Aloha Reading Room
A Library of Online Books, Magazines and Papers.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Head 1
TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT AMERICAN HEGEMONY
The primary function of the United States Foreign Service is to preserve and enhance American political power that is derived from moral and intellectual leadership as distinguished from power derived solely by force. Recent events concerning Iraq and more recently, Iran, illustrate the difficulty of exercising power without the intellectual and moral authority that flows from a consensus of world opinion. At present, the intellectual and moral authority of America is compromised by the educational performance of American students relative to their international peers. The Digital Opportunities and Investment Trust Act (DO IT) is dedicated to reversing this trend by allocating federal resources for educational research and development (Stratmann).
The United States is the strongest economy in the world, yet it faces ongoing challenges. Our educational system underperforms, especially at the lower levels; we no longer have the best schools in the world. We fail to invest enough in research and development. We are no longer on the cutting edge for many new ideas. We do not know how to maximize the use of many of our new information technologies; many of them sit on the shelf and contribute little to ongoing education or human improvement.
– Tyler Cowen - Professor of economics at George Mason University
Head 2
American hegemony is being challenged on many fronts in world affairs. On Monday, February 20th, 2006, Syria announced that it would discontinue pricing it's oil in the American dollar, replacing it with the euro (Salhani). Pricing oil in the United States fiat currency has the effect of placing a hidden tax on the world price of oil to pay for the protection of oil production and distribution by the U.S. military. The security of the world’s oil supply will be threatened if Syria and other oil producing nations succeed in alternative oil pricing schemes. Would the 12 European Union countries assume the burden of securing the world oil supply and distribution?
The U.S. has provided the leadership in support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the efforts to stem widespread proliferation of nuclear weapons into the hands of terrorists, narcotics cartels, and weak states that might be taken over by these illegal forces. Recent efforts by the IAEA and strong warnings from the U.S. diplomatic representatives have been unable to deter Iran from their nuclear ambitions. Iran has been able to offer attractive energy-related contracts to China, India and Russia as a means of gaining their support (Trade Arabia).
The comparatively low scholastic ranking of U.S. students to their international peers has to undermine American diplomatic efforts to preserve world peace by limiting access to nuclear weapons (Evers, Clopton) U.S. hegemony is a product of the respect other nations have for the moral and intellectual leadership of the American government (Wikipedia). Education has a very low priority in the world community as can be seen from the following chart (Shah).
Head 3
Global Priority.................................................. $U.S. Billions
Basic education for everyone in the world....................... 6
Cosmetics in the United States ......................................... 8
Water and sanitation for everyone in the world............. 9
Ice cream in Europe.......................................................... 11
Reproductive health for all women in the world........... 12
Perfumes in Europe and the United States................... 12
Basic health and nutrition for everyone in the world... 13
Pet foods in Europe and the United States.................... 17
Business entertainment in Japan.................................... 35
Cigarettes in Europe......................................................... 50
Alcoholic drinks in Europe.............................................. 105
Narcotics drugs in the World......................................... 400
Military spending in the World...................................... 780
(Shah)
The U.S. alone accounts for 43% of the total military spending of the entire world (Shah). There are of course issues to using such a great force; Iranian targets are in the middle of towns and major public areas. An attack on Iran would mean hundreds or thousands of dead Iranian bystanders caught in the destruction. President Bush has stated that he would not take such actions immediately, and he would like to be diplomatic about circumstances as difficult as these, but has also stated that military action is not out of the question (Oxford Research Group). It is also very difficult to take military action against a supplier of resources which the world so desperately needs. A diplomatic solution to the nuclear proliferation crisis may be the only solution available to the world if other major powers like China, India, and Russia support Iran in their nuclear ambitions (Y Net News)
The Digital Opportunity Investment Trust Act is dedicated to reversing this trend by allocating federal resources for educational research and development. Private investment is concerned about recovering the high cost to develop new methods to improve the educational abilities of our schools. The great expense involved in educational research and development, the relative ease by which the results can be copied and distributed and the weak enforcement of international copyright laws make the investment too risky for private enterprise. By making the
Head 4
investment the federal government could enhance its own image internationally by demonstrating an interest in raising the standing of its own future generations and making the information resulting from educational research and development available to the students of all nations. Giving education a higher priority could enhance the leadership and respect of America in the eyes of the world and lessen the risk of needing to resort to the use of military force (Stratmann).
Works Cited
1. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Hegemony, 21 February 2006.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegemony \\ MERGEFORMAT
2. Stratmann, Thomas, Doctor, Professor of Economics at George Mason University. Spectrum Series Working Paper #10, The Cost to the Nation of Underinvestment in Educational Research and Development, February, 2005
http://www.digitalpromise.org/2-16_Presentations/DOIT-Stratmann-Letterhead.pdf
3. Trade Arabia:
7bn Iran project on track, Saturday, February 18, 2006
China, Iran may develop Yadavaran field, Saturday, February 18, 2006
4. Hoover institution: Paul E. Peterson,
Ticket to Nowhere
http://educationnext.org/20032/39.html
Williamson M. Evers & Paul Clopton
The least common denominator,
http://educationnext.org/2003/73.html
5. Global Issues
High military expenditure in some places,, Anup Shah, Wednesday, February 8, 2006
http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp
6. Spacewar- Your World At War
American Foes Circle Wagons, Claude Salhani, Tuesday, February 14th, 2006
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Americas_Foes_Circle_Wagons.html
7. Y Net News
Study: Thousands Would Die In Iran Strike, Oxford Research Group, Monday, February 13th, 2006
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3215622,00.html
West May Have to Accept Atomic Iran, Monday, February 20th, 2006
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3218656,00.html
806 words in essay excluding citations.
TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT AMERICAN HEGEMONY
The primary function of the United States Foreign Service is to preserve and enhance American political power that is derived from moral and intellectual leadership as distinguished from power derived solely by force. Recent events concerning Iraq and more recently, Iran, illustrate the difficulty of exercising power without the intellectual and moral authority that flows from a consensus of world opinion. At present, the intellectual and moral authority of America is compromised by the educational performance of American students relative to their international peers. The Digital Opportunities and Investment Trust Act (DO IT) is dedicated to reversing this trend by allocating federal resources for educational research and development (Stratmann).
The United States is the strongest economy in the world, yet it faces ongoing challenges. Our educational system underperforms, especially at the lower levels; we no longer have the best schools in the world. We fail to invest enough in research and development. We are no longer on the cutting edge for many new ideas. We do not know how to maximize the use of many of our new information technologies; many of them sit on the shelf and contribute little to ongoing education or human improvement.
– Tyler Cowen - Professor of economics at George Mason University
Head 2
American hegemony is being challenged on many fronts in world affairs. On Monday, February 20th, 2006, Syria announced that it would discontinue pricing it's oil in the American dollar, replacing it with the euro (Salhani). Pricing oil in the United States fiat currency has the effect of placing a hidden tax on the world price of oil to pay for the protection of oil production and distribution by the U.S. military. The security of the world’s oil supply will be threatened if Syria and other oil producing nations succeed in alternative oil pricing schemes. Would the 12 European Union countries assume the burden of securing the world oil supply and distribution?
The U.S. has provided the leadership in support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the efforts to stem widespread proliferation of nuclear weapons into the hands of terrorists, narcotics cartels, and weak states that might be taken over by these illegal forces. Recent efforts by the IAEA and strong warnings from the U.S. diplomatic representatives have been unable to deter Iran from their nuclear ambitions. Iran has been able to offer attractive energy-related contracts to China, India and Russia as a means of gaining their support (Trade Arabia).
The comparatively low scholastic ranking of U.S. students to their international peers has to undermine American diplomatic efforts to preserve world peace by limiting access to nuclear weapons (Evers, Clopton) U.S. hegemony is a product of the respect other nations have for the moral and intellectual leadership of the American government (Wikipedia). Education has a very low priority in the world community as can be seen from the following chart (Shah).
Head 3
Global Priority.................................................. $U.S. Billions
Basic education for everyone in the world....................... 6
Cosmetics in the United States ......................................... 8
Water and sanitation for everyone in the world............. 9
Ice cream in Europe.......................................................... 11
Reproductive health for all women in the world........... 12
Perfumes in Europe and the United States................... 12
Basic health and nutrition for everyone in the world... 13
Pet foods in Europe and the United States.................... 17
Business entertainment in Japan.................................... 35
Cigarettes in Europe......................................................... 50
Alcoholic drinks in Europe.............................................. 105
Narcotics drugs in the World......................................... 400
Military spending in the World...................................... 780
(Shah)
The U.S. alone accounts for 43% of the total military spending of the entire world (Shah). There are of course issues to using such a great force; Iranian targets are in the middle of towns and major public areas. An attack on Iran would mean hundreds or thousands of dead Iranian bystanders caught in the destruction. President Bush has stated that he would not take such actions immediately, and he would like to be diplomatic about circumstances as difficult as these, but has also stated that military action is not out of the question (Oxford Research Group). It is also very difficult to take military action against a supplier of resources which the world so desperately needs. A diplomatic solution to the nuclear proliferation crisis may be the only solution available to the world if other major powers like China, India, and Russia support Iran in their nuclear ambitions (Y Net News)
The Digital Opportunity Investment Trust Act is dedicated to reversing this trend by allocating federal resources for educational research and development. Private investment is concerned about recovering the high cost to develop new methods to improve the educational abilities of our schools. The great expense involved in educational research and development, the relative ease by which the results can be copied and distributed and the weak enforcement of international copyright laws make the investment too risky for private enterprise. By making the
Head 4
investment the federal government could enhance its own image internationally by demonstrating an interest in raising the standing of its own future generations and making the information resulting from educational research and development available to the students of all nations. Giving education a higher priority could enhance the leadership and respect of America in the eyes of the world and lessen the risk of needing to resort to the use of military force (Stratmann).
Works Cited
1. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Hegemony, 21 February 2006.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegemony \\ MERGEFORMAT
2. Stratmann, Thomas, Doctor, Professor of Economics at George Mason University. Spectrum Series Working Paper #10, The Cost to the Nation of Underinvestment in Educational Research and Development, February, 2005
http://www.digitalpromise.org/2-16_Presentations/DOIT-Stratmann-Letterhead.pdf
3. Trade Arabia:
7bn Iran project on track, Saturday, February 18, 2006
China, Iran may develop Yadavaran field, Saturday, February 18, 2006
4. Hoover institution: Paul E. Peterson,
Ticket to Nowhere
http://educationnext.org/20032/39.html
Williamson M. Evers & Paul Clopton
The least common denominator,
http://educationnext.org/2003/73.html
5. Global Issues
High military expenditure in some places,, Anup Shah, Wednesday, February 8, 2006
http://www.globalissues.org/Geopolitics/ArmsTrade/Spending.asp
6. Spacewar- Your World At War
American Foes Circle Wagons, Claude Salhani, Tuesday, February 14th, 2006
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Americas_Foes_Circle_Wagons.html
7. Y Net News
Study: Thousands Would Die In Iran Strike, Oxford Research Group, Monday, February 13th, 2006
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3215622,00.html
West May Have to Accept Atomic Iran, Monday, February 20th, 2006
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3218656,00.html
806 words in essay excluding citations.