Week 3: The view from Spain: British migrants fear Brexit Impact

The View from Spain: British migrants fear Brexit Impact 

Molly Wallen, a British Expatriate living in Spain     

Summary

 Brexit is the term for Britain's exit from the European Union (EU).  In June 2016 the citizens of Britain voted on whether or not they would like their country to stay in EU. The final referendum was to exit from the EU and as a result of this, the official date for Britain to leave the EU was set for the 29th March 2019. (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/world/europe/what-is-brexit.html)  

       While many UK residents are excited with the prospects of leaving EU, but in some of the other countries in the EU, British migrants worry for their rights and freedom after Brexit.  Writer Joe Wallen from Aljazeera interviews migrants from Britain living in Spain about their concerns on Brexit.  For the past two years their lives have been filled with worrying about the future while having sleepless nights.  About 1.3 billion "British expatriates" reside in the European union, the largest fraction believed to be in Spain.  Wallen talks to Molly Williams, 24, who has traveled all over the union.  Her biggest fear is losing the ability to move freely across Europe and to be restricted to a particular area, like foreigners from non EU countries.

     Meanwhile Jo Chipcase, 47, is worried for her children, who have experienced only the Spanish schooling system and want to continue studying at a nearby university.  Uprooting their entire life could change their entire future and demeanor.

     Normally everyone reacts to stress differently, Sue Wilson, 65, believes a no-deal Brexit won't happen, reliant on an extension for article 50.  Her main worries include the depericiating currency, British Pound, will negatively affect her family's income.  These are just are perspectives of a few people, but over 310,000 face an uncertain future.  Brexit continues to scare people as the deadline closes in.

Reaction

    It is appalling to see the impending chaos that will be caused by the exit of one of the most powerful nation from a strong economic block.  As an outsider, it is hard to understand the intent of Britain's exit, but I believe that the citizens of Britain came together to vote for what they felt would be best for their country's future.  Nationalism plays a big role in making a country strong and powerful, and Britain's citizens felt that being part of a larger union or group was a hinderance in their path.  However, they did not fully anticipate the immediate impacts on their own economy and the lives of their citizens abroad.

Connection

     Brexit seems similar to the collapse of the Soviet Union after the Cold War.  The disintegration of the USSR led to the formation of smaller and weaker economic powers, that could not sustain the challeges posed by the global economies.  As a result, many of the disintegrated countries lack wealth and opportunities that existed while they were a part of the larger union with Russia. Will Brexit lead to the disintegration of the entire union?


Questions for discussion

1. What steps can be taken to plan Brexit to occur smoothly this year?

2.  It seems that Brexit can not be prevented now.  What are some of the action items that the British expartriates need to take now, in order to prevent major disruptions to their lives post Brexit?

3. How do you think the citizens of the other EU countries will start treating their British expatriate once they cease to be a part of the union?

WEEK 3: The "El Chapo" Trial

Main Source

Background of the Case

Who is "El Chapo?"

SUMMARY: Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán has been one of the world's most notorious drug dealers since creating his own Sinaloa drug cartel in the late 1980s. Guzmán has repeatedly escaped from prison while in Mexico, and he was finally extradited to the U.S. in January 2017. Guzmán is being tried for drug trafficking, conspiring to murder rivals, gun charges, and money laundering(lying about/hiding where money actually came from). If he is convicted of these crimes, he could face lifetime in jail.

"El Chapo" was born in 1957 to a family of farmers, and he grew his drug empire from nearly nothing into a nearly 1 billion U.S. dollar enterprise. Guzmán created his cartel in the 1980s, and in 1993 he was nearly assassinated, but he was caught and sentenced to prison for 20 years. In 2001, he was able to escape one prison, and he was arrested again in 2014, but once again he escaped from prison less than 2 years after being taken in. After these 2 highly embarrassing escapes, the U.S. requested that "El Chapo" be extradited to the U.S. and be held in a high security american prison. "El Chapo" was extradited in January 2017, and he has been under trial since November 2018. The prosecution has called nearly 50 witnesses, while Guzmán's defense only called one witness and read one stipulation (a condition or requirement that is specified or demanded as part of an agreement) from a witness that was not present at the trial.  Closing arguments began Wednesday, January 30, and final deliberations are scheduled to begin Friday, February 1. 

