Jacobs University Student Newspaper Since 2004

PULSE
ever and invented the time machine? Furthermore, students are confused as to how the policies can be revised whilst the signature of the old contract should still be binding for both parties. The above

OF THE WORLD
Issue 31 Monday, November 4, 2013

the

Policy Roundabouts
Recent Scholarship Changes
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2.06 PM. All scholarship recipients receive an email notifying them that the scholarship policies have been changed. The GPA required for maintaining the scholarship awarded by the university now needs to be above 2.50 instead of above 3.00. Besides, policies regarding external scholarships have been revised. A document containing the Policies and Procedures Governing the Awarding of Scholarships is attached. MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 3.47 PM. The first post concerning the issue appears on the Class of 2015 Facebook page: So... what are your thoughts on the scholarship policy changes? A number of replies follow and the general attitude of students can be easily discerned: they are appalled by the sudden and unheralded change in the policy, irritated by the time that was chosen to make the announcement and alarmed by the repeatedly dubious procedures of implementing and communicating crucial changes. That the change was implemented doesnt surprise me very much but doing this in the middle of the semester is really poor management...again..., expressed one student. Another student added: I dont get how the date says August 2013 and they are notifying us in late October. Sorry, did I miss the point when Jacobs became the best scientific mind change it to 2.0 next semester? The general feeling of uncertainty that is prevalent among students is underlined by a further ironic statement: I love the part where it says The University reserves the right to amend this policy and all other policies without notice. The generalization

When the University reserves the right to amend this policy and all other policies without notice, the generalization of this claimed prerogative leads to mistrust within the student body.
quoted student inquires: Havent we all by now signed the old financial aid contract and thus agreed on 3.0 or a better GPA? Notifying us about a change after we have signed looks illegal to me. Yet another Jacobian explains that the new policy is so awfully vague as the document does not state when the new policy will be implemented and writes I think this change shows that we really cant trust the admin regarding anything - I mean how do we know that they wont

Inside this Issue

01 Policy Roundabouts Editorial 02 Letter from the Editor Jacobs Life 03 Alcohol Policy Proceedings 04 Jacobs Shows Its True Colors 05 The Young Learner 06 G.I.V.E 07 Piano to Forte 08 The Sports Desk Outside the Bubble 09 The US Government Shutdown 10 The Korean Peninsula 11 The Syrian Crisis Revisited 12 The Chinese Harmonious Society Food for Thought 12 He loves them all: A Poem 13 Criticism of Israel www.pulseoftheworld.com

Photo Copyright http://engr.iupui.edu/sites/careerservices/_images/policies.jpg

02 Jacobs Life and Editorial

of this claimed prerogative is at the core of Jacobians increasing mistrust. The students progressively gain the impression that the universitys policies can be, or are being, arbitrarily changed without their knowledge or input. MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 11.30 PM. The Undergraduate Student Government meets to discuss further proceedings. It immediately becomes clear that all members concur on the fact that the way the policy has been implemented and communicated is unacceptable. The USG is regularly confronted with new policies in which students and their representatives did not have a say including this new scholarship policy, of which the USG had not been informed beforehand. The affirmation that the changes were based on a student initiative turn out to be unfounded as the very students who were being referred to emphasize that the elevation of the required GPA was not the point of the initiative. Their main proposal was that the grant could be increased if a student performs exceptionally well during his/ her Jacobs career. Several members of the USG expressed their worries about the implemented changes, explaining that the raised GPA is problematic in regard to the diversity of Jacobs majors and the transdisciplinarity. The grades a student receives can heavily depend on the respective major and many students take a variety of transdisciplinary courses out of interest but might not perform as well. Thus, they need to be aware of the GPA requirement before they plan their schedule for their Jacobs career. It is important to stress that the majority of USG members and students does not have objections to the policy per se, but to the act of implementation and to the fact that all enrolled students signed a contract that needs to be valid until graduation. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1.41 AM. An email on behalf of the USG and its Academic Affairs Committee is sent out, addressing the members main points of criticism: A) The new policy has been introduced without prior notice to the USG, B) The notification is taking place in a very inappropriate time during midterms, C) Any clarification on when the policy will be implemented is missing, D) Scholarship recipients with a GPA of 2.5 or lower are only notified after paying their fee on August 15th. A wave of heated commentary subsequently infests Jacobs exchange platform; the main objections to the policy changes remain the procedure and missing communication with the student body. One student underlines the reiterating character of the proceedings, referring to the inaugural of the Provost, the Meal Plan Policy and the Housing Agreement. According to the student, the scholarship changes have been brought about in the same manner, without student consent or input. A firstyear student asserts: To some extent, we are lucky we were even told of this policy change. But again, this shows that student interests are not really considered in these matters. Why is that so? Is this considered to slow down everything? Well, it will, but you will be spared from having students complaining about your changes if you make them part of the process properly! The agitation among students is not subsiding and many are worried about future policy changes of the university. They feel

The USG is now negotiating with the leadership to insure that currently enrolled students will not be affected by the revisions.
that they do not have a voice in the fundamental decision making processes whose outcomes will affect them considerably. The USG has contacted the leadership who at first informed them that the scholarship changes will be valid as of Fall 2014. USG members asked for meetings with different delegates in which it then became clear that leading figures were not properly informed about the issue and that the date of implementation is not set yet. The student government is now trying to negotiate with the leadership and achieve that currently enrolled students will not be affected by the revisions. Besides, it wants to emphasize that students need to be involved in policy making processes and need to be informed about any changes prior to their implementation.An institution is fuelled by constant communication, the exchange of ideas and mutual respect and attention. Any university must be run with reference to its student body whose input needs to be the centerpiece of any policy making process as the students are the ones who will be affected by them. The very least students can demand is information and the consideration of their stance in the given issue.

