REFLECTION WEEK 15!

In our final week of world politics, we worked on a simulation examining sustainable development in Mozambique. While exciting, interesting, and challenging for me (as I described in last weeks reflection) – I was disappointed to end on a sour note.

It seemed unrealistic that Shell and Disney would so openly extend donations, expecting nothing in return, to sustainable development in countries like Mozambique. I view corporations as greedy and focused on profit – and although the ending profit or gain they make from investing in developing countries may not seem outright, I thought it foolish of our simulation to assume huge corporations were pursuing true altruism, á la “Gospel of Wealth”.

Regardless of how realistic, I am proud overall our class did achieve the goals of our simulation and I am proud of how Vicky, Miranda and I represented the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

I also found Alonso’s post regarding the “othering” humans constantly perform in relation to the book “Horizons” an interesting piece. It illuminated a lot of connections between the book and international relations I might not have made before.

I look forward to examining the final essay question on what we find to be the most pressing issue in world politics today, and I look forward to my future ahead as an International Relations Student. To sum up my emotions on this final Thursday night of my first year semester, I offer a list in place of anything better explained – my mind is working in concepts, not words, right now.

Grateful, eager, considerate, independent,  strong

I look forward to the days I can look back on these blog posts and probably laugh about how little I knew.

REFLECTION: week 14

I find it incredibly how quickly this semester is passing! This week in World Politics we started to perform a simulation regarding climate change and sustainable development in Mozambique. I represented the US Chamber of Commerce, a challenging but exciting opportunity.

I get a lot out of representing organizations or people with radically different views than mine. It makes my mind rapidly switch between my own views and those I’m representing, and this often cements my own perspective on the world, occasionally changing my mind in small ways. As I argue through the presentation and debate, my own mind is constantly naturally arguing back, which I feel makes for a stronger argument overall. I was eager to present on Thursday and a bit disappointed we didn’t have the time. But this only means we will be even more prepared and earnest in our arguments on Monday.

As a socialist, when I am forced to represent a capitalist organization focused on American corporate profit and little else, it is fascinating to try and wrap my head around how one could see the world in this way, especially because so many really truly do! I feel I’m growing and learning a lot through this assignment and am excited to begin debate come Monday morning.

REFLECTION: WEEK 13

I write this passage feeling absolutely fiery! I hadn’t been paying attention to the news, with all the lovely Thanksgiving things happening here at home – and upon finally sitting down to read the Times I am shocked at how fitting this story popping up everywhere is for our discussions on Todorov’s work.

I just finished reading about John Chau, and how he travelled to this remote island off of India to show the indigenous people Jesus.

Now, I am a firm believer in Jesus, and I am struggling to comprehend why believing in Jesus forces us to believe everyone should!

When will humans stop trusting so fiercely that there is only one way to be “good” and to be “right”. When will the full spectrum of humanity become valid? As we discussed in class, we draw distinct lines between ourselves and others on different axes – ultimately leading to a certain power complex which throughout history has resulted in violence! And now a man’s life has been taken once more through a horrible imbalance of these axes.

It was fascinating for me to learn about the axes on which we approach others who are different, and I think they apply to many things throughout history continuing into today clearly. It saddens me to know in some ways, people’s hearts and minds and the way we see each other hasn’t changed since the time of Spanish conquistadors. Will there always be felt a constant need within us to make others more like us, on the grounds of making them “good” (because clearly we are unable to see ourselves as anything less than good)?

WEEK 12 REFLECTION

What I found most interesting in World Politics this week was the conversation surrounding the differing relationships with religion that the Spaniards and the indigenous peoples possessed, and how this led to the Aztec’s ultimate defeat.

The Spaniards claimed to be indubitably focused on religion, pursuing all actions in the name of the Lord himself and what he had called on them to do – however their actions were inherently un-Christian and seemed to follow not God himself, but the Pope who ruled in a very specific way, seeking overarching control during the time period. Their motivations were in worldly desires – not in the salvation God promised them. They sought gold, glory, and power – using God’s “plans and hopes” for them when convenient. The Spaniards used whatever means necessary to achieve their selfish ambitions, including violence, hatred, and cruelty – and then used manipulated their religious beliefs to justify it.