The prosecution has produced many pieces of evidence against "El Chapo," and many of his closest advisers have testified against him in court. Edgar Galvan, a member of the cartel testified that "El Chapo" had a hitman named Antonio Marrufo, who had his own white-tiled, soundproof "murder room" with it's own drain to make the clean up easier. Guzmán also electronically tracked nearly 50 people through their cell phones, and one message to his wife said, " Our [daughter] is fearless, I'm going to give her an AK-47 so she can hang with me." At that point, his daughter was only 6 months old and he was going to give her one of the most powerful firearms in the world. Also, Guzmán had a personalized diamond-encrusted pistol along with a gold plated AK-47. Finally just 4 "El Chapo" drug shipments have enough cocaine for each person in the U.S. to have a line of cocaine, which equates to about 328 million lines of cocaine in just 4 shipments. 

REACTION: "El Chapo" is one of the most notorious drug lords of all time, and his trial is quite possibly the largest anti-drug trial in the history of the United States. The capture and subsequent trial of Guzmán has improved law enforcement's and other people's understandings of the inner workings of drug cartels and provided insight to the life of one of the richest businessmen in Mexico. The Jury is completing deliberations sometime this week, reaching a verdict as to the future of the kingpin of one of the largest drug cartels in the world. Even though the imprisonment of "El Chapo" might not affect the Sinaloa cartel in a very large way, the message of the power of the U.S. department of Justice may help deter other drug cartels from forming and hopefully limit the power of other major cartels currently in operation.

CONNECTION: Although this event does not directly deal with a unit that we have learned or will be learning, there is an element of border crossing and border security. After WWI and WWII, there were many border changes in Europe, as well as some border changes in southeast Asia. The collapse of the Soviet Union also led to the creation of many new independent states with their own borders. This event also relates to the Silk Road because this is a multinational trading industry with its own special path that crosses borders as well as having many "merchants," or in this case members of major cartels such as Sinaloa. Also, Guzmán's rise to power was much like the rise of the dictators, because he played on the affection of the people as well as using force to get his way and rise to power. Unlike the dictators, Guzmán did not try to control a country, he rather gained control of a large drug cartel. 

QUESTIONS:

1)What verdict do you think the Jury and Judge will reach in the "El Chapo" case, and will this bring justice?

2) What can the U.S. and other countries do to help prevent drug cartels from gaining power and spreading their products all throughout the world both legally and illegally? 

Week 2: The Wellness World's Buzzy New Best Friend

"The Wellness World's Buzzy New Best Friend"

(press title for link)

Mainstream skin care companies are beginning to 

utilize the benefits of honey and other bee products.

Summary:

Today's world is completely invested in the latest technology, including medical technology. However, there are immense benefits to natural anti-bacterial remedies. Bee supplements have been labeled a "hippie diet fad" for years, and many question the credibility of their effects. Recent studies prove that bee products may be the solution to a number of health issues, ranging from allergies to bacterial infections. First of all, royal jelly (the queen bee's food source) was linked to treating glucose intolerance and improving mental health in a series of tests. According to Ms. Bacon, owner of a Los Angeles natural supplement company, royal jelly leaves you feeling "energized and buzzy." The jelly's benefits also include immunity and fertility, as well as protection against bacterial infection and inflammation. Manuka honey is another natural remedy that improves skin complexion and has bacteria fighting qualities. The strain is derived from New Zealand and is used to heal sore throats, improve digestion, heal wounds, and prevent tooth decay. In addition, bee pollen has been proven to alleviate symptoms of seasonal allergies. Some health professionals disagree with the alleged healing powers of bee products. For example, Amy Wechsler, a dermatologist in Manhatten, supports the claims of honey and other bee products containing anti-bacterial properties and pollen's powerful effects against allergies. However, Wechsler also believes that bee products "don't do anything magical" and cannot be used for our major medical needs. Regardless of the healing properties of bee products, it is important to note that the endangerment of bees is a major issue. The rusty patched bumblebee was added to the endangered species list last year and the number of beehives in the United States has decreased significantly since the 1940s. Pesticides have been the main cause of the decreasing bee population and continue to threaten colonies today. Bees are essential to life on earth because they are the foundation of the food pyramid.

