IRAN

Iran has been a hectic place for a while now and it is about to get a little bit worse. This country has always had a government that focuses on gas because it is a main export and import to the country.

“Iran will start cutting petrol subsidies this week, an official said on Monday, a move that will test President Hassan Rouhani's public support as higher petrol prices add to inflation in a country already squeezed by economic sanctions”(Aljazeera). This is supposed to help the give a little extra money for the government and use it in the development of the country. “Reducing state borrowing from banks so they can lend more to the private sector and to encourage energy efficiency”. This emphasizes how much the government relies on petroleum.http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/04/iran-start-cutting-petrol-subsidies-201442118503866597.html 

The Violence: Nigeria

“Crime is astronomical in Nigeria. Even university students go into crime” (Roskin). There are serious religion problems going on in Nigeria. There was an explosion in Abuja that killed 71 people and injured more than 100 more. It is being pinned on the “Boko Haram Islamist militant group, which has staged previous attacks in Abuja” (BBC).  

                This just intensifies tensions between religious groups and the people. The explosion happened to commuters getting on the bus for work.

                “The Nigerian government had said the violence was now contained in a small area of the north-east” (BBC). Is it really? Nigeria is a fragile state and has been for a long time. Although this explosion has been contained, is that going to stop the ongoing violence in Nigeria? Probably not. The government has to contain crime and stop corruption in all level in order to have a more peaceful society. Of course this will have to start with actual democracy and a stable government in Nigeria.http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27018751 

Czeck Republic SPI

The Czech Republic ranks 23^rd in the Social Progress Index. It ranks high in the water sanitation and shelter for improving people’s lives. It would be of great help for the country to invest in health and wellness. Since they rank 13^th in the SPI.

They rank low in Opportunity (29^th) especially in having access to higher education.  Their tolerance for immigrants according to the SPI illustrates that the Czech Republic is (93^rd).

Overall it looks like a decent place to live, if you’re a native, although it is very small.  They rank 31^st in personal rights and in basic human needs they are 25^th.

“Elements are highlighted where this country possesses a relative weakness or a relative strength compared to countries of similar GDP per capita: Trinidad and Tobago; Slovenia; New Zealand; Italy; Spain; Slovakia; Portugal; Greece; Israel; Saudi Arabia; Korea, Republic of; Estonia; Lithuania; Poland; France”(SPI).http://www.socialprogressimperative.org/data/spi/countries/CZE

BRAZIL

As the World Cup quickly approaches, there is little time to complete the necessary modifications.

One of the most important ones is controlling the favelas in Brazil which are run by the most notorious gangs in Brazil, like, Comando Vermelho. 

More than 6000 troops occupy these streets and things are only getting worse. “An escalation of murders, revenge killings and fire-bombings have prompted talk of a war between the police and gangsters. Favela residents and NGOs say the situation is now more tense than at any time since 2010, when the authorities began a "pacification" programme to regain control of communities from armed traffickers”. The stand-off between gang members and officers is going to erupt into a war if something is not negotiated with these gangs.

People will be flocking to Rio for the World Cup and they will be passing through these streets, on their way to and from the Brazilian International Airport. If they do not control these people soon it will need to disastrous results come June.

The Police have a role in the problems going on in Rio. Their rude treatment of the people has resulted in little faith of the peace procedures. Both parties need to get their priorities straight before something extreme happens during the World Cup.http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/24/brazil-army-rio-slums-violence-world-cup 

Mexico

It is a hectic time to live in Mexico at this point in time. There are drug lords running rampant and killing innocent people and the economy is failing as well. The government is not doing a good job of keeping their people safe. There are different levels of corruption in Mexico and they all pose a threat to the safety of Mexico’s people and its close neighbors.

                Even if the justice system has not worked out in anyone’s favor, except perhaps “El Chapo” the drug lord who was recently caught, it is safe to assume he is responsible for a lot of the body bags in Mexico. Throughout the years he has bribed policemen and government officials to work for him, and the sad part is that they do and we do not know about a lot of them. Drug trafficking is a huge problem in today’s world and it needs to end.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/mexico/10659504/Mexican-drug-lord-El-Chapo-moves-to-block-US-extradition.html  

INDIA

So the US isn’t the only one that gets attacked by terrorists?! What?! India has also been a victim to terrorist groups from Pakistan and some have recently been caught.

Roskin says that the Pakistani government is supposed to be fighting off terrorism but they hid Osama bin Laden for years. Here is another example of the Pakistani government not controlling their extremists.  The police say the capture of these four terrorists has stopped a strike upon New Delhi. Bomb making materials were also seized when capturing the 4 terrorists.

This strike against India shows just how much resentment Pakistani Nationalists have against India. Since the beginning of Indian society Islamic people in India resented rule by the Indians, they didn’t want to be overlooked in the government. They wanted their own state and so they got it. Pakistan. So why is there still that resentment against India? Why are they continuously bombing cities? 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-26711060

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303949704579457310777296546?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303949704579457310777296546.html

Russia: Putin

                The events that have been happening in the Ukraine are staggering and it is natural that world powers would want to intervene but is Russia concerned only with the independence of Crimea or looking for its own gain.

                Looking into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s past makes it unlikely that he intervened in the Ukraine for moral purposes only. Putin likes power and he has proved this time and time again when he constantly shifted the power of the Prime Minister and the President according to what benefited him. Since the year 2000 Russia has remained controlled by Putin and has increased his own power.

                When Putin entered Crimea “not merely bolstering the security of Russia’s naval base on the coast of Crimea (an autonomous republic of Ukraine that once belonged to Russia) but mobilizing 30,000 troops to occupy the entire enclave”(False Warnings). He was not looking to restore order in Crimea but rather increase the power of Russia over them. Since Russia implemented its troops in Crimea there has been talk about annexing from the Ukraine and rejoining Russia. Which would be good for Russia because they would gain land and a sea port. 

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2014/03/putin-goes-to-war-in-crimea.html

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2014/03/barack_obama_vladimir_putin_and_ukraine_the_president_has_bungled_his_dealings.html

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2014/03/putin-weighs-ukraine-talks-but-firm-crimea-201431044027273182.html