Here's hoping for a complete week of school! The winter weather has certainly disrupted the semester so far, but here we are at the midpoint with only a few weeks left to shore up your grades. Although this is Spirit Week (go Cougars!) please be prepared for an energetic and rigorous work week!
In light of the amazing uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt over the last week I feel that it is appropriate to step away from our focus period and take a look at world events. You might be surprised that the US is so involved in the Egyptian crisis, but the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been a close supporter of America over the last 30 years and has kept peace with Israel (Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace agreement with Israel during the 1980s). Unfortunately there is ample evidence to suggest that President Mubarak has limited the rights of Egyptians (hundreds are arrested and tortured on a weekly basis, accused of minor crimes) and has allowed an economy to develop that has made a very small minority extremely wealthy (think billionaires) while many live in terrible poverty (less than $2 a day).
The US provides Egypt with about $2.5 billion a year, much of it in military aid (if you've been watching the events on the news, you've seen the tear gas and fighter jets - all of which were produced in the US and paid for by US tax money...yours!). Why would the US government provide such support? Because Egypt is a loyal ally that a) has loads of oil; b) controls the Suez Canal (through which comes much of the oil that Americans use); and c) is NOT a radical Muslim regime that threatens to attack Israel.
Of course we hope that what comes out of the protests is a "peaceful transition" to democratic government with greater freedom and economic opportunity for its citizens. However, in 1979 we witnessed a very similar chain of events in Iran. It might surprise you to know that Iran was a very close ally of the US during the time it was ruled by the "Shah", but many people, especially young radical Muslims, were unhappy with his rule and forced the Shah to flee the country. It happened so quickly that many American embassy workers were unable to get out of the country. Most of those US citizens spent the next 15 months as hostages while President Jimmy Carter unsuccessfully to free them. The hostages were finally released on the very day the President Ronald Reagan took office, but I'll comment on that in a moment.
Your homework this week is to research the Iran Hostage Crisis on the link http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/04/middle_east_iran_hostage_crisis/html/1.stm . As you examine the photos and read the summary I want you to consider the possibility that a similar situation could occur in Egypt and answer the following questions: How should the US react to these events? If you were speaking for the President, what would you tell the Egyptian citizens? Considering Iran, what should the US have done to free the hostages? Should the US military have invaded, given the dangers of starting an all-out war and maybe causing the execution of the hostages?
I will make a couple of observations: first, there are those that suspect that Reagan and his team had a secret deal with the Iranians to keep the hostages in captivity until he became president. There is absolutely no evidence to prove this but after Carter worked for their release for more than a year it's embarrassing to some that Reagan gets the credit. Of course, during the election Reagan had hinted that he would do whatever it took to get the hostages out, and it's likely the Iranians feared an immediate attack.
Second, of special significance to us is that one of the hostages, Terry Waite, is now a professor at UK in the department of Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs. He is a recognized expert in world politics and is on major news networks nearly every week informing Americans about current events.
The requirements of this assignment are exactly the same as those that preceded it. Have a good week!
The situation in Egypt is very surprising to me. I'm stuck in the past, so to hear that their are riots going on in one of my favorite countries is very surprising to me. I think it's horrible how the Egyptian president limited the rights of the citizens and impresinoned and tortured them for no real reason. The fact that some are billionares while others live on just $2 a day is outrageous! It breaks my heart to know that some people live in poverty like that while others in the same area possibly have more then enough! As for America providing military aid, that just ticks me off for some reason. I don't think that we need to supply military power or weapons to any country (unless they are so close to us there is a very very very VERY small chance of bad things happening) except our own. But that's just me.
ReplyDeleteI think the US should do exactly what we are doing, telling the Egyptian president he will lose our support. For the first time in quite awhile, I agree with the President. Cut off our support of Egypt until the Egyptian president realizes he is wrong. I would tell the Egyptian people to continue to protest, but not to do anything that could get them arrested, killed, or tortured. I can understand why the Egyptians are rioting, if I was in there shoes I would want to too!! I would especially want to riot after the cell phone and internet was cut off, that would make me so mad because I couldn't talk to my friends. I can somewhat understand why they cut these things off, but people will find a way to communicate regardless, it just might take a little longer.