Dear Readers,

Letter from the Editor

Editor-In-Chief Nadine El-Nabli Executive Board Franziska Ehlert Sarah Reitz Section Editors Lisa-Marlen Gronemeier Beenish Waris Emre Yildiz Copy Editors Helena Gellersen Lorna Schtte Christopher Michael Casebeer Creative Designer Ciara Mulvaney

Thank you for picking up this semesters second issue of the Pulse of the World! We hope you survived midterms and are getting ready for your last reboot before finals!The POTW team is happy to share with you yet another interesting issue in which various crucial topics concerning Jacobs are addressed, especially the recent case of an updated scholarship policy. We are also happy to introduce a new column called USG 101 where we leave space for USG members and committees to inform readers about USG basics as to create a more transparent and clear understanding of its role and activities. In the Outside the Bubble section, you will find that both students and professors touch upon current global occurrences. Special contributions from professors shed light and analyze issues about which it is sometimes more difficult to form clear opinions. With these

pieces, we introduce a new subsection to the POTW called Faculty Lounge to which we welcome all faculty members and their contributions. Finally, the Food for Thought section brings to you various platforms of expression to, in your own personal way, set your lingering thoughts and feelings free. We would also like to take this opportunity to stress that we welcome contributions from all university bodies as well as gladly accept letters from the readers that may address topics pertaining to pervious POTW issues or anything POTW related (i.e. comments, concerns, etc.). These letters will then be published on our website and/or in our next issue. Thank you to all of our contributors and team members for making this issue happen!We hope you enjoy reading this issue Best, Nadine El-Nabli

Jacobs Life 03

Alcohol Policy Proceedings

A Possible Model for the Future
and we hope that education will prevent serious issues from occurring in the first place. The new policy will, moreover, take into account the different cultures of the four colleges and will help preserve their specific characters within the developed framework. Therefore, internal mechanisms which can guarantee an orderly procedure will be fostered. Chaitali Das as the coordinator of the joint endeavor mediates between the different contributors. Chaitali is a very reliable communicator, explains Max. Were so glad to have her on board. The group continuously discusses the draft and all individuals bring in their ideas in the weekly meetings. Thus, the process is very vital and progressing at an adequate pace. To us, it was essential to get involved in drafting the new policy to represent the students and set a new tone. It was our big chance to have a say and we felt it was time to act, express Leatherwood, Reese and Max. After the finalization of the draft, the USG will review the policy and pass it on to the leadership who will then have to approve it. A probation period of six months will follow and an evaluation meeting will subsequently be held. After this, a decision as to whether the policy can be fully adopted or needs to be revised will be made. In the end, a clear, coherent and elaborate student handbook on the alcohol policy, in the style of Jacobs precursor, Rice University, will be available and ideally set the norm for future policies.
Lisa-Marlen Gronemeier Integrated Cultural Studies 2015, Germany

Many of you probably remember the debate about the alcohol policy which erupted in succession of the new Housing Contract at the beginning of the semester. Sheets displaying the outline for Responsible Alcohol Consumption in Colleges were flying around in the serveries and landing in the students hands. Confusion and incomprehension regarding the newly established rules and punitive measures arose and the statement The Leadership will vote on this soon left no room for student involvement. Clarification was provided by Chaitali Das, Policy Coordinator of the university. It became clear that the draft in its initial stage leaked and important parties like the College Masters, for instance, had not been involved so far. The USG decided to demand clarification on imprecise formulations and ask for the consideration of the students and the university staffs voice in the issue. After having been approached by the USG, the leadership allocated the task of drafting a new alcohol policy to a committed group of college staff and students. Bradley Leatherwood, USG President, and Leonie Reese and Henrieke Max, as delegates of the USG, the College Masters, College Office Managers and Resident Associates are now working on a draft for a new policy, which will ensure a responsible dealing with alcohol consumption on campus. Accountability and an adherence to social community standards are to be core values the policy will encourage. This implies that individuals have the responsibility for potential problems occurring during larger gatherings and parties. RAs and College Masters will have to make sure that no strong alcohol is distributed to minors. Moreover, emphasis will be put on the Amnesty Call clause which implies that penalty will not be carried out in case of emergency. To the contrary, students are asked to give assistance, call an RA or the ambulance if need be. Importantly, a precautionary attitude towards alcohol consumption will be promoted. Education has to be the foundation of a conscious dealing with the matter, the three USG representatives stress,

The development of the alcohol policy can be an example of how student involvement in decision making processes looks like and can set the tone for future

Photo Copyright http://www.flickr.com/photos/37991786@N08/3545447376/in/photostream/

policy making. The introduction or revision of every new policy should be based on constant communication and collaboration, on reciprocal respect and understanding between the different university bodies. As the alcohol policy is being developed, further clauses of the Housing Contract are also being readdressed. In particular, the USG insists on a revision of the paragraph on room inspections, demanding the presence of students during the procedure and the end of the semester as sole payment time in case of damages. The student and USG initiatives show that raising the voice and showing persistence can have an impact and make the students be heard.

