Issue 6 - The Forgotten People

The

Horace Mann Review

The Forgotten People Indigenous People - Refugees - Decolonization

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HORACE M ANN R EVIEW Issue VI, Vol. XVII

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The Forgotten People Refugees, Decolonization, and Indigenous Peoples

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A Forgotten Crisis: The hidden Armenian genocide

5 Somalia on Fire

By Nick Herzeca

The Western Culprit:

European inaction has jeopardized African stability and provoked genocide

By Belle Yoeli

The injustices of Somalia are brought to light

By James Yaro

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Behind the Great Wall:

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By Katie Dubbs

By Jordan Federer

27 Growing Pains in Singapore

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Lost Medicines of the Amazon:

How arbitrary laws have lowered the quality of life in one of the world’s newest first-world countries.

The dangerous plight of North Korean refugees

By Hill Wyrough

By Jesse Caro

35 Escaping the Putin Docrine

Under Putin’s guidance, Eastern Bloc nations are falling victim to Russin control.

Dubai: Desert Pearl?

A first-hand look into Dubai- and how it’s not all it’s cracked up to be Page 1

Nuclear experiments on the Marshall Islands

What will happen to Taiwan’s aborigine population?

The Invisible Exodus:

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A Lost Paradise:

17 Taiwanization

Will Tibet gain independence from China?.

By Katie Cacouris

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By Eric Schwartz

By William Manning

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A Fading People:

Looking into the history of the Ainu

By Antonia Woodford

How the ancient medicines of the world are vanishing

By Sarah Swong

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Assimilation Vacation:

The Native American experience in American schools

By Starlyte Harris

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The Horace Mann Review

Issue 6- Forgotten People Cover Image: On April 14, 2007, Thousands protest in support of state secularism and anti-imperialism in the Ceremonial Plaza of Antikabir in Turkey.

The Horace Mann Review Junior Board Volume XVII , Issue 6

A Journal of Opinion on Current Events, Politics, Public Policy, and Culture Venkat Kausik Zachary Malter Editors-in-Chief

Alice Kissilenko Editorial Director

Thomas Hwang Managing Editor

Catherine Hu William Kim

Production Managers

Nancy DaSilva

Will Dubbs Henry Hoglund Kevin Lin Spencer Penn Dan Shapiro Jason Sunshine Dan Temel

Katie Dubbs Starlyte Harris Nick Herzeca Eric Schwartz Antonia Woodford James Yaro Belle Yoeli Kimya Zahedi

Aradhna Agarwal

Nick Gerard

Senior Editors

Production Assistant

Senior Columnists Webmaster

Contributing Writers Katie Cacouris, Jesse Caro, Katie Dubbs, Jordan Federer, Starlyte Harris, Nick Herzeca, William Manning, Eric Schwartz, Sarah Swong, Antonia Woodford, Hill Wyrough, James Yaro, Belle Yoeli Faculty Advisors Mr. Gregory Donadio and Dr. Barbara Tischler Board of Trustees Maximilian D.C. Thompson, Zachary Freyer-Biggs, Charles M. Stam, Anoushka Vaswani, Kunal Malkani TheReview@horacemann.org The Horace Mann Review is printed throughout the academic year. The Review is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the American Scholastic Press Association, and the National Scholastic Press Association. Please contact The Horace Mann Review for information on advertisements at TheReview@horacemann.org. Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Editorial Board. Opinions expressed in articles or illustrations are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board or of the Horace Mann School.

Interested in subscribing? The Editorial Board is pleased to offer mailed subscriptions this volume. Email us at TheReview@horacemann.org for information. Thank you for your support.

Letter From the Editor Dear Reader, Welcome to the sixth and final issue of The Review. This volume has seen tremendous changes that have surpassed all of our expectations. A record number of writers have contributed and written articles more interesting, original, relevant, and developed than before. The Review’s layout continues to evolve to become more welcoming and innovative. We have aimed to demonstrate the relevance of issues of national and international importance by connecting them to high school and particularly Horace Mann students. Our greatest success, however, is attributable to you, the reader. Our interest and our passion for The Review comes from knowing that our work will be read, and ideally valued, by readers like you. On that note, we are pleased to announce that the readership of The Review has far exceeded any past precedent in our history.

I must thank our superb staff of writers and editors, who drove The Review with their energy, passion, and talents. Each article, page, and issue requires a tremendous amount of work and dedication. For exceeding our expectations and surpassing what they had to do, our staff has proved itself our greatest asset. It has truly been a pleasure to work with such a group this year.

This issue is our junior issue, fully produced by the individuals you see on the masthead to the left. Their fantastic work is reflected in the pages to follow. We editors emeritus leave knowing that The Review will be in excellent hands.

The topic of this issue is looking at the Forgotten People--- people who are overlooked, ignored, and mistreated. In a way, this topic ties into what I see as the greater goal of The Review. More than just a student publication that teaches writing, editing, or production, The Review is a small part of a necessary effort to stay informed and involved in the issues that confront our nation and our world.

A free country like the United States requires a population that is concerned and knowledgeable. And, as Ronald Reagan said in his farewell address to the nation, freedom is too special, rare, and fragile to leave in the hands of politicians.

Thank you for supporting The Review this year. We hope you have enjoyed this volume as much as we have enjoyed creating it.

Signing off,

Kunal Malkani

Appreciation from the Junior Issue Editors This year has been a year of innovation for the Review, with more interest and issues than ever before. As the incoming seniors, we would like to thank the person who made the successes of this year possible. Kunal, we wish you the best of luck in the future. Thanks for all the dedication and brilliance you’ve put into this publication.

© 2008, The Horace Mann Review

- Alice, Thomas, Venkat, & Zach

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A Forgotten Crisis: The Hidden Armenian Genocide

By Nick Herzeca

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Issue 6- Forgotten People

The Holocaust. Rwanda. Darfur and finally, Armenia. After decades of international denial, the Armenian genocide is finally becoming noticed.

Why did it take so long?

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pril 24 marked the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian genocide, which was commemorated through a vigil in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. Thousands of Armenians flocked to the vigil to remember the 1.5 million Armenians massacred during World War I by the soldiers of the Ottoman Empire, an empire that had spanned northern Africa, modern day Turkey, and the Middle East. Remembrance of historic atrocities is important in honoring those who suffered: “Memory is one of the more important facets of human existence - indeed, human beings live

in memory,” said Aram I, the archbishop of Cilicia, at the vigil. Twenty-two countries, such as France, Germany, and Russia, recognize the Armenian massacre as genocide yet, for purely political reasons, Turkey, the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, and the United States have refused to do so. It is this lack of recognition of the Armenian genocide that is the biggest injustice, and it makes the victims of the Armenian genocide the forgotten people.

The Armenian genocide, occurring from 1915 to 1917, resulted in the organized murder of 1.5 million of the 2.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire. In 1913, the Young Turks, a coalition of three Turkish reformers, led a revolution and sought to reform the Ottoman Empire. They envisioned a new Ottoman empire that practiced one religion and spoke one language.

The Muslim Young Turks saw the Christian Armenians, who spoke their own language, as the main obstacle to their unified Ottoman Empire. The Young Turks sought to forcefully eliminate the entire Armenian race to accomplish their goal. “When the Turkish authorities gave the orders for these deportations, they were merely giving the death warrant to a whole race,” stated Henry Morgenthau, Sr., the US ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1913-1916.

Despite the twenty-two countries and 40 individual US states which have recognized the Armenian massacres as genocide, Turkey maintains that this was not in fact a genocide, and claims that the Armenians were only removed from the eastern “war zone” of World War I. Armenians were, however, killed in all parts of Anatolia (present day Turkey) and not just the so-called “war zone.” “The nearest successful example [of collective denial] in the modern era is the 80 years of official denial by successive Turkish governments of the 1915-17 genocide against the Armenians in which 1.5 million people lost their lives.

This denial has been sustained by deliberate propaganda, lying and cover-ups, forging documents, suppression of archives, and bribing scholars,” says Stanley Cohen, Professor of Criminology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Even worse, reference to the Armenian massacres as genocide in Turkey is prosecuted as a serious crime.

Turkey has not only denied the Armenian genocide, but has also imposed its unsubstantiated views on other countries.

After France passed legislation last year making denial of the Armenian genocide a crime, the Turkish government cut off all military ties with France. When the US House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a resolution that officially recognized the Armenian massacres as genocide, Turkish officials and lawmakers responded quickly.

They warned their American counterparts that if the resolution were to be approved by the full House and President Bush, they would reconsider supporting the American war effort in Iraq, which includes permission to ship essential supplies through Turkey and northern Iraq, as well as restricting air space. After receiving the Turkish warning, the Bush administration immediately opposed the ratification of the bill, and the full House vote was postponed, despite strong support from the Democratic Party.

The US has put its own political interests ahead of the commemoration of the Armenian genocide victims. Due to the lack of Armenian political presence in the US and Armenia’s relative lack of strategic value to the US, the US has ignored the Armenian genocide victims. “The Armenian Genocide resolution is a proper test for American democracy. It will uncover priorities of the United States – good relations with Turkey or historical truth”, Russian State Duma member, Konstantin Zatulin told a news conference in Yerevan on October 21, 2007. American businesses have also supported the Turkish position.

Prominent companies such as General Dynamics, McDonnell Douglas and Hilton Hotels have lobbied the US Congress against recognition of the Armenian genocide, due to their business interest in Turkey Formal recognition gives legitimacy and honor to human suffering. It is unfortunate that politics is more important to the US and Turkey than recognizing and honoring those who endured atrocities. The more that national powers fail to recognize human atrocities, the more dictators will feel free to commit mass murders. The Armenians were victimized twice - first by the Young Turks in 1915 and then by those nations that have failed to acknowledge their deaths as genocide.. It is precisely nations such as Armenia, that do not have political power and strategic importance, that are often forgotten. Both the US and Turkey need to forget about their own political concerns, and honor the forgotten Armenians.

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By James Yaro

The Injustices of Somalia Are Brought to Light

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merica will forever remember the images of dead American soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, the capital city of Somalia. 12 years later, the same images are replayed every day, except that the soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu are Ethiopian, not American. That the situation has not changed at all in 12 years shows how little has been done to rectify the terrible situation in Somalia. Once a model of African democracy, Somalia has been ravaged by a dictator, convulsed by a civil war for nine years, occupied by a radical Islamic sect and is now in turmoil caused by fanatical Islamic militants. It is a country without healthcare, without education and without an infrastructure. If it were not for the efforts of Ethiopian troops and Ugandan peacekeep-

ers, the country would be in utter anarchy. If left alone, it will continue to tear itself apart.

To understand the current political and economic situation within Somalia, it is necessary to review the history of the country as far back as 1890. During the colonial period, the land which is present-day Somalia was divided between Italian Somaliland in the South and British Somaliland in the North. In 1960, Italy and Great Britain granted independence to their respective sectors. Later that year on July 1, the two regions united into the Republic of Somalia.

The problems in the country began in 1960, when Somalis confronted the difficulty of resolving the differing legacies left by Britain and Italy. Nevertheless the Republic of Somalia stood as one of the most successful African democratic governments of the 1960s.

The public outcry over the rigged elections of 1969 allowed the army, led by Major

General Mohamed Siad Barre, to take over the Somali government in a bloodless coup and to rename the country the Somali Democratic Republic (SDC). However, the repressive dictatorial regime began to lose control of the country throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s: many of the clans became increasingly vocal in criticizing the government,and were brutally repressed by the regime. The public also became involved in protesting the regime, and in an attempt to maintain control of the country, Siad Barre sent troops that massacred civilians. Finally, the anger caused by the genocides committed by Siad Barre’s soldiers led to most of the major clans uniting and overthrowing the SDC in 1991.

Unfortunately, the clans had no coherent plan for Somalia after the downfall of the Siad Barre regime. The Hawiye clan’s political party, called the USC, had overthrown Siad Barre’s regime in Mogadishu, the capital

On the left, a woman stands outside a camp north of the Somali capital Mogadishu, where tens of thousands of other Somalis currently reside. On the right, a Somali boy, beside an anti-aircraft gun, rides with Ethiopian soldiers in Kismayo, Somalia.

Jehad Nga

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Issue 6- Forgotten People city and taken power in much of South and central Somalia. Shortly thereafter, the USC created its own government in Mogadishu.

