The Hill Volume XI, Issue III
December 2011 Chapel Hill Political Review
On the Road to 2012 Electoral Politics as the Year Closes
Productivity in Congress
The We Can’t Wait Campaign
The Romney Alternatives The State of US Infrastructure
& An Electoral Comparison
Section From the Editor
To our readers: Turning a list of happenings in the news into a coherent magazine is harder than one might think. It’s never a problem of nothing to discuss, but rather the problems which come with attempting to pull a few items from never-ending list of issues to analyze in new ways. For, at The Hill, that’s what we want to do. We want to take issues that you’ve heard about, and ones you haven’t, and present them not only from a nonpartisan position, but with a different analytical focus from what’s been done. We hope you feel that we manage to accomplish this goal as electoral politics become an even greater focus of the media, ourselves included. This issue, we look at electoral politics on the road to 2012. We analyze actions of Congress and the well-worn critique that “nothing’s getting done.” We bring forth a comparison between the budding 2012 election and the 1928 election. We look at Obama’s use of executive power
in the context of the upcoming election, and similarly examine the Iraq withdrawal. On the international stage, we look at the trajectory of Post-Gadhafi Libya, and geopolitical strategy in the Arab Spring. Similarly, we examine the Arab League’s actions against Syria. And in a different international vein, we look at entrepreneurship in China and the Eurozone Crisis. As always, we’d like to thank you for downloading and reading this issue of The Hill. We hope you enjoy, and we welcome you to give us your feedback. We hope you’ll join us again in the new year! Sarah Wentz & Siddarth Nagaraj
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Our Mission: The Hill is a medium for analysis of state, national, and international politics. This publication is meant to serve as the middle ground (and a battleground) for political thought on campus where people can present their beliefs and test their ideas. A high premium is placed on having a publication that is not affiliated with any party or organization, but rather is openly nonpartisan on the whole. Hence, the purpose of The Hill is to provide a presentation of both neutral and balanced analysis of political ideas, events, and trends. This means that, on the one hand, the publication will feature articles that are politically moderate in-depth analyses of politics and political ideas. These articles might be analytical, descriptive claims that draw conclusions about the political landscape. On the other, The Hill will feature various articles that take political stances on issues. 2 The Hill
EDITORS IN CHIEF Siddarth Nagaraj Sarah Wentz SECTION EDITORS Amanda Claire Grayson Sam Hobbs WRITERS Brendan Cooley Eric Eikenberry Brian Godfrey Amanda Claire Grayson Sam Hobbs Kelly Kessler Krishna Kollu Radhika Kshatriya Siddarth Nagaraj Ismaail Qaiyim Chris Rodriguez Stephanie Shenigo John Son Kevin Uhrmacher Sarah Wentz Daixi Xu Richard Zheng BLOG EDITOR Eric Eikenberry DESIGN Sarah Wentz HEAD OF ART Connor Sullivan ART Daniel Kolev Connor Sullivan TREASURER Christie Blazevich FACULTY ADVISOR Ferrel Guillory This magazine was produced at no cost for online distribution only.
Contents Section
Volume XI, Issue III December 2011
Contents Cover 14
Wasting Time?
16
2012 v. 1948
17
Obama & Executive Power
18
Iraq: An Electoral Diversion?
19
The Romney Alternatives
Is Congress accomplishing anything?
An electoral comparison
The “We can’t wait”campaign
The Iraq withdrawal and electoral politics
A GOP presidential candidate head-to-head
Features 6
As 2011 Becomes 2012
8
Seven Billion People
9
Libya: Post-Gaddafi
The big events of 2011, and what to expect in 2012
Population ballooning and booming
Libya’s trajectory after Gaddafi’s death
State of US Infrastructure 20 The Is American infrastructure in decline?
21
Intellectual Property & Copyright Law Regulation of the internet?
December 2011
3
Sectionfrom The Hill Notes
Hill-O-Meter
Who’s on top of the heap? Who has fallen far? We track the up-and-comers and the down-and-outs. crisis - Terrible thing, say you? A chance to shift 1 Eurozone the blame, say I. Imagine a worldwide recession that we’re
not responsible for. Yeah, it will most likely have a large, negative impact on U.S. economic fortunes, but we can’t control it. Genuine powerlessness and absence of accountability in the face of an oncoming crisis feels goooood. And I know it›s not just me; how happy do you think the (questionably) moral captains of industry at BoFA, AIG, and Goldman Sachs feel? Damn hip1pies will have to move all of their tents to Europe now. Also, I’ve been waiting to blame something on the Greeks for a long time (that Trojan Horse thing was so not cool, bros).
Gingrich - Will the Christian right embrace a two-time di2 Newt vorcee? Will small government conservatives embrace a man who
was paid over one million dollars by Freddie Mac? Will moderates want to resuscitate the career of a man who was the face of the culture wars of the 1990s? (Wait, are there any moderates left?) All valid, yet wrong questions. Is he NotMittRomney? Bingo. At least for the next month. (Now that GOP primary voters have cycled through the also-rans once, I’m curious to see if they give some of the other NotRomney’s a second vetting. Jon Huntsman need not apply.) police officers - Maliciously pepper-spraying 3 Riot-control peaceful UC Davis student protesters in the face. Hospi-
talizing two Iraq war veterans. Treating the citizens they›re supposed to be protecting as enemies. Assault rifles in Chapel Hill. All forgivable. The outfits? Fugly. The big Star Wars convention is next year, guys. And not all of you can go as Darth Vader.
4
Final papers/projects/finals in general - Die. Oh wait, this fourth thing has to be political, um, finals cut down on shopping time. Instead of doing schoolwork, I could be pumping money into our nations malls and buying stuff online. Time is money, people. Capitalism suffers if theses and painful-tolook-at powerpoint presentations impede our youth from consuming at economically-restorative levels. Man, Obama should really do something about this.
Eric Eikenberry is a sophomore majoring in global studies. 4 The Hill
Notes from The Section Hill
Elections & the Arab Spring Egypt
Tunisia
Pre-Revolution Leader: Hosni Mubarak
Pre-Revolution Leader: Zine Ben Ali
Regime Overthrow: Feb. 10, 2011
Regime Overthrow: Jan. 14, 2011
Transition Authority: Supreme Council of Armed Forces
Transition Authority: Appointed Interim Government
Upon taking power, the Supreme Council promised to turn over power to an “elected, civil government” but stated it would remain in power until presidential and parliamentary elections could be held.
Upon the creation of the initial caretaker coalition government, it was asserted that elections would be held within 60 days This did not occur.
Constitutional Referendum: March 19 Millions of Egyptians turn up to vote on the nine proposed constitutional amendments
The election was originally scheduled for late July, but was delayed to allow more time for the preperation of electoral lists and the renewal of identity cards.
Parliamentary Election: November 28 The first phase of voting begins late November, but the process is expected to continue through December. Presidential Election: June 2012
By
Constituent Assembly Election: October 23rd, 2011
Result: The creation of the role of prime minister in addition to the role of the president, and the creation of a unicameral contituent assembly.
the End of
& the Rest Morocco Constitutional Referendum: July 1, 2011: Successfully Passed a New Constitution Parliamentary Election: November 25, 2011: This election was held early in respones to unrest, coriginally scheduled for October 2012, then October 2011, before its execution in November. Libya After the end of the civil war, a Public National Conference is set to be elected, and the Conference will draft a new Constitution. Within six months of the new constitution’s drafting, a genral election will be held. December 2011
5
Timeline
As 2011 Becomes 2012...