04 Jacobs Life

Jacobs Shows Its True Colors

Coming Out Day 2013
even more in the future. AILA HAURU: I have always been very interested in minority rights and the rights of people who are in a disadvantaged position in the society. However, despite my interest I was not involved with feminism or LGBTQ movements before coming to Jacobs. And in fact Photo Source Jacobs Feminist and Queer Equality Alliance Facebook Page I had quite a negatiIt should to be a fun event to promote the ve view of the feminist movement, but I importance of consent and safe sex. am glad I was open minded and curious enough to join the Gender and Sexuality We will also host a positive body image Awareness week organization team last event for which we have invited an outsemester. That really opened my eyes and side speaker to give a workshop on the gave me a platform through which I can perception/socially-constructed nature of raise awareness and generate discussion beauty. about topics I find extremely important. Those are quite a few events . . . How did you then come up with merging into an alliance of feminists and queer FQEA: Yes, we know, but we now have rights activists? 25 people showing up regularly and are surprised about how many people are as FQEA: We are basically fighting the same excited about these things as we are. The battle and are concerned with the same Facebook page is really active and it is reissues. Both feminist and gay rights are ally hard to catch up with all of what is about equality so it made a lot of sense posted. They are doers and it is refreshing to join forces. We were also supported by to work with all of them because we work Freshies who were active in LGBTQ rights great as a team. groups before coming to Jacobs. Your first event already took place, but Why do you think it is necessary to have what is the Coming Out Day? it on campus? FQEA: One of our members, Juan ViFQEA: During the Gender and Sexuality vanco, suggested that we do something Awareness Week last semester we realized for the Coming Out Day, which is actuhow little people know about these kinds ally a national event, to raise awareness of issues and thought that this group and support for LGBTQ individuals who could serve as a platform for discussion. struggle with coming out. We wanted to create a platform to share stories and How are you trying to achieve this? show students how they can be supportive of a friend. We chose it as our first FQEA: The next event will be Lets talk event to talk about some of the struggles, about Sex; we invited a gynecologist who but also to celebrate. So we had the inwill talk a bit about contraception, proformation desks in the serveries, where cedures in Germany and virginity myths. we advertised the event in the evening. She already has a lot of experience from We showed a movie and had students talk working in Bremen North, which is also about their coming out experiences. We quite multicultural in terms of its makeup. did not necessarily want people to come
Wanda Schwarze-Wippern International Politics and History 2015, Germany

On October 11th, a rainbow flag as the symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) pride was welcoming visitors to campus. The newly established Jacobs Feminist and Queer Equality Alliance (FQEA) initiated this demonstration of diversity as the new representative organ for Feminist and Queer rights at Jacobs University. We talked to the initiators of the new club about its mission and their first event, the Coming Out Day, which prompted the waving of the rainbow flag. Mackenzie Nelson and Aila Hauru are Co-presidents of the club, Stephan Kuzmanovski is the LGTBQ representative and Salma Houerbi the treasurer. What is your personal background in activism for feminist and queer rights? MACKENZIE NELSON: I started to get involved in the US, as I went to a womens college and had a lot of LGBTQ friends. Then I saw the Vagina monologues in the US and when I read the spam about it here at Jacobs, I was really excited to get involved. We were really pleased that a lot of people were then interested and participated in our Vday event of A Memory a Monologue a Rant and a Prayer. STEFAN KUZMANOVSKI: For me being involved with the FQEA is the first time that I am involved in LGBTQ or any other kind of human rights activism. So far it has been an amazing and very empowering experience for me and something that I definitely look forward to pursuing

Photo Source Jacobs Feminist and Queer Equality Alliance Facebook Page

Jacobs Life 05
out right then and there, but instead to create an environment which makes people feel comfortable about coming out. But to what extent do you think is discrimination against queers present on campus? FQEA: We see discrimination, even in casual comments. In some countries, there is a death penalty on homosexuality and people from different cultural groups understandably bring different (and sometimes homophobic) mindsets to campus. How content are you with reactions and feedback to the event? FQEA: We got really good feedback and quite a few people attended the event at night. The administration came out in support of these issues and hung up the rainbow flag in front of Reimar Lst Hall. This started as a silly idea, but we just asked and they turned out to be very cooperative and supportive. Jacobs is diverse not just in terms of nationality, but also in terms of sexuality and gender.

The Young Learner

USG 101
Siegfried Wegmann Integrated Environmental Studies 2015, Germany Lisa-Marlen Gronemeier Integrated Cultural Studies 2015, Germany

The Young Learner is the most important representative of the student body on campus. He/she represents undergraduate and graduate students in the Academic Board (AB), which is in charge of the most relevant decisions. Every member of the AB has equal rights in terms of voting and contributing to discussions. The Academic Board consists of the Provost, all five Deans, the Young Scholar (representative of Ph.D.- and postdoc students), Head of the Academic Affairs Office (Admin) and the Young Learner. Topics it has to address are curricula changes and other major changes, language programs, quality of teaching and university-wide academic affairs. The fixed and recurrent tasks of the Young Learner (YL) are the following: He/ she will have to regularly attend the meetings of the Academic Board where he/she will represent the undergraduate and graduate students. The YL will be able to do so as he/she can get

input from the meeting of Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and Graduate Student Association (GSA). Besides, he/ she should be present in the meetings of the Undergraduate Educational Committee (UEC) and the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) of the USG. If the Program Council is not functional, the YL should be present in Program Council meetings of the GSA or of the GSA Executive Board meetings. Besides, joint meetings with the USG president, the AAC Chair, the GSA president and the GSA Program Council Chair or the GSA vice-president (Young Learner By-Laws) will take place every other week in case the program council is not functional. Furthermore, the YL has to send monthly written reports to the GSA Executive Board, the USG Parliament and USG Secretariat.

