OPINION
Coming Monday, September 10..
Minster: Economic hardships hurts everyone not Just minority groups.
Letter: Teach for America discuss volunteer opportunities.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WWW.KANSAN.COM
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2007
EDITORIAL BOARD
PAGE 7A
Iraq's posterity dependant on one institution: its government Iraqi government needs to adopt a larger role in its
countries'future
DRAWING BOARD
Tuesday, Sept. 11, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will
Committee will hear testimony from General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker on Iraq's progress in meeting its benchmarks. Congress laid out these progress points in May as part of a $120 billion package to fund the war Early predictions are pessimistic. Iraq has failed to meet 15 of the 18 benchmarks, according to the Government Accountability Office. While it was nearly impossible for Iraq to meet all of these benchmarks, Iraq's government should prove its worth before the U.S. provides any more financial or military assistance.
The benchmarks range in complexity and importance. Some of the most-debated ones include reversing legislation that bars ex-Baathists from running for office; passing an oil revenue-sharing law; holding provincial elections to encourage Sunni involvement; and improving infrastructure. The
White House has been critical of these benchmarks, claiming that they put stress on Gen. Petraeus and force the ground commander to work under unrealistic parameters.
The consequences for Iraq should they fail to meet these benchmarks are vague. Nothing concrete has been passed in the legislature. The consequences could theoretically entail troop withdrawal or withholding funds for the war. Critics suggest that funding for troops should not be tied to the progress or failure of Iraq's government. All the same, there must be some repercussions, or else the entire point of benchmarks becomes mute.
The overall consensus in Washington is that the war in Iraq must be won. Yet descriptions of what entails winning are vague. Security, freedom and terrorism are mentioned frequently, but solid caveats are avoided.
In order to avoid a permanent troop presence in Iraq, more pressure must be put on the Iraqi government and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. There is only so much that America can do militarily to ensure Iraq's stability. Politically, the future security of Iraq must come from
within. Its own government must take responsibility for the country. In turn, Congress should take steps to reward Iraq when it meets milestones, and sufficiently punish the country when it fails to do so. If the Iraqi government has no incentive to improve, it will not do so.
Gen, Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will have their chance to defend America's Iraq policy. Granted, there have been victories. The troop surge has increased stability in the Anbar province, for instance. However, endless troops and funding will
MAX RINKEL
matter for nothing if Iraq's government doesn't fulfill its own obligations.
SENTIMENTAL HYGIENE
Third world country hardly student's worry
Asking for rights, students in world's poorest country stand against government, a sentiment lost on Wescoe Beach
I don't expect that you've heard about what is happening in Bangladesh. It's a far-away Middle Eastern country that doesn't harbor radical Jihadists, so there is no real reason for the United States media to cover it. But you should know. It's a big deal, especially if you are a college student and have any interest in social justice. I can't blame you for being in the dark. After all, it seems only the BBC is covering it. It doesn't even make the New York Times, much less the University Daily Kansan. No one ever seems to notice a country in utter turmoil halfway across the world, unless the people of that country happen to have white skin and speak Midwestern English. Certainly not the Kansan. God forbid we should question the media gatekeepers who keep us firmly entrenched in our fake American dream.
But enough about the sad state of the media in America. Here is what is happening in Bangladesh right now: In January, after years of corrupt government, a popularly-backed military government was installed in a coup. A state of emergency was declared and all protests and political activities were declared illegal. (Starting to see where I'm going with this one?) But it didn't take long for the only people allowed to think for themselves, the students at Dhaka University in the capital city, to realize that yes, we are the only hope of the poorest country on earth and yes, there is something terribly wrong with this situation. There were military barracks on campuses everywhere; big brother was constantly watching, "Students and ordinary people are demanding an end to the state of emergency, an end to this atmosphere of fear," said Anwar Hossain, secretary general of Dhaka University Teachers Association. (BBC.com) The straw that broke the camel's proverbial back was a fairly innocuous incident two weeks ago that involved five students being roughed-up by police. But, even in Bangladesh, word gets around fast and students soon
took to the streets to protest the military's presence on the sacred ground of academia.
