#pos495jamison

[pos495l-167world]

Terrorism

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24179084

Terrorist groups, now that is a term that many of our elder generations haven’t heard often, or none at all.  However, ask the younger generation today what terrorist groups mean, and the majority will instantly mention 9-11 attacks and the War on terrorism.  I was in sitting in my History class in junior year high school when 9-11 occurred and I remember thinking “Terrorist attacks? That doesn’t happen in the U.S.”  I was lost and even confused, to think that today’s society is far too familiar with terrorism. In this regard, the new terrorist group ISIS which have recently emerged are much more dangerous and stronger than what people realize. “IS claims to have fighters from the UK, France, Germany and other European countries, as well as the US, the Arab world and the Caucasus.  Unlike other rebel groups in Syria, IS is seen to be working towards an Islamic emirate that straddles Syria and Iraq.”(BBC).  ISIS area has been ever growing they are conquering more and more land.  June 2015 was a big month for ISIS as “they had a very good month. In Iraq it took Ramadi, the largest city in Anbar Province, and began an assault on the last government-held population centers between it and Baghdad, 70 miles to the east, where it already surrounds the international airport. In Syria, ISIS swept up the ancient city of Palmyra, and moved toward Aleppo, the country’s shattered largest city. In Libya, groups that have pledged allegiance to Baghdadi’s caliphate gained ground, holding Muamar Ghadaffi’s hometown of Sirt, fighting in Benghazi and a half dozen other places. ISIS-aligned groups also fight in Yemen, the Egyptian Sinai and all those other countries on the sprawling map of historically Muslim lands.” (TIME).  This group has no boundaries, they are not Al-Quida they have one thing in mind and its control and power.  As per Snow, his definition of terrorism is “the commission of atrocious acts against a target population normally to gain compliance with some demands the terrorist insist upon.”  The group ISIS is a perfect example of Snow’s definition of terrorism.  The majority of Muslims today do not want to abide by the rules of ISIS, they want to live a more modern lifestyle.  ISIS can be summed up as power hungry terrorist group which will stop at nothing till it gets what it wants. 

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Citations:

http://time.com/3917097/as-isis-grows-its-territory-it-becomes-increasingly-dangerous/

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-24179084

 SNL takes a jab at Bush and his Access of Evil speech -- some humor in such a dark subject.

Access of Evil - SNL

https://screen.yahoo.com/access-evil-cold-opening-000000151.html

[pos495l-167world]

Iran-A Pivotal State

The United States falls into the category of being major state which means that it exercises significant power and influence on the international scene. Iran, on the other hand, is described as a pivotal state. This simply means that it lies in between the weak and major states. Here, it lacks power to play a major role globally but does have a certain level of power in its region away from manipulation from major states. Iran’s regional power has led to conflict between it and the U.S. especially where nuclear weapons are concerned. Ever since 1979 when Iran's government was replaced by an anti-American theocratic regime, it and the United States have been clashing. This has been due mainly to Iran's nuclear weapons program. The U.S. and other major powers believe that since Iran is such a radical regime it will use its nuclear weapons irresponsibly by sharing them with terrorists or attacking Israel (Snow). Iranians deny this premise and argue that they comply fully with international guidelines.  U.S. opposition to the Iranian program has become nationalistic. Due to the lack of influence the U.S. has in the region the Obama administration chose to reverse President Bush's way of handling Iran which was simply just ignoring the state. A nuclear deal was proposed to curb Iran's nuclear program regarding arms trafficking and ballistic missile capabilities, etc. The new deadline for this deal is set for Monday, July 13, 2015 as the previous July 10th deadline was passed without the major states and Iran reaching an agreement.  Snow, Donald M. Cases in International Relations. Sixth ed. Boston: Pearson Longman, 2012. Print.  http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/08/politics/iran-nuclear-talks-obama-deadline/  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/11/iran-and-world-powers-give-themselves-72-hours-to-clinch-nuclear-deal