With the end of one year comes the beginning of another. But what happened in 2011? And what’s in store for 2012? Jan.
1: Estonia becomes the seventeenth country to join the Eurozone.
14: Tunisia sees the government of Zine el
Abidine Ben Ali fall after over a month of increasingly violent protests. The fall of the Tunisian regime creates and/or incites unrest in other Arab nations, leading to an increase in popular protests across the Arab World.
26:
Public demonstrations begin in Syria, the demonstrations slowly build into March, at which point a long violent conflict erupts.
Feb.
11:
Hosni Mubarak resigns in response to widespread demands for his departure from office. Mubarak’s resignation leaves Egypt in the hands of the military.
14: The Wisconsin protests against the Budget Repair Bill (due to some of its provisions) begin.
March
May
1: President Obama announces that Osama bin Laden has been killed in an American military operation in Pakistan.
16: The EU agrees to a 78 billion Euro rescue deal for Portugal.
26: Congress & President Obama approve a four year extension of the USA Patriot Act.
June
5: Yemeni President Saleh travels to Saudi
Arabia for treatment of an injury he sustained during an attack on the presidential palace. Power is transferred to VP Abd alRab Mansur al-Hadi.
20: In an hour long noon address, Syrian
President Bashar al Assad blames the nation’s unrest on vandals, radical and blasphemous individuals, and foreign conspiracies, though he admits of the demands are legitimate.
July
11: A 9.1 magnitude earthquake accompanied
1: Morocco votes on a constitutional ref-
17:
9: South Sudan successfully secedes from
by a tsunami strikes Japan, killing over 15,000 and leaving approximately 4,000 missing in the country.
The UN Security Council unanimously votes to create no-fly zone over Libya in response to the civil war and accounts of government aggression towards citizens.
April
erendum and approves a new constitution with 98% of voters saying “yes” to the new constitution. Sudan after an independence referendum held in January.
20: The UN declares a famine in southern
Somalia, the first declaration in nearly thirty years.
8: An hour before the government is set to Aug. shut down, the U.S. Congress reaches a deal regarding the 2011 federal budget. 5: Standard & Poor downgrades the United credit rating from AAA to AA+ with a 11: Former Cote d’Ivoire President Laurent States negative outlook. Gbagbo is arrested by supporters of elected President Alassane Ouattara, ending the 20-28: In the Battle of Tripoli, Libyan 2010-2011 Ivorian Crisis & civil war. 6 The Hill
rebels take over the national capital.
Sept.
5: India and Bangladesh sign a pact to end their forty year border demarcation dispute.
17: The Occupy Wall Street protests launch,
the protests’ development into a movement spreads iacross the U.S., also stirring protests beyond the United States.
Oct.
7: The War in Afghanistan marks its tenth anniversary.
18: Israel & Palestinian militant organization Hamas begin a major prisoner swap. Captured Israeli Army solider Gilad Shalit is released by Hamas in exchange for 1,027 prisoners held by Israel.
23: Three days after the death of Muammar
Gaddafi, the National Transitional Council declares the liberation of Libya and the official end of the civil war.
Nov.
12: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resigns after the loss of his parliamentary absolute majority and in an effort to allow room for an emergency government to address the economic crisis.
21: The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Re-
duction fails to agree on proposals to cut the national budget deficit by $1.2 trillion which leads to automatic budget cuts.
28: Voters in Egypt begin voting in the first round of parliamentary elections.
In 2012,
Timeline Section
we’ll be talking about... Conflict The aftermath of the Democratic Republic of the Congo elections. Many alledge that the results of the December presidential electionwere fraudulent, and the conflict and unrest which sprung from the results may well continue into the new year. The Syrian uprising. Violent conflict has abounded for months now, and the international community is beginning to rouse. The Arab League has already taken action, and the United Nations may soon follow.
Economics The Eurozone Crisis. The European Union will assuredly continue to flurry about in attempts to resolve the crisis. We predict austerity measures, lots of finger pointing, and poor France & Germany ending up shouldering much of the costs of resolution. The US budget & debt ceiling. The budget and US debt will continue to be concerns in 2012, and we predict lots of Congressional bickering, several barely met deadlines, and a few grudging compromises before anything is accomplished.
Politics The Arab Spring. Though it’s been almost a year since the beginning of the Arab Revolution, protests and reform are still being seen in the Arab World, and we don’t expect the movement to end with the calendar year. We predict continued reform in the Arab World in the months to come.
6: The new Belgian government is sworn in,
The 2012 presidential election. We can’t avoid discussion of the upcoming presidential election, and we predict that it will be an interesting race as Obama’s approval rating continues to decline.
18: The last convoy of US Army soldiers with-
But for the rest? You’ll have to join us again next year.
Dec. ending the record-making 541 day process of the formation of a government.
draws from Iraq, marking the official end of the Iraq War.
By Sarah Wentz December 2011
7
Domestic Section International
A Population Booming
O
By Chris Rodriguez
n October 31st demographers in the United Nations Population Division announced that at some point during the day, the world population had reached seven billion. Of course, the exact time the seven billionth person on Earth was born, or who that person might be, is far from anyone’s ability to determine. In fact, the date of October 31st is largely symbolic. Different demographic organizations use different algorithms to calculate the population growth rate. For example, the U.S. census bureau has calculated that the seven billionth person on Earth will be born sometime around mid-March 2012. It is no secret that over the past century population growth in the world has increased at an alarming rate. Hundreds of interesting statistics and data have been brought forth to highlight this reality. One in particular that has caught the forefront of many writings on the topic is that before the 20th century, not a human on the planet had seen the world population double in their lifetime, but there are many alive today who have seen the world population triple in their lifetime. The rapid population growth has been seen by many as a problem, but the reasons why it is a problem escapes the grasp of many. As it were, the world will not “run out of space,” as many believe. In fact, the population boom has already slowed significantly, and demographic experts that by 2050, the human growth curve will have nearly plateaued if not before. However, by then, the world population will have 8 The Hill
already surpassed nine billion people, and that poses a significant resource issue. For the issue is, in fact, a resource issue. On its own, the entirety of the world population today can be placed shoulderto-shoulder in an area no larger than the city of Los Angeles. If you were to place the entire pop-
ulation of the world inside the borders of the state of Texas, the population density would be no more than that of New York City. The rise of megacities, those cities with populations of over 10 million people, have wrought the misconception that soon we will all be forced into these metropolis’s like sardines struggling to survive. That is not the case. Even though today there are such megacities like Tokyo, with 34 million inhabitants, or New York City, the 9th largest city in the world with 22 million people, these cities are merely representative of the demographic distribution of the world, and the distribution of its resources.
So the issue with the Earth’s population today and in the years to come is the distribution of its resources, which remains far from equal. Humans exhaust vast quantities of their environment’s natural resources, significantly more than most species. Man consumes nitrogen, water, oxygen, and carbon in tremendous amounts, not to mention other natural resources like oil and natural gas. Already, the world’s supply of oil is being strained. Clean water is inaccessible to many across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and many of the Earth’s megacities suffer from pollution problems. At the same time, the industrialized nations enjoy plentiful amounts of clean water, energy, and other natural resources as compared to other less developed countries. In a world where less than 1 percent of the world’s fresh water is accessible for human use, its distribution is paramount to human survival, but to this day the distribution of fresh water has remained unequal across the globe. In the coming years, many of the policy issues facing world governments will involve the resource-population problem. With a global population of seven billion and counting, there is little we can do to prevent the next generation from sprouting into the world. What can be done is mediate the response to the population boom by making access to vital resources a commonality across the globe. Chris Rodriguez is a sophomore majoring in political science and global studies.
