SJS6- "India's Changing Political Fortunes"

Source: Sen, Ronojoy. "India's Changing Political Fortunes." Current History 113.762 (2014):
         131-136. Print.

Author: Ronojoy Sen is a senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore's Institute of South Asian Studies and Asia Research Institute.

Summary: In India the new elections are coming up and there is room for a change in the politics concerning the country. For most of India's time as a free country, the political party has been the Indian National Congress (INC). There are very few times in the history of the country where another party has dominated however now it seems that the tides are changing. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have recently dominated the country in the polls. It was expected that the BJP would overcome the INC, however the margins of victory were not expected. The BJP have put forth Narendra Modi as their face and he has been a larger than life leader for the party. He has the respect of Indians across the nation. This is what the article has been describing.

Analysis: Ronojoy is a credible source, as his background focuses on Asia and more specifically South Asia which is dominated by India. He makes a very strong argument that it may be time to put the INC onto the shelf and embrace the new party. He backs this up by providing facts from recent polls. He describes how the BJP is starting to control the congress in India as well as historical facts that put Modi at the top of the candidate list. I think that he presents his argument well and he has plenty of facts to back up his reasoning for making this statement.

PDP8- An Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico

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 text is translated from a preserved original copy in a Parisian museum. The author is anonymous, however it is known that they were a Native Mexican fighting against the conquering Spanish. At the time the new world was recently discovered and the Spanish were looking to regain their wealth they lost during the Reconquista. This meant capturing the native's land and colonizing the area. 
Summary: The document talked about the troubles that the natives faced while fighting the Spanish. There was a major moral factor, the natives believed that the Spanish were their gods. They had inferior arms compared to the Spanish. The native leaders left their soldiers and fled from battle. These were many of the reasons the natives didn't even stand a chance against the Spaniards.
Key Quotation: "Where are our Chiefs? They have fired scarcely a single arrow! Do they think they have fought like men?"

SJS8- "Overcoming Cuba's Internal Embargo"

Source:
Henken, Ted A., and Archibald R.M. Ritter. "Overcoming Cuba's Internal Embargo." Current History 114.769 (2015): 73-76. Print.

Author Credentials:
Ted A. Henken is chair of the Sociology and Anthropology Department and an associate professor of Black and Latino Studies at Baruch College in New York. He has also extensively studied Cuba's history and culture as well as its contemporary enterprises and economic status. Archibald R.M. Ritter is an emeritus research professor of economics and international affairs at Carleton University. Also, he has expertise in economic relations between developing countries and developed market economies. He has published several works regarding developments in Latin America, especially Cuba. They are coauthors of Entrepreneurial Cuba: The Changing Policy Landscape. Both of the authors' experience and knowledge prove them to be very qualified to discuss the current issues of Cuba.

Summary:
After the 2014 historic agreement between Presidents Barack Obama and Raúl Castro to restore diplomatic relations, the US embargo has began to crumble. Although there is now less of an external embargo on Cuba, it is just a matter of whether or not Castro and the Cuban government will relinquish its tight control over private enterprise and the Internet. Between 1996 and 2006, President Fidel Castro pursued an economic policy that gradually phased out of the pro-market reforms of the 1990s. When Raúl Castro became president in 2006, he eased this resistance to a degree and began to allow for small new enterprises to emerge. The Cuban government is also starting to support business education and implement entrepreneurship workshops as well as provide financial backing for small-business owners. Furthermore, in recent years, Cuba has seen some significant developments in information and communication technology capabilities, including internet access and uncensored news. Even though there have been these developments, the Cuban government has still placed many restrictions on service providers and the electronic gadget market. If American data, service, and hardware providers are given access to the Cuban market, the island's digital media environment will be significantly transformed. In conclusion, the US has opened gates for Cuba's economic and technological developments, and although Cuba has made progress towards being more globally interconnected, President Castro has imposed several difficulties on the country's efforts.