The Aztecs, on the other hand, were truly devout towards their beliefs – which ultimately became their downfall. They relied on their Gods in an entirely different way than the Spaniards – incorporating every aspect of their belief system into their culture and being. In trusting so fully in the Gods’ plans for them, and the inevitable fate which they proclaimed, their culture lost a significant aspect of humanity – self-will. They were fully expectant that the Gods would decide all, and so when the Gods couldn’t tell them in very specific ways what to do and how to approach these new Spaniards, they lost all control over their lives they thought they had in their minds and gave up.

This contrast in faith in God and free will is fascinating to me, and it raises the question of whether one can in fact have both at the same time. The Spaniards possessed free will, and used it in horrible, hate-filled ways. The Aztecs did not, and lost everything. I wonder where the balance between trusting in God to sort out your life, and making personal decisions to get to where you want to be ends up. As a practicing Catholic, I will continue to think about this throughout my life, as I intend to both serve the Lord – but certainly make my own decisions about morality and immorality when it comes to the actions I take.

 

BLOG POST: #12

In Todorov’s “The Conquest of America”, the author wonders to his audience whether the Spaniards defeated the Indians by means of signs.

According to the evidence Todorov provides, the answer is a resounding yes. The indigenous peoples had a very distinct culture and belief system which not only contributed, but caused their own collapse. They had such strong and finalist views regarding the God’s fate for the world. Believing that each person since birth had their life decided based upon omens and the placement of the stars emphasizes how much of their life they released to the Gods, allowing absolutely no free will to flourish among society. The idea of rebellion against what the Gods had planned would not, could not even cross their minds.

It had been prophesied, as many came to Montezuma to tell, that great suffering and violence was to come at the hands of strange peoples (depending on the kingdom, some believed the Spaniards were Gods themselves and some were skeptical). The gods told the indigenous people that they would be defeated. Once the Spaniards came, the indigenous peoples had no other thought than that of what the Gods had already told them: they would suffer. This complete and unmistakable sign of their own demise, and their cultural lack of free will and independence, created a people already defeated, before they’d even considered fighting back.

As Todorov explains throughout his book, the Indians were at an advantage – they had more people, knew their territory, and were advanced enough to make a strong and potentially effective defense against the Spaniards. However their culture, and their reliance on signs from the Gods compelled them to give up, remain docile, and under Montezuma’s rule – be overtaken. These signs they believed in so strongly led to their kingdom’s collapse.

REFLECTION: week 11

This week in World Politics was the….. midterms!!!! For something I’d been eagerly awaiting since the day Trump was elected, it was highly uneventful. Exactly what was predicted happened – and while I am thrilled for people like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other trailblazing women who’ve demanded their right to be heard and to represent who finally have the chance to do so in Congress, I can’t help but feel underwhelmed.

Our country needs major change – in the social attitudes and institutionalized fear of the other which is woven into our society, and I can’t figure out how that will ever happen with the direction our country is headed. Our leaders preach and exude terror – allowing senseless mass shootings to take place every day, isolating ourselves from countries and international trade, sending immigrating children and families to concentration camps, the system of mass incarceration of black men and women. These are just a few ways in which our country continues to create evil and pain in the world right now.

I try not to feel hopeless, I try to look ahead and see a democratic president in 2020. But my hopes are waning, as I watch our country deteriorate. When I talk to people about politics, people express that things take time and sometimes our country isn’t ready for radical change. But when that radical change simply guarantees natural human rights — it doesn’t seem that radical! When slavery was an institution, there was so many problematic people who perhaps believed in abolition but weren’t brave enough to create change, and so relied on the mantra of “Our country isn’t ready”. It’s time for us to make ourselves ready.

