Foreign Affairs: The WikiLeaks

On Sunday November 28th, an organization known as WikiLeaks began to release top secret government documents concerning foreign diplomacy. With 251,287 documents in their possession, this is without question the biggest leak in the history of our government. Both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the organization, and warned that this release could severely damage US foreign relations. However this Sunday, WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, a firm believer in the freedom of press, went ahead with his first initial phase of releasing the Diplomatic Cables...

So far there have been 276 diplomatic cables released... Some are merely juicy gossip while others are serious foreign matters. Here is a brief summary of the most significant ones...

• Guantanamo Bay: President Barack Obama has bargained with other countries to move their prisoners out of the detention camp.

• Iran: Seems likes the US is not the only nation afraid of Iran's nuclear program. Many of its Middle-Eastern neighbors such as Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia have secretly spoke against the country. In one cable, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia practically asks the US to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. The US Embassy has also compared President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Adolf Hitler himself.

• Afghanistan: Corruption in the government! One cable tells of an account where The Vice President of the country visited United Arab Emirates, and walked off with 52 million in cash. The US Embassy has also claimed that President Hamid Karzai is driven by paranoia.

• North Korea: Secret deals against North Korea. The US diplomats have persuaded South Korea to strengthen its alliance with China. In hopes of a North Korean economic collapse, the US hopes to establish a unified Korea without communist influence.

• Pakistan: The US has been working to remove uranium from a Pakastini nuclear reactor, which they fear could be used as a weapon. This top secret mission has been ongoing since 2007, and is not secret anymore.

• The United Nations: Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has asked several US diplomats to spy on foreign diplomats of the United Nations, most notably Secretary General Ban Ki-Moons...

• Germany: Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel is known as a Teflon by the US embassy; unaware of her criticism, afraid to take risks, and not very creative...

• Libya: Muammar al-Qadhafi, his extravagant lifestyle, and his voluptuous blond Ukrainian nurse who never leaves his side.

• Russia: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is the Batman and the alpha-dog, while President Medvedev is the Robin. Putin has an extremely close relationship with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi... and the Russian government is believed to have ties with organized crime.

• Italy: Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is defined by the US Embassy as "reckless, vain, and ineffective..." He parties too much and is never well rested.

• Zimbabwe: President Mugabe has been referred to as "The Devil" and is considered to be extremely clever and ruthless. His prime-minister, Tsvargirai, is described as flawed, indecisive, and weak.

As I said before, some of these documents are purely gossip, yet others are quite significant and strike some concern. Several questions come into play, concerning this release. The biggest one is Was it the Right Thing to Do?? I am a huge proponent of Freedom of Press, yet if its information that could lead to political turmoil, its only going to cause greater tension, and ultimately bring greater risk to lives. There is enough tension in this world as it is, and the last thing our world leaders need now is to be exposed talking behind people's backs, calling one another devils and weaklings... Who knows what this could lead to...

There have been accusations that Wikileaks should be considered a terrorist organization. This claim is somewhat exaggerated, yet also has a hint of truth to it, depending on the effects this release might bring... It seems thus far, that most leaders will simply disregard this leak, as unofficial and insignificant. However, the documents themselves are as real as it gets, and there's no question that each world leader will look over them, and remember what was said behind their backs... As terrible as the WikiLeaks may be, they have succeeded in sparking a mass interest in foreign affairs and foreign gossip! It will be interesting to see if any severe reactions come from this release... Whatever ends up happening, this whole story has already proven to be quite enormous, the stuff movies are made of, with many more documents still to come, and many more chapters still to be written...

