Faith in Power.

I believe there is a great disconnect in our world. Before taking Global Seminar, I saw institutions such as the United Nations and our great United States democratic government as strong, relatively fair and powerful institutions. After doing some research with the war in Somalia and after finishing the first several weeks of Global Seminar my understanding of the intuitions that strengthen our country and dominate the world is much more complex as I call there greatness into question. With my research I ask why these institutions cannot help stop years of internal strife within the suffering country of Somalia. Why was the help to Gorazade, and so many countries all over the world, just as weak? It seems to be a reoccurring theme to see that intervention takes place only after a problem is spread through the media arising emotions of citizens and help only comes after the problem worsens to a point where the suffering citizens cry for savior is heard around the world even if it could have been avoided in the first place. These intuitions do not have emotions. Everything has become to ideological that we are blinded.

In Amy Chua’s article, she describes America as the dominant “dominant minority” of the world. Supporters believe that markets and democracy is the ultimately solution to the “multiple ills of development”. The cold war spirit of saving falling countries by imposing democracy on their societies is what we have known throughout time, and as American have experiences the benefits democracy reaps. The ideological image of democracy, however, blinds us to see that democracy might not be the best answer. Instead it has sparked further instability, such as in Somalia, and a backlash has been created.

Just as democracy has been an ideological image, I believe the strength of our world’s leading institution’s strength has also been idealized. Joe Sacco uses his cartoon to illustrate in a very effective and matter of fact manner the humanitarian crisis of ethnic conflict in Bosnia. The reader encounters several characters that are living through the war and deep emotions are sparked. While reading Sacco’s book my sympathy for the character grew alongside my frustration towards the UN who seemed to accomplish nothing. Even though the UN was present in Bosnia, the rest of the world was blind to what was going on. The disconnect lies between the people and the truth behind their intuitions and what is truly going on. Peacekeeping efforts were horrible and the people suffered the consequences. It wasn’t until the Serbs had basically destroyed Bosnia that the United States finally took action.

Although my vision of the world has been altered, I have not lost faith in our institutions. I just can’t help but question the motives behind the inactivity of our intuitions and I believe that some of these disconnections need to be connected.