Gabriela Ponce, member of the Screening Committee, reassures interested students that the workload is not as heavy as it might seem as there is normally two AB and two UEC meetings per month, each taking about two hours, and the AAC meeting which takes one hour per week. She explains that the significance and impact of the position depends on what the elected YL makes out of it, how motivated and committed he/she is and how he/ she communicates between the different bodies. The election process looks as follows: An undergraduate or graduate student interested in the position sends his/her application to the USG and GSA presidents who then omit all personal information like age, ethnicity, year and gender to prevent any bias in the election. The Young Learner Application Screening Committee, which consists of four GSA members and four USG members, decides which applicants are suitable for the position and votes on each applicant individually. In order to become a nominee for YL, an applicant must be approved by at least five Screening Committee members. At least two nominees shall then be presented for popular vote and students will each have one vote for their YL

06 Jacobs Life

Inspiration a Place
Lisa-Marlen Gronemeier Integrated Cultural Studies 2015, Germany

G.I.V.E.

Jacobs often seems like an autonomous island floating in the midst of an unknown and undiscovered ocean. The events and projects initiated by students largely remain on Jacobss territory and do not embark upon the wide sea. The universitys overtures seem rather remote to the outside world and host families often are the only explorers setting off to discover Jacobss ground.

already have received some insight into the new initiative: G.I.V.E., which stands for Gegenseitig inspirieren, Vielfalt erleben (Inspiring one another, experiencing diversity). G.I.V.E will fund projects that have a positive impact on the local community and will help to better integrate Jacobs into Bremen. The projects should be based on a reasonable and feasible financial plan and should be able to contribute to the final event G.I.V.E. a stage. This exclusively student driven fund can facilitate an easier and more instant funding process, which embodies an alleviation of the consequences stemming from the universitys already precarious funding situation. The initiators explain that, apart from being an additional source for funding, G.I.V.E. acts as an umbrella that unites all clubs and activities on campus that reach out to the neighborhood. Yachay, IniCha or the Amnesty club, for example, are potential applicants that could furthermore collaborate in bigger events. At the end of the year, all projects will be publically showcased within the frame of the final event G.I.V.E. a stage to which participants, families, donors and Jacobs students will be invited. The event will most likely feature staged performances as well as an exhibition. This is meant to display the results of the interaction of Jacobs students with our neighborhood, Benni and Corinna write in the proposal. The students can let their imaginations run free; they can perform dances, screen movies, exhibit art,

The Bremen communitys image of Jacobs will no longer be based on external newsfeeds, but rather through the students and their participation in such projects which are funneled through G.I.V.E..
and display whatever they have created or achieved within the year. Projects that are to be supported include student-run workshops ranging from: oriental dance, to guitar lessons, to Chinese calligraphy, and Japanese sword fighting. Learners United, a project geared towards an interactive learning environment; Ballschule, an already established project in collaboration with Werder Bremen, and Schule am Wasser are collaborative projects geared towards the fostering of a vivid interaction between Jacobs and its neighborhood. The Bremen community will no longer only form their image of Jacobs based on the external newsfeed, but they will be able to see Jacobs with their own eyes and discover formerly concealed facets of Jacobs University. The application process is still being developed. The idea is that the team will set up a committee consisting of some students, CampusLife, and possibly USG and GSA representatives that people can approach to apply. Corinna and Benni have recently been invited by President Peitgen to accompany him on two meetings to introduce G.I.V.E. to the local government in Blumenthal and Vegesack. As G.I.V.E. is unfolding, it is on us to make the initiative prosper by developing ideas and starting new projects.

The fund aims to stimulate a more frequent and animated exchange between the university and Bremen-Nord
To stimulate a more frequent and animated exchange between the university and Bremen-Nord, Benjamin Birner, Corinna Kulicke and the Piano to Forte team inaugurated G.I.V.E., an outreach fund for Jacobs student activities. In their project proposal, they explain: The basic idea of this fund is to foster the involvement of Jacobs students in our local community here in Bremen-Nord by financing projects that are geared towards serving and interacting with the people around us. The community behind the gateway could thus witness the Jacobs way of life and engage with the students they usually only get a glimpse of on the bus. Those of you who attended Piano to Forte will

Jacobs Life 07

More Than Just Music

Yingzhao Zhu Integrated Social Sciences 2016, China

Piano to Forte
cool bands from Germany, etc. For example, as a country far from Europe, China and its culture are very attractive in many ways, and this years Chinese trio aimed to give people an impression of Chinese traditional music.