Analysis:
Overall, the authors provided a descriptive explanation of Cuba's internal embargo and how it has affected entrepreneurs as well as public Internet access. They explore the opposing views of the US and Cuba while clearly differentiating between fact and opinion, allowing for an unbiased article. I feel that the US has done everything they could to support Cuba and now it is up to the socialist government of Cuba to allow for increased private enterprise and Internet connectivity, which would allow for a vibrant economy.

SJS8- "Rebuild Haiti, Not Just Its Capital"

Source:
Maguire, Robert. "Rebuild Haiti, Not Just Its Capital." Current History 110.733  
    (2011): 81-82. Print. 

Author Credentials:
Robert Maguire is often classified as an expert in numerous areas including Haitian development and poverty and Caribbean populations. He earned a PhD in Geography from McGill University, an M.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Florida, and a B.A. in Social Studies Secondary Education from Trenton State College. In 2002, he served as Haiti Specialist in the State Department's Bureau of Western Hemispheric Affairs, making him exceedingly qualified to discuss topics relating to Haiti's government and population.

Summary:
On January 12th, 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti's capital and the areas surrounding it. The earthquake left approximately 7.8 billion dollars of economic damage, and initiated president Bill Clinton to underscore an important point that the whole country of Haiti must be aided, not just one part of it. Haiti's infrastructure is centered in the capital, Port-au-Prince, causing there to be large amounts of people from smaller secondary cities in Haiti moving to the capital every year. Because of this, the capital city is becoming increasingly dilapidated. The issue of improving Haiti was of great importance even before the 2011 earthquake. The Haitian government developed a post-earthquake plan that received large sums of money from donors, but it is still clear that there will be large imbalances in Haiti's development. Many who survived the earthquake left the capital city and fled to their families in Haitian villages. This put even more emphasis on the imbalance. Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive attempted to obtain humanitarian relief help, but by doing this in neighboring areas to the capital "Republic" there were less large financial human resource organizations because the aid was no longer centered in the capital. As predicted, many who fled the capital ended up returning. The devastating cholera outbreak of 2010 brought attention to an inequality in disease-prevention efforts as well. In order to improve all of Haiti, the Haitian government must take the lead and extend Haiti's recovery beyond Port-au-Prince.

Analysis:
The author was very efficient in not showing any clear bias or favoring Port-au-Prince over the rest of Haiti, or favoring the Haitian government over the humanitarian help organizations. His background is extensive in Caribbean studies, making all of his statements well supported with facts and figures. The only instances that the author would insert his opinion was when he would state what he believed would be the effect of specific actions taken by the Haitian government. Even with these predictions, there would be facts to support his declarations.

SJS7- Indonesia's Image and Reality

Source: Weatherbee, Donald. "Indonesia's Image and Reality." Current History 110.737 (2011): 249-50. Print.

Author Credentials: Prof. Weatherbee is a close Indonesia-watcher. He lived and taught in Indonesia for four years. Donald E. Weatherbee has been described as the dean of the American scholars of the international Relations of Southeast Asia. His new book (2005), International Relations in Southeast Asia: The Struggle for Autonomy caps more than four decades of teaching, writing, and analyzing politics and foreign policy in the region. He was awarded the U.S. Army’s Distinguished Civilian Service medal for his work on the post-Vietnam war profile of Southeast Asia “guiding senior Army planners in the redefinition of United States national strategy.”

Summary: Early in Indonesia's history, under their first president, it was viewed as a political and economical success story. They have overcome many obstacles once the fall of the authoritarian regime. Even today, Indonesia is still a powerful middle-power player on the international stage. However, there are still regional and domestic restrict the nation's progress. Indonesia is he worlds fourth most populous country with 240 million citizens. Nearly 90% of the population is pledged to Islam, making it the largest Muslim population. It also has a GDP of over $700 billion, and has the largest economy in Southeast Asia. However they still need greater infrastructure and education. There is also regional resistance within Indonesia itself. The members within Indonesia is also hurting it from the inside. This is the complete opposite of what it looks like to the international community. 