Reaction:

Bees have the ability to produce natural remedies that I believe could truly help everyone. While it is important to get all of today's required vaccinations, I think that for smaller health problems the US could be using a more natural approach. Rather than having doctors prescribe antibiotics and other pills for certain circumstances, we could be going back to the basics and researching more natural treatments. This may even help decrease the number of overdoses in the US. The decline in bee population is extremely threatening to not only the US but the world. According to BBC, we have access to most of our food because of bees. They pollinate our fruits and vegetables, also providing food for the meat that we consume. These insects are responsible for pollinating 1/3 of all of our food and contribute up to 400 million pounds to the British economy. This suggests that the human race would have an extremely limited food source if bees were to go extinct, creating food shortages and the endangerment of other species who rely on pollination. While time is moving fast and the world is constantly moving towards new discoveries and advancements, it is important to remember that we are not alone. There are millions of species sharing the world with us and we must remember the importance of protecting wildlife in order to save our planet.

Connection:

Though we are just starting our Buddhism unit, I just wanted to make the connection that the Buddha considered honey to be one of the five essential medicines and thought that it had certain healing properties. Buddhism is constructed around the idea that we must stop wanting in order to finally be content with ourselves. This reinforces the idea that we should stop obsessing over what we want in the world and focus more on what we take for granted, such as nature. Without bees, the world would experience a devastating loss of all living things, so before using that plastic straw at a restaurant or asking for plastic bags at the grocery store checkout, remember that we must make sacrifices for nature in order to protect ourselves and create a healthy world.

Questions:

1) Do you think that bee products could be a good natural alternative for certain modern day medicines?

2)What do you think could happen to the world as a result in the bee population declining?

Last Thought:

I wanted to make a blog post that reminded us that we are all here together despite the different political views we might have. Sometimes we just need to focus on what we have in common instead of our differences!

Other Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zg4dwmn

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/09/business/energy-

environment/pesticides-probably-more-harmful-than-previously-thought-scientist-group-warns.html 

http://www.buddhisma2z.com/content.php?id=177

Week 2: As Venezuela Crumbles, Opposition Led by Juan Guaidó Sees an Opportunity

As Venezuela Crumbles, Opposition Led by Juan Guaidó Sees an Opportunity

Mr. Guaidó has captured the attention of those within Venezuela and outside of it — mainly for his striking claim that Mr. Maduro is not a legitimate ruler and his willingness to take charge of a transitional government. Manaure Quintero/Reuters

Credit

Summary:
       On January 21st, members of Venezuela's national guard turned against the controversial leadership of President Nicolás Maduro. This act of rebellion, which happened at a military installation in Caracas, happened only days after the opposition to the Maduro regime, Juan Guaidó, assured amnesty to all that supported him. This act of defiance by the Venezuelan military has helped bring to light the cracks that have been growing in the Venezuelan government. 
       Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader, has risen to the spotlight through his accusation that Mr. Maduro is not the rightful leader of Venezuela and through his argument that he, as the current Head of the National Assembly should take over as president that way he could run fair elections. On Wednesday, January 2019, Guaidó took his most bold move yet, when he told his fellow Venezuelans to go out into the streets and protest. This event can be taken even more seriously when compared to the last mass mobilization they had, where demonstrations in 2017 left over 100 people dead after fights with Venezuelan security forces.
       While many members of the Maduro government defame and threaten Guaidó, it seems as if the world is closing in on the Maduro regime. The leftist government is currently surrounded by right-wing leaders and many different countries challenge the legitimacy of this second six-year term that he was sworn in for on January, 10th (notably the US is one of the countries challenging the legitimacy of the election).
       Only one day after writing the summary above, Juan Guaidó declared himself as president and has been recognized as the President of Venezuela by our own Trump Administration. This self-declaration has happened on January 23rd and can be seen here. As Maduro breaks political ties with the US the only thing we know for certain is that Venezuela is going through a tumultuous time.

