President Barack Obama speaks about U.S. and NATO involvement in military action against Libya during a speech at the National Defense University in Washington, DC, March 28, 2011. AFP Photo / Saul LOEB

While hindsight is 20/20, the scope of vision into what lies ahead for Libya is limited at best, making Obama’s decision inevitably controversial.  Limited intervention was decided upon based on the evidence indicating eventual violence against the Libyan people.  President Obama authoritatively stated Monday night, “I refuse to let that happen.”

By only committing the U.S. to protecting lives and not facilitating a regime change, Obama hopes to hold an already fragile U.S. coalition together.  “To be blunt, we went down that road in Iraq,” the President said.  “Regime change there took eight years, thousands of American and Iraqi lives, and nearly a trillion dollars.  That is not something we can afford to repeat in Libya.”

Many are opposed to the implementation of a no-fly zone, claiming a drain of resources already spread too thin, while others feel Obama took too long to reach the decision.  In defense, he cited the one-year time frame the international community needed before intervening on the slaughter in Bosnia.

But will Obama’s move with Libya implicitly commit the U.S. to any of the other protests breaking out in the region?  Where do America’s obligations begin and end with facilitating democracy?  Obama noted: “There will be times when our safety is not directly threatened, but our interests and values are. Challenges that threaten our common humanity and common security, responding to natural disasters, for example, or preventing genocide…these may not be America’s problems alone, but they are important to us…In such cases we should not be afraid to act.”

However vague he left his criterion for instigating U.S. intervention in Libya, the President reaffirmed: “Wherever people long to be free, they will find a friend in the United States.”

-By Kaeleigh Forsyth, Contributor

Girls shout slogans during a rally demanding the ouster of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa March 18, 2011. Yemen's beleaguered president declared a state of emergency on Friday after gunmen including snipers shot dead at least 25 protesters at an anti-government rally, but denied his police forces were behind the violence. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Over 50 people have been declared dead and more than 200 have been reported wounded following a March 18 government crackdown on protesters in Sanaa, Yemen.  President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Yemeni National Defense Council have consequently declared a state of emergency, further fanning the flames of the protests nation-wide.

Similar to the recent uprisings in neighboring countries, the driving force behind these Yemen protests was the conspicuous corruption of those in power.  The resignation of President Saleh and his politically empowered relatives is the objective.  Another parallel between the Yemeni rebellion and those in Northern Africa is the apparent lack of unifying factors or collective goals among the protestors beyond the resignation of the government; citizens of all ages, incomes, and levels of political awareness are working together to dismantle the regime.  This may result in obstacles similar to those that Egypt is currently facing—what direction does the country go together after these immediate goals are achieved?

Yemen’s government will use the protests as an opportunity to impose curfews and restrict media access, but these undertakings won’t be any easier than they’ve been elsewhere in the region.  Saleh’s family is so entrenched in all branches of the country’s political structure that a route of civil cooperation or opposition-regime communication doesn’t seem plausible.  The Yemen armed forces also fall under the umbrella of the Saleh family influence, which is already resulting in major factions within the army.  The protests will likely only inflate until Saleh announces his departure.

The investments in downtown structural engineering that paid off

These swaying skyscrapers give us only an idea about how many lives were saved by Japan’s new judicious building codes.

The persistence of humanity

Photo from AP

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote yesterday:

“Japan’s orderliness and civility often impressed me during my years living in Japan, but never more so than after the Kobe quake. Pretty much the entire port of Kobe was destroyed, with shop windows broken all across the city. I looked all over for a case of looting, or violent jostling over rescue supplies. Finally, I was delighted to find a store owner who told me that he’d been robbed by two men. Somewhat melodramatically, I asked him something like: And were you surprised that fellow Japanese would take advantage of a natural disaster and turn to crime? He looked surprised and responded, as I recall: Who said anything about Japanese. They were foreigners.“

By Oscar Montealegre

Recently, the World Bank announced that rising food prices throughout the world have reached ‘dangerous levels.’ According to the World Bank, international food prices have increased by 30 percent since February 2009. Even more alarmingly is that it is estimated that oil and metal prices have skyrocketed 100 percent compared to a year ago.

