WORLD & NATION
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AHer years df violence, the Congo will know peace
BY KATY ANDREWS
Staff Writer
Bright times are ahead in the so-called, "Heart of Darkness."
After 15 years of violence, genocide and the cultivation
of child soldiers, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has
signed a peace treaty.
"No more blood must run," Congolese President Joseph
Kabila told USA Today before signing the agreement with
Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
A key component of the compromise is Congo's
commitment to contain and disarm the estimated 12,000
Rwandan Hutu militia fighters who fled to Congo after
taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The genocide
killed more than 500,000 people, with most of the victims
belonging to the Tutsi minority.
War consumed the Congo in August 1998 when Rwanda
and Uganda backed the Congolese rebels seeking to remove
then-President Laurent Kabila from office. Kabila was
accused of supporting rebels who threatened the national
security of the Congo and Rwanda.
That same year, Angola, Zimbabwe and Namibia sent in
troops to support and defend the Congo.
It is estimated that 2.5 million people have died in the
conflict.
Prominent causes of death in the region range from war-
induced hunger to disease and brutal killings.
"There is a time for war," Kabila told USA Today before
signing the treaty. "There is also a time for peace."
Signing this agreement is a large step towards resolution.
The Congolese people will now be able to live in peace and
rebuild their broken country.
Alumnus Justin BCirchner '12, who studied abroad in
Africa, commented on the region's existing environment.
"I see the conflict, in part, as a vestige of colonialism,"
said Kirchner. "Especially in a country like the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, which suffered the fiefdom of King
Leopold. You expect to see continued power struggles,
compounded with unrelenting poverty. I don't see this being
'solved' any time soon."
The March 23 Movement is a rebel military group based in
the Congo and currently in armed conflict with the Congolese
government. They have played a large role in the violence.
"The M23 movement has strong grievances that are shared
by the population at large," said Kirchner. "Even with the
suppression of the M23 group, there is no guarantee another
disenfranchised populace will not take the rebel regions for
themselves."
"The Congolese situation has been going on for a while,
and I think it would take more than just signing a peace
treaty," said senior Tessy Omina, a native of Kenya. "The
guiding forces in countries such as the Congo, and a lot of
African countries for that matter, is corruption and greed by
leaders. Also at times, support from Westerners who, as long
as there is strife, make a fortune out of these situations in the
sense of cheap minerals and natural resources."
The Congo joined the U.S. on Monday in a $5 million
campaign to search for top fugitives in the Rwandan
Genocide. Nine suspects are believed to be in the Congo and
are said to be at the heart of the violence.
"The rebels must immediately lay down their arms in
accordance with the agreements reached in Kampala and
comply with the immediate withdraw of their forces from
Goma," said Spokesman for Secretary-General of the UN Ban
Ki-moon to CNN.
The agreement also requires the Congo and Rwanda
to provide the UN with all information they have on the
locations and numbers of the Hutu militia within the Congo.
North Carolina resident Stephen McCullah, who has
travelled to the Congo, commented on the peace treaty
signing.
"The Congo is in pretty bad shape all the way around,"
states McCullah. "However, the diamonds and oil there have
brought a little money and a few jobs. I doubt there is much
of a difference after the peace treaty anywhere other than the
east side of the Congo, because that is where they've been
doing fighting."
The peace treaty serves as the beginning of change in the
Congo as well as its surrounding countries. Because of this
treaty, violence, rape and the uprising of child soldiers will be
forced to a close in the Congo,
Italian election goes nowhere fast
BY LANE MARTIN
Staff Writer
Italy intended to have a newly elected
prime minister on Feb. 25, but one week
later the general election is still racked
with gridlock.
Much of the Italian voters' indecision
over this election might be due to the vast
influence a new leader will yield over the
Italian political and economic systems for
the next seven years.
Business tycoon and politician Silvio
Berlusconi is the longest serving post-war
prime minister in Italian history. During
his tenure as PM, Berlusconi has attempted
to rewrite the Italian Constitution, formed
a new political party and was accused of
corruption. He resigned in 2011, just days
before being convicted of tax fraud.
Berlusconi is currently a front-runner in
the election, running for a,fourth time.
From his many detractions, however,
comes the public criticism he still receives
regarding various scandals that led to his
multiple resignations.
"He's just a rich, pampered, spoiled
politician," said Visiting Assistant
Professor of Political Science Robert
Duncan. "He tried to get the Italian
Parliament to pass a law that would
prevent him from being prosecuted."
"I don't know if his opponents can fix
things, but I think they would be better
representatives of the Italian people," said
Duncan. "I don't think the Italian people
even like Berlusconi all that much."