As for the Iran situation, I don't know what the US should have done. Maybe what happened was the best thing, no hostages were killed at least. Though, I know that I would have wanted the hostages freed at all costs, I just don't know enough about the situation to really form an opinion on it. Should the military have invaded? I'm inclined to say yes, but thinking about it I realize that it might have been to dangerous and to many lives would have been lost. I think the situation was handled well and the hostages were eventually released. That's all that really matters in the end.
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ReplyDeleteWhen i first heard about Egypt’s current situation i was sort of overwhelmed, i tried to imagine the mass chaos that would occur if such a thing happened here in America. it is beyond cruel what the Egyptian president has done... its not right that only a small group of people are being made billionaires while the majority of the population is stuck in the lowest level of poverty. i pray that here in America it never comes to that. although i do have one small issue... i can’t grasp the concept as to why we are giving other countries military strength and weapons, like i don’t understand why we put ourselves in that position.
ReplyDeleteif the US was put in the position that Egypt is in now the whole country would fall apart and i honestly an all out war would begin and it would be pretty ugly the way i imagine it. i think that military should have came in after the government made an agreement with Iran... but that’s just my opinion. i mean i believe the hostages could have been freed much quicker if a huge deal had been made between the two countries i don’t know exactly what it would have consisted of but bribery always works. i just hope that nothing like this ever happens to us i don’t believe there is ever a full recovery after something this.
These are tough questions to answer. It is appalling to think that the Egyptian president could do such awful things to the people of his country. It is sad to think that so many are suffering.
ReplyDeleteThe first question how should the U.S. react to these events is not an easy one to answer. I honestly dont know how we should react. I dont think we should get to deeply involved to where it could possibly blow up in our face but I think we should help the citizens to the best of our ability. It is hard to do much when the president has always kept Egypt as an ally of ours and is peaceful with Isreal but he is dishonest and devastating to his people and economy. We will have to help out as much as possible without making enemies and pray that God who knows all sees all and can do all will have His will be done in these terrible situations.
If I were speaking for the president I would do my best to encourage the citizens and give them hope. I would also do my best to keep things civil and non-violent if at all possible.
In consideration to Iran and what the United States should have done to free the hostages i think that what was done was maybe not a bad thing. I do think that the US should not have been so medling in Irans affairs and if they demended that their former president be handed over for trial we should have let them do so. I also think that if it would have gotten the captives freed sooner then the US should have apologized. Maybe more compromization should have gone on...
I think that the US should have waited a bit longer to go in for the rescue mission and as I said did some more compromizing. If that didnt work then they should definitely have had a much more planned out and well trained invasion or rescue mission. Doing things half way hardly ever gives the the benefits you want. If the rescue mission or invasion was going to happen it should have been done with the upmost diligence and care.
I was very shocked at first to hear about all this falling apart of Egypt. I think the Egyptian president is getting a little out of control and is causing the downfall of their nation. He is making the few rich people way more rich, into billionaires, while the rest of the common people are suffering and getting much much more poorer than they already were. He is taking all they money from the people and the nation is suffering. I can understand the fact that we give them some money for military, so that we can get gas cheaper, and gas prices wont be so high. I think the US should stop supporting president till he starts doing better for the people. He took away their internet and phones to try and stop the riot, but i think it made more rioters and protesters, adding on people that want the internet back. He tried taking away their communication, but all that does is make it a little longer to communicate. I think he should give the internet back. I think the US should have tried and made a deal, and invaded if absolutely necessary. I think they should have, in order to get hostages back.
ReplyDeletejess_megs15,
ReplyDeleteI agree completly with not being able to understand why we are giving weapons to other countries. It makes no sence to me when we have our OWN military to fund and supply with proper weapons and training. It makes absolutly no sence to me. Also, I must say that when you wrote "...but bribery always works..." I cracked up laughing!! I wish that wasn't truth, but unfortunatly it is in most cases. I also pray that this never happens to America, but it will eventually, I believe. I just hope I'm not alive when it does. That would not be a pretty thing at all! I agree, after something like what Egypt is experaincing, full recovery is hopeless. Good essay!!
Morgan,
Good essay!!! I agree that we shouldn't get to involved and risk starting World War III or something, but we do need to get involved just enough to help the suffering citizens. Love how you mentioned that we should just leave it up to God and pray that His will be done in this situation. I agree with what you said about Iran. America needs to learn to swallow it's pride, pride never solves anything. Dilegance and care solves stuff, as you said. Good essay!!
