Monday, December 9, 2013

Final Reflection

This semester my group was focused in bringing news about the Mexican Drug Wars. Since it was such a broad topic, we decided to divide it up into the role of women and role of the media. Topics covered ranged from a vigilante group that decided to take matters into their own hands, how women were affected, the issues with journalist, and how tourism still continued despite increasing violence. My particular part was with how journalist were affected to the point that they feared their life. Many have been threatened journalist for publishing incriminating investigations or other things such as tying the government to illicit activities. Therefore, it is probable that much of the events happening might not even be reported due to fear of retaliation.

As a group we decided that we should split into teams of two and within the team of two we would decide how to work. My theme was violence on women due to drug cartels. Therefore my research had to be based on this. However, there were times when there was no information about women. If this happened, I would move on to our other point of focus, which was the media. I was also sure to check the sites being used for my research because many information is from alternative media. This was specially important because sometimes the source would be extreme and their information was too biased. By working as a group, the feedback and comments of what went right or wrong that week helped a lot how to shape the research and post.

By doing this project I realized that there is much more to a topic than one would expect. I also learned that it is vital to keep updated on subjects of interest because from one week to the other, there would be captures of drug lords and that would reshape and bring new events sparking suddenly. Another thing that I found interesting is that this is a war and it is not getting enough attention by the US media. Innocent people's lives are being taken away and there are no big headlines talking about it. This connects with other issues such as why an immigration reform is wanted by people who have a fear of going back to a country where there is so much chaos. Therefore, I was able to make connections within international contexts.


Sunday, December 8, 2013

Final Blog Entry

      This semester my group and I covered the Syrian Civil War.  Going into the semester I had no idea that Syria was even going through any sort of conflict.  However, after much research throughout the semester I not only understood the Syrian conflict but also that I should be more aware of current events that occur around the world.  I chose to learn more about Syria because it sounded like an interesting topic and it was the topic that I knew least about.  Throughout the semester we covered what was going on in Syria in regards to their chemical weapons and the response that the United States had on the weapons.
      In the beginning of the semester our group was very diligent in meeting in the library every Thursday.  As the weeks went on, however, it became a little bit harder to all meet so whoever made it to the library worked on the blog and other people would email their own contributions to that week's blog post.  Some weeks we had one group member write the blog post for that week and the next week someone else would write it.  Although working in groups is not my favorite thing, I believe it is important to work with people in order to gain leadership skills and the skills necessary to interact with other people.
      This semester I learned a lot by working on the blog.  I learned not only where Syria is located on a map, but also about the civil war that it is a part of.  I learned that Syria had chemical weapons which is against national law and that under review of the United Nations they have begun to take means to dismantle and destroy all of these chemical weapons.  I learned about the attacks on small areas such as Damascus, and I kept up to date on important news updates regarding Syria.  Being in a group I learned leadership skills and got along with everyone in my group.  I really liked the blog because I learned about my own topic and I was able to read about other topics that the rest of my peers wrote about.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Final Reflection

This semester in International Politics, my group's blog was on the economic crisis in Europe, specifically the issue in Greece. We learned the timeline that the crisis took place, and the factors that made it disastrous. We then started studying deeper into the chaos in Greece, looking at specific issues and problems, such as corruption of public officials, and poor decision making from the government officials.
Our group was divided into turns of who would write that week's blog post. Since people had other priorities sometimes we would generously take someones week if they had something to do. However, some people took advantage of that generosity and abused it, and some of our group members did not contribute anything, nor did it seem like they were interested in helping. We would ask one another what topic we did for that week, and try to avoid doing the same one over again. In the end I think (those who did work) did a very good informative job of making the blog posts.
I've learned a great deal about the economic crisis in Greece, while I I may not be able to understand what Wall St. tells me, I was able to find articles that were able to break down the complicated economic terms into understandable layman ones. I also learned that people should also not be trusted by their word, because most of the time they will let you down.

