The Washington Outsider

Dalit rapes and murders fuels civil unrest

5/31/2014

Comments

 
The Indian caste system is so foreign to the liberal West that we cannot fully comprehend why one’s caste matters so much that it determines how well someone is treated by others and the community.  In other words, our focus on individual rights and merit has changed our society to one where mistreating someone based on their birth is considered immoral.  Certainly, racism exists in our society while people discriminate based on factors like gender and poverty, yet openly acting on such bigotry is completely unacceptable.  Conversely, treating someone of a lower caste as an equal can be terribly controversial in India. 

Looking at the rape and murder of two teens in Katra, Uttar Pradesh, the fact that the victims came from the Dalit community, which is the lowest caste in India, the police actually threatened to arrest the father of the victims.  Ultimately, these officers were fired, but this prevalent attitude in India sets up a massive culture.  Using the fact that these girls were part of the so-called “untouchables” community to justify their abuse is thoroughly unacceptable in most of the world.  Meanwhile, the Arab Spring revolutions and a general trend toward the democratization of the world means even the disenfranchised lower castes of India will be more and more likely to demand their interests be served.  In fact, this is likely why this father even had the courage to ask the police to do their job.

For newly elected-President Modi, who has pledged to rule India based consensus with a focus on issues like the corruption and the economy, incidents like this one represent both a real challenge as well an opportunity for change.  Looking at the fact Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif actually attended Modi’s inauguration means the new leader could represent India’s best chance at overcoming serious issues that are propagated by their culture, which the ongoing Pakistani-Indian conflict is an example of.  That said, American officials were able to befriend Russian officials during the Cold War.  Unfortunately, leaders are individuals and it is far easier for individuals to make choices than it is for people to change.   

Comments

Help Wanted: the VA needs a new leader

5/31/2014

Comments

 
Regrettably, Security of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki has resigned in response to the Phoenix VA healthcare system scandal, which involved the intentional falsification of documents to meet wait-time goals of no longer than fourteen days.  Instead of improving wait-times, it appears financial incentives for reducing wait-times actually pushed doctors and officials to hide their failures.  That said, the departure of Shinseki is a political response.  While Shinseki was not directly involved in this scandal, our politicians decided it would be about him.  Absent from the calls for Shinseki to resign is a simple question: who is the better man for the job.

Not only was Shinseki facing an exponential increase in wounded veterans thanks to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, i.e. we needed more resources in the VA, he was also trying to modernize the system in order to address the longstanding issue of lengthy wait-times.  With the Shinseki leaving, we lose his experience and inside knowledge, which we need for immediate, effective reforms.  Once we found ourselves beyond Shinseki’s capacity to change the VA culture, the system and veterans would have been better served had we found an outsider from a successfully civilian healthcare system with the ability to reform the culture before Shinseki was pressured to move on.

Finally, it is important to recognize this latest government scandal is part of a broader issue our Country has where we simply react to controversy.  When our political instinct is to demand the resignation of the most senior official after a group of individuals within an agency do something wrong, instead of focusing on ways to understand and fix the problem, our Country has a culturally problem.  It has become a common practice in the military for the top brass to resign when they feel they cannot complete a mission.  Just as America needed General Shinseki’s criticism and honest recognition of issues with the Iraq war, we need the same in the VA now, so our veterans can finally be served in a timely manner.

Comments

Getting Beyond Afghanistan

5/28/2014

Comments

 
Finding compromise between those who want to end the Afghanistan War as a definite success and the more populous camp, which tired of the costs long ago, President Obama’s announcement that he will leave just under 10,000 US troops until 2016 to train Afghan troops and guide missions is an attempt at a “responsible” withdrawal.  Although this approach will likely win the Obama Administration few points when it comes to its foreign policy record, it could help the next President of Afghanistan solidify his ability to govern with the backing of a more confident, supported Afghan military.  Success will, however, depend upon the ability of the Afghan military and government to function as they continue their long-term insurgent mission along with their efforts to build a functional civil society.

