Friday, October 20, 2017

The War in Syria: American Blindness to its Realities

The war in Syria has become one of the most controversial issues in the modern world, and mainly because of its beginnings, divisions between major political parties in the United States have been developed. The Syrian war has brought with it huge human casualties, and although it was expected that it would be completed quickly like the Libyan War, thanks to the support of the United States and its allies, the war is currently continuing. This situation has left a lot of doubt among both the Democrats and the Republicans about whether it was reasonable for the United States primarily to participate in the Syrian conflict.
When President Obama announced his intention to attack Syria after what was allegedly the use of the Syrian government's chemical weapons against its own people, the PPS, it is expected that there will be that wide gap between the two sides in Congress. However, this was not so, because in a rare demonstration of unity between Republicans and Democrats, it was widespread to resist any airstrikes against the Syrian government or direct participation of the United States in the conflict. The fact that there was widespread opposition to the United States Participation in Syria on both sides is a true statement about the sensitivity to this issue of the American that the public feels. In the rare case of unity, representatives of both sides seem to have almost unanimously chosen to represent the true feelings of their constituents, who are mostly tired of the war. In fact, the polls showed that the United States should stop concentrating on solving external conflicts and instead focus on solving a growing number of problems in the domestic arena.
Despite the seeming unity of the two sides with regard to Syria, the fact is that the United States government does not have a clear policy towards Syria, and this may be the reason that the conflict lasted for the past two years. This conflict has, however, also created a situation where it has become difficult for the United States to deal with the diverse consequences such as the development of the refugee problem. It is more likely than not that the continuation of the Syrian conflict will create a refugee problem, as Syrian refugees seek to settle in the United States. The fact that Syrian refugees will likely continue seeking asylum in the United States has become a worrying subject in both parties and this is likely to be another issue which will unite the Democrats and the Republicans in a bipartisan way. In addition, the Syrian war has caused US allies in the region, Turkey and Jordan to have such as the influx of refugees that has created a sad situation in these countries. The fact that Democrats and Republicans, despite having been proven that they can work together, have not yet come up with a clear policy towards Syria, is the most alarming. The United States Congress must exert pressure on the government so that it creates a clear policy that will put an end to the Syrian conflict that will provide lasting peace for the Syrian people.
Both the Democrats and the Republicans believe that the Assad regime lost its mandate to rule the Syrian people, and because of this, it must go. It has been a standing position of both of these parties since the onset of the conflict. However, because of the changes of the status on the ground due to Russian and Iranian intervention has led to a situation where it is essential to come to an accommodation. The latter step would an extremely important one because it would curb the number of internally displaced persons in the country, but the number of refugees in neighboring countries creating similar situations to those that failed states the situation.

However, the United States has only been indirectly involved in Syria. This process has involved the government, supported by the Democrats, working to support the Syrian rebels in providing weapons and training. There has been coordination with the allies in the region to train militant groups and help them transit to Syria to fight government forces. Although the United States has not been directly involved in the conflict, in the form of boots on the ground, it has worked with its allies to provide logistic support to the rebels, which apparently has been approved by both Democrats and Republicans.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

The Issue of Race in America

Racism in America is a problem that has existed almost since the beginning of the European settlement in this country five hundred years ago. Racism has not disappeared as might be expected, but instead has worsened over the years, since theory as white supremacy has been internalized by the various multiracial groups that occupy America. The racism that began for the first time with discrimination against the American Indians within their own land that finally expelled them from the lands they occupied and in reserves by force and a large slaughter of large numbers of them; the racism that was used to justify the capture of Black people of Africa and their being taken to the United States to be placed in the bondage of slavery; and later, racism was manifested against Asians who came to settle in the United States in the nineteenth century to seek opportunities to improve their lives. All these incidents have worked hand in hand over time to shape the racial attitudes and beliefs that are common in the United States today, spreading the idea of ​​white supremacy, though in such a way that most people just they notice it.
Racial discrimination generates a grammar that helps to reproduce the racial order as such and how things are. This is a result of the work of nineteenth-century scientists who used inaccurate data and faulty samples to draw their conclusions about the races, partly to justify the imperial activities of their countries in Africa and Asia, and to "scientifically" secure their dominant position In society. The standard grammar of American English has much in it that still reinforces the idea of ​​white supremacy. An example of this is how the media uses endearing terms as beautiful when reporting news of white victims of tragic events, while nothing is said about those victims of minority races who are simply under the same circumstances. This is an unconscious action that is the result of the terms used especially against blacks during the era of slavery in relation to the two races; that the white was beautiful and superior, while the black was ugly and inferior.
It is not logical to think that more than five hundred years of formalized racial inequality in the United States can be so easily eliminated. Blacks, for example, continue to be disadvantaged even after the guarantee of formal equality of rights in 1965, which was expected to put an end to all forms of racial inequality. In the search for new employees, white employers tend to prefer to hire white people to black people because of the racial stereotype that represents black people as unreliable, even though the black person involved in this case is probably more qualified for the job. Residential segregation between black and white communities in the great cities of America has ensured that these races have remained isolated from each other and this has reduced the possibilities of understanding that would have developed due to a close interaction. It is the responsibility of white people as the dominant group in America to pave the way to end racial discrimination since all the practices of racism that occur today are as a direct consequence of their unconscious desire to maintain their position in society. Racial harmony cannot be achieved if only a single racial group continues to dominate almost every aspect of the lives of others.  Instead, it can only be achieved if all racial groups in the United States receive the same treatment without prejudice.
In conclusion, racism is a subject that is very much alive in the United States today and affects all racial groups living in this nation. This is a social problem that must be addressed as quickly as possible before it explodes into something worse, such as a conflict between the dominant white race against minority races. In the discussion above, some aspects of racism in the United States have been addressed, as well as their effects on minority, and the majority groups. These are just one part of the problem of racism and more research is still needed to be able to deal better with it in the future.

