RQ - Poverty in Africa

What poverty and health issues impact Zimbabwe and how have these issues influenced the international community?

RQ - Greece's Financial Status

How Is Greece's financial status affecting international relationships and how other country wide financial issues will be dealt with in the future?

RQ - Syrian Refugee Crisis

How has the European Union reacted to the entrance of the Syrian refugees? 

RQ - Women in India

What is the status of women in India and how does their status impact the society?

RQ - ISIS

How have the goals and tactics of ISIS impacted the international community?

RQ - Boko Haram

What are the local socio-political effects of Boko Haram's actions? How do their actions effect the global community?

RQ- Military Drones

How does American military drone usage in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia affect the stability of these countries?

RQ - Equity of Disabled People

What are the social statuses of disabled people in the Middle East?

RQ - al Shabab

How does the al Shabab influence the global community with respect to the "War on Terror" Paradigm?

RQ Taliban

What is the Taliban, what have they done, and how has their diplomacy evolved?

RQ- North Korea
Question: How is the current socio-economic and the political situation of North Korea affecting the citizens and why is the treatment of the citizens a global concern?

RQ: Cuba, Communist Dictatorship and Foreign Relations

How has the communist dictatorship and subsequent deteriorating relationships between Cuba and other countries affected the international community as a whole?

RQ - France: religion, reaction to Paris

How does France's religious secularism detriment or expand the country's policies on terrorism?

RQ - South China Sea Disputes

How does island claiming and/or land reclamation in the South China Sea correspond with both the identity and sovereignty of China?

RQ- Civil War in Yemen

What caused the civil war to start in Yemen, and how does it affect the surrounding nations today?

SJS 5 - "Is Vietnam on the Verge of Change?"

Source: London, Jonathan D. "Is Vietnam on the Verge of Change." Current History 
     September (2015): 229-35. Print. 
Author Credentials:  Jonathan D. London is an assistant profesor of the sociology at the City University of Hong Kong. He is also the editor of Politics in Contemporary Vietnam. This makes him qualified to write about the topic because studying sociology helps him understand the social changes within Vietnam, which would help him better understand how the changes in different fields in Vietnam affect the social community.

Summary: After the end of the American War, specifically 4 decades after, the Vietnamese and their ruling party came face to face with a series of big problems about the country's economic control and its political direction. They were about the present and future plans of civil and social rights. Along with, foreign relations and national security. As many watched these problems develop in these fields it was easy to understand the complexities that were needed to solve them. And hopefully those solutions to these big problems are what will drive Vietnam into change. In more recent years, the country has experienced an economic increase and the people have become more vocal and insisting on a more responsible government.

Analysis: The article is very well written and I enjoyed how he wrote about the post-war recovery developments and the current developments to prove his argument that, in fact, Vietnam is on the road towards change. The author does not include many opinions and states many facts, which leaves the questions that are asked in the introduction to be answered by the reader for themselves. 

PDP 5 - "The People's Democratic Dictatorship"

Author Bio: Mao Zedong was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and the founding father of the People's Republic of China. He served as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China since its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. He developed many Marxist-Leninist theories as well as military strategies and political policies that were collectively referred to as Mao Zedong Thought.

Date/Context: On June 30, 1949, Mao gave this speech in commemoration of the Chinese Communist Party's 28th anniversary. The Communist Party in China has grown and developed during this time. They have experienced many hardships, including domestic and foreign enemies. However, they view Marxism-Leninism as a face of change.

Summary: In this speech, Mao discussed the People's Democratic Dictatorship, how it relies on the working class to thrive, and how they viewed the Soviet Union as a role-model in communism. Mao looks at the Communist Party of the Soviet Union as a role-model. Under the energetic leadership of Lenin and Stalin in Russia, the world's first socialist state was formed. The Chinese then entered into a new era of thinking and saw Marxism-Leninism as a universally applicable truth. Because China was under imperialistic oppression, it could not have a bourgeois republic; therefore, they formed a people's republic led by the working class. Mao goes on to admit to being dictatorial due to his experience that will help to enforce the people's democratic dictatorship. The people's democratic dictatorship is based on the alliance between the working class, the peasants, and the urban bourgeoisie. The transition from New Democracy to socialism depends mainly upon this alliance.

Key Quotation: "The Communist Party of the Soviet Union is our best teacher and we must learn from it. The situation both at home and abroad is in our favour we can rely fully on the weapon of the people's democratic dictatorship, unite the people throughout the country, the reactionaries excepted, and advance steadily to our goal".

