THE CASE FOR ENDING LSE100 | DIARY OF A WANNABE BANKER RETURNS | AN INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR CRAIG CALHOUN
TheBeaver
16.10.2012
Newspaper of the LSE Students’ Union FREE
Neha Jain
Obama’s former Presidential rival in the 2008 US elections, Senator John McCain, addressed a full audience in the London School of Economics Shaw Library last week in a candid question and answer session, focussing largely on US foreign relations and the upcoming presidential elections. Having caught the red eye from Atlanta that morning, McCain recounted a humorous remark from a fellow passenger: “You look awfully like John McCain, that must make you mad as hell!â€? In light of this, McCain conceded that malaise with the American government was well deserved; that there was a meagre eleven per cent congress approval rate from the American public, whilst ObamaCare in his opinion was “the sleaziest process to take place in the Senate in the past thirty years.â€? In spite of this, the former war veteran strongly maintained that the world “needs American leadership.â€? Beginning his discussion on the events of the Arab Spring, McCain argued that this “period of dramatic change in the worldâ€? was misnamed; such instability ZDV QRW FRQனQHG WR WKH $UDE world. Regarding the governments of China and Russia in particular as just “a bunch of guys who gather in seaside resorts to pick their successors,â€? the Republican reinforced Western democracy as the only sustainable and appropriate system for governing citizens. Whilst acknowledging war weariness arising from American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, McCain regretted the US not involving itself enough in Libya in providing medical personnel, border security and in aiding the disarmament of militias. In light of this, he felt the US does not have a privilege, but an obligation to help the
LSE PHOTOGRAPHY
Do not underestimate Obama Students VX૸HU IURP LSE For You glitches Rachel Browne
Syrians through the provision of weapons. When asked by an LSE PhD student to peer into a crystal ball and predict the US’ role in peace and FRQŕŽ‹LFW E\ 0F&DLQ stated simply that “the iPhone has already changed the world... technology will change the world.â€? Reciting the fact that over three hundred thousand people were drawn to Tahrir Square with the help of technology, McCain also recalled how one Tunisian had told him that Mark Zuckerberg was their
national hero. However, McCain recognised that technology has bought great dangers too. Wikileaks’ role in compromising key information on military personnel has been a problem, but McCain especially feared issues of cyber security and hacking attempts stemming from China. He elaborated further that he has been disappointed by Sino-American UHODWLRQV RYHU WKH SDVW னYH years and the Chinese’s ‍ڔ‏WLJKW னVWHG EHKDYLRXU‍ ڕ‏WRwards America.
One audience member pressed McCain on how his foreign policy goals could be reconciled with the economic realities of huge US debt. He argued that the key to growth does not lie in foreign policy - defence spending having already been cut anyway - but in cutting corporate taxes to attract investment. He also favoured creating greater free trade agreements once corruption in Asian countries like Vietnam and China is reduced. Continued on page 8, col 1.
Due to a sudden administration change, MSc students of the Government Department have been facing problems on the London School of Economics LSE For You and Moodle site in the past week, with many not being able to sign up for seminars or be allocated an academic supervisor in a timely manner. Professor Simon Hix, head of the Department of Government, issued an apology and description of the malfunctions last week to the MSc students. “We lost our senior MSc administrator just before the Michaelmas Term began,â€? he said, “we have been pro-active in trying to rectify these problem by EULQJLQJ LQ QHZ VWDŕŽ‰ DQG training others.â€? According to Hix, there were still technical issues with one course and that they are working “aroung the clockâ€? to clear out any outstanding problems as soon as possible. Nevertheless, many students have expressed frustration towards the technical hiccup, which has added to the stress of starting a new academic year. Laura Aumeer, MSc of Comparative Politics student said that she appreciates Professor Hix’s apology and the fact that it sheds light on the problems, but felt that an explanation should have been provided sooner. Aumeer, who experienced difficulty selecting courses after signing into LSE For You and was unContinued on page 8, col 3.
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