Political Cartoon Analysis

Analysis

This political cartoon is about Nuclear program of Iran. Iran is described as a untamed warlike dog where as UN is described as a man who is afraid of the dog. Iran holding a bone symbolizes that Iran is in control of this situation. The bone that the dog is holding named nuke program symbolizes Iran's nuclear program. Man is asking for the nuke program, trying to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons however, man doesn't seem to have power to do so. Creator of this political cartoon seems to think UN as weak in their action, and weak in their power as well. It is implied that Iran is fierce and dangerous. However, people from Iran wouldn't think that way. They would think that when U.S. is getting stronger building more nuclear weapons, other countries should be able to compete with building nuclear weapons since without the competition U.S. would have absolute power.The way the author portrayed two sides, one behind the rocks like a coward and the other standing and intimidating, makes us to think UN as incapable and Iran as dangerous.

At least 54 killed in Nigeria blasts

Police in Nigeria say at least 54 people have been killed in a series of blasts blamed on Boko Haram.

Rescuers and the military had said there were three blasts on Sunday night in the Gomari and Ajilari areas in the city's western suburbs, without giving casualty figures.

Locals on Monday said there were four separate explosions, including at a mosque during evening prayers and among football fans watching a televised match.

Bashir Ibrahim, who lives in the densely populated Gomari area, near Maiduguri airport, said: 'I saw the corpses with my own eyes. There were four separate blasts.'

The first, at Ajilari Cross, killed six while a second minutes later injured 14, including children hawking goods at the scene, he said.

Trader Faruq Ali said a third device went off at a mosque in Binta Sugar area, which is also heavily populated and close by.

'Luckily enough, only few people were observing the Isha (night prayers) but we counted 11 dead bodies and about 21 others sustained injuries,' he said.

Markus John, a tyre repairer, said the fourth bomb exploded near a football 'viewing centre' close to the mosque, where fans had gathered to watch a televised match.

'We counted four dead bodies (at the viewing centre) and many others sustained injuries.'

Boko Haram has previously attacked football viewing centres. The hardline Islamists consider the sport a Western diversion from religion.

The militants have also repeatedly attacked mosques, including with suicide bombers, and other 'soft' civilian targets such as markets.

Nigerian army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement the attacks showed the 'high level of desperation on the part of the Boko Haram terrorists'.

Ibrahim Abdulkadir, regional co-ordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), on Monday said he could not give an exact death toll but told AFP: 'The casualty is high.'

AFP

n.d.,"At least 54 killed in Nigeria blasts" Sky news. AFP, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015

http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2015/09/22/at-least-54-killed-in-nigeria-blasts.html

Response

This article talks about the blasts in Nigeria that happened on Sunday night. Boko Haram, the extreme Islamist, is suspected or rather blamed on this issue. He once blew up the sport viewing center and this event that blew up four different places killing 54 people is most likely happened by this man. The author of this article seems to be against extreme Islamist and tries to criticize actions of Boko Haram. I'm also against Islamist especially extremist. I think some action should be done to stop them from any violence.

Palestinians Get Approval to Flag at United Nation

Palestinians Get Approval to Flag at United Nation

Palestinians overwhelmingly won the right to fly their national flag in front of the United Nations headquarters, a symbolic step opposed by Israel and the United States.

The change was made by the UN General Assembly, when a vast majority of member countries voted in favour of a resolution granting what are known as non-member observer states the right to fly their flags alongside member states. Palestine became an observer state in 2012. The Vatican, the only other observer state, has held that status since 1964. Palestinian diplomats secured the support of a majority of the assembly, as was expected, with 119 countries voting in favour of the resolution, eight voting against it and 45 abstaining. The flag is expected to be hoisted for the first time when the Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, delivers his remarks to the annual meeting of heads of state and government at the General Assembly on Sept 30th. The resolution is part of the effort by Mr Abbas and his associates to gain international recognition for a Palestinian state on lands seized or controlled by Israel since the 1967 war. Israel and the United States have argued that such measures are meaningless without a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “Today’s vote is a reaffirmation of the legitimacy of the national aspirations of the Palestinian people, of their existence among the nations of the world and their right to self-determination,” the Palestinian ambassador, Riyad H Mansour, said in thanking his General Assembly supporters. Voting in favour of the resolution were the countries of the Arab world, Iran and nearly every African and Asian country. It was co-sponsored by more than 50 countries. Israel, the United States, Canada and Australia were among those that voted against it. The 28-member countries of the European Union did not manage to take a united position as they had hoped. Ireland voted in favour of the resolution alongside fellow-EU members France, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Belgium and Malta.