Egyptian Revolution Final Blog Post

Throughout the fall of 2013, my group has followed the events that took place in the turbulent nation of Egypt. Our focus remained on the government control and reaction to the news of Morsi’s trail and civil unrest that promptly followed. The unrest in Egypt contributed to the fact that the government was military controlled. Our group explored whether there’s a chance for a democratic ruling in Egypt and followed closely how the citizens reacted to the events that have unfolded. Due to the fact that Morsi’s removal led to military control of the government, many civilian protests sparked to combat the censorship and arrests. During this time, it is difficult to regard Egypt as a democratic state and it is necessary to follow the outcomes in order to fully decide the direction that Egypt will choose.
My main approach for research for the blog entries consisted of thoroughly reading through websites such as CNN, Usatoday, and BBC. Our group would meet as research individually for about 30 minutes whilst making sure we’re not reading the same material. When done with our individual reading, we will start with an introduction that relates to our previous blog and add on a mix of the information we all found. We frequently use websites such as the Al-Jazeera due to concise and accurate synopsis of all the major events. Working with a group influence my approach by opening doors to different methods and emphasis that each of the members possessed. It caused me to look at things in a different perspective and truly learn from each other.

From the start, the issue of the Egyptian revolution always sparked avid interest for me. I would frequently watch the news and read up on the events of the revolution from the very beginning. But the opportunity that this blog presented me with was to really examine the implication in an international lens as well as truly visualizing the events through the eyes of the citizens. 
Egitto, scontri al Cairo in secondo anniversario rivolte

Fukushima

Throughout the semester our group chose to follow the Fukushima Nuclear disaster and what actions are being taken to prevent future spills while monitoring the precautions TEPCO is taking to clean up the nuclear spill. A lot of the time it seemed as though the Japanese government was trying to keep information on the spill quiet, and didn’t necessarily want any other involvement from outside organizations to help the situation. I don’t think this worked in their favor especially since there were multiple spills after the initial disaster that they didn’t prepare for.
Our group chose to divide the assignment up by giving each person a specific week to turn in their blog post. This was extremely convenient since our group wasn’t able to meet as often as we wanted to. We influenced each other’s work by sharing certain articles that we thought were interesting. I thought this was an effective way of sharing information because certain group members would have busier weeks than others so sharing the information allowed me to catch up the group members who were unable to research the disaster for the week and vice versa. This way we were able to keep each other on track.

            This assignment taught me that sometimes group work is not as easy as everyone just meeting up on a weekly basis. Each individual has different schedules and responsibilities so finding a medium between that is difficult, however I think our group did a good job of working around our inability to meet up. Also, I learned about an issue I probably would not have paid much attention to if it weren’t for this blog. Initially I chose Fukushima so that I could learn about something I had little knowledge of so I now have a better understanding of nuclear reactors and radiations spills that I did not previously have.

My group and I did the Mexican Drug War.  We started out splitting ourselves into smaller groups and then creating a focus between each of us that would come together at the end, which proved to be harder than we thought, but a good learning experience.  I really focused on the media, especially between the US and Mexico.  What I tried to convey was how the media plays such a large part whether it be about the US/Mexico relations in general or how drug cartels are advancing and using social networking capacities.

When my first group meeting happened, I was pleased to find out that there were Spanish speaking members, and this influenced me to try and find articles that wouldn’t be so one sided as they were able to read both the US and Mexican point of views. I found my articles searching for recent online newspaper and books that would give me an insight into what has and is happening.

What I noticed that repeated throughout the weeks, was the huge death toll and this is something that never stopped. As I said in one of my blog post, there have been more deaths in the Mexican Drug War than the US lost in the whole Vietnam War.

From this project, I really learned that working together on such a huge topic can prove to be a lot more difficult than planned but this helped me become a better team partner. I’ve read all my group posts and found it interesting to see the different approaches and articles people found. I think overall, we were able to produce a successful blog that is interesting to read not only for our group but for the class as well. 

Final Blog Entry

Over the course of this semester we investigated China’s many exploits with an emphasis on their methods of acquiring natural resources as well as how their constant pushes for power affects dynamics in the West. Starting with Africa we studied how China is laying the seeds of infrastructure while extracting natural resources leaving both parties happy. In South America China is using the same technique to fashion good will and establish long term trading partners. Next we moved to Europe where China has begun the shift from cheap mass-produced goods to manufactured items. Then we turned home and discovered that China is buying up massive amounts of American real estate as well as American businesses creating a powerful presence that cannot be ignored. During our research we reflected on how China’s economic leaps are affecting the global spheres of power.