Although President Obama has outlined a new foreign policy paradigm, which embraces judicious restraint, i.e. limited, well-considered action, the use of soft power, and international cooperation over unilateral military intervention, the ratcheting down of the Afghanistan War represents an inability of the Obama Administration to fully shift its focus from the George W. Bush foreign policy approach to its own approach.  Even though this writer has long preached a great deal of what the Obama Administration has now found a way to verbalize, (http://voices.yahoo.com/retooling-grand-strategy-8027890.html?cat=9, http://voices.yahoo.com/how-us-engage-political-revolt-middle-7896222.html?cat=9, http://voices.yahoo.com/recalibrating-our-foreign-policy-vision-new-7896212.html?cat=9),   it is not likely to garner much public enthusiasm.  After all, it is a mission of moderation and responsible restraint on the subject of foreign policy, i.e. the American People will have little action to support or protest when it comes to issues that we are traditionally disengaged from.

Comments

Egypt votes again

5/28/2014

Comments

 
“They say he will return to his farm,” responded American painter Benjamin West when King George III asked what he thought George Washington would do after the American Revolution ended. 

 “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world,” King George retorted.

Where George Washington’s willingness to give up power as America’s most powerful General and greatest President ensured the United States of America could become the world’s first and most powerful modern democracy.  Having virtually secured his anticipated victory with weak voter turnout, former Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will soon be Egypt’s second President since its Arab Spring revolution.  Given that Egypt’s military removed President Morsi from office due to his Muslim Brotherhood agenda, voter turnout was so low that officials decided to extend the voting in order to legitimize the results, and few candidates participated in the election due to the clear slant that favored Sisi, this vote was far from purely democratic.

 That said, what will determine if Egypt can become a democracy under President Sisi will not be his ability to stabilize Egypt in terms of economics and national security.  Democracy will not even be dependent upon when, or if, Sisi decides to give up his position of power.  It will depend on Sisi starting to build the democratic institutions needed for Egypt to hold truly fair and free elections, long before he leaves office.  Where the Muslim Brotherhood gained power due to a lack of organization on behalf of alternative parties and an election that was held before the democratic process could produce more representative results, Sis was made the “democratic choice.”  If Egypt is to become a true democracy, Sisi must allow opposition parties to freely form and function within Egypt’s political system, without interference from the military.  

Comments

Ukraine: A Credible Election

5/26/2014

Comments

 

Rushing into an election after an abrupt political shift, such as in Egypt following the Arab Spring uprisings, can lead to elected leaders incapable of serving the broad interest of a country in turmoil.  Unfortunately, outside pressure seeking to delegitimize the interim Ukrainian government demanded the immediate election of a new leader. 

Fortunately, Ukraine has a well-developed democratic process already in place while the strong showing in favor of now President-elect Petro Poroshenko affords the election process credibility.  Although pro-Russian separatists forced 80% of the polling stations in Donetsk and Luhansk to close, the fact Mr. Poroshenko received over fifty percent of the vote, thus eliminating the need for a runoff election, should help undermine any questions of the President-to-be’s legitimacy, even in the East.

The fact that these disruptions in the election process were perpetrated by separatists against the national Ukrainian government might even further help add credibility to the President-elect’s rule while it gives the People of Donetsk and Luhansk reason to reject the dominance of the separatists.  In other words, the separatists probably hurt their cause by denying voters the opportunity to reject the chosen leader and find dissatisfaction with the election process versus their brutal hand.

Furthermore, Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to respect the results of the election.  This would be encouraging, except no one can be sure what Putin has done to exasperate the Ukrainian Crisis and what he might do next.  Skewing the facts, Putin has been trying to reframe the Ukrainian Crisis as Western provoked.  While his actions regarding Crimea cannot be excused and highlight the untruth of his version of reality, he does raise valid criticism when it comes to treating Russia as a second class citizen. 

The truth is that Russia was never thoroughly assimilated into the Western dominated International Community, thus Russia has been treated like an outsider trying to earn its place as an insider since the Cold War.  For this reason, Russian was experiencing a strengthening of its soft power thanks to its defiance of American dominance.  That is, before it hypocritically treated Ukraine in an even worse fashion than the US has ever treated most countries.  Consequently, the International Community needs to do better when it comes to addressing Russian interests as the world tries to recover from the Ukrainian Crisis.  In exchange, Russia must do the same for Ukraine and its other neighbors.  

