For more than a year we have heard of continued troubles with governments, protests, civil war, and violations of human rights throughout the Middle East. Whether it was the transitions of governments in Tunisia and Egypt, the death of Kaddafi in Libya, or now the brink of civil war in Syria, there seems to be no end in sight to the political, social, and economic unrest.
Below is a link to an interactive map from CNN which allows you to review the events of various Middle Eastern nations:
Most recently we have been hearing constant reports from Syria. For more than a year citizen protesters have been demanding improved economic conditions, protection of personal rights and political change. Their demands include the removal of the President Bashar al-Assad. As the conflict has escalated, both sides have committed many acts of violence against their opposition including kidnapping, torture and execution. Unfortunately, many of the deaths or violence from the government has been committed against civilians. To date the United Nations is claiming approximately 8,000 civilians have been killed during this conflict. News reports are unable to confirm reports due to the Syrian government’s severe restrictions placed on journalists from around the world.
Many members of the United Nations Security Council, including the United States, have been asking for the removal of President al-Assad. Sadly, the entire United Nations has not been in agreement concerning the course of action. Russia and China have been the dissenting votes of stronger action against the Syrian government until recently. Over the weekend, a number of acts of violence including car bombings and a change to the proposal of action by the United Nations have loosened the Russian stance.
The United Nations has agreed to send former U.N. Secretary Kofi Annan into the region with other representatives to attempt to bring the groups together and end the violence and crimes against humanity. While Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is please to see progress, she and others are not sure these actions will be enough to end the bloodshed.
How much do you know about the numerous events from the Middle East? Do you think we should know more? When do you think it is necessary for the United States to get involved? And how should the United States be involved?
trekster (nissa)- I know about many revolts and sacking of dictators, mainly from the news and discussions at school, as protests start and stop and leaders are kicked out. It's really great that these opressed people are getting their voices and getting rid of the dictatorships they've been stuck with for so long. I think we really should get more information though, in order to not accidently make the situation worse in ANY of the numerous countries. We really should be involved now. I know that we should attempt peace talks and all, but if I were a protestor or rebel leader, I wouldn't care, so I'm not so sure if that's how we should be involved. We could and should help the rebels, since we ARE the nation that's for democracy, etc. It's very tricky to tell though, since it's a rather complicated and violent situation, with many casualties on both sides. I pray that these many conflicts in all these countries will be resolved swiftly, because so many people are dying daily. Freedom is a good cause to fight for, but hopefully, both sides will realize that all the death and destruction needs to end.
ReplyDeleteSena- I don't know a lot about whats going on in the middle east right now. What I do know is that it is not a great place to be. There is a lot of violence and revolts. I do think we should know more about this. We should talk about it in school. I was only slightly aware of what was going on over there. I think if we new more about what is going on over there we could help! I think right now is the right the for us to get involved. Sometimes, however, the U.S doesn't exactly "help" when we get involved. If we get involved we shouldn't take sides. We need to be mediators. I think if we play this right it would be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteJacqueline- In all honesty I haven't payed much attention to the middle east, but lately it is getting a lot more interesting. So far I do know that a lot of war and unsettlement is happening. I think That we really should no more just about our world is general. I much rather be informed than knowing nothing and being sheltered from it. I think the US should get involved when it has been taken too far. If that country turns on us or other of our partnering nations then we should get involved. When the US gets involved I think it should be in a peaceful manner and that we should only use forcer of arms if necessary. I think the US should be the spreaders of peace and that we need to help other nations realize that peace is the right way to go.
ReplyDeleteAmaia- Really, I don't know much about the happenings in the Middle East. I think it's sad that I don't know much about other countries and there current and or past events. I don't even pay enough attention to our countries currents events unless I'm forced to. I think the U.S. should try to stay out of other countries problems unless they ask us to help or start to effect us or other countries who ask for our help. Right now I think the U.S. needs to try to let the counties figure out for themselves.
