Third Round Bracket

Democrats

Kirsten Gillibrand
(refer to previous blog)


Joe Biden

Political Party: Democrat
Political Ideologies:
Abortion: Believes that the government shouldn't have a say in abortion but believes in abortion rights
Education: Pro-Teacher Union, against school vouchers, wanted smaller classrooms
Gun Control: votes towards anti-gun ownership, given an F by the National Rifle Association
Healthcare: Supports funding for healthcare
Immigration: Supported the Comprehensive Immigration reform bill. Supports guest-worker visas
LGBT: supports gay marriage and civil unions

Formal and Informal Qualifications
Education
University of Delaware
Syracuse University College of Law

Jobs/Career
Attorney
New Castle County Council
Senator ( elected 6 times)
Chairman of foreign relations committee and Senate Judiciary committee
47th Vice President of the United States


Assets and Liabilities
assets
Worth $230,700
Rental Property, Wilmington Saving Fund Society
Mass Mutual Whole Life Insurance Policy
Guggenheim Investments

Liabilities
Wilmington Saving Fund Society
Sun National Bank
U.S Senate Federal Credit Union

Electability
Very Good


I would vote for Biden because he is more experienced and has been involved in peacemaking policies during war time, crime prevention, women's rights and so much more. He is more qualified than all of the candidates except for Hilary Clinton.


Republican

Chris Christie
(Refer to previous post)

Michael Bloomberg

Political Party: Republican
Political Ideologies: Socially liberal and progressive
Abortion: Supports abortion rights
LGBT: supports same-sex marriage
Education: Strengthened the no cellphone policy,
placed the school district under mayoral control
supports afterschool programs
believes that students should move on to the next grade when they are academically ready, not socially.
Environment: Supports environmental sustainability
Immigration: illegal immigrants should be offered legalization, does not believe the republican view on immigration
Gun Control: Pro gun control

Formal and informal qualifications

Education
John Hopkins University
Harvard Business School

Jobs/Career
Worked at Saloman and Brothers
Formed his own company named Bloomberg L.P
Chairman of board of trustees at Johns Hopkins
Mayor of New York City
Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change for the United Nations Secretary

Assets and Liabilities
Assets
worth $33 Billion, making him the 11th richest person in the U.S and 16th in the world

Liabilities
None

Electability
good

I would vote for Bloomberg because he is more experienced and liberal.

Second Round Bracket-R

Republicans

Pat Toomey
(refer to previous blog)

Chris Christie
Political Party: Republican

Political Ideologies:
Abortion: Pro-life
Economy: cap municipal spending
LGBT: against same sex marriage
Education:  wants to increase accountability for failing schools and build universities to support businesses
Gun Control: "focus on violence control, not gun control"
Immigration: wants to fix the broken system and believes in immigrants' rights

Formal and informal Qualifications

Education:University of Delaware
Seton Hall law school
Rutgers University
Momouth University

Jobs/careers
Partner at Cranford Law Firm
County Legislator at Morris County
U.S Attorney for New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey

Assets and Liabilities
Assets:
N/A

Liability
closure of George Washington Bridge scandel

Electability
Very Good

I would vote for Chris Christie because he is more of a liberal republican ad makes a lot of his decisions in morals rather than party stances.

Possible Presedential Candidates-D

Democrats

Cory Booker

Political Party: Democrat

Political Ideology:
Abortion: supports abortion
Gun Laws: In the coalition Mayors against Illegal Guns
Healthcare: Healthcare costs must be controlled. Obama Care is helping people, but It needs to be improved.
Economy: Endorses Gov. Chistie's property tax agenda
wants to cut municipal taxes
LGBT: Believes that gays should be treated equally under the law
Education: Supports school voucher
Believes charter schools will work in inner city schools
Environment: wants to save our environment while creating jobs and wealth
Immigration: Fully supports the DREAM ACT

Formal and Informal Qualifications

Education
Rhodes Scholar
Attended Stanford University, University of Oxford and Yale School of Law