Before each week’s post we would have a group meeting where we shared and analyzed research we had done individually earlier in the week. At this meeting we would choose a geographical location where China’s power plays are taking place and elect a member to write that week’s post. By working as a group we were able to produce different grounds of thought as well as massive amounts of information about our topic. Being in a group allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of my topic by forcing me to see different points of view.

            I have learned a great about China as well as expanding my schools of thought. Coming from America it is interesting to see how effective a state run capitalist system can be, especially when used in conjunction with long-term investments and smart diplomatic moves. I feel I am better able to differentiate between reliable scholarly resources and media articles designed to entertain for a few minutes. Working in a group with new people can be challenging, but good communication is key to creating a seamless product. Overall I’d say this project was a success I learned a great deal about an extremely important issue as well as creating relationships with my peers. 

Friday, December 6, 2013

Final Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Blog Post

On March 26, 1971 Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) began operating their first nuclear power reactor at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station.  On March 11, 2011 a powerful earthquake and tsunami struck the coast of Japan, severely damaging TEPCO’s Fukushima nuclear power plant.  Our group covered any new developments throughout the semester ranging from the dangers of contaminated water, the impact on the environment, the process of dismantling and decommissioning the power plant, and the overall management of the disaster.

Researching the topic of the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster was a fascinating and enlightening experience.  There were typically several new developments each week, and it came down to deciding on which direction to focus that week’s blog post.  Each member of the group conducted online research individually, but would occasionally share interesting and relevant stories with the other members of the group either before or immediately at the end of class, or sometimes through email.  Our grouped worked quite well together, and we easily agreed to a schedule whereby one member of the group would write the post for the week.  We would then all be able to access the file on Google Docs for proofreading, or to add any additional information we had found during our own research, prior to it being posted on the blog. 


Starting with only a vague idea of how badly the tsunami damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant, I learned much more than I could have imagined.  It was both educational and alarming to discover just how hazardous the situation has been.  What I personally found to be most surprising was how TEPCO was allowed to build a nuclear power plant on the coast of Japan, in an area known to have powerful earthquakes, without the proper safety measures in place.  It was also clear that more often than not, TEPCO was unable to manage the disaster on its own, even making careless mistakes such as overfilling a water storage tank and releasing more contaminated water into the ocean.  


Final blog entry

From Africa for raw materials, the Middle East for fossil fuels and the South China Sea for strategic posturing; China's quest for resources has definitely been a global endeavor.  It is impossible to fully cover China's larger-than-life ambitions for the 21st Century in a blog spanning only a few months, but I believe our brief overview of the multiple regions that China has incorporated into their foreign policy clearly illustrates the vast reach the Middle Kingdom has gained in these past few decades.  Over the course of this blog we have emphasized not only the regions ventured, but also the tactics China has employed to gain leverage in many areas of the world, especially those considered to hostile for the West to invest in.  In addition to that, the blog frequently mentions how these moves effect the worlds current superpower, the US.

To tackle this daunting task, the writers of this blog pulled from various sources, all with multiple view points.  We made sure to gather different perspectives, most polarized between praise and criticism, with some just standing to the side, too unsure of the outcome to make a call whether China's actions are prudent or ill-advised.  We had chosen different regions for the each week, then came together to discuss which topic would be the most relevant and informational to blog about.  This allowed the group to not get tunneled into one facet of China, being that we all came from different academic backgrounds and held distinct interests.

One of the big things this project emphasized to me is how dynamic and fluid the international community is. Also the importance of the long game, and how many of the steps taken now by China may drastically change the world I live in for decades to come. I was also able to pull many lessons from working in a group to accomplish this large task, the biggest being the communication of clear objectives and expectations.  We were able to create our vision of the finished product early, allowing us to create a more cohesive single project, even with multiple authors.  Overall, this blog was an great assignment, and I highly enjoyed working with my group-mates.

