Another NSA Post

A few links on the NSA leak with the last one being Obama himself.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/06/06/why_the_nsa_needs_your_phone_calls

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/frame_game/2013/06/stop_the_nsa_surveillance_hysteria_the_government_s_scrutiny_of_verizon.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-defends-sweeping-surveillance-efforts/2013/06/07/2002290a-cf88-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrbHvNDwExYA

If you disagree with the act, read one of the first two very thoroughly, and then tell me if you still feel the system is unconstitutional. Personally, I feel the FP article does the best job looking at the situation.

China's Weird Investments

Interesting story about Chinese investment in the Caribbean. I honestly wonder what China hopes to get. Trade deals? Military bases? UN support? I honestly have no idea what China hope it could get from its relationship with Latin America. Its ability to project naval power that far in the case of a war is unlikely.

Trust, We Do it Every Day

Foreign Policy Magazine posted one of the best poorly titled pieces in my opinion recently. The author explains how your calls will not be monitored, recorded, or viewed unless you happen to fall into a very suspect group of people, so the title may be a little sensationalist. The idea that who we call is our own information obviously has never watched The Wire by HBO, and if you're shocked by this, go watch the The Wire....it's really really good. Drop phones, layers of knowledge, and more are present in the show, and you have to wonder how much of that is present in terrorist networks.

On a side note, I always wonder about those people who say, "I can't trust the government". Well, I do trust this government to follow the rules, and when it does break them, it'll be stupid enough to get caught. Trust is an important part of our everyday lives. When I merge onto the interstate I trust I won't get hit; when I was young my parents trusted the neighborhood boy down the street to babysit me; I trust Facebook to keep a lot of my photos. In this globalized world that we live in we can't fear or distrust everyone irrationally. Car accidents happen, kids get hurt, and servers crash. It doesn't mean that I trust completely, but rather I try to know what I can, and trust to fate I'll get home safe every day. With the thousands of journalists who monitor the government for any little wrong it's not surprising that any wrong move the government makes gets jumped on by big organizations like the NYT.

Next Saga

In Iraq there is a unicameral legislature. In Germany, Britain, and America there are bicameral legislatures. Why is that? If you look up unicameral legislature on Wikipedia you find it say that:

“Unicameral legislatures typically exist in small and homogeneous unitary states, where a second  chamber is considered unnecessary.”

            Iraq, it seems to me, is not a country that is a homogeneous society. In fact, history has shown it is the exact opposite of that as Shia and Sunni bash each other to bits. I’ve decided to start looking into and writing up some stuff for a series on comparative government. I have already started reading papers, and I’m pulling out stuff I’ve already read. 

Comedy in Germany.

Schroeder's policies did not get complete support from within Germany and his own party. This is one video that was on the Gerd Show mocking Schroeder. See the video link provided below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=mPC0wBy-Pf0

Puppet Version:


And Schroeder in real life:

Eurozone Blues

The European Union is, in my humble opinion, a very poor political system. This is surprising, because European stats usually have a political system that makes me drool at the mouth. Of course it varies from country to country, but the time that I’ve spent studying the German political system has left me impressed.

                In nearly every realm the European Union is a failure. The one exception that I would point out is that it has stabilized relations in the area and made a European war an impossible notion to consider. For this reason it does deserve its Nobel Peace Prize. Not even I would want to take that away. However, in the areas of foreign policy and economics, the EU has fallen short of its mighty goals.

                I don’t need to give examples to have you believe me that the past few years have been a rollercoaster for the Eurozone. Everything that happened here in the US was worse here in Europe. Banking crises in Ireland and Britain (including the run on Northern Rock, something that didn’t happen in the US), debt crises in Greece, crazy national elections in Greece and Italy, sinking economic growth even in the core countries, and more have led the European project on a detour nobody wanted it to go down.

                The problem with the Euro is that every country has their finger on the button to blow the whole system sky-high. This button can be pressed by incompetency, voters who decide to elect someone radical, or a naughty banking sector. If a nation is going to be a part of a wider currency union, there needs to be a strong federal government. The EU certainly does have power, but its power is mostly in regulations. National politicians like Merkel, Hollande, and Cameron hold the real power in the system. Just look at the President of the Council of the European Union. Don’t know who it is? I don’t blame you. The reason is that a person doesn’t hold the position, but rather a country – currently Ireland. The President of the European Council might have some power in the system, but he’s chosen by heads of national governments. Can you see why all the power hasn’t moved into the EU?

                The EU needs a new system of government. I’m not saying the United States is a perfect example, not even close. The two party system we have here in the US chokes off cooperation, conversation, and creates a rigid line in the sand. Whichever side you’re on is filled with angels, and the other side is filled with villains. Switch sides and you’ll find the same thing. The EU is still young, and there’s still time for a makeover.

                This new EU should have an expanded role and an expanded budget. It should be responsible for defense, welfare, and health care. If it can take these big issues it won’t be such a big deal if the government defaults. It won’t leave pensioners out in the cold or crash the banking system (because it will be smaller). The federal fiscal policy will be matched with a federal monetary policy instead of many national fiscal policies matched with a federal fiscal policy. The way the system is now, the small countries that find themselves in trouble are unable to do much but cut spending and let their economy bathe in the waters of reverse stimulus spending. 

Is There Something Wrong With the Foreign Service?

           I enjoy blogs by good authors. Honestly, if more famous intellectuals and theorists maintained blogs they would be a whole lot more interesting. Luckily there are a few who do, and I enjoy much of what they write. Paul Krugman, Thomas Ricks, and Stephan Walt are some of my favorites. One recent post by the IR theorist Stephan Walt included a mention about the US Foreign Service, and I disagreed with most of what he said.

“We are so afraid that our career diplomats will "go native" or develop "localitis," that we discourage them from developing deep regional expertise and instead rotate them around the globe on a frequent basis. There is something to be said for gaining a global perspective, of course, but it also means that unlike some of our rivals, we won't have many diplomats with deep linguistic expertise or lots of in-depth experience in the societies in which they are operating. Yet we then expect them to hold their own against their local counterparts, or against diplomats from other countries whose knowledge and training in particular areas is more extensive.”[1]

First, it is important to remember that Foreign Service Officers are not simply responsible for their own country, but also that country’s relations with the entire world. Most Foreign Service Officers know multiple languages not because they are constantly moved around, but rather because they are responsible for more than just their own country.

            Beyond that, from my experience in the Department of State, I have not found his views to be correct. The men and women of the Foreign Service are experts, and while they might move around every three years, they often stay in the same region and build expertise. Many in Germany have never been stationed outside of Europe, and the Foreign Service uses its employees where it needs them.  If someone doesn’t speak the language or know the culture, it is unlikely they will be stationed there.

            The biggest impression my time at the Embassy is how much each person knows and has done. Each person has stories that could easily fill a book. Sadly, public relations miss out on some of these stories due to the nature of the job. They are all amazing, fun, brilliant people whom I have been given the honor to serve with. While I look forward to going home and having all the benefits that come with it, I will be sad when I leave.

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[1] http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/03/04/is_this_any_way_to_run_us_foreign_policy