UAE Helping Joplin Rebuild, Transform

UAE President
Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Photo credit: Wikipedia

According to a recent article in the Washington Post, Joplin, MO is recovering from the devastation of the May 2011 tornado with help from an unlikely source--the United Arab Emirates.

The UAE is spending millions to help the Joplin School District "think big," funding such initiatives as replacing the books (lost in the twister) with MacBooks. While Joplin received millions from the US government for disaster recovery, this is nevertheless an example of a shift in foreign aid disbursement.

From WaPo:

Motivated by the same principal reasons that the U.S. government distributes foreign assistance — to help those less fortunate and to influence perceptions among the recipients — the handouts mark a small but remarkable shift in global economic power.

How does what's happening in Joplin reflect a shift in global power, and what types of power are involved? Is it a good thing that Joplin is taking money from the UAE to recover?

Read the article and share your (reasoned) thoughts in the comments for participation credit.

Current Events Reading: 2/15

Please read and come prepared to discuss the following articles in the latest edition of the Economist:

• The World This Week: Politics (p. 8)
• Change in North Korea (p. 11)
• North Korea: Rumblings from Below (pp. 24-6)
• The Sequester and Defence: Thinking the Unthinkable (pp. 30-1)
• The Census: Some Other Race (pp. 31-2)
• Hillary Clinton Bows Out: A Legacy at Foggy Bottom (p. 33)
• The IMF and Argentina: Motion of Censure (pp. 38-40)
• China and Japan: Locked On (p. 41)
• South-East Asia and China: All Change at ASEAN (p. 42)
• Banyan: A Decent Interval (p. 44)
• War and Peace in Mali: The Battle Moves to the Mountains (pp. 48-9)
• EU and Migration: The Next Wave? (p. 54)
• Charlemagne: Europe à l’Hollandaise (p. 56)

As you read, take note of who the state actors are, what other types of actors they're interacting with, and what role sovereignty plays in the story.

Current Events Reading: 2/08

Please read and come prepared to discuss the following articles in the latest edition of the Economist:

• The World This Week | Politics (p. 6)
• Immigration Reform: Let Them Stay, Let Them In (p. 10)
• Chaos in Egypt: Tahrir Squandered (pp. 10-1)
• Egypt: To the Barricades, again (pp. 17-9)
• Lexington: John Kerry, Reporting for One Last Duty (p. 26)
• Latin American Integration: Past and Future (p. 29)
• Fighting in Myanmar and Its Ripples in China
• Talking Peace, Waging War (pp. 30-1)
• The Kachin Dilemma (p. 31)
• China and North Korea: On the Naughty Step (p. 34)
• Iran's Nuclear Diplomacy and Its Presidential Poll
• Where's the Deal? (pp. 36-7)
• Make no Mistake (p. 37)
• Syria's Refugees: Drowning in the Flood (pp. 37-8)
• Israel's Rising Star: Man of Peace? (p. 38)
• Mali and France: Where are the Jihadists? (pp. 38-9)
• Turkey's Army: Erdogan and his Generals (pp. 40-1)
• Serbia and Kosovo: Inching Closer (pp. 41-2)
• Charlemagne: Transatlantic Trading (p. 44)
• How to be British: Patriotism Recycled (p. 46)
• Obituary: Joseph Glemp (p. 86)

For this week, search for examples of the review sheet terms in each article. Be prepared to come to class and share these examples with members of your group.

First Closed-book Assessment

Your first Closed-book Assessment takes place in class on Monday, February 11. As the title states, this is a closed-book exam. Please be sure to supply your own pen and blue book.

If you did not pick up a copy of the review sheet in class (or have since misplaced it) you may download a copy.

In addition, I am holding a review session in 222 Buckman Hall this Wednesday, February 6, from 4-5 PM. If you cannot make it but would like to discuss the review terms or the test itself, you should stop by my office hours on Wed or make an appointment.

You may also ask me questions about the review terms via email, but keep in mind that I will be out of town from Thursday night through Sunday night, and may not be the quickest to respond. Your current events discussion on Friday will also center around the review sheet.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me during class, stop by my office or send me an email.

Current Events Reading: 2/01

Please read and come prepared to discuss the following articles in the latest edition of the Economist:

• The World This Week: Politics
• Europe
• Britain and Europe: the Gambler
• Europe and Britain: the Cameron is Coming 
• Charlemagne: Europe's Odd Couple
• Radical Islamism
• International Terrorism: Afrighanistan?
• Jihad in Africa: the Danger in the Desert
• The Intervention in Mali: Sand on Their Boots
• Israel
• Israel's Election: the Hawk's Wings Are Clipped
• Israel's Arab-led Parties: Not Much of a Mark

As you read, take notes and prepare to discuss the role that identity, norms and class conflict play in each story.

NATO Deploys Anti-Missile Tech to Turkey-Syria Border

Source: Wikipedia

According to RT, NATO--the alliance that the US built to counter the Soviets in the early years of the Cold War--has deployed Patriot anti-missile technology to the Turkey-Syria border.

The deployment is ostensibly to insulate Turkey, a NATO ally, from the violence in Syria (which did briefly spill over into Turkey last fall).

The deployment raises questions about the value of the NATO alliance. Without a Soviet threat, NATO must find other threats to respond to or fade into irrelevance. But is it good for the US to be entangled in an alliance that could draw the nation into yet another conflict in the Middle East?

Read the article, and share your carefully considered and factually supported opinion for participation points.

Current Events Reading: 1/25

Please read and come prepared to discuss the following articles in the latest edition of The Economist:

• The World This Week: Politics (p. 6)
• US Foreign Policy
• Barack Obama: How Will History See Me? (pp. 9-10)
• American Foreign Policy: Time to Engage (p. 26-8)
• Israel
• Israel's Election: Don't Give Up (p. 10)
• Israel's Election: Which Way for Binyamin Netanyahu? (pp. 50-1)
• Mali
• France, Mali and Algeria: Get Stuck in But Don't Get Stuck (p. 11)
• The Crisis in Mali and Algeria: Jihad in the Sahara (pp. 49-50)
• France's President: François Hollande's New War Trappings (pp. 53-4)
• Charlemagne: Europe in a Foreign Field (p. 57)
• Senkaku/Diaoyu Crisis
• The Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands: Dangerous Shoals (pp. 12-4)
• China and Japan Square Up: The Drums of War (pp. 43-4)
• Britain
• Euroscepticism: A Tory Taxonomy (p. 59)
• Bagehot: Slimming the Ranks (p. 60)
• A History of Guerrilla Warfare: How the Weak Vanquish the Strong (pp. 80-1)

As you read, take notes on who the primary actors are, what are they doing, and what explanations the modern paradigms (defensive realist, offensive realist and liberal institutionalist) provide us as to why they are doing so.