we do not repeat errors of past generations, by learning about the natural world so we care for the environment and by learning about the policies of our political leaders in order to vote responsibly.

I was particularly interested in looking at the causes of global hunger and poverty. Biotech companies such as Monsanto are controlling seed supply for GMO crops in developing countries and this is ruining small farmers who can no longer use organic, traditional methods of farming. Sadly, GMO cash crops along with food dumping are not helping the poor and hungry people in developing nations.  We need to re-educate small rural farmers about the benefits of organic methods of farming so they can save their own seeds and preserve some biodiversity again.   

If you lived in America today, where would you be on the gun issue? How does your choice relate to… insert one issue as an example)?

If I lived in the U.S. today I would support gun control.  I felt terrible for the families of the Newtown massacre and angry that the Senate did not vote for reform.  This sends the message that the National Rifle Association (NRA) holds the power in Washington (they support many Republican senators) and that lives are not worth protecting.

The U.S. needs a national solution not just one through state legislation where some states such as Connecticut have tightened controls and others do not.  Reform may have deterred more potential criminal activity if background checks for gun purchases were expanded to include gun shows and online sales. Banning Rambo style assault weapons and high capacity magazines should be easy because it is just common sense!  There are other ways to protect oneself without resorting to this ‘wild west’ mentality.  Law abiding citizens who want to purchase guns for sport or collections should not mind tighter controls – no matter how inconvenient. 

What are the factors that contribute to the ‘creation’ of a modern ‘terrorist’? What can be done by human civilization to mitigate these factors?

Modern terrorists do not attack with explosive devices but instead use computer viruses.  Cyber terrorists use information technology for personal gain or widespread damage.  This is frightening because computer networks (intelligence -military, government, financial and mass media) could all be vulnerable to attack.  

Cyber terrorism is appealing to criminals because they can remain anonymous while launching an attack from anywhere in the world especially from a basement computer without warning – it is fast, easy, inexpensive and can cause extensive damage with fatalities.

We have to work together to build successful counter cyber terrorist programs by sharing intelligence and new technologies. Individuals may have to give up some privacy as well to ensure more cyber security – this is the new reality. 

Does religion, or religious principle/ethics/morals have any place in government? Should government create laws based on these norms?

The separation of religion and state is a core feature of Western democracy but religion does play a large role in politics.  Fundamentalist movements, such as the religious right in the U.S., and Islamic movements in Islamic states, have had a significant impact on domestic politics (Fox and Sandler, 2005).

 I believe that government should not create laws based on religious principle- many Islamic states in the Middle East, for example, also have religious minorities who would not have a say as to what role Islam should play in the government. Islam, many argue, is not compatible with democracy.  It makes no separation between religion and state and because of this Islamic law becomes the law of the land so there is no room for public participation in lawmaking.  Also, not all citizens have the same rights.  Non-Muslims are not accorded the same rights as Muslims, and women do not have the same rights as men.

Religious attitudes still continue to influence Western democracies especially in the U.S. concerning its political agenda (party affiliation and voting as well as religious issues such as abortion) however, the U.S. seems to limit the ability of these attitudes to infringe on the constitutional separation of religion and state.  

What is food dumping, and how does it contribute to the cycle of poverty and dependence among the world’s poorest people? – also, offer a solution to the problem…

One way that developed countries ‘help’ the less fortunate nations of the world is by offering aid in the form of food.  This approach to aid has been criticized by some as ineffective at best, and criminal at worst. 

As I mentioned in Blog Post # 8, food aid can be destructive on the economy of a recipient nation and can contribute to a cycle of more hunger and poverty in the long run.  Food dumping (free or subsidized food) below market prices hurts small local farmers, who cannot compete and are driven out of jobs and into poverty again and again. Wealthy countries that provide foreign aid (not emergency relief) contribute to underdevelopment by encouraging a dependent culture – this does not give local communities motivation to find sustainable solutions.

The U.S. Congress has been under attack by the World Trade Organization (WTO) because the U.S. has been dumping agricultural surpluses (disguised as food aid) in an attempt to create new markets for its exports. Below is a quote from an Oxfam Briefing Paper that illustrates the plight of a small rice farmer in Indonesia:

‘I harvest my rice usually two times per year, but it depends on rain because my land is rain-fed. Last year I sold my rice at Rp 2,600–Rp 2,700 [approx. $0.25] per kg. This year, however, its price was only Rp 1,500–1,700 [$0.15] per kg due to the flooding of rice from the social safety net programme to the local market.... Some people said that rice came from the US.’

—Wagino, 42, farmer and father of four children, Boyolali Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia, June 2001

‘Meaningful and immediate increases in food aid now could mean the difference between survival and financial disaster for rice mills in this region.’

— Thomas Ferrara of Greenville, Mississippi, USA, Chairman of the Rice Millers’ Association, July 2001

It appears that food aid is not driven by need.  There are three types of food aid:  program (sold on recipient country markets to generate cash), project (promotes agricultural/economic development, nutrition, food security – mother/child nutrition centres) and emergency (war and famine). 

We need new rules for agricultural trade with the goal of reducing agricultural dumping and fostering economic development. In many instances where food aid is desirable, cash donations may be better than food donations, as they allow food aid to be purchased locally and delivered more quickly and cheaply.  