Analysis: Weatherbee provides a great discussion as to what Indonesia is and what it looks like. The points that he made about its international attention really explains how it looks from the outside. The large population and high GDP help it to look like a strong middle-power. However the focus on the inner Indonesia showed how the country is restricting itself from further progressing.  

SJS8 - Haiti and the Crisis Caravan

Source: Finan, William. "Haiti and the Crisis Caravan." Current History 112.751 (2013): 77-8. Print.

Author Credentials: William Finan is an author of many published works that are found in scholarly journals dealing with many areas of the world. Overtime, Finan became the editor of the journal and all in all still publishes his works throughout the series. He has traveled to many places and has experienced the lifestyles of many other across the world in which he uses throughout his articles.

Summary: Throughout this article, Finan talks about the book Farewell Fred Voodoo in which he believes summarizes the struggles Haiti is facing after the earthquake that hit it not too many years ago. There are people who are starving, unemployed, underpaid, don't have electrical services, etc. who live here and are struggling to survive. The earthquake left Haiti in great poverty in which Finan blames the United States for. William Finan says that it was the United States who backed out of supporting Haiti and leaving the country in a pit. This can be referred to 1915-34 when the U.S. left Haiti, taking their military and leaving them with less money and a corrupt governmental system. When the earthquake hit, the poverty only made things worse for Haiti. With next to no money, people who suffered were not getting the correct medical treatments and when celebrities showed up to "help" the country restore itself, it was seen as an insult to the who lived in Haiti. An example would be how Kim Kardashian showed up to help those struggling in clothing that was expensive while those who were living there wore worn-down fabrics. Many critics believed that it was publicity stunt for the celebrities own image as suppose to helping the country all in all.

Analysis: Finan provides a strong argument on the issues that the Haitian people face in today's world. Poverty and unemployment being among some of the major aspects that have shaped Haiti to this day. Finan is very supportive of the fact that the United States was the first to impact the country towards poverty by suddenly leaving Haiti and how now the country is extremely unstable.

PDP6 - The Azamgarh Proclamation

Author Bio: For this document, there is no specific author. There are, however, a group of rebels who were against the BEIC that composed the proclamation in the name of the grandfather of the king, Abul Ghazee. The rebels believed that using the grandson of the king of India would have gotten together a larger rally to protest the English rule occurring in India. Unfortunately, the rebels who formed the Azamgarh Proclamation realized that even with the help of the royal name, the proclamation all in all was rendered useless.

Date/Context: This proclamation was established in the late 18th century when the Mogul Empire fell. The writers(rebels), experienced the harsh times and felt the need that a new proclamation was necessary to get their country back on track.

Summary: This article is about the establishment of the Azamgarh Proclamation. Written by rebels to the British East India Company, the idea was to rally together more Muslims and Hindus who were against the de facto rule of the business in India. The proclamation states that those who are against the EIC were praised and protected by the "new government", the Badshiah, those who were supportive of the EIC ruling India were treated differently. The supporters of the rebels were granted land, free trade, higher posts and salary, etc. This was supposed to attract many others who either strived for a better life or who were against the EIC. They argued that the english were against both Hinduism and Muslim which is another reason as to why they are considered a threat the India. People who supported the EIC were stripped of their land, sent to prison with their entire family, and eventually executed under the rule of the new government.

Key Quotation: "Parties anxious to participate in the common cause, buy having no means to provide for themselves, shall receive their daily subsistence from me; and be it known to all, that the ancient works, oath of the Hindoos and the Mohammedans, the writings of the miracle-workers, and the calculations of the astrologers, pundits, and rammals, all agree in asserting that the English will no longer have any outing in India or elsewhere..."