Reaction:
       Personally, I couldn't believe that something so big and prevalent is happening now, and even more surprisingly I haven't heard people talking about it. To think that a potential revolution or shift in power is happening in a country and this isn't what everyone is talking about. While yes protests for changes in government have happened recently like when we learned about Egypt last year, I still find it amazing how as you read this, there are potentially people taking to the streets of Venezuela protesting for a better life. I support these people and their mission to get a fair government that can hopefully help fix their broken economy. I really hope that any corruption is expelled from Venezuela. My only concern now is how little I know about Guaidó's past, but I can't wait to see where Venezuela goes from here.

Connection:
       These uprisings and potential changes in power remind me of all the revolutions we have studied this year. From the Russian revolution to Mussolini taking control of Italy, this whole year we have studied how power can shift in a country. Now we have a current example happening right before us, as a potential shift of power looms over Venezuela.

Questions:
       1. If you were the US would you recognize Nicolás Maduro as president or Juan Guaidó?
    
       2. What do you predict for Venezuela's future? Do you think Juan Guaidó can take charge, or is Nicolás Maduro here to stay?
 

WEEK 2: China’s Gulag for Muslims

link: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/02/opinion/uighur-muslims-china-gulag.html

Summary:
       For centuries, there has been discrimination, detainment and acts of violence against the Uighur population within China. The Uighurs are ethnically Turkish Muslims, making up only about 1 percent of China's population. However, they are the largest ethnic group in the region of Xinjiang, where the main conflict occurs. Here, Uighurs are targeted by the Communist Party and sent to "re education camps" where more than a million Muslims are imprisoned and brainwashed. Here, they are forced to write "self criticism" essays, along with singing hymns celebrating the Chinese Communist party and listen to ideological lectures. Many survivors also recall stories about being subjected to torture, discipline and isolation. To the Chinese, the practice of Islam, or any religion other than Communism is seen as wrong, and therefore must be diminished. In addition to the indoctrination, they also prevent the Muslims from taking part in their religious practices, such as fasting and being halal (not consuming pork or alcohol).
       While the cause of this situation is quite complex, many historians say that the social and economic factors causing ethnic tensions are the root cause of this current violence. With this way of thinking, it is difficult for China to see the Uighur population as anything but "the enemy".
       Even though China's policy of "re education" has had a serious negative effect on the Uighur people and the Islam faith, the news of these destructive hate crimes have not received the attention that is needed. Although many human rights organizations have condemned the actions of China against the Muslim population, only few leaders have actually raised public concern regarding the issue.
When trying to form answers as to why this violation of human rights remains under publicized, there are a couple main reasons. For one, China is the top trading power in Organization of Islamic Cooperation, meaning it holds a lot of hope for these nations. Furthermore, China continues to offer financial aid to insure the silence from those suffering as well as only receiving compliments from outside countries in return for their "payments."
       Recently, at the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting on November 6, 2018, China was heavily criticized by western governments and the Muslim Uighur Community. The US chargé d'affaires Mark Cassarye also urged that China "abolish all forms of arbitrary detention" for Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, and demanded China to release the "possibly millions" of detained individuals there. 

