Geneva Conventions

The idea of having a support system for all wounded soldiers is not exactly out of the box thinking, but the fact that this guy Henry Dunant came up with the idea in 1859 is pretty revolutionary. The Red Cross is a pivotal support system in war zones because if all those wounded and sick go untreated, the death tolls in war zones would be much more extensive. I think the most important aspect of the Geneva Conventions, however, is the recognition of all those affected by war who do not participate in the hostilities (civilians). It is important to protect the rights of civilians and do as much as possible to keep them safe from the hostilities because they already have some of the liberties taken away by war time.

war pictures

If anyone is interested, here is the link to an article about the pictures we discussed in class today. It turns out the pictures were published on the cover. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4964024/


also, here are the links to the actual pictures. at least two of them.

http://www.apfn.org/APFN/soldiers-coffins.jpg

http://slapnose.com/images/blog/0404/0404_coffins400x496.jpg

I think that it is a good thing they were published. They depicted the truth (anti-war and/or memorial).

Humanitarian Challenge in Iraq

So at the end of the reading there were suggestions for the government of iraq, the military forces, and the NGO's that are involved in the country, and as nice as all of these suggestions were, I found them to be rather unfeasible. I mean first, what government of iraq? and how much respect will the troops really gain for the citizens and their property and "essential infrastructure".

Also did anyone else hear about how mccain confused sunni and shite in a speech last week in iraq??? (what?)

In Class Thingy

Hey guys, so I guess no one really seemed too motivated about returning to discussion on the wiki. It also appears that little discussion has occurred on the blog as well. Below is the proposed draft resolution 2.1 which we will be voting on today:

The Asian Summit on the Rights of Women and Children,

Recognizing the growing issue of both human trafficking and prostitution that exist in high frequencies throughout greater Asia;
Noting with great concern the colossal violation on human rights that has for too long been ignored by members of the international community;
Hoping to bring an end to the gross injustice that is human trafficking and prostitution;
Calls for the stricter enforcement of international borders, so as to reduce the number of trafficked humans;
Declares prostitution as illegal and a punishable offense;
Proposes internationally adopted ‘zero tolerance policies’ that will address the
issue of human trafficking and prostitution with judicial zeal;
Stresses the need for better and more consistent education for women, in hope that more educated women will be at less of a risk for human trafficking and exploitation;
Suggests the implementation of a system aiding the safe deportation of previously trafficked person, current illegal aliens, to their country of origin;
Suggests further, as part of the previous clause, that rehabilitation and reeducation facilities for victims of human trafficking and similar exploitation be instituted in countries of destination.

If there is something you want to add or remove, either post it (boost your online grade) or just bring it to class. I have enjoyed doing this mock summit meeting so far, although I think it would have been better if the summit was our only academic focus and we could likewise divert all our time and efforts to it rather than give it a small fraction of our efforts like we have been doing. I think this week has been crazy for all of us, and the product of our labors for this summit is not equal to that which we are capable of given rest and reliquished of stress. Nonetheless, it has been a good show and I look forward to our next one.

wiki?

we arent posting on the wiki are we? i cant find anyone's post?

Children & Poverty

An interesting Op-Ed piece appeared in the New York Times this morning, responding to a new study that shows the long-term developmental effects of poverty on children. I'd be interested to know, does this new science affect how we think about the American ideal of social mobility? What new problems does this raise for the improvement of education in developing nations, where poverty rates are much higher?

Dut Deng's Visit

I would just like to thank all of those who got Dut Deng to our campus. I really enjoyed his speech and what he had to say last night in school house. I think the entire school reacted very well to the whole situation and seems like everyone is willing to help him. Now that everyone has a taste of what is going on in Sudan i think it would be a good idea to do another fundraiser for Sudan, instead this time we support Dut Deng and his clinic. I would be willing to help with this one of someone would like to help me organize it. Maybe a jeans day or something this spring?? If anyone has any ideas let me know. I feel that the campus would be much more supportive now that they have met an actual lost boy. Again thanks to those who brought Dut Deng.