Barack Obama v George Bush: Realist Analysis

On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama took office after running on a campaign of hope and change. This essay will examine the first 10 months of his presidency, and compare it to the rule of his predecessor, George W. Bush. Several policy areas will be examined, with special focus paid to international security issues, including the wars and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the fate of the Europe-based missile defence shield within the context of a stronger Russia, and the foreign policy toward North Korea and Iran, especially as relates to their respective nuclear ambitions. Recognition will be given to the so-called Bush Doctrine, a four pillared policy framework of preemption, unilateralism, American primacy and democracy promotion, and it will be compared to the actions of Obama along these lines. Further, the major international events that occurred during the Bush and Obama presidencies will be discussed in terms of the underlying theoretical frameworks influencing them, as well as the presidents' respective foreign policy responses. From this analysis, it will be noted that there have been several course corrections between the administrations, with a renewed focus being placed on the neo-Liberal ideas of multilateralism and institution-building by Obama, even if in name only. However, it will be shown that the underlying state of the international political system is one of continuity, reflecting the dominant ideological realities of the realist/neo-realist tradition.
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Analysis of film Arguing The World

Below is something I've been working on at school. Since McMaster has essentially eaten up all my time for the past few months, I thought it might be good to post some of my work to prove I am still alive (don't people usually go bungee jumping for that same reason?). So here is my analysis of the film Arguing the World.

Arguing the World: A Marxist Analysis of the New York Intellectuals

Wesley Kellar

The film Arguing the World follows the lives of four New York intellectuals from their modest childhoods, through their early experiences with academia and their subsequent careers as influential thinkers and social commentators. This paper will begin with a summary of the film, paying special attention to the early school days of Daniel Bell, Nathan Glazer, Irving Howe and Irving Kristol, and the subsequent changes in their respective theoretical subscriptions. Following this, the film will be analyzed with reference to material relevant to the study of sociological theory, with particular focus paid to parallels with the life of Marx and connections to the Marxist paradigm. In so doing, this essay will prove the utility of the Marxist theoretical framework in the study of sociology and the world.

This section summarizing the experiences of the four New York intellectuals draws entirely from the film Arguing the World (Dorman 1998). The film begins with a discussion of the childhood of each of the four characters profiled. Each was a Jewish child growing up in New York, experiencing the burdens of poverty and discrimination. Bell came from the lower east side, Glazer was raised in the Bronx to a working-class family, Howe recalls a difficult move to the East Bronx and a resulting drop in socioeconomic status, and Kristol relates that he barely noticed his poverty in Brooklyn, because everyone he knew was also poor. These trying economic circumstances helped lay the foundation for the brilliant careers that followed. The result of their lack of money was that all four young men attended the City University of New York (CUNY), a relative dumping ground for the “smart poor” (Dorman 1998).
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Eco News

Greenpeace is still working tirelessly to bring some sense to Canada's tar sands - never thought I would see such devastation of Canada's environment and reputation as the tar sands.
Meanwhile, French protest groups are gearing up to try to stop a large installation of wind turbines near Mont-St-Michel - only in France would such a protest against clean energy be so vocal.

No Logo

Image by Gauravonomics via Flickr

Woah - been a while since my last post. I started school in September and am just now reaching some sort of equilibrium with sleep. Have even found some time to read my favourite shit-disturber du jour Naomi Klein. If you haven't checked her out, do so now. A few interesting points from No Logo (her first book, and not her best):

- after a 2+ year libel trial in the UK, a judge ruled that McDonald's is 'culpably responsible' for cruelty to animals, they are 'antipathetic' toward unionization efforts, and that their workers suffer in terms of low pay and bad conditions. Best of all, the judge ruled Ronald McDonald et al 'exploit children' with their ads, which are misleading. While nice to see that someone has the sense to call things like they are, it might've been nice had McDonald's been the ones on trial, rather than two citizen activists sued by the Golden Arches company for libel.

Naked Hitler In AIDS Awareness Ads

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2009/09/04/aids-ads-featuring-hitler-sending-the-wrong-message.aspx

Bring Your Own Coconut

Yeah it's definitely beautiful out here in Vancouver - definitely worth a trip or two if you can swing it. Trains are nicer for that kind of thing (where the act of getting there is as important as the destination ... think kodak moment) although a bit more expensive.
I've been dying to go to the Science World that is maybe 25 min from my friend Wren's place, right at the edge of downtown (right by the Pacific too).
A few days ago we went to English Bay (a beach downtown - yes, downtown!) and chilled on the beach with one of her uber cute friends, while I drank wine from a salsa jar - I felt like a movie star.
right now i am nicely toasted - just got back from a BYOC (bring your own coconut) party. was actually kinda awesome, wasn't sure I would enjoy myself, but turned out awesome, topped off by the walk home to Wren's with 5 or 6 other people, all stumbling (thankfully downhill) 40 blocks while drinking rum and lime juice out of coconuts with smeared lip-gloss faces.
Culminated in a visit to the park where we were the victims of a drive-by by cops. They were pulling some crazy intimidation techniques in order to detect terrorists who could potentially pose a threat to the Olympics (I have quickly come to learn that this basically means all locals not involved with the service industry, Natives or Aboriginals of any nation, and youth in general). The cops pulled through the middle of the park, drove right beside where we were standing, playing with a neighbour's dog, then sloooooooowly cruised by, staring us down and daring us with their eyes to twitch the wrong way the whole time. Ridiculous.

[with modification, from a note to a friend]

Playing Dress Up

Before I forget, just wanted to mention the trend that I've noticed is sweeping the city - t-shirts printed with graphics to make them look like they are a suit and tie. Weirdness.