Jobs/Careers
Newark city Councilor
Mayor of Newark ( reduced crime rates, eliminated a deficit of $80 million and balanced the budget)
U.S Senator

Assets and Liabilities

Assets
worth $1-$5 million
Invested in Waywire of New York

Liabilities
Short satirical feud with Conan O'Brian
Forgot to include his investment in Waywire while writing his assets


Electability
good



Kirstin Gillibrand




Political Party: Democrat

Political Ideologies: Bluedog, Progressive
Abortion: Pro-choice
LGBT: believes in civil union. Wants to leave same-sex marriage decision to the states
Gun Control: supports gun rights
Economy: voted for the stimulus package. Wants to give tax credits to small businesses.
Healthcare: voted for Obama care
Immigration: Opposes deporting illegal immigrants and cutting funding from sanctuary cities. She also supports the DREAM ACT.


Formal and Informal Qualifications

Education:
 Dartmouth College,
UCLA school of law

Jobs/Careers:
Associate at Davis Polk and Wardwell
Law clerk at United States Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit
Special counsel to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner
U.S representative for New York's 20th district
U.S senator

Assets and Liabilities

Assets
worth $998,003
Mostly cash
Stock/ public company $32,501

liabilities Zero

Electability
Good

I would vote for Cory Booker. The fact that he was able to eliminate the deficit in Newark and proceed to balance the budget is very impressive. He is also very actively involved with his constituents and is very passionate about helping them and prioritizing them.

Second Round Bracket-D

Democrats

Kirsten Gillibrand
(refer to previous blog post)

Andrew Cuomo

Political Party: Democrat

Political Ideologies
Immigration: Supports immigrants and wants to grant them more rights ad protection
Economy: Growth through development projects
Education: replaced formula grants with performance incentives
Environment: Supports sustainability and environmental protection
Gun Control: Supports restrictions on the right to bare arms
Health Care:Supports government run health care
LGBT: Signed same-sex marriage legislation

Formal and Informal Qualifications

Education- Fordham University Albany Law School

Jobs/ Careers:  Governor's policy advisor
New York assistant district attorney
worked at the law firm Bllutrich, Falcone & Miller
Founded Housing Enterprises for the Less Privileged
Chairman of the New York City Homeless Commission
secretary of the department of  Housing and Urban Development
New York Attorney General
Governor of New York

  Assets and Liabilities
Assets: Worth between 1.7-2 million dollars

Liabilities:
Was criticized for proposing to cut about 4 million dollars from programs that support homeless and runaway teens
A lawsuit was filed against the same sex law that Cuomo signed

Electability
good

I would vote for Andrew Cuomo because he is well experienced and progressive.

Possible Presidential Candidates -R

Republicans

Kelly Ayotte


Party affiliation : Republican Party

Political Ideology: economically and socially conservative
Abortion: Pro-life
LGBT: opposes gay marriage
Immigration: Supports the Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Labor and Minimum wage: opposes minimum wage, paid sick leaves and labor union formation without going through the secret ballot
Gun Laws: Believes everyone has the right to carry their own guns
Climate change: Believes that human activities are not the sole cause of climate change
Health care: Supports state-based healthcare programs
Social security: would like to raise the retirement age for younger workers
Government spending: Believes that the country needs to cut its spending. Also believes in adding a balanced budget amendment to the constitution.

Formal and Informal Qualifications

Education-
Attended Pennsylvania State University and Villanova University School of Law.

Jobs/Career
Law clerk for the New Hampshire Supreme Court
Private practice
Prosecutor for the New Hampshire Department of Justice
legal counsel to New Hampshire governor Craig Benson
Deputyappointed Ayotte as attorney general of New Hampshire,
 U.S senator of the 112th Congress


Assets and Liabilities

Assets : Worth $863,506
Invests in: Construction, Mixed, Finance / Insurance / Real Estate
PRIVATE COMPANY $375,001
CASH / MONEY MARKET / SAVINGS / CHECKING $223,502
REAL ESTATE $175,001

Liabilities
Failed to investigate Financial Resources Mortgage for orchestrating a Ponzi scheme.
Ayotte's office deleted all her emails and calendar appointments before she resigned as New Hampshire's attorney general. They offered a policy memorandum stating that the information was deleted legally and was on a back-up system. However, several emails were unrecoverable and it is nor known weather the deletion of the information was legal.