http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/

Regarding The University of Wisconsin

This Thanksgiving weekend seemed to fly by due to my game in Madison Wisconsin. I left extremely early Friday morning, to make the 6 hour drive north. I volunteered to drop my aunt and grandma at O'Hare airport in Chicago, which was right along the way. I made it to Madison with a few hours to spare, so decided to take in some of the Black Friday madness. I bought a terabyte hard-drive and some new dvds. I met with Kealy around 12 in the afternoon to begin our setup. The weather was extremely cold, and the work moved by quite slowly. The game itself was a total blow-out and the Wisconsin Badgers went on to beat Northwestern and become the Big Ten Champions. Although this was my first time at Wisconsin, I hardly had any time to take in the campus. However I did see the impressive state capitol building that lies at the focal point of the city, and has an amazing architectural design... I left late after the game on Saturday, and got back to Indianapolis around 2am. After this recent visit to Wisconsin, I have now visited 9 of the 11 Big Ten Schools (Indiana, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan St, Illinois, Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio St, and Wisconsin)... All that remains to see is (Minnesota and Penn St)... Hopefully, all in due-time...

Foreign Affairs: Crisis in Korea

Today North Korea opened fire on South Korea, over the disputed border of Yeonpyeong in the Yellow Sea. Before the town was evacuated it suffered heavy damage to its buildings as well as the loss of the two soldiers. North Korea claims that South Korea began the open-fire, yet it hardly seems likely given Kim Jong iI's history as an aggressive leader of the regime. Over the past year now, North Korea has began a mild blitz on the disputed island in the Yellow Sea. Today's event has marked one of the most aggressive acts from either side since the end of the Korean War in 1953, and surely brings up the question of what's next.

The Korean War 1950

Following the end of WWII, and the surrender of the Japanese Empire, the Korean Peninsula was divided into two parts. The north was occupied by the Communist Soviet Soldiers while the South was occupied by the American army. Tension over complete unification began to grow throughout the peninsula. This tension eventually grew to the point, where both United States and the Soviet had to intercede in what became known as the ultimate ignition of the Cold War. On June 25, 1950 the armies of North Korea invaded South Korea.

The United Nations, most notably the United States, came to the aid of South Korea claiming that the invasion was unjust. However this event marked a dividing line, between those who supported Capitalism in the Western Hemisphere and those who supported Communism in the eastern Hemisphere. While the United Nations sided with South Korea, the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China sided with North Korea. Thus the war became known not only as a civil war, yet more significantly as a proxy war of ideology.

The war lasted for nearly three years, as somewhat of a stalemate in the trenches. Many began to fear that nuclear war was the only way to bring an end to the conflict, however a cease-fire was finally agreed upon on July 27th, 1953. The North Korean invasion was thus repelled, and the external powers were forced to cease their invasions as well. The Korean Armistace was thus established in hopes to further peace talks between the two countries, along with the support of the United States and the Soviet Union. However for over 50 years now these peace talks have been quite unsuccessful and the tension between North and South Korea has remained.

Recent Activity

At the end of the Cold War, reconciliation between North and South Korea seemed very possible until the death of Kim il Sung, brought his son Kim Jong il to power in 1994. As ruler of North Korea, Kim Jong il, brought upon a fierce stance on relations with South Korea. By 1999 naval conflicts had re-emerged within the peninsula, and it soon became clear that the civil war may return. For the past ten years now North Korea has instigated a series of attacks and nuclear tests, which have caught not only the attention of South Korea yet of the world.

On March 26, 2010 North Korea sank a South Korean vessel in the Yellow Sea, killing 46 sailors. Many thought this was the final straw for South Korea, however President Lee Myung-bak merely condemned the attack and decided to cut off economic ties with their aggressors. Nearly 7 months after this attack in the Yellow Sea, the North Korean regime has once again made a loud statement that they are not quite finished. With his son Kim-Jong-un ready to take the helm of his ill father, the country seems extremely united and devoted to this cause of taking South Korea and uniting the peninsula. It will be interesting to see how the world most notably the United States government reacts to this aggression. North Korea has one of the fourth largest militaries in the world and surely is a force to be reckoned with.

Recently Seen Movies

The past few weeks I have seen several DVDs, none of which have truly impressed me. Here is a review of my recently seen movies.