This years Piano to Forte has taken place. After months of preparation and hard work, the proud organizers and wonderful performers could finally give a wonderful show again. For the Freshies (including myself), it was our first time getting involved in one of the biggest musical activities on campus. Diverse and great music, a nice autumn night, friendly people, nobody can resist such an awesome event.

enjoy the talent of Jacobss students and have some free time from work. Besides, many students invite their host families to come as well, which is definitely a great way to deepen the relationship between them. Taking some time off, listening to some amazing music and chatting with the people around you, nothing can be better than this. Piano to Forte cares for all. It was set up as a fundraising charity, so the profits went to the outreach fund G.I.V.E (in German "Gegenseitig inspirieren, Vielfalt erleben, which means Inspire each other, experience diversity.) There are many students who want to explore the outside world, as well as Bremen citizens who would like to gain insight into Jacobs life. We wanted to take our chance to support this intention. Whats more, music as an inspiration gives us many ideas about life, and this concert can also be an inspiration for those who need to be inspired.

Piano to ForPeggy Sue & the Dirty Dicemen performing Home te is a kind of life Photo Copyright Raju Gurung style. This time it offered many different styles of music: from Western to Asian, from modern to classical, from solo performances to big bands, from bass guitar to Chinese bamboo flute, all of the styles can fulfill anyones imagination about music. Jacobs has been working hard The J-Capella choir performs Adeles Rolling in the Deep. Bogdan Shutka plays a traditional Ukrainian to create a home Photo Copyright Raju Gurung Piano to Forte was composition. for diverse people Photo Copyright Nike Lee warming the coldfrom all over the Piano to Forte is a relaxation from busy ness. No matter what we do; we should world, and so has the music in Piano to life. Another midterm is right around the not forget the desire for music deep inside Forte. corner, so why not have some relaxati- our hearts. As one of the soul-heaters that on and then continue fighting the battle give people great courage, this years PiPiano to Forte is a show of culture. It against the assignments? For the external ano to Forte was definitely a fire in the had unique instruments from Ukraine and guests, the show is a great opportunity to heart for the cold winter of Bremen. China, a special performance from India,

08 Jacobs Life

Catch Up on the Latest News and Results *

Womens Basketball
Last Game Results: 28 September

The Sports Desk

Mens Basketball
Last Game Results: 27 October

50:48 57:65
UELZEN JACOBS Rugby

A Basketball Interview
Darlina Mamaqi Foundation Year, Albania

SC WEYHE
Tyler Buchman discusses the lastest game against BG BiBA and talks about the players, the fight, the final score, and generally what happened behind the scenes. Does it change how you practice depending on which team you play against? No. We always do the same practice. Sometimes though, in cases when we expect the opponent to play zone defense, then practice playing against the zone defense . What was the first impression you had from the BG BiBA team? TB: It was a competitive match, which made it more interesting. To be realistic, neither team was better than the other. We were just lucky at the end and we won! At some point it didnt look too good for youhow did you feel when you saw that you were losing? TB: At the start of the fourth quarter, they were winning by five points. Still we were confident, we believed in our team. We had not lost control of the match, but made some adjustments on defense and won the match by 10 points. How did it feel when your team won the match? TB: We felt great. It was a special feeling, because it was the first win of the season. When we win a close game, the satisfaction we feel is higher compared to when we win a game by a lot. We were lucky to come up with the victory. How did you celebrate the victory? TB: On the court we stayed humble, but in the locker room everybody was really excited and happy.

NEXT GAME Jacobs vs. Bremen 1860 III 3 November 16:00

NEXT GAME Bremen FireBaskets vs. Jacobs 10 November 13:00

Womens Football
Last Game Results:

JACOBS

0:0

Rastede Tournament: 12 October

SV EINTRACHT

12: 5
JACOBS JACOBS

TSV EGESTROF

NEXT GAME Borgfeld vs. Jacobs University 03 November 2013 13:30

24:12
JACOBS

Mens Football
Last Game Results: 27 October

TURA BREMEN

2:5

**

JACOBS

NEXT GAME Jacobs vs. FC Riensberg 11 e.V 2 November 14:30

JACOBS

0:36 7:17

HUNTE OLDENBURG

FC RASTEDE

TSV KARLSHOEFEN

complied by the USG * Results Sports Committee score as it stood until the ** The game was cancelled mid-match due to an interaction with the referee.

14:24
JACOBS

HANNOVER UNICORNS

Outside the Bubble 09

Its Their Party and Theyll Shut Down If They Want To

The American Government Shutdown
others were heavily involved in lobbying Congress to go along with the plan proposed by Meadows. In the end, Speaker John Boehner and the rest of Republican leadership were convinced. They focused their efforts on tying defunding ObamaCare to the appropriations bill. Many Republicans instrumental in the government shut down believed that the Democrats would give in first. In this same belief they thought that there would simply be no negative side effects for the people if the government did indeed shut down. One congressman interviewed by FOX News suggested that the government shutdown might show the people that they do not need such a big government in their lives. On the contrary, NASAs operations and databases were turned off and no longer accessible, prompting problems for students and researchers needing data that NASA provides. All national parks and monuments were closed to the public. This ruined tourism, prevented weddings scheduled to take place, and lead to further public disapproval. Republican favor dropped considerably during the coming weeks of the shutdown. Both, the media and the public almost entirely criticized the House Republicans. Republicans came out en masse to try to shift blame, but in the end, approval of the president and senate Democrats had not changed significantly, while disapproval of House Republicans reached 74% (according to a poll by ABC/Washington Post on Tuesday October 15th). Through this disorder, approval rating of congress dropped to 5% from its already staggeringly low 10% of approval. The Onion News jested Psychiatrists deeply concerned for 5% of Americans who approve of Congress. For the next 16 days the House called out Obama and Democrats for being unwilling to negotiate and put forward their resolutions with amendments such as delaying the individual mandate of the ACA and removing a medical device tax. Each Resolution that included defunding the ACA or parts of the ACA were voted
Photo Source National Turk, "US Shutdown 2013: Government Shutdown what about stock markets / Economy News.

