POLS170 Blog Group 0203

  William M Kernodle Professor Shirk Pols 170 20 March 2022 Fourth Blog The influence Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have on world issues has the potential to be quite the double edged sword. On one hand, organizations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation or the Red Cross have demonstrated a massive capacity to provide aid and do good for the marginalized citizens of the world. On the other hand, they operate with little to no oversight and are not necessarily beholden to any authority. Throughout my blog I will explore whether NGOs are a net benefit or if they're more of a risk than they're worth.  A major part of what makes NGOs such an asset is that they are free from the bureaucracy of government that almost always results in slow, delayed action. For example, the Red Cross does not have to get approval from anyone to provide aid to hurricane victims. Similarly, foundations do not need to ask permission to work on cancer research for years and years. Anothe...

  Henry Graff  International Politics Blog 4 The universality of all human rights is seemingly an impossible goal, and might be undesirable. As a result of the intrinsic moral foundations, human rights will always spark controversy. In theory, one might idealize a standard global system of human rights, establishing a baseline for moral judgment in said state or institution. However, the versatility of rights and their implications, coupled with differing societal and cultural norms, makes this very challenging. Some rights geared to modern social issues, such as the rights to internet access or clean and sustainable environments, are good examples of this issue. Not in question until relatively recent years, such rights are justified by continual human development to argue that human rights “must start at the source of social problems” relative to their time period (McGaughey). Thus, the integration of access to knowledge, clean environments/climate, and economic equality int...

  Blog Post #4 - POLS170 LoBue, Gaby The World Bank’s Role in Artisanal Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo Artisanal mining practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been a controversial topic amongst many international organizations due to the harsh and sometimes fatal working conditions the Congolese citizens endure. Organizations like the World Bank have been advocates of reforming the mining industry to ensure the safety of the citizens. Their approach to this situation, like many of their other initiatives, have been ineffective due to their weak efforts to fix their economic structure and their inability to control external corporations who control the mines. The Democratic Republic of Congo is flourishing with cobalt, a metal that is vital for the production of electric vehicles. Cobalt is used by automakers to extend the battery life while being climate friendly, which is a major trend for the future of the automotive industry. Over two-thirds of the world’s...

  Reed Klein Professor Shirk  POLS 170: International Politics 4/20/22 Why Globalization is great for the world but bad for America This is not an American politics class, but I am an American so writing about this topic from this perspective makes a whole lot of sense to me. My argument is simple, globalization is a positive thing for the world, as it helps to spread the skills and technology of wealthier nations, to the more impoverished ones. The issue for America though is that globalization has caused American work to be outsourced to many of these impoverished nations where it can be done for cheaper. Well-paying labor jobs are far fewer in abundance today in 2022 than they were just a few decades before, and I believe globalization is partly to blame for that. Politicians of all nations look to cut corners by any means necessary, regardless of whether they say they want to spend or save money. This is why American politicians in the late 20th and early 21st centuri...

Kim Magnotta April 15, 2022 Professor Shirk  Greenpeace and Bansky: Save or Delete Campaign :  Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) attempt to raise public awareness for a variety of topics through different artistic mediums. The visual arts provide a valuable method for NGOs to influence everyday citizens in a memorable fashion. While some organizations turn toward large poster-publishing companies for inspiration, perhaps one of the most Avante Garde attempts at raising public awareness was sponsored by Greenpeace. Through a campaign that was initiated in 2002, Greenpeace collaborated with world-famous street artist, “Bansky”. In Greenpeace’s campaign, Banksy was tasked with drawing art that would encourage the public to become more aware of deforestation-related issues, through a “Save or Delete Campaign”. In essence, Greenpeace urged individuals to help prevent deforestation, or see the natural environment be “deleted”. After receiving the commission from Greenpeace, Bank...