Electability
fair




Pat Toomey




Party Affiliation: Republican

Party Ideology: socially and financially conservative

Abortion: Prolife
Education: Wants more charter schools
Environment: does not fully support laws/bills that help the environment
Financial Regulation: supports deregulation wants to eliminate or cut taxes ( Taxpayer's friend)
Guns: supports a decrease in gun regulation, but advocated for back up checks for gun sales.
LGBT: against same sex marriage
Healthcare : wants to cut federal spending on Medicaid by half by 2021
against the Affordable Care Act

Formal ad Informal Qualifications
Education
La Salle Academy
Harvard College

Jobs/Career
Chemical Bank
Morgan, Grenfell & Co.
Pennsylvania Representative
U.S senator
Chairman of the Steering Committee.


Assets and Liabilities

Assets
Worth $3.3 Million
$1.1 Mutual Funds
stock/Public Company $ 833,002
Real Estate $ 750,001
Team Capitol Bank

Liabilities: Zero

Electability
fair


I wouldn't vote for either. They both hold ideologies that are too conservative and I feel as though they do little for their constituents.

Its Too Cold for Another War

The current crisis in the Ukraine has grabbed the attention of several countries, including its neighbor Russia. In order to protect citizens in Ukraine who are of Russian ethnicity from the grueling conflict, Russia has bestowed it upon itself to take the initiative and station several troops in Crimea. Crimea is a fairly autonomous region of Ukraine and rests on the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea. 60% of this sovereign republic consider themselves ethnically Russian. However, they are still considered a part of the Ukraine. The stationing of Russian troops has angered the Ukrainian government, and although they have demanded Russia to leave the region, Russia is resistant, stating that they are answering a plea for help from the residents of Crimea. Obama and Putin, Russia's President have been speaking, but their words have not reached a compromise yet. Putin believes that he is doing the right thing and protecting Russia's interest. Obama states that Putin's actions are in violation of Ukraine sovereignty. In response to Russia's actions, the United States has decided to ban all visas of Russian and Ukrainian officials who are believed to be responsible for the crisis. Obama is also constructing a plan to place sanctions on corporations and people who have contributed to the crisis. Secretary of state John Kerry has also been negotiating with Russian and Ukrainian officials, but the discussion seems have become stagnant. Given the history of Russia, Ukraine and Crimea as a separate entity, I believe that the best solution that the United States can offer for this predicament is to enforce sanctions on both Russia and Ukraine until they allow the residents of Crimea to vote on whether they would like to be a part of Russia or Ukraine.Although we are no longer in an era where we play scribble lines on maps and call them countries, I believe that we need to correct a wrong that was done decades ago and not allow it to blow out of proportion. Crimea was originally a part of Russia but was given to the Ukraine in 1954. This is the origin of the cultural differences that we see today in the region. However, giving Russia more land from Ukraine can be very detrimental to Ukraine, so perhaps another solutions is to recognize Crimea as an independent country. This is if Russia absolutely refuses to remove itself from Crimea. If the United States uses any kind of hard power to remove the Russian soldiers, Obama will find himself in an entangled situation that could have the potential to give rise to a war. However, as I am writing this, I am realizing that there is not a panacea for this problem and for every argument I formulate, I come up with an equally reasonable counterargument. If Crimea were to become its own country, how will it be able to sustain a government and economy without the help of its neighboring countries? Most likely Russia and Ukraine will fight each other to "help" the newly founded country build its economy and Crimea will be too dependent on the winning nation to the extent that it will cease to become its own nation. This situation is too convoluted for me to decipher and i will end it with saying that Russia needs to to.