Reaction:
       Sadly, the Uighur v Chinese conflict has gone past a harmless disagreement, and is beginning to truly ruin the livelihoods of so many innocent people. The idea that all this terrible punishment is based off of differences in religion is so upsetting and the violence is absolutely uncalled for. I feel that there are so many better ways to handle the differences in morals and beliefs, rather than strip people of their identities for it. There will always be differences in our societies and that is the way in which we learn to coexist. Instead,  China has decided to handle it in a childish manner; by assigning blame and punishment rather than thinking ethically and rationally.

Connection to World History and/or International Relations:
       The discrimination and "re education" systems for the Uighurs is incredibly similar to the Jewish Holocaust as well as Stalin's Gulags. During the Holocaust, the Jews were targeted solely off their religion, and endured terrible, inhumane conditions as forms of punishment. They were also blamed for Germany's suffering and famine crisis, just as the Ughirs have been blamed for a series of terrorist attacks in China. They were ostracized and forced to chant pro- Nazi slogans and songs, which is almost identical to the Uighurs who are ordered to sing Chinese hymns and work, deprived from the outside world. In addition, the gulags were implemented by Stalin as a way to prevent any opposition and ensure total devotion to the state, just as the Uighurs are attacked just because of their differing political beliefs.

Questions to Consider:

1. Do you think China is doing the right thing by sending the Uighurs to "re education" camps?
2. Why is the Uighur detainment crisis so under publicized?
3. Do you think with enough public criticism of China's wrong doings, they will stop detaining the Uighurs in Xinjiang?

Week 2: IDF OFFICER WOUNDED BY SNIPER ON GAZA BORDER

Supporting Article and Main Article

Summary:

The Israeli-Palestine conflict has been a very talked about and heated event since

the day Israel was founded on May 14, 1948 and even before that. Most of the violent
encounters occur along the west bank and the Israeli border along the Gaza strip.
It was very recently

that about 10,000 Palestinians began rioting along the Israeli border in what was

called the “March of Return” demonstrations. Along the border the 10,000

Palestinians began setting tires aflame, and throwing rocks along with explosive

devices at IDF(Israeli Defense Forces) soldiers along the border. The soldiers

responded to this attack with crowd dispersal measures and eventually live

fire. According to Palestinian Health Ministry reports, six Palestinians were

injured. The riot was sparked by a Hamas (an organization that is defined by many 
countries as a fundamentalist organization that rules Gaza) official by the name of Ismail Radian 
when he stated, “The Israeli government’s latest actions are a declaration

of war against prisoners.” This was in response to Gilad Erdan who is

an Interior Minister for Israel and his decision to lower prison conditions

for terrorists but still abide by International Law. This is just one of many

attacks as in July of 2018, the IDF by international law. This is just one
of many attacks as in July of 2018, the IDF bombed seven Hamas targets
in the Gaza Strip in retaliation to an IDF soldier being wounded by a
sniper on the Gaza border. Less than a week before this, a different IDF
soldier was killed by a sniper near the same area as the other IDF soldier
was wounded. This occured after about 20 Palestinian youth began
violently protesting near the border wall. This was the first IDF soldier
to be killed by a Palestinian in the Gaza strip in four years. Shortly after the event, the former Defense Minister of Israel by the name of Avigdor Liberman, stated that Hamas is pushing Israel into another Gaza war even larger than Operation Protective Edge in 2014. The Gaza strip bordering
Israel has become even more and more dangerous for civilians on both sides. This is due to riots just like I have mentioned earlier, that have been ongoing for many months. Just as more direct violence mentioned in the supporting article has been occurring for just as long. On top of these instances Hamas launched 200 mortars and rockets at Israel a day and Israel responded with bombing 40 Hamas targets along the Gaza Strip.