Others, including Britain, Germany and Austria, abstained. The US ambassador, Samantha Power, in explaining her no vote, said that raising the flag “is not an alternative to negotiations and will not bring the parties closer to peace.” The Israeli ambassador, Ron Prosor, described the resolution as a cynical action. “Make no mistake, the goal of this resolution is a photo op,” Mr Prosor said. “The Palestinians want to bring together world dignitaries and the media to gather around and watch as Mahmoud Abbas raises a flag. They plan to use the prestige of the UN as a backdrop for this charade.” How much the resolution buoys Mr Abbas’ standing among his domestic constituency remains to be seen. On Thursday, Ghassan Khatib, vice-president of the Palestinian Birzeit University, called it “a good symbolic move” that he hoped would bring more tangible benefits. “People need to see real achievements that have a practical impact on people’s lives,” he said. In another international challenge to Israel, the European Parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a resolution that supports labeling of products made in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and for “differentiation” between Israel and the settlements in European relations. The resolution does not mean settlement products will immediately be labeled, but increases the pressure on European leaders to move the initiative forward. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel denounced it as “unjust” and said, “It also hurts peace.” “The root of the conflict is not the settlements,”Mr Netanyahu said in a statement, adding, “We have historical memory of what happened when Europe labeled Jewish products.”

n.d.,"Palestinians Win Approval to Fly Flag at UN." The Irish Times. Reuters, 11 Sept. 2015. Web. 14 Sept. 2015

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/us/palestinians-win-approval-to-fly-flag-at-un-1.2348456

Response

This article is about the Palestine getting right to raise its flag in front of the United Nations headquarters. Palestine is a observer state which doesn't get to raise its flags. However, for the first time the United Nations recently allowed observer states which are Palestine and Vatican to raise their flags. United States and Israel, being rivals or enemies of Palestine, voted against it. The author of the article seems to support the Palestinian side. He or she gives more insights and explanation of Palestine than the thoughts and explanation of United States and Israel. I don't really want to pick a side on this issue but I think that letting Palestine to raise the flag shouldn't be a big deal. Rivalry intervening in this particular situation seems somehow childish. I think that Palestine, being a country and part of United Nations, should be considered as a self-determined country and be able to raise its flag.

Koreas begin family reunion talks

September 7 2015 at 11:04am
By AFP

Seoul - North and South Korean Red Cross officials kicked off talks on Monday on organising a rare and emotional reunion for families separated by the Korean War.

The discussions at the border truce village of Panmunjom were the product of an agreement the two Koreas reached two weeks ago to end a dangerous military standoff and reduce cross-border tensions.

But given North Korea's past record of manipulating the reunion issue for leverage over the South, there is no guarantee the planned event - only the second in five years - will go ahead.

Monday's talks were expected to focus on confirming a date and venue for the event, with the most likely outcome a reunion at the North's Mount Kumgang resort sometime in early October.

Millions of people were separated during the 1950-53 conflict that sealed the division between the two Koreas.

Most died without having a chance to see or hear from their families on the other side of the border, across which all civilian communication is banned.

About 66 000 South Koreans - many of them in their 80s or 90s - are on the waiting list for an eventual reunion, but only several hundred can be chosen each time.

The reunion programme began in earnest after a historic North-South summit in 2000, and was initially an annual event.

But strained cross-border relations have allowed only one reunion in the past five years, with several being cancelled at the last moment by North Korea.

For those on the waiting list, the reunion selection process is an emotional roller-coaster - raising hopes of a meeting they have longed for but which, statistically, they are very unlikely to experience.

For the last such event in February 2014, a computer was used to randomly select 500 candidates, after taking age and family background into account.

That number was reduced to 200 after interviews and medical exams, and the two Koreas drew up a final list of 100 each after checking if relatives were still alive on the other side.

And even after all that, the reunion almost never happened, with 11th-hour, high-level negotiations required to prevent the North cancelling over South Korea's refusal to postpone annual military drills.

For the lucky ones who do take part, the reunions are hugely emotional - almost traumatic - affairs, with many of the elderly participants breaking down and sobbing as they cling to each other.

They typically last several days and the joy of the reunion is tempered by the pain of the inevitable - and this time permanent - separation at the end.

The agreement that produced Monday's talks followed a month of heightened inter-Korean military tensions, which involved a rare artillery exchange across their heavily fortified land border.

Pyongyang has already accused Seoul of spinning the settlement as a North Korean climbdown, and warned that it would scupper the entire deal - including the family reunion - if the South continues making “wild remarks”.

AFP."Koreas begin family reunion talks." ioLNews., 07 Sep. 2015. Web. 07 Sep. 2015

http://www.iol.co.za/news/world/koreas-begin-family-reunion-talks-1.1911796#.Ve11uhHvPIU

Response:

This article is about South and North Korea having a reunion of the separated families. The article portrays the complex relationships between North and South Korea. The author seems to be critical towards North Korea, blaming them of unsuccessful meetings of separated families. The author also points out that North Korea tried to take advantage of South Korea by using this separated family reunion method. The author seems to favor South Korea then North Korea. As a South Korean, I naturally see this issue with bias. I definitely favor South Korea in this issue. North Korea seems play with the fact that is really sensitive. I think North Korea has ruined this event because of small reasons and it is ruining again. The fact that North Korea is accused of bombing or mining places in South Korea has raised the intensity of this issue. This issue won't go away easily if none of the two sides apologize.

Pyeongan's Bio

I was born in South Korea in 1997. I lived in Korea until my family decided to move to Honduras in 2010. I lived in Honduras and attended several schools. So I'm really comfortable with Hispanics or Spanish speaking people. After three years, my family, mostly my dad, decided to move to Tanzania. I got into R.V.A., a boarding school in Kenya, beginning of my sophomore  year. I'm a senior in R.V.A.  My dad is a Christian missionary and I'm also a believer so my responses will probably contain Christian worldview. One of my hobbies is playing sports and I'm a huge fan of soccer. Also I love playing video games.