Final Blog Entry

Over the course of the semester my group and I researched an analyzed the ongoing conflict that is taking place in Syria.  Our research began with the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons on civilians while fighting a civil war against various army factions.  The use of these weapons caused a great international outcry for some sort of intervention.  We tracked the steps international powers were taking in order to prevent future use of these weapons as well as the ongoing violence that occurred between government and rebel forces.

I did my research each week by looking at various articles covering the conflict in Syria online.  I had a tendency to look at articles published by BBC News and CNN.  Working with a group definitely made the process of finding research materials easier.  We were able to send one another articles and discuss which topics seemed most important.  It was also helpful to research as a group because each member would have their own interpretation of what the actions described in the article meant for the people of Syria.  This made it possible to see the viewpoints of many people, rather than just your own.

Throughout this project I learned many things.  My knowledge of the civil war taking place in Syria has increased which has inspired me to learn more about the origins of this conflict.  I also learned a lot about the United Nations Security Council and how decisions regarding international intervention are made within the UN.  This project taught me how to find reliable research sources and to always look at more than just one news source on a topic in order to get a better understanding of the issue.  I also learned how to work cooperatively with a group of students on a project.  Luckily my group members and I  did not have any conflict or disagreement between one another, but we learned how to work as a group and bounce ideas and theories off of one another.  I learned that in order to gain a better understanding of an issue it is always beneficial to hear other people's opinions and ideas.

Reflection Final Post


My group has covered the Mexican Drug Cartels and their effect on the state of the Mexico and Mexico’s inhabitants. My group covered the viciousness of the Mexican drug cartels including witness testimonies of actual victims who had been maimed by the cartels’ enforcers. We’ve discussed the difficulty of being a journalist in Mexico due to the ruthlessness of the cartels, which constantly kill anyone who attempts to shed light on their actions. We’ve also discussed Calderon’s war on the cartels and citizens trying to retaliate, both efforts to no avail as the cartels grip on Mexico has increased if any change has occurred at all.  My group has elaborated upon the Mexican government considering legalizing marijuana in an order to decrease the violence due to marijuana’s sedating effects. My group has also written about how the escalating violence in Mexico is hurting Mexico’s tourism which it relies on heavily as a source for income, due to the cartels’ practice of kidnapping, robbing, and even killing foreigners with no hesitation.

            My research was done basically though looking up topics on the internet, and I researched the history of some of the cartels by watching Gangland documentaries on Youtube. My first post was about the history of some of the cartels, such as the Sinaloa and Juarez cartels. It was relatively easy finding new topics to talk about because even though this is a subject that isn’t at the forefront of many Americans’ list of worries, it extremely well-covered. It was extremely difficult for my group to communicate with each other, we actually struggled with that a lot, or at least between me and my other group members. Working in a group also made it much more doable, however, it kind of made me not get into it as much because individually we didn’t have to do many posts.

            I learned how big the cartels are, and gained a better understanding of how violent they are with… anyone. I learned about how many of their different actions have huge impacts on Mexico. I’ve also learned that this problem is much more than the Mexican government can handle alone, and since the U.S. loves meddling in the affairs of other countries they should deal with a threat a lot closer to home than Syria. I learned that researching information can be difficult when you get extremely specific. I also was reminded of the difficulty of succeeding in a group where effective communication is sometimes not present.

           

Final Blog Post!


           Our group covered the Mexican Drug Wars and how it has had a negative impact on Mexico and its citizens. As a group, we discussed topics that might be able to narrow down our topic. At first we spoke about narrowing the topic down by region, but we found this too difficult since regional material was not always available. In my first blog post I wrote about the effects of one person and the violence that can be perpetuated by one person. My second blog post had to do with the rising death toll and the lasting effects this war will have. Both posts were under the theme of violence and the way government was intervening (or not). My fellow group members followed similar guidelines.
I did my research for my post by looking through Mexican Drug Wars section on my Google news feed. Every week there was coverage on something that went on throughout the week; typically reports would be on the rising dead toll or a significant drug deal or dealer that had been thwarted. My group influenced me on my approach to the issue by discussing topics we would like to reflect on before we started working on our blog posts. Having their feedback on my blog posts was also helpful because they pointed out what I didn’t see.
            I learned that making time to meet with a group was difficult. Working with other people takes an active effort and every person needs to put in an equal amount if effort for the happiness of the whole group. Working together is not and easy task, but when it is done right it is rewarding. I also learned and clarified fact and fiction between my topic. It was great was to stay active to the news and dig deeper into a topic.