Libya Post-Gaddafi: What’s Next?
J
International Section Dome
By Brian Godfrey
ust like that, forty two years of tyranny came to a decided end. Caught in crossfire between revolutionary and loyalist forces in his home town of Sirte, the charismatic Colonel Muammar Gaddafi was found bloodied and near death (or dead) in a nondescript drainage ditch. As images and reports of the colonel’s killing went viral, the supporters of Libya’s revolution erupted in celebration. Across the North African country, people danced in the streets and waved around the new nation’s flag. For many Libyans, the death of Gaddafi marks a definitive end to his almost cult-like, decades-long rule. Despite this, the death of a dictator does not mark the end of the country’s path towards a stable and prosperous state. Although the open “civil war” has virtually ended in Libya, former fighters organized into militias still patrol the streets in urban areas. Now “ex-revolutionaries”, the gunmen have not given up their arms; most assert that maintaining a presence on the ground is necessary for the stability of the fragile Libyan state. The new government, headed by the National Transition Council, still lacks strong levels of authority. Small clashes are still flaring up across the country, though the National Transition Council has downplayed these conflicts and assured that “everything is under control.” In some areas, abuses of power by the ex-revolutionaries have been reported, such as detaining civilians and expropriating property. Without proper control of Libya’s gunmen, the country could conceivably devolve into a nightmare scenario of ideologically or identity based paramilitaries.
Fortunately, there is much to suggest Libya is on the right course for what President Obama calls “a future that provides freedom, dignity, and opportunity”. The resource-rich country sits on vast reserves of high-quality oil, investors are flocking in, and the new provisional government is now tapping into millions of dollars that Gaddafi stored in foreign bank accounts. Though oil production dropped dramatically during the fighting, Libya’s Minister of Oil has reported that production has reached 40% of pre-war levels (ahead of schedule) with full production being reached again by next summer. On October 31st, the National Transition Council appointed Abdel Rahim el-Keeb as the government’s interim prime minister. A Gaddafi critic, Mr. Keeb spent much of his life outside of Libya (including a period as a professor of electrical engineering at NC State). Originally hailing from western Libya, his appointment politically balances the government’s eastern Interim President and Council Chairman, Mustafa Abdel Jalil. Mr. Keeb and his selected cabinet will run the country until the election of a National Public Conference assembly in approximately six months. Libya’s wide range of politics and affiliations are coming to surface now that Gaddafi’s repressive regime has collapsed. Conflicting ideas between eastern and western Libya, different tribes, secular and Islamist parties, and other interests may spell trouble for the drafting of a new, unified government. Indeed, a large amount of blame was attributed to Islamist militias last July for the killing of Abdel Fatah Younis, then commander of
anti-Gaddafi forces. If neighboring Tunisia’s recent election is evidence of anything, it is that mild Islamist political forces are poised to gain considerable power in the future Libya. This has made secular Libyan politicians and Western observers uneasy. But fundamentalist politics have remained on the fringe so far; mainstream Islamist leaders publicly declare they want to build a nonreligious, modern Libyan state. Some observers have pointed to Turkey as a 21st century model for Libya. That is, the realities of a Muslim culture should be combined with economic liberalism and social freedoms. Up until this point, Libya was without formal parties or any substantial civil institutions. Unlike Tunisia, Libya has no existing constitution from which to build upon. The nation’s future forward must be forged almost entirely from scratch, and though the situation is far from perfect, Libya seems to be on the right course. The National Transition Council should step up efforts to centralize and unify the ex-revolutionary militias while also preparing parties and institutions for the scheduled elections. Revolutions are never clean, well-ordered events— but if the ongoing reinvention of Libya continues unfettered, the country has a bright future ahead of itself. Brian Godfrey is a sophomore majoring in political science and geography.
December 2011
9
Section International
Geopolitical Strategy & the Arab Spring
M
By Sam Hobbs
ost pundits and scholars believe that the revolutions sweeping through the Middle East and North Africa do not serve the United States’ interests. The prevailing narrative maintains that, over the past few decades, the U.S. cultivated a system of stable working relationships with the autocratic leaders of the region that secured our interests. During the Arab Spring, the narrative continues, this system collapsed, launching the region into turmoil the U.S. could no longer manage.
Another U.S. interest in the region is military security. The American military has important bases in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq. These bases serve to protect the U.S. against threats from Iran and terrorists, and they provide vital logistical support for the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The U.S. also maintains a close relationship with Egypt’s military, the largest in Africa. The heavy U.S. military presence in the region demonstrates how strongly the
A careful examination of the American response to the revolutions and its current situation, however, reveals that the U.S. handled the crisis well and that perceived threats are overblown. In fact, the Arab Spring could ultimately benefit the United States. One clear interest in the region is oil. The Middle East and North Africa contain eight of the twelve OPEC members, all of which hosted protests related to the Arab Spring. These countries control a sizable portion of the world’s oil resources – Saudi Arabia has the largest oil reserves in the world – and possess considerable influence over an important U.S. resource. The American response to the Arab Spring carefully balanced its oil interests; despite the revolutions, the U.S. maintained strong relations with major oil-producing governments. For example, the U.S. never wavered in its support of Saudi Arabia’s monarch; had no serious issues with Qatar, the UAE or Kuwait; and provided decisive support to the winning side in Libya’s civil war. As a result, Americans should continue to enjoy access to Middle East oil. 10 The Hill
U.S. values its interests there. However, the protests and revolutions did not jeopardize these interests. The U.S. has not lost any important military bases, and its military alliances are still intact. The U.S. worked closely with the Egyptian military to guarantee its continuing role in Egypt’s government, bolstering an important channel of influence in Egypt and the region. A final U.S. interest is the promotion of democracy and tolerance, especially in protecting Israel. Israel’s security relies on treaties with Saudi Arabia and Egypt, negotiated largely by the United States. Democracy promotion and peace-building in the region has been an official policy for decades, though the U.S. has
repeatedly sacrificed these objectives for security, stability or trade. The United States exercised impressive discretion in its management of and intervention in the Arab Spring. The U.S. seemed to intervene in the right amount in the right places. First, the U.S. recognized early on that the protests were an Arab affair and gave the movements their due space. When the U.S. concluded its interests and values were threatened (as in Libya), the U.S. acted multilaterally and waited for the Libyan people and the Arab League to ask NATO to intervene. While the U.S. did abandon several protest movements, these ultimately failed while U.S.-supported protests were successful (with the exception of Syria’s Assad, whose future is still uncertain). In effect, the U.S. chose the winning side in each contest, suggesting that the U.S. will enjoy good relations with these regimes in the future. There are fears that the Arab Spring has given rise to greater Islamic influence in the region, but these fears are overblown. In an interview with The Hill, Jeremy Hammond, editor of Foreign Policy Journal, argued, “The protests were largely secular and dominated by political and economic grievances, not religious concerns. Granted, some of the new governments beginning to take shape in the region are more conservative than their predecessors, but they are part of mainstream Islam and should not be associated with the fundamentalist extremism that produces terrorists and Iranian-like theocracies.” These new governments do
Entrepreneurs Leaving China
W
International Section
By Brendan Cooley
hile western economies remain mired in a shaky recovery, China’s economy continues to grow at rates higher than 9 percent—a number the country has consistently hit for the past 30 years. Despite this miraculous growth, China’s most successful people are leaving the country en masse, according to a recent Time magazine article. A survey published by the Bank of China polled Chinese with more than 10 million yuan in assets (about $1.5 million); results showed that 27 percent have already taken steps to leave the country and 47 percent are considering leaving. The United States is the destination of choice for a plurality of emigrants, according to the survey. The phenomenon presents a challenge to the narrative commonly told in the United States— that of an unstoppable China. This narrative also has severe implications for Chinese policymakers, who apparently are crafting policies that alienate their most appear less tolerant towards Israel, but Israel was hardly popular before the revolution. Once again, the U.S. proved willing to sacrifice its democratic values when they come into conflict with geopolitical interests. In spite of an imperfect record, the U.S. did help advance democracy in a long oppressed region. The region may be more tumultuous than in previous decades, but for now, American interests appear secure. Sam Hobbs is a junior majoring in history.