The USC government was doomed to failure at the outset, as different factions of the clan vied for control of the government, and in the midst of this other clans began to seek autonomy from the USC government. The clans began to attempt starving each other by stealing the humanitarian aid which had become vital in preventing the Somali people’s starvation. This led to the UN mandating the creation of the UN Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM 1), whereby UN peacekeepers were sent into Somalia to protect the humanitarian aid effort in Somalia. But because UNOSOM 1 was unable to protect the humanitarian aid convoys, the UN mandated the creation of the much stronger UNOSOM 2 to patrol Mogadishu. Although peacekeeping aid effectively maintained the peace for a short while, a couple of months later, one of the Somali warlords, Mohamed Farah Aidid, promised greater hostilities against the peacekeeping missions and attacked, eventually kill-

Wordpress

A Somali soldier lying dead in Mogadishu receives a coating of dirt from bystanders.

ing 25 Pakistani peacekeepers. The United States responded by deploying military units into Mogadishu to capture Aidid. The USC militia attacked and killed a number of American Rangers and Delta Force soldiers, the story of which is described in the book and movie Black Hawk Down. The images of dead US soldiers being dragged through the streets brought about great public outcry in the United States and led to an abrupt about-face of US policy in Somalia.

Thus, the US left Somalia for good by the end of 1995 and has been wary since then of involving itself in any way in Somalia.

Until 2000, the clan warfare continued as before, but in 2000 a parliament convened in Djibouti in an attempt to regain control of Somalia. This interim government gained control of about 10 – 15% of the country by the time its mandate expired in 2003. Another parliament convened in 2004 and elected Abdullahi Yusuh Ahmed to lead the Transitional National Government (TNG). Nevertheless, Mogadishu has remained in unceasing turmoil, and the

“Many Somalis are strongly anti-American, and now they view the Shabab as fighting a much more justifiable holy war.” government has been unwilling to move the seat of the government to the city, instead moving the capital to the provincial town of Baidoa. In 2006, Islamist militias, called the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), took control of much of the country, including the capital, breaking the control the clans had upon the country for the first time since 1991. The transitional government, which lost control of all territory that they had acquired since 2004, requested the support of the Ethiopian army, who shortly thereafter invaded Somalia and overthrew the UIC. The Ethiopian army has remained ever since as protection for the TNG, which has not yet develop its own military forces.

Since 2006, the number of Ethiopian troops has grown to around 30,000.

The militant arm of the UIC, the Shabab (youth), is engaged in vigorously attacking the Ethiopian troops and the security forces of the TNG. In Mogadishu there is constant conflict between the security forces of the

Daria Solovieva

A woman with a child at the Dr. Hawa Abdi Refugee Camp, Somalia.

TNG, backed by the Ethiopian troops, and the Shabab and the clans who support them.

To inflame the conflict further, the Shabab has been added to the US list of terrorist organizations due to the Shabab’s supposed links to Al-Qaeda. After the TNG regained control of the government, the Shabab had been getting progressively weaker due to Ethiopian attacks and lessening support from the clans, and the number of Shabab in the country had dropped to an estimated 400 militants. Now that the United States has classified the Shabab as terrorists, the reputation of its leader, Aden Hashi Ayro, has risen as he has become known for antiAmerican fervor and thus Islamic piety.

Due to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, many Somalis are strongly anti-American, and they now view the Shabab as fighting a much more justifiable holy war. Shabab membership is increasing, and as a result, terrorist activity has increased markedly: two Kenyans and two British citizens were killed

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In 2007, deeply disturbed by the deteriorating situation in Somalia, the African Union (AU) promised to send a peacekeeping force of 8,000 troops to aid in maintaining security in Somalia and eventually to serve as the police force in the country, after Ethiopia’s troops depart the country. Unfortunately, only 1,600 soldiers have been sent,

by Uganda, while promises of troop deployments from Burundi, Nigeria and other African states have not been fulfilled. The troops, who have been sent to remain in Mogadishu airport, are unable to do anything because of lack of numbers. Although the UN has stated its desire to take over the AU mission and turn it into a UN peacekeeping mission, it is Marcus Bleasdale unlikely that the UN will ever take over the mission, as there are so few troops, and the UN is unwilling to send peacekeepers of its A girl looks out from behind a screen in a refugee camp near Mogadishu. She is only one of the many thousands who have been displaced by heavy fighting in the capital. own. Somalia is a failed state, and its government is without any power. It has not fallen full support of the Somali people, who are which leads to Afgoye, which the UN states into anarchy only because it has been propped for the most part conservative and devoutly is the single biggest camp of displaced peoup by the support of the Ethiopian army. pious. Meanwhile, the Shabab, which uti- ple in the world. Seventeen years of constant It is interesting to note that while the lizes a strong Islamic rhetoric, will continue conflict, and the sheer volume of displaced UIC was in power, the capital city and much to retain the support of the Somali people. persons in the country have caused severe of the country remained peaceful; there The unending strife between the Ethiopians and Somali security forces, and “Over 5,000 were injured “5.6 million Somali children the Shabab in the Mogadishu area have caused many Somalis to leave the capital. continue to live without limin the fighting in MogadiOver 5,000 were injured in the fighting in shu in 2007 alone....Around Mogadishu in 2007 alone. In a UN survey ited access to basic services 800,000 Somalis were dis- in November of last year, it was estimated and are highly vulnerable to around 800,000 Somalis are displaced paced around the country.”” that preventable disease.” around the country. According to the UN, around 250,000 are living on a 30 km road were no skirmishes and massacres among problems in the healthcare and education the clans, even the roadblocks in Mogadisystems and a massive humanitarian crisis, shu, which had not been taken down for larger than that of even Rwanda or Darfur. decades, were removed. Although the UIC With so many displaced persons livwas an organization headed by radical Islaming in rural areas, where inhabitants are unic militants, whose members are believed to accustomed to care for such vast numbers be affiliated with Al-Qaeda, any government of people, the health care system in these in Somalia should utilize many of the methareas is completely overwhelmed. In its huods used by the UIC during their rule in manitarian action plan for 2006 UNICEF Somalia, including integrating Islamic prinnoted, “5.6 million Somali children conciples into the laws and regulations of the tinue to live without or with limited access country. The Shabab continues to propagate to basic services and are highly vulnerable the message that the TNG is a pawn of the to preventable disease.” It is simply imposAmericans and thus that the TNG is anti-Issible to create the infrastructure necessary lamic. Nothing has been done by the TNG Associated Press to provide healthcare in a country that to remedy this situation, and without the has been in constant conflict for so long.

President Abdullahi Yusuf is the interim integration of Islamic ideals into the governCoupled with the weak healthcare leader of Somalia’s transitional government. mental system, it will continue to be unable Somalia has not had a functioning national system is a very faulty education system. In to distance itself from America, or gain the its humanitarian action plan for 2006, UNIgovernment since 1991.

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The Horace Mann Review

Issue 6- Forgotten People CEF observed that “The net primary attendance ratio is lower than anywhere in the world, at just 12 percent for boys and 10 percent for girls. Years of underinvestment have left Somalia lagging behind the rest of the developing world in education.” Furthermore, the literacy rate is hovering around 25% for males over 15 and 13% for women over 15.

Without the necessary funding or trained personnel for these educational facilities, Somalia will become less and less able to maintain even a semblance of an educational

era of peace, security and prosperity to the region. Hopefully, Somalia can work with and learn from these two splinter nations and begin to create a peaceful, democratic future.

Another sign that the situation may be improving is that many of the former radical Islamists and the leaders of the rebellious clans have stated that they are willing to strike a deal with President Yusuf in return for a gradual withdrawal of Ethiopian troops. If this does to occur, the UN can begin to work with the TNG in restructur-

“According to the UN, out of a population of around 8.7 million, 2.1 million people are wholly dependent upon humanitarian assistance.” system, resulting in a declining literacy rate.

According to the UN, out of a population of around 8.7 million, 2.1 million people are wholly dependent upon humanitarian assistance. In 2006, the UN humanitarian appeal for the Horn of Africa consisted of $426 million, of which $327 went to Somalia. A three year drought throughout Somalia has caused vast numbers of people and livestock to die and has caused ever more dependency upon humanitarian aid. Incredibly, $327 million is not even approaching the amount of aid necessary to help many of the impoverished citizens of Somalia. Without any functioning infrastructure, much of the aid never reaches the people in need. It is estimated that around one million Somalis are close to starvation. If the drought continues, more and more Somalis will starve, and the humanitarian crisis will become increasingly critical. The United States has, for the most part, neglected to provide aid in the growing humanitarian crisis of Somalia since 1995.

There are a few glimmers of hope for Somalia. Two regions of Somalia have functionally split off from the country, Somaliland and Puntland. Although neither has been internationally recognized as a sovereign nation, both have severed ties with Somalia and established their own governments. Both have begun developing infrastructure, healthcare and education, and have become democratically ruled states.

Somaliland declared its independence in 1991 and has had democratic elections since then. Puntland broke off from Somalia and its first leader is the current president of Somalia, Abdullahi Yusuf, who brought a new

ing the healthcare and educational systems, and work to negotiate the redistribution of displaced persons within the country.

Although the situation in Somalia maybe beginning to improve, a number of important issues must be addressed before

the problems in Somalia can be resolved.

First and foremost is the need for an increased presence of UN and AU peacekeepers. Although there are 1,600 peacekeepers in the country, this number must be increased significantly, to 10,000 or more to take the place of the Ethiopian soldiers. Secondly, in order to gain the support of the population, the government must change how it functions, by integrating moderate Islamic practices into its processes. Furthermore, more sovereign nations must provide increased aid to Somalia. The United States especially must overcome its fear of involving itself again in Somalia, and provide both peacekeepers and economic aid, as it did in the 1970s and 1980s to help resolve the problems of Somalia. Somalia has been in constant turmoil for over 40 years and is a failed state. How can the US and the rest of the world passively allow a sovereign nation to tear itself apart in such a violent manner? It is the world’s job to resolve these problems and not watch in horror as people slaughter one another and allow their country to fall into ruins.

Abdurahman Hersi

Ugandan African Union peacekeeping troops guard displaced Somalis on the outskirts of Mogadishu. The Security Council asked the UN chief to plan sending UN peacekeepers for the first time since 1995.

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DerekHibbert84

Behind the Great Wall The Tibetan people have been oppressed for decades by the Chinese Government, but with the incoming 2008 Beijing Olympics, more attention than ever is being given to China’s relationship with Tibet. Will Tibet gain independence?

By Katie Cacouris

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oon after six-year-old Gendun Choekyi Nyima was named the tenth reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, second in rank to the Dalai Lama, he and his family disappeared. In December of the same year, the Chinese government admitted to removing Nyima and appointed another Panchen Lama to take his place, saying that he was “at risk of being kidnapped by Tibetan separatists and his security had been threatened.” The road to Tibetan freedom, however, does not in-

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Issue 6- Forgotten People volve kidnapping one of its most important leaders.

testing the violation of human rights in Tibet. It regularly returns escaped refugees, a testament to China’s control over the region.

Others, such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who met with the Dalai Lama in March 2008, believe that “freedomloving people throughout the world” should denounce China because of its recent actions in Tibet. Ngawang Sandrol, a Tibetan imprisoned for 11 years for protesting peacefully, said, “When

Thirteen years after this incident, there is still no sign of Nyima and his family. Since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1949, the Chinese government has killed about 1.2 million Tibetans. China claims that it has always controlled Tibet. It is true that at some points during China’s history, Tibet was controlled by China; however, it has also been independent. Chinese textbooks imply that China has only participated in wars in order to defend itself. As Tibetans’ Bud- “Since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1949, the Chidhist beliefs dictate non-violence, it benese government has killed about 1.2 million Tibetans.” comes harder for Tibetans to fight back.

Not only has the Chinese government removed one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist they were torturing us it was literally as if they were trying to kill leaders, but it has also taken away many of their rights as well. Pic- us. Prison guards would hit and beat with all their strength. Once tures of the Dalai Lama, their leader in exile in Dharamsala, India after we all shouted ‘Long live the Dalai Lama’ they started to for the past 49 years, are forbidden, for example. If he were to re- kick and beat us so much that the ground was covered in blood.”

To protest the injustices in and surrounding Tibet, the turn to Tibet, it is widely believed that he would be killed. Instead, United States should recommend that athletes boycott the upcomhe travels to other countries to raise awareness about the situation ing Beijing Olympics.

This would still allow the athletes who have in Tibet. China, an atheist country, forbids Tibetans from practicBBC

Associated Press

International Mountain Guides

Magutosh

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Able Ponderer

devoted so much time and effort the option to participate in these games, while sending a message to the Chinese and international community that the United States does not support China’s mistreatment of Tibet. On the other hand, a complete boycott would upset athletes, as seen in Jimmy Carter’s 1980 Moscow Olympics.