Reaction:

Both of the attacks satiated along with many others have been perpetrated by neighboring countries with Israel but more specifically Hamas. These attacks have underlying meanings as Palestinians and Hamas didn’t just protest because of bad conditions for prisoners and other surface issues, but it was actually fueled by their hatred of Israel. It has been made public that one of Hamas’s main goals is to obliterate Israel as they feel Israel has been built on stolen land. If you did not notice, in both instances I wrote about, Israel acted in retaliation to attacks committed by Hamas. But throughout the world, Israel is painted as the villain who bombs the West bank and Gaza strip for no reason. But what is not reported is how Hamas purposely fires rockets into civilian dense parts of Israel by using Children schools and hospitals as bases from which they fire their rockets. Hamas pretty much uses these children and other civilians as human shields not caring if they live or die.

Connection:

This article/event very closely relates to a topic that we will be studying later this semester which is the Israeli-Palestine conflict. It also relates to the Rhineland in WW2 when France and Germany were fighting over taking over the Rhineland which bordered Germany and France. In both instances both parties were fighting over control of one area and had a relatively strong hatred for one another. And on top of this both sides just like Israel and Hamas have different supporters around the world Just like France had with the US and Britain and Germany had with Japan and Italy.

Questions:

1. Considering the facts, are the actions that Israel and or Hamas partake in justified?
2. How do you think peace should be brought about between Israel and its Hamas?

WEEK 1: How the War in Yemen Became a Bloody Stalemate

How the War in Yemen Became a Bloody Stalemate

Summary:

New York Times writer Robert F. Worth visits Yemen following an US airstrike attack on a school bus filled on August 9, killing 44 children and 10 adults. The attack sparked outrage and made national news but in reality, these killings have been going on for years. In March of 2015, Saudi Arabia began a military campaign against the Houthis, an Islamic religious-political-armed movement that emerged from Sa'dah in northern Yemen in the 1990s, and Iran because they considered the allied countries to be a severe threat of the southern border. Over 10,000 civilians have been killed by airstrike and more than 14 million people are facing the worst famine in over 100 years.

Despite losing territory throughout the course of the war, the Houthi fighters remain sharp and reckless. Derived from a political group from a powerful northwestern Yemen leader, the Houthi are known for recruiting child soldiers, torturing captives, and maintaining a low profile on the media. Their adamant dismissal of a potential agreement between the opposing country prompts Yemen’s division.

Yemen’s war was largely overshadowed by the war taking place in Syria. However, following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, people around the world began to understand the true horrors of what was happening.

Modern day Yemen resembles more of an post apocalyptic war zone more than a city. Air strikes have destroyed many bridges, government buildings, post office, courthouse, and immigration office, crumbling the infrastructure into rubble. Over 2 million people have been displaced and people line up for hours just to get gas or groceries.

With over 70% of Yemen’s food and medicine being imported from other countries, the blockade has been devastating for the citizens. With over 78% of infants suffering from chronic malnutrition,  families are so desperate that they turn to eating leaves. Skeletal bodies fill up understaffed and unsanitary hospitals.

Although both sides of the war are making very little progress, the Houthi soldiers remain firm on fighting for their beliefs.

Here is a short video from CBSN explaining the circumstances.

Reaction:

Much of our new, and rightfully so, is focused on American politics and “what dumb thing did our president say today”. However, I found both fascinating and heartbreaking to read about the political dynamics in the middle east. By comparison, their struggles and conflicts dwarf the issues that we face in our own government. I believe that everyone should be paying attention to our current news as well as international news.

Amal Hussain, a young girl became the face of the humanitarian crisis when this photograph went viral. 

Connection:

Although we haven’t heard much of the struggles in the middle east, this war reminds me slightly of the Armenian genocide. In both cases, huge masses of people were either being killed, bombed, displaced, or starved. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians perished between 1915 and 1923 and if the war in Yemen continues, the number of casualties will only increase.

Questions:

Why do you think the US has not taken more steps to aid the famine crisis in Yemen?

Why do you think the Houthi are so unwilling to back down?

