Politics Around The Globe

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経済的な観点においては、盛況していた１９９０年代には世界は今とは違い、インターネットによりすべてが変わると信じる人も多くいました。 １９７０年代早期から１９９０年代の早期にかけて年間平均が1.5％だった.生産性の伸びは、今では3％に近づいています。 ビル・クリントン大統領の2期目においては、製造部門の生産性は6％以上の伸びを記録することもありました。 連邦準備制度理事会議長であるアラン・グリーンスパンは、継続する生産性の伸びを見せる新経済について言及し、この背景にはインターネットによる古い経営方法の排他がありました。 そして国債が完全に処理されたのち、どのように.金融政策を実行すればいいかとさえ大々的に心配していました。 ジョージ・W・ブッシュ大統領の残した致命的な後遺症の規模に注目してみると、次期大統領は長期にわたる経済再生を行わなければならないことが分かります。 アメリカ経済に打撃を与える多くの事象があり、イラク戦争やグアンタナモ刑務所とアブグレイブ刑務所での失態、市民的自由の衰退などがその例として挙げられます。これらの事象からの影響は次期政権の任期後にも残ることでしょう。

Image Source:media3.washingtonpost.com

Sister Emmanuelle, a nun who lived for more than 20 years among scavengers in Cairo, died on Monday. She was 99. Sister Emanuelle has been compared to Mother Teresa. Both fought to defend the rights of the poor. She died in her sleep. She was living in a retirement home in Callian, France. She comes from Belgium. Sister Emmanuelle was moved with the lives of Cairo’s zabbaleen. Their garbage collectors. Through her works there, she established schools, clinics and gardens to serve the desolate children. Then she founded an association which now extends up to eight countries, from Lebanon to Burkina Faso. her work in Cairo was very crucial. and evidently, it is a great loss now that she is gone. Jewish and Muslim leaders in France expressed their sadness through emotional statements about her death. she will always be remembered as a woman of high convictions and also one of action.

Image source: www.vietnamgateway.org

The present Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has made some huge political blunders both internally and internationally such as bringing Thailand close to combating with Cambodia over the border line close to the Preah Vihear temple which was established in 1962 by the World Court. The Thai People always felt embittered about this and PM Samak had “solved” the problem in a one day meeting with the Cambodian leader about six months ago. There has been a military assemble up on the border near this temple in the last few months…
So … between the conviction and some actions and decisions that are not particularly cared for by the general population many Thai People are not pleased with the current Prime Minister. The opposition party is staging protests and has been for the past 3 or more months. Peaceful protesting is a healthy appearance of democracy, when the government allows people to express themselves in the open.

Myanmar’s Junta Chief Than Shwe revealed in his 15-minute speech in front of 13,000 soldiers in a ceremony to mark Armed Forces Day that civilians will take over the government after the elections in 2010, as soon as the constitution is approved. The said constitution will give broad powers to the military. However, neither the date as to when the proposed constitution will be presented to the public nor the schedule for a referendum to approve it was yet to be disclosed.

Chief Than Shwe made this announcement in Naypyidaw, the new capital of Myanmar, where foreign journalist were not allowed to cover the event. In fact, these media men were not denied visas, six months after the crackdown on Buddhist monks who led the pro-democracy protests.

Syria is holding its first Arab Summit this weekend amidst the boycott that plagues this event. Prime leaders from several countries refuse to attend the summit to express their anger over Damascus’ supposed role in the political crisis that Lebanon is currently facing. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Morocco will all be sending lower level officials to represent their respective countries in the summit. The political crisis in Lebanon has left the country with no successor since November of last year.

The Arab Summit that is taking place this weekend is expected to be attended by the 55 members of the Arab League.

United Nations Chief Ban Ki-moon advises the Israelis, Palestinians and the whole international community to increase efforts on peace settlement in these two nations this year. Ban is optimistic in reaching what he quoted as an ambitious goal. “If not now, when?” he said in the opening of the United Nations Security Council’s monthly debate on the Middle East. Ban furthered that it is very important to push for the peace process despite the violence that takes place and that it should lose the momentum. Israeli and Palestinian leaders who were present at the US-sponsored conference in Annapolis, Maryland to revive peace negotiations in November last year pledged to seek efforts to finally end the conflict that already spans six decades.

Arizona Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain warned Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, both Democratic presidential hopefuls, that the withdrawal of US troops in Iraq would be an “unconscionable act of betrayal and a stain on their character as a great nation.” McCain strongly supports the presence of American troops in Iraq. He and Clinton continue to disagree on this matter. On the other hand, he and current President George W. Bush, who also happens to be a Republican, share the same views in opposing the removal of US forces in Iraq.

John McCain is reported to be running near if not ahead of Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama in the national polls.

Illinois Senator and another Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama is having a dinner date with a 44-year old single mother from Indianapolis. The woman named Bonnie Locchetta, who donated $25 on one of Obama’s fundraising event titled “Intimate Dinner with Barack,” was among the four guests who were chosen to spend some time with the presidential candidate.

Kevin Griffis, Obama’s spokesman in Indiana, said that they chose Locchetta because she was one of the first-time donors and that the note that came along with her donation caught their attention. Griffis added that the dinner with Locchetta would give Obama an opportunity to talk to someone from Indiana.

New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and former US President Bill Clinton’s only child, Chelsea Clinton, has been a staunch supporter of the Democratic presidential candidate. She has been campaigning in almost 70 college campuses and joining fund raising activities to gather financial support for her mother’s presidential campaign.

In a fundraiser event that took place in a concert hall just two blocks away from the White House, Chelsea welcomed Hillary’s supporters. She introduced her mother by highlighting Hillary’s achievements and revealed her plans of boosting the economy and ending the war in Iraq.

Hillary Clinton is reported to have raised a net of $3 million from fundraising events at the end of last month.