2012 Predictions

I don't think that the world will 'end' in 2012.  Rather, I think that a drastic change will occur.  First, I feel that the world's economy will undergo some extreme changes.  With the recession in Europe and the USA combined, along with the SOPA act, I feel that the global economy will crash.  When this happens, I think that the world economy will revert to one of two extremes: a total global currency incapable of failure like in a communist state or each country having its own individual currency (ie. Marx, Francs).

The politics of our world will also undergo some extreme changes.  I think that with the death of Kim Jong Il the new ruler of North Korea will feel obliged to exercise his power and attempt to launch a nuclear weapon.  This will lead to invasion and warfare with North Korea, adding to the already burdening load of the Middle East.  This will cause the USA to neglect the drug wars in Mexico, causing it to start spilling over into American soil.  This will cause the US to invade Mexico and occupy it.  This will lead to the eventual 'manifest destiny' of the US taking over North America.  I feel that Europe will retry the Euro but with more of a global constraint, having all countries become one. This will eventually cause 1984.

Finally, I feel that humans will begin contemplating colonizing Mars.  With advanced medical technology, humans will begin to live longer and syart to deplete Earth's netural resources to almost nothing.  Humans will plant trees on Mars to start converting its atmosphere to oxygen.  in the next 30 years, colonies will begin to be established, helping lighten the load of Earth's population.

Although may some see it as unrealistic (including myself), we never know whats going to happen in the future.  I just took all of whats happening now and made sense of it.

AIC NSA Response

I felt that the final response from the NSA was very encompassing.  His response to us collectively as a team was constructive and helpful; outlining out individual achievements and accomplishments as a whole.

Personally, he outlines my character's one major achievement which was forming a strong bond and eventually becoming trade partners with Russia.  He stated that this required a lot of diplomacy and communication skills and that I have developed greatly over the simulation.

He did not, however, clearly outline how well our team did in taking strides to our overall goals.  The individual efforts undertaken by each of us could have been totally nonlinear and random.  He never addressed our goals directly and related how well we pursued them.

Lastly, I feel that the NSA never provided constructive criticism in any way.  He only pointed out the positive aspects of our performance and outlined our accomplishments.  Although that is very helpful and lets us know we did a good job, he could have provided some feedback to our endeavors that didnt work out.  He did not point out where we could improve specifically or at all.

"

Dear Saudi Arabia, 

I hope you have had as good of a time as I have throughout this simulation. It has been a tremendous learning experience for myself and, hopefully, for you too. You have done an amazing job fulfilling the role of your country. It has been a pleasure watching your team develop and grow into your characters. I have been thoroughly impressed at how quickly you picked up on you countries needs and strategized how to fulfill them. With each press release and interaction within the simulation I have seen you develop into a stronger team. You have done a great job and have really played an intricate role throughout this simulation experience. I hope you have learned alot and can take away from this a greater appreciation for international politics and team work. You have witnessed first hand how hard it can be to work with other groups with different ideals. I think you will find that the lessons you have learned throughout the simulation play a large part in situations you will encounter in the future. Individually, I think you all have brought a unique approach and outlook into the simulation. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, I really appreciated your communication with Russia. You did a great job at finding one of the most powerful allies in the simulation and rallying them to your cause. I was impressed that you not only acquired them as an ally, but also made them take up your cause and become a trade partner. All around, I think this showed great strategy and sent a very powerful message to the rest of the teams.  Overall, you guys have been great to work with and I wish you all the best as you take your next steps. 

"

My fellow teammates comments have been removed from the NSA message above.

Commencment the the Obedience Academy - Aesop Rock

"Must not sleep must warn others
Trust blocks creep where the dust storm hovers
I milk my habitat for almost everything I want
Sometimes I take it all and still can't feel this pitfall in my gut"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7snfXC4mJ0

These lyrics say a lot about personal responsibility.  It pretty much says that the person the artist is talking about has "milked his habitat" meaning that they used up the environment.  It speaks of the lack fo remorse that we feel when being environmentally unsustainable because we may not see the reprecussions right away, but they are real.  Eventually disaster will happen, and as a good global citizen you must "not sleep, must warn others".

Canada and Iran

I found all the terms used in this article clear.

Discussion Questions

1)Why would Iran want to 'cross the nuclear threshold'?  Is it right that we assume they will?

2) Is Israel attacking Iran the smartest thing to do in this situation?  Could a more peaceful resolution be reached?

3) Why is there so much ambiguity and unsettledness surrounding the issue of Iranian nuclear arms?  Do you think that the war on terror and claims of nuclear arms in Iraq has anything to do with it?  Why?

MacLeans Article Response

http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/12/02/europes-ugly-little-dictatorship?

I understood all the words in this article.

Discussion Question:
How is it that such political corruption can fly under the radar so easily?

Response:
The rescue efforts of developed nations are stretched thin as is, we must focus on helping countries that are in dire need of us over nations that need us, but are not living in such bad conditions as others.  In short, we need to work our way up form the biggest problem area to areas that can sustain themselves for a while longer.