Week 1: "As U.S. Exits Syria, Mideast Faces a Post-American Era"

"As U.S. Exits Syria, Mideast Faces a Post-American Era"

Original Article Here

American soldiers near Manbij, Syria, in February. President Trump has ordered them to leave. Credit Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

Summary

US involvement in Syria and the Middle East has been long standing and complicated,

with little change in the recent years. President Trump’s long-awaited plan to withdraw

from Syria is said to have begun this past Friday, with equipment removal. The US has

been involved in the Middle East since the end of the cold war, thus the plan to withdraw

troops from Syria, could spark some unavoidable chaos. In recent years, the US and its allies

have been focused on the defeat of ISIS and other terrorist organizations. Through the Obama

and now Trump administrations, although two very different styles, both agree that the regional

powers should take a greater role in governing their own region. The US is now less dependent

on the Middle East in that it is able to get oil domestically. Many see the US’s presence growing

less important as said by Gary Sick, a Middle East scholar at Columbia University “Things are

pretty chaotic as they are, and I don’t see them getting better with our presence and I don’t see

them getting worse if we’re not there”.

On the other hand, some people argue that the US presence does have value in the

Middle East and that it can make a difference to overall stability in the region. As the US begins

to plan to withdraw, many other problems could possibly arise. Such as a scramble between Iran,

Russia, and Turkey to fill the gap left by the US in the area or regional powers, now left to their

own devices, could make the situation worse as well. Many fear what occurred when the US

withdrew troops from Iraq could repeat itself in Syria. When the US withdrew its troops from Iraq,

believing the terrorist group was defeated, the action had been so swift. This resulted in the group

rebuilding and growing more powerful, ultimately requiring the US and its troops presence back

in the region. Thus, a final quote from Mr. Haass of the Council of Foreign Relations addresses the

idea of a long-term approach to the Mideast, “We have got to find a middle ground between trying

to transform the Middle East and increasingly walking away from the Middle East”.

Connection to World History and/or International Relations:

This article/topic relates to an event that will be discussed  this year in a later unit, the impact
of withdrawing US troops from Iraq and now Syria. The action of removing troops from the Middle
East has been a recurring topic and will continue to be so in the near future. The US and its troops
do impact the area where they are, whether it is a positive or negative impact depends on each specific
place. Like we will discuss in class, the region or country is impacted in many different ways. Human
rights and democracy are among the most prevalent ways the US could impact an area, thus removing
Americans presence could result in a downfall in both of those areas, as seen in Iraq. Iraq resulted in
US troops needing to reenter the region, almost like taking a step back rather than forward.

A fighter with the United States-backed Syrian Democratic Forces near Manbij.Credit Mauricio Lima for The New York Times

Reaction:

This is a very heavy and loaded topic, the US and its involvement in Syria. I believe it is important
for all of us to truly understand the situation and its history, before forming an opinion on the US’s
withdrawal. I would highly recommend spending some extra time further researching this topic as
it is constantly in the news, thus gaining deeper knowledge would be beneficial in many ways. It is
very complicated in that withdrawing could possibly solve a few problems but also could create
some new ones without an American presence. As seen in Iraq, it could result in the US needing
to return to the region in hopes of again re establishing peace. All in all, I believe a longer, more
thought-out approach to leaving the Middle East would benefit all involved, as rash action could spark
some complications.

Questions to Consider:

1. What is the best approach to the US and its involvement in Syria? Is it best to withdraw now leaving some unsolved conflict to regional and other foreign powers or is it better to wait and carry out a more long-term approach?
2. In your opinion, do you think the US should ever have been involved in Syria?

*Sorry about formatting for this article, had troubles with transferring from Google to the Blog*

WEEK 1: “How ‘Brexit’ Could Change Business in Britain”

“How ‘Brexit’ Could Change Business in Britain”

See Full Article!