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        • Should the Government Control Talk Radio to Make it More "balanced"?
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      • Should One's Faith Influence a Citizen's Vote?
      • Should the U.S. Government Help Fund Election Campaigns?
      • On Defunding Political Science Research
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      • Justice for All: The Case for Legal, Social, Economic, and Personal Justice
      • Why Hardliner Thinking in the NSA and CIA is Doing Damage
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      • The Case for Personal Responsibility
      • What Modern Day Revolutionaries Need to Learn from Leader's like Mandela
      • Rising Western Acceptance of LGBT Primes Culture Clash
      • The Need for Wisdom Beyond the Numbers
      • Perceptions of the United States
      • How Honesty Relates to the Great Recession
      • Why the Middle Class and Rich Need to Support Their Long-term Interests
      • The Aristocratic Republic of the United States of America
      • Discussing the Need for Community Support
      • Why New Forms of Capitalism and Socialism Will Compliment Each Other
      • The Reason We Need to Understand What it is to Be Poor in America
      • Why the World Needs to Reinvest in America
      • Why Are We Against Terrorism?
      • Why Does Terrorism Exist?
      • US Influence: The Value of American Citizenship Around the World
      • Responding to "the Soldier as Sacrficial Victim"
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      • How comfort defines us as people >
        • Is Suicide a Cowardly Way Out?
      • Defense Against the Dark Arts of Manipulators
      • Defining Abuse >
        • On the Willing Victim of Abuse
        • How to Understand Abuse Victims
        • Recognizing Abuse
      • The Role of Substitution in Decision Making
      • Trying to Understand PTSD and Other Trauma-induced Mental Health Issues
      • Exploring Human Emotion >
        • Mental Illness is Not the Cause of Anger and Violence >
          • Trying to Understand the Boston Marathon Bombing and Other Violent Crimes
          • Getting into the Twisted Mind of the Tucson Murder
      • Describing the Mind as Modes of Thought >
        • It’s Just Sex?
      • Relationships, or Arrangement
      • Understanding the Effects of Groupthink in the Workplace
      • Relating Circular, Inductive, and Deductive Reasoning to the Scientific Method and Religion
      • What is a Redneck? Understanding Different Cultures and Thinking
    • Economics >
      • The Need for Greater Economic Leverage >
        • Evaluating NAFTA and TPP
        • Undercutting Logistics with the Underpaid Independent Contractor
        • Unions: Hindrance or Essential to Free Markets
        • Eminent Domain Used Against Banks
        • Haitians Sue the UN for Failure to Help With Cholera
        • Looking at How Corn-based Ethanol and Other Alternative Energy Subsidies Stack Up
      • Empowering the Sovereign Nation-State by Rethinking Trade Policy >
        • Irish Sovereignty Lost Before Bailout
        • Why Sudan's Greatest Long-Term Hurdle is Our Lowest-bidder Economy
        • Reduce US Imports by Buying American Made Products
      • Ending the need for government support and tackling poverty
      • Income inequality: understanding the limitations and psychology of disadvantage
      • Looking at the Future of American Jobs >
        • On Questioning the Need to Address Economic Disparity
        • Minimum Wage is Not the Problem
        • Responding to the "Blip"
        • Why Education Is Not The Civil Rights Issue Of The Twenty-First Century
      • Considering the Impact of the Capital Gains Tax Deduction
      • Embracing a Capitalist Mindset >
        • Capitalism Versus Socialism
        • The Negatives of Socialism
      • Stealing Intellectual Property
      • Changing Business Models: From Enduring Entities to Cash Cows
      • Consumer and Investor Evolution in the Great Recession of 2008-09
      • Dealing with the Issues Surrounding the Patenting of Self-replicating Technologies
      • Is Technology Threatening Jobs?
    • Education >
      • The Role of Education in Creating a More Dynamic Workforce
      • Primary Education in America and the Changing Needs of Society
      • The Greatness of the American Education System
      • Ideas for Improving the United States Education System
      • Are Teachers Treated as Professionals?