successful entrepreneurs. Successful Chinese, according to UNC Professor of Political Science Xi Chen, lack a sense of economic security under the communist regime. The Chinese government’s economic policy is unstable, its legal system weak, and its citizens’ property rights insecure. These policies lead many rich Chinese to fear for their economic wellbeing, and so they choose to leave the country to protect their assets. And these trends have only accelerated over the last ten years. With the ascension of Deng Xiaoping to the leadership of China in 1978, China began a period of economic liberalization following western growth models. The country opened its traditionally insular economy to the global markets, and the result has been stunning, consistent growth. The success of global capitalism as a growth machine for China presents some paradoxes for Chinese communist leadership. Until the turn of the century, the Communist Party justified its existence through ensuring continued growth. But since 2000, the Communist Party has sounded an increasingly populist tone, according to Chen. The party’s success has led to a growing confidence among its leaders. More and more Communist Party politicians are appealing to Chinese citizens by returning to their communist roots. These communist overtones lead to policies that end up hurting the wealthy. What’s more, incoming Chinese leaders appear to be even more populist than their predecessors. A communist China that became rich through state-driven
capitalism is now, some claim, turning on the businesses that drove this growth. The strange actions of the Communist Party reflect the difficult dilemma facing Chinese leaders. Chinese citizens lack many political and social rights, but the country’s economic growth has traditionally provided social stability. Incidents of protest and social unrest have accelerated in recent years, and the Communist Party, rather than continuing liberalization, has used Maoist rhetoric to appeal to the masses. If the increasingly communist rhetoric continues to manifest itself in policy, it is likely that more and more successful Chinese will leave the country. And if this trend continues, and the engines that have been fueling Chinese growth continue to disappear, the Chinese economy will suffer. China remains an economic juggernaut, but its internal social and economic contradictions raise questions as to how long its growth can continue. Chinese leadership has proved itself remarkably adept at responding to problems caused by these contradictions, however, and the country’s massive reserve of human capital ensures that there are ambitious individuals ready to take the place of those who leave. But this recent phenomenon is indicative of a flaw in Chinese economic policy, one that will surely cause the regime problems in the near future. Brendan Cooley is a sophomore majoring in peace, war, & defense and economics.
December October 2011 11
Section International
Sanctions & Suspensions in the Name of Peace
O
By Sarah Wentz
f the Arab nations, no state was left unaffected by the Arab Spring, including Syria. Garnering little attention initially as the media focused on Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, the unrest in Syria has increased throughout the year. With unrest has come the violence, with the death toll now believed to have surpassed 4,000. On November 2nd, Syria accepted a peace plan organized and proposed by the Arab League. The proposal demanded the release of prisoners, the withdrawal of security forces and armored tanks from the streets, and the cessation of violence against demonstrators. By accepting the agreement, Syria also agreed to open negotiations between the government and opposition parties and to allow human rights groups, Arab League representatives, and international media to monitor and report on the Syrian situation. However, Syria wavered and failed to make motions to follow through on the Arab League’s peace plan. Instead, state-supported violence continued, causing doubt and concern amongst those watching. It was not until twelve demonstrators were killed on Muslim holy day Eid al-Adha, however, that the Arab League decided to act, interpreting the continued violence as a refusal to implement the peace plan. With a reported death toll of at least 60 in the four days since Syria had agreed to the peace plan, and the release of only a small percent-
age of prisoners, the Arab League claimed that the state’s actions made it clear that Bashar al Assad and his government had no intentions of ceasing their crackdown on dissent. In response, the Arab League held a vote on whether or not to suspend Syria’s membership from the organization. Of the twenty two states (a count which includes Syria), only Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon voted against the suspension, while Iraq abstained. With the support of the other eighteen members, the motion passed with overarching international support. Unsurprisingly, however, Syria’s ambassador Youssef Ahmed condemned the motion, calling the decision illegal and claiming it was contrary to the league’s internal charter. On November 16th, four days after the initial vote, the Arab League confirmed the suspension and gave Syria three days to end the violence and accept an observer mission or face sanctions. After the violence in Syria continued, the Arab League agreed on several sanctions that will bear a heavy cost on the Syrian state. The sanctions included a travel ban for senior Syrian officials to Arab states, a freeze on their assets in other states, a cessation of transactions with the Syrian central bank, an end to trade deals with the Syrian government, a freeze of Syrian government bank assets, and lastly an end of transactions with the government. Syria has described the move as
a betrayal of Arab solidarity, no doubt as a result of sheer panic over the potential impacts of the sanctions. The levying of these sanctions truly contradicts any “business as usual” image the Syrian government is trying to project and will bear significant impact on the government. The government’s alienation from its Arab neighbors alone takes away a fair bit of the regime’s might, but the economic sanctions also further weaken the regime. The sanctions have provided pressure for Syria to take action to appease the Arab League in order to get the sanctions lifted. As a result, only days after the sanctions were imposed Syria has come to the Arab League with a counter offer: Syria will allow observers in, under certain conditions, if the Arab League will lift its sanctions. Currently, the Arab League is examining Syria’s proposal; however, it seems likely that provided the provisions are not too restricting on the powers of the observers, the Arab League will accept the counteroffer in order to get observers into Syria to help monitor, and hopefully subdue, the conflict. So far Syria’s story in the Arab Spring Saga is just as unique as the stories of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and the rest. Hopefully, the unique involvement of the Arab League will lead to an end to the bloody conflict which has besieged Syria for the past several months, sanctions or no sanctions.