BLOG QUESTION #11

In modern times, the postwar embedded liberal order has not entirely, but substantially deteriorated over time as different countries have taken over as economic powers. The countries with massive economies critical to global economic health no longer have a spot at the “cool kids table” which is present in embedded liberalism. They are not America, the UK, or France anymore. The economic superpowers of the future are China, Brazil, Japan, and others. I would argue if they are continuously restricted through the embedded liberalism America developed after WW2 mainly in efforts to preserve their power and control of the globe for years to come, they will eventually create their own “cool kids table”, of which America will not be a part of. Eventually, America will no longer police world values in the pervasive ways they have post WWII.

As Miranda explained in a wonderful quote in her blog post, “This is bad news for Americans and our “attempts to make international policy conform to domestic social and economic policy”, in the words of John Gerard Ruggie”. (https://gloscho.wordpress.com/2018/11/06/the-end-of-the-world-s-embedded-liberal-order-as-we-know-it/). Through embedded liberalism, America has assumed a role dictating ideals and rules which the globe are forced to embody. This will no longer be the case as stronger economic powers overtake our economy, and no longer have to play by these rules.

The world order is changing rapidly – countries developing in positive ways and discovering newer, more effective ways to govern and encourage their flourishing economies. The embedded liberalism America has adored so long will reign no longer, as the atmosphere on the planet shifts to focus on different countries. Just as the UK’s global dominance in the 19th century waned and allowed America to overtake this world control, eventually America’s reign will shift to a new country – ready for the power and control of the 22nd century.

REFLECTION WEEK 10

This week in World Politics we discussed the concept of security as the American public and government has seen it over time. This concept never fails to make me quite fiery.

The way America views it’s own security versus the security of other countries never fails to baffle me and ignite my anger. We view security by drawing quite distinct lines between what is insecure and what is secure based on things that have little to do with actual threat. Securing our borders against refugees fleeing unimaginable situations based on the radicalism of a few who share similar backgrounds while we as a nation continue to breed radicalized evil largely WHITE MEN who kill and ruin the lives of countless people.

We fail to recognize OR do anything to slow the immense and world-changing threat that is climate change. Instead we send troops to the border to secure ourselves from a caravan of mainly women and children fleeing violence throughout Latin America.

It seems to me, America views threats not as what is actually threatening to the people’s life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness as was ORIGINALLY set out for our nation, but they base perceived insecurities on what threatens their ideal of a white, Christian homeland. It worries me we haven’t gotten past this as a country, to see ourselves as a welcoming nation worried about real and valid threats.

Additionally, I want to discuss a positive development in how American school systems perceive and react to threats. Throughout most of my early childhood kindergarten – 8th grade, we performed school shooting drills periodically, by turning the lights off in the classroom, locking the door, and hiding in a corner – a highly ineffective, frankly stupid way of reacting to such a serious threat. As school shootings started to be seen more and more as we grew up, my high school decided to radically change the way we prepared for this more realistic threat. We began a program called ALICE in our school, which I find is an important emblem of the Gen Z experience. Preparing for a school shooting involved periodic drills in which students barricaded doors with desks/tables/anything heavy, found or fashioned weapons through anything they could find in the class (science classes were typically well-prepared with rocks/chemicals/sharp objects), climbing out windows and sprinting into the woods, arms up. A police officer, in protected clothing would pretend to be a school shooter, walk throughout school, and students would have to fight/protect themselves in any way they could. This exercise, while anxiety inducing, was realistic and I would expect it to be proved effective should a school shooter enter my school. I feel my school reacted to the threat in a positive way, preparing ourselves effectively against such an attack based on their knowledge of the situation.

This, was a rational threat and a rational reaction. I find most of what American leaders do relating to threats is irrational.

WEEK 10

American foreign policy throughout the past few decades has remained largely unchanged, despite major events and developing situations around the world.

