My Role

As hard as it is for the U.S. to come up with a good solution and end to the problem with North Korea, I find it very difficult for me to have a significant role with this issue. For the matter of fact I did not even really know exactly what was going on before. However, now that I have learned more and feel that I am informed on the problem with North Korea there could be minor ways of me having a very small role.

One way I feel like I could have a minor role with North Korea is to keep up to date on what is going on. I feel like if I keep myself informed on the issue I will be a little less nervous as I was before. To continue to be up to date with this issue I will be an informed citizen and be able to make correct thoughts. If there should be someone else whom may not know what is going on, I will be able to inform him or her. I can take this issue as an example of the other scary global events that are happening and learn more about them as well.

Another minor role I believe I have this with issue is to have more of an understanding these kinds of large political issues. However, I may not fully understand why countries such as North Korea do these kind of extreme actions but I will perhaps understand how other countries deal with situations like this. I will still wonder why these extreme issues happen and why they are not so easily fixed. Therefore, taking time to learn about them and try to understand how tactful people in the political world have to be when handling such large problems will help me continue to learn.

Bibliography

Bleiker, Roland. Global Politics A New Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2009.

Benson, Pam. Levine, Adam. U.S. dismisses latest missile provocation by North Korea. 24 June 2009. CNN.com. 8 August 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/24/us.north.korea/index.html

Fulghum, A. David. “Testing, Testing.” Aviation Week & Space Technology pg 22. Vol 170. No 22. 1 June 2009.

Haggard, Stephan. Noland, Marcus. “North Korea IN 2008 Twilight of the God?” Asian Survey. Vol. 49, Issue 1. Pp. 98-106. http://www.ucpressjournals.com

Reynolds, Paul. North Korea a problem for Obama. 6 April 2009. BBC.com. 8 August 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7985336.stm

Snyder, Scott. “Responses to North Korea’s Nuclear Test: Capitulation or Collective Action?” The Washington Quarterly. 30.4 pg. 33-43. 2007. http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/washington_quarterly/v030/30.4snyder.html

“North Korea conducts nuclear test”. BBC.com. 25 May 2009. 8 August 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/806615.stm

“Path of peace available to North Korea, Obama says”. CNN.com. 16 June 2009. 8 August 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/16/south.korea.meeting/index.html

“North Korea”. NYtimes.com. 16 June 2009. 25 July 2009. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/northkorea/index.html

World Police Final

So how can I, one man, attempt to promote change in the world? How can my actions be meaningful and helpful. It seems like such a daunting task. By the latest percentage of voting totals most Americans have seen to just throw in the towel. After reading the text, attending our class, and experiencing life in general I believe my attempt may be more along the lines of the critical theory discussed by Zehfuss (2009.) I'd like to try inaction as well as action. My idea comes from a booing crowd at a sports game that has always bothered me. When a rival team comes to your hometown stadium and are announced you have people who boo. I would relate those people to those that protest and picket over some political idea that they are against. Those boos that are heard by the rival team still generate an emotional response that can boost their efforts and energize them to compete harder then ever. Where as what if you just kept quiet? What if when they were announced there was deafening silence? There would be no catalyst to stimulate or excite them. However, when your team is announced you should shout as loud as you can. Let them know that you support them and every great play they make. Would it be possible to have success with that kind of an outlook? If you only supported and urged your friends and family to support the causes you agreed with besides picketing and making noise for those you don't agree with? If you focused your efforts not on picketing and booing would have a greater effect if you focused your efforts on cheering and supporting your side?

So how then can I encourage the idea that the world needs a democratically led world police? I think most would agree that the idea of the U.N. is a good idea. To that extent I'd like to support any politician that promotes strengthening that entity. Obviously all countries can't contribute the same amount financially or militarily to make it so the U.N. can have a strong military to defend its decisions. But I believe if it did, and if it worked the way we'd like it to work, the situation in North Korea would have been settled a long time ago. The world would have been able to move on to help other people in need with that situation solved. So I think it would be with action by inaction that is how I will attempt as one person to make a difference in the global economy. Whether it be by boycotting certain products or shouting loudly at a rally for a cause I care about. The silence towards the issues and products, however associated they are with countries that are not acting in the worlds best interests, should make the point where others try to use words and violence.

Bibliography

Lawrence Davidson. Arab Studies Quarterly. Belmont: Winter 2009. Vol. 31, Iss. 1/2; pg. 1, 10 pgs

Edkins, J., & Zehfuss, M. (2009) Global Politics, A New Introduction. New York, U.S.A.

Soloman, Jay (2009) Broader Issues on Table in Pyongyang, Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124952003814809689.html

Holland, Steve (2009) White House says policy toward North Korea unchanged, The Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/06/AR2009080602066.html

Unknown Author, (2009) Freed US reporters safely back on home soil, The Standard, http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=17&art_id=85952&sid=24845655&con_type=3&d_str=20090806&sear_year=2009

Landler, Mark (2009) North Korea Says It Will Halt Talks and Restart Its Nuclear Program, The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/world/asia/15korea.html?_r=1

Findley, Paul (2008) The Proper U.S. Role in Pakistan, The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Washington: Vol. 27, Iss. 2; pg. 14, 4 pgs

Davidson, Lawrence (2009) American Foreign Policy and the Rise of Islamic Politics, Arab Studies Quarterly. Belmont: Vol. 31, Iss. 1/2; pg. 1, 10 pgs, http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.augsburg.edu/pqdlink?index=1&did=1749358811&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1248484813&clientId=1427

Boot, Max (2003) America's Destiny Is to Police the World, Council on Foreign Relations, http://www.cfr.org/publication.html?id=5559

Weisbrot, Mark (2001) Should America Police The World?, Common Dreams.org, http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0412-09.htm