What does the recent arrest of two people who are suspected of planning a terrorist attack on Canadian soil mean to you? What impact does it have on Canada? What impact does it have on how people think about Islam? What motivates people to turn to terrorism in Canada?

I don’t think the shock of the VIA Rail plot has really sunk in yet.  Naïve as it may sound; I view Canada as a tolerant and welcoming place for immigrants. The reality is however, that homegrown Islamic terrorism is on the rise here as well and it will be important to protect public safety even if that means security searches not only at airports but also at train and bus stations. We will have to give up on some civil liberties to be safe - this was apparent when Anti-Terror Bill S-7 was passed in the House of Commons last week in order to give law enforcement the means to respond more effectively to terrorism.

 

So why would two Muslim men, who were educated and living well in Canada, want to destroy it? Hatred and anger from persecution elsewhere is difficult for refugees to leave behind no matter how long they have lived in Canada.  Raed Jaser and his family were classified as stateless Palestinians and sought refugee status here in 1993. They lived in Markham, ON and tried hard to blend in with suburban life while still being open about their Muslim faith (McLean’s, May 6, 2013). Chiheb Esseghaier, was a gifted medical researcher, who published a few papers on nanotechnology and its use in medicine. Apparently, they both had family ties in Montreal (where Esseghaier worked) and according to the RCMP, received direction and guidance from an unspecified al-Qaeda element in Iran.

The Muslim community is working hard to educate Canadians about misconceptions they may have concerning Islamic beliefs - only very few Muslims are radical extremists. In fact it was a Toronto Imam who first warned the RCMP about Jaser.

Experts who study trends in the motivation behind Islamic extremism have pointed out that it is not just a desire to strike back at the West for its atrocities in Muslim countries but it may develop due to a personal crisis (anger, desire for collective revenge- to join a warrior elite) as well.  Brian Michael Jenkins, a leading terrorism expert, says “ideology has become a conveyor of individual discontent” (McLeans, May 6, 2013) especially amongst young Muslim males. 

What long-term impact will the terror attacks at the Boston Marathon have on western civilization?

It is not new that throughout history religious ideas have been used to promote violence. It is difficult for Americans to accept that Islamic radical fundamentalists are living amongst their warm and welcoming communities. The Boston Marathon attacks may not drastically alter anyone’s lifestyle however I fear that it will only intensify racism towards Muslims who call the U.S. home.

We are used to reading about wars and political unrest in the Middle East and elsewhere abroad, but since 9/11 we have realized that we are vulnerable to terrorist acts as well.  Attacks can happen anywhere at any time – even at the Boston Marathon…

So, the question is “Does terrorism challenge the liberty of democratic states?”  Yes - in the long term it will be difficult for Western democracies to find a balance between terrorist countermeasures and the protection of civil liberties.

U.S. drone strikes: What’s the big deal? Good idea or bad? Why?

Last year our model UN team studied the use of U.S. drone practices in the FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) region of Pakistan – this is where most drone strikes occur and target the killing of terrorists in the northwest of the country. The drone strike issue is a big deal because innocent civilians are being injured and killed.  It seems the U.S. government rarely acknowledges civilian casualties so the death toll from these strikes is underreported.

Drones hover twenty-four hours a day over communities. They also strike homes, vehicles, and public spaces without any warning.  Their presence terrorizes men, women and children and causes psychological trauma among civilian communities.  The practice of striking one area multiple times has also killed rescuers - this makes humanitarian workers afraid or unwilling to assist injured victims. 

The U.S. needs to rethink current targeted killing practices because the number of high-level targets killed as a percentage of total casualties is extremely low-estimated at just 2% (www.livingunderdrones.org). I don’t think this approach is really keeping the U.S. safe from terrorists - which was the purpose of using drones in the first place.

North Korea: What would you do if you were President Obama?

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is a tyrant and is using the same leadership style as his father (the late Kim Jong Il).  He is exercising military might at home to create a sense of crisis with aggressive military tactics aimed at South Korea (with a newly elected President-Park Geun-hye), Japan and the United States. Kim Jong Un does not care about the welfare of North Koreans (money is spent on the military but many citizens are starving). The Pyongyang regime is ignoring U.N. Security Council sanctions in response to its Feb. 12^th nuclear test (Time Magazine- Ramzy March 2013). North Korea dropped its recognition of the armistice that ended hostilities in the 1950-53 Korean War and has threatened to carry out a nuclear strike against U.S. “aggressors.” It warned it was pulling out of all non-aggression pacts with the South. Are all of these threats a way for an inexperienced leader to direct the world’s attention away from the country’s failed economy and poor living conditions? It looks that way.

President Obama and his administration have to take what any government says seriously even if this is all hot air – so far there are only plans for a limited response. They feel that North Korea does not possess long-range missiles that would allow it to hit the U.S.

If I were in President Obama’s shoes it would not only be necessary to strengthen U.S. missile defenses in the area (to show support for South Korea) but it would also be important to recognize China’s role and how much it could influence North Korea’s behaviour.  Beijing was upset about North Korea’s nuclear test in February; however, this did not deter China from investing in its infrastructure in the border region – they plan to build five new bridges to North Korea to improve trade (Lefkowitz and Whiton-April 12, 2013 The Washington Post). China’s lack of pressure on North Korea has been disappointing…there are no quick solutions.