On Oct. 22, 1979 the U.S. admitted the exiled and ailing Shah of Iran to our country for cancer treatment. On November 4, Islamic students who called themselves Muslim Student Followers of the Inman's Line took control of the American Embassy in Tehran. They held 52 embassy staff hostage for 444 days. Special note: there are several hostages that recognize Iran's president that is in office now as one of their captors. He denies having been there.
ReplyDeleteThe man that was involved in the take over of the Iran Government was Ayatollah Khomeini. A very strong anti everything Western and fundamentally pro militant and very radical.
I believe the American government was undecided on what needed to be done. I feel Jimmy Carter felt his hands tied. Regan on the other hand was a firm believer in never negotiating with terrorist
In both cases of Egypt and Iran the people felt cheated from the government in office. This last election in Egypt there was much election fraud.
To answer your question. Why didn't the U.S. government go in and invade Iran and release the hostages? They tried under the Carter administration and failed.
I do know in dealing with the Muslim government in the East it is necessary to show military might in order to maintain some sense of peace and order.
The Shah of Iran had the Ayatollah Khomeini to contend with. The Shah did try to bring some kind of reform but was too westernized in his approach as well as corrupt.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has grown personally very wealthy and in this last election had much corruption, which sealed his fate. There are 5 different visible groups coming against him. One of the ones that is the loudest is also the scariest. Mohammed El Baradei, Muslim Brotherhood for a state governed by Islamic law. It's motto is " Allah is our objective; the Koran is our constitution; the Prophet is our leader; Jihad is our way and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations."
If speaking for our President I would let the people understand the value we place on individual freedom. That we will stand up and do everything in our power to make sure that they can have that freedom too.
source cite: Wikipedia/ FoxNews
The things which happened in the past in Theran, were really terrible. People were just not happy anymore with their politics, so they tried to get new politics. I guess a big part of that was because, that the people were just not happy with the “rules” their Shah did. So revolutionary students stormed the United States (November 4,1979) embassy in Tehran taking dozens of US staff hostage. The people who couldn’t escape had to stay there for mostly the time of 15 months.
ReplyDeleteIt is a very hard decision to say, how the US should react to those events in Egypt, but I understand that this must be a shock for all the people who heard about the events in the past, and I think everyone is hoping that such a thing will not happen in again.
What they should have done is hard to say. It was probably terrible for the people who had to stay there, and their families, but also for the people who couldn’t help them. I don’t know if the military should have invaded, I guess what they wanted to try was, to end this without a war. And that’s what they did, but the people just couldn’t get free. It’s so hard to decide about the Life of others, and I can say, I would not like to be in the place those people in the past were.
We just hope that such a situation will not happen in Egypt again.
Just like everyone else, the whole situation with Egypt was very suprising to me. To be completely honest, I dont really know how the US should react if this were to happen. I definitely dont think the US should support a president unless they agree with what he is doing. If I were the president of Egypt, I first of all probably wouldn't have done what all he did, but if I were in his situation I would tell the people that all their riots and complaits are doing no good. I would say that I ended up as leader of this country so trust me. But this whole situation is just a big mess and it doesn't even seem like the leaders are trying too hard to put an end to everything thats happening.
ReplyDeleteTo free all the hostages, in my opinion, the US should have approached things differently. I dont really know how these situations work but maybe instead of trying to do things more secretly or with bribes they should have just been a little more straight forward and demanding. I dont know.
Considering an invasion could have started an all out war, or death for the hostages (the reason for all this in the first place) I dont think an it would be the best way to go about this. I wouldnt be much help haha
I have heard so much about the Egyptian riots these last couple weeks, but I don’t know exactly what is going on there so I’m glad that I can get this opportunity now to really find out what is going on. I think it is really unfair what the Egyptian president is doing to his people. He allows only a group of people to make billions and billions of dollars as so many others watch from a severe state of poverty. I really pity these people.
ReplyDeleteTo picture America in this sort of situation, I get a very bad image. People gone mad is really what I see happening, much like in Egypt. On top that, the cell phone and internet being cut off would really have America in a frenzy. I can only hope and pray nothing like this would ever occur in the US and that event occurring in Egypt right now would come to an end soon.
The essay is from Jerome,
ReplyDeletethis week I will tell you something about my opinion how should the US react to these events?
If I were speaking for the President, what would I tell the Egyptian citizens? Considering Iran,
what should the US have done to free the hostages? Should the US military have invaded, given the dangers of starting an
all-out war and maybe causing the execution of the hostages?