       A worker at a Nissan factory in the UK, as they are trying to make deals in order to avoid negative Brexit impacts

Summary: The Brexit is an ongoing event that has been occurring for almost 2 years. It is the UK’s decision to leave the EU so that they can have a better control over their laws. The UK citizens voted for it on June 23, 2016, where a majority voted to continue with the Brexit. The New York Times article “How ‘Brexit’ Could Change Business in Britain” describes how the Brexit will change national trade, markets, and economy, and how it will affect Britain’s relations as far as trade and business with unrelated organizations and other countries. It also describes how UK citizens truly do want the Brexit to pass, as seen by government official, Mrs. May’s, arrangement of deals between the UK and other nations to ensure that the transition is smooth. (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/business/international/brexit-uk-what-happens-business.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=1A5966C09792970FDAD9A75CE075AD3E&gwt=pay)

The article describes the initial discussion of the Brexit in 2016, where UK citizens voted on the Brexit and it won, meaning that if the UK followed through they would exit the EU. There are some current financial consequences already occurring. It can first be viewed in the large drop in the FTSE index after the June 23 elections, meaning that the top UK companies stocks are overall dropping, indicating a lowering economy.

The FTSE Has experienced continuous drops since the discussion of the Brexit

The New York Times also noted that the pound has dropped 12% and reached its lowest value in

31 years! Its ultimate effect on the UK is inflation, as it is increasing the relative cost of imports.

The UK Pound to dollar index shows the worsening UK economy since the vote on the Brexit

Reaction: This drop in economy has not been all bad, as it has influenced trade between larger foreign companies (as it is cheaper), such as companies in Japan and China. However, this uncertainty in the future of England’s economy has caused harm in Business. Over 10,000 financial jobs are being moved away from Britain, and overall profits for small corporations is expected to lower once the UK leaves the EU. Why not larger companies? Many larger companies are expanding in Britain due to deals that the UK has made to with them in order to maintain a stable economy. However, it is unknown how many funds will be necessary to keep business in the UK and the greatness of its effect on UK citizens and economy.

So what will happen from here regarding business and economy in the UK? Will they leave the EU or turn around or decide to stay? Based on the article, I predict that the UK will end up leaving the EU because of the support of the citizens and government officials such as Mrs. May to pass the Brexit. I believe that business and economy will drop dramatically amongst smaller companies in Britain, leaving its citizens to buy from larger companies who can afford cheaper products. This will ultimately also drop other prices in the UK such as housing prices because it will be more difficult to make money when more businesses in the UK are international, and some companies are pulling thousands of employees out of the UK. In order for the UK to make all of the deals to continue business, I think that they will either need to borrow  money, print more, or increase taxes. All 3 of these have a negative, because it will be hard to borrow money right after having left the EU, printing more will only increase the rate of ongoing inflation, and increasing taxes would hurt small businesses and the mid-low class, as well as scaring large businesses out of deals with the UK. Overall, there will be consequences to leaving the EU, but will it be worth it towards the citizens in return for larger control over lawmaking? That is extremely subjective, and with all of the constant changes and discussion currently occurring with the Brexit, truly only time will tell.

Connection: This connects to what we are currently studying because it discusses the positives and negatives

of the EU, which we studied in our WWII unit. It specifically focuses on one of the main nations,

the UK, and their exit of the EU, which is huge because it shows a change between international

relations and the importance of these relations to different countries. The UK’s willingness to

leave the EU reveals that it is not as crucial as it was in WWII because tight alliances are not

needed away from a time of war (as shown by countries mainly forming tight alliances after

the start of WWI & II), and that it is instead more important for some countries to be able to

make independent decisions. It also relates to the inflation taking place in Germany as the UK

now knows that they need to avoid that issue in order to maintain stability. The UKs exit of the

EU is a risky one, but it may be worth it towards the citizens to sacrifice these relations with

the EU and companies (for business) in order for them to be more independent.

Questions to Consider:

1. Will the Brexit end up helping the UK or throwing them into a financial crisis?

2. Will the UK follow through with the Brexit to begin with?

3. How will the Brexit change the price of imported and exported UK products & will this affect international relations?