You have all seen at least six different presentations on global project zones. Please respond to this post: what is the most important conflict, in your opinion? Please provide with facts and details as to WHY you feel that the conflict that you selected as the most importnat is so.
Also - respond to anothers post - you can either agree or disagree with an explanation of why you do. Remember to be respectful and use knowledge to prove your point!
All of these conflicts are horrible and people should be made aware to all of them, but I believe that the problems Africa is experiencing in the Congo are the most important and need to be addressed; not only because 5.4 million people have died, but also because we Americans are actually a major part of the problem. Since the Congo contains coltan (a metal we need for many of our electronic devices) the media does not draw attention to the Congo because we need these resources. It is because of us people are dying, and we're not about to stop buying electronics. We're part of the problem, and therefore we should look harder for a solution.
ReplyDeleteEspi - I agree with your assessment in many respects. We as Americans really are not that educated about many of these 'conflicts' - perhaps because of the reasons you listed. Thanks for the thoughtful and reflective post - come on everyone - get your thoughts together and start posting your ideas.
ReplyDeletePerhaps we as a group can come up with some ideas that we could do as a class community about the issues that we collectively see as the biggest problem?
While many of the presentations all made good points, the conflict that is the most severe in my opinion is the Congo. According to those presenters, 5.4 million people have died in the Congo, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in history. Also what persuaded me was the complexity of the entire situation. There are so many involved in the Congo such as the DRC's corrupt government in alliance with Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, as well as rebel militia groups backed by Uganda and Rwanda. Not to mention other important aspects going on here:things like the use of child soldiers, human rights violations, starvation, and the developed nation's refusal to get involved because they need the resources being fought over. This is definitely the most complex and critical situation we have learned about in class so far.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Espi 100%. Countries like the US are partially responsible for this conflict because we have a desire for the Coltan for our electronics. Sine it is clear that we cant stop buying products that use coltan(and even that probably wouldn't stop the conflict anyway),another solution must be found. The fact of the matter is people are dying everyday and the US or an organization like the UN should aid in helping stop this, because so far they haven't done anything.
ReplyDeleteI know that Amnesty Club in our school deals with many issues occurring now in the world, like Darfur. Maybe we could see if they can turn their focus to the Congo.
ReplyDeleteI think the congo is the most important conflict right now because so many people have died, been abused and violated and it also is the most dealiest conflicts in history.
ReplyDeletei also agree with Espi that we are part of the problem and we should pay more attention to the conflict.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the Democratic Republic of Congo Conflict is the most important conflict. The reason why I feel it is most important is because it caused the deaths of over 5 million people so far. Many of those deaths were children who were to young to even hold a gun.
ReplyDeleteI think the topics with the largest impact on the world are the Mexican Drug War followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo and the war in Afghanistan. The reason why the Mexican Drug War is one to be noted is because of how the government is controlling the situation...(or not should I say not?). If infact this violent war continues back and forth across the border and the government is overthrown by the people this could directly threaten the U.S. and its government and also places beyond these countries such as South America. Also, the fact that tons of innocent people are being killed daily in Mexico just makes the issue that more pressing. The government is putting little restraint on this issue causing big problems in Mexico and America.
ReplyDeleteThe Democratic Republic of Congo is also an issue to be watched. This specific issue is especially dangerous because of the children that are forced to face death by being placed on the frontline. Congo is raising young militants and placing a strain on their rightful educations. America could try a lot harder to do something about this issue.
Last but certainly not least is the war in Afghanistan. It began with the Soviet Union and since then has spread to America because we provided the tools to Osama Bin Laden to manipulate us Americans to essentially be strong enough as a nation to carry a war on for years that we see no sight of ending. Despite the military statuses of each country, we are fighting another nation much like our own because Afghanistan has acquired the same tactics used by the U.S. This has become an even larger issue in the world because Iraq is once again involved. Another problem with this war is that Afghanistan is using lethal weapons and could threaten a nuclear war at any point in time. The resource that Afghanistan has (oil) is also creating an issue with the U.S. because it is necessary for survival and we rely on this nation for it.