In certain parts of Latin America, citizens have passionately voiced their concerns with rising prices. For instance, in Southern Chile, protestors assembled in opposition against the Chilean government intentions to increase gas prices. Eventually, the Chilean government reached a compromise, agreeing to only increase prices 3 percent, instead of a whopping 16 percent.

Bolivia’s president, Evo Morales, had planned to increase gas prices by 73 percent and diesel fuel by 83 percent. This announcement did not go well with the Bolivian people. A five-day national protest resulted, causing a dent to Bolivian commerce, business and daily operations. No resolution or compromise has been reached as of yet.

In Venezuela, food prices are getting out of control, increasing at the tune of almost 40 percent.  In Argentina, independent economists and analysts reported that Argentine wage increases are being diluted with the rapid rise of food prices. To make matters worse, inflation in Argentina reached anywhere between 25 to 30 percent in 2010, with no stabilization in sight for the near future.

The unrest with higher food prices can be seen in other continents. Algeria suffered numerous fatalities due to protests that quickly evolved into violent riots. Just last year Mozambique was jolted with angry protestors fighting against the increase of bread prices, leaving more than ten deaths. In fact, food inflation was one of the many factors that sparked the Egyptian revolution this year.

The lesson for governments in Latin America and others is that food inflation cannot be taken lightly. Obviously, food is a basic necessity, and the humanitarian spirit in me adheres to the notion that food should be a basic right for all of humanity. However if food becomes unaffordable and unattainable, societal unrest is to be expected. For the purpose of Latin America, which is experiencing a positive outlook, it’s economic momentum can easily be derailed if food and energy prices continue to increase without governments making an effort to tame its’ inflation. Just look at what happened to Mubarak and his reign on Egypt.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, center, and other Cabinet members observe a minute of silence in memory of the victims of Monday's suicide bombing at Moscow's main airport, in Moscow, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011. Putin is vowing retribution for the suicide bombing attack at Russia's busiest airport that killed several dozen people. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky, Pool)

By Kaeleigh Forsyth, Contributor

The Moscow suicide bombing at the Domodedovo airport that killed 35 people and injured approximately 130 more is raising questions about how to increase security measures in large public places with public access, known as “soft targets.”

This attack on an area of relatively little security is similar to past acts of violence by militants from the northern Caucasus region of southern Russia.  Rebel groups from republics such as Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Dagestan have attacked Russian interests for years.  In 2010 these groups were responsible for a similar attack on the Moscow subway system.

This incident raises questions about the effectiveness of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s war on terror.  He was appointed in 2008 under the banner of fighting terror, yet jihadist acts of violence have grown six times since he’s been in power, according to former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov.

Putin and Medvedev’s challenge now is to reign in national security in the face of growing public fear and anxieties. The political obstacles only increase as mistrust and disapproval of the government become stronger.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, right, meets with Saudi King Abdullah, center, and Syrian President Bashar Assad, left, upon their arrival at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, July 30, 2010. The leaders of Syria and Saudi Arabia launched an unprecedented effort Friday to defuse fears of violence over upcoming indictments in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

By Kaeleigh Forsyth, Contributor

A peaceful resolution to the current conflict in Lebanon suddenly seems like a distant pipe dream, as the collapse of the country’s government last week has resulted in the worst political crisis that the region has seen in years.

Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal announced on January 19 that the Saudi kingdom is withdrawing from its mediation efforts in Lebanon.  Adding to the contention this week is the UN-authorized Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) investigation of the former prime minster’s assassination, which will potentially result in the indictment of prominent leaders from the region’s militant Shiite political party, the Hezbollah.

This makes a Lebanese civil war an imminent possibility save an understanding between Saudi Arabia and the other middleman in the region’s ongoing conflict, Syria.  Action from the Hezbollah remains a looming threat as alliances unexpectedly break and relationships suddenly shift within the region.