Actual I have never heard befor from the iran hostage crisis. And that makes it much more interesting to tell you something about it.
I think the US shouldn't do anything in the beginning, maybe just to support them a little bit and to be ready for a war with soldiers.
to keep the situation in save.
In the beginning they should talk and asking why they are keeping the hostage.
I guess one reason was the people were just not happy with the “rules” their Shah did.
I couldn't imagine what would happen if this terrible event would happening here in the United States of America. I think would look
close like the attacks from 9-11-2001. Chaos would happen
So back to the story I couldn't tell how I would decide, because it is very hard to decide over other lifes. I would try to get a deal
with the other people to get the hostages. If this wouldn't work I'm going to send special ops to free them.
My biggest priority is to come out of the problem without war.
Now I can understand how it is to be a president and to dicide.
My father has a very unique opportunity that not every body has because he works at the hospital. He gets to work with several Middle Eastern doctors. One of these doctors is from Egypt. My dad asked this doctor what he thought of the protests and if he was in contact with any family that was over in Egypt. The doctor said that his sister was actually in the main square where the protests are taking place and gives him updates on what is happening. Based on what the doctor told my father the citizens are outraged at the abusive government and want to put a new government in place. The straw that broke the camels back so to speak was a video that was taken of a police officer chasing down and beating a man. The Egyptian doctor also said that the national media is over exaggerating the role of Muslim extremists in the protests. He also commented that if the US government steps in and stops the governmental change then the people would be forced to go to the Muslim extremists for help. Thus making the situation worse. This is why I think that the US should just stay out of this one and wait it out. If I were speaking for the president I would tell the Egyptian citizens that they have my support but if the break the treaty that they have with Israel then America would take that as a great offence.
ReplyDeleteI response to the hostage crisis in Iran I believe that the US did the right thing. If they would have gone in guns blazing then the hostages probably would have been killed. By waiting and negotiating the lives of the hostages were saved.
In 1979 revolutionary students in Tehran took many US citizens in the US embassy hostage for over a year. If such an issue were to arise in Egypt, I believe different tactics should be used than the attempts in 1979. I’m not sure exactly what would be the best thing to do- it all depends on the exact situation- but in my opinion, violence should be an absolute LAST resort and I admire President Carter for trying diplomatic agreements before he used force. Of course, I wasn’t alive when all of this happened, but I feel that President Carter tried his absolute best before he invaded Iran. It was a very risky move and could have done more harm than help had they succeeded in their raid, but it seems like he didn’t have any other options. The hostage-takers were not negotiating, so I can’t think of any other option than to use force as much as I detest it.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time that I heard from that Iran Hostage Crisis, so I thought it was very interesting to learn about it. I would say it was definitely awful what happened.
ReplyDeleteI think the U.S did the right things, when the Iran Hostage Crisis happened. I just think that they could have planned the operation Eagle Claw, to rescue the hostages, better. But since I don’t know a lot about it and what happened I don’t want to be too critically. Maybe they just had really bad luck. The other things they did I can fully understand.
I don’t think the U.S. should have invaded because that would really just risk the hostages’ live. I think they did the right thing with the rescue team, but it just didn’t work out. Also it is very hard to say what they should have done because you have to judge over other peoples live.
If I would speak for the President right now, I would tell the people in Egypt to go on with the demonstrations and to be peaceful. They shouldn’t get in fights with the army and should be focused on their goal. I would also say that I support them and they do the right thing.
Works cited:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/04/middle_east_iran_hostage_crisis/html/1.stm
Just like everyone else I was also shocked at first to hear all this stuff about Egypt going on, but then I stopped and thought about it and I could see how it would happen. If someone tried to take all my rights like the government did there, I would be pretty darn mad.
ReplyDeleteNow I believe that something like what happened in Iran could easily happen in Egypt today. However, if I was speaking for the president I really would not know what to say. First of all I’m not a strategist or an expert in military affairs so I would not know what the best solution for this situation would be. I would probably just try to be all sneaky like and sneak in on a covert ops mission to get the hostages out or try and do this in some diplomatic way. I know not to charge in and try to force them out because that would just get them all killed. And secondly, I’m not a good speaker at all. Even if I had the perfect plan laid out right in front of me I would choke up and ruin the whole thing. I’m just not good at things of this nature, so if anything like this did happen I am not the one to ask
I think this week’s assignment is really difficult, but I think it is good that we discuss the things currently occurring in Egypt. I am really worried about it.
