Semester-long Blog Topic

The blog topic we have chosen is the role of foreign peacekeepers in unstable countries such as Bosnia, Sudan, the DRC, and many others. The act of outside peacekeeping in civil disputes is a controversial issue in itself. Many African countries, for example, fear foreign intervention as a form of neo-imperialism. There is also a fine line between a foreign militant peacekeeping presence and an outright occupation of a country. Some, on the other hand, criticize the notion of foreign peacekeeping for not being involved enough. The United Nations, for instance, has stationed its largest peacekeeping presence in the DRC, a force numbering 17,000 troops, and many say such a number is still not substantial.

 Along with such questions as whether or not foreign peacekeeping is used as a remedy or a tactical maneuver, policy makers and foreign leaders must decide whether or not such involvement is feasible, which launches the power of international organizations such as the United Nations, the African Union, and the European Union into question as well. Peacekeeping forces and the extenuating circumstances influencing them are issues found at the core of international policy and theory, and thus seem to be a topic that can shed light on many facets of global politics.

International Relations on the personal level

The way international relations affects my life and how I affect it is probably seen most in my standing as a consumer. Because of cheap labor found in countries such as China and Taiwan, I am able to purchase a mass-produced clothing, for example, at much cheaper prices than I would if the products were manufactured in America. By shopping at stores such as Wal-Mart, I partake in the global exchange and fuel the forces that drive both consumer prices and labor wages down.

My power of purchase translates in other ways as well– just as using cell phones has indirectly fueled civil war in the DRC, my dependence on foreign oil is catalyzing violence not only in Iraq but also in other developing nations like Nigeria and Mauritania. The excessive use of this foreign oil and other fossil fuels will also lead to devastation of most developing nations, like Kenya, who is vastly losing resources as Lake Victoria dries up from global warming. Other countries, such as those in South-Pacific Asia, will feel the burn of our (and others’) energy emissions through monsoons, hurricanes, drought, flood, and other deleterious climate shifts.

On the flip side, my tendency as an American consumer to use lots of energy has created a demand for cleaner energy like biodiesel. This demand translates into research into and production of newer plants that poor, rural farmers of foreign nations can easily produce, like jatropha. The need for biodiesel is helping many farmers in Mali achieve economic independence as I am writing this blog.

I influence other countries in non-economic ways as well. Being a college student, for example, the grades I make register with the grades of the millions of other students in the country, and if they are good, they help to boost the national educational rank. Because nations compete, my influencing a good national educational standard will influence other nations to rise to that standard as well. In theory, at least.

All of the affects I have seem pretty obsolete in the grand scale. It is how these actions accumulate that great change is produced.

Monumental event [test blog]

As cheesy as this may sound, the day my mom bought me my first horse was an event that has changed my life to such an extent that it has divided my life into two eras: pre- and post-Niko.

 Niko was a stubborn, chunky horse that I had started riding in my weekly lessons. Having already ridden for about four years, I had given up hope of ever having my own. At this point in my life I had already had a certain, semi-egotistical view of myself. I thought I had an idea of what hard work is, of what responsibility is, and because of this I also presumed myself to be rather mature for my age. Niko changed all of that.

 Because horses are so expensive, my first day of owning Niko was also my first day on the job (I was fourteen at the time). To help my mom pay off the fees for Niko’s board, I worked at the barn by feeding and watering the horses, rotating the pastures, cleaning stalls, and teaching younger aspiring equestrians. When I decided I wanted to up the level of my competition by riding Niko in the Appaloosa Breed Show circuit, I started grooming and exercising my trainer’s horses to pay off lessons and other show fees, but it wasn’t enough. So, when I was fifteen, I started working in an ice cream store about twenty hours a week during the school year and full time during the summer.

The cost and responsibility of having a horse taught me numerous things, but I think the most important of all of them is a certain grasp on the concept of working for what I really want. Or maybe it was the simple fact that it gave me something to really want. I really wanted to be a part of the family at the barn. I really wanted to master the precision and finesse that elite equestrians command. Most of all, at that adolescent age, I wanted something to define me and I found it through the work I put into Niko.

In addition to changing how I spent my time, my experience with Niko changed my priorities. Although my grades were consistently good throughout my education, I never really put effort into them. By the end of my sophomore year in high school, however, I cared about my classes, and getting a scholarship to college more than anything. By devoting my time to my horse and my grades my social scene changed as well. I met wonderful, creative people that shared my work ethic and introduced me to things that never mattered before. So, in a sense, Niko was a turning point in my life because he brought about a fundamental change in me that catalyzed more change as time has progressed.

How International Relations Affects Me

I am affected through the MNCs that are able to function because of international relations. Without MNCs such as Nike or Coke my shoes, sodas and other items may cost me more money, or my choices of purchases may be limited to what is produced in my state. 

My Monumental Event

A monumental event in my life was attending the university of Richmond summer camp. I was on my college search and an application for the University of Richmond soccer camp came in the mail and I decided to follow it up. I did some research and decided Richmond had the programs and the academic quality I was looking for in a college. I came to the camp at Richmond and fell in love with the campus. The people I met while I was here at soccer camp were awesome and told me great things about the school. I left the camp and decided Richmond was the place for me to pursue my college education. I made the decision of what my adult life would be based on when I was a junior in high school.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!