“Others, such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who boycott ofIttheis worth noting that on the met with the Dalai Lama in March 2008, believe that ‘free- brink of the upcoming Beijing Olympics, has now decided to talk with Tidom-loving people throughout the world’ should denounce China betan leaders. As seen in recent protests China because of its recent actions.” that have taken place from Los Angeles to London, the sports competition has raised awareness of serious issues. Athletes have gone to the sites of the torch relays and shown their anger Numerous Himalayan climbers have claimed they have seen Tibetans trying to leave Tibet and being killed by Chinese militia. towards the Chinese government. Many Tibetan supporters hope Around 2,000 to 3,000 people escape every year from Tibet. Ac- that the upcoming talks will lead to better human rights policies for cording to Amnesty International, Nepal, a country that borders Tibetans. However, since China has denounced Tibetan autonomy, Tibet, has recently arrested more than 400 people peacefully pro- it is hard to imagine what progress could be made in these meetings. ing their religion, Buddhism. Tibetans are also denied the rights of free speech and freedom of the press, forbidden from publishing their views. Journalists from other countries are also not allowed to cover news in Tibet, especially after the outbreak of violence there.

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Hill Wyrough reports on the plight of North Korean refugees, a problem known as...

The Invisible Exodus

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he past decade has seen an influx in the illegal immigration of workers out of the blockaded North Korea and into northern China seeking asylum or into South Korea or the United States. In recent years, the Chinese government has responded to this increase in immigration by harassing, exploiting, and forcibly expatriating the North Korean refugees back to their homeland. Often dubbed “The Invisible Exodus,” the situations between these two nations has been largely ignored by most of the world.

Rampant violations of human rights, starvation, and a failing economy have all contributed to “pushing” workers out of North Korea. The exodus began in the late 1990’s primarily because of a major food crisis, which has continued to increase since. In 1995 and 1996 there were a series of devastating floods that decimated crops, killed livestock, and displaced thousands of

guarded and enclosed (from people they are supposed to help), and by dealing with situations through, one spokesman said, “quiet diplomacy.” This blind ignorance to a people of need has gone on long enough.

As North Korea is a closed state, people aren’t allowed to enter or exit freely unless given government authorization.

Nevertheless, North Koreans still try to leave in search of more civil liberties and benefits from a booming economy. The 20,000 to 25,000 North Koreans that attempt to escape yearly cross the Tumen Riv-

er into the Jin province of China. Since the late 90’s, a string of safe houses and set-up stops along the route to China have been established. There are still no guarantees that China presents a better option, however.

Once in China, North Koreans desperately try to assimilate and blend into the existing Korean population in China. In the past, the Chinese government has labeled them as “economic migrants” who just do seasonal work, or immigrate to barter for food. But the reality is that North Koreans have no legal status inside of China and

“Now they are actively going on man-hunts to find North Koreans near the border.”

Koreans. Subsequently, there was a major food crisis. This only exacerbated an economy that had shrunk by 30% from 1990 to 1997. However, the United States and most other international powers remained tentative about providing aid to a dictator that has often been at political odds with the United States. In addition, North Korea has one of the worse human rights records of any nation, and the single-man communist dictatorship regularly abuses its citizens, creating a harsh and oppressive environment. And, although it began in the 1990’s, only in 2003 did the UN recognize these refugees as people “of concern.” The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has failed the refugees in the past decade by allowing its diplomatic safe-house to be

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A North Korean defector waits to be transported back to Pyongyang. North Korean refugees have fled to countries like Thailand, South Korea and China.

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Issue 6- Forgotten People

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In Seoul, North Korean refugees seeking asylum marched to the South Korean Foreign Ministry in a protest about North Korean human rights in January 18, 2007.

live in a constant fear of being repatriated back to North Korea. The Chinese actively pursue hopeful emigrant North Koreans near the border to forcibly send them back.

The Chinese have blockaded diplomatic safe-compounds and have demanded that foreign embassies turn refugees over to the government. The government rewards those who help find the refugees and punishes those who aid the refugees. Refugees are often harassed by the Chinese government and exploited for their condition. Women, foremost, are often taken or sold-off as wives to Chinese farmers. In fact, Tim Peters, head

“Women, foremost, are often taken or sold-off as wives to Chinese farmers.” of ‘Helping Hands Korea,’ stated “Virtually all North Korean women who cross the Chinese border have been trafficked, in one way or another.” Since this change in policy, numbers calculated in 2005 show the Chinese have been catching around 400-500 North Koreans a week and repatriating them.

Only a small portion of the many who attempt to escape from North Korea arrive in South Korea, which has 6,500 documented North Korean refugees, and the situation is worsening. In January to May of 2004, roughly 900 documented refugees successfully made it to South Korea. In the same stretch of time just the next year, that number decreased by half. This discrepancy is largely due to increased Chinese security.

Not only does this dwindle the numbers of successful exodus attempts, but there is another factor on the other side of the border.

When the refugees are forcibly returned to North Korea by China, most are quickly tried in court, jailed, and even executed on the basis of treason. This likely consequence has undoubtedly scared some North Koreans away from trying to improve their lives, and given others a slew of long-lasting psychological ailments. There are high suicide rates of escapees often citing guilt from their exodus. Refugees have been quoted saying that after months in hiding in small places they develop severe claustrophobia and paranoia.

Human Rights Watch has been trying to shed light on this modern exodus and the maltreatment of North Korean refugees.

They stated that China has an obligation, as a UN signatory, to abide by the 1951 United Nations Convention on the Status of Refugees and its corollary protocols, which states that it is against international law to forcibly return asylum seekers to their native lands.

However, China’s labeling of refugees as “economic migrants” removes any protection under the Refugee Convention and absolves China of accountability. Since China acknowledges North Korea’s wrongdoing in regards to starvation and human rights violations, they should also consider its people as refugees who should be granted asylum.

South Korea is also to blame for the poor treatment of North Korean refugees. They have not done anything to aid the situation or aid the refugees. In an effort to maintain amicable relationships

with North Korea and China, it has remained behind the scenes and kept quiet.

As the world is enlightened to “the Invisible Exodus” there has been increased pressure from the international community to push policy makers to increase pressure on China and North Korea to solve this problem. The international community needs to force China to recognize its position as signatory of the Convention on the Status of Refugees, and subsequently take action to abide by those obligations. China should not be able to get around labeling North Korean escapees as “economic migrants” when they clearly fall under the refugee category. Article 1 of the aforementioned protocol defines a refugee as “A person who, owing to a wellfounded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable...to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” In a Wall Street Journal report in January of 2005, the North Korean regime executed 60 people returned from China, and killed several in public. North Koreans do fall under this category, but until China grants asylum to the refugees and instead of expatriating them, the refugees will be lost in the limbo between freedom and oppresive government.

A North Korean woman sits waiting to be interviewed by the police in the Chiang Saen province of Thailand.

Daylife Photos

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Heading Horace Mann Review, VOL XVII

Dubai: Desert Pearl? www.burj-dubai-tower.org

D

ubai, United Arab Emirates- a city renowned for its style, class, and flare; an oasis of prosperity in the Arabian Desert; beacon of opportunity to the world and the Middle East. This view of the Emirate is, however, merely a mirage. Under the white robes of the native Arabs lies a history of human rights violations, segregation, and discrimination. Furthermore, as a proposed center of international business, there is no reason why Dubai can or should be valued at such a high cost. In 2005, a two-bedroom unfurnished apartment rented for about $1,800 a month: a rate 34 % higher than in 2004, while the average individual only had a 1.5% income increase. The rapidity of construction is raising concerns of a real estate bubble.

Market value has leveled off or decreased in the past year as a result of supply equaling demand. As a result of its rampant economic expansion, living costs have dramatically increased and inflation hovers at round 11%, twice the UAE’s national average. It will soon be a worthless land sitting over depleted wells

www.internationalreports.net

By Eric Schwartz of oil. When the derricks stop digging, Dubai will be left a wasteland forgotten by the world.

I first arrived in what I thought would be city of dreams; however, my preconceived notions collapsed like a sandcastle within minutes. I stepped out of Dubai International Airport only to be enveloped by sandy air and thick dust, a byproduct of the neverending construction. Approximately 30,000 or 24% of the world’s 125,000 construction cranes are currently operating in Dubai and cover the expanse of the entire city. The purportedly magnificent skyline was lost in the opacity of the toxic air, and the world’s tallest building, the Burj Dubai, appeared to be but a streak of sunlight penetrating the musky atmosphere. The traffic is a nightmare, to the point where it will impact the future of the city and increase the cost of operating and conducting business. As a result of its rapid increase in population and construction, a series of ring roads have been built to ease congestion but these roads hug the current edges of the city. This means that new construction projects need to be built on the other side of these roads, out into the desert, making travel time between sections of the city impractical. Businesses seeking to be incorporated into the city refuse to build on its edges, deterring corporate expansion in the Emirate.

Dubai’s leader, Emir Al-Makhtoum, operates under the assumption “If we build it, they will come.” Large entertainment resorts are popping up in the emirate rapidly; however, I fail to see how “Wadi World” and other resorts will tempt corporate executive officers to bring their business to Dubai. Furthermore, this logic is rendered useless

Clockwise from left; Hotel Burj Dubai, the largest hotel in the world; the proposed skyline of Dubai; the National Bank of Dubai; A Young camel jockey: South Asian Workers coming into Dubai on wooden boats; and the living quarters in the labor camps where these workers live.

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Issue 6- Forgotten People www.antislavery.org

by the fact that everything is, or is becoming, electronic. There is no need for a center of business like New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, or London. The only possible reason for a business center in the Middle East, with the exception the of soonto-be extinct oil trade, is the need for a center of Islamic business to cater to the Middle East, characterized by the Quran’s imposed restrictions: “Allah has permitted for you trade and prohibited interest” (2:275).

Most western financial firms make a large portion of their overall profit from interest on loans. Having to redesign the method of profit making is not worth the cost for a relatively small market. Furthermore: “When Allah prohibits a thing, He prohibits (giving and receiving) the price of it as well.” Amongst things prohibited are things that are uncertain, eliminating the legal participation in the futures market or anything purely speculative, deterring many securities based firms

“The prevalence of human trafficking is appalling and can be witnessed daily in the guise of child-slave camel jockeys.” from doing business in the Islamic world, including Dubai. In spite of this, many of the western businesses that originally sought to set up shop in Dubai because of its business friendly government now have doubts about the profitability of having offices in the emirate. According to Louis Hakim, the Middle East CEO for Royal Philips Electronics NV, Europe’s biggest maker of consumer electronics: “If Dubai becomes much more expensive than the surrounding countries that we are here to serve, then it becomes inefficient to remain here’’ because retail is much lower and corporate maintenance is much higher.

The social system in Dubai is unappealing due to the air of superiority held by many of the Emiratis. This results in gross mistreatment of South East Asian migrant workers who are frequently denied their pay and deprived of social benefits. In addition the issue and prevalence of human trafficking is appalling and can be witnessed daily at the camel races in the guise of child-slave camel jockeys. In a Muslim country, income generated by gambling is illegal, so when a camel jockey and his camel win a race, they receive nothing. Many of the

camels and their jockeys are owned by local sheikhs with too much time on their hands. The races are nothing more than gentleman’s bets at the expense of the livelihoods of small children, sometimes no more than three years old. Many of them are from the Indian subcontinent and are captured by local gangs that sell them into bondage. False documents are then forged stating that the kidnappers are in fact the child’s parents, permitting them to leave their respective country legally. Upon arrival in Arabia, their documents are torn and they are sold into bondage to the camel stables of a sheikh. The UAE, and Dubai in particular, is the strongest resistor of using robotic jockeys for their camels instead of children. This is a transition that the rest of the fusions.files.wordpress.com camel racing world has already underwent; however, the children continue to train in Dubai with the camels seven days a week in blistering heat (the average noon-time temperature in July and August is 103 degrees). If the www.qatarliving.com

children refuse to train with the camels, they are starved and beaten until they do not dare disobey their master ever again. Before the races they are starved to keep their weight down so the camels can run at greater speeds. Undergoing the same treatment, Southeast Asian sex slaves are also astonishingly prevalent in what claims to be a country abiding by Sharia, Islamic law. They are kept in un-air-conditioned rooms, up to eight in a room, and are unpaid and underfed.

They are frequented not only by foreigners, but by Emiratis: plus, the government of Dubai is doing very little about this troubling fact.

My personal experience with the royalty of Dubai was brief and unpleasant. In the Burj Al-Arab, the world’s only seven star hotel, an unidentified prince of the Emirate was following and being followed by a massive security detail. As I stood in the elevator bank and the mob of security passed me by, I was violently pushed into the bronze elevator doors by sub-machinegun carrying men, in white Dishdash robes. I wanted to complain, but to whom could I do so? That was the powers that be. The Emir and his family roach the Emirate like it is their own private kingdom, mostly because it is.

Dubai is a playground for the super-rich and luxury tourism may keep it afloat, but the 0% income tax policy leaves this hope improbable. When businesses scramble from the desert, and the dust finally settles, the royal coffers will be left empty and unable to be replenished. Dubai will be dead.