ReplyDeleteIf a similar situation occurred in Egypt, the United States shouldn’t act overhasty. They should definitely not start a war, because it would probably worsen the situation. If there were hostages the US government should make a deal with Egypt pretty soon instead of waiting for something to happen.
If I were speaking for the president I would tell the Egyptian citizens to reconsider their actions and suggest that there are more peaceful ways to debate. I would talk about the advantages of having a democracy. But all this is easier said than done, because who knows who would listen to me.
I think that the US government did the right thing to wait until Iran freed the hostages. A war would have been able to destroy both countries and would have had a bad effect on relationships between Iran and the United States concerning mainly the oil and trade market in the Suez Canal. Furthermore I think the US shouldn’t have risked the lives of the captured US citizens, because that could have possibly caused revolt on the part of the public.
I think that the actions of the US government concerning Egypt have to be absolutely deliberate because it could affect the American life style forever, when looking at what could happen to the Suez Canal.
I really like reading about those kinds of events. I think the relationship between countries is pretty difficult. It’s also pretty difficult to maintain good relationships. We always want to be the best, the first ones and if someone else is better than we are, we want to crush them, steal what they have etc.
ReplyDeleteThere is no particular way the US could have react to this. It’s really hard to know that some people could be killed at any moment because you did some thing wrong or said something wrong.
I really don’t know what I will tell the Egyptians if I was the president. I know I’ll have to choose every word very carefully or a war could begin and it will be a big lost for both of the countries but also everyone around.
I think the Us couldn’t do much about the hostage in Iran.
I don’t think that starting a war is the good way to do this. It’s to much lives in danger. And we could have killed all the Egyptians if we wanted to but that would have been just the beginning of something bigger with all the other countries. Maybe a third world war.
With the protests in Egypt, being similar to the Iran Hostage Crisis, presents the opportunity for American involvement, but the question how… What are we going to do? I believe that America doesn’t need to stand by and watch the Egyptian people collapse themselves, but needs to become involved. We don’t need to start a war or hurt everybody we can, but we need to try to solve the problem by reason. Everybody is not going to get exactly what they want, but compromise is called for. If I was President talking to the Egyptians, I would have a hard time deciding what to say. They are protesting because they are fed up with the style and system of governing, so they want to eliminate the current government. I know when a president does wrong, he gets impeached, so what could they do to compensate for their lack of system organization? That I’m not sure of. In Iran, something should have been done sooner. I know the danger of war was high, but something other than nothing should have taken place. As for just invading, I think that would have caused more problems than were necessary. So finding a common middle ground would have been better than nothing.
ReplyDeleteStella, I really liked your essay. America really does have to be careful about how we react to these kinds of international situations. They repercussions of these choices could have a negative and long-term effect on the lives of the citizens of both countries. If we try to reason with the Egyptian people, telling them about more peaceable ways to debate, major wars or bloodshed could be avoided. The last thing we want is a major battle or war.
ReplyDeleteCamden, it’s interesting to compare the viewpoints of those actually involved and of what the media has portrayed. I believe the people have every right and reason to protest. The manner in which they are protesting could probably be changed, but their frustration is understandable. We never know what kind of effects our involvement or actions would provoke. So when the leaders of America begin to handle these situations, whether it be the speeches given or the actions taken, they must be thoroughly thought through.
There has been a lot of uproar about the situation in Egypt. I haven’t really been paying much attention, but I suppose it’s about time I start. The United States was founded upon the desire to be free. Free to worship, free to speak our minds, etc. We so strongly believe that people have equal rights. The protests of the Egyptians that are leading to violence have to stop. It’s fine to stand up for your beliefs, but when it leads to something destructive it has to stop. I do not think the Egyptian president’s actions are right. I’m sure we can all agree to that. It simply seems that the government and the people are in the wrong. I believe that our country is making the right decisions in this situation.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went to Frankfort with some other people in the Unite Club this week, I realized something. The bill that we were hoping would pass would to make pseudoephedrine a prescription drug. Pseudoephedrine is one of the main ingredients in making meth. I realized that making pseudoephedrine a prescription drug would not solve the problems of meth across Kentucky, it would simply limit them. It felt as though there was no way to win this battle against meth. I imagine this is how the US felt about the hostage situation so many years ago. With any decision, it probably would not have solved the problem. I’m not sure what they should have done.