Dream for a better America

Immigration has been a hot topic in the United States for decades, and with roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants, the topic continues to catch fire. It has created a great divide in our governments, with Democrats allowing greater amnesty towards immigrants and republicans believing that amnesty results in more illegal immigration. Amongst these immigrants are minors who have attended or are still attending schools in America and have planted their roots on American soil. These minors come from parents who have either crosses the borders illegally or have outstayed their visas. With the possibility of getting deported at any instant, they have built their lives on precarious hopes and dreams. However, they have been able to extract some sympathy from both democrats and republicans and have been the primary focus on immigration reform. In 2001, the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors) was introduced to the Senate floor by Dick Durbin and Orrin Hatch. It would give permanent residency to minors who came to the United States as minors, graduated from a U.S high school and have lived in the U.S for 5 consecutive years or more. It would also give a 6 year residency guarantee to immigrants who have attended 2 years of a higher learning institution or military and would give them the chance to work for permanent residency if they receive a degree from a high institution. You must have proof of all the above and be of “good moral character”. The bill has been reintroduced in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and in 2012, President Obama agreed to halt the deportation of minors. Although this bill was never passed as a law, similar forms of it have been adopted by states such as Texas, New Mexico and New York. One of the biggest issues for illegal minors is education, specifically college. Because they are not citizens or green card holders, minors under the Dream Act are eligible for federal loans, making college very difficult to afford. Luckily, states like Maryland and New York have either adopted or introduced the Dream Act with an intention of financially aiding illegal college students. However, there are still college students who have more remnants of the American culture than their original culture that are being deported in the middle of their academic year. Other students are denied school all together in one way or another. For example, Alabama has passed a law requiring officials to check the immigration statues of all students, and as a result, noticed a 5% decrease in Hispanic students in class. If these students were to be reported, they and their families would be deported. Immigrants, whether be legal or illegal, are unarguably the backbone of this country. They contribute to the economy by either taking jobs that no “American” will take, and are leaders in fields that help boost our economy. They start new businesses at a higher rate than “Americans” and are less institutionalized than ‘Americans”. In fact, it is estimated immigration reform will cut our deficit by $175 Billion in the next two decades and increase the GDP by 1.4 trillion by 2033. Why deport progression and keep regression? Immigration helps our country prosper and these immigrants who risked their lives to stay here or come here, are not playing around. They know the struggle and us their knowledge of it to better themselves and in return better the country. This country was built by immigrants, and is the only place on earth that has been able to sustain such a progressive global population.

I Spy with My Little Eye 12/22/2013

We've been hearing a lot about how the U.S has been spying world leaders to get information that would benefit us. This time, there have been reports that both the U.S AND Britain are spying on little old Israel and Israel is pretty annoyed by it. The U.S and Britain has been looking through some emails from the prime minister. There were about 1,000 organizations monitored. But doesn't every country collect foreign information? That's how they know how to make concrete foreign policies and how they keep themselves protected. It’s all about self-interest, and if countries don't spy, they are losing the game. Even Israel spied on the U.S. In fact, it used one of our own and afterwards, stated that it would NEVER spy on the U.S. Jonathon Pollard was convicted of espionage in 1987 and was sentenced for life. Obama has said that he will work on reforming the NSA (National Security Agency), but has not directly addressed the "issue". Although very unclear, I think the problem here is how they are getting this information. If not, then it’s the fact the U.S and Britain got caught. This isn’t new. This whole spying thing. It dates back to the first civilizations. Remember the Trojan horse? And it doesn’t just happen between enemies. We know that Israel and America are allies, but a friend today could be an enemy tomorrow, and the way that the relationship between these has been going since the deal with Iran, we could be enemies in a couple of decades. So the U.S has to get prepared today. And in politics, an ally doesn’t mean much as it would in a real world. Let’s look at it at a macro level. It’s high school and I am really good friends with this girl. We protect each other from bullies and share a lot of similar interests. Our bond becomes stronger and we end up becoming best friends and tell each other everything. This is what DOESN’T happen in politics. The point of a national is to look out for itself and its interest. To have an ally is to have someone that you share a mutual enemy with. But it doesn’t get to the best friend level where they tell each other everything. If it did, the U.S wouldn’t have to spy on Israel and vice versa. http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/22/world/meast/israel-nsa-spying/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/us/spying-on-allies-everybody-does-it/

