Archive for February, 2011

Activism in the Age of Social Networking

In light of the events happening in Egypt and amidst the ever-growing popularity of social networking sites like Facebook, I find this article in the New Yorker to be very relevant: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell?currentPage=1 Gladwell begins with a vivid account of the Greensboro sit-ins of 1960; the stir it caused and the way in which it sparked […]

2012 Olympic Logo Racist?

Iran is discussing the possibility of boycotting the 2012 Olympics, which are to be held in London.  Their reasoning is based on the notion that there are racist ques directed towards them.  The secretary-general of the Olympic Committee of Iran, Bahram Afsharzadeh, claims that the logo for the 2012 event, which was first revealed 4 […]

‘Crossroads for the U.S. and Al Quaeda?

“So for Al Qaeda — and perhaps no less for the American policies that have been built around the threat it poses — the democratic revolutions that have gripped the world’s attention present a crossroads. Will the terrorist network shrivel slowly to irrelevance? Or will it find a way to exploit the chaos produced by […]

What is “Justice” Anyway?

Everybody wishes there was more justice in the world. Nobody wants to go to bed hungry or afraid or uncertain of his or her circumstances in the morning. Nobody likes to see widespread suffering plastered over the evening news or face the overwhelming helplessness that will probably flood in. But if we don’t like seeing […]

After Egypt – Are Protests Getting More Violent?

Many people  are rightfully uplifting the protests that took place in Egypt this month for being largely non-violent and peaceful.  As many predicted, Egypt’s successful protest model has spread to surrounding countries – each calling for removal of a tyrannical leader.  However, the question still remains, how effectively can the mostly peaceful Egyptian protest be […]

Peace Scholar Gene Sharp’s Work Plays Role in Egyptian Uprising

Although it is important to acknowledge first and foremost that it is the demonstrators themselves who brought events to their current state, it is worth taking note of one of the resources that organizers availed themselves of: the pragmatic non-violent resistance techniques that Gene Sharp has elaborated in his research. The link is here.

Our culture and violence

Throughout history we have seen both ends of the spectrum between actions that have been violent and ones that have not. To say that each person is capable of violence is a major assumption to be made but at the same time it is difficult to refute. How much can a single person take? It […]

Given Human Nature, Is Violence Inevitable?

This gets at the core question of are humans naturally good or evil? And if humans are capable of evil, then does their capacity for evil mean that violence will always, naturally be present in our world? I can honestly say I hope that is not the case. As a Psychology major I have often […]

Given Human Nature, is Violence Inevitable?

Violence is only inevitable when there is reason for it to be. Violence, warfare, and aggression have become so engrained within our society that it has become an inevitable.  If we were to be able to revert to a clean slate, we could possibly avoid warfare all together by establishing necessary institutions for conflict resolutions.  […]

Gone after thirty years — Mubarak resigns

It’s finally happened. And only a day after declaring that he would hold onto some powers. On the one hand, the implications for Egypt and the whole region, not to mention for the credibility of non-violent political movements worldwide, are profound.  On the other, power remains in the hands of a military council — ostensibly […]