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States.This held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamic students and militants took over the Embassy of the United States in support of the Iranian Revolution.In February 1979, less than a year before the hostage crisis, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, had been overthrown in a revolution. For several decades before that, the United States had been an ally and backer of the Shah. During World War II, Allied powers Britain and the Soviet Union occupied Iran and required Reza Shah the existing Shan of Iran to abdicate in favor of his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In the United States, the hostage-taking is said to have created "a surge of patriotism" and left "the American people more united than they have been on any issue in two decades and the issuance of Executive Order 12170, around USD 8 billion of Iranian assets in the U.S. were frozen by the Office of Foreign Assets Control on November 14. Carter would latch on to a deal proffered by a top Iranian official and grant minor but humiliating concessions, only to have it scotched at the last minute by Khomein and on On January 20, 1981, 20 minutes after Reagan was sworn in as President, 52 American hostages were released by Iran into U.S. custody .Finally Some doubt the hostage crisis will have a long term effect on US-Iranian relations.
ReplyDeleteAbbie
ReplyDeleteGreat job, that is so true.. "The United States was founded upon the desire to be free." I agree with your whole report. Like you, I think it is perfectly great when people stand up for what they believe, even when sometimes I dont agree with them because I never have to wonder what they believe, but with their opinion I agree that destruction is never right or reasonable. About the whole Pseudoephedrine example, great job. Im bet you're correct in the fact that many people back during this situation simply didnt feel that anything could solve this problem after failing so many times. Good job :)
jess_megs15, I agree with what you said. It woud be terrible, if a situation like in Egypt would happen here. Probably everything would be out of controll and everyone would look for who is guilty and who exactly caused all the problems. But that is so hard to say, and it is hard to think about what to do next, if such a difficult sitiuation is in your country. I just hope, that the situation in Egypt will get better.
ReplyDeleteGood essay, and keep up your good work!!
Emily C., you essay was really good. And I know exactly what you mean, it is hard to find a good solution for this big problem in Egypt. But the chances of a War are probably very high and I don't think that anyone wants that, because that would probably not solve problems but cause a lot more in the end. We can just hope that there will be no War and that the right desicions will be made.
Good job, keep up ypur good work!
Paco,
ReplyDeleteYes, there is an explanation for al the uproar and stuff going on in Egypt but it definitely needs to end. It has gotten way too far. Your report is good and I did like reading!! Also, like you, I dont know much about this stuff to know what to do in this situation. There are just too many ways of going about things for me to know which way would be the best. If i were in charge during a time such as that, everything would probably just get worse haha. Good Job.
to guffey, great job on your essay about the hostage situation many years ago. i really liked it, and enjoyed reading about what went on then. i also learned a little bit about the things that went on then. I think it was terrible that they held them as hostages for over a year. I also agree with you, That violence should be a last resort and that agreements should be made at first before going to such measures that they went to, to invade their country and get the hostages back. But atleast we got them back. But maybe they did try and negotiate, i wasnt alive then, but hopefully they made the bestand wisest dicesion. but great job on your essay guffey, i really liked it.
ReplyDeleteTo emily c . , great job on your essay, i really liked it, and enjoyed reading it and finding out for information about what went on back then. BUt great job emily!
Private Elijah,
ReplyDeleteGood job on your essay! I really enjoyed reading it and I totally agree with you on everything you said. I learned that the American president told Egypt that they would lose America’s support, which I think is a very good solution. It is good that Egypt somehow depends on the US because without our money they wouldn’t have the needed military forces. On the other hand Egypt can hold the US to ransom by threatening to close the Suez Canal.
I hope the Egyptian president soon realizes that the situation can’t continue like how it is now, and that he will know how to solve the problem.
Jess,
I really liked your essay. I think that it is awful that there are so many rich people in Egypt. They can say and do a lot, and practically buy themselves free from all punishment while most citizens are arrested and tortured because of nothing.
When it comes to the point that almost every person in a country is not satisfied with the government something went really wrong. I don’t think that something like that could happen in the US because in my opinion democracy still is the best solution.
While reading about what happened in Iran in 1979, I was shocked. If this happened before with Iran, it can certianly happen again today with Egypt.
ReplyDeleteThe US knowing this is possible can be more careful with the way they give to Egypt, just because they are allies now, does not mean it will countinue that way in the future. We, the United States, are already in debt and I don’t understand how we spend all this money helping other countries out, when we can be where they are in the fututre if we can not pay back.
