THE KANSAS CITY STAR: BAPTISTS TO GATHER IN LIBERTY TO SEARCH FOR COMMON GROUND
Helen Gray of the Kansas City Star reported that former US President Jimmy Carter will speak with Baptists from around the United States about why their differences have prohibited them from unifying for over one hundred years. The Baptist Church, the church to which Jimmy Carter belongs and is a Sunday school teacher, has been divided along racial lines. Issues such as whether women can be pastors and how much women should submit to their husbands have plagued efforts of Baptists to come together and realize their common ground: their common faith in God.
Question to the Blogosphere: If it is so hard to reach common ground and understanding within a religious group, what hope do we have of building common ground between religious groups? How do you know the representative of the group you are talking to actually represents the entire group and not just a faction that has little credibility in the eyes of other factions? This, of course, applicable to more than the United States, specifically Western-Muslim relations. Do you think Baptists can find common ground on the issues that divide them, or will the internal differences cause a schism in the Church, as was seen in the Anglican/Episcopalian Church?
QATAR VISITOR: THE TRUTH ABOUT QATARI MEN
Youstra Abdelaal, British expat who has been in Qatar for six years, dispels misconceptions many expatriates have about Qatari men in a blog posting recently. She said that while Qatari men appear stand-offish and spoiled–with their designer sunglasses, pens, and flashy cars–they are really much like the Western expatriates that continue to move to Qatar. They struggle financially to support themselves and take care of their families. They enjoy TV and the internet and are very approachable, even though their traditional dress creates an invisible barrier between them and expatriates.
Question to the Blogosphere: Do you believe Yousra’s analysis of Qatari men, or do you think her experience with them was different because she speaks the local dialect fluently? What are the experiences of female expatriates in Qatar–are they different from a man’s expatriate experience? Can overseas exchanges such as the one Yousra is doing, increase common ground between cultures, focusing on our common humanity?
RIA NOVOSTI: RUSSIA, US ENTER NEW PHASE OF RELATIONS
“A new atmosphere of relations has been created,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in London after talks between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama. “There is mutual interest and, most importantly, readiness to listen to each other, something we had lacked for many years.”
In a joint statement issued after their meeting, which took place ahead of the G20 summit on the global economic crisis, the leaders pledged “to move beyond Cold War mentalities and chart a fresh start…We today established a substantive agenda for Russia and the United States to be developed over the coming months and years. We are resolved to work together to strengthen strategic stability, international security, and jointly meet contemporary global challenges,” the presidents said in a statement. The sides agreed that the talks had opened up the route to cooperation in nuclear nonproliferation, the fight against terrorism and extremism, resolution of Middle East conflicts, and efforts to improve economic stability. However, the leaders admitted that crucial differences remain on some issues, in particular Georgia and the U.S. missile shield plans for Central Europe.
Question to the Blogosphere: The relations between the US and Russia have been very fragile, especially since the rise of Vladimir Putin and the disintegration of democracy in Russia. Today, the Russians warned the US about supporting Georgia in the U.S. ally’s efforts to rebuild its military following last year’s war. To what extent could the issue of Georgia derail the search for common ground between the US and Russia? Do you think the US and Russia will ever be able to work together unless there is a common enemy, whether it be the expansion of Nazism in Europe or the expansion of financial crises around the world? Do you think the leadership in Russia and the US has changed enough to have hope in the new efforts for cooperation?
KIPLINGER: A NEW SPRING FOR U.S. DIPLOMACY
Jon Frandsen described in an article for the Kiplinger blog today the increased effort the Obama administration is putting into searching for common ground abroad. Obama is trying to deliver on a campaign promise to engaged with allies and antagonists alike and search for common ground by inviting Iran to talk, encouraging dialogue between Israel and Syria, and discussing nuclear arms controls with Russia.
Question to the Blogosphere: Do you think this administration has the power to keep these cooperative efforts afloat? What are the obstacles to a mutually benficial agreement in the cases of Iran-US, Israel-Syria, and Russia-US negotiations? Iran recently denied a meeting between a senior Iranian official and a senior US official. Why would they do that? Do you think the Obama administration’s behavior marks a stark constrast to the abundance or lack of cooperation that was seen from the United States since 2001?
BBC NEWS: AGREEMENT REACHED AT G20 SUMMIT
Leaders of the world’s largest economies have reached an agreement to tackle the global financial crisis with measures worth $1 trillion, including $750 billion to the IMF and $250 billion committed by the G20 to boost global trade. Of the $750 billion going to the IMF, $250 billion of that is located in an overdraft facility, available to all members.
In an example of the ability of countries to find common ground during hard times, the plan includes guidelines such as:
- Bankers’ pay and bonuses will be subject to stricter controls.
- A new Financial Stability Board will be set up to work with the IMF to ensure co-operation across borders and provide an early warning mechanism for the financial system.
- There will be greater regulation of hedge funds and credit ratings agencies.
- A common approach to cleaning up banks’ toxic assets has been agreed.
- The world’s poorest countries will receive $100 billion extra aid.
- G20 countries are already implementing the biggest economic stimulus “the world has ever seen” – an injection of $5 trillion by the end of next year.
“This is the day that the world came together to fight back against the global recession, not with words, but with a plan for global recovery and for reform and with a clear timetable for its delivery,” Gordon Brown said.
Despite their differences (The US and UK emphasized the need for public spending to ease the crisis while France and Germany were keen for tougher financial regulation), the major parties were able to come together and find an agreement on how to attack the financial crisis, albeit with some threats to leave from the French delegation if there were no concrete results.
Question to the Blogosphere: What do you think was the driving force behind the ability of the leading nations of the world to come to an agreement? Do you think this plan will be successful? Why did the richest countries in the world find it in their interest to increase aid to the poorest countries in the world? Do you think this increased aid will change anything for the people of the poorest countries? This is not the first G20 summit we’ve ever experienced, why only now are they instituting global financial regulatory institutions?