Christopher Michael Casebeer Intercultural Relations and Behavior 2016, USA

At midnight October 1st, 2013 the United States entered its first partial government shutdown in 17 years that lasted 16 days. That morning, 800,000 government employees deemed non-essential were told they would be on unpaid leave until the government funding lapse ended. Approximately two million essential workers, involved in law enforcement, military, etc., were told they needed to continue showing up to work, but they would receive no pay during the shutdown. Within the first week Congress passed bills that brought about 350,000 of the 800,000 furloughed workers back to work and promised back pay to those remaining on the job without pay. So, why did the shutdown happen? In the US government the House of Representatives and the Senate are designed with the intention of collaborating on laws to govern the nation. One key of their responsibility is to write a bill that sets the budget for each fiscal year. During the August recess, Congressman Mark Meadows (R-North Carolina) wrote a letter to the Republican leadership suggesting they tie the continuing resolution bill that funds the government to overturning the Affordable Care Act (ACA also known as ObamaCare). Citing writings by James Madison he got 79 Republican colleagues to sign on with him. He, along with 40 other lawmakers, began demanding that the ACA be overturned in exchange for passing the government funding bill. Meadowss group was in no way a majority of the Republican Party; in fact according to CNN, Republican leadership was reluctant to adopt his plan. They saw that it could easily lead to a shut down and polls suggested that this shutdown would be blamed on them. Meadows and his supporters belong to the Tea Party. The Tea Party is a relatively new, radically right-wing subdivision of the Republican Party, enjoying very wealthy supporters. The Koch family, one of the major supporters of the Tea Party, along with their political organizations Americans for Prosperity, FreedomWorks, and

down in the Senate. Approximately 20 Republicans came out saying they would vote in favor of a clean continuing resolution if it was brought to a vote. However, John Boehner insisted he would not bring it to a vote because he was sure it would not pass. The American public and members of Congress grew restless as the possibility of defaulting drew nearer. A video posted to YouTube by Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) exposed a rule change that took place on the 30th of September. It amended parliamentary procedure preventing anyone but the majority leader from bringing up a vote on the continuing resolution. Rep. Van Hollen ends his video with his statement Democracy has been suspended. Finally, late Wednesday night Congress passed a compromised bill that funded the government until the end of January and raised the debt ceiling until the beginning of February. In the compromise Senate Democrats agreed to talk with House Republicans about spending cuts and strategies to decrease the deficit and put the US on track towards a balanced budget. After signing the bill, President Obama commented that politicians in DC [N] eed to get out of the habit of governing by crisis. It is estimated that the three weeks the US was shut down cost them approximately $3.1 billion and upwards of 900,000 new jobs, but it is not yet known what the full effects of the shutdown will be for America.

10 Outside the Bubble

At Swords Points
The Korean Peninsula
atory strikes and lead to an all-out war of justice for a final showdown with the United States, reported by Pyongyangs Korean Central News Agency. Now it seems that the Korean peninsula is at swords point. The Chinese have been trying to bring the relevant parties to the negotiation table, and they hope that the Six-party talk will be restarted as soon as possible. However, the South KoreanUnited States joint position is quite unyielding; they refuse to start another round of talks unless North Korea shows its genuine intention of denuclearization. According to the Foreign Ministry of South Korea, the North has been repeating a vicious cycle of provocation negotiation international aide provocation over the issue of denuclearization and attempting to increase its nuclear power. Thus, no talk will be initiated unless North Korea carries out practical measures to reduce its nuclear capacity. In addition, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry recently indicated that if North Korea would guarantee denuclearization, Washington would be ready for dialogue. Ostensibly, tensions on the Korean peninsula could be peacefully resolved if the North agreed to these arrangements. However, underlying issues are much more complicated than envisioned. First, North Korea; or to be more exact, the Kim family, perceives the security of the ruling party as its chief interest, which can only be ensured through military power. The ultimate deterrence power of the army is its nuclear weapons, so as long as such a perception remains, it is unlikely that North Korea will denuclearize. Second, North Korea might have used its nuclear capacity as its bargaining power. Albeit North Koreas threats to attack South Korea and the U.S. have rarely been put into action, the international society (especially the U.S.) is more cautious when dealing with nuclear states. With regards to the concessions made by the U.S. during the Cold War, there are indeed some reasons for North Korea to believe that seizing nuclear power could push its poNyongbyon Nuclear Facility Photo Source. http://news.cnr.cn/gjxw/list/201309/ W020130914104612519343.jpg

Yina Wu International Poltics and History 2014, China

litical agenda forward. Third, although the North Korean government sees denuclearization of the Korean peninsula as an inalterable policy goal, no such removal of nuclear weapons would be guaranteed until a total removal of the U.S. nuclear threat against North Korea is confirmed. This shows that for North Korea, nuclear capacity is not only a bargaining tool but also a means of national defense. This is due to the fact that a physical conflict involving the use of nuclear weapons, as a result of irrational decision making, seems to be the major threat to regional security. The possibility, however, of a nonconventional destructive war is unlikely due to the principle of mutually assured destruction, but a higher probability of nuclear disaster seems to be a much more imminent threat. North Koreas nuclear program is in a relatively early stage, and has been isolated from the international society during the last decades. This raises concerns that the safety procedures for dealing with nuclear facilities would still be in their infancy; and therefore, the potential for nuclear accident is quite high. The South Korean government confirmed that as of August North Korea owns 15 nuclear facilities, most of which are located in Nyongbyon. How to safely maintain these nuclear facilities poses a tremendous challenge to Kim Jong Uns regime, particularly under the circumstances of insufficient knowledge regarding nuclear safety. What is more, this security challenge should also concern the neighboring countries, as they will not be able to escape the catastrophic impact of nuclear disaster.