Comedian-turned-politician Beppe
Grillo has emerged as Berlusconi's lead
competitor. Grillo advocates direct
democracy and condemns political
corruption. Though Berlusconi is a
member of The People of Freedom party,
polls show his party's support aligns more
with Grillo than with the incumbent.
"Italian politics are pretty convoluted,"
said Blake Howard, a Wake Forest alumnus
and former resident of Venice, Italy. "For a
while, Silvio Berlusconi was PM, and then
he stepped down, swearing he was done,
and now he's running again."
"Right now, their economy is a mess,"
Howard continued. "All of the austerity
measures they have taken have severely
reduced how much a person can make."
Grillo's platform promises to end
existing austerity measures and return
Italy to its previous state of economic
independence.
Austerity is the economic approach
in which policies are created with the
intention of reducing budget deficits
during harsh financial climates. In
Italy, austerity produced significant tax
increases.
This economic measure was instituted
in Italy by Berlusconi's successor. Prime
Minister Mario Monti. According to recent
polls, the Italian people no longer support
the economic approach.
"Italian politics have always been
a fractious brand of politics," said
Assistant Professor of History Phil Slaby.
"Berlusconi's brand of politics emerged
out of the recessions of the 1970s and '80s."
Historically speaking, the Italian
economy has been relatively unpredictable,
ranging from booming, as it was in the
1950s, to the recessions beginning in 2000.
Global stock markets have taken a
downturn since the general election
gridlock began. Both European and
American report significant losses.
Rumors of a possible end are in
sight. The Five Star Movement, Grillo's
prominent Italian political party, is
considering forfeiting the race in return
for policy concessions. Grillo's "walkout
would end this political purgatory
but would continue to empower the
established politician that the movement
is trying to excise.
Australian cost of living:
prices now scream ^crikey’
BY JOSH BALLARD
Staff WRnm
You are studying abroad in scenic Sydney,
Australia. After a day of researching the
rich Aboriginal culture and playing with
wallabies, you return to your home-stay
only to realize that you are out of eggs.
When you reach the store to pick up a
dozen, you are shocked to see the price: five
dollars.
According to 2012 data released by the
Australian Bureau of Statistics, living costs
in Australia have risen by 40 percent over
the past decade.
"From July 1,2012, the basic rate of living
costs under the Migration regulations
increased," stated Future Unlimited, an
Australian government website promoting
study abroad in the country. "Under these
regulations, prospective student visa
applicants must have access to $18,962 a
year for the main student."
As it stands, cost of living in Sydney is
around 35 percent more than in New York
City, according to Numbeo, a web database
consisting of user contributions that provide
financial information.
"Despite a booming labor market,
many household incomes in Australia are
stretched due to rising cost pressures," said
JP Morgan Economist Helen Kevans to The
Sydney Morning Herald.
"The cost of necessities like fruit, petrol,
electricity and both rent and mortgage
interest families have to pay for each week
went up faster than inflation," said the
Australian Council of Trade Unions in a
public statement.
Food is one facet of these pressures.
Future Unlimited lists the price of a little
more than a pound of chicken in Australia
as approximately $7.13. In contrast, a pound
of dhcken at the Harris Teeter grocery
store near campus sells for $3.00 to 5.00 on
average.
An online cost of living guide from
Charles Sturt University lists prices for food
items in Sydney. A loaf of bread is listed at
$4 as opposed to the local Harris Teeter's
$1.50 to 3.50 and a dozen of eggs is listed at
close to $5 while a dozen eggs locally costs
from $2.00 to $4.00.
While abroad in Australia during the
summer of 2012, senior Becca Dozier
experienced the high cost of food firsthand.
"While I was there, I did notice that food
was a lot more expensive," said Dozier in an
email interview. "I was told that's because
they pay their food services employees a
decent wage. Also, 1 believe that if anything
is imported, it's more expensive because
Australia is so far away from anything
else."
Compare this to the experience of Sophie
Long, a former resident of Sydney now
living in Chicago.
"I have certainly noticed a massive
difference in cost of living in Chicago versus
Sydney," said Long in an email interview.
"Eating out, cabs, a gym membership,
public transport, groceries, clothes and
pretty much everything are half to a quarter
of the cost of what they were in Sydney."
However, the difference between
Australian and U.S. mindsets softens the
brunt of high living prices.
According to the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development's
"Your Better Life Index," 75 percent of
people in Australia said they were "satisfied
with their life." This was higher than the
OECD average satisfaction rating of 59
percent for other countries.