• Robin Hood (C+)

I remember at first impression this film appeared to be an instant drama classic, perhaps the next Gladiator. I must sadly admit though that it did not deliver in typical Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe fashion. Perhaps my expectations were too high, thinking the two would once again create a classic as they did with Gladiator or American Gangster. Yet not even the shinning Cate Blanchett could save this dry film about the legend of Robin Hood. Unlike its many fictional predecessors, Ridley presents the story of Robin Hood in a more historical aspect . I give him high praise for doing this, as well as managing to blend in some good comedy into the story, however the story ultimately lacked any pull.... Furthermore the ending was extremely disappointing... The entire movie builds and builds and builds, and finally at the end it leaves you hanging without the real action... The movie is basically a prequel about the life of Robin Longshore before he becomes the Robin Hood we all know him as... I think that the only way to redeem this film, would be if the producers could come out with a sequel, with all the same actors, to continue the story...

• Broken Embraces (B-)

This Spanish film, also known as Los Brazos Rotos, helped me understand why Pedro Almodovar is one of the greatest Spanish directors of all time. The film is about a blind screenwriter, and his past love with one of his actresses, played by the stunning Penelope Cruz. The movie jumps back and forth, from the screenwriter telling the story to his son, to flashbacks of his love affair with Penelope Cruz. Along with this main plot, are also several sub-plots that all smoothly tie together in the end. Overall amazing, artistic, and passionate directing from Pedro Almodovar.

• Greenberg (C)

Every now and then Ben Stiller tries to treat us with something new, yet can never quite break away from his typical compulsive character. In this comedy-drama directed by Noah Baumbach, Stiller plays the lead role of a man in his 40s, recovering from a nervous breakdown. He decides to put aside all his ambitions, do absolutely nothing for a living, and somehow manages to find love throughout his new lifestyle. Stiller suceeds in creating a serious character, however does not create an awe-inspiring original character. The film has a decent soundtrack and some memorable parts, yet all together is nothing to rave about...

• The Road (C)

I remember often seeing Viggo Mortensen's name in the list of Oscar Potentials for his role in this post-apocalyptic fiction directed by John Hillcoat. It's a story about a man and his son trying to live in a wasteland, after an unexplainable event wipes out all of humanity. Viggo gives a memorable performance, as an extremely intense and protective father. The film brings up interesting concepts of survival and social interaction, however is somewhat dry and lacks any real inspiration...

• The Wolfman (C-)

I've never gotten into the Gothic craze of Vampires and Werewolves, however when I first heard about this film, I thought it might be able to pull me in. I was unaware of the story, yet the film had a dark appeal to it, especially with Benecio del Toro as the lead. However early into the movie I quickly concluded that Benecio del Toro was simply wrong for the part, and perhaps the film's biggest downfall. Emily Blunt managed to bring some light to the dark mystique, yet still couldn't save the overall ridiculousness of the film. It's a typical gory Horror film, that tries to add some dramatic quality, yet fails miserably.

• The French Connection (B)

Now here's a classic film, I've been meaning to watch for some time now. It's been considered one of the greatest of crime-films, with high praise on Gene Hackman's performance. So I finally got the chance to sit through it, and try to understand what makes it such a classic. Gene Hackman plays the hard-noised narcotics detective Jimmy "Popeye" Boyle, out to make a name for himself. He and his partner, played by Roy Scheider, go on an undercover hunt around New York City to bust a group of French smugglers. Major props go out to director William Friedkin for creating an extremely suspenseful chase scene through downtown Brooklyn. The camera takes you for a speedy and destructive ride, inside Jimmy Boyle's car, as he pursues the NYC Transit. The film achieves high marks in unpredictably, acting, and general filming and is definitely worthy of being a classic...