Best Comedian ....Fox News

I don't necessarily have a problem with conservative views, and although most of their views don't correlate with mine, people are entitled to their opinion. But Fox news is RIDICULOUS!There is a difference between conservatism and bigotry and animosity. Everyone knows by now how right-winged Fox news is. After watching Rachel Maddow bash fox news ( and pleasantly enjoying it) I learned that they make up stories and facts just to back up their ludicrous views. They speak openly about their hatred towards minorities and certain ideals that are held by others that they don't believe in. Their motto should be, " fight vice with vice." One minority group that they hate and I mean really HATE are Muslims. In the video above, Bob talks about how all Muslims are being trained to attack America and how they should be stopped from coming in the country. I understand that when one is attacked, they hold anger towards the attackers. the problem isn't necessarily the feeling, but how you address those feelings. Another problem is how close minded you become and start hating anyone that resembles your attacker. This is everyone who speaks on Fox News. The difference between them and liberals ( real liberals) is how open minded liberals are (sometimes a little too open minded but we won't get into that) and how diplomatic they are. Now I'm not saying that ALL conservatives or republicans are like that (I mean look at Chris Christy), but fox news surely makes it seem that way. They truly fail to understand that not all Muslims are terrorists and not every brown person is a Muslim, let alone a radicalist. They probably feel like the white race is being attacked again ( they previously released several false stories about how black people are a dangerous threat to white people......funny right). I had the unfortunate opportunity of encountering one of Ann Coulter's videos on her response to the Boston Bombing. The funniest part is when she sad that the bombers wife should go to jail for wearing a "heeeejabbb". This lady really has my blood boiling but I've learned not to waste my time on her. She continuously talks about how America is not benefiting from Muslims. Fox News is feeding in into the islamaphobia that has risen in the post 9/11 world.We don't need anymore ignorant people in this world.

Ukraine and U.S 12/15/13

Ukraine has been in turmoil as people took on the streets protesting against their government for rejecting a trade agreement with the European Union. Citizens are upset and feel like the government is holding Ukraine back from prospering. They want to shed off their soviet past and move on into the future. They want to get away from Russia, and join the rest of modernized Europe. The Ukraine has been very dependent on Russia for resources such as natural gas, so this trade agreement would've allowed them to break free from this dependency. Russia being aware of this, doesn't want to lose that dependency and has threatened Ukraine by saying that it will withhold resources and halt trade if it decided to sign the agreement. This revolution is the largest ever since the orange revolution in 2004-2005. The E.U has halted negotiations with Ukraine, stating that it has not made up its mind and is giving unclear signals. Ukraine said the it would be willing to sign the agreement if they received 20 billion euros worth of financial aid, but the E.U still doesn't see any sign of commitment. John Mccain addressed the protesters, saying, "People of Ukraine, this is your moment. This is about you, no one else. This is about the future you want for your country. This is about the future you deserve.A future in Europe, a future of peace, with all of your neighbors. The free world is with you, America is with you, I am with you." Ukraine is split between the western civilization and Russia. It kind of reminds me of the cold war to a certain degree. Each side is trying to win over the country, and America is trying really hard according to Mccain's speech. I do have to wonder though, if his speech is sincere or tactical. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/27/world/europe/protests-continue-as-ukraine-leader-defends-stance-on-europe.html http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/15/world/europe/ukraine-protests/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Globalization and America 12/8/13