The appearance of relative civility in Lebanon has made it the Middle East’s top prospect for peaceful cohabitation between varying religions and ethnicities.  Now, this precarious state of peace is tenuously dependent upon how these regional relationships shift, as Saudi completely abandoning Lebanon and leaving Iran to dominate the region would lead the nation right to the doorstep of civil war.  Syria, Qatar and Turkey know that this political instability will result in social problems for their own countries, and are trying to rally an international conference to assist Lebanon in quickly establishing some form of government.

Saudi Arabia and Syria are waiting for each other to return to the negotiation table because of their interests in containing Iran and the Hezbollah in Lebanon, respectively. While all three countries hang in a state of suspension, Lebanon will probably engage in what their long history of violence and mediation have caused them to become exceptionally well-versed in—accommodationist politics.

Against a backdrop of ice covered trees, national flags of China and the U.S. fly along Pennsylvania Avenue outside the White House in Washington January 18, 2011. Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday flew to the U.S. for a state visit. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

By Kaeleigh Forsyth, Contributor

Add mounting economic and military tensions with an upcoming election and you have a recipe for political paralysis during this week’s talks between China and the United States. Many issues will be addressed during Chinese President Hu Jintao’s delayed trip to Washington, including the appreciation of the Yuan, a strategy for subduing North Korea, the reform of China’s territorial claim strategy, and the reigning in of Beijing’s growing cyber capabilities; yet significant progress is not anticipated on any of these fronts.

Entering these discussions after years of deteriorating relations, China’s impending leadership transition will only serve to further handicap any potential progress. What is anticipated to result from these talks are a number of “new cooperative deals,” including minor concessions in sectors such as energy, environment, infrastructure, and technology. But how meager these agreements will really be deemed depends on how much value is placed on the diplomatic intangibles- evidence that these two superpowers are still capable of working together within the confines of civil discourse, as well as experience compromising with each other on issues of equal economic investment, seemingly insignificant as they may be.

With a “cold-war”-type confrontation looming overhead, a week of friendly dialogue may serve to be more valuable than it appears.  U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates reported after his visit to China last week that North Korea’s missile program will pose a threat to the U.S. within five years save mediation on China’s part. In regards to China’s resistance of an appreciating Yuan, it seems more likely that the U.S. will allow the already immense pressure in Congress to build than it does that any confrontational action will be taken during this week.  Considering this context, what value does maintaining a discursive foundation of civil diplomacy have, and how much effort can a country justify expending in its name before seeing significant political compromise?  This week may reveal insight into President Obama’s answer to these questions.

After weeks of cataclysmic rainfall in a continent on the other side of the world, the United States Department of Agriculture is telling consumers to gear up for a year of surging food prices.  Australia’s devastating flood has all but exhausted their crop supply, necessitating the importation of food from places in the world that could use it themselves.

In an increasing trend of large natural disasters offsetting food and energy prices around the world, these Queensland floods are expected to inflate global prices in wheat, fruit and vegetable crops. Crop destruction is already estimated at over $2.5 billion, notwithstanding the damage to their globally dominant coal industry, their permanent infrastructure, and the livestock supply that feeds the entire continent.

Weather-triggered crop output setbacks are already resulting in public riots in less developed places like Algeria and Mozambique, which do not get the benefit of affording importation alternatives when confronted with massive crop loss.  In an increasingly globalized and interdependent food industry, the repercussions of these natural disaster setbacks are no longer constricted to the geographical area where they occur.

World Bank Chief Robert Zoellick, who seeks to calm the panicking consumers, thinks we can still restructure markets to make them more resilient to natural disasters by establishing regional humanitarian reserves in disaster-prone and infrastructure-poor areas.  But with climate change making disaster-prone areas less and less predictable, are these suggestions short-term solutions to long-term and increasingly prevalent problems?

