Politics
Politics
Fair Observer's analysis of political issues, events and trends and their national, regional and international consequences.
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President Barack Obama promised changes in foreign policy, but has not deviated from the path of George W. Bush and his predecessors. Furthermore, though Americans may not consider foreign policy a priority in the upcoming election, it still remains one for the United States. Background Barack Obama took office promising change. One front would be foreign policy – as the Washington Post said, “[Obama] promised to change the foreign policy priorities of a Bush administration that was unpopular abroad, had strained relations with key allies and was facing a growing Iranian challenge and a continuing menace from al-Qaeda." So how exactly have these promised changes...
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By Trevor CohenParaguay's political reign has always been dominated by authoritarian leadership, leaving efforts to build up democratic structures with little chance and little support. “This people cannot yet be governed except by an iron hand lest anarchy reign.” - Harris Gaylord Warren, Rebirth of the Paraguayan Republic Many scholars and experts have described the recent impeachment of ex-President of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, as a constitutional coup. However, this setback for democracy was one of the least authoritarian mishaps to befall Paraguayan history. The ouster reflects a hauntingly despotic past. Paraguay’s historical legacy lives. A survey conducted by Latinobaró...
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360° Analysis / Iran / Israel / Politics / United States / Middle East / Global SecurityGerman–Iranian political scientist Ali Fathollah-Nejad and Israeli journalist and peace activist Hillel Schenker discuss the conflict engulfing Iran, Israel and the West. Author's Note Possible alternatives and the perception of the spiral of violence discussed in Berlin by German–Iranian political scientist Ali Fathollah-Nejad and Israeli journalist and peace activist Hillel Schenker, at the invitation of the German branch of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW Germany) and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES). The debate on which the following text is based upon was held on April 23, 2012, at the FES before an audience of over 150...
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360° Analysis / Arab Uprisings / Bahrain / Egypt / Morocco / Politics / Saudi Arabia / Middle EastBy James M. Dorsey The push for change in the Middle East and North Africa, dominated by the bloody civil war in Syria, has morphed from mass anti-government protests in the capitals into a wave of smaller, political and socio-economic protests often in the outlying towns, that could lead to a second round of anti-regime demonstrations in countries that have so far managed to control widespread discontent. Televised pictures of mass demonstrations in Cairo’s Tahrir Square as well as in Tunis, Tripoli and Sana’a have been replaced by scenes of bitter military battles in Syria’s main cities and towns. However, the impression that the wave of peaceful protests that toppled...
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Donald Marron acknowledges that Mitt Romney’s tax reform proposal can’t accomplish all its stated objectives, but treats the plan as a starting point for negotiation rather than an attack on the middle class. The Tax Policy Center’s latest research report went viral earlier this month, drawing attention in the presidential campaign and sparking a constructive discussion of the practical challenges of tax reform. Unfortunately, the response has also included some unwarranted inferences from one side and unwarranted vitriol from the other, distracting from the fundamental message of the study: tax reform is hard. The paper, authored by Sam Brown, Bill Gale, and Adam...
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economic growth under obama / obama / Politics / United States / US elections economy / 360° ContextBy Hanna WolfIn the upcoming US presidential elections, the US economy will once again be a decisive factor. It's not only about Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney, but also about two very distinct views on how to better the economic situation. Background The US will soon elect yet again the mightiest man in the world. On November 6, 2012 voters decide whether Barack Obama stays in office or Mitt Romney, the former Massachussets Governor and Bain Capital executive, moves into the White House. As usual, the economy is a decisive element in the election and the two candidates advance rather distinct views on how to better the situation. While Obama plans to repeal tax cuts for households earning more than $...
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By Amjad SaleemThe recent violence against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar has brought to the fold the hidden tensions within a society long isolated from the international community. This is part one in a series of two articles. The two most repeated words in the English Language are “Never Again”, heard in commemorations of the Holocaust to express the commitment that genocide will never again take place. Yet “Never Again” has also come to symbolise the absolute weakness in the will of the international community to act against genocide. This weakness was exposed in Bosnia and in Rwanda and now it seems that it is being exposed yet again, now in Myanmar with its ethnic Rohingya...
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Millenials, the current students and recent graduates of American higher education, are facing a brutal job market with dwindling prospects for the future. Due to the cycle of debt and unemployment, the middle class, once dominated by the college graduate, is facing extinction. Last September, hundreds of protestors streamed into New York City’s Zuccotti Park with no intention of leaving. Their movement, “Occupy Wall Street,” quickly spawned similar demonstrations across the country. Vague in their motivations and splintered in their political beliefs, these early protestors nonetheless held much in common. Most were young and struggling to find work; nearly all were well...
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By Sarah ColomeFacing a floundering economy, American graduates are being forced into a perpetual cycle of student-loan debt and underemployment that will not be resolved without a significant reassessment of American higher education. The imposition of debt on the lives of all, but particularly young people in the United States, is increasingly becoming a significant factor in career path decisions for college graduates. Faced with the choice to risk repaying student loans with an unsure employment future, or reenter into higher education for an advanced degree, students are finding themselves dodging repayment and potential bankruptcy by entering into even greater amounts of debt. The 2011 College Board...