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Heading Horace Mann Review, VOL XVII

A Fading People

A Look into the History of the Ainu University of Minnesota Duluth

A

By Antonia Woodford

ny United States history wind, water; gods of mountains and lakes), which the ethnic Japanese descended tend course makes ample men- animal gods, plant gods, and object gods to have little facial hair, Ainu men traditiontion of the Native Ameri- (common objects such as boats and pots). ally had full beards and heavy moustaches. cans, the indigenous The indigenous Ainu differed most The Japanese began encroaching on people who inhabited from ethnic Japanese in their language Ainu lands in the 15th century AD, when a the North American continent long before and physical traits. Their language, Ainu, Japanese shogun took over Hokkaido in an the arrival of European settlers. Yet in Japan, is thought to be a language isolate, with no effort to deter Russian advances into Southmany citizens remain ignorant of the aborig- relationship to any known language. The ern Japan. The Ainu fought back, but to no ines of their nation, the Ainu. In a avail: they were defeated in numercountry that has sought to portray ous battles from 1457 to 1789. With itself as ethnically homogenous, a each loss, the Ainu fell more and majority of people have not even more under Japanese control. They heard of the Ainu. The Ainu have were forced to labor at Japanese faced a long history of discriminafishing grounds and Ainu women tion and forced assimilation by the were forced into sexual slavery.

Japanese, leading them to be known In the 19th century, Japan as a “dying race” as their culture continued to compete with Rusbecomes increasingly forgotten. sia to colonize regions long-held The Ainu (pronounced ahyby the Ainu. Japan formally annoo) are a people indigenous to nexed Hokkaido in 1868, at the Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost beginning of Japan’s Meiji era, and island, as well as Sakhalin, the intensified its efforts to assimilate Kuril Islands, and the Kamchatka the Ainu into Japanese culture.

Peninsula, all parts of modernMaking no attempt at negotiaday Russia. The exact date that tions, the Japanese government the Ainu entered Japan is widely declared Ainu land to be “ownerspeculated – estimates range less” and redistributed it to Japafrom 13,000 BC to 300 BC – but nese settlers. The Ainu were then Ainu culture reached its height relegated to government-owned between 1200 and 1300 AD. plots of substandard farmland, The Ainu lived primarily by where they were expected to susfishing, hunting, and gathering; tain their families through farmlibweb.uoregon.edu ing. However, since agriculture they cultivated crops only on a Traditional Ainu Family Posing In Hokkaido Community had never been a prominent part primitive level. They wore tradiof Ainu culture, most Ainu were tional “bark” clothing, made from fibers spun from the bark of elm trees, and language also has no written form, since the unable to cultivate the land. As the governwere fond of jewelry. Ainu villages, called Ainu were accomplished storytellers and ment had banned the Ainu from their tra“kotan,” consisted of four to seven families thus transmitted their epic stories orally. ditional livelihoods of hunting and fishing, in a paternal clan. The Ainu were animistic in Full-blooded Ainus (of which there are many of the Ainu were unable to adequately their spiritual beliefs, regarding all things in few remaining) look Caucasian: they typi- sustain their families. The Ainu were also nature to have a spirit, or “kamuy.” In daily life cally have long skulls, light skin, and dense, prohibited from performing traditional certhey gave thanks to “nature” gods (gods of fire, wavy hair. While the Mongolian races from emonies or speaking their native language.

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The Horace Mann Review

Issue 6- Forgotten People as evidence of their stupidity.

Just as Americans had subjugated blacks and Native Americans, the Japanese subjugated the Ainu on the premise that they were racially inferior. “Japan believed that it needed to parallel Western culture in order to compete with it,” Fields argued in his paper “Yellow Man’s Burden: Ainu Subjugation and the Development of Racist Ideology in Japan.” “By adopting its own oppressed minority, Japanese could, among other roles, play the paternal caregiver and hence display themselves to be a superior race worthy of the same ‘racial’ respect as white Americans,” Fields wrote.

Even after World War II, Japan remained fixated on the idea of racial purity.

The government considered the Ainu to have been assimilated and therefore declared Japan to be a single-race nation.

Japanese politicians claimed that their nation did not discriminate against minorities because no minorities existed. “Japanese

Arikah Travel

The government encouraged Japanese settlement into the lands previously occupied by the Ainu. The Ainu population plummeted as the Ainu contracted foreign diseases such as smallpox, cholera, the measles, and tuberculosis from Japanese settlers. In 1822, a Japanese census counted 23,563 Ainu; by 1854 there were only 17,810. In 1869, the name of the Ainu’s Japanese homeland was formally changed from

“The Ainu were then relegated to government-owned plots of substandard farmland, where they were expected to sustain their families through farming.”

Ezochi (“Land of the Ainu”) to Hokkaido, its present name. The Ainu found themselves marginalized and their culture suppressed. Ainu children attended segregated schools where only Japanese was spoken, and Ainu families were identified as Japanese in the government’s family register system.

In 1899, the Japanese government passed the Hokkaido Former Aborigine Protection Act. This law derogatorily classified the Ainu as “kyuojin,” or former aborigines, and legitimized the government’s assimilation policies. The Ainu faced discrimination and inferior legal treatment continuing into the 20th century. According to Christopher Fields, a student of Japanese civilization, racist ideology in Japan developed to mirror the racism in the United States in the previous century. After the theory of Social Darwinism had emerged, negative stereotypes about Ainu culture were increasingly emphasized. The Ainu were portrayed as aggressive, hairy, and smelly; their base-20 counting system was ridiculed and cited

have come to the present living on these islands some 2000 years with no different ethnic peoples present,” former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone stated in 1983. In 1986, as the Japanese economy was booming, Nakasone attributed Japan’s prosperity to the homogeneity of its population.

Remarks such as these spurred the Ainu to reinvigorate their fight for rights.

An Ainu spoke before the U.N. General Assembly in 1992, hoping to pressure the Japanese government to recognize the Ainu as a distinct ethnic group. In 1997, Japan finally repealed the Former Aborigine Act. A new law, the Act of the Encouragement of Ainu Culture and the Diffusion and Enlightenment of Knowledge on Ainu Tradition, was then enacted. This law was the first piece of legislation in Japan to recognize the presence of a minority in the country. It supported the preservation of Ainu culture and has opened the gates for a flurry of Ainu activism.

In previous decades, people of Ainu ancestry hid their identity so as to protect

themselves from prejudice. Intermarriage between Ainu and ethnic Japanese has reduced the number of full-blooded Ainu, so today most people of Ainu origin are almost indistinguishable physically from the Japanese.

Some individuals in Japan have only recently discovered their Ainu roots. “I had grown up thinking there was only one race in Japan,” 31-year-old Yuki Hasegawa told Time magazine. Hasegawa said her father revealed her Ainu origins to her when she was 18. Since then, she has excitedly explored her ethnicity.

Various organizations now offer lessons on Ainu history, language, and ceremonial rites.

Nevertheless, the 1997 culture promotion law cannot erase hundreds of years of state-sanctioned discrimination. After having been banned for a long period, the Ainu language is today spoken only by a handful of surviving elders. The history of the Ainu is virtually ignored in Japanese history books, which devote an average of 1.94 lines to the topic. Compared to their Japanese counterparts, people of Ainu descent tend to be less educated and of lower socioeconomic status.

The 1997 law itself applies only to the Ainu living in Hokkaido and makes no amends for the government’s past treatment of the Ainu.

Activists in Japan are still petitioning the government to give back Ainu lands or provide monetary compensation. In response, the Hokkaido government has offered the Ainu a meager $14,300 recompense.

The 1997 law was a major step forward for the Ainu, and they are now making a valiant effort to reclaim their ethnic identity. But given that the government remains stubborn in terms of offering compensation or an apology for previous abuses, it seems that the Ainu may be acting too late.

Ainu Museum

Traditional Ainu Man Hunting For Food

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T

he indigenous peoples of Taiwan are seldom discussed. The minority of the population of Taiwan; they are outnumbered by the Han Chinese people on the island, which is officially claimed by the People’s Republic of China but controlled by the Republic of China. Throughout the history of Taiwan, foreign nations have taken control of Taiwan, and, as a result, many of the traditions of the aborigines have been lost because of assimilation. The economic plight of the Taiwanese aborigines should be addressed by creating jobs, because of the high unemployment rate and lack of education, and the culture of the tribes should be preserved so their people can thrive.

The indigenous peoples of Taiwan currently make up 1.9% of Taiwan’s population of 21.3 million people. Their roots are thought to be from the Malayo-Polynesian peoples, with linguistic links to Machpoorti the languages in Indonesia, Malaysia, Madagascar, Oceania, and the Philippines. The Taiwanese aboriginal peoples are said to have lived in Taiwan for around eight millennia before Chinese immigrants arrived during the Ming dynasty.

Because Taiwan has been occupied and controlled by other nations since the early 17th century, the aboriginal population has been gradually reduced. The Portuguese landed there in 1590 and named the island “Ihla Formosa” or “Beautiful Island”, but did not settle the island. The Dutch settled the island during the 1620’s, building churches and schools to convert the aborigines. The Dutch controlled the indigenous people after conquering their most powerful village, Mattau, and forced them to produce goods that would benefit the Dutch economically. The Dutch then used the Han Chinese immigrants to control the indigenous people, and thus the Chinese control over Taiwan began, much like the Dominions of the British Empire. The Han also tried to assimilate the indigenous Taiwanese, teaching them Confucianism and changing the

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individual people’s indigenous names to Han Chinese names.

Under the Ming and Qing Chinese Dynasties, Han Chinese took control of aboriginal land, particularly in the western plains region of Taiwan until 1895. These aborigines were thoroughly absorbed into the Han Chinese culture. Taiwan became an official province of China in 1886, but in 1895, China ceded Taiwan to Japan after the First Sino-Japanese War. Taiwan became an economic pump for Japan, producing rice and sugar and initiating irrigation developments. After World War II, however, Japan lost Taiwan as an agreement after surrendering, and the island was once again subsumed under the Chinese empire, first under the Nationalist government, the Republic of China (ROC) under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek, for thirty-five years and then as a breakaway province of the People’s Republic of China after the Chinese Revolution in 1949. During the reign of the ROC, many Taiwanese were dissatisfied with the government and as a result civilians disappeared or were killed during a period known as the “White Terror.” There have been many instances where the “Taiwanese people,” or the Han Chinese, have been conquered or controlled but the indigenous peoples have continuously been controlled by all Taiwanese invaders and immigrants.

As a result of the fact that many different nations controlled Taiwan for more than six hundred years, much of the culture of the indigenous peoples has been lost. One of the only groups that the Europeans and other invading empires did not have as much contact with was the Highland Aborigines. These tribes lived in the mountains and were known for trading iron and bringing back the heads of their enemies. However, even the highland groups were assimilated into Japanese culture under Japanese rule in the 1930’s. The Plains aborigines were known for their bamboo walls and bamboo houses on stilts built around one village and connecting settlements. Men were married into the family of the woman and their culture became known for its emphasis on the importance of birds and animal skulls. Today, some 70% of Taiwanese aborigines are Christian due to the interaction of their culture with missionaries during the 19th and 20th centuries. Tribes do have their own radio station, “Ho-hi-yan,” where their own pop music is played. Still, only fourteen out of the known twenty-five

Ta wani

The Horace Mann Review

Issue 6- Forgotten People

nization

Many different organizations are currently aiding the aborigines of Taiwan economically and preserving their cultures. The Ministry of Transportations and Communications in Taiwan has established A Trip of Aboriginal Culture, a tourist attraction in the Maolin National Scenic Area. The Maolin National Scenic Area Administration controls the area and preserves the four tribes and their cultures. The tribes include the Rukai tribe, the Paiwan tribe, the Bunun tribe, and the South Tsou shaalua tribe. Slate houses, built with large pieces of black rock from the neighboring mountains, are the common form of architecture of the tribes. The houses of the Rukai tribe are known for having two separate doors, while the houses of the Paiwan tribe have one door. The Bunan tribe follows the lunar calendar and is structured around an economy of millet, which is a collection of small-seeded grain. The South Tsou tribe in the Shaalua group has many traditions for only men, and the tribe is known for red clothing. Without support from the ROC in Maolin, these cultures might have disappeared.

The largest tribe today is the Ami tribe who lives in Eastern Taiwan. Even though there is very little information about the tribe since its people are very reclusive, a chant of the Ami tribe was incorporated in the theme song, “Return to Innocence,” in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The tribe is one of the fourteen tribes recognized by the ROC government.

