Pakistan, 2010 Census, and The Oil Crisis

"Obama's biggest foreign policy challenge? It's Pakistan."
The first article by Johnathan S. Landay and Saeed Shah discusses the biggest foreign policy problem that President Obama faces in the future. The focus on Iraq has shifted to Pakistan. Pakistan is currently in a state of political, economic, ethnic and religious chaos. It is facing large Al-Qaida insurgency and a government that is destroying their country's economy. One of the most important efforts the United States can make to aid Pakistan is to stabilize Afghanistan by slowing down their nuclear weapon production and to intervene in the building tension between their neighbor, India. Another main way the United States plans in aiding Pakistan is by providing aid such as public education, health care and other services to restore their country economically and decrease the number of people living in poverty. They plan to work with the Pakistani Army in order to curb the attacks by al-Qaida on the United States. This action will be very difficult because of the state of chaos the country is in. There is even questions raised about the Army's commitment to protecting its citizens. There is a lot of controversy between the civilian government and the military of Pakistan because both are blaming each other for the disorder within their country. The Army's intentions are also questioned because of their loyalty to Islamic militant groups, such as the ISI, which threaten their enemies with guerilla warfare. This policy incited the extremist groups trying to replace the Taliban government which have become very dangerous powers today. They are also looking towards the Taliban to ally with to end the chaos. This is a very dangerous and controversial situation that is occuring in their country. I believe that if the United States government does not actually take the time and weigh the options for dealing with this new foreign problem, they may face a situation similar to Iraq. Their ideas to provide Pakistan with aid ("$15 billion dollars in non military aid in the next 15 years") is a good idea, however, I think that the United States needs to plan a stable and strong plan to utilize this money because they have already spent $10 billion dollars in Pakistan since 2001. The aid provided in the past has obviously not been beneficial considering the dire situation in Pakistan. If the United States spends time cooperating with Pakistani government and listening to the voices of the people, both from the United States and Pakistan, their actions may be more helpful in the future with the support of the people. I believe that President Obama has another tough situation to deal with ahead of him, especially considering the financial situation within our own country. President Obama will need to recognize that he must really utilize the money he is spending on foreign policy while our own country is in a recession. He will receive a lot of critique from U.S. citizens if his actions to provide foreign aid are futile.

Political Fight Brewing on Census
Already there has been criticism regarding the future Census in 2010. Although it is a year away, many people are raising concerns over Obama's decision to appoint Republican Gregg to head the Commerce Department. This is due to the fact that Gregg will oversee the Census Bureau and his past actions create a lot of worry for protectors of the Census. In the past, Gregg voted to abolish the census bureau agency and in 2000, he opposed an increase in funding for the census. Obama has supported Gregg by having the White House release statements addressing the fact that Gregg would "work closely with White House senior management". This statement raised even greater criticism from the Republicans because they criticized the new administration of creating partisian politics into the census. The White House responded by saying that they were going to complete a thorough census and the same administration in the past would oversee its operations. This problem addresses concerns for many minorities who felt that they have been underrepresented in the past. Also this poses great problems for the states, especially during the recession, because the aid they receive from the government is based on the census. I believe that this is a serious issue if Gregg continues to follow the path of his past actions. However, I question whether the Republicans are overreacting and looking for areas to criticize the Obama administration. They may be overreacting to this situation and just create unrest within the citizens. Also I think that the fact that the Republicans are addressing this issue will be recognized in the minds of the minorities who normally are Democrats. Depending on the severity of the nature of this issue, it could possibly lead many minorities to side with the Republican party. However, Gregg is also a Republican therefore the minorities feelings towards the Republicans may not be as strong if Gregg were a Democrat. I found this article very interesting especially since we just read about race, income, minorities, and other factors that relate to the census in our textbook. It made me realize how important it is for the census to be accurate. Not only does it determine the amount of aid each state receives, but also it incorporates the issue of immigration because many of the people in the United States not recognized in the census are illegal immigrants. However the severity of this issue is unclear and only time will tell.

Plan for Oil, Gas Exploration to be Revamped

Obama's plan for the oil crisis we are facing is "oil and gas or nothing". He plans to approach the exploration for new sources of energy through new drilling, and offshore windfarms. Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar, is in charge of creating a plan by 2012 in regards to energy exploration. He plans to explore 200 miles off the United State's coast for oil and gas and insists on including alternative methods rather than drilling such as using renewable sources such as wind, waves, or tides. However, the Environmental Protection Agency is also considering making a rule that will make it easier for industrial plants, refineries, and paper mills to expand their operations without meeting new pollution permits. I believe that this decision poses a severe obstacle because the citizens of the United States who have become increasingly "green" and enviornmentally aware would be enraged with the government's willingness to not enforce the protection of our planet and our society's health. I was not suprised by the fact that Obama's plan would most likely include the idea of alternative resources since he often discussed it often during his campaigning period, however I am very suprised with the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to reconsider the pollution laws. This is a very controversial effort, especially after so much headway has been made in regards to protecting our planet. For example, in my home California, there are very strict laws in regards to emissions from factories, cars, and other fuel sources. Also in most areas there is increasing popularity in "green" efforts to protect the world ranging from recycling, preserving plastic and paper, and alternative transportation in comparison to the gas guzzling SUVS.