      • Is Engaging Parents in Their Children's Education a Major Factor in Turning Around Low-performing Schools?
      • Should Grants Be Awarded to School Districts that Try Innovative Methods to Improve Student Achievement?
    • US Constitution >
      • On Reading the US Constitution
      • The Senate should not do more to limit the powers of the Judicial Branch
      • On the DOJ Justifying the “targeted Killings” of US Citizens
      • Corporations Do Not Have the Same Rights as US Citizens >
        • Corporate America Pleads the First
      • Discussing the Constitutionality of Per Capita Taxes
      • Was the California Supreme Court Right in Legalizing Gay Marriage?
      • Should the Bible Continue to Be Used for Swearing-in Ceremonies and in Courtrooms?
      • Should Religious Student Clubs Be Allowed in Public Schools?
      • Should the Government Control Talk Radio to Make it More "balanced"?
      • The Second Amendment: Not Outdated >
        • Are We Losing Our Second Amendment Rights
      • Eminent Domain Used Against Banks
      • Should a Woman Have the Right to Choose Abortion? >
        • Should Fathers Be Able to Opt Out of Parenthood?
      • Should Smoking Be Allowed in Public Places?
      • Is Teen Driving a Right or a Privilege?
      • Should US Companies Be Required to Provide Equal Pay to Women and Men?
      • Is eighteen too young to vote?
      • First Amendment Rights: The Priviledge of The Press
      • Do Mandatory Seat Belt Laws Violate Individual Rights?
      • Should cell phone use be banned while driving?
      • Dealing with the link between video game violence and children's behavior
      • Should police have to submit to routine drug and alcohol testing?
      • Public schools should not impose mandatory drug testing on students
      • Are High Taxes on Cigarettes Proper?
      • Should pharmacists be required to violate their religious beliefs and dispense the "Morning After Pill?"
      • Should school counselors uphold patient privacy or report students who become unstable?
  • For the record
    • Ongoing Issues >
      • Red Dawn in Ukraine: Understanding the Actions of Russia >
        • On Russia’s Coercion of Ukraine
        • The Russian Annexation of Crimea in the Eyes of the World
        • Putin Has Overplayed His Hand With Crimea
        • Ukraine in Terms of Resovereignization
        • Avoiding a Conflict Between America and Russia Over Ukraine
        • What Drives the World’s Interest in Russia’s Actions in Ukraine
      • China’s Aggressive Pursuit of Interests Demands a Global Response
      • Iran Makes a Deal: A Start to a Long-term Diplomatic Effort to Denuclearize Iran >
        • On the Future of a Nuclear Negotiations with Iran
      • America's Sphere of Influence: Retaking South-East Asia >
        • Power in Asia: Looking at the Power Shift in Japan
        • The China Paradox: Why America is Worried About China
      • Assessing US Support of Israel >
        • Tread Softly Israel for a Heavy Step May Be Your Undoing
      • Understanding the Dysfunctional Nature of the US-Pakistani Relationship
      • Recognizing the True Threat Behind the Current Unrest in the Middle East >
        • Reacting to the Escalating Crackdown in Syria
      • Assessing the Threat of North Korea >
        • Answering North Korea's Call for Food Aid: Breaking the Vicious Cycle Forced Upon Us by a Warring Nation
        • Dealing with the Restarting of the Korean War
        • North Korea Attacks South Korea
      • Dealing with the Ill-effects of Climate Change
      • Racial Inequality and Oppression Do Truly Exist in Today's Society
      • Should energy independence be a high priority in the US?
      • An overview of world wide Human Rights violations
      • Nuclear Threat from Pakistan
      • Return of The Cold War?
    • World >
      • Coverage of FIFA World Cup is a Chance to Focus on Poverty >
        • The FIFA World Cup Offers Benefits for More Than Brazilian Soccer Fans
        • FIFA Can Bring Brazilians Together as a Nation
      • Being Prepared for Any Potential Dangers at the FIFA World Cup Games
      • Treading Softly on the Politicizing of the 2014 Sochi Olympics Over Gay Rights
      • Why NATO Operations in Libya Lack a Well-defined Mission
      • China Hijacks the Web
      • Lessons from the Great Japanese Earthquake of 2011
      • A Modernizing Cuba Offers an Opportunity for Capitalists
      • The Seeds of Democracy Take Root in the Middle East
      • The Rebirth of Democracy in Tunisia
      • What May Come from the Hurt Revolution in Libya