This may be cheating slightly, but I couldn't decide on just one most important conflict. I felt that choosing one was unfair to the others - it undermines the struggles that they face, the losses they have suffered, and the severity of their problems. I did narrow it down to 4, however (but the Mexican Drug War isn't included because I don't have a fact sheet for it yet so I know almost nothing about it).
ReplyDeleteI chose (in no particular order) Kashmir (Pakistan and India conflict), the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Darfur and Afghanistan. I chose Kashmir because it's a border conflict and both sides have nuclear weapons, not to mention the deep-seated religious animosity, which shows the complexity of the issue under the surface. Congo because of the involvement of so many African nations, and the huge death toll. Darfur because of the genocide and the crimes against humanity. Afghanistan because of the level of American involvement and the threats of terrorism.
I think that the common theme is that I find the most pressing conflicts today to be the Middle East and Africa. I guess I think this because of the intensity of the divisions between people and the high lack of acceptance. Also, many other developed nations are involved in these conflicts, and with their economic/political interests at stake, are only intensifying the issue. I think that many of these developed nations have to take responsibility for the conflicts. Especially in Africa, our quest for resources, political control (either spreading democracy or communism, depending on your nation) and our partitioning of people according to our wants instead of tribal divides are some of the root causes. I wish these nations could see/admit that.
Also, I find what Brittany said to be very interesting. Again, I haven't heard the Mexican Drug War topic, but I feel that everything she said is correct and are all points that I would not have thought of. "If in fact this violent war continues back and forth across the border and the government is overthrown by the people this could directly threaten the U.S. and its government and also places beyond these countries such as South America. Also, the fact that tons of innocent people are being killed daily in Mexico just makes the issue that more pressing. The government is putting little restraint on this issue causing big problems in Mexico and America."
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I never realized it was such a serious issue.
While the number of conflicts that plague our world continue to raise ever upward, a certain few stand out amongst the rest; the Mexican drug war, the bloodshed occurring in the Congo, and the War in Afghanistan. By itself the war in Afghanistan is a terrible and oppressive issue that riddles the middle east in war and confusion. Every small detail can turn deadly in a moment. So many human rights ideas have been blatantly ignored and abandoned. Children handling weapons, people literally strapping explosives to themselves, its indirect warfare that directly effects each and everyone of our lives. Forcing any soldier to face the most extreme of ultimatums, shoot someone who may be completely innocent or to put himself and his brothers in arms in direct danger.
ReplyDeletecall it a biased opinion, but the issue is a huge deal that effects us in our every day lives.
The three issues I believe are most pressing are The Democratic Republic of Congo, Darfur, and Afghanistan. But of the three, I believe the DR of Congo to be the most pressing and urgent issue to be resolved. This is because as of right now, it is the world's deadliest conflict. Almost six million people and counting have died. This civil war over resources needs to take precedence over the other conflicts because it does not attract as much media attention as it requires to gain awareness of the issue and therefore not many people are trying to resolve the issues there. The world is too consumed by the fact that they are getting valuable resources from the DR of Congo or from neighboring countries, that we miss that these other countries are pillaging the land to obtain these resources and killing millions of innocent lives. In this third world country where war affects every citizens' lives, something must be done to stop this terror.
ReplyDeleteI also very much agree with Brittany. The Mexican Drug War is one that directly affects our borders and causes our neighbor Mexico, along with the US land that borders it, to be in very dangerous conditions. "The government is putting little restraint on this issue causing big problems in Mexico and America." This is a good point. The government has not made this as much of a priority as it should be, and if we don't act soon, the situation could get even worse.