Men burn a picture of Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali as they demonstrate against Ben Ali on January 11, 2011 in Paris. Anger over a government crackdown on protesters in Tunisia grew Tuesday as a union official said 50 were killed in three days of violence, more than double a toll issued by the interior ministry. (LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images)

By Kaeleigh Forsyth, Contributor

Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali appeared to have resigned last week, and he seemingly chose to make this alarming and unexpected announcement via….blog?

A letter of resignation was reportedly forged on the foreign minister’s personal website, entreating the citizens of Tunisia to be more graceful toward him and his family, and apologizing for the violence that he had caused during his tenure in the presidency.

Had the post been legitimate, a public apology from a long-time serving member of the government would have exposed some serious instability in the already precarious Tunisian leadership, especially considering that their army is about to be deployed across the country any day now while their number of civilian protestor deaths continues to rise by the second.

The forger of the letter appears to be a hacker who runs a website called takriz.com.  Hours after posting the fake resignation, they added two follow-up entries: one of a French icon which implored people to defend Internet freedoms, and the other showing a video of dead Tunisian protestors under the headline, “Look at this! Tunisia is being murdered by BEN ALI.”

This is the latest in a series of reports of hackers targeting Tunisian government websites in response to the strict government-imposed Internet censorship group known as “Ammar.”  These censorship protests raise compelling questions about the function of strict government censorship in the face of social unrest.  Is hacking governmental websites an effective approach to combating this censorship, or was momentary global exposure the culprit’s sole objective?

Dai’s egg-dwelling

By Paul Nash, Contributor

Dai Haifei, a 24 year-old architect, has been ordered to remove his new home from Beijing’s streets.  Dai built his giant “egg” house on wheels six months ago, after graduating from Hunan University and going to work in Beijing, because he couldn’t afford to buy an apartment, which he reckons would cost him two or three hundred years’ wages.

He parked his egg, two months ago, beneath a tree across the street from his office in Haidian District, a northeastern suburb that Time magazine once dubbed China’s Silicon Valley, the key to its future and a “celebration” of the country’s “ability to change itself and become, once again, great among nations.”

There isn’t much that is grand or high-tech about Dai’s egg-dwelling.  Inside, there is a small bed, a water tank and an electric lamp powered by a solar panel on top.  The shell is an eco-friendly bamboo and wood framework, standing two meters high, covered with rough gunny sacks filled with fermented wood chips and grass seeds.

The seeds would have sprouted next spring, adding a welcome layer of insulation to the unheated pod, had municipal authorities not taken notice.  After seeing Dai in a local media interview, urban management officers did some head scratching and decided the egg was an “illegal residence” and promptly ordered it out.

Dai built the egg with less than $1,000, borrowed from his cousin.  His inspiration came from a concept called An Egg Laid by the City on display at his firm’s biennial design exhibition.  It seemed a practicable solution to the shortage of affordable housing for the city’s burgeoning migrant worker population.

The son of a construction worker and an office cleaner in Shaoyang, Hunan Province, Dai is what locals call a dream-chaser.  He is one of several million rural migrants who have flocked to Beijing in recent years looking for work, staying in the big city without a legal residence permit.  Many are content with inexpensive lodgings in outlying villages, but Dai obviously isn’t the typical migrant worker.  The money he saves on rent has allowed him, he says, to experience what his parents have never really had: a “petty bourgeoisie lifestyle.”  For Dai, this means hanging out in Beijing’s trendy cafés or periodically enjoying a sauna.

No one seems quite sure what to make of Dai’s egg.  Some dismiss it as a publicity stunt sponsored by the firm he works for.  Others are sympathetic to the way in which it speaks to the capital’s deepening socio-economic problems: the high cost of housing, wage disparities, a ballooning population, heavy pollution and the marginalization of migrant workers.

Dai’s egg certainly adds a bit of comic relief to these worries.  It is becoming evident, though, that what it symbolizes is hatching into an ugly duckling, a political quandary for a government struggling to bridge the nation’s widening economic and social divides, trying to find ways to transfigure this duckling into a swan gracefully.