Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / Sept. 16, 2011, edition 1 / Page 5
Part of The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
n.'. ■K & NATION SEPTEMBER 16, 2011 Stories by Becca Heller and Pete King Graphic by Daniel Vasiles AFGHANISTAN On Sept. 13, Taliban insurgents ATTACKED BOTH THE U.S. EMBASSY AND NATO HEADQUARTERS, LIGETTING UP TWO OF THE MOST HEAVILY SECURED DISTRICTS OF THE CAPITAL WITH GRENADES AND GUNFIRE. According to the New York Times, at least six people were killed and 19 injured. The infiltration seemed to be an inside job, according to analysis by Mohammed Naim Hamidzai Lalai, chairman of Parliament's Internal Security Committee. "The nature and scale of today's attack clearly proves that the terrorists received assistance and guidance from some ^ security officials within the government who are their sympathizers," * said Lalai to the New York Times. Drug related violence is being politically addressed AS Guatemalans head to the polls with candidates RUNNING ON THE PLATFORM OF STOPPING THE VIOLENCE THAT HAS RAVAGED THE CENTRAL AMERICAN STATE. According to the Washington Post, the top candidate in the political race is Otto Perez, a former Guatemalan military general and head of military intelligence. Perez has promised a "mano dura," or "iron fist" approach to fighting against criminals responsible for drug related violence. Human rights activist Frank La Rue is wary of the iron fist approach, however, because although the aim in this case is to restore order, such policies are often accompanied by violence and censorship, which call into question the presence of democracy. On Sept. 11, son of the fugitive Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, Saadi Gaddah, was sighted CROSSING THE BORDERS INTO NIGER, according tO BBC News. His father's whereabouts are still unknown, and, with rebel troops now controlling most of Libya, Col Gaddafi is expected to remain in hiding. Saadi Gaddafi entered the country in a convoy with eight other people and headed for Agadez, in northern Niger, according to BBC. As the new Libyan leaders seek to prosecute individuals involved in Gaddafi's regime, the Lf.S. has urged Niger to hold any potential Libyan exiles for further prosecution. SYRIA President Bashar al-Assad's ru'Ailess regime has KILLED OVER 2,000 GOVERNMENT PROTESTERS SINCE March and elicited international condemnation FOR VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS. According to The Telegraph, The Arab League has outlined a 13-point proposal for ending the brutal killings of civilians. Egyptian diplomat Nabil Elaraby has negotiated with Assad about open discussion with opposition forces. "I focused on the importance of an open national dialogue that encompasses all personalities on the basis of national reconciliation, in which the Arab League plays a main role," said Elaraby to reporters. On the road to state establishment Palestine seeb U.N. recognition By Sarah Welch Staff Writer The clash of cultures is not a recent trend. Rather, humans have been battling over their differences since their beginning, wielding swords or ideas. The world is well aware of the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East. And this month, Palestine will attempt to add another element to this chaos. At an annual meeting of world leaders, Palestine will seek state recognition from the United Nations. Most countries support Palestine's bid for U.N. state recognition, according to The Washington Post. That is, most countries except the U.S. and Israel. In fact, MSNBC reports that the Obama administration is expected to veto Palestine's request for statehood when it is presented to the U.N. Security Council. According to The New York Times, the main reason for U.S. opposition to ■ Palestine's state recognition is that the U.S. and Israel are afraid it will stall peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel. "Palestine has pretty much given up on peace negotiations," said Dr. Jerry Pubantz, professor of political science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Palestinian officials, however, say they do not want state recognition to replace peace negotiations. Instead, President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas said he wants state recognition in addition to peace negotiations, according to the New York Times. The U.S. expressed to the U.N. that the Obama administration's mission for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is to establish two states living in peace, side by side. Palestine and Israel have agreed on this goal, but not on the means of achieving a two-state solution. Palestine wants Israel and Israel- supporters to recognize Palestine as a state within the borders established by the U.N. in 1967. The New York Times reports that Israel wants Palestine to recognize them as a Jewish state. Both countries say that they want state recognition to be reached through peaceful negotiations. However, neither country seems willing to compromise their position or acknowledge the concerns of their counterpart. With the peace talks at a standstill, Palestine has concluded that requesting state recognition from the U.N. is the only path to establishing themselves as a country, according to BBC News. Abbas said he wants the state of Palestine to live in peace beside the country of Israel. According to Pubantz, Israel has a multitude of concerns and reasons for opposing Palestine's bid for state recognition. One of these concerns is that Palestine is announcing their unity as people, and "this includes Hamas which is seen as a terrorist organization." But probably the most significant reason for opposition is that Israel feels extremely isolated, Pubantz explained. Israel is surrounded by Arab countries that harbor anti-Israeli feelings. In addition, Israel does not feel supported by most of Europe. Senior Analyst for Transatlantic Relations Soeren Kern writes for Hudson New York that "more than half of all U.N. members ... have already recognized Palestine diplomatically." Even America, Israel's most prominent ally, is decreasing their support of the country. Pubantz said that Israel feels that it has been backed into a corner. While counterproductive, the natural response for a country that feels trapped is to become more rooted in its stance. Pubantz speculated that, if Israel felt safer, if Israel felt more at peace, then maybe Israelis would reexamine their position on peace negotiations. On the flip side, if Palestine felt that peace negotiations were advancing, then maybe they would not be appealing the U.N. for membership. Assuming that the bid for recognition will be denied by the Security Council as a result of the U.S. veto, it is predicted that Palestine will then request recognition from the General Assembly, according to Politico.com. The General Assembly cannot veto this request. However, Politico reports that recognition from the Assembly would only change Palestine's status from "observer" to "non-member state," which means Palestine would still not have full membership in the U.N. For better or worse, this is a momentous step in Palestine's relationship within the global community, according to The Huffington Post. Essentially, the U.N. will be establishing Palestine as a state. Palestine is hoping that this establishment will illustrate that, after decades of unsuccessful negotiations, Israel can no longer deny Palestine's statehood.
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 16, 2011, edition 1
5
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75