These indigenous peoples need to be recognized as a key part of Taiwanese culture because they have unique cultures that have been recognized internationally but need to be further investigated and appreciated. International attention must be directed towards the Taiwanese indigenous people or the tribes will economically deteriorate and, like the Native Americans, decrease in number because of foreign intervention.

Sharona

aborigine tribes are recognized by the current government.

In the 1980’s, activists began to lobby for the increased recognition of the Taiwanese aborigines. These activists formed the Taiwan Aboriginal Peoples Movement in 1984, which established the Alliance of Taiwan Aborigines (ATA).

This alliance was composed of fifteen tribes, and its documentation pointed out the pressing problems of the tribes, including loss of their land, poverty, and prostitution. In 1988, the ATA sent a representative to the United Nations’ Working Group on Indigenous Populations in order to protect Taiwanese aboriginal legal rights, despite the fact that Taiwan is no longer a member of the United Nations because it is part of the People’s Republic of China. Previously, the Republic of China was the only Chinese government recognized by the UN, but on October 25, 1971 the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 2758 which switched the seat from the Republic of China (ROC) to the People’s Republic of China in the mainland. Furthermore, the Council of Indigenous Peoples became a part of central government under the Executive Yuan, a branch of the ROC government, in Taiwan in 1996.

The council re-established the original names of the indigenous groups instead of their adopted Han Chinese names.

The council also allowed children to choose their legal name either in aboriginal language or in Han Chinese, since previously aboriginal names were changed to Han Chinese names.

Despite these political advancements, aborigines hold only four seats in the Taiwanese legislature, the Legislative Yuan, out of a total of 225 seats. Furthermore, the aborigines are extremely poor and lack education in comparison with the Han Chinese. Many aboriginal children are sent to be educated in cities where they are discriminated against and isolated. As a result of this poverty the indigenous peoples have high unemployment rates. In 2000, 36.5% of all indigenous peoples were unemployed. Most native Taiwanese are unskilled laborers. In comparison, 4.13% of all Taiwanese were unemployed in 2005. Moreover, both the poverty and the cultural difference in aborigines have led to increased alcoholism and prostitution. Even the employed indigenous peoples have, in many cases, lost their culture because they find jobs far from home in construction trades because of the long history of iron-working in the indigenous cultures.

Janton45

By Katie Dubbs

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Assimilation Vacation

K

Marsha Ellison

The Native American Experience in American Schools

ill the Indian, save the man.” The statement by Captain Richard H. Pratt demonstratedAmerica’s approach to assimilation for Native Americans. Historically, the United States has asserted surrogate parentalism over Native-American children. The government has attempted to “Americanize” indigenous children by removing them from their surroundings and placing them into residential schools and foster homes. Torn away from their families, native children had to attend American school in order to receive a “proper” education. The schools trained the indigenous population to be “good” Americans. By 1960, the government had forced more than 100,000 Native American youth to attend government authorized boarding schools where the rules forbade indigenous practices. Today, 4.5 million American Indian and Alaskan natives in the United States continue to feel the effects from the government’s actions. The United States government’s actions against indigenous people were inappropriate and gave the natives a sense of insecurity and made them doubt the American government.

By 1869, the U.S. enacted a policy to educate indigenous children about the customs of American society.

Mastery of the English language was the foremost requirement for assimilation into American society. The government, therefore, mandated the Native-American

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By Starlyte Harris

children to attend English-speaking boarding schools where the teachers prohibited tribal languages and cultural traditions. The schools’ puurpose were to mold native children into the image of mainstream American citizens. The government’s intention was to destroy the indigenous way of life.

Captain R. H. Pratt founded the first Indian boarding school in 1879. Within a few years, countless schools had opened across the United States. Native-American children were forced to speak and act as if they were a part of the dominant white culture. By disallowing the children to practice indigenous customs, the government transformed tribal youth into fully functioning members of American society.

The government forced the individuals to change their beliefs as well as the outer appearance. Hairstyles, clothing, names, and body language were all controlled.

During the mid-nineteenth century, reformers viewed education as a means of social reform. Policy makers launched government-sanctioned assimilation tactics and educa-

www.buycostumes.com

tional programs for indigenous children.

The series of efforts focused on assimilating Native Americans into the POP and youth culture of the time. By stealing indigenous children and placing them into institutions, such as the Tomah Indian Industrial School, the government replaced traditional ways with customs approved by the government.

In the eyes of white policy makers and teachers, the government efforts served as help for the less fortunate population. To the natives whose families were torn apart because of the programs, taking the indigenous children was not an act of kindness or hospitality. Instead, removing the children from loving families seemed to be an act of aggression. As one Native American Stockbridge student recalled, “[The government] tried to erase us.”

Federal policy caused children to be removed from their families and enrolled in boarding schools. Government leaders believed that the tribal youngsters would absorb the values, knowledge, religion and practical skills of the dominant American culture as long as the children replaced their “uncivilized” families with proper institutions. By separating the children from the corrupting influences of their pagan families, the government institutions aimed to guide the natives onto the right path.

The children endured scheduled routines each day.

Ringing bells punctuated the series of school events. The strict teachers held regu-

The Horace Mann Review

Issue 6- Forgotten People lar inspections and drills organized by age. Children who disobeyed were punished with physical and verbal abuse. The strictly scheduled curriculum guided the students towards vocational training.

icans of the 18th and 19th centuries. During this time, the government forced native children to replace the family institution the “proper” education institution. Recent media has brought attention to the dark problem.

Emeraldblue Coalac-4

President Calvin Coolidge Signs the Indian Act of 1924.

After several decades, reports addressing Native American education revealed deficiencies including poor diet, disease, overcrowding, excessive labor, and substandard teaching. Investigations from the 1920’s reveal inhumane conditions for students such as poor diets, hard labor for children, military conditions, high mortality rates, overcrowded conditions, and numerous spreads of diseases.

In the 1920s, the Bureau of Indian Affairs developed a new viewpoint concerning boarding schools. By the following decade, America officially abandoned the policy of assimilation. Surroundings should determine the level of education the child must receive. Simply leaving children in their natural environments unattended does not serve as proper preparation. The elders should instead guide the youth towards the path of success. Formal education should not be mandatory for isolated Native American tribes. The government best serves the child’s best interest by allowing the chief leaders to teach the skills of hunting and culture needed to survive in the tribe’s environment.

Education should follow the criteria necessary to survive in the natives’ environment.

This was not the case for Native Amer-

The American government should not have stolen children from their homes in order to prepare the youth for integration into the general population. The psychological damage the children faced after being forcibly removed from their loved ones outweighed the benefits of a formal education. Deceiv-

Woodrow Wilson believed that the Native Americans were a lesser people than the members of the white race were. In his Address to American Indians in 1913 he stated, “The great white father now calls you his brothers.” This demonstrates his belief that the white men are on a higher level than the natives. Captain Richard Henry Pratt, who founded the first boarding school, Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, shared Wilson’s biased views. This was reflected in his policy, “kill the Indian and save the man.”

The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 granted U.S. citizenship for Native Americans. The motivation for the act was the government’s interest in merging the indigenous people into mainstream culture.

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton agree that the only way to improve the government’s relationship with the indigenous population is by acknowledging the past and developing plans for the future. Films have also acknowledged the plight of the Native American people. Media such as the Rabbit-Foot Fence documentary shine light on the plight of indigenous children who suffer psychological torment and depression resulting from the events leading to their placement into “civilized” schools. The Rabbit-foot fence film confronts the racist program of legalized kidnapping practiced by the Australian government between 1905 and 1971. The American film, “Education of Little Tree,” depicts the boarding school experience of a young

“The government best serves the child’s best interest by allowing the chief leaders to teach the skills of hunting and culture needed to survive in the tribe’s environment.” ing the children into docility by means of leading the child to believe his family died or no longer wants to see him is morally wrong.

The government should have given Native-American children the opportunity to thrive in the general population by allowing the families to decide whether to send away the child or not. The child also should have had the opportunity to freely meet the family while at boarding school. The physical punishments for children who reverted to Native American custom were not acceptable.

The discrimination the children faced also should not have been tolerated at the schools.

The indigenous children fell victim to racism from the American government.

Cherokee boy who is stolen from his family. Through such media, the Native American’s struggle is brought to the spotlight.

Today, the memory of Native American boarding schools continues to leave a sour taste in the mouths of our indigenous population. As a result, many Native Americans mistrust the public education system. Basing decisions from past relations with the government’s boarding institutions, Native Americans fear sending their children away to schools. We must correct this historical wrong by offering voluntary education opportunities to Native Americans- so all students can have the true American experience in our schools.

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Heading Horace Mann Review, VOL XVII

Lost Medicines of the Amazon How the Ancient Medicines of the World are Vanishing

By Sarah Swong

“Destroying rainforest for economic gain is like burning a Renaissance painting to cook a meal.”

M

- Edward Wilson

any devote their lives to finding effective ways of preventing cancer, or discovering a tangible cure for diabetes. However, potential cures for these diseases have existed for centuries deep in the tropical rainforests of South America. Over time, many medicinal herbs have been discovered among the abundant botanical rainforest life by indigenous peoples. For example, the nomad medicine men of the Bolivian Kallawayas know how to prepare natural remedies to cure illnesses such as diabetes, to alleviate

Herbs Hands Healing

Pau d’Arco, a herb used by the Indio tribes of South America which may be a cure for cancer

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rheumatic pains, and even to inhibit the growth of tumors. Surprisingly, recent studies show that these ancient methods of medicinal practice yield positive results. Even so, these seemingly miraculous medicines are not being implemented into the current heath care system because very few people know about them, and the small, knowledgeable population is being rapidly wiped out.

An example of a natural remedy pertinent to Latin America is Cat’s Claw, or Uncaria tomentosa (there is also a species U. guianensis), a plant found in the rainforests of South

“Despite positive results, these miraculous cures have not been implemented into the current health care system.” and Central America. U. tomentosa has been used for over two thousand years by the indigenous people of Peru to aid in fighting cancer, diabetes, and rheumatic disorders. In modern medicine, U. tomentosa is used in brain enhancing drugs and in AIDS and cancer treatment. Many current anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant treatments have traces of Cat’s Claw. Clearly, ancient traditions have its way of being integrated into modern medicine, and are proving to be effective.

Another example is Pau D’Arco, an herb found in the inner bark of Taheebo trees. Found by Indio tribes centuries ago, Pau D’Arco has proven to generate startling results. Modern studies show that it is pain killing, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, anti-psoriatic, and has anti-cancer abilities.

Twenty years ago, a young girl plagued with cancer was advised by a South American shaman to drink tea made from the Pau

The Horace Mann Review

Issue 6- Forgotten People

D’Arco bark. She drank it every morning, and within a month, she felt better – and her doctor found no traces of the cancer left. This is only one of several miraculous cancer curing stories.

It has also been shown that a Pau D’Arco brew can heal diseases like diabetes in faster than it cures cancer. For centuries, Taheebo bark has been used as a tonic – it supplies the body with iron that energizes the body for defense, along with rich antibiot-

If this continues, slowly but surely, valuable therapeutic practices will disappear completely, only existing as clouded myths.

As mentioned, modern medicine tends to steal any potential value from ancient medicinal practices, because it is proved to be ‘more effective.’ Ironically, MANY innumerable advances made by modern science have origins of traditional medicine.

However, Western medicine has recently and reluctantly begun to recognize the validity of certain traditional, holistic medicinal practice and has allowed greater tolerance for forms of health care other than methods officially determined as legitimate by modern standards – for example, the Pau D’Arco bark is now being used to aid cancer patients. Kallawayan natives stated to Perspectives

“Modern medicine tends to steal any potential value from ancient practices, because it has proven to be more effective.’’

Sacred Heritage Travel

A member of the Kallawaya tribe, which has been using traditional medicines for centuries

Storkin349

Deforestation has destroyed numerous plants and herbs which have innate healing properties.

botanical life and oxygen, which, when they cease to exist, puts the entire human race at risk of extinction. With the decimation of diverse rainforests, indigenous peoples helplessly lose their homes, resources, and ultimately, their distinguishing, vibrant culture. Efforts need to be made to conserve rainforests: homes to indigenous people, and resources for everyone.

Friends of the Earth Europe

ics and antifungal substances. Today, people drink Pau D’Arco tea – it is an ancient herb that has found it’s way to modern day, and is being integrated into all types of modern disease treatments. South American hospitals, in lieu of chemotherapy, are deciding to prescribe Pau D’Arco, since it bears baffling results.

Chanca piedra, a plant found in the Amazon rainforest by shaman of Peru, has been scientifically proven to antihepatotoxic, antispasmodic, antiviral, bactericidal, febrifugal, and hypoglycemic activity. It’s name means “to break stone” in reference to the plant’s ability to break kidney stones and gall stones. Chanca piedra is taken as a tonic, a remedy that fights a wide range of ailments, such as bronchitis, malaria, flus, colds, ulcers, and diabetes. It also detoxifies the liver, expels parasitic worms, and is used to fight off bladder infections. The plant’s validity has been proven in research done in the 1950’s, a study that said that up to 94% of patients with gall stones or kidney stones no longer felt the stones’ intense pains after one-two weeks.