the levying of these sanctions truly Sarah Wentz is a senior majoring in political science and global contradicts any “business as usual” studies. image the regime is trying to project 12 The Hill
The Greek Case in the Eurozone Crisis
E
conomic singularity, stability, and even sustainability are the traditional hallmarks of the Eurozone. The Eurozone, for many EU member-states, represents the primary optimum currency arena, whereby economic growth and security are guaranteed alongside political integration and cooperation. The combination of the 2008 financial crisis and the Greek debt crisis, for some, has fundamentally undermined the politicoeconomic conception of a single European currency. For others, it has highlighted the need for stricter enforcement of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), the agreement which sets the foundational economic limits for Eurozone countries, and the need for an organized response to country defaults. Recognition of the latter led to the creation of European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), an organization tasked with protecting the economic integrity of the Eurozone by aiding defaulting member-states. The EESF has a lending capacity of €440 billion. The Greek debt crisis and the current financial recession underwrite the complexity of sovereign debt management in economic conditions that have traditionally encouraged economic growth during deficits, largely due to the availability of cheap capital and low interest rates. Just as the 2008 financial crisis caused skepticism about the financial system to surface, the Greek debt crisis has projected the same effect onto the Eurozone. Greece is often characterized as being on the economic periphery of the Eurozone and
International Section
By Ismaail Qaiyim is associated with a sense of social caretaking and entitlement spending. There have been four major austerity measures within Greece since February of 2010. The measures were enacted as part of aid packages given by the European Central Bank (ECB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It soon became clear that
Greece would need more aid to prevent a seemingly inevitable debt rollover. This led to the creation of the troika or tripartite committee, enacted by the European Commission, ECB, and the IMF. This committee was dedicated to overseeing the allocation of a massive loan to stabilize the faltering Greek economy. The austerity measures that then followed were characterized by unprecedented cuts in salaries and pensions. With these measures began the massive privatization of the Greek economy. The fourth bail out and subsequent austerity measures- over which former Prime Minster Papandreou called a referendum, but reluctantly accepted- furthered the process of privatization whereby many national companies and bonds were sold to for-
eign companies. The social unrest from the last two austerity measures severely shook confidence in both the government and the Eurozone. Overall Greece earned a new and less combative prime minister, about €110 billion in monetary aid, sweeping tax increases, massive cuts in entitlement spending, and a far less stable economic outlook. Overall government spending in Greece still outweighs revenue. Greece is a curious case. In one sense it shows that Eurozone membership can be beneficial, but also that membership essentially predisposes a sovereign state to the interests of external actors that can completely alter its financial reality. If the outlook of the ordinary citizen is based on entitlement spending and early retirement, as in the case of Greece, a sudden jolt away from the status quo can result in massive social unrest. The question of blame then arises both for the government and external financial institutions. Some, such as Joseph Stiglitz, fault such financial institutions for not acting to help Greece earlier. Many financial institutions played a role in concealing the nature of Greece’s economic situation, and the fact that the government debt to GDP ratio matched that of the U.S. raises questions about the “uniqueness” of the Greek scenario. Is the Greek case indicative of what can potentially occur within any developed country? This question will likely remain unanswered and its implications unexplored. Ismaail Qaiyim is a senior majoring in history and peace, war, & defense. December 2011 13 13
Section Cover
Time is Money So is Congress wasting it? W ith the unemployment rate and the Congressional approval rate both at nine percent and an uncertain future for President Obama’s American Jobs Act, it is no wonder that the House of Representative’s recent reaffirmation of our nation’s motto “In God We Trust” attracted so much backlash from the media.
In 1956, Congress passed a law declaring “In God We Trust” to be our official national motto. The most recent reaffirmation is the third time it has occurred. In 2002, Congress passed a new law that “reaffirmed the exact language that has appeared in the Motto for decades.” Four years later, the Senate reaffirmed the motto again in commemoration of its 50th anniversary. Expressing many people’s reactions to the resolution, The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart insisted, “The motto was under no threat.” However, the resolution’s sponsor Representative Randy Forbes did believe the motto was under threat. The reaffirmation can be seen as a reaction to a 2010 statement by President Obama in which he remarked, “In the United States, our motto is E pluribus Unum.” During the debate on the House floor, Representative Forbes argued that as a result of President
Obama’s statement, many people are confused about what the national motto is and that it is necessary to reaffirm it. In response, Representative Nadler criticized Republicans for placing an irrelevant issue on the agenda by asserting, “We don’t need to go looking for imagined problems to fix. We’ve got enough real ones to worry about.” As a result, the 40-minute floor debate over the resolution was not over the status of “In God We Trust” as the national motto, but whether discussion of the motto should even be taking place.
explained in an interview with The Hill, “The American public isn’t going to get upset about them unless the media points them out.” She also described how the media has fostered the American perception that Congress is constantly debating and creating policies when they are responsible for many other tasks such as committee work and oversight of other branches of government.
Congress is having difficulty making the tough decisions and having the meaningful debates required to create real policies to deal with the economic crisis
“In God We Trust” is not the only legislation considered by Congress that seems like a waste of time. Congress regularly passes commemorative resolutions and official designations, which account for about a third of legislation passed, but most of them do not receive media attention. As UNC Assistant Professor of Political Science Sarah Treul
Meanwhile, President Obama’s American Jobs Act has faced political stalemate in Congress. It failed to pass the Senate and has not yet been introduced in the House. In light of this situation, President Obama chastised Congress for considering frivolous legislation instead of jobs creating legislation by remarking, “You’ve been debating a commemorative coin for baseball. You have legislation reaffirming that “In God We Trust” is our motto. That’s not putting people back to work.” Professor Treul speculates that Congress is taking up
Congress regularly passes commemorative resolutions and official designations, which account for about a third of legislation passed...
14 The Hill
many of these issues because of the political stalemate. She suggested, “It’s somewhat easier to focus on “In God We Trust” because it’s bipartisan and not controversial.” Just like it had trouble overcoming partisan hurdles in the recent debt ceiling and budget crises, Congress is having difficulty making the tough decisions and having the meaningful debates required to create real policies to deal with the economic crisis. Despite current considerations of political impasse, there are other reasons that Congress takes up these seemingly trivial legislations. At face value, these sorts of legislation seem frivolous, but they can be incredibly useful for members of Congress. The first and foremost goal of members of Congress is to get reelected, and these legislations can be cached and used for creditclaiming and position-taking when election time draws near. The resolution to reaffirm “In God We Trust” had 64 co-sponsors and passed by a 369-9 vote. By sponsoring and voting for this legislation, members of Congress show their constituents that they are active in Congress and support measures popular with Americans such as baseball and religion. Furthermore, many of the issues in these frivolous bills are a Congressional duty. About a quarter of the legislation Congress passes deals with naming government buildings, such as designating a post office in Dixon, Illinois the Ronald W. Reagan Post Office. Because the Postal Service is a federal agency, Congress has the responsibility to name these buildings. Additionally, the Constitution explicitly grants
Congress the power to coin money, so it is appropriate that they considered a bill to mint commemorative baseball coins. The existence of measures that “waste time” does not imply that Congress is not productive. The 111th Congress was arguably the most productive session since the New Deal and it still attracted ridicule and criticism for passing resolutions designating March 14th as Pi Day and honoring the 2560th birthday of Confucius. In the final analysis, these legislations are not to blame for Congress’ failure to address real and pressing problems. On the contrary, they are the only bills Congress is capable of passing – a far more unsettling and disturbing prospect. Daixi Xu is junior majoring in political science and art history.
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2011 Legislation Major Legislation Passed 2011 Federal Budget Budget Control Act Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act Leahy-Smith America Invests Act PATRIOT Sunsets Extension Act US- South Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act US- Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act US- Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act
December 2011 15
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Predictions from the Past?