To release citizens from Iran the US should have invaded to prove a point, that we, the United States, can not just be ran over because Iran is angry at their president. Yes, dangers of war could of happened but, if Iran got away with holding US citizens already, they will always believe it is possible again, and maybe even keep it a secret, in which the US doesn’t find out about it until it is to late.
The United States government needs to take care of itself before helping other countries, because the US will always be loyal to itself other countries might, but not neccesarily.
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Camden
ReplyDeleteI think u make an excellent point, that if America steps in and stops the protesting they will be forced to turn to the Muslim Brotherhood for help. Even though they don't need to go in and push their weight around they still need to keep their presence in the situation. Coming in not with an American mind set, but of a mind set of a Moderate.I think many times we look at things through American eyes and not the view of people we are wanting to help.
Rachel
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Violence should be the last resort in this situation. All it would do is make things worse. They need to come up with a diplomatic solution that is best for the country. Of course we want to make everyone happy, but if you go through life trying to make everyone happy you will only destroy yourself.
I like many other people think that the current happening in Egypt is really bad.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to belive that a president someone who is there to lead all the other people
and do good things is only there messing things up and doing the wrong thing. Or atleast I think so anyways.
Obviously the people are not happy and are in very much pain from this.
The questions are going to be a little to think about.
For the first question how should the US react to this...I think we should help all the people as much
as possible but also not to much...I mean we have to do what we allways do which is try to help but
I think that if we were to get to much into it then something happend then it could hurt our people and in the end no matter what we need to put them first.
For the second question if i were speaking for the presedent what would i say...I am not compleatly sure
but i just know i would try to keep the popele calm and do what i could and try with everything in me to
help them in any way they needed.For the third question...i mainly think the United States should have
done most of what they wanted with the consideration of other people in there minds.
But yes i do think they should have invaded.
Alexandria Grace good joob! I really liked your essay it was written very nice and i agree with what you said like you to hear about that it was also shocking to me. I really agree with the last part of your essay when you said "Considering an invasion could have started an all out war, or death for the hostages (the reason for all this in the first place) I dont think an it would be the best way to go about this." I really liked that all in all your essay was very good!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth great essay i really enjoyed reading it you know how to word things very well.Like in most of your essays i agree with what you have put in this one. you pbviousl put thought into this and i think you did really good. All in all your essay was very good and nice to read =) Good job
ReplyDeleteElena, you did great on your essay. I liked how you mentioned how cautious the president needs to be with his words. It’s true that one slip up could lead to a lot of strife. We don’t have the luxury of saying anything we want at the moment. As a country, we should be wise with our words and the president needs to be wise handling this situation. It’s very true that we all want to be the best; we all want to be number one. This mindset will cause us to slip if we aren’t careful.
ReplyDeleteGuffey, I liked your essay a lot. I completely agree that violence should be a last resort and I also respect President Carter for the way he approached the situation. I’m sure if I were in his position, I would have made some of the same decisions. Thank goodness I’m not, though!
Dear Emily C.,
ReplyDeleteI really like to read and to go over your essay. You did a very good job. I really like
if you say that America does not need to help everyone or to hurt someone.
But they should try to solve the problem by the reason. That is a very important point in my eyes.
Great job with much informations and opinions.
Dear Stella,
I'm very impressed. I'm very enjoying to read your essay and to
respond. I just can say the same as I did to Emily.
I think everybody has the same opinion, that America shouldn't start a war.
I'm also scared a little bit about that event in Egypt.
Well done Stella. keep your work like that!!
@Stella:
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading your essay and I think you are right with your opinion. America shouldn't start a war but should also react faster then in the Iran Hostage Situation. Your essay was easy to understand it was nice to read it. Very good job!
@Alex:
The same as to Stella's essay. Your essay was really nice and I was nejoying reading it. I have the same opinion as you do and so I agreed witj the things you wrote. I can also understand that you don't really know what to decide. It is a very difficult situation in Egypt so I guess we all don't really know what to say. But still a very good job on your essay!!
I hate the whole situation that is going on in Egypt. I think it's terrible how there president is limiting there freedoms. Whats messed up really is there are billionaires become richer every day and there are people struggling to make even two dollars a day, these people aren't making near enough money to support themselves let alone there own families. We are still supplying them with weapons(which you're paying for.)