ReplyDeleteMatea(mdog)- I haven't paid very much attention to the Middle East. I don't look into things like that unless we are doing it in school. I think that we should know more about what is going on. It sounds interesting, other people say that it sounds bad. If younger people in the world don't know what is going on, then the kids that are going to have an important place in this world should know what is going on. Because we need to know that these problems will appear again, and we will need to know how to handel them correctly.Personaly i don't think that the US should get involved, because that might make it worse for us. If the US was going to get involved, they should be peacful. If they aren't going to do anything, let country figure out how to start working together. OUr country did it, it took a lot of time, even a war. But we have come to a permanent awesome agreement.
ReplyDeleterobert-I really never thought about the current issues or events in the middle east. I don't tend to delve deep when it comes to foreign relations. So when you ask should we know more i might say yes i might say no, just based on my mood and how tired i am. Its only necessary for the US to step in when it involves our population in a harmful way. otherwise when we step into something that we shouldnt be sticking our noses in, the other countries are going to think that we think(lawl dual thinking power to the max) we are the global police, nobody likes the tattle tail. And your last question i dont understand as plainly as the others. But i guess thats the point, to make us think about curent affairs. So i will awnser it with a simple Don't Get Involved.
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ReplyDeleteI didnt know about the middle east current issues and events in the middle east. I think we should know more information about this so the the United States can come in and help the middle east. I think the united states should come in and help when it gets serous and when they know a lot about the situation. If we help I dont think we should take sides we need to be mediators about this situation.
Catie-I don't really know that much about what's going on in the Middle East. I think that we definitely need to know more. I think that the United States should get involved very soon and that they should say that if they launch the missile, they will help Japan shoot it out of the sky.
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ReplyDeleteI don't know much about the Middle East. I do think we should know more because the little information that does get out that isn't controlled by the Middle Eastern government isn't enough. I would want to know the full story. I think the US should get involved when the people start uprising and create major havoc. We then need to get over there and help calm things down by over throwing all the leaders who are treating their people badly. I think this would be a good way to get peace in the Middle East.
Gabi- I honestly barely know anything about what is going on in the Middle East, but I do there are alot of problems that have been occuring. I do think that before we do anything we need to learn more. I think the United States should get involed if war breaks out and alot of lives become at stake. I dont think we should go staright to war, but instead try to figure out good way to make peace in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteStephanie I don't know that much about what is going on in the middle east. I know it's not a good place to be right bow though. I think we should learn more about what's going on so we can maybe help and get incolved. I think the united states should help when there are sgns of a war coming. We shiuldnt go to war right away because we should try and help the matters verbly but not physical unless it starts to gets really really mbad
ReplyDeleteRyan- I dont pay much attention to the middle east. So i don't know that much about whats going on but i sure wouldn't want to be their right now.I think that we should pay more attention to the middle east. Even it doesn't matter to us the USA.If we do pay more attention we could maybe help the cause and maybe make sure theres no big war. I think United State should step in but at the right time. Watch first and if it gets to crazy maybe think about putting troops down their. Only if they have to.
ReplyDeleteNatalia-i dont know very much about what is happening in the middle east. I know there are prtests and leaders getting thrown out bbut not much more. i think the united states should start helping now since it has been happening for awhile. Its not going to end any time soon so i thin the united states should step up and help out the middle east. i think we sould peacefully try to helpp them stop this. not going to war but find a peaceful way that will stop this in the middle east.
ReplyDeleteKatie H.-I know a lot of countries especially in Africa and the Middle East have had problems with their governments and human rights. I think we should now more about it snce we're learning about these countries in class. I think it will be necissary for the U.S. to gett involved when there is talk of nuclear war fare. I think the U.S. could help this situation if we tried to comprimise with these contries and convince them that violence is never the answer. Even if there will be no problem with nuclear war, the u.S. sjould help these countries reach agreements in a peaceful manner.