Student protests quickly turned into full-scale rioting. And, everyone knows, when students riot, the police had better riot back. And they did. In force. Thousands of soldiers
with machine guns showed up at campuses across the country. A curfew was imposed on five major cities, and all colleges and universities were shut down, the students forced to leave
door for "conspiracy to protest." A Kansan photographer who is covering the scene is physically and verbally abused, and when she refuses to leave is arrested herself. Now place yourself in a, no, the, third-world country and imagine that the previous summer has seen some of the deadliest flooding in recent history.
their dorms. Hundreds of arrests were made, including faculty. You think your life sucks? Imagine that you are sitting in class in Wescoe when the door is kicked in by a National Guard officer (or maybe an ROTC trainee) who then cuffs your 63-year old Professor and shoves him out the
and your country is run by an army general with dictatorial inclinations who keeps putting off free elections. Is it difficult to imagine? It is for me.
This is life in the bubble. We have it too easy.
So who's to blame for the situation in this far-away country? The British envoy blamed the Bangladeshi opposition party for instigating the students, the students blamed the corrupt military for denying them freedom, and the government blamed the dismal economic and political situation that has been going on in Bangladesh ever since it was partitioned from Pakistan in 1971. Ever-vying for the title of poorest country on earth, Bangladesh redefines the term "impoverished." Ever heard of George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh? Yeah, it's the same one.
It is a fascinating situation, and tragic. It jolts us out of our make-believe world in which the worst thing we have to worry about is a midterm or which party to attend next weekend. It also, however, shows the collective power of a group of people, particularly students, when they decide to take a stand against something they see as wrong. It makes me wonder - what might happen if we stood for something? No one really knows what a group of people so populous and stubborn and idealistic and energetic as college students could accomplish if they actually wanted something
and did whatever they could to accomplish it. The students in Bangladesh, in their collective will, realized that they held an enormous power in their hands. Their protests are actually threatening to take down a strong military government. It is something that is completely foreign to us in Kansas. Personally I would hope that we would choose do something positive and unique, like eradicating AIDS or global poverty. But there is also a good chance that we will choose to use the power given to us for petty politics, to fight amongst ourselves, to slowly die in a bog of our own narcissism. I have seen it happen over and over. It is up to us to decide if we are going to unite for something positive, and if we will unite for anything at all. It is certainly within our power.
Petterson Prairie Village junior in English.
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Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
Some asshole locked their bike to mine, so I get to sit around and wait for them to show up. Awesome
When Mangino says the F-word,
I giggle.
We just paid seventy-five cents for air at the gas station. What is this world coming to?
I just drove by a big wreck on Iowa, and oddly enough, all three drivers involved women.
My cell phone keeps telling me I have a voice mail, and then I check it, and I definitely don't have a new voice mail. Damn new phone.
I just saw a midget walking outside of JRP. My life is complete.
I just want to remind all the fart boys that were walking to class today that it's not Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so stop wearing pink.
I'm calling to alert the students of KU about the Pizza Street commercial. The girl in the commercial is possessed.
Attention. I need Liquid to
reopen, because I have no place to pole dance and shake my booty
Free for All, we can't find a place with beer pong. Will you come play with us?
To anyone willing to sign a petition that would make Kentucky go all the way to 23rd: Please call the University Daily Kansan and leave your comment.
My hands smell like syrup.
Free for All, Is it bad that like, in four months, I've slept with fourteen guys? I think that makes me a whore, but I want your opinion.
I was just popping a really big ziz on my boyfriend's back. Well, let's just say he likes money shots.
Free for All, you have a package waiting for you at the Jayhawker Towers front desk.
When are you guys going to put back in the Bitch and Moan section in the Jayplay on Thursday?
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Eric Jorgensen, managing editor
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Darla Slipke, niamaging editor
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The Editorial Board
Erick R. Schmidt, Eric Jorgensen,
Darla Slipe, Keisey Hayes, Bryan
Dykman, Brandon T. Minister, Angelique
McNaughton and Benjamin R. Smith