Looking Back at History: The Russian Civil War

I remember I was already quite aware of the Russian Revolution when I first saw the film Doctor Zhivago, directed by David Lean and starring Omar Shariff. The three hour epic is based off of Boris Pasternak's novel, about a good-hearted doctor, caught in a love triangle in the midst of the Russian Revolution. However after a second viewing I have come to realize that this film captures more of the Civil War than the actual Revolution. Therefore I thought it would be fitting to tie David Lean's incredible film into this entry regarding the Russian Civil War...


The History

• The Start of the Civil War (October 1917): Once the Bolsheviks had control of the government, they withdrew the Russian army from World War I and signed an armistice with the Central Powers. The Civil War began in October with uprisings in Petrograd to regain power from the Bolsheviks. Realizing that their revolution was still at threat, Leon Trotsky created the Red Army to squash the counter-revolution.

• The Volunteer Army (December 1917): There were still many people who declared their loyalty to the Provisional Government, as well people who still supported the Tsar's old regime. Both groups were against the Bolsheviks and therefore created the Volunteer Army to bring down the Bolsheviks. With support from the western governments of Britain, France, and USA the Volunteer Army were able to capture several cities, such as Rostov. The Volunteer Army later grew to become the White Army.

• The Czechoslovak Legion (June 1918) Things got worse for the Bolsheviks, when an unexpected intervention of the Czechoslovak Legion grew to prominence in the Western Front and began disarming Bolsheviks... The Legion consisted of nearly 30,000 prisoners of WWI, who wanted to continue the fight against Germany. By June of 1918 they had controlled most of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Realizing that their new government was at risk, the Bolsheviks decided to execute Czar Nicholas II and his family, to prevent them from falling into the hands of the White Army...

• The Russian Provisional Government of Omsk (September 1918): The Conservative and anti-Soviet organizations managed to meet and organize a new Russian Provisional Government in the city of Omsk. However this government quickly proved to be ineffective due to inner-struggles for power as well as opposition to the Czechoslovak Legion...

• The Black Army (July 1919) The Red Army had managed to capture the city of Kiev, Ukraine in February 1919, however quickly withdrew their forces from the city... This angered many Red Army soldiers, and in July of 1919 nearly 40,000 of them broke away from the Red Army and joined Nestor Makhno's Black Army of anarchy.... The anarchists were then able to control much of Southern Ukraine... With a force of nearly 100,000 soldiers the Black anarchist Army faced off with the White Army, in what became an ideal deterrent for the Red Army...

• The White Army's Final Offensive (October 1919) A new threat arose from Estonia in October of 1919, when a force of over 20,000 White-Army soldiers, with British support, marched on the city of Petrograd. Leon Trotsky refused to allow the city of Petrograd to fall and personally organized it's defenses. All able bodies of Petrograd, both men and women, were armed to defend their streets against the White Army. After a few weeks of battle the White Army was forced to call off their seige and retreat. This marked the turning point of the White Army.

• The Red Army takes the Advantage (January 1920) In hopes that the Black Army and the White Army would destroy one another, the Red Army averted its attention to winning back cities in the West. Leon Trotsky sent a massive army against the Russian Provisional Government, and successfully re-captured the city of Omsk as well as the Trans-Siberian Railroad.

• The White Movement goes into Exile (1920-1921) Following their defeat in Petrograd, the White Army began to realize the entire civil war was a loss cause, and also realized it was in their best interests to escape the country while they had the chance. Therefore, with the help of British ships, many counter-revolutionaries began to evacuate from Russia.

• The defeat of the Black Army (1921-1923) With the White Army out of the picture, the Red-Army turned it's attention to Japan on the east, and the anarchist Black Army in Ukraine. After a series of invasions and mass executions, Leon Trotsky was able to drive Nestor Makhno's anarchist movement out of Russia and into exile... Shortly after Japanese forces on the Eastern front also began to withdraw... By the end of 1922 the Civil War was finally over, however guerrilla resistance continued until 1925. The Bolsheviks had successfully retained their newly established Communist government, and would soon usher in an entire new era of Stalinism...