Another factor preventing the adoption of those natural resources is the deprecation of natural resources. Taheebo trees, which grow high in rainforests near the Andes, the Chanca piedra plant, and the U. tomentosa plant are being wiped out.

The rapid rainforest destruction greatly contributes to the vanishing of pre-modern medicinal methods. As acres upon acres of tropical rainforests are destroyed each day, many important resources and homes for tribes like the Kallawayas also disappear. Most of the people of decimated villages are forced to migrate to bigger cities, where traditional medicine is no longer widely accepted, and where these native peoples speak an entirely different language. Ancient remedial secrets are lost when new generations emerge due to assimilation of culture.

in Health Magazine “everyone of us lives bound by nature. Modern medicine may seem to heal quicker, but I always say, natural medicine is still the most pure; it heals slowly but lasts forever.”

Currently, organizations such as the Amazon Conservation Team are sending in young ACT members to learn about the culture of the indigenous people, encouraging communication between generations. The goal of the Conservation Team is to protect cultural and environmental rights that do not affect only the natives, but everybody. The ACT is in the process of setting up health care centers near indigenous villages to protect and provide health care. Rainforests are a rich source of

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Heading Horace Mann Review, VOL XVII

America Destroys Marshall Islands Oasis

By Jordan Federer

Sydney Morning Herald

Nuclear experiments on the Marshall Islands have destroyed farmlands and homes. If the tests were to continue, the land would mirror Japan after America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, as shown in the picture above.

T

he relationship between the U.S. and the Marshall Islands has been shaky since the 1940’s.

America took control of the Islands from Japan at the end of World War II. Both countries believed in the development of a strong union that represented the highest level of diplomacy. The United States’ nuclear testing campaign in the Marshall Islands began in 1946 and continued for twelve years. The purpose was to provide America with an understanding of nuclear warfare consequences. American scientists

“As compensation for the nuclear tests’ destruction, the United States awarded the Marshallese government a sum of $183.” studied the effects of radiation on the land and natives. The program, while extremely beneficial to U.S. research on cancer, had tremendously harmful effects, such as radiation and environmental destruction. Today, the Marshall Islands remain dismal and contaminated.

The devastating aftermath of the experimentation raises the question: Was the testing worth the death toll and widespread contamination?

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In 1997, The National Cancer Institute released studies that showed exposure to radiation increases the likelihood of cancer by up to 10 percent. Recent declassified U.S. government documents reveal that radiation consequences included extreme skin burns, children’s growth abnormalities, hair loss, thyroid nodules, and leukemia.

As compensation for the destruction, the United States gave the Marshallese government a sum of $183 million in 1983 under the Nuclear Claims Tribunal. In 1988, the U.S. gave an additional $3.8 million in 1988 to cover the costs for the inhabitants’ physical pain and psychological suffering. Can monetary compensation even begin to cover the irreversible damage from the past sixty years? In 1983, a formal agreement known as Section 177 of the Compact of Free Association was signed between the U.S. Marshall Islands’ government. In this pact, the U.S. took responsibility for the trauma the people of the Islands had ex perienced.

The tests destroyed their homeland and displaced the entire population. In addition, the environmental effects also ruined the inhabitants’ food

The Horace Mann Review

Issue 6- Forgotten People supply. By conducting experiments instead of first considering adverse effects, did the U.S. intentionally hurt the Marshallese people?

In 1993, the release of top-secret nuclear testing documents proved that our government knew the biological consequences, yet still wanted to study the radiation’s impact. Officials believed the remote islands were the best place to conduct any dangerous scientific p ro ced u res.

President Harry Truman and his advisors assumed that since the islanders had limited communication with the outside world, the impact would be minimal. The first test was at Bikini Atoll, a remote location far from regular airplane and ship routes.

Back in 1946, the United States began nuclear testing on the newly acquired Pacific territory. The Marshall government agreed to the testing. Part of the agreement was that the U.S. government transport inhabitants from island to island, if need be, to a safer place. Unaware of how harmful the testing would be, the people agreed. For example,

some of the first testing was near Bikini Atoll; our government moved the residents to neighboring Rongerik Atoll. The displaced natives soon learned about the problems with Rongerik.

There were inadequate amounts of food and other vital resources. Therefore, they again moved to a neighboring island, in this case Kwajalein.

The U.S., in conjunction with the Stanford News Service

Marshallese government, continued to relocate natives in preparation for bomb tests. U.S. scientists and military personnel knew the potential health risks that would result from the toxic testing.

Researchers knew from post-World War II nuclear studies that no precaution could be taken that would ensure safety. After analyzing the effects of the atomic bombs that America dropped on Japan during WWII, high-level government officials knew the widespread results of nuclear devastation. Since scientists were playing with some of the world’s deadliest weaponry, how it is possible that they could have underestimated or disregarded its power?

The most controversial testing on the Marshall Islands involved the detonation of a bomb known as “Bravo,” in 1954. This bomb was part of a program known as Operation Castle. In Operation Castle, the U.S. government set up a task force comprised of members of the Navy, Army, Air Force and Department of Defense.

The high death toll brought into question the motives of the United States. American scientists believed that our government knew or at least suspected the potential harm but ignored the information in order to continue their research. The government monitored to learn about any radical threats that would result. The U.S. military utilized

“The U.S., in conjunction withteh Marshallese government, continuyed to relocate the natives in preparaiton for the bomb testing.” the data from the Marshall Islands testing to create weapons of mass destruction. The twelve-year testing was conducted to investigate the level of destruction that nuclear weapons could cause during a war.

The experiments were born from unsettled feelings the U.S. had after the war. The U.S. would do just about anything remain a world power after its victory during World War II. The resultant uncertainty and distrust were mostly about were mostly about weapons production and peacemaking. While there were thoughts on the effects of testing on the newly acquired Marshall Islands, the idea did not greatly concern the U.S. government. The trials provided our government with priceless information utilized for weapons development. While there was little need to improve the armaments, Washington wanted to stockpile nuclear weapons in case of another war. This fear launched the nuclear tests. The tests devastated the Island inhabitants. While the dangerous experimentation was not urgent, since America was not at war federal officials were willing to do anything at any cost to maintain safety and security of Americans.

There is also the question of medical care for the Marshallese people in the aftermath. In the early 1960’s, U.S. doctors mainly from Brookhaven National Laboratory treated affected islanders.

Lab reports suggest that the scientists conducted experiments directly on humans. Were the patients treated improperly so doctors could wait and observe the adverse effects of radiation exposure?

According to the U.S. Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments, the islanders did not understand the biological consequences, and allowed the U.S. to get away with unethical procedures. The unsophisticated Marshallese people were not properly informed of all potential risks, and allowed themselves to be test subjects. In the U.S.’ defense, our government was actively involved in Marshallese relocation. The government’s intent was to

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psychological and physical damages the inhabitants faced remain irreversible. Though once an island paradise, the Marshall Islands now consist of a depleted environment and a sickly population.

s h ” th ou th G ld. o g ah th wi e t Ga ld. ee t an i y e a r s M n r i “B tm wo ish ch dh ou “B ma wo to ee y ha e w e an ” at e sh th ou th G ld. o s ge ah th wi t an i y e a r M n “B tm wo ish ch dh - e i ou e y ha e w e an ” th ou th G ld. o s ge t an y e a r “B tm wo ish ch ha e w e th u th yo Be “

return the people home once the testing had concluded. In April 2006, the people of the Marshall Islands filed a lawsuit against the US government claiming that it had breached its responsibility to provide “just and adequate” compensation. The U.S. maintains the position that it has lived up to the original agreement and that the people of the Marshall Islands has been reimbursed.

No matter how you look at it, the fact remains that the U.S. government took advantage of the Marshallese culture by failing to inform the inhabitants of the health and environmental risks. The U.S. entered an unstable region that had no leadership. The U.S. failed to clean up the mess they made. The government failed to take effective action even though America was responsible for the illnesses, loss of homes, and extensive environmental harm.

Some U.S. scientific researchers believe that there was inadequate record keeping during the testing. There is little to clarify which scientists are to blame for what. Was this lack of documentation intentional? In 1993, Hazel O’Leary, the Secretary of Energy, recently released government documents discussing the events of the Islands.

Many of these documents reveal controversial information that leaves room for interpretation.

What about today? The U.S. government and the Republic of the Marshall Islands have conducted studies to determine the current environmental conditions for testing areas such as Bikini Island. The U.S. Department for Health and Human Services issued a report for Congress in 2002, which revealed the death toll by cancer Jack Niedenthal resulted from events on the Islands. The impact for the testing As a result of the nuclear testwas so vast that it was difficult to ing, residents have been forced ascertain the exact death toll reto abandon their homes. lating the testing. Back in 1995, the International Atomic Energy Agency convened to discuss the results of Island studies conducted by world-renowned scientists.

While the island is safe to walk on, humans should not reside there if dependence on local vegetation is necessary. The soil is unsafe for agriculture. Should the U.S. government take measures to alter the soil content? If so, the land would be a safer place to inhabit. Some islands are more dangerous than others; many remain questionable. While the government can reverse some effects, the

“Despite the physical compensations given to the people of the Marshall Islands, the emotional and physical damage will always remain irreparable.”

As recently as the 1990s, the U.S. has implemented an active “clean up” program to address the long-term conditions of prior nuclear testing sites. Under the recent Bush administration, however, the Nuclear Testing Healthcare Program has seen a loss in funds.

There is little support left for the people of the Marshall Islands. The Compact of Free Association of 1986 gave the Marshallese some independence as well as some compensation for the harm inflicted on their territory. The program ended in 2001. Despite the physical compensations, given to the people of the Marshall Islands, the emotional and physical damage will always remain irreparable.

The American government failed to inform the natives of the heath risks resulting from the nuclear experiments.

w e G l s an r i w th G a se g ” “B m o h ha h M in u B a r M e h t ou e a d. to han hi aat w is c nd - e yo “ tm wo to ch hi d n y “B m r l n h e i ah the u w the Ga .” se ge e at o ish e c nd - M e i ha he is h an .” e e i - M in yo e a rld to an i Ma n t w e t G ld se ng ah w w h a se ng i u B a or o ha i M he u e t G .” dh e e “B tm o sh h dh w i c g e a n yo “ tm w h t c dh - n t yo “B ma rld to ha hi a- n an .” se an e n i t a e h c d M i ah he w e a ” se e .

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Issue 6- Forgotten People

ACTIONS SPEAK

LOUDER

The National Conference on Community and Justice is a nonprofit, social justice organization dedicated to fighting oppression and creating the leaders of tomorrow.

CHECK IT OUT AT WWW.NCCJ.ORG

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Growing Pains in Singapore How arbitrary laws have lowered the quality of life in one of the world’s newest firstworld countries

I

t is almost impossible to watch a cable news channel or political debate in our country and not hear of an argument involving abortion, gay rights, drug use or any one of the many current, popular contentious topics. But with political allegiances, emotional investments and sensationalized news, forming an objective opinion and focusing on the real issues under discussion is also almost impossible. The core of what should be discussed in our political forums involves the size and influence of government over its citizens and basic human rights, or the sovereignty of a person over his or her own body, life and beliefs. An objective view can only be found if we can detach ourselves from our subjective and emotional investments. On the other side of the world, less than one hundredth of one percent the geographical size of the United States, a mod-

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By Jesse Caro Fabio Fatuzzo

ern, first-world nation proves to be a microcosm, a manifestation of political ideals and debates that we see in our country and that are inherent in all governments: Singapore.

After a forty year boom from its inception, Singapore finds itself amidst debates of free

Minister at the time: “I am a gay man in Singapore. I do not feel that my country has acknowledged my presence. As we move into a more tolerant millennium, what do you think is the future for gay people in Singapore, if there is a future at all?”

“The core of what should be discussed in our political forums involves the size and influence of government over its citizens and basic human rights, the sovereignty of a person “over his or her own body, life and beliefs.” speech, human rights and the government’s role in the lives of its citizenry that shed light on the United States and all societies.

In 1998, an unexpected question was asked of Lee Kuan Yew, the first Singaporean Primes Minister and Senior

This question serves as an example for both Singapore’s political situation as well as the greater issue of how much freedom people should have. Lee responded, “What we are doing as a government is to leave people to live their own lives so

The Horace Mann Review

Issue 6- Forgotten People long as they don’t infringe on other people. I mean, we don’t harass anybody.” Though the government claims it does not persecute gays or punish infractions that occur in the privacy of the bedroom, a conflicting law exists that makes homosexuality illegal.

Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal Code states the law as such: “Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years.” In addition to Section 377A, Singapore has outlawed gay pride parades and other public displays of homosexuality. Movies depicting gay sex have been censored while other films displaying even more graphic heterosexual sex scenes have been allowed. Clearly, there is a discrepancy in the ideals preached and the letter of the law.

Despite the fact that vocally not enforcing a law on the books creates disrespect for the law in general, Lee Hsien Loong, current Prime Minister and Lee Kuan Yew’s son, defends the country’s position: “Homosexuals are people like you and me, but there is some segment of Singaporeans who vehemently disagree with that… Gay pride: well you can do that in Sydney, in London, in San Francisco, but I’m not sure I want to do that in Singapore because I think it will be offensive to a large number of Singaporeans, and it will be very divisive.”

“Letting diverse people live together without government force has been proven to work while Singaporean politicians have demonstrated arbitrarily enforcing lifestyles and morality does not.”

While the government asserts the repeal of anti-homosexual laws and policies necessarily must be slow, this belief is not founded in Singapore’s own history. Singapore was, from its beginning, a mixing pot of cultures: the country is comprised of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Europeans and others. Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and even Judaism are practiced in Singapore, and while English and Mandarin are predominant in business and education, a wide variety of languages are spoken. Singapore did not try to homogenize this heterogeneous society. No religion was enforced on the citizens and people were not required to speak any language; Lee Kuan Yew has stated that the government’s acceptance of diversity allowed Singapore to flourish where racial, religious and cultural tensions might have stemmed its growth. It would not be possible or practical to try to force people to assimilate in belief and action, only to coexist peacefully, he said. Lee Hsien Loong is probably right that many conservative Singaporeans are outraged by homosexuality, but accepting differences that cannot be avoided and letting diverse people live together without government force has been proven to work while Singaporean politicians have demonstrated arbitrarily enforcing lifestyles and morality does not. Singapore needs to set a policy that accepts homosexuality as a legitimate way of life. If it keeps this archaic law, it will only further breed the assumption that there is something wrong and different about gays as human beings. By trying to hide and not confronting the issue, Singapore seems to hope it will go away, but it is not

Government of China

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew meeting with Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in late 2007 to discuss the further development of a China-Singapore relationship.

possible to mandate personal beliefs. And Section 377A truly is arbitrary, since a Section 377 article prohibiting other “immoral” sexual acts such anal sex, oral sex and bestiality was recently appealed. A government must convey consistency and validity, and actively not enforcing exisiting laws and the existence of contradictory ideals in the law makes the government anything but consistent and valid.

Singapore exacerbates this problem through its stringent restriction of free speech and freedom of the press, evidenced by the restraints put on the expression of gay pride. With only one exception, Singapore Press Holdings prints all of the country’s daily newspapers, but its managers are government appointed, so the newspapers become self-censored. Singapore ranked 146th out of 168 countries in the 2006 Press Freedom Index. Lee and other politicians argue that international newspapers and magazines are allowed in Singapore, so there is no real suppression of information or harm by restricting the Singaporean press. However, in addition to the fact that many foreign publications have in fact been censored, there is a clear discrepancy in the Singaporean population. The cosmopolitan citizens who read internationally and are exposed to myriad ideas can draw informed conclusions on homosexuality and other issues, but those who read only local and Singaporean papers will have no basis for such a conclusion and rely on old assumptions and prejudices. The government claims that the expression of such information and beliefs would “upset and offend” this

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Heading Horace Mann Review, VOL XVII large portion of the population, and that reason is why the press and free speech are censored. So if both freedom of the press and free speech are restricted, there will be absolutely no discussion for a great number of citizens, for if a legitimate discussion is to take place,

they reason is right with the information they have. Considering this is an undeniable fact of human life, the government must serve to protect that freedom and aspect of our human nature. Any attempt to take away our right to think and believe as

Government of Singapore

The Parliament house in Singapore City was designed by Singapore’s first directly elected president, Ong Teng Cheong.

people must have the same information to form their arguments. How can anyone be expected to overcome a bias if the government legally supports the prejudice -- when less accepted views are banned from being published? No progress can be made and no understanding can be gained between groups who have no means of communication.

Singapore might or might not have needed the vast government involvement to get off the ground, but since the citizens’ lives were so directly affected by government, the populace feels a dependency on it, and the government feels a responsibility to protect its people. But now that Singapore is no longer in its infancy, there can no longer be any excuse for this interference in peoples’ lives.

It must realize that the arbitrary, intrusive enforcement of morals in a now first world, wealthy and educated nation is not practical.

But pragmatism aside, an attempt to enforce morality is not a moral goal in and of itself. The government’s role is to protect its people and their rights that are derived from human nature. People are born individual; their minds are not controlled or programmable, and they will think and believe what

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an individual is a fundamental and direct attack on our human nature, and such an attack would utterly contradict the purpose of a government. So when Singapore shuns people who wish to express certain beliefs, it is delegitimizing the values and thoughts

a citizen to feel and think, and is thus helping and protecting him or her, for that assumption implies that people are not equal: some inherently have a right to determine how someone else should feel just because what they believe is superior and just. So a government should not maintain a policy that in any way delegitimizes certain people’s beliefs because doing so is immoral.

And this logic holds true for actions as well as thoughts. When the government says you cannot consume drugs or engage in certain sexual acts, it is saying that, while the actions affect no one directly other than the voluntary participants, the politicians’ beliefs are superior and will determine what is legal and illegal. Just as people’s thoughts cannot harm another person, a private action cannot harm another person.

Some may claim that drugs, or any substance that physiologically alters the body, can cause the user to attack or hurt other people, but then the action is now longer private, so the user would be directly responsible and would thus pay the penalties. It was not the consumption of the drugs that hurt a third party, it was the direct attack committed by the user. The drugs are not responsible, the person is. Punishing the private use of drugs accomplishes nothing other than taking away the rights of the perpetrator. Prosecuting victimless crimes helps no innocent, involuntary victims. In fact, the term victimless crime is an oxymoron, for if there is no victim and no one is hurt, then there is no crime.

“People are born individual; their minds are not controlled or programmable, and they will think and believe what they reason is right with the information they have.” of those people, making it seem as though what they reason and believe is not as valid and real as what other people believe. Doing so is a degradation of their human function and thus an assault on their human rights. A person cannot harm someone else by merely thinking something, so there is no basis for the government to disallow or demean certain beliefs under the guise of protecting and helping other citizens. And since a governing body is comprised of nothing more than people, the government cannot claim that it knows what is best for

We watch as Singapore bans homosexuality and free speech and as the United States outlaw abortion and drugs. But as a few people mandate morals, they are at the same time mandating immorality. People just believe different things, and if a person’s actions affect no one else, banning them is forcing them to act in a way that seems immoral to him or her. Government should stay out of private affairs as long as they remain private, for an unnecessary intrusion into people’s lives violates and contradicts their human nature and rights.

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Issue 6- Forgotten People

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Steven Schoenherr

By Belle Yoeli

I

n April of 2004, Save Darfur representatives spoke out in a United Nations Security Council session, demanding “decisive Darfur action.� Calling for action against the genocide that is currently taking place in Sudan, the representatives of the organization tried to receive an international response to their cause. The Western nations, that once controlled regions of Africa in the form of colonies, have responded to the cries for help through limited amounts of aid. However, the response has not come close to the level of intervention currently needed in nations such as Sudan, which are suffering due to the effects of decolonization. The Western Nations are fully responsible for the instability and turbulence in post-decolonization countries.

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World powers have colonized regions throughout the history of the world in order to expand their powers. Colonization was not shameful; however, the international community must now examine the detrimental repercussions of decolonization of nations. Over the course of the last century, borders have changed countless times as nations have been divided up and countries have gained independence from colonial powers. Decolonization usually takes place as a result of war, rebellion, or international intervention. In 1958, for example, Guinea declared independence from France by rejecting the French constitution. In response, the French withdrew from their former colony, simultaneously stopping development in the colony. While winning independence is

The Horace Mann Review

Issue 6- Forgotten People

fatdaddye

European Inaction has Jeopardized African Stability and provoked Genocide

always a historic triumph, not all nations smoothly transition into their newfound freedom, especially when they do not have the means to continue development. In fact, nations are often left in worse condition than when under the previous government. The United Nations released a statistical research paper that revealed that exports and imports into post-decolonization nations tend to decrease, the political systems tend to fail and result in uprising, and the opportunities of nations to compete internationally in the political, social, and economical fields decrease dramatically.

The negative effects of decolonization can easily be seen in third world African countries like Rwanda and Darfur.

Rwanda and Darfur are known best for the devastating geno-

cides within their borders; the Rwandan genocide ended in 1994, and the genocide in Darfur is still ongoing. These genocides are the result of instability caused by the decolonization.

In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles ceded Rwanda to Belgium.

The Belgian government intended to examine and restructure the Rwandan culture. Belgian presence in Rwanda only escalated already present issues of race hatred in the region as the Belgian government favored the Tutsi Rwandan population over the Hutus. In response to the Belgian’s preference of the Tutsi people, the Hutu population began a social revolution as a nationalist party called Parmehutu. The rise of the Parmehutu led to civil war, as Hutus took it upon themselves to begin killing thousands of their neighbor

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Tutsis who had received benefits from their Belgian rulers. In 1962, Belgium granted Rwanda independence; however, the country was left in turmoil. Parmehutu became the political party in charge of the Rwandan Republic, which led to mass killings of Tutsi people and Tutsis refugee displacement to Uganda. With independence, Belgian presence in Rwanda was nullified greatly, with only a small military presence. Essentially, Rwandans were left to deal with the issues of their own nation without the help of their former foreign rulers.

“Belgium was responsible for the horrible outcome in Rwanda.”

The Tusti refugees in Uganda decided to invade Rwanda and unite as the National Resistance Movement, which consisted of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and the Rwandan defense forces. In order to stop the rise of deaths due to civil war, the Hutu and Tutsi movements attempted to settle under the Arusha Accords, however negotiations failed due to doubts on both sides.

Left without an accod, the Hutu government, which remained in power, prepared for genocide. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was the international presence in the nation, however the assistance merely acted as peace keeping troops not allowed to engage in combat. Furthermore, Belgian forces withdrew from Rwanda at the first instance of Belgian troop death. As a result, the Hutu were able to carry out to the slaughter of nearly one million Tutsis, until the RPF was able to defeat the Hutu militants. Later on, UNAMIR forces were increased in Rwanda only at the end of the genocide, with no Belgian presence.

The Belgians contributed to the causes of the genocide in Rwanda during their political control over the region, and then withdrew from Rwanda by giving the country its independence. The few troops left in the nation were taken out very quickly due to fear of loss of Belgian soldier’s lives. This factual evidence shows that not only was Belgium responsible for the horrible outcome of Rwanda that led the nation to genocide, but also made an minimal effort to help.

The British invaded Darfur and incorporated the country into the Sudan region in 1916. British control over Darfur was seen

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as a small part of its control throughout the Sudan region. As a still underdeveloped nation, the British granted Darfur independence in 1956. Tensions within the Sudanese region consisted of non-Arab vs. Arab residents. These tensions developed into the formation of multiple political parties and civil wars that increased attention to the Region. In 2003, a rebellion against the Sudanese government began under the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudanese Liberation Army. As a response, the Arab dominated government encouraged and launched attacks against the rebellion. The Commission of Inquiry on Darfur was created by the United Nations, which reports on the mass killings and rapes going on in the region.

The number of deaths in Darfur and the exact details regarding the genocide continue to remain unclear, as a result of the lack of Western intervention in the region combined with the Sudanese government’s prevention of foreigners from entering the area. The genocide is still taking place in Darfur and the violence has spread throughout the region even into Chad. However, the world is ignoring the sentiments of the United Nations and media calls for intervention. British response to the genocide has coincided with a lack of response , in general, to the genocide. Most only rely on organizations and associations that are not affiliated with government.

Today, Western nations dominate international politics and the international economy. Western countries developed their powers in the world by imposing authority in other nations.

However, when the time came for nations to withdraw from their former territories, the former colonies were left to fend for themselves and build a new nation from the ground up. The United Nations has stated that decolonization entails peaceful negotia-

“The Western nations have responded to the cries for help through limited amounts of aid.” tions and self-determination for independence. Although the process for decolonization is important, we can not be drawn to the sugarcoated language of diplomacy and ignore the results of the aftermath, demonstrated in nations such as Darfur and Rwanda.

