Politics
Politics
Fair Observer's analysis of political issues, events and trends and their national, regional and international consequences.
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2012 / 360° Analysis / Debate / Elections / obama / Obama Debate / Politics / POTUS / President / Presidential Debate / Romney / Romney Debate / United StatesBy Fact BlinkThe third US presidential debate took place last night, the 22nd of October, on the topic of foreign policy. Over the course of the campaign, the Romney camp has argued that unrest in the Middle East reflects the ‘unraveling of the Obama doctrine,’ while President Obama and his deputy, Joe Biden, have stressed how unlike in the past, when the US acted alone, the world is now united behind America – for example, in imposing strict sanctions on Iran. So who is right about Obama’s effect on America’s global standing? The data offer something for both sides. While European and Latin American perceptions of the US have improved considerably since the...
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360° Analysis / Ivory Coast / Nigeria / Politics / Somalia / Sudan / Uganda / United States / AfricaBy Matteo FigusBarack Obama’s policy towards Africa has probably not lived up to the expectations that accompanied his election, but instead managed to create an intense debate paving the way for a total change of direction. When Barack Obama was elected in 2008, expressions of joy were seen across the world, especially in Africa. His origins, the first black American president, created among Africans the expectation that finally the continent would be placed at the top of the agenda. The years 2008-2012, instead brought turmoil, disillusionment and even some sort of rancorous reflection on Obama’s African legacy. What is the reality and how to assess Obama’s policy? In June 2012, Obama...
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360° Analysis / Barack Obama / Chavez / Elections / Latin America / Politics / presidential elections / USA / Venezuela / AmericasBy Trevor CohenChavez has used his personal charisma backed by generous aid spending to build an anti-empire to counter the US in its crusade for free trade. But though he is ideologically opposed to the US economic system, he is realistically reliant on its power. Upon meeting the President of the United States for the first time, Hugo Chavez handed Barack Obama a copy of Eduardo Galleano’s classic book, Open Veins of Latin America. The gesture spoke to Chavez’s anti-imperialist rhetoric in foreign policy, but also to the root of its power. Chavez has attempted to reclaim centuries of resource exploitation at the hands of first world economies, by redirecting oil...
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360° Analysis / Humanitarian / Iraq / Lebanon / Politics / Syria / United States / Middle EastThe recent assassination of Wissam al-Hassan in Beirut, brings us one step closer to more war and chaos in the Middle East. Given the history of widespread violence and the implications for the US, why are the largest of the American charities — many of which have provided billions of dollars worth of US government relief assistance in the region for over 60 years — so silent? I first succumbed to the notion of working in a humanitarian effort overseas in 1981. Before that I had been a soldier and a manager of a small business. Of course, the reasons for this transition were mixed but among them was the ambition to right some wrongs. As a newcomer, I was sent to war —...
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360° Analysis / Beirut / Lebanon / Politics / Syria / Middle EastThe memory of mass violence is never simply a memory in Lebanon, a country which has long endured sectarian strife and is now also feeling the effects of the civil war in Syria. It is surreal to wake up to news of a car bomb back home in Lebanon, now thousands of miles away. Immediately, the war-shaped body is both numb and preoccupied with images of death and destruction. The mind wanders and sutures the past, present, and future seamlessly. Phone calls, emails, and texts begin. The space between a call and its response seems immense, and the time it takes to hear from blood and choice family — particularly when they live or work or frequent the targeted neighborhood — is...
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360° Analysis / Chavez / Elections / Latin America / Politics / presidential elections / Venezuela / AmericasBy Trevor CohenChavez: love him for his benevolence, hate him for his megalomania, but heed the dangers of his era. Though Chavez has helped many Venezuelans out of poverty, the implications of his prolonged rule bear frightening consequences. By the end of his next term, he will have governed the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for two decades and an entire generation will have risen from birth to maturity under his watch. Without a comparable opposition or socialist alternative, Chavismo will define the political memory for a whole segment of society. In this way, Chavez has cultivated an era, a time in which he represents the only political figure capable of determining the...
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360° Analysis / Elections / Latin America / Politics / presidential elections / Venezuela / AmericasHugo Chavez’s third reelection represents the people’s continued endorsement of his socialist revolution. by R. Viswanathan The free, fair and peaceful Venezuelan elections on Sunday, with a clear and accepted outcome has restored the confidence of the world, which had some doubts about the vulnerabilities of Latin American democracies – especially after the constitutional overthrow of President Lugo of Paraguay in June this year and the unconstitutional removal of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya in 2009. The immediate and graceful acceptance of the people’s verdict by Henrique Capriles, the losing candidate, and his message of congratulations to Hugo Chavez...
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ALBA / Chavez / Latin America / Politics / PSUV / Venezuela / 360° Context / AmericasBy Trevor CohenChavez has become a prominent world figure for his socialist project and defiant global mission. Both blessing and curse, his significance is without question. Background Hugo Chavez is a polarizing, yet indispensible figure in Latin America. He has empowered the less fortunate, providing free health care and access to resources for those once ignored by Venezuela’s political oligarchy. Meanwhile, Chavez has mismanaged Venezuela’s monetary system, created vast shortages in basic goods, and hacked away at the private sector. In the international arena, he has gained a reputation as one of world’s top demagogues. After winning a fourth term in the October 7th...
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Barack Obama / Debates / Elections 2012 / Mitt Romney / Paul Ryan / Politics / Politics News / United States / Focus Articleby Roberton Williams In the second Presidential debate, Mitt Romney repeated the idea that he could pay for much or all of the 20 percent rate reduction and other tax cuts in his tax plan by capping itemized deductions at $25,000. He had previously suggested a $17,000 cap in an interview and, in the first debate, $25,000 or $50,000 caps—and possibly phasing deductions out entirely for high-income taxpayers. Capping deductions would raise revenue in a highly progressive way but how much revenue and how progressive depend on the cap. Itemized deductions disproportionately benefit high-income taxpayers for three reasons: High-income taxpayers are more likely to itemize...