On October 12th, South Koreas President, Park Geun-Hye, asserted that South Korea cannot accept North Korea as a nuclear state; a response to North Koreas warning of disastrous consequences for the U.S. for moving a group of ships, including an aircraft carrier, into a port in South Korea. She further stated that "North Koreas nuclear weapons development poses a serious threat to peace and stability in the region, especially the Korean peninsula, and she called for further actions against North Korean provocation.

Kim Jong Un and the military leaders. Photo Source www.straitstimes.com

Supporting South Koreas stand, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on October 15th that the U.S. and South Korea have collectively devised a strategy to deter the escalating threat of North Koreas nuclear and chemical weapons program. Meanwhile, Admiral Choi Yoon-hee, Navy Chief of South Korea, expressed the possibility of strengthening military cooperation with Japan and China in order to counter nuclear threats from North Korea. Choi also emphasized that if the possibility of the North utilizing nuclear weapons against South Korea continues, then South Korea would activate the Kill Chain system to strike North Koreas nuclear facilities. At the same time, North Koreas repudiation of the United States-South Korean military drill implies that it would not accept any concession allowing U.S. military presence in the area. "[The United States] must bear it in mind that reckless provocative acts would meet our retali-

Outside the Bubble: Faculty Lounge 11

A Need For An Ethical Foreign Policy

The Syrian Crisis Revisited
and other peaceful means to help protect populations threatened by these crimes. When a state manifestly fails in its protection responsibilities, and peaceful means are inadequate, the international community must take stronger measures, including collective use of force authorized by the Security Council under Chapter VII. Syria has clearly violated its responsibility to protect its citizens but because China and Russia block any initiative in the Security Council, the UN can do little to exercise its responsibility to protect the people of Syria.
Matthijs Bogaards Professor of Political Science

It must have been in the spring of 2011 that I met a former ISS student, Jakob Hensing, back on campus. He had just returned from Damascus, where he had been working for the DAAD. Because it was unsafe to stay there, he was forced to return to Germany. We talked about the situation in Syria and the reaction of the international community and agreed that the worst outcome would be a civil war. And since president Bashar al-Assad was seen at the time as the best guarantor of peace, though an iron-fisted peace, in the country, it seemed unlikely that the West (let alone the Middle East) would actively support his downfall. Two years on we know what happened: Syrias dictator is still in power and the country has plunged into a civil war that has cost already more than 100,000 lives. No solution to the conflict is in sight. How did we get here? The Dutch political commentator Bas Heijne blames the ruthless pursuit of national interests and so-called political realism. We counted on Assad to keep the country together, knowing full well he would do so through violent means, but this strategy failed. Assad is strong enough to stay in power, but not strong enough to put down the rebellion and control the territory. A government victory (as in the Algerian civil war of the early 1990s) or an opposition victory (as in Libya two years ago) would restore a modicum of peace and order, but neither looks likely. That is why everybody looks outside the country for a solution. Because geopolitical interests trumped democracy and human rights in foreign policy towards Syria, we now hear appeals for some kind of humanitarian intervention to end the bloodshed. In 2005 the United Nations (UN) World Summit introduced the responsibility to protect or R2P. It declared that each individual state has the primary responsibility to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing [....] The international community has the responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian

realist. The problem with realism is that it often ends with pleas for humanitarian intervention after things have gone horribly wrong. In contrast, the active support for democracy that characterized most of Western foreign policy in the 1990s has manifestly contributed to democratization around the world and it is very well documented that democracies do not fight each other and are also more peaceful domestically. Robin Cook, a foreign secretary under New Labour in the UK, made an attempt at ethical foreign policy in 1997. He believed that Our foreign policy must have an ethical dimension and must support the demands of other peoples for the democratic rights on which we insist for ourselves. Of course it was always going to be difficult in practice to live up to these lofty aims and when the British prime minister supported the American invasion of Iraq, any illusions about ethical foreign policy were long gone. Indeed, Robin Cook resigned from the cabinet in protest of this decision. Still, the idea that the foreign policy of democracies should be guided by the support of democracy and human rights is intuitive and one that may well be in our best interest. Certainly, as the case of Syria demonstrates, counting on dictators to
Photo Source. http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/syria-s-assad-vows-tocomply-with-un-resolution-1.1872522

China and Russia block any initiative in the Security Council, leaving the UN with little to do in protecting the people of Syria.
When the use of chemical weapons threatened a military reaction by the USA and other Western states, a last-minute diplomatic deal was brokered which yielded the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) the Nobel Prize for peace and gave the Assad regime some respite. What lessons should be drawn? Most importantly, dont count on bad guys to achieve good outcomes. Yes, Assad was a brutal dictator, but at least he kept Syria from exploding, so the argument went. No doubt many observers at the time secretly hoped that Assad would manage to squash what passed for the Arab Spring in Syria quickly and decisively. Cynical? Perhaps, but these people would probably have preferred the label

keep the peace is not only morally wrong, it is bad politics.

