Newsletter 3 by Marycel Flores

1st Module Objective: Overview of Mason's Chapter 37

mflores467_1 — 2024-10-27 20:32:41 UTC

One of the biggest takeaways from Module 11 is to understand that it is inappropriate for Americans to only promote Asian governments and economies that are clones of Western models when we have the opportunity to think about new solutions for global issues, such as pollution, based on Asian traditions. To add on, Mason suggests "New solutions, based on existing Asian social patterns, minimal pollution, the best possible use of resources and permanently renewable energy, are, then, not only desirable but essential." In other words, Asian countries can offer the world solutions for our pollution issue as Asia makes up most of the population which leads to more pollution. However, a problem that Mason brings up is that the U.S., or the West, has a difficult time understanding Asian Traditions which ultimately needs to change. As we continue to see the U.S. in Asia, America needs to be more open to the possibilities of accepting Asian traditions because of the chances of improving our world overall.

2nd Module Objective: One Country Two Systems & 3rd Module Objective: Battlefield Between The U.S and China

mflores467_1 — 2024-12-02 17:08:17 UTC

One of the biggest takeaways from Module 10 is to understand how essential it is for there to be Freedom of Speech and the right to vote in a society. To be more exact, citizens of any country should have the right to be able to peacefully protest without having to resort to violence, as well as have the right to vote for who will be running the country they are living in. In the documentary, "Battle For Hong Kong" we learn that in our current times, Hong Kong civilians are fighting for democracy in their country. They are fighting for basic human rights that should be implemented in any country. As we discussed in our lecture, Chinese authorities have labeled the mass protestors as "terrorists" In the documentary, we also hear the police in Hong Kong label the protestors as "rioters" These labels on the protestors are not justified one bit because these are the same protestors who were attacked by police for peacefully protesting. Additionally, another important takeaway from this module is to understand what "One Country Two Systems" is. According to the article, "How Hong Kong's Fight for Freedom is a Global Battle," Hong Kong is currently living under a model called "One Country Two Systems" where Hong Kong is living under China but can self-govern for 50 years. However, when introduced to the extradition bill which would allow China to prosecute Hong Kong fugitives, it became the starting point of realization for many citizens of Hong Kong. It would have been a small start to China's control over Hong Kong. This caused a major outbreak which started peaceful protests. However, as we discussed in the lecture, these demonstrations/protests became violent because the government was not listening to the protestors and police began physically hurting the protestors with teargasses, batons, etc... This led to U.S Americans speaking out on the situation with Hong Kong (the U.S in Asia which is our unit objective) For example, Senator Ted Cruz tweeted, "The violence we've seen from Hong Kong police in response to peaceful protests is shameful. I will continue to support those speaking against tyranny & fighting for freedom." Other Americans have also spoken out such as Kamala Harris, Secretary Pompeo, and so much more.

The Korean War

mflores467_1 — 2024-12-08 17:38:11 UTC

I would recommend this documentary of the Korean War to anyone who is just learning about this part of history. One of the reasons why I would recommend this is because it is very clear and easy to understand how the Korean War started, why it was "dragged on" for so long, how it ended, how certain countries felt about the results of the war, and the documentary gave the necessary information to grasp the background of the Korean War. Another key aspect that I liked about the documentary was that it was very unbiased. This is crucial when learning about history because it is always important to understand and know all sides of a conflict, or in this case a war.

1st Module Objective: Overview of Korea: A Divided Nation

mflores467_1 — 2024-12-08 20:49:20 UTC

One of the major takeaways from Module 9 is to understand that North & South Korea became divided because of America's and Russia's involvement with Korea. To add on, Korea's division is not only because of their political, geographical, and cultural ideologies, a majority of the division was directly caused by Russia's involvement in occupying North Korea and the United States occupying South Korea. The U.S.'s involvement in South Korea is one example of our unit objective: The US in Asia and how the U.S. was one of the countries that have had a lasting effect on Korea, an Asian country. From the documentary of the "Korean War", I learned that in the beginning, Russia and the United States intended to leave Korea however they both wanted to leave the country with their 2 very different ideologies. Russia and the Soviet Union wanted a Communist Korea and the United States wanted a Democratic Korea. With their actions, of temporarily dividing Korea along the 38th parallel, it already began the division between this country. In Chapter 34, "Korea: A Divided Nation" from Mason's book, I agree with the statement he made regarding the Korean war where it was, “a war that was an expression of zonal rivalry between the U.S and the Soviet Union and China” Both the U.S and the Soviet Union wanted to spread their political beliefs even at the expense of the division between North and South Korea. From our lecture where we learned of the summits between the presidents of both South & North Korea, I believe that there is little to some hope in regaining a relationship between the 2 countries, it's a huge step that both of their country leaders were able to meet for summits. I say little to some because anything can change in our future, especially since Donald J. Trump is going to be president-elect this coming January and he was able to meet with North Korea's president, Kim Jong Un.

Battle For Hong Kong

mflores467_1 — 2024-12-09 01:09:57 UTC

I would personally suggest to watch the documentary "Battle For Hong Kong" over "The Death of Democracy in Hong Kong" because it gives more insight and detail on what is currently happening in Hong Kong through the eyes of many Hong Kung civilians. Something that really touched my heart from the documentary was when Vincent said “The protestors fought for democracy because they loved their county.” This absolutely broke my heart because no citizen of any country should have to suffer for protesting what they believe in and for what is needed in their country.