I would say the afghanistan conflict is the most serious of all roght now especially for our nation of americans. We are constantly supporting troops in Afghanistan with food and military equipment, and for the need to do that we have to spend lots and lots of money. While we are still trying upgain from the terrorist attacks in 2001, September 11. Then there are troops dying and families are suffering from the loss. Every step we make to finding Osama is a step away from making the US better again.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the Mexican drug war is the biggest conflict in the world because it is the only global conflict currently happening in the western world only a few miles away from one of the most powerful countries in the world America. This is not only threat to Mexico and South America because the cartels have proven to have a cause and are very dangerous because they maybe have the greatest potential to be an external threat to America. Though now they don’t attack America because there its biggest customer, what happens if we cut down on massive amounts of drugs. If our history is correct we have lost wars or are still fighting wars because we always end up giving mass amounts of money and weapons to these unstable countries in hope they use it the way we want them to use it. And then it back fires and we end up spending more money or pulling out of conflicts because we have these unstable countries who are matched up evenly with the United States and cause the conflict to be able to continue(for example: Vietnam and Afghanistan). Mexico already has drug soldiers in every city in the U.S, 95% of their weapons are American made, they have proven to use guerilla tactics and terrorism, and they have billions of dollars already from us in Drug and Aid money. Though they could not completely destroy us, they could do alot of damage to the U.S that was seen as unimaginable, and they could completely take over South America very easily. We have to stop this conflict now so it can never get to that point.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dan, and believe that the Mexican drug war is also a major problem due to the fact we are somewhat responsible as we are receiving almost 80% of the drugs. We're a major part of these problems and because of this we should also be a major part of the solutions and figure out what to do.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with both espi and Kim on the fact that the DRC is really the biggest conflict in the world. 1, we spend much more on illegal drugs in our countries than we do on cell phones. 2, they both talk about how the violence is bad but do they know that the cartels give money and U.S weapons to the various groups and governments of the DRC for their resources which causes much of the bloodshed. They are definitely correct in saying that it is Americas fault for wanting selfish things and having people die over it, but they are missing the middle man in this whole world of Conflicts which is the drug cartels in Mexico and if the U.S really wants to start to redeem itself for its mistakes, We have to deal with the cartels first and then help the DRC.
ReplyDeleteI believe the India Pakistan Kashmir conflict is the most pressing of them all. I hold this to be true because both countries are in possession of nuclear weapons. An altercation between these two countries could prove fatal to their neighbors. Along with that, it would only be a matter of time before other countries such as the US (Indo-American relations) became immersed in the nuclear exchange. If this were to happen it would cause a world war more destructive than any other war in history... thats why this is the most important.
ReplyDeleteThe next most pressing conflict would be in Afghanistan. This is mainly because a lot of our resources and money are going to this conflict rather than out own economy, with no end in sight its safe to say this war could go on for another ten years. In this case the affects on the US economy would be terrific. The next most important conflict would definitely have to be the Mexican drug war because this conflict could cause Mexico's government to fail. If this were to happen,. it would have huge affects on the US drawing our focus to our own territory rather than outside threats.
ReplyDeleteit was hard to narrow the most pressing issue, so i have three. the first is the border conflict in kashmir. this situation is potentially the most volatile of all conflict zones because both Pakistan and India are nuclear weapon states, and this conflict has the threat of becoming a nuclear war. the closest to all out war came in 1999 during the kargil conflict when pakistan military sent insurgents into the indian controlled kashmir to try and force a takeover of the area. heavy casualties were accounted for on both sides and further, the animosity between the two increased. the roots of this conflict go back to the split of british control over india. not only is it simply a border conflict, but the religious ideologies of the two countries is a factor to the volatility of the situation. if the conflict continues it will only result in greater tensions and deaths untill the brink of nuclear war.