SJS 8 - "Overcoming Cuba's Internal Embargo"

Source:

Henken, Ted A., and Archibald R.M. Ritter. "Overcoming Cuba's Internal Embargo."
Current History 114.769 (2015): 73-76. Print.

Author Credentials:

Ted A. Henken was previously the president of the Association for the Study of the Cuban Economy, and is now currently an associate professor of Sociology and Latin American Studies at the university of Baruch, New York. Archibald R.M. Ritter received his doctorate degree of development economics from the University of Texas, and specializes in development issues in Latin America, more specifically Chile and Cuba.

Summary:

This journal article is about the destruction of the United States – Cuba trade embargo, and how the next major step for Cuba is to release their own embargo that they placed upon themselves. The article begins by giving a brief background on the steps taken by Raul Castro, the current president of Cuba, to modernize the country. One example given by the authors was about how Cuba has been allowing its citizens to follow their entrepreneurial lifestyles. The authors then go on to talk about the opening up of the internet into the secluded island state. Henken & Ritter tell the reader about the new fiber-optic internet line that runs from Venezuela to Cuba, and the fact that there have been over 100 internet cafes opened throughout the country.

Analysis:

The authors of the article present a very strong argument as to where the Cuban government needs to go next in order to assimilate into the new modern world. They argue that the next step for the Cuban government would be to allow American investment and technology into the country. The authors provide sufficient evidence to support this, with a mini time line leading up to the present day (as of publishing). This allows them to present their next logical step for Cuba in a fluid manner.  

PDP8 - Slavery and the Slave Trade of Brazil

Author Bio:

Thomas Nelson, the author of this excerpt, provides firsthand experience about his journeys aboard the H.M.S. Crescent, a British ship used to search suspected slave transporting ships. His position on the ship was the surgeon and inspected the treatment and health of the illegal slave ships. Since this is a firsthand account there is bias present, however it helped describe the horrible treatment of slaves while they were transported across the ocean. I believe with these firsthand accounts he is more than qualified to discuss this topic.

Date/Context:

This article takes place in the 1840s during the ending of slavery in Brazil. Thomas Nelson was a surgeon who's job was to inspect possible illegal slave transport ships traveling to Brazil to sell slaves.

Summary:

Thomas Nelson was a surgeon aboard the H.M.S. Crescent who's job was to inspect the treatment of slaves being transported to Brazil illegally. He wrote about his one trip onto a illegal slave transporting ship and found horrific conditions. There were about five hundred people crammed in the ship. They had no room to eat or use the bathroom and had to stay confined in those quarters for weeks. When he entered the ship he said it smelled as if people were rotting, this is because they were. People were so close together that many would suffocate or die of various diseases and be left there. He stresses that this is an ongoing problem and is cruel and inhumane.

Key Quotation:

"The stench on board was nearly overwhelming. The odor of the negroes themselves, rendered still stronger by their filthy and crowded condition, the sickening smell of the suppurating stage of smallpox..."

PDP 6 - Two Nations

Author Bio: Muhammad Ali Jinnah is the leader of the largest religious minority, which is the Muslims. He was also leader of the Hindu militancy who spawned the emergence of the Muslim League. Jinnah was a prominent attorney and an early leader of the Congress Party. He may have some bias due to the fact that he was the leader of the Muslims, who were the religious minority. This may cause him to be sensitive to religious discrimination and also exaggerate events to make sure that his followers were always in the right.

Date/Context: The document discusses the events that occurred during 1930s within India. For decades the British government and Parliament have brought up and created settled ideas about India's future. British had produced the constitution that was envisaged in the Government of India Act of 1935, which was a serious blunder. The Hindus and Muslims are in conflict because of there different cultures.