Globalization has connected the different civilizations of the world through economy and militarism. But is it having an effect on America? According to Edward Goldberg, writer for the Huffington Post, it is. He says that America's energy independence has caused it to step back from world affairs and is close to becoming isolated. America has become the largest producer of hydrocarbons and non-OPEC in the world. However, now that it can produce more of its own energy it no longer needs to import as much from other countries, and it is losing the influence that it once had on them. Regardless of this, the Federal Reserve Bank has become very powerful through globalization because the dollar has become the staple currency, exchange rates and the stability of the U.S economy. The idea of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is becoming more realistic. Bush and Clinton hoped that one day,the U.S, Mexico and Canada would unite their economies to beat China and to lessen the amount of illegal immigrants from Mexico. America has been involved in world affairs for most of, if not, all of its history. It has been a mediator between countries, a friend to others, and an enemy to some. How will the world function if the U.S becomes isolated? Every empire runs its course and we hope that America is too young to die. And let's hope that it has not become too tired of dealing with the world's crap. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/edward-goldberg/the-globalization-5----ho_b_4377331.html?utm_hp_ref=foreign-affairs

Can We Be Friends? 12/1/13

After the Nuclear deal with Iran, things look like they might be heading towards a bigger compromise and maybe even a friendship.Too soon? Probably, but the U.S is rethinking its foreign policy and is trying to see if it can befriend Iran in the future. The Iranian-American relationship has been tumultuous over the last couple of decades. Iran naturally opposes many of the U.S's foreign relations, not because of the difference in ideologies, but because of the hostilities that have occurred in the past between the two countries. Although the two were once allies when America was fighting the Soviets, the U.S's support of the Shah put them back on shacky grounds.However, if the U.S is able to become allies with Iran, it would benefit not only the U.S but many other countries. Iran's optimal locations puts it in position where it can scrutinize Chinese activities in energy rich places as well as serve as a barrier against hungry Russia. Its ties with Hezbollah and Hamas allows it to be a puppeteer to countries like Lebanon Israel and Syria, hopefully swaying favors towards some sort of compromise in both Lebanon and Syria. with it's mutual hate with the U.S against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, it can provide vital information through its military. And shockingly,Iran has proven to be the only middle eastern country that can efficiently work with Israel. I think that the U.S should ally itself with Iran and it doesn't matter if Iran supports terrorists at this point, because the U.S did the same before the blowback that they received. Befriending Iran, a country known for its nuclear weapons, puts the world at safe position. Its better to be friends with a bomber than an enemy. And for the human rights, the U.S isn't innocent either. It was accused of violating human rights during the cold war and even after. One of the only differences between the U.S and Iran is that Iran tells you that it violates human rights while the U.S tries to mask it. BUT, the U.S doesn't violate human rights t home, but rather overseas, so they are a little bit "moral" than Iran. With this sense of morality, the U.S can rub off onto Iran if they do become allies. And even though Saudi and Israel might be disturbed by the alliance, its always good for the U.S to ally a Muslim country. Of course the U.S personally benefits from this alliance. They get the oil. And that's why their ties with Saudi aren't close anymore, because Saudi, once being the world's largest exporter of oil, has little to offer today, especially compared to Iran. Americans might be worried about the fact that we might be allying ourselves with a country that supports our terrorists, but I think that this friendship will influence Iran's mind on the matter. With this alliance, both of the countries ideologies will be changed to accommodate the other We need to see the U.S and a Muslim country on good terms for once and maybe it will open a path towards peace in the middle! Too soon. Probably. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/09/opinion/iran-from-enemy-to-ally.html?_r=0

Deal-day

Lets clap it up for a historic moment. P5+1 has finally come to an agreement with Iran on its nuclear power and plans after a decade of gridlock. Iran agreed that it will not make an nuclear weapons or let other countries use nuclear weapons as well as allowing thier nuclear plants to be monitored. In return, about $10 billion of Iran's sanctions will be lifted. This will help its economy and maybe decrease the 24% of unemployment. Iran also agreed that it will not use more than 5% of uranium to make weapons for civilian use and to help power electricity and such things. Any amount above that will allow them to make nuclear weapons. However this plan is not set in stone. Both parties have given themselves 6 months to see how strong this agreement is. It is one step towrds ending Iran's nuclear program all for once. The people of Iran seem pleased that they have finally reached some sort of agreement, and that some sanctions have been lifted off the country. However, some very important sanctions remain in place, just to show that Iran isn't getting away that easily. On the other hand, Israeldoes not feel very happy about the plan, calling it a historic mistake. They are still very distrustful of Iran and feel threatened. Iran and Israel have tensions that run deep and one agreement won't alleviate anything. Once again Israel says that it will be ready to attack if it feel too threatened. The united states says that Iran is under close monitoring, and if it fails to abide by the rules of the agreement, the U.S might have to take extensive measures, such as stricking Iran's nuclear plants. Either way it seems like we are one more step closer. I hope. http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/24/world/meast/iran-nuclear-deal/index.html?c=world&page=9