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Should The US Build More Nuclear Power Plants for an Energy Source?

Nuclear energy is one of the most reliable sources of energy in the world today with many nations adopting it due to the relatively low cost of energy that comes after the initial cost of constructing power plants. The United States should therefore invest more in the construction of more nuclear power plants because whether we like it or not, nuclear energy is the energy source of the future. If more power plants are constructed, then the reliability on the other conventional sources of energy, such as fossil fuels, would be greatly reduced.
When more nuclear power plants are constructed in the United States, they should be constructed in secluded areas to ensure the safety of the human population in case of a nuclear accident as happened at Chernobyl. Furthermore, safe ways for the disposal of nuclear waste should be devised so that no harm can be brought to people who come into contact with it and to the environment. Since the construction of more nuclear power plants depends on the goodwill of all the political groups involved, then it is advisable for all these parties to come to a consensus on how to best deal with the issue. The nuclear plants should be constructed and while this is being done, all the safety concerns of those who are skeptical about it should be addressed to ensure that all the parties are working together to create a safe and efficient source of energy. There are many advantages for the use of nuclear energy in the United States and these may be political, economic, and environmental among others.
There are many economic benefits for the construction of nuclear power plants in the United States as a source of energy. One of these benefits is that very small amounts of raw materials are required for the production of a large amount of nuclear energy. Moreover, since these raw materials are required in such small quantities, they can be easily transported from one place to another even globally. The operation of nuclear power stations at their full capacity will ensure that cheap electricity is available in the market and that more people will be able to afford it. Nuclear power is a reliable source of energy because the average lifespan of a nuclear reactor is forty years and this lifespan can be extended by another twenty years. Although the initial cost of constructing a nuclear plant is high, the cost of running it afterwards is relatively low and this makes it a very good investment.
Nuclear power is very environmentally friendly because no harmful emissions are released into the environment during the process of producing energy, as compared to other sources of energy such as fossil fuels. Nuclear plants require very little space to construct and because of this it has very little impact on the environment. It can be used to produce large amounts of energy at very little environmental cost compared to other sources of energy because nothing needs to be burned in order to produce energy. Throughout the nuclear fuel cycle, all the byproducts produced are accounted for and it is carefully stored to ensure that there are no adverse impacts on the environment. It has been said of nuclear energy that since the beginning of the industrial revolution, it is the only industry which has managed to account for all of its waste that has a potential to harm the environment.
The use of nuclear energy may also have a political impact on the United States especially at the international level. In the recent decades, the United States has, on numerous occasions, had to go to war in other countries to secure its energy interests. A very good example of this has been the First and the Second Gulf Wars whose main purpose was to secure the supply of oil. The use of nuclear energy would greatly reduce the dependence of the United States on foreign sources of energy because it would have more than enough for its domestic needs and it would even be able to export some of the surplus electricity to neighboring countries. Furthermore, the image of the United States as an aggressive nation on the world stage would be rehabilitated and there would be a return of goodwill towards it which its recent wars have tarnished. 
In conclusion, the construction of more nuclear power plants is inevitable because nuclear energy is currently the most viable energy source in the world. If it is managed well, then it has the potential of producing enough energy to satisfy all the energy needs of the United States with minimal harm to the environment. Moreover, the low cost of running a nuclear power plant after the initial high cost of construction, makes it a very cost effective source of energy and due to the long lifespan of a nuclear reactor, then a lot of money would be saved. The political goodwill that the United States had lost would be returned through its use of nuclear energy and this would secure it position as the world leader.