How Current Events Shape my Perspective

As an international student, you are bombarded with questions about your opinions of different topics comparing your country and the USA. That usually freaks you out. That’s why I decided to take this class, however I thought it would be the usual history class were you just read about facts and dates and then you forget. This class was not that kind at all. In this class I learned about very important facts among them how the media can manipulate people, how information needs to be digested and compared from different sources, how your perception can be manipulated and changed from one day from another, how to be objective and shape your political identity, the last being the most important in this course, from my point of view. I am now aware of the external world, specially the part I was not interested in; the Middle East and the Arab Spring which was really interesting and important to learn about.

 During this class, I learned to read and categorize information. I also learned to not believe in everything I hear, see or read. The important thing is to use your assumptions and take your own sides by being informed. I learned how to research and most important the importance of respecting others’ opinions. Their points of view count because you can learn from them especially when they talk from their own experience. I also learned to choose different sources, the ones that are less biased, and the neutral ones which show the news from different perspectives. 

 I even learned to know myself better. I was always confused about political and I was afraid to give my point of view. After this class, I learned that I was very political, liberal really liberal but that I can respect others points of views and sides. I discovered I am passionate about other cultures and also about the human rights. My idea of the USA government changed and knowing about the way they spend money and do secret stuff made me be more skeptical and critical.

 I really enjoyed this class most of the time but I would change the time pressure of the blogs and I would give more space to write them. I felt I didn’t know a thing when I had to write one. I tried to do my best but I couldn’t get to write the best in the class. I mean the ones that made the others comment or better the ones who made my professor to argue. However, I learned to write and to write about my point of view. That I will use in the future not just for classes , I will do it for fun and I think I am a more interesting person since I have discussed and write about the most important event that shape the world.

 In summary, this class was the best class I have taken in a long time. I really love to talk about the death penalty and the way this country is handling it. I love how people try to find the right punish for others and how biased they are depending of the victim and the aggressor. I also enjoy getting to know about gun control and all the consequences this fact has brought to the US. I could just keep on writing about the topics I liked. I can see all of them and I feel really satisfied with the methodology of this web class. I am pro web even most of my friends have had awful experiences I can say I really learned more than I was expected to learned.

Predator Drones:

Añadir leyenda

As we saw in 2005 in the creepy movie Stealth, a film that followed three top fighter pilots as they join a project to develop an automated robotic stealth aircraft, the U.S. is working hard in the use of unmanned machines. The controversial predator drones, which U.S. is using to take out suspicious people in the Middle East, they are like a flying army. Clearly, two events have contributed to this new chapter in pilotless aircrafts which began in February 2001 when the United States Air Force (USAF) successfully launched a missile from its Predator platform. Exactly, one month after the September 11th attacks, Predator drones became increasingly weaponized for use in Afghanistan, marking the first recorded deployment of armed drones. I personally agree with this kind of technology since it will be able to save thousands of U.S. soldiers’ lives, money and time. 

 However, the use of predator drones has caused a huge controversy around the world. In first place opponents argue about the large number of innocent victims of drones, particularly women and children with no connection to any terrorist group. Furthermore, they emphasize in the idea that as the U.S is not the only country that is working on the creation of this aircraft, there is an estimated of 680 drone programs around the world, China, for instance, is escalating its drone program, with at least 25 types of systems in development. This last fact can jeopardize U.S. security.

Whatever your point of view is, predator drones are our future. According to a congressional report, "manned aircraft have gone from 95% of all Defense Department aircraft in 2005 to 69% today." Over the next decade, the Pentagon expects the number of "multirole" drones that can both spy and strike. In the future, drones are projected to hang around just behind infantry soldiers to watch their backs; carry airborne lasers to intercept ballistic missiles; perform aerial refueling; and conduct long-range strategic bombing missions. This simply means drones will become cheaper, smaller, faster, stealthier, more lethal, and more autonomous.

Iran and the United States: a long way to go

 What is called Iran’s Nuclear Program was launched in 1950’s with the USA aid. However in 1979 the relation USA-Iran faded after the kidnapping of The American diplomats to the extent that in this moment U.S. and Iran do not have any diplomatic relations. Consequently after this break up and the election of Ayatollah Khomeini, the nuclear research decreased in Iran. Some years later, during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), some minor scale research started. Since then, Iran's nuclear program has included several research sites, two uranium mines, a research reactor, and uranium processing facilities that include three known uranium enrichment plants consequently in September 2011, the first nuclear plant in Iran was opened with the assistance of Russia. Naturally, countries such as U.S. and Israel are alarmed about the use that Iran can give to this power and as a result the relation between them and Iran is worse than ever. 

As a consequence, some questions should be taken into account. Does Iran plan to build a nuclear weapon, or just to develop nuclear energy? If Iran develops a nuclear weapon, what are the probable consequences? Would it outbreak Israel? How do Iranian people perceive this subject? How do they see the United States? Is it possible to discuss other issues on the U.S.-Iranian agenda, such as human rights and terrorism, simultaneously with the nuclear issue? Well, we really do not know. What is well known is that the one in charge of that decision is the religious Guardian council. Evidently, Iran claims to have the right to work on his Nuclear Program indeed this modern country needs some energy resources and most countries will have eventually to work on nuclear power someday. Moreover, the fact that Iran works with nuclear plants will give it the security to strength its position in its region. 

Nevertheless, the U.S. has to be cautions and intervene in this issue since it can be affected in many different ways. One of the most important, if Iran’s nuclear power is intended to create nuclear weapons this will attempt against U.S. national security and its closest allies for instance Israel. For that reason, The U.S. has to create a plan to act as smart as possible first trying to smooth things over and then creating a plan to work with them. If that is not possible, then The U.S. will need to use its Army to defeat Iran’s government because with Iran under the rule of the present government, the pursuit of nuclear power will never stop. Then by defeating this government The U.S. will bring peace and security to the Middle East and itself not only vanishing a possible Nuclear attack but also ending the regime that abuses its people human rights.