Summary: Islam and Hinduism are at a disagreement. The Hindus do not understand the real nature is Islam. They both have distinct and different social orders, and it is a far fetched idea that Hindus and Muslims can evolve into a common nationality. Jinnah discusses the idea of a common nationality is near to impossible and will be the cause of most of your troubles. It will lead to India's destruction if they are unable to revise their ideas in time. He continues, The Hindus and Muslims belong to two different religious philosophies, social customs, and literature. Jinnah also says that Muslim India cannot accept any constitution that will result in a Hindu majority government.

Key Quotation: "To yoke together two such nations under a single state, one as a numerical minority and the other as a majority, must lead to growing discontent and final destruction of any fabric that may be so built up for the government of such a state"

SJS7 - China's Bullying No Match for US Pacific Power

Source: Cumings, Bruce. "China's Bullying No Match for US Pacific Power." Current 

     History 113.764 (2014): 245-51. Print.  

Author Credentials: Bruce Cummings is a renown intellect in the field of foreign relations

 and international studies.

 With this being said, he has written numerous books concerning the region of Asia. He is a 

professor of history at the 

University of Chicago.

Summary: The article offers an interesting assessment of China's role in the Pacific 

concerning U.S. dominance. 

The author compares and provides many examples of U.S. and Chinese capabilities, 

analyzing economic, military, or political factors 

that contribute to a Chinese inferiority 

to U.S might in the region. With this 

being said, the author also highlights 

many reasons that make the Pacific a "U.S. Lake." Cummings' also mentions

 Japan and it's role in the "containment" of China. Such provides 

interesting context when looking at the 

events going on in the South China Sea and indeed formulating strategies in 

confronting China over it's aggressive actions.  

Analysis: Cummings listed many good points that analyzed both the historical 

context and the realty of today. 

Such remarked upon factors that make China second to the United States. 

It was refreshing to have an 

expert opinion on the topic. Cummings was subjective, and provided a 

powerful insight into the actualities of the situation. 

I apologize in advanced for the format. Ask me if I know how to fix it. 

SJS 8 - The Long Struggle for Mexican American Rights

Source: Alexandra Délano. "The Long Struggle for Mexican American Rights." Current History Vol. 114, Issue No. 769. February 2015. Pg. 77-79. 

Author Credentials: Alexandra Delano is very qualified to provide an unbiased account of information regarding the struggle for Mexican rights in the United States because she is an assistant professor of global studies at the collegiate level. She also acquired her doctorate's degree from Oxford University in the field of international relations, which involves human interactions such as immigration and foreign rights. Being involved in teaching related subjects as well, I found this woman to appear to be very qualified and informative, reinforcing the validity of the article. 

Summary: The author argues that despite the relatively large minority that Mexicans compose in the population of the United States, the Mexican-American people are not fairly represented, are granted less rights, and face racial discrimination. She reinforces her argument by stating that although the Mexicans in the U.S. are the second largest Hispanic population in the world and are predicted to rise to approximately one third of the U.S. population by 2060, it is wrong that Spanish has not become a second official language, which she believes is unfair. As perceived in the public eye, Mexicans are hard working manual laborers, and are considered to only be of use when concerning "busy work" which may be regarded as below the white men. Many Americans also grow wary of the increasing Mexican population in America, and are fearful of a revolution, in which the Hispanics fight to regain their previously owned territory. Despite the Mexicans' supposed unfair treatment in the United States, the author, who appears to be of Hispanic descent, strongly believes that Mexicans provide much cultural, political, and economic contributions to the United States. 

Analysis: Yes, it is evident that the author makes a strong argument in supporting the equality of rights for Mexicans in the United States, but her personal background and tone of voice contributes negatively to the article, providing readers with what I would consider a difficult to support argument. Being of Hispanic descent herself, and myself being of non-Hispanic descent, it is inevitable for disagreements to arise, as both parties will bring forth bias alongside their arguments, oftentimes relating back to their origins and beliefs based on their race. 