Oh Iran

November 16, 2013 Almost there. The united states, along with the rest of P5 plus 1 (most powerful members of the U.N, France, Britain, Russia and China, with the addition of Germany) are still trying to hammer out a deal with Iran so they can freeze its plan for Nuclear bombs for six months until it can guarantee a solid plan that will eradicate most of Iran’s plans for unnecessary potential nuclear weapons. They want to make sure that Iran is only planning on using its weaponry for civilian proposes, and while Iran argues that it possess peaceful weapons, the rest of the world is afraid that it might develop nuclear bombs. Iran has an abundance of uranium, and it currently uses 20 % of it to develop weapons. Iran wants to continue using that amount because it was approved by the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. However, the U.S says that that was never promised and wants Iran to us only 3.55 of its Uranium strictly on civilian nuclear reactors. Another idea is to give Iran all of its rights in the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and then agreeing to interperate the treaty differently (maybe this is just me, but what’s the point of that?). These countries are trying to approach Iran in a calm manner until they can finally have a plan (it’s kind of like when someone points a gun at you, and instead of running or trying to fight back to only have them shoot you, you try to calmly talk them out of shooting you). Iran is already losing an enormous amount of money because its monetary funds that are in foreign banks have been frozen. That is about $100 billion that it can’t access because of sanctions placed on them. Also, Iran’s oil exports have decreased from 2 and a half million barrels in 2011 to only 1 billion barrels, costing Iran $5 billion a month! At this point, Iran is being crippled by the money that it is losing and frankly, if this continues, it might have to give in (or at least that’s what P5 and Germany hope). Obama encourages the U.N not to put any more sanctions on Iran, fearing that it might force them to shoot that bullet. The foreign policy chief of the European Union, Catherine Ashton will be talking to the Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday. If they come to some point of agreement, John Kerry, with other foreign ministers, will go to Geneva to further discuss an agreement. If Iran agrees on something, the U.S says that it will loosen its sanctions. The meeting planed next week in Geneva. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/16/world/middleeast/solution-may-be-near-for-iran-nuclear-deal-us-official-says.html?ref=politics&_r=0

America-Israel .......Shaky Relationship 11/10/13

Ohhh it’s getting hot in here as tensions rise between the U.s and Israel. These two long term best friends seem to disagree on two topics that may jeopardize the safety and economy of both countries. But before I elaborate on these issues, let’s look at the past factors that might have predicated this rift. First of all Obama and Netanyahu (prime minister of Israel) are not that compatible. Obama is all about diplomacy while Netanyahu just wants to attack the enemy. Obama thinks that the Israel and Palestine issue is the main problem in the Middle East while Netanyahu naturally disagrees and states that the true problems lie within radical Muslims and in Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons. Obama believes that Israel should try to peacefully discuss some equal grounds with Palestine, but Israel disagrees. These differences in opinion between the two leaders play a large role in the drifting relationship between Israel and the U.S. The first issue is the U.S’s approach to Iran’s nuclear weapons. The U.S has been trying to end the gridlock between Iran and the western world on the topic of Iran’s nuclear weapons. It met with several other countries in Geneva and they have been discussing the issue. Israel is upset because it thinks that the US is going to allow Iran to maintain but control its weapons while Israel wants Iran to eradicate all of its weapons because it fears for its safety. At this point, it seems like France is taking America’s position in the friendship and trying to protect Israel. Ok no t really. But France is also opposed to the deal proposed at Genava, out of self interest (surprise!) and self protection. Netanyahu says that if Iran is given the freedom to “control” its weapons, it would put not only Israel in danger, but the whole world and that is why it will continue to lobby against this proposal. But Israel is also willing to attack Iran if it feels threatened. And what if this happens? Well it would raise the oil prices in the U.S, the U.s might also have to dip its toe in the attack, the attack might escalade into a war, other countries will join either allying with the U.S or with Iran, Iran will develop its nuclear bombs, Saudia Arabia and Pakistan might also develop weapons, the U.S will pull out its big guns, World War Three will take place and we will all die because some men couldn’t settle a disagreement like adults. Just kidding……………. But if Israel does attack, we will not be far off from a nuclear war. The second issue has to do with the long standoff between Israel and Palestine. Obama really wants Israel to negotiate with Palestine over the disputed land but Israel continues to place Jews in land that is said to be Palestine. Secretary of State John Kerry has persuaded Israel and Palestine to talk it out, and they agreed to reach a settlement by April. Kerry and Netanyahu met on Friday I to discuss these issues. Kerry says the Israel should not feel so threatened or “Jump to conclusions”. He also said on Israel’s channel 2 that Israel will be internationally isolated and will face violence if it does not work it out with Palestine.