      • Responding to the Violence of Qaddafi and Other Besieged Leaders
      • Embracing the Rise of a Democratic Egypt
      • Protests in Afghanistan Turn Deadly for Coalition Forces and UN Personnel
      • Haiti: Another Failing Humanitarian Investment
      • What Karzai Can Learn from Calderon
      • START II: A Necessary, Easy Success that Nearly Failed
      • Why Does the U.S. Government Support Independence for the Breakaway Serb Territory of Kosovo but Oppose Independence for the Breakaway Georgian Territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia?
      • Iraq's Electric Issues: When Human Wants Trump Economic Sense
      • The International Community Reacts to Wikileaks: We May Be Moving Toward a Third World War in Cyberspace
      • On Climate Gate
      • Assessing Obama's Afghanistan War strategy
      • 2009 Iranian Presidential Election: The Fallout
      • Resolving Sri Lankan Conflict through Free Media
      • What are the Global Consequences of Russia's Invasion of Georgia
      • The War in Iraq: an assessment of President Bush's surge strategy
      • Drug War: Actions of Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador in terms of Resovereignization
      • Is the Iraq Refugee Crisis America's Responsibility?
      • US support for a united Kosovo, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia: why?
      • Should the US withdraw from Iraq?
      • Setting a Timetable for Troop Withdrawal from Iraq is a Terrible Mistake
      • War on Terrorism is needed
    • Law and Order >
      • Rape in the US Military
      • Ethics of Force-feeding Guantanamo Bay Detainees
      • Reacting to the Aftermath of the Tucson Massacre
    • Economy >
      • Affordability Drives Fear of Obamacare and the Individual Mandate
      • Is the Economy Built for a Job's Recovery?
      • Gutting Healthcare Reform of the Individual Mandate
      • Arizona Budget Cuts Lead to Lethal Healthcare Rationing:
      • Shameful Collection Practices of American Banks
      • The Fed Reveals it Actually Undertook an International Bailout
      • Thoughts on French Budgetary Reforms
      • Seniors Start Businesses
      • The Case for Slimming Down the US Military to Make it Better
      • Looking at the Obama Administration's New Approach to Economic Policy
      • Should the Government Regulate the Credit Card Industry?
      • The Big Three's Big Chance
      • The Unhealthy Tone of the Healthcare Reform Debate
      • Should the federal government offer a bailout for home owners?
      • Environmentalists: Do They Do More Good Than More Harm?
      • Responding to Scott Walker's Contribution to the War on Unions
    • US Government >
      • America Needs to Focus on the Impending Fiscal Crisis
      • Reacting to the Bush Era-tax Cut Extension Deal
      • Quitting the Obama Revolution: The Fickle Nature of American Politics
      • John Boehner's Circus
      • Is the Fed Putting Itself in Jeopardy?
      • Wikileaks Goes After the US State Department
      • Discussing the Political Environment Surrounding the 2011 Budget Debate
      • What the Democrats Can Do to Ensure a GOP Year in 2012
      • What the 2010 Midterm Actually Said
      • Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper
      • Democrats Minus Nancy Pelosi Equals Opportunity
      • Terrorists Go Postal: The Terrorism Threat Reexamined
      • Victory in the 2008 Election: Reaction to Barack Obama'a Win >
        • Expectations for Barack Obama
      • President Obama's first one hundred days
      • John McCain's Negative Campaign
      • Reasons People did not Elect John Mccain
      • History judges the George W. Bush Administration
      • Should the next US President focus on domestic issues?
      • President Bush, should he resign or be impeached
      • Should the Ban on Government Sponsored Assassinations be Repealed
    • Off Topic >
      • A Face of America’s Greatest Generation
      • A Story About a Man Who Made the World a Better Place
      • Making the World a Better Place
      • The Bipolar Ethical Nature of Google
      • Learning Computer Plays Jeopardy
      • Verifying Medicine is the Real Thing
      • Taking a Practical Step Forward in Optical Computing Using Slow Light
      • Scientists Take a Closer Look at How Lithium Batteries Work
      • Remarking on the First Blizzard of the 2010-2011 Winter Season
      • Driving in the Snow: Acceleration is the Key
      • How People in Northwest PA Are Coping with the Increasing Cost of Oil
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