The American view of themselves is a distorted view – throughout the articles we read and my personal experience, Americans see themselves as heros and nothing less. In every situation, we paint ourselves to be champions of freedom, compassion, and democracy – no matter the undemocratic, selfish, cruel methods we use to achieve these values. Americans will not stop labeling themselves saints, the police of the world divinely created to protect all peoples and instill our own values upon them – ruining entire peoples in the midst, in the name of democracy.

Their view of the “Other” has been consistently just that – the OTHER. Americans continue to draw distinctions between themselves and others before recognizing we are all citizens of the same world. During the Cold War, Russians (and any Communists or Socialists) were crazy – fanatical and bent on power and control (as if we WEREN’T!). And today, Americans stoke fear throughout society of The Other in new ways – distinguishing between “peaceful” Christianity and radicalized Islamic faith in the media and new legal reforms such as the Muslim Ban Trump proposed. As far as I can tell, it is largely white men in this country creating the most violence and destruction, yet we continue to fear people who are different than us.

As far as I can tell, our strategies and tactics towards foreign relationships have changed only in minor ways. Over time, as a country we’ve preached peace and turned around to use violence to instill our values. Leading up to WW2, America emphasized their commitment to avoiding violent conflict, but suddenly wasted no time in using one of the most deadly and powerful weapons of mass destruction on Japan after Pearl Harbor. The most conservative estimates of those who lost their lives in Nagasaki and Hiroshima are 130,000. Civilians. In NCS 68, foreign policy preached isolation – war as a last resort, but seemed poised to engage in nuclear war for years with the Soviet Union. Even during Obama’s era (a seemingly friendly and cooperative President when it comes to foreign policy), the President authorized a devastating amount of drone strikes. By the end of his presidency he had killed about 3,800 people – 324 civilians. While the methods of violence have changed, the inherent motivations and implications of American foreign policy remain similar.

The American concept of security has changed largely over time, due to 9/11. During the Cold War, American leaders seemed to be concerned largely with the security of the  world and democratic institutions in general. We made efforts to protect Western Europe and preserve liberty for all. Security had less to do with our own personal security (though that certainly played a role) and more to do with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In modern times, America seems increasingly aware, if not concerned, with the security of only their country. 9/11 sent shockwaves through the American people and government in a rapid realization our own safety was critically at risk. We suddenly weren’t invincible. Foreign policy in this country now views security as inherently personal, placing a greater emphasis on our defensive measures in efforts to protect not only democracy and American ideals, but our own physical people as well.

https://www.cfr.org/blog/obamas-final-drone-strike-data

REFLECTION : WEEK 9

This week in World Politics we discussed celebrity activism, it’s positives and negatives and whether the motivation behind the perceived activism truly matters.

What I found most compelling and relatable about our discussion was the conversation regarding Instagram’s role in activism. I myself am a huge proponent and user of Instagram. I love spending time on it, curating my image to the world, sharing beautiful and interesting pictures and parts of my life with people I know, and people I don’t. I have a total of 4 accounts, all for different purposes. I find Instagram culture absolutely fascinating to analyze on a grander scale, because it reveals so much about the users and our modern generation in general. I passionately fight anyone who argues Instagram is unhealthy for adolescents, but I can get into that another time.

I have noticed a huge trend, especially on AU’s campus, that it’s “cool” to be an activist. This has largely negative and positive impacts on society. On one hand, this empty activism doesn’t breed real passion or change – posting pictures and hashtags does nothing to create any meaningful change. I roll my eyes at girls who often have little of importance or intelligence to say who post photo upon photo of their pretty protest signs and cute crop tops at one rally, before ignoring the issue for months to come until it’s “in” again. I’m acutely aware of my own digital persona, and aim to appear well-educated, passionate, and dedicated to causes I care about.

On another hand, isn’t it incredible that our society values things like passion and civil participation on such a great level that people are faking it to appear cool? I feel that speaks a lot to what Generation Z cares about, and I am admittedly proud of this fact.

Empty activism, while shallow and often self-serving, does a lot to educate the masses, and encourage them to look deeper into issues they should care about. It creates new and meaningful values for society to look towards.