Letter to King George III

Author Bio:
Ch'ien-lung is an 83 year old emperor, whose rule was from 1735 to 1795.  He ruled China even until his death in 1799, but as a retired ruler.  He was born in 1711.
Date/Context:
With the Canton System, British were feeling confined.  The Canton System was the way of trading in China, which went through 13 companies that were selected by the government.  These companies were given legal responsibilities over the trade in China.  There was a letter sent to Ch'ien-lung in hope that he would make the difficulties on British merchants be lessened.  The British failed, as the court believed them to be giving presents to Ch'ien-lung for his birthday.  This letter was written in 1793.
Summary:
The emperor is stating what had happened before he rejects all of the requests of the British, giving reasons as backing to his choices.  These requests to have the British control their own trade and to have an ambassador in the court.
Key Quotation:
"Yesterday your Ambassador petitioned my Ministers to memorialize me regarding your trade with China, but his proposal is not consistent with our dynastic usage and cannot be entertained."

PDP 5 - Te-Tao Ching

Author bio: The author of "Te-Tao Ching" is said to be Lao-Tzu, a Chinese scholar who lived from approximately 570-490 B.C.E. Although it is not for certain, he is thought to have been in contact with Confucius, and must have therefore been respected as a wise scholar. Today, many still regard Lao-Tzu as the father of Taoism, an old chinese religion established around Lao-Tzu and his ideas about "the way" and of "virtue". I believe that there may be some bias towards his writings because he must be an advocate of his personally established religion, but on the other hand, his knowledge of Taoism and his own "Te-Tao Ching" make him a reliable source for the information.

Date/Context: This document was written around 500 B.C.E. by a man named Lao-Tzu, who developed his religious ideas about Chinese culture into modern day Taoism. The "Te-Tao Ching" revolves around two central points, the Tao, and the Te. Tao, meaning the way, as in the way of life, and Te, meaning virtue. The piece is written in a traditional, poetic manner and involves supernatural aspects of the connections between Heaven and Earth. Although this was written so many years ago, I believe that it still holds sociohistorical and geopolitical significance because the ideas spread through the piece allowed for the development of Taoism in China. If these ideas were perhaps rejected or never came to be spread, then the religion of Taoism would never have came to be, displaying its lasting sociohistorical significance. The "Te-Tao Ching" also is a reflection of the era's geopolitics, in that there are examples of Chinese culture and traditions from around 500 B.C.E. Overall, the texts shared by Lao-Tzu have come to be a symbol of Taoist roots, giving it immense cultural and historical significance, in particular to the Chinese.

Summary: The "Te-Tao Ching" was a traditional poetic style piece of writing produced by an ancient Chinese man by the name of Lao-Tzu in the 6th century B.C.E. The main ideas of the short piece revolve around cultural beliefs, and the natural way of life. The beliefs of Taoism are represented through this very writing, telling the followers of Taoism to become one with the Heavens and Earth, and to live in peace and tranquility with the world.

Key Quotation: "If you're one with the Tao, to the end of your days you'll suffer no harm.

PDP 5 - Analects

 Author Bio: Confucius was a Chinese teacher and philosopher, who lived from 551 – 479 BC. He was most likely in the knightly social class, which was right below the aristocrats. When Confucius died, he was given the title of Divine Sage, which meant that his teachings and statements were infallible.

Date/Context: The Analects were written and compiled at around 475 BC, meaning that they were created after Confucius' death. The Analects are a compilation of Confucius' teachings, which range from social philosophies to political philosophies.

Summary: This excerpt contains sections from books II and IV of the Analects. Book II is focused around the government. Confucius, referred to as “Master,” states that the government should rule the people through moral force, allowing them to keep their own free will. Also in book II, Confucius talks about the relationships between parents and children, and how the children should always respect and listen to their patents. In book IV, he talks about the qualities and characteristics of a gentleman, stating that a true gentlemen would never quit the way of 'Goodness,' and would also be “slow in word but prompt in deed.”

Key Quotation: “The Master said, He who sets to work upon a different strand destroys the whole fabric.”

PDP 5 - "Hagakure"

Author Bio: Yamamoto Tsunetomo was a scribe to a samurai named Nabeshima Mitsushige. He looked up to a Zen Buddhist Monk and a Confucian scholar as a child. This caused him to fully understand the traditions of the cult of the samurai. When his master died, Yamamoto became a Buddhist priest and dictated the words to The Book of the Samurai to his scribe.