ReplyDeleteI think if this turned out like the situation in Iran it would be worse because of our president and how he tends to do nothing useful. I think we should try anything but invasion to save the hostages. If I were speaking for the president I honestly have no idea what I would tell the Egyptian citizens. I think we should have tried to negotiate with them for the hostages which I realize president Jimmy Carter tried that unsuccessfully. I don't think the US should invade Egypt at risk of the hostages and starting a war, like we did in Iraq.
Camden,
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your essay! Inside information like what your dad got from the Egyptian doctor is always much more better than the stuff that the media puts out. Its not surprising to find out that the media had been over exaggerating the whole muslim extremist’s part in the situation. Also after hearing what the Egyptian doctor had to say I now think that the U.S. should stay out of this and let Egypt’s own people take care this one.
Now about your response to the hostage crisis, I agree with you about the U.S. doing things right. All the hostages would have been killed if we went head in and used force. Even though I don’t necessarily like doing things that way, I believe that sometimes these decisions must be made.
Emily C.,
Ill have to disagree with what you are saying in US involvement. After hearing what the people actually think and what they will do from reading Camden’s essay, i think we shouldn’t do anything. If we stop them from changing government then they will turn to the extremist, and that would be far worse then what is going on now.
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI liked your essay, and your right if this happened in Iran, whats keeping it from happening now in Egypt. Your essay was suprisingly very short, but very informative. You put a lot of information in your essay and it was very good. Great job!
Private Elijah,
Your essay was great. I think the hole thing in Egypt is terrible. I agree with what you said about our president and how we will stop helping them, because they rely on our support for there military. Your essay was very informative and I really enjoyed reading it. Great Essay!
How should the US react to these events? Well, I think that the US should stay out of it for the most part. I think we should definitely pray for them but it probably isn’t the absolute best decision to get too far into it. I do feel bad for the people and the way they are being treated. I think it is just awful but I don’t think that getting too involved is safe for the US citizens.
ReplyDeleteIf I were the president there I would be doing the complete opposite of what the current president is doing. I would be uplifting and reassure the people that everything would be okay soon enough.
Considering Iran, what should the US have done to free the hostages? I think for the most part it was handled okay. Maybe if they had been a little less secretive about it things could have been a bit easier. But over all I think it was alright.
Should the US military have invaded, given the dangers of starting an all-out war and maybe causing the execution of the hostages? Invasion might have been a bit too risky in my opinion. I think the way things were done is just fine because no hostages were killed. That’s really all that matters, right? If everyone is out alive then I say way to go no matter how it was done. Saving each life is the most important thing, invasion or not.
Stella: I agree with almost everything you wrote in your essay. I also think that avoiding an all out war is the better way to go. Overall, Great job on your essay.
ReplyDeleteRachel: You wrote a very good essay! Nice job! I totally am with what you said about violence being the last resort. It never leads to anything good. Anyways, awesome job.
Emily: Like you said, I can only imagine what American people would do if their cell phone s and internet were taken away. In short, it would be a VERY bad thing. Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen. Haha. But nice job on your essay.
private elijah,
ReplyDeletelike you i was extremely shocked to learn about what is going on in egypt. you normally dont think about stuff like that happening. and you certainly dont think about stuff like that happening so close to home. i mean i know that egypt is a complete different country but something very similar could happen here i mean i pray it never does but the posibility is there but anyways great job on your essay and please excuse my rambling :)
rachel,
i strongly agree with your point! our world already as a whole is based mostly on violence i mean you have a group here or there that is all about world peace but on the counter side you have people that dont really give a rip. viloence is the last thing that is needed at this point in time.
stella,
i greatly admire you true concern for the situation and i wish i could become more interested in current events. i really enjoyed your essay it was very good and i liked reading it alot. :)
It’s absolutely awful to think that people are being and have been treated as horrible as these are. I honestly don’t know how to US should or could react. Obviously, I think we should try to help the people in whatever way possible; but also, if we got too involved it could just backfire on us and the US citizens could potentially be in danger. It’s also a very difficult situation considering they’ve always been an ally of ours, but if we were to do nothing to try and resolve this, we might as well be encouraging that crazy president of theirs.
ReplyDeleteIf I were speaking for the president, I would try to calm the people down. Give them hope. I think it’d be best to keep the violence away, as much as possible.
I suppose, for the most part, what we did to free the hostages was pretty okay. I mean, we did get them all out alive! More compromising probably could have helped to quicken the rescue. I don’t really know. If things were worse, an invasion would have been necessary, despite the risks, probably.