ReplyDeleteVinny-i dont know a whole lot about the events that happened in the mid-east but i do know about some. Yes i do think we should know a lot more about what is happening because there could be something going wrong and we need to know incase it could harm our country. i think that we should get involved in the very begging. i think we should do it very peacefully just incase we upset them.
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ReplyDeleteI know about most of the problems in some of the middle east like Greece because my family is from there.
I know that a lot of people there are struggling right now and that we should all learn more about it. I think the us should step in whenever it is truly necessary. When the is a lot of killings...then we step in. If there is a hitler stereotype leader....then we step in.
ReplyDeleteThe should step in by giving people their human needs. But try not to baby their country
ReplyDeleteAbove is nikos because my computer kept freezing
ReplyDeleteDan- I do not know much about the events going on in the Middle East. I think we should learn more just in case they are planning to attack the U.S, which I don't think they are. I don't really think the United States should get involved, but if they do I think they should try to help the people and end the unfairness of the Middle East's governments.
ReplyDeleteJacob- i know that there are a lot of issues in the middle East. I do think we should learn more about them so when there is a huge war there the U.s should step in and we will know a lot about it. I think the U.S. should step in toi insure peace.
ReplyDeleteI know that the middle east has been having many problems with government and other things. Yes I do think we should know more about it because it is our world and we need to know what is going on in it. We should get involved when there is any gunfire or missile launching in the middle east. We should break it all up with a nuclear missile.
ReplyDelete-Aaron mick
coadster/cody
ReplyDeletei honestly do not know to much about the middle east but i think that we should really know more that is happening around the world so that we can become awar of what is happening around us.i think that it isnt nessesary to get involved because we needd to get in a stable place before we start helping others and dont get me wrong helping others is fantastic but we need to become stable first.
*:)Alice-I know that there has been a lot of civil unrest in the Middle East, and that a bunch of countries have overthrown their governments and are rebuilding but I feel like I should know more... Well, I think that once the gun fire a major violence starts, that that's when we should step in. Well, we could stop trading with them, (ECONOMIC SANCTIONS! See I know what they are.)and if they're still not stopping we could get other countries to stop trading also, um I don't really have a very broad understanding of all this so I don't really know how else. Um, we could send some military over(?) or we could try to negotiate with them. And I agree with Cody we should probably focus on fixing our economy a little before we go fixing everybody elses'.
ReplyDeletePeter-I don't know too much about stuff in the middle east. I do know that Momoar Gadolfi was killed in Libya and that people are rebelling against the government in Egypt and Syria. Yes,I think we should know more about what is happening in other countries. Mainly because what if the go crazy and bomb the USA.It is time for the USA to get in involved when they start hurting the world and start killing innocent people and when bombs are dropped for no reason.
ReplyDeleteDillon- I know a lot about the middle east. I think that we should know more about our earth. I think that the us should get involved when people are killing and hurting kids out of evil. i think that we should deploy shoulders to stop it.
ReplyDeleteDillon- I know a lot about the middle east. I think that we should know more about our earth. I think that the us should get involved when people are killing and hurting kids out of evil. i think that we should deploy shoulders to stop it.
ReplyDeleteGhost Adventures Freak (Audrey)--------------------- I don’t know much about the Middle East but I know that the USA should help the children that need medical help, food, and water. It would be nice to see the children happy and healthy again.
ReplyDeleteEmma- I don't know all that much about the Middle East. However I know that everyone should because we never know what they can be planning. They could be planning to bomb the US again and that would be horrible! Everyone needs to be aware of what is happening! I also think that we should get to know the Middle East to help with the government.
ReplyDeleteTaylor- I don't really know anything about the problems in the middle east. I really want to know more though. It's probably in the news everywhere, I just don't watch the news. I think the united states should help right now. We should help in a good way though, not like go to war with them and stuff like that. We don't need to go to war. That's just bad. We definitely shouldn't be involved if that's the case, but we should try to help. In the poor countries, we could help with food and medical supplies and try to help with building shelters and homes for people to live in.
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