America, Israel and Syria Together Forever.................

Soo .......Israel launched a missile attack againt Syria on thursday near the port city of Latakia. There was an explosion at the missile site and Israel did not confirm an attack (but we already know it was them). You see, Israel is trying to protect its back by disabling any shipment of weapons to Hezbollah, an extremist Muslim shi'it group based in Lebanon. Then they tried to protect thier backs again by stating that they don't ''refer to foreign reports" when they were interviewed. What? Well we already know they did it and they already stated that they will target any future shipments of weapon to hezbelloh AND already bombed Syria in January. For those who don't know much about the Syrian war ( please come out from under your rock), here is a brief history. Syria is a country in the middle east bordered by Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Iraq and Jordan. The civil war started on the march of 2011 when the Syrian people uprised against president Bashir Al-Assad, whose power was handed down to him by his father(even though Syria is NOT a monarchy). There are some people who support him and others that don't. About a year and half ago, it was declared a civil war. Currently, 100,000 people have died and 2 million have fled. Now that you know ,you're probably wondering where the world police is in this situation. Haaaaaa it' s too busy worrying about healthcare and keeping the government open. However, there is a huge possibility that it will get involved but its involvment will probably be messy. First, Israel and America are BFFs. If one gets hurt, the other seeks revenge (actually come to think of it, its only a one way street, when Israel gets hurt America defends). Israel is bombing because it feels threatened. But hold on.......remember that speech that Obama gave about intervening in Syria because of chemical weapons? He spoke up because Syria orginally promised that it would never use chemical weapons, just like the 197 other countries that made that promise. But was Obama scared for the safety of Syrian people, or for the protection of Americans and Israelites? OR was it for the general safety for the people of the world. I don't know, I do not know. Anyways, if America gets involved will it be on Israel's side and also try to protect its back, or will it be on the side of the innocent Syrian civilians who keep getting killed? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/31/israel-strike-russian-missiles-syria_n_4183174.html http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/31/world/meast/syria-civil-war/

Introduction

Watch out guys, make sure that you'r not driving under the influence, that you have your seat belts on, and most importantly, that you haven't killed anyone, because the po po has been patrolling around. At a micro level, we are all glad that we have police officers and other law enforcers that help protect us and make sure that the bad guys are behind bars. On the macro level, our beloved America plays the world's officer, patrolling around to other countries making sure that the leaders don't kill half of their population or use weapons of mass destruction. And where does the U.S get its jurisdiction from. Well, I mean come on, almost every country worships us, right? Wrong. The U.S gets its jurisdiction from its ability to control the rest of the world through soft power, through its diplomatic foreign policy, and because we represent ONE of the most just countries in the world. How we police the rest of the world reflects how the rest of the world views. We have to keep our appearance. The purpose of this blog is to see whether the U.S's foreign policy and police work post an internal and external danger, and if not, how it is keeping the world sane.