The overwhelmingly negative effects decolonization over-

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Issue 6- Forgotten People

just_true_respect

ride the positive effects of independence in underdeveloped nations. Clearly, many citizens of the world will no longer tolerate the suffering of those in nations that are being left to cope with underdevelopment, with little significant intervention from the nations that once ruled them. Nations’ resistance to help third world nations that were former colonies is rooted to the same reasons for which nations resisted decolonization in the first place.

Reformers that advocated decolonization often struggled with

encouraging lower classes of society, the people who were going to gain an independent. The same sense of inferiority is still seen today as powering nations willingly ignore the needs of nations that are less powerful. Western nations that left their former territories are duty bound to help them not only morally, but also logically. In order to uphold the ideals of the international community specifically those of the United Nations, decolonization cannot be viewed as an event of the past as its effects still apply today.

The Save Darfur Club at HM The genocide in Darfur, one of the most publicized and devastating humanitarian crises of the past five years, has captured international attention, as well as the Horace Mann student body’s in the form of The Save Darfur Club.

The Save Darfur Club at Horace Mann comprises of over forty members and its main mission is to raise awareness in the Horace Mann student body.

The Save Darfur Club co-president Tyler Holden (11) believes that the key to solving the Darfur conflict is to raise awareness. With increased consciousness comes increased action. “Over the past two or three years, there has been a decrease in Darfur awareness, and we try to increase that awareness at Horace Mann,” said Holden. The Save Darfur club believes that if everyone does their part, the Darfur conflict can be ameliorated much more swiftly. The Save Darfur club has attempted to raise awareness and funds through dinners, petitions and bake sales, and members of the club attended a Darfur protest at the Suda-

nese embassy. During the past year, says co-president Rachel Ruskin (12), the club hosted a Save Darfur dinner at HM for the purpose of “educating the students about this issue…and emphasizing that people should continue the fight against genocide in Darfur, regardlesss of how much progress has been made.”

The Save Darfur club also believes that contacting public officials is a vital component in raising awareness. The club is in the process of staging a cookies for Darfur program, similar to the one at NYU, where there are a row of phones lined up, and anyone who calls a public official saying that there needs to be more action addressing the Darfur conflict gets a cookie. Ruskin hopes that its members continue to attend New York Coalition For Darfur meetings and spread their knowledge surronding this genocide in their respective communities. The Save Darfur Club at Horace Mann is just one of the many student led groups that aims to raise awareness of the Darfur conflict, and is doing its part at Horace Mann.

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Escaping The Putin Doctrine

By William Manning

O

n April 3, 2008, NATO secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer announced Croatia and Albania’s accession into the 29 nation strong alliance of European and North American nations, following the lead of Poland and the Czech Republic. Two other prospective members, Georgia and Ukraine, were deferred membership due to concerns of Russian objections, though they were explicitly promised eventual membership.

This deferral, along with American plans for a missile defense system within the borders of many Eastern European countries and the immense Russian influence among its former satellite states, presents a major challenge to Eastern European political stability. It is paramount that Russian influence over peripheral states be minimized.

Because Russia perceives the need to alleviate concerns among its citizens about the general decline of Russian economic strength and political influence, it has attempted to resurrect certain aspects of its previous, more powerful regimes. The general Russian objective appears to be the restoration of its former power as the USSR, under similar political conditions. The totalitarian tactics of restricting public broadcasting, forming youth armies, and imposing quasi-absolutist control over the Russian people are successful examples of Russian control tactics. Russian overseas expansion may be seen as a form of social control designed to distract the Russian public from domestic concerns, such as corruption, by replacing personal concern with nationalist pride. Russia is also beginning to adopt tactics of a conservative authoritarian government, such as the use of the Russian Orthodox Church as an instrument of political unity and the proud display of national symbols. If unchecked, it is clear that Russia will attempt to impose similar controls on the citizens of neighboring countries Russia has also taken opposition to NATO expansion, as it feels that the enlargement of such an organization would result in American control of Eastern European states. Russian attempts to hinder NATO expansion through the United Nations Security Council involve threats of invoking Russian veto power there more frequently. The technique of intervention against NATO through action in various international bodies is clearly increas-

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the s ’ t a h W

TO? A N h t eal wi

D

N ATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was created in 1949 as a defensive body of member states from Europe and North America intended to resist the threat of aggression from the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, the two stated objectives of the organization were the maintenance of security and the gradual easing of relations with the Soviet Union.

Throughout the Cold War, NATO primarily facilitated defensive agreements between member states relating to the deployment of missiles.

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 forced NATO to redefine its organizational objectives, as the body’s principal adversary had been eliminated.

The Horace Mann Review

Issue 6- Forgotten People

Eastern Bloc nations are still falling victim to Russian control.

Putin’s tenure as President of Russia has seen rising tensions between Russia and its satellite nations, as Russia continually attemps to stem progress in surrounding countries.

NATO’s general attitude changed visibly when it accepted the former Soviet State of East Germany in 1990 after German reunification, granting the Soviets the concession that nuclear weapons would not be stored on East German Soil. Since the beginning NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe, NATO has maintained uneasy relations with the U.S.S.R., and later the Russian Federation. Russia, seeing NATO as a threat to its regional military dominance in Eastern Europe, has openly expressed the desire for NATO to become a demilitarized political organization.

The Jamestown Foundation

ing in popularity within the Kremlin. Should such a technique fail to halt NATO expansion, there is the potential danger that Russia will seek ever closer diplomatic relations with China to counterbalance the increasing military power of NATO. In 2001, the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China signed a treaty, entitled The Treaty of Good Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, which provide a framework for increased technological and financial exchange between the two nations, as well as for direct military cooperation through battle drills and increased general military cooperation. The agreement reflects mutual concerns held by both nations of the increased geopolitical power of the United States after it was attacked on September 11th, 2001. Both countries feared U.S. control of the satellite states of the two nations. China wished to hold Taiwan more firmly under its grasp, while Russia intended Sino-Russian military cooperation to help gain influence over its former Eastern European Satellite nations. Russia hopes to demonstrate its resistance to U.S. power through both forums and alliances.

In the case of Ukraine, Russian opposition to its membership in NATO adds to a growing list of concerns of Russian intervention upon Ukraine’s national sovereignty, though these concerns have been ignored. Despite such tensions as an alleged dioxin poising of Ukraine’s premier, Victor Yushchenko, and suspicions of an intentional sabotage of natural gas pipelines in Ukraine by the Russian, state-owned petroleum company Gazprom between 2004 and 2005 these suspicious and inflammatory disputes have had little impact among Ukrainian public sentiment towards Russia. A similar dispute over natural gas supplies re-emerged after Ukraine’s delayed payment of an estimated $1.3 billion in petroleum debts. President Victor Yushchenko has prioritized his country’s economic and political integration into the Euro-Atlantic community, but his platform has been severely weakened. After the prime-ministerial appointment of Yushchenko’s former opponent in the 2004 presidential elections in Ukraine, it appears as though Ukraine has been largely reabsorbed into Russia’s sphere of influence.

Georgia has also been affected by Russia’s aggressive foreign policy, and its frigid relationship with Russia provokes more open condemnation of Russia’s actions, if not resistance. The Geor

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Heading Horace Mann Review, VOL XVII gian prime minister Mikheil Saakashvili has accused Russia of stalling its efforts to repair natural gas pipelines, openly comparing Putin to Hitler and to former Soviet military officials.

Russia responded by examining all Georgian migratory laborers within Russian borders and subsequently deporting large numbers of undocumented Georgians working for Russian businesses. Wire transfers of money between the two nations were also suspended, and Georgia angrily vowed to hinder Russia’s expected membership in the World Trade organization. On April 22, the U.N. Security council met to address Georgian concerns that a Russian fighter jet in Georgian airspace had destroyed a Georgian unmanned aircraft. The Georgian prime minister accused Russia of “terrorism,” though the Georgian government has been unable to take action against Russia. Since 1992, a Russian peacekeeping force has been deployed in Georgia’s unstable separatist region of South Ossetia after an agreement between the leaders of the two nations.

Since the deployment of this peacekeeping force, Georgia has accused the Russian force of promoting South Ossetian separatism, and of supporting criminal gangs hostile to the Georgian government. Russia’s military presence in South Ossetia, along with its strong economic leverage over Georgia, ensures that any Georgian attempt to reduce Russian influence would be severely punished by Russia, making passive diplomacy nearly impossible.

Before either Ukraine or Georgia can hope to join NATO without massive diplomatic repercussions, Russian economic, political and military influence on the two nations must be reduced. One possible course of action for both nations would be to amass a strategic petroleum reserve similar to that created by the United States at the end of the oil embargo of

1974, thereby thwarting the immediate negative effect of a potential natural gas boycott during at least one winter season. The United States Energy Information Administration Estimates that Georgia imports roughly 5,000,000 barrels of oil, nearly all of it from Russia. They should also seek closer relations with the United States and the European Union, possibly gaining the support of France and Germany, who previously opposed their bid to join NATO. Significant diplomatic progress in this area is possible even without the guarantee of NATO membership, perhaps achievable by demonstrating Ukraine and Georgia’s peaceful relationship with neighboring states. The French and German rationale for opposing the membership of Ukraine and Georgia, that the two states must improve their relationship with surrounding countries, so diplomatic posturing designed to paint Georgia and Ukraine as innocent victims of a bullying Russia would be highly effective in gaining NATO support. Nationwide inves-

“The general Russian objective appears to be the restoration of its former power as the U.S.S.R” tigations of Russian activity in each respective homeland may also provide powerful leverage against Russia with the threat of a national embarrassment to the Russian Federation.

Whatever efforts of those nations wishing to escape the grasp of Russia make, such nations will inevitably face massive resistance from the manipulative Russian government, equipped with an endless playbook of puppet shows and terror tactics. For instance, Russia has pledged support and assistance to Georgia’s

NATO Putin has been accused of having ordered a dioxin poinsoning against the Ukrainian Premier in 2004.. www.president.gov.ua

Russia

Bear Starnum

The Horace Mann Review

Issue 6- Forgotten People breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. If Russia wishes to retaliate against Georgia and the West, an annexation would be possible. Such a move, however, would be both unnecessary and politically dangerous, given Russia’s power over Georgia’s petroleum supplies. Foreign observers speculate that this assistance has taken the form of financial and intelligence aid, though it is unclear as to the extent of aid provided to the Georgian separatists. Russia uses the oil debts of its former satellite nations as leverage against their desire to join NATO, and also accuses Georgia and Ukraine of providing Chechen rebels with munitions. Russia has also reinstated fighter patrols over neutral Atlantic waters, and has devoted much funding to public displays of military might. Russia has also resorted to cultural power sources, such as the Russian Orthodox Church, whose patri-

It is primarily the responsibility of the national leadership of Eastern Europe to continue lobbying for eventual NATO membership.

Though it is nearly impossible to forecast new acceptances into NATO, it is clear that Russia intends to obstruct the Westernization of Eastern Europe. A 2007 poll of Ukrainian citizens by the Sofia Social Research Centre revealed that a majority of Ukrainians (52%) distrusted President Victor Yushchenko. In the 2011 Ukrainian elections, it is crucial that a fresh candidate, with strong nationalistic credentials enters office, such as Vladimir Putin was to Russia after its own 2000 presidential election. The regime of this leader, perhaps representing the nationalist political bloc should employ similar authoritarian strategies on the Ukrainian people as those used by Russia, while allowing citizens greater civil liber-

National Geographic Societ

The influence of the former Soviet Union is still prevalent throughout Eastern Europe and Asia. archy influences the lesser Ukrainian Orthodox church. The Russian prime minister, Dimitri Medvedev has increasingly been involved in religious activity, along with his predecessor, Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine and Georgia can expect little support from their respective populations in resisting Russian influence. According to a 1999 poll conducted by NATO in Ukraine before the attempts of either nation to join NATO, only a third of Ukrainian voters had any knowledge of the possibility of Ukraine’s membership, though the survey reports a steadily increasing awareness of the issue. Few saw Russia as a military or political threat, and many in Eastern Ukraine supported Russia, contrasting with a significantly broader support for NATO along Ukraine’s Western borders. Fortunately, public opinion of NATO among post-Soviet nations appears to be slightly in favor of membership, despite the general unawareness of the issue.

ties than Russia. Steps should be taken to alert the general public of the danger Russia poses to them. Government-sponsored expression of cultural solidarity, coupled with pro-Western economic policies offers considerable hope for escaping Russian influence. Unfortunately, it appears unlikely that these same citizens will be greatly inclined to trust the NATO leadership. A slightly more authoritarian political response in Georgia’s 2012 parliamentary and presidential elections will also aid significantly there.

Only a major act of Russian aggression would be sufficient to change public opinion of NATO in either of the two states. Similarly, a perceived threat from Russia might put additional pressure on France and Germany to approve NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia. Until then, they will rely on the protection of their main ally, the United States, and on their own military strength.

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