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By Kevin Uhrmacher
ow less than a year away, the 2012 presidential election is shaping up to be a close contest. And with it comes the inevitable punditry and debate over which candidate is favored to win. One source analysts use to help predict what will reelect incumbents - and what could help challengers defeat them - is past elections. Comparing upcoming elections to previous elections is an interesting, but often oversimplified way of looking at the race to the White House. The 2012 election has often been compared to the 1948 election because of the similarities between the incumbents, Barack Obama and Harry Truman. Like Obama, Truman was a weak incumbent as the election approached. A weak economy resulting from WWII rationing characterized his first term. However, unlike the current environment, the economic outlook was turning by November. “The economy in 1948 as they were heading into the election was really booming,” said James E. Campbell, presidential historian at the University of Buffalo. If the U.S. economy does not begin to improve, Obama will not enjoy this advantage. In 1948, a strong third party candidate – Strom Thurmond – took several southern states. As it stands now, a viable third party candidate has not emerged to run in the election. If one did, he or she would likely come from the center-right and take votes from the Republican candidate. This is in sharp contrast to the 1948 example, in which Thurmond won southern states that Truman would have likely won otherwise. 16 The Hill
Both Truman and Obama oversaw the conclusion of wars, but in very different times. Truman authorized the controversial dropping of the A-bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II. Obama announced the final withdrawal from Iraq earlier this fall, but he has escalated the war in Afghanistan with a timetable to withdraw in 2014. Ultimately, it is difficult to tell how important Obama’s military successes in Iraq and Afghanistan, or in smaller theaters like Libya, will prove to be towards his reelection. The most obvious lesson to apply here is that domestic concerns, rather than foreign, often determine who wins elections. The two presidents’ populist campaign styles are also similar. When Truman wanted to connect with the average American, he took his campaign on the road. With his “whistle-stop” train tours, Truman was able to cover a lot of ground and spread his message to many. Citizens listening to Truman and standing alongside the tracks would often shout “Give’em hell Harry!” – referring to the obstructionist Congress against which Truman campaigned. Truman mustered up populist anger reminiscent of a fired up Obama. Already Obama’s bus tours have resembled some form of this populist campaigning style. Both presidents dealt with a Republican Congress that worked to stop their policies during their first terms. Truman shaped the campaign around this obstructionist branch to rally voters behind his cause. Obama has already learned from Truman’s political strategy in this arena, and has made a concerted effort
to distance himself from the legislative body. Even though Truman’s opponent, New York Governor Thomas Dewey, was in large part more moderate than the makeup of the Republican Party in Congress, Truman managed to lump them together. Attacking the ‘DoNothing Congress’ was an effective strategy for Truman, despite Dewey’s never having served in Congress. But today, unlike in 1948, Republicans only control the House of Representatives. Obama would find himself in a difficult spot trying to blame Congress, since his party controls one of the houses, says Aaron Blake of The Washington Post. A campaign against Congress could be self-defeating for Obama if it turns voters against all incumbent senators and representatives and results in Democratic losses. Democrats are already upset with the president for his comments about an obstructionist Congress, so this approach would likely alienate voters rather than attracting them. While Truman and Obama faced some of the same circumstances preparing for a reelection bid, no two elections are precisely the same. Obama will need to adopt his own style to succeed next November. Still, Mr. Truman could provide a vital case study for the formulation of Obama’s electoral strategy. Kevin Uhrmacher is a sophomore majoring in journalism and political science.
Executive Orders & Electoral Politics
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By Krishna Kollu
n a September address to a joint-session of Congress, Obama thundered the words “Pass this bill” 18 times. On a trip to North Carolina State University, he used the same phrase 24 times. The American Jobs Act, the ever proclaimed bill, did not pass. Then from October, the President and his administration embraced a new phrase - “We can’t wait.” White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said, “We can’t wait for Congress to act, so we’re going to take the steps that we can take.” Promoting the President’s executive orders, Joe Biden said, “We can’t wait for Congress to start acting responsibly.” Painting Congress as deadlocked, and Republicans in particular as obstinate, President Obama has exerted his leadership in embracing executive orders to push for changes in many realms of American policy including mortgage financing, education, veteran programs, drug regulation and more.
In his defense, President Obama’s use of executive power has precedent. Recall that President Kennedy used an executive order to create the Peace Corps, just as Richard Nixon instituted wage and price controls and Theodore Roosevelt unilaterally gave pensions to Civil War veterans. What exactly has President Obama achieved in his “We Can’t Wait” campaign? For one, he has pushed for changes in the student loan program, namely by capping payments to ten percent of discretionary income with a provision for debt being forgiven in twenty years. Moreover, he has instituted a cut on government swag – clothing, mugs, etc – claiming that it will save four billion. As the Iraq war rolls to an end, the administration has created two new websites for veterans look-
Painting Congress as deadlocked, and Republicans in particular as obstinate, President Obama has exerted his leadership in embracing executive orders
Certain critics, such as Ron Paul, claim that Obama’s embrace of executive power “brings the modern presidency dangerously close to an elective dictatorship.” Without bluntly accusing Obama of breaking the Constitution, Speaker of the House and Republican John Boehner promised to keep “a very close eye on the administration to make sure they are following the law and following the Constitution.”
ing for jobs – My Next Move for Veterans and Veterans Job Bank. Post 9/11 veterans are also eligible for the “Veteran Gold Card,” which gives them free access to half a year of case management and counseling at governmentmanaged career centers. Furthermore, he has instructed the FDA to look into drug shortages and ways to prevent them in addition to determining if drug companies have taken advantage of shortages to illegally manipulate prices. Moreover, Obama has pushed for a refinancing plan to benefit certain qualifying homeowners who
would like to refinance to cheaper rates but cannot because the price of their homes have dropped. Critics argue that Obama’s “We Can’t Wait” campaign is feebler than proclaimed. For instance, the administration claims that its refinancing plan will help four million homeowners; however, MF Global, led by former Democratic Governor Joe Corzine, expects Obama’s plan to only affect between 600,000 to one million people. Similarly, the administration argues that its student loan plan will affect 1.6 million college students, allowing them to save hundreds of dollars a month, while a report by the Atlantic argues that people will save considerably less, around ten dollars a month. Even as the administration touts business pledges to hire veterans, critics note that these pledges are neither committal nor enforceable. In addition, critics note that Obama’s instruction to the FDA merely “enhances” and “amplifies” steps already taken. So what will happen with this new turn of phrase? John Boehner and the Republicans accuse Obama of “giving up” on America and beginning his campaign when he ought to be governing. On the other side of Washington, the Obama administration hopes to convey through “We can’t wait” that President Obama, opposed by a horde of stubborn Republicans, is doing the best that he can do for veterans, students, patients, and taxpayers. Krishna Kollu is a senior majoring in economics and computer science.