final post: Syria, another day of only chaos



Through the course of the semester, my group and I were mainly pay attention to the conflicts of the Syrian Civil War. At the beginning we look at the information about the real time situation of the war, and later we look more in depth detail and information about the why the war happen and the chemical weapons be used to kill the civilians. During that time, we believe there are actually two result for the chemical weapons being use. Firstly, the government really uses it toward its people. Secondly, someone give these chemical weapons to rebel army and they use it by a small mistake. Both suggestions have their own bias and the UN intervention and investigation might be the best way to tell us the truth. But since the civil war become wore, the UN has no choice but leave the country without solving any of the doubts. I actually read the report of the UN report and I have some doubt about it, firstly the location of the chemical being use was so close to the Syrian army camp, so there have the chance that the gas will poison their men. I doubt that no one especially the government could suffer this risk. Secondly, using the chemical weapon give the best excuse for NATO to invade Syria under the name of against the piece law. So we actually don’t believe the government has dared to do this.
At the beginning of the semester, it was very easy for me and my group member work together and sharing the information. Since I am not a very good English writer my job is to collected the information and telling what really happen in Syria. I usually talk to my group member that you have to have your own though and analysis the data by yourself and never trust the data when you first read it. So I became the man who mainly sharing the new idea and collect our group ideas together.  Even though I did not enter any of our blog post but I believe that I did what I have to do and what I good at: talking and sharing. I also believe that it is good for group discussion because we can share the idea. Western thinking is totally different from the eastern think and I can learn how my US classmate thinks about the same data. That culture different really help me a lot and I love it so much.
The thing I learn from this project is
     
  Syria problem influences the Arab-Israeli peace process. Syria is the supporter of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas and the Palestine and Islamic Jihad.  Whether Syria 's willing to use their ability to continue to maintain a relatively peaceful relations , limiting Hamas militants , supporting Hezbollah peace talks with Israel , will be the key role to ensure Israeli security. Therefore , the Syrian crisis, Israel will neither fear Bashar to step down after the Islamic radical forces flew into Syria , causing greater threat to Israel's security , on the other hand , Bashar al-Assad to step down would weaken Syria 's alliance with Iran , so that Hezbollah and Hamas losing supporters of Israel is beneficial. Therefore , the Syrian crisis, the Israeli mentality complex , rarely stand. So Syria is can be seen as the gamble for Israel.

  Ethnic tensions . Middle East, mainly Arabs, Turks , Persians, Kurds and Jews , there has been so many ethnic conflicts , there is also the world political dominance competition of Islam and religious leadership. Kurdish do not have their own country, those people located in Turkey, Iran , Iraq, Syria and several other countries , has been subjected to discrimination , want to establish their own country. Therefore, the Turkish government on the one hand and actively support sanctions against Syrian government , on the other hand , oppose Kurdish autonomy required to prevent the Kurds in Turkey to seek division. Persians of Iran, by hostile Arab countries , but the Assad regime is a staunch ally of Iran , the two countries in the political , economic and military on both closely . 
·         Competing interests of big countries. As the world's only superpower, the united States are always intervening everywhere in the world. Middle East as a major oil producing area and an important source of terrorism, the United States and EU have always been of concern of the area. Iran and Syria been calls by the United States as " rogue states", is a staunch anti-American regime in the Middle East , the United States and other Western countries have been dissatisfied by Bashar for many years. Therefore, since the Syrian unrest, the United States and other Western countries have to demonize the Syrian government and the putting different sanctions to Syria, or even attempted to UN Security Council authorized the use of force against Syria. Also, Syria closely with Russia , has been a staunch ally of Russia in the Middle East , is Russia's major trading partner and third largest arms seller, Russia in Syria has its only military base outside the CIS , therefore , Russia is not interested in the future establish a pro-US regime in Syria , firmly opposed to military intervention in Syria. Finally, if Syria control by the EU or US, the oil tunnel will be finally build and the EU can get the oil much easier from the Middle East (Iqar is too dangerous for oil tunnel and only Syria can be the best option). I hope everyone still remember Russia invade Georgia in the year 2009. In the surface, Russia claim that they have to stop the massacre in South Ossetia, in depth the Russia need to control Georgia’s oil supply to EU. Everything will be the same this time, the Russia need to make sure there will be no oil tunnel in Syria. The all the oil supply to EU must control by the Russia. In order to totally control the middle east, the United States must takeover Syria by any cost, and the Russia need to protected its only one ally in Middle East.