PDP7 - The Vietnamese Declaration of Independence

Author Bio: Ho Chi Minh was a famed Vietnamese nationalist leader, founder of both the French and Vietnamese Communist parties. When writing Vietnam's Declaration of Independence, he sought to make his country free from French rule and away from a dark, colonial history.

Date/Context: The document marks the emergence of a new brand of thinking in the aftermath of World War II. Still prior to the Cold War, Ho Chi Minh had received U.S. aid in the fight against Japan. With this being said, Ho Chi Minh was a Communist, yet instilled both many U.S. and French values in his Declaration.

Summary: The Declaration basically highlight's Ho Chi Minh's grievances against the French and colonialism as a whole. It specifically points out key instances, mentioning forces present at the end of World War II, like the Japanese, French, and the U.S. Minh forms a bold statement on behalf of the Vietnamese people of their freedom and rights to be independent.

Key Quotation: ''…we repeal all the intentional obligation that France has so far subscribed to on behalf of Vietnam and we abolish all the special rights the French have unlawfully aired in our Fatherland."

PDP8- Second Declaration of Havana Cuba

Author Bio: Fidel Castro when he made this declaration had recently led a revolt against the government of Cuba, he succeeded and overthrew the old government and established a communist government. He felt that the rest of the countries in the Western Hemisphere should follow his and Cuba's example because he did not believe in the governments in the west such as the United States and felt like they should recognize him and his country.

Date/Context: February 4th 1962, this was soon after Cuba became a Communist country, the only communist country in the Western Hemisphere. Castro was threatening the other countries in the Western Hemisphere and challenging them to accept his country as a communist government.

Summary: Castro is sending out his declaration defending his statements about revolutions he felt should be taking place in other Western Hemisphere countries. He says that his revolution was led by the people and that other countries should follow Cuba's example and their people should revolt against governments that Castro felt limited the people.

Key Quotation: "Revolutions are not exported; they are made by the peoples."

PDP 8 - The True History Of The Conquest Of New Spain

Author Bio:
Bernal Diaz del Castillo used to be a soldier during the conquest of the Aztec's who joined Hernán Cortés. Diaz was only 18 years old when he left Spain for the New World and had journeyed to Cuba as well as the Yucatan peninsula before the conquest with Cortés. Diaz accompanied Cortés to Honduras for an expedition in which failed after Diaz's conquest in Mexico. In Central America, Diaz wrote The True History of the Conquest of New Spain because he believed other written accounts did not describe an accurate representation of the conquest in New Spain.

Date/Context:
Between the time of 1552 to 1568 C.E. it was the conquest of New Spain between the Aztec's and the Spaniards. From a previous article, it described how the Spaniards defeated the Aztec's and wanted to look for revenge, but again the Spaniards destroyed the Aztec's and then the Aztec's thought to themselves that the the God of the white men is stronger than theirs. This was also a period where various merchandises were sold. For instance, they sold gold, silver, precious stones, feathers, cloth, embodied goods, and many others such as ointments.

Summary:
In the text, it describes the great square which showed lots of people, merchandises being displayed, and most importantly the productivity and efficiency. Each specific merchandise had its own place in which they were to be sold. Many goods were sold varying from gold, silver, and precious stones to slaves, clothing, and certain ointments. Diaz, his captain, and his crew went to the top of the cu where they met Montezuma and saw the entire view of the great city. Montezuma showed them the gods within the temples and each giant figure which was covered with precious stones, gold, and pearls, but had a evil look to them. Diaz's captain told Montezuma, "Lord Montezuma, I do not understand how such a great prince and wise man as yourself can have failed to come to the conclusion that these idols of yours are not gods, but evil things--devils is the term for them." Montezuma felt offended because captain Malinche had disrespected his gods because it has proved them, "...health, water, good seed-times and weather, and all the victories we desire."

Key Quotation:
"Montezuma agreed, but he said that before he left he had to pray and make certain offerings to atone for the great sin he had committed in permitting us to climb the great cu and see his gods, and for being the cause of the dishonor that we had done them by speaking ill of them."