December 2011 17
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Iraq’s Impact on Obama’s Candidacy
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By Amanda Claire Grayson
n October 21st, 2011, President Obama announced that American combat troops stationed in Iraq would be home for the holidays. This action – labeled a “foreign policy success,” the equivalent of “fixing the window while the house is burning,” a “naked political calculation,” and “turning the page after a decade of war” – split the political pundits in an already heated and divided campaign season. Many Republicans have speculated about Obama’s motivations behind the troop withdrawal, claiming the Democrat was either checking off his presidential to-do list from 2008 or aiming to divert attention from a weak economy and a soaring national debt. However, this decision represents more of a political re-prioritization than a calculation; low public approval ratings despite a year of foreign policy successes have shown President Obama what former President Clinton capitalized on in 1992: “It’s the economy, stupid.” The announcement came only a day after Libyan rebels killed Col. Muammar el-Gaddafi, marking a major success in the NATO-led air campaign in Libya after the momentous deaths of al Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki last summer. However, President Obama had worked hard to avoid full troop withdrawal, as military officials had expressed the need to leave between three and five thousand American troops behind to prevent further sectarian violence. These plans fell through when a dispute arose over the Iraqi Parliament’s reluctance to grant legal immunity to American soldiers and military trainers remain18 The Hill
ing behind. When negotiations broke down, President Obama and Defense Secretary Panetta announced that “the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of the year.” He added, “After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over.” After the announcement, U.S. troop presence decreased from 34,000 to 24,000 combat personnel in only three weeks. General Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of the Staff,
regardless of President Obama’s foreign policy successes or failures, the economy will determine the next president
told the Senate Armed Services Committee that this number would decrease to only about 200 military personnel and some 16,000 civilian personnel, aimed at training officials and providing regional security. President Obama stated, “After a decade of war, we’re turning the page and moving forward with strength and confidence.” The president has certainly shored up credibility as commanderin-chief, weakening the usual Republican edge on national security. In a recent Gallup poll, approximately 75 percent of Americans expressed support for full troop withdrawal by the end of 2011. However, these foreign successes have bought Obama little praise in a political environment
dominated by economic distress. Republican presidential hopefuls have not ignored the chance to lodge complaints about the withdrawal. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney called the decision “sheer ineptitude in negotiations with the Iraqi government,” while Ambassador Jon Huntsman noted the threat of “leaving Iraq vulnerable to backsliding.” However, only a slight majority (52 percent) of Republican Party members agree with the candidates’ disapproval. Still, regardless of President Obama’s foreign policy successes or failures, the economy will determine the next president. As foreign policy expert David Rothkopf noted, “If things go off track in the next year or so, it’s not going to matter what the military successes were.” While Bin Laden’s death increased approval ratings by 11 points, they dropped back below 50 percent when the economy took another hit. Republican presidential debates have focused very little on foreign policy, and all signs point to a campaign season heavily focused on the nation’s economic woes. The close of America’s war in Iraq and improvements in Afghanistan and Libya will give President Obama some muchneeded reprieve to focus on the economy as November 6th, 2012 approaches. Obama’s success or failure in improving the economy over the next year will decide whether he, like 9.1 percent of Americans, faces unemployment come January 20th, 2013. Amanda Claire Grayson is a junior majoring in political science and peace, war, & defense.
Domestic
The Romney Alternatives By Siddarth Nagaraj & Sarah Wentz
Jon Huntsman
Ron Paul
Who is the Romney Alternative? Hunstman’s best traits to act as a Romney Alternative are his foreign policy experience and his stance on health care. Republicans heavily concerned about international affairs and against universal health care are likely to cast their ballot for Huntsman.
Newt Gingrich
Rick Santorum
The former senator from Pennsylvania has shown strong appeal to social conservatives, who comprise a large, highly influential bloc within the GOP and play a heavy role in determining the outcome of early contests such as Iowa and South Carolina.
With his Libertarian-leanings, Ron Paul has the capability of attracting a fair number of moderate and independent voters. His policies are certainly enough to appeal to Conservatives, but not so black-and-white that moderates won’t be drawn in.
Rick Perry
The former Speaker of the House is laden with baggage related to his personal life and the bitter political fights of the 1990s. Although he has alienated many of his former colleagues, he is still seen as a leading intellectual in the party and could use his argumentative skills to woo voters.
Once believed to be a potent challenger, Perry’s campaign has endured a series of disasters. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul have more successfully courted social conservatives and Tea Partiers whom Perry believed to be his base, and a series of gaffes leave many wondering if he could be a credible candidate in the general election. December 2011 19
Section Domestic
The State of US Infrastructure & Its Future
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By Stephanie Shenigo
midst the harsh economic times that have befallen the United States in recent years, it has become increasingly common to hear politicians lament the current state of domestic infrastructure. Arguing that decaying public works are not only a disservice to Americans but also a threat to the national economy, various lobbying groups have encouraged the Obama Administration to increase federal spending on projects to improve infrastructure. But the word itself is broad in its application, and government initiatives to resolve the current crisis have been highly controversial. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) defines the U.S. infrastructure system by dividing it into four categories. The first category deals with engineering projects related to usage of water, ranging from common wastewater treatment facilities to hydroelectric dams. In 2009, the ASCE documented over 4,000 deficient (or dangerous) dams in the U.S. Of these, 1,819 are considered “high hazard potential” dams, even though most of the structures are only fifty years old. The most notorious of these is perhaps Wolf Creek Dam on the Cumberland River in Kentucky, which is built on a karst foundation where there are large air pockets beneath a seemingly sold foundation of limestone. These pockets cause seepage that allows the limestone to dissolve, and creates sinkholes. If the dam bursts, it could flood Nashville, Tennessee. The consequences of poor water infrastructure are not limited to such disaster scenarios; the ASCE estimates that approximately 7 billion gallons of clean drinking water are lost a day due to leaky pipes. They further es20 The Hill
timate that aging treatment systems cause the discharge of billions of gallons of wastewater into lakes and rivers each year. The second category, transportation, deals with items like bridges, roads and aviation. The ASCE estimates that one in four bridges is structurally deficient, while 33 percent of America’s roads are in poor condition. Failures in this category often gain the most attention, as people immediately deal with the headaches from congestion and automobile accidents, but are not the only infrastructure-related concerns. The third category encompasses public facilities, including schools, parks and recreation areas, while the final category deals with energy. The United States power grid is of particular concern, as usage has increased 25 percent since 1990 with little to no improvement in widespread technological upgrades. Experts fear the possible large-scale failure of the power grid due to excessive energy demand, a possibility foreshadowed by the collapse caused by congested transmission paths that created the Northeast Blackout of 2003. On that occasion, 10 million people in Ontario and 45 million people in eight states lost power. Altogether, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the U.S. Infrastructure a D rating, and estimated that $2.2 trillion dollars needed to be spent in the next five years to bring the system up to speed. So if infrastructure is so bad, then why can’t we seem to get anything really fixed? A lot of this has to do with the nature of politics. While the existence of the problem is agreed upon by members of both parties, infrastructure projects are often used
as political bargaining chips and needed restorations rarely occur without delays or financial waste. Recently, President Obama has drawn attention to the poor state of infrastructure through the inclusion of public works repair initiatives in the American Jobs Act bill as well as the “We Can’t Wait” campaign by arguing that new projects to fix deficient structures would help promote job creation. He has also used the infrastructure crisis as a means of targeting his political rivals, as shown through his tours of outdated bridges in Speaker John Boehner’s and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s districts. By doing so, he hopes to pressure Congressmen to support passage of the proposed American Jobs Act. He has also sought to stress Republican acknowledgement of the potential economic benefits of infrastructural investments, recalling Republican Representative Paul Ryan’s remark that “you can’t deny that infrastructure does create jobs.” Obama has also enlisted the support of Republican figures such as John Robert Smith, former Meridian, Mississippi mayor and leader of the Reconnecting America taskforce, which helps communities solve transportation dilemmas to stimulate growth. Yet it remains uncertain whether Obama will actually have the necessary backing to push this section of the bill through Congress in a term that has been characterized by bickering and impasses. Which begs the question, what is the future of U.S. infrastructure? Stephanie Shenigo is a senior majoring in political science.
Domestic Section
Regulating the Internet?
