2008 U.S. Election a Victory for Global Racial Progress
Barack Obama's election as U.S. President is the culmination of the racial progress that has been occuring in the United States since the civil rights movement of the 1960's. Race has not disappeared as an issue in American society but attitudes have dramatically changed, especially in southern states where the radical Klu Klux Klan flourished only a couple of generations ago. Perhaps the greatest impact of Mr. Obama's election is aboard: in the many European countries who are ahead of the U.S. in governance but behind the U.S. in resolving ethnic and racial attitudes. The potential effect in the world's most undeveloped continent may even be more dramatic.
The following are recent background stories on Newsbatch topics:
Africa
Although the Arab-dominated government of Sudan and the
semiautonomous region of Southern Sudan have been at peace for three years,
there are signs that both sides are stepping up the pace of a cold war-style
arms race. See
story from Christian Science Monitor
Many attempts to end Congo's conflict have failed, in part
because wars that appear to be all about ethnicity are also about business.
Hutu rebels claim to be taking refuge from a vengeful Rwandan President Paul Kagame,
who blames them for the 1994 genocide of more than 800,000 Tutsis. But the
rebels have built a militia by controlling the trade in tin, tungsten, and coltan.
See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Americas
Critics maintain that the Sandinista government in Nicaragua
is just as repressive as its predecessors. Poitical dissidents have been
targeted. A noted journalist, Oxfam, and a women's organization have become
enemies of the state. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Although the worst is over, Colombia's civil war continues.
More than 10,000 rebels continue to fight and some paramilitary groups have
rearmed. See
story from Christian Science Monitor
Brazil's President Lula effortlessly bands together with Latin
America's left but he just as easily peels away, overseeing a market orthodoxy
at home that pleases Washington, defies categorization, and has propelled him
forward as the true, if understated, leader of Latin America's underclass
today. See story
from Christian Science Monitor
Farming superpower Brazil is not only booming but it is
spreading the technologies of tropical farming to other parts of Latin America,
and to Africa and Asia. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
As nations await the full impact of a crisis that is
reaching every corner of the world, Latin America is better placed today to
weather the downturn than at any other time in the past half century.
Countries in the region have, overall, kept spending within budget and built up
their currency reserves. Many have solved external imbalances and adopted
flexible exchange-rate systems. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
China
China acts to stem the tide of
officials fleeing with cash. As many as 10,000 corrupt government officials
have fled China with $100 billion. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Drug Policy
A Vancouver study claims benefits to prescribing heroin to
addicts but critics say the efforts amount to a dangerous step toward
legalizing drugs. See
story from Christian Science Monitor
Education
A new report shows signs of moderation in college tuition
hikes. But the economic downturn could quickly send prices up. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
If America is going to stem the dropout crisis,
low-performing schools will have to do a better job of reaching out to
parents. That's the conclusion of a new report that found that, among parents
with students in low-performing high schools, fewer than half said the schools
did a fairly good job communicating about their child's academic progress. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Energy
The factors behind the 50 percent price drop are myriad and
complex, ranging from basic supply and demand to a renewed effort by
oil-producing countries such as Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, perhaps in order to
undercut calls by both presidential candidates for US energy independence
within a decade. See
story from Christian Science Monitor
Globalization
Despite economic crisis, Bush urges the US and other wealthy
nations to maintain foreign aid. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Immigration
Guest workers win in court over low pay. The increased
rights from recent rulings in San Francisco and Atlanta may force a rethinking
of legal temporary immigration programs and encourage employers to continue
their practice of using illegal immigrations for low wage agricultural work. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Israel-Palestine
Will Obama change course in the Middle East? Some Arabs see
him as more of an 'honest broker' in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But that
conflict may not be a priority. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
The chances for peace emerge in the Mideast as Israeli
President Shimon Peres backed the 'spirit' of a Saudi proposal that offers Arab
recognition of Israel. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Race
The election of Barack Obama may have revolutionized the
world's view of America. But for Africans and Arabs in Europe, he is much more
– a liberator figure whose success and social mobility will help them one day
crack open the closed doors of European politics. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
Now that Obama will become the first African-American to
enter the White House as president, black voters are still trying to comprehend
the scope of the accomplishment, struggling to find words beyond incredible and
unbelievable. His election has also triggered a determination among some to
make changes in themselves and their own communities - to walk the new walk,
not just talk about it. See
story from Boston Globe
Sexuality
In the wake of the contentious gay marriage initiative in California,
some are now suggesting that the government out of the marriage business.
Couples gay and straight would get civil unions from city hall. Then, if they
wanted, they could get married within a church. Religious institutions must be
granted freedom to refuse marriage to anyone, and existing same-sex marriages
should be considered legal. See story from
Christian Science Monitor