                                                                                                                                                    Hao Le

Reflection Blog

            Over the course of this semester our group detailed developments in the news about what was going on during the Syrian Civil War. At the beginning of the semester Syria was one of the hot news topics, showing up prominently in stories across media outlets each week. A lot of this interest stemmed from the seeming possibility that the U.S. might become involved in the conflict. In reality though, no concrete intervention ever came to pass. In my opinion, it never even seemed like the U.S. was really going to get involved beyond Obama’s “limited strike,” and this was mostly just hyped up by media organizations that knew that they could tantalize their audiences by talking about the possibility so much. The next stage of news focused heavily on Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s decision to acquiesce to the Geneva Convention’s requirements on the use and possession of chemical weapons. A plan was developed and will apparently be brought to fruition over a period of time. Though violence is still ongoing, with the fading of the possibility that the U.S. might become involved, the media have seemed to back off significantly from detailing the events in Syria. Most news stories deal with specific conflicts on the ground and haven’t seemed to reach the same prominence that they did earlier this semester.
            Generally our group formula involved meeting once a week to work on the blog or designating one person to write it themselves. When we met as a group, people would generally have researched or kept up with the topic throughout the week. It was then interesting to see what each person thought was the most important event and what everyone had learned or read about. Thus, this turned into a good format for discussing the topic with others as opposed to simply reading a few news stories yourself.
            I rarely look forward to taking part in a group project, and if this was an exception it was a small one. Typically you watch as some people take it seriously, while others contribute next to nothing. And there is really no realistic way of avoiding this. On the bright side, though, this group was not too bad in the grand scheme of things. But in general I do not think that group projects are a particularly effective way of encouraging learning, though I cannot personally think of any other way of organizing this specific project. Anyhow, I was able to learn more in depth about the Syrian Civil War than I would have been likely to learn otherwise, so I see it as relatively worthwhile.

-Mexican Drug Wars- The Final Post



              
Researching the Mexican Drug Cartels, our group had focused on its effects on Mexico’s community. Within the group’s first few blogs the group presented information about the dangers that were presented amongst Mexico’s drug wars and it’s job limitations, such as making journalism a dangerous job. There were several references about Calderon’s presidency in 2006 and how his initiative to end drug cartels ultimately made Mexico a much less peaceful place to live in. The group has also blogged about the increasing violence present in Mexico as the citizens begin to try to fight back with weapons of their own. Within this chaos we found out that this was affecting the community psychologically, especially the children. With the children now experiencing exploitation by their influenced peers at school, the Mexican childhood is not as safe or kid friendly as it used to be, but instead it’s become a life filled with the struggle to survive. Trying to curb the ongoing violence and its influence, the Mexican government‘s best efforts were the act of trying to legalize certain substances, such as marijuana.
Working as a group, I felt made the individual was able to focus on who the blog’s audience was—attempting to make it as interesting as possible. Knowing that a fellow classmate was going to read it, I tried to give them an easy read on a current event that I knew they might have not been familiar with. Researching things for my blog’s topic was hard for the fact that many of the articles had been about 6 months old. They weren’t as current as I hoped.
Usually my sources came from outside Mexico, rather than inside, maybe it was because it’s become increasingly difficult in Mexico to be a journalist. In fact, the most substantial information I received from inside Mexico had been YouTube tapes secretly taken by average citizens asking for help and explaining the corruption in their towns. In doing my research, I became really conflicted because I knew that there were many other upsetting stories out there in relation to the drug wars, in fact other wars as well. Some people never get the opportunity to voice out for help and now more than ever, I’ve felt we need to use the media more effectively. People need to be driven to do something about helping others rather than just feeling pity.