Date/Context: The Book of the Samurai was written in 1716, and therefore describes the changes of a samurai's environment during the end of Japan's Civil War. This gave the author insight into the changing life of the samurai warrior and his duties. The writing also describes the code, or set of rules, that a samurai warrior lived by during this time period.

Summary: The writing stresses the importance of the Way of the Samurai. According to the author, people are unaware of it's contents and importance in a samurai's lifestyle. According to the list of reasons and codes described by the author, a warrior must die when achieving his goal in life in order to die a just and dignified death, a retainer must put his master above everything, one must think selflessly when making a decision, one can only tell another about his faults discretely and after they become trusted acquaintances, sneezing and yawning are considered disrespectful, women should be loyal to their husbands like retainers are to their masters, and that a person gains respect through manners. According to the author, these rules were the standard expectations of people during the time period in which it was written.

Key Quotation: "Although it stands to reason that a Samurai should be mindful of the Way of the Samurai, it would seem that we are all negligent."

Identifying Themes in Chinese History

Review the "Considering China" VoiceThread to identify trends and themes in China's history.

• Traditional Authority
• External Pressures
• Western Imperialism

Be sure to include specific details to support your argument.

SJS4- "The Catastrophic Greek Crisis"

Source: Matsaganis, Manos. "The Catastrophic Greek Crisis." Current History Mar. 2014: 110-16. Print.

Author Credentials: Manos Matsaganis is an Associate Professor of European Social and Employment Policies at Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB). He is also the Coordinator of the Policy Analysis Research Unit at AUEB. He has served as Special Advisor to the Greek government’s Office of the Prime Minister and the Office of the Finance Minister.

Summary: In this article, the author argues that the outrage and crisis in Greece were caused by corrupt government officials and deep recession. To begin, Greece has a corrupt judicial system that lacks integrity to Greek citizens. In a recent ruling, the Judicial Pay Court decided on salary cuts for nearly all government professions except for themselves, ruling that pay cuts on the judicial system is unconstitutional. Another recent case violated Greece's interpretation of freedom of speech by ruling a 10-month sentence on a blogger who voiced his opinion on Greece's government. Also, more public outrage resulted from corrupt government officials. The former Transport Minister was caught using European Union structural funds (meant to build up Greece's tourism industry) for personal use. The minister of defense was sentenced for money laundering and a former mayor was given a life sentence for embezzlement. Furthermore, public outrage resulted from the rapid increase in Greece's financial deficit and the deep recession that resulted. In 2009, the PASOK government announced that the budget deficit was 15.6% as apposed to the 3.7% recorded earlier. In conclusion, the outrage and backlash in Greece are results from government corruption and deep financial recession.

Analysis: After reading this article, I feel that the author strongly supported his thesis of the outrage and crisis in Greece being caused by corrupt government officials and deep recession. Matsaganis uses several strong details and examples to support each of his statements. His details are slightly biased towards the side of the public; however, he uses strong evidence, including facts and statistics, to support his points. He also presents a variety of informative details (ranging from economical to political and social), allowing the reader to gain a well-rounded understanding of the topic. After analyzing this article and informing myself of the author's credentials, I can confidently conclude that this is a reliable source.

PDP 4 - "Communist Manifesto"

Author's Credentials:  Mark A. Kishkansky completed his undergraduate degree at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1970. He proceeded to graduate study under David Underdown at Brown University, receiving his M.A. in 1972 and his PhD in 1977.
Date and Context: The Communist Manifesto was written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels as a platform for their new international workers organization, The Communist League. It suggests that workers do not belong to a nation and that they should overthrow the upper class because it is the working class that provides for the upper class. This document is what fuels contemporary Russia. It gave them a desire for their Bolshevik Revolution where they got rid of their royal familly. This revolution has shaped a large majority of the worlds modern and contemporary history.
Summary: This document is mainly focused on explaining the motives of communism. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel wrote it for the Communist League as a platform for its cause. Kishkansky gives a brief biography about Marx's upbringing before providing the text of the manifest. The document says that it is important for the working class to unite. That they are not bound to a nation and need to rise up against middle and upper classes because it will not happen otherwise.

Key Quotation: "The Communists are further reproached with desiring to abolish countries and nationality. The workingmen have no country."