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By John Son
ollowing a period of many years in which Internet piracy and content sharing have proliferated immensely, Congress appears set to consider contentious legislation regarding online copyright infringement. The recent introduction of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) to the floor of the House of Representatives has brought greater attention to long-running debates over the ownership and use of intellectual property and has created a storm of controversy over whether the proposed law would promote the protection of privately owned content or censorship of the Internet. The proposed law would let the U.S. Justice Department request court orders to block access to foreign sites that illegally display copyrighted material. Additionally, copyright holders could pursue legal action to close websites that contain unauthorized content and such infringement would be punishable by up to five years in prison. The bill has tremendous support from within the entertainment industry, notably the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), who argue that the new bill will deter the pirating of many of the films that they produce and help them retain income, thereby protecting U.S.-based jobs. Opponents of the bill include the Consumer Electronics Association and the
Computer and Communications Industry Association. They assert that it would give the government the power to shut down legitimate commercial sites and that it would stunt the growth of one of the fastest growing sectors of the U.S. economy. They also argue that large interest groups within the entertainment industry (such as the DGA and MPAA) would exercise too much control over Internet content. Lastly, they say that the bill would also give government too much authority over the Internet, a relatively unregulated zone of free speech. The debate, one common to Internet regulatory laws, encompasses the problem of how to balance copyright protection and freedom of expression. On one hand, groups such as the MPAA have lost immense revenue due to online piracy. Yet is difficult to determine the extent to which the government should control the Internet. As the Internet is still relatively young, such questions have yet to be decided. The debate over whether SOPA is legitimate will help to clarify each side’s position. Critics of the bill have been enthusiastic in their determination to prevent its passage, using a variety of methods to publicize and attack the proposed legislation, which lawmakers expect will pass due to intense lobbying and arguments that the Stop Online Piracy Act would protect workers in an economy with high unem-
[SOPA]... has created a storm of controversy over whether the proposed law would promote the protection of privately owned content or censorship of the Internet.
ployment. First, opponents submitted a statement of protest to the White House’s public petition site in order to publicize the bill and make the president respond to their grievances. The White House promises to publicly respond to the request if 25,000 signatures can be obtained within a month. The petition, called “Stop the E-Parasites Act,” has received 13,647 signatures to date. Secondly, critics of the bill have drawn attention to support for their position among celebrities in the entertainment industry. The pop musician Justin Bieber has expressed opposition to the proposed law, noting that if such legislation had been in effect prior to his rise to fame, he might have been liable to prosecution for posting videos in which he sings copyrighted songs onto YouTube, a strategy which contributed to his self-promotion and eventual commercial success. Part of the likely motivation for lawmakers to pass this bill is to protect U.S. jobs, and in doing so, increase their chances for reelection. Support for passage is greatly increased by intense lobbying of the part of large corporate groups of the entertainment industry. But should the controversy grow too large, the bill may not be passed. Regardless of the bill’s fate, it appears likely the Stop Online Piracy Act may be the most significant attempt by U.S. lawmakers to establish the distinction between online copyright protection and freedom of expression. John Son is a first year majoring in political science. December 2011 21
Section Domestic
Occupy Wall Street: A Reemergence of Democracy?
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mages of crowded protesters, tented encampments, and the slogan “We are the 99%” have become iconic representations of the movement known as Occupy Wall Street. Members of the movement claim to be fighting against socioeconomic inequality, corruption, and the large amount of influence that corporations have on the U.S. government. Although critics maintain that the movement is more of a gathering of jobless complainers, there is no denying that the movement is picking up speed and supporters around the world. As such, the Occupy movement looks promising as an impactful force in politics, but it still must take some key actions in order to become effective. Occupy Wall Street originated earlier this year when people answered calls by anti-consumerist magazine Adbusters for a peaceful occupation of Wall Street. Influenced by the Tahrir Square protests in Cairo earlier this year, Occupy Wall Street organizers hoped that by placing themselves in prominent public locations and refusing to leave they could attract enough attention and support to gain political traction while making everyday activities such as commuting difficult for the corporate officials at whom the movement targets. Since protesters began nationwide activities by settling in Zuccotti Park in New York City, other individuals have started similar occupations of public spaces in cities across the United States, all advocating reduced corporate involvement in government along with the bridging of income and economic in-
By Richard Zheng equality.
Occupy Wall Street has a unique organizational structure. Decisions within the organization come from the New York City General Assembly, which is held every evening at seven pm. At the assemblies, which are open to the public as well as protesters, people wait to speak in turn by signing up for slots using a “stack,” which is a queue for speakers. In an effort to show progressivism, women and individuals from minority groups are allowed to speak before white men. While speaking, because voice-amplifying systems are not allowed within the park, activists use a “human microphone” system, wherein people gathered around the speaker repeat what is said every few words so that everyone in the vicinity is able to hear. The speaker’s proposed actions/ opinion is then voted upon in direct democratic fashion in which everyone present votes by using predetermined hand signals. “Up twinkles” are votes of agreement in which both hands are raised up with wriggling fingers. Similarly, “down twinkles” express disagreement where the wriggling fingers are pointed downward instead. By utilizing these crowd communication techniques, Occupy Wall Street has implemented a type of governing system that attempts to enact direct democracy akin to that practiced in Ancient Greece, wherein each individual votes on proposed measures rather than electing representatives to do so for them. In allowing anyone to voice their opinion, the Occupy
a type of governing system that attempts to enact direct democracy akin to that practiced in Ancient Greece 22 The Hill
movement encourages those of the “99%” to join their cause. And this may be exactly the type of measures that a grassroots organization needs to adopt in order to attract more supporters and achieve its desired results. However, as far as tangible results go, the Occupy movement has yet to achieve much. An often-cited criticism of Occupy Wall Street is its lack of leadership and clear list of demands. Unlike another prominent populist movement, the conservative Tea Party, the Occupy movement has not successfully endorsed political candidates or released an official platform such as the “Contract from America.” Another criticism of Occupy Wall Street is the reports of violence and drug abuse that have surfaced regarding the encampments. If this continues into a pattern, the Occupy movement’s image could be seriously damaged, and their message will not be taken seriously. If Occupy Wall Street wishes to truly make a difference, the movement will need to organize and work more towards a unified voice. As of the end of November, the movement has been ousted from Zuccotti Park. Only time will tell if the movement can continue to survive without its namesake “occupation.” The impact of the movement also remains to be seen, will, as some claim, a “reemergence of democracy” be observed within the states in a flow from the Occupy movement? Or will, as others assert, the Occupy movement fade into the background only to be remembered as a picture with a caption in the history books? Richard Zheng is a first year majoring in business.
Redistricting in North Carolina What you need to know
Section Local
By Sarah Wentz
North Carolina’s number of seats has not changed, the state still holds 13 seats. However, due to the changes in population, the district lines must still be redrawn. The ideal size for each district after redistricting is 733,499. North Carolina is one of sixteen states which must have the final draft of the redistricting map approved by the US Justice Department. This requirement dates back to the Nationa Voting Rights Act of 1965, last renewed in 2006. In North Carolina, the state legislature is responsible for redistricting. A majority of states utilise this method for redistricting, North Carolina is one of thirty six. Under the state constitution, all districts must be contiguous. Or rather, no district may have detached parts. When drawing district lines, division of counties must be avoided to the greatest extent possible. Redistricting lawsuits stemming from the 2001 redistricting cycle lasted into 2008.
North Carolina Congressional District Lines 2001 to 2011
December 2011 23
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