Adding to the recent devastation of highly publicized terrorists attacks in Canada and Australia, the so-called “Paris terror attacks,” claimed the lives of 17 individuals this week. Sadly, these recent events are only part of a much larger history of violence that continues to rock the world. Beyond terrorism, mass shootings have become commonplace in the United States while violent crime in generally plagues all communities of the world to varying degrees.
In modern society, violence is seen as a disruptive force that undermines the very fabric of community and destroys the accomplishments of the human race. For more than a century, especially since the Cold War, the developed world has managed to suppress the violent side of human nature so well that events involving brutal and widespread destruction spark massive outrage and grievance throughout the International Community. For much of the developing world, however, unchecked violent crime is normal while war is commonplace. That said, the fallout of violence is just as devastating to those who experience the horror and pain of crime, terrorism, and war on a daily basis as those who are luckily enough to live in stable countries. In other words, terrorism periodically happens in the West, yet the Peoples of violence plagued, unstable regions, e.g. the Middle East, Africa, etc., must cope with it on a daily basis.
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As snowy Middle Eastern weather forces an armistice in the Syrian Civil War, frigid temperatures in America are matched by a freeze in the collapse of oil prices. For the Middle East, resolving instability in the global energy market and threats to regional security would do a great deal to help the region move forward in its development. That said, oil offers the world a valuable lesson when it comes to economic sustainability.
When oil is up, oil-producing countries find themselves able to spend on whatever priorities their governments deem worthy. When oil is down, oil-consuming countries see much of the benefit in terms of lower costs and higher consumption. Conversely, there is great human suffering whether oil is up or down in our global economy where sustainability takes a backseat to growth at all costs. For a country like the United States, lower oil prices are good for most Americans, except for those who depend on the oil industry for a living, because it allows them to consume more. When that consumption benefits American goods and businesses, the overall US economy wins. Unfortunately, lower oil prices jeopardize the sustainability of the American oil industry. After all, a booming industry also creates consumption and stagnant economy suppresses demand. Unfortunately, the Ukraine Crisis did not end with 2014. New outbreaks of fighting, bombings, a buildup of Russian forces along the Ukraine-Russian broader, and a renewed Russian military presence in Ukraine, among other signs, suggest the conflict is about to escalate once again. In accordance, there is a need to respond to increased Russian aggression in order to discourage such behavior, but the West is growing weary of the conflict.
Despite Putin’s failure to respond to his punishments in a rational manner, sanctions against Russia are proving to be quite punitive to the Russian economy; however, collapsing oil prices are having a far greater impact on Russia’s economic health. With economic failure comes political dissent and dramatic shifts in policies. While Western powers hoped sanctions would force Putin to change his policies, the overall ills of the Russian economy may well eventually result in the departure of Putin and many of his cronies. More often than not, authoritarian leaders use government to serve their interests at the expense of their Peoples. Since maintaining their power at almost any cost is the top priority of an authoritarian regime, authoritarians try to engineer their government and their broader society, so they cannot function without them. While Libya under Muammar Gaddafi represents a textbook example, Vladimir Putin has used his consolidation of power to make his ouster extremely damaging to Russia. Although 2014 ended with Israel avoiding a UN Security Council resolution demanding Israel end its occupation of Palestinian territory within a three-year timeframe, increased International pressure on Israel to resolve its conflict with the Palestinians is only going to intensify. With the Palestinians already moving to join the International Criminal Court, US Intervention is likely not going to be enough to protect Israel.
In reality, a UN Security Council resolution would be more symbolic than actionable. After all, Israel would have to implement the Security Council resolution or the International Community would have to essentially shun Israel. Similarly, any prosecution by the International Criminal Court would do nothing, except limit the movement and business opportunities of indicted individuals. That said, the success of either action would formalize growing European distaste for how Israel treats the Palestinian People. In doing so, Israel would be formally recognize as a wedge expanding the policy gap between the US and Europe. Given the threat posed by Russia’s nationalist policies, America’s far more valuable ties with European Countries, and US opposition to Israeli settlements, the US is likely to grow less protective of Israel over time. Where the Target Hacking Scandal helped usher in 2014 on the heels of a year dominated by the Edward Snowden NSA Revelations, which demonstrated a thorough abuse of information technology and the World Web Wide by the US National Security, 2015 begins with the Sony hacking continuing to resonate throughout the headlines.
That said, 2014 was also defined by renewed cooperation among Western nations in their efforts to defend Ukraine again Russian dominance as well as unprecedented cooperation among Arab States to address the Islamic State threat. Because the 1990’s were defined by peace and stability that allowed the International Community to focus on economic development while terrorism was considered the most significant national security threat in the 2000’s, the economy grew to be thoroughly reliant on the internet despite inherent security flaws. |
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April 2020
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