SJS7 - "Policy Approaches to Addressing Aboriginal Social Inclusion in South Australia"

Source: Robbins, Jane. "Policy Approaches to Addressing Aboriginal Social Inclusion in South Australia." Australian Journal of Social Issues 50.2 (2015): n. pag. Student Resources in Context. Web. 2 Jan. 2016.

Author Credentials: The author of this article, Jane Robbins, organized the document in a similar manner as to a scientific investigation, providing a brief summary at the beginning, an introduction, an analysis, and a conclusion. In addition, the sources used in the journal are credible, such as the speech from 1992 that was quoted in the introduction. However, no information is provided in the document pertaining to Robbins's previous articles and accomplishments. Despite this fact, the information in the document is presented professionally and intelligently.

Summary: This article addresses the current status of the indigenous population in Australia, discussing the extreme disadvantage these individuals face, and the political policies that are meant to take the ‘social inclusion’ approach. The Social Inclusion Initiative has extended assistance to the homeless, and although it helps a certain percentage of Aboriginals, Robbins commented that not all of the indigenous peoples are homeless. She discussed how several other projects in the Social Inclusion Initiative do not specifically target help towards the Aboriginals, and instead label the people it helps into groups, such as people who did not complete their schooling or those who have broken the law more than once. Thus, the original problem is not being completely addressed,

Analysis: The author makes a firm, strong argument that the policies put in place do not divert enough attention to the Aboriginals in Australia. Robbins thoroughly examined every aspect of these policies in her article, providing reference to other sources through parenthetical documentation where necessary. This source is credible because it exhibits an extensive amount preparation from research and information gathering, leaving an expanded works cited and a consideration for countries that not have been previously attuned to the situation. This means that Robbins covered every basis for her article, including background details, which described the problem at hand, before outlining the flaws in its solution. 

PDP7 - Speech to a Mass Rally at the Shwedagon Pagoda

Author Bio: This speech was given by Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy, who was known for her leadership in the democratic opposition. She was the daughter of a Burmese nationalist and was commonly perceived as her father's "alter ego"; Aung San Suu Kyi stated that she felt as though it would not be acceptable if she did not assist in the fight for democracy, being that she was the daughter of an esteemed politician. The information in the speech is reliable because Aung San Suu Kyi outright distinguished the difference between the facts and her personal opinions. She spoke in favor of human rights and unity, taking on an important political and cultural leadership role in world history.

Date/Context: Aung San Suu Kyi delivered this speech in 1988. Historically, the speech marked the start of her campaign against the military regime in Burma. Her description of the situation in Burma at the time in which she gave this speech illustrated that the people, particularly students, had been protesting against the one-party rule in their country for quite some time, and that there was some blood shed already. It also seemed that some of the people in Burma had been questioning Aung San Suu Kyi's ability to lead them to their ultimate goal, democracy, and that her understanding of Burmese politics was impaired; This led Aung San Suu Kyi to address the people's concerns about herself during the speech. Globally, this campaign for a democratic political system may have caused another push for freedom in countries that were still under authoritarian rule.

Summary: In this speech, Aung San Suu Kyi asked the people of Burma to listen to her solution to end one-party rule and how to implement democracy into their country. She addressed the people's concerns over her past participation in Burmese politics, or lack of it, by explaining details of her personal life and why she decided to return to politics after previously isolating herself from it. Aung San Suu Kyi reinforced the idea of unity throughout her speech, providing evidence of how they were only going to achieve all of their goals if they stand together. She explains the rift between the people and the army, highlighting how the army needs to become a force that the people can trust and rely upon, as per the army's original purpose.

Key Quotation: '"I would like to reiterate our emphatic demands and protests, namely that we have no desire at all for a referendum, that the one-party system should be dismantled, that a multi-party system of government should be established, and we call for free and fair elections to be arranged as quickly as possible.'"