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Gopher
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
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 Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Kuros wrote: |
| Gopher wrote: |
| Wishmaster wrote: |
| Well, the problem is that Korea is always going on ad nauseum about wanting to be "respected" by the world community; about being a "world player." Yet, when it comes time to prove it, time to man up, well, they come up soft. So, next time a movie like 2012 comes out and it mentions countries such as Japan and China, don't moan about Korea being left out. If you want respect, you have to earn it. And 1m or 10m ain't cutting it for a country of their "status." |
The way I would like world affairs to go:
Not only South Korea, but also Japan and especially China, and India and Australia as well, ought to lead all efforts in coordinating and responding to events such as the tsunami that hit Indonesia, or potential earthquakes in Japan, for example. Say all East Asia and the eastern part of the so-called Indian ocean world.
In the western hemisphere, the United States, Canada, and others, including major OAS economies, ought to play this role.
The European community, Russia, Turkey, and perhaps India, in at least some cases, ought to play leading roles in western Eurasia, including the Near East, and also Africa. The United States, as an Atlantic power, ought to participate as it did in western Europe during and after the Second World War.
On top of this regional structure, we meet in the UN -- a more selective, adults-only UN that throws out the garbage (the posturers who make it into an antiAmerican, antiIsraeli, etc., forum).
So, in any case, I do not fault the South Koreans for not contributing more in Haiti. I would have liked to see them play a much higher-profile part in the tsunami and in future East Asian and Indian ocean world crises, though. |
If you were Sec. State or President of the United States, how would you maneuver to achieve these goals?
I think gone are the days where the U.S. can simply say (with implicit British backing), the Monroe Doctrine stands. And how would it communicate that: our relationship with Europe is paramount, the rest of you guys can sort out your local messes for yourselves. |
First, I would decline because, as I would insist to you, academics should never be given any power at all. Power-holders should consult with us, but that is as far is it should go. 
And my advice would be this: we cannot take this heat and the pounding that comes with it as "the world's sole superpower." We must step back and cultivate other power centers in world affairs. Otherwise, this will bankrupt us, not only financially, but politically as well.
We should start by working much closer with the Chinese and Japanese. After that, we ought to feel our way around with others, depending on the circumstances of the moment. But I would start not in western Europe but rather with China and Japan. |
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Reggie
Joined: 21 Sep 2009
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:32 pm Post subject: |
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| With as many Americans as there are living in poverty and as many women in South Korea as there are having to work in prostitution to pay the rent, it really is bad for either government to make their citizens send their hard-earned money to Haiti. It really should be left up to private citizens and charity organizations. |
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Panda
Joined: 25 Oct 2008
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| Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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China pledged $1 million in the first place, then $4 million materials, then $2.6 million more cash.
It has to be noticed that Haiti, although extremely poor a country, is not a laggard in asking for help from the international society. They know the power of the medias, both the president and the prime minister tried to get more attention from other countries...and all pictures and vids, news are shared everywhere.
That is probably one reason many countries increased their original pledge.
In 2008, Myanmar and China, either denied or unwillingly accepted but delayed international aid, which obviously was very stupid.
I was half joking that Korea was trying to "save their face" by donating more money...But the truth is, there is no regulation (regarding to the donation standard) for any country in the world to follow, making the decision a dilemma for all governments. |
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