12 Outside the Bubble: Faculty Lounge

Beyond the Chinese Harmonious Society

Peter Ludes Professor of Mass Communication

Globalizing Inclusion and Exclusion

al threats to the powerful party and various economic leaders, especially as more corruption scandals will be made public on less controllable blogs. If I may offer a thought experiment: The technical possibilities in developing new software blocking the Great Firewall and challenging internet censorship would open up new opportunities for making public some atrocities of the Chinese repression agencies. At the same time, such developments would enable networking among oppositionist movements. Combined with the increasing awareness of environmental pollution and a relative decline of the growth of GDP per capita (due to, e.g., more senior citizens in the pension age without adequate pension rights), new protests will be expressed in the streets, at educational institutions, and at work places in various major cities. New generations no longer feel the crash down of the Tiananmen Square protest of 1989and at least some members of the military, police, and secret service will be less prepared and inclined to kill peaceful demonstrators. The reluctance towards using physical violence will probably also enhance somewhat due to the widely propagated "harmonious society. The contemporary lack of concrete experiences with violence on a large scale becomes more prevalent, the farther away the political, military, secret service, and police leaders move from the second world war, the cultural revolution, and the repression of the occupation of Tiananmen Square by democratic protestors in 1989. The repeated narrative of the victory against the Japanese aggressor in the Second World War provides another master trend of national Chinese habits, which supports again the feeling of the necessity of being prepared against attacks from any foreign power. Long-term impacts can be memorized and ordered in all societies in different ways for different groups of people according to economic, political, or military challenges or threats. Such collective memories and horizons provide contemporary actors with some background assumptions framing and even shaping highly innovative "networks of outrage and hope, as Manuel Castells has named them.

He loves them all

A Poem
Gustav Geier To Professor Matthijs Bogaards

Globalizing income or wealth elites of the 21st century own residences in many countries, they control multinational corporations and have several passports. As Phillips and Osborne recently claimed on www.projectcensored.org: 1,500 billionaires possess two times as much wealth as the 2.5 billion least wealthy people... The World Bank reports that in 2008, 1.29 billion people were living in extreme poverty, on less than $1.25 a day, and 1.2 billion more were living on less than $2.00 a day. Thirty-five thousand people, mostly young children, die every day from starvation. Yet, human poverty was considerably reduced during the last years. Therefore, we can conclude that so-called globalizing processes are characterized both by the exclusion and the inclusion of billions of people. Focusing here only on the Peoples Republic of China, the most unequal society of Asia, Chinas stability can be threatened by a considerable number of the have-less of a new working-class network society comprised of about 150 million internal migrants, of "more than 30 million laid-off workers, another 100 million or so retirees, and a large number of the 189 million youth between the ages of fifteen and twenty-four, including about 30 million students as well as school dropouts, unemployed and underemployed youth. One can therefore assume that several millions of Chinese citizens are less satisfied than the Pew opinion polls indicate, at least if they are immediate victims of dangerous working conditions, polluted environments, or police beat upsand become more aware of increasing inequality and increasingly visible corruption. There is a reportedly 40,000-strong Internet police force. It uses sophisticated data-mining software that tracks down keywords on social networking sites such as Xiaonei and search engines such as Baidu, along the way issuing warnings to Web hosts to amend or delete content considered unproductive to harmony. Demonstrations and strikes are potenti-

He has not just one, but thirty-six, He loves variety, he loves the mix. One from Finland, one from France, A hug, a kiss or just a dance? From Westminster, there is a beauty model, She loves to love, to blow, to coddle. From New York, there is the clever Barbara, She loves to have fun with him and Mara. All have parties, one, two or more, Honored by (Freedom) HouseParty with top score. You may ask: Who is he? Facebook, pictures, cities? Its Arend Lijphart and his Thirty-Six democracies. His contact details: Arend Lijphart Patterns of Democracy Government Forms and Performance in Thirty-Six Countries. Second Edition. Yale University Press. ISBN: 978-0-300-17202-7 16 Euros

Food for Thought 13

Anti-Semitism and Other Forms of Hatred

Maor Shani Ph.D Fellow BIGSSS, Israel

Criticism of Israel
conspiracies were simply converted to Israel domination theories, and the Jews who control our world are now called Zionists. Recent studies found strong correlations between attitudes toward Israel and manifest anti-Semitism. Studies also found that although not all harsh critics of Israel are anti-Semites, nearly all anti-Semites adopt anti-Israel views. For the least, we can agree that the two are not two completely distinct phenomena. From a socio-psychological perspective, it is not surprising that anti-Semitism is often disguised as criticism of Israel. A large body of research points to the prevalence of subtle forms of racism and prejudice in contemporary societies that sanction overt manifestations of the latter. It is therefore not unlikely that anti-Semitism, which has been throughout the past decades one of the most socially unacceptable forms of racism in the Western world, will be expressed rather indirectly, through hatred of the sovereign entity that represents the Jewish people. On the other hand, surely not all those holding anti-Israel sentiments are implicitly anti-Semites. Harsh criticism of Israel often comes from left-oriented groups, who tend to be oriented toward human and civil rights. Many hold anti-Israel views because they are genuinely concerned about the Palestinians rights and aspirations, and many others embrace the anti-Israel discourse because of nationalistic or religious identification with the