ReplyDeletethe second issue that is most pressing is the Democratic republic of the congo. the complexity of the situation is what makes the situation volatile. with many different african countries involved and each backing different sides of the problem, with the DRC's corrupt government in alliance with Angola and Namibia and Zimbabwe, and the rebel militia groups backed by Uganda and Rwanda. the human rights violations and the use of child soldiers makes the matter more pressing and calls for intervention, however the need for materials such as coltan have made intervention unreasonable to other countries. the situation needs to be changed otherwise the conflict will continue to escalate.
the final issue of importance is the Afghanistan war. firstly, it affects the us directly and has not only cost many resources that could have been allocated elsewhere, but because it has been a nearly 10 year conflict with clouded goals and no success. the Afghanistan conflict has resulted in numerous deaths and i feel can be avoided if the us pulled out and ended the conflict
i completely agree with colin that the nuclear weapons factor is the most important.no only would the use of nuclear weapons affect the two contries directly with death tolls and destruction, but the global economy would suffer, neighboring countries would suffer, and the taboo on nuclear weapons would be destroyed. further colin stated that the use of nuclear weapons of two countries would create a domino effect and would lead other countries to also begin to use nuclear weapons. i feel this is 100% true and could result in the most devastating war time in history if this were to occur.
Like many others it is hard for me to determine which one I think is the most important. I am somewhere between the Afganistan conflict and the conflict in Congo. I think the Afganistan conflict is so important because since many countries are involved in this conflict and are trying to resolve it, it affects many countries not just one or two specific countries. I also think its the conflict in Congo because of the mass amount of deaths happening because of it. This conflict also affects many other countries because Congo's resources are needed all around the world, and without these resources many of our electronics we use today would not be possible.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do also agree with Talib that the Kashmir conflict is also a huge problem because if it did come down to a nuclear war. The nuclear bomb would affect almost all of Europe and Africa and possible other contenants as well.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the Mexican Drug War is the most pressing conflict to me. The reason being that this conflict Is happening so close to home that it could affect me because it could cause problems traveling to that part of our country. also with the amount of innocent mexicans and americans being kidnapped and killed this issue should not be taken lightly
ReplyDeleteI believe that the most pressing global conflict right now is the Mexican Drug war. The main reason for this is because it is so close to home. Battles are taking place right on our borders, and because of this, there is the potential to spill over into United States soil. I also believe that we should fix this problem because we are the ones who caused it. The drug addiction in America is providing all of the money that the Mexicans are after. If we can curb our addicition, then we can stop more violence from occurring.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Stacey said: the DR of the Congo would be my second chocie. All of the problems presented in this country are easily remedied, such as water and food and general medical help. If we are to help the Congo, which is quite possible, it will take minimal effort but will give a lot of help.
This post from Sam Crawford:
ReplyDeleteI am having technical difficulties with my computer and it wont let me sign on, I also tried posting it on the school computers but that failed also so here is my post since I have no where else to put it:
I think that all the conflicts are important and should all be made aware of but if I had to choose, my top 3 would be The Mexican Drug War, The Afghanistan Conflict and the DRC Conflict. My first choice is the Mexican Drug War because the war between the Drug Cartels and the Mexican Police is infecting their whole country with violence. The US contributes largely to this conflict because the Drugs are all being illegal sold to our country to feed our addiction. Almost 9,000 people have died and the Drug Cartels are making almost as much as some soda companies ( which ironically used to contain cocaine). This issue seemed the be covering the largest area out of all of them which stood out more to me because this means more people are being effected and it is harder to control. The efforts towards stopping this conflict is decreasing because cops are quitting and/or being injured or killed by the drug cartels. I think that because of the last two statements we should raise awareness on this conflict over some of the other ones to give all possible help to our neighbor.
Every one of these conflicts are without a doubt important and should all be adressed, but in my opinion the most important issue would be the Mexican Drug War. That is because it is really very close to our home, and it is mostly our fault. Being that it is so close, it could eventually have a much larger impact on us as Americans.
ReplyDeleteI definitly agre with Seans point. Although electronics are frequently bought and sold here in the United States, we also seem to buy and sell quite a lot of drugs. All that does in throw fuel in the fire and aid the cartels with a sufficient source of funding.
ReplyDelete