Friday, July 14, 2006

Open Thread for Current Events

I've asked my students to find a piece of current events to link to and post a comment about. I invite the rest of the world to join them, or to respond to any of the comments they put up.

To link to an article in the comments, type '<' a href="http://address.here">text that you want displayed.' only without the '>' around the > Got it? I can't just type it plain because it shows up as a link...

So, if I wanted to put this link in the comments, I'd type "<"a href="http://www.imao.us/archives/005799.html">thislink" "

Ok?

If you have trouble, just cut and paste the link, then e-mail me...

9 comments:

  1. To make a link, you also have to add "<"a/">" at the end of the html, but without the ".

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  2. Just copy-paste the link for your current events stuff...don't worry about making it look nice. I'll e-mail you guys if there's a problem...but there won't be.

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  3. Just days after the bombings in Mumbai, the Indian Prime minister is claiming that Pakistan is "failing to reign in terror" (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/world/asia/14cnd-india.html?hp&ex=1152936000&en=dfa6e5b520d6c4eb&ei=5094&partner=homepage). Indian officials have hinted that a militant group based in Pakistan called Lashkar-e-Taiba may have been involved in the attacks, but there is no concrete evidence at this point. What is troubling is that this situation could disrupt peace talks between the two nations, and that's a always a bad thing when both countries are both nuclear powers. Pakistan, which has denied any links to terrorist groups involved in the Mumbai attacks, has offered help in the investigation into the bombings. Given that Al-Qaida has claimed to have started a chapter in the largely Muslim region of Kashmir, I don't think things are going to quiet down in this region any time soon.

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  4. The conflict between Hezbollah/Lebanon and Israel looks like it could continue to escalate. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah went on Hezbollah's TV channel and said, "You wanted an open war and we are ready for an open war." Also, one of Israel's warships was hit by a rocket, though Israel says it was only "lightly damaged." Israel is still demanding that Hezbollah returns two soldiers they have hostage. Read more about this here http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5182048.stm<"a/">

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  5. Hi Ben,
    I chose this story http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/world/asia/14letter.html. This story is important to class because it is a good example of a failing state. East Timor does not have unity, it has a shaky security system and it's economy is horrible. They do not even have their own money.

    Politically East Timor has an unstable government, they just had a new prime minister elected so we'll see how the government turns out.

    This article applies to class because of last nights reading and todays discussion about failing states.

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  6. Hezbollah Declares War on Israel

    As Hezbollah declares war on Israel, Syria announces that it will back both Hezbollah and Lebanon.
    As the violence increases I beleive other nations will be forced to get involved to act either as military
    allies to one side or the other or in the case of the US to take on the role of mediator between the two. This relates
    to class because Hezbollah is a terrorist organization but they are recieving support from an established
    state in their effort against Israel since the invasion on Lebanon. So yes, states can support non-state terror.
    Read more at http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/AF23D116-9B23-4857-AA1A-9EA595F2D4B1.htm

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  7. A Foreign Perspective...

    I read an article about the tension in the Middle East (Israel/Lebanon/Palestine) that is now escalating. The headline says, "Condemnation of Israel action Mounts." The whole article is about international response to the conflict in the region. French president Jacques Chirac said Israel reactions were "completely disproportionate and irresponsible." However, from what I've read so far, it seems like the western world supports Israel attack on Lebanon. President Bush is fully behind Israel action (what's a surprise). While others concern that the conflict might spread to Syria, then Iran would also get involve if not already. Iran warned Israel not to touch Syria. If Israel attacks Syria, I think Iran would get involve. Other countries such as Egypt and Jordan called for international resolution to stop the violence in the region.

    I think that Israel is trying to defense itself because every state in the region is pretty much hating Israel. But I disagree with its attack in Lebanon because this action is an act of war. The attack on Lebanon will only create chaos and instability in the country that are now trying to move on with its democratic process. Lebanon is a country; it has its own right to do whatever it wants. Maybe Israel should talk to the Lebanese government before striking their country. I also have a question, what is Lebanese government doing in response to Israel attack? It seems like the Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran, is running the country.

    From the one and only Sovita Hean

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  8. Hezbollah chief declares “open war” against Israel

    Heck Yeah! Israel got what it wanted. An open invitation to tear the terrorists apart. Israel is going to wipe the floor with them. This is very important because Hezbollah is legitamizing Israel's actions for fighting the terrorist cell in Lebanon. Hezbollah has openly stated that more violence will be dealt to Israelis. What Israel is doing is right. A country cannot allow terrorist bombings and lose soldiers to the control of terrorist cells. If Hezbollah feels confident in its war, then that allows Israel to use all it has to finish them off.

    The initial world reaction is not the most important part, it is the implications that will take effect in the Middle East as time goes on. Opinions from other nations, such as Syria and Iran, will hold great effect in the region. If Iran gets involved against the Jewish state, this could be the breaking point with western relations. If the situation stays isolated between Israel and Lebanon, than nothing will happen. Only if other muslim states get involved, will conflict arise between the west and middle east.

    Israel is sending a good message of "If you want some, then you gonna get it," which Hezbollah seems to have recieved. Alright now the world awaits to see what others do, while Irael gets it on with terrorist enemies. My message to Israel is "good job, now they want it, so finish your mission."

    Site:http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=11716

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  9. While most of the world is focused now on the conflict in the middle east, that doesn't mean that important events aren't happening all over this world. Specifically, terrorist attacks. In Sri Lanka, the Tamil Tigers have struck again, killing more than a dozen government soldiers. The Tigers are fighting for a separate homeland in Sri Lanka (the article: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C1363E8A-C8A8-47FC-9C72-0D337F2DC546.htm )

    While this might seem insignificant, over 700 people have been killed by the Tigers since December. The government is trying to stop this my offering the minority Tamils more power in the government, but the Tigers want a complete separate country. It seems that the violence is only going to escalate form here. I think that the Sri Lanka government should seriously sit down with the group and work out a resolution, because if they don't they could have a serious nation wide problem, and may even begin to fail as a state, which only leads to worse things.

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