The Vietnam War

mflores467_1 — 2024-12-09 01:19:31 UTC

I would also recommend this documentary to anyone learning of the Vietnam War. It gives lots of background of this part of history. From the documentary, Something that stood out to me was when I learned that this war was one of the largest military conflicts that the U.S. was involved in. If I were to give my opinion, I do not understand why the U.S. got involved knowing how France treated the Vietnamese under colonial rule. It is understandable why Vietnam became a communist state because of the hardships they experienced under France which is a democratic country.

How does the U.S. play a role in Asia?

mflores467_1 — 2024-12-09 01:30:51 UTC

My answer: The U.S. plays a major role in Asia by being one of the most influencial and powerful countries in the world. To began, the U.S.'s role in the division of Korea shows that the U.S. believed and had that power to turn Korea into a democratic country. They were successful, in a way, as South Korea became a democratic country. Even if they weren't successful for the Northern part of Korea, they were strong enough to tear Korea apart into North and South. They had that major role. Additionally, the U.S. had the power to go to war again in Vietnam which lasted years to try to convert Vietnam into a democratic country. Although they were unsuccessful, the fact that they had the ability to just go to war shows the amount of power the U.S. has as not other countries can just declare war. Overall, the U.S. has a massive role in Asia, even till today as you will later read in the news article I choose!:D

"South Korea warns it may send Ukraine weapons after North Korea sent troops to Russia"

mflores467_1 — 2024-12-09 01:58:01 UTC

Summary of this News Article
On Thursday October 24th, South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, spoke at a press conference stating that in response to North Korean's deployment of troops to Russia, South Korea will supply Ukraine offensive weapons in battle. This was in response to the United States Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, claiming that the U.S. had evidence that North Korea was sending troops to Russia. The South Korean President says that their actions will depend on what North Korea decides to do. The article also says that the actions of North Korea could add onto the concerns of war affecting the tensions in Asia.
Why did you pick this article?
The reason why I chose this article is because this event shows the relationship between North & South Korea. I also chose this to show the how influencial the U.S is. The fact that South Korea quickly responded to the United States statement about North Korea sending troops without the U.S. presenting the evidence he claimed to have, shows how influential the U.S and North Korea is on South Korea.
What was the author's purpose or point in writing this article?
The author's purpose in writing this article is to inform readers what is currently happening around the world and an update on the Russia & Ukraine War.
What are some comments or ideas you might have after reading this article?
A question that I am wondering is how the members in our government (such as Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, etc...) reacted to this news.

Citations :D

mflores467_1 — 2024-12-09 02:01:15 UTC

News Article that I chose

Kuhn, A. (2024, October 24). South Korea warns it may send Ukraine weapons after North Korea sent troops to Russia. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/10/24/nx-s1-5163246/south-korea-weapons-ukraine-north-korea-troops-russia

3nd Objective: Clash of Empires

mflores467_1 — 2024-12-09 04:03:35 UTC

In addition, another takeaway from Module 11 is that the rivalry between China and the U.S. may continue to intensify. Although there are routes to solve problems within their own countries, such as boosting household incomes and household consumption in China to help alleviate their economy's overcapacity, profitability crisis, and indebtedness. As well as ending the neoliberal globalization in the U.S. Due to their history and the need for inter-capitalist competition, this is not likely to occur. We see the lasting effects the U.S. has on China which relates to our unit objective: the U.S. in Asia. I don't feel hopeful anytime soon for this rivalry to diminish, mostly because of our newly elected president Donald Trump, as well as the long history behind the 2 countries. A second takeaway from the lecture is to understand that the Belt and Road Initiative has both positive and negative attributes. Some positive attributions include trade, China's ability to connect through Asia to Europe, and aid in smaller developing countries. A couple of negative attributions are the uncertainty of where the amount of money for this project is coming from, some countries believe it is a "debt trap", some people don't like the idea of China having that amount of power, etc...

2nd Module Objective: Overview of Vietnam & 5th Module Objective: Agent Orange

mflores467_1 — 2024-12-09 04:45:31 UTC

A second major takeaway from Module 9 is to understand that the U.S.'s involvement in the Vietnam War caused Vietnam great suffrage. To begin from the beginning, based on Mason's book chapter 36, when the French had colonial control over Vietnam, the majority of the Vietnamese were uneducated due to the French lack of building schools for them, The French also heavily exploited the Vietnamese who had to work 12 hours a day and if failed to meet exceptions, they would be heavily beat. In response to the exploitation, 8,000 Vietnamese women and children began a peaceful protest along the streets of Vinh which resulted in the French bombing these protestors with 6 bombs. As protests continued to occur, the French would arrest and place them into concentration camps where 1,500 were killed by French forces and 1,000 more died of disease and starvation. However, the Vietnamese refused to give up and Ho Chi Minh founded the Vietnamese Communist Party where he openly campaigned against the unjust and exploitive ways of colonialism. The Vietnamese revolution began in August 1945 with a force that included all Vietnamese anti-colonialists and communists. Ho Chi Minh controlled North Vietnam where South Vietnam became the part of the country where the U.S. influenced democracy. Although putting millions of money and excessively using weapons like Agent Orange, the U.S. ultimately lost this war, and Vietnam united as a Communist country. However, the U.S. in Asia has had lasting effects on Vietnam.

For example, the U.S.'s excessive use of Agent Orange. Agent Orange is a defoliant containing a dangerous toxin (both a poison and teratogenic agent. This dangerous poison has caused great birth defects among Vietnamese children even generations after the war. The worst birth defects are described as beasts that have to be kept in cages. This is completely devasting for the Vietnamese who just want to have children of their own. The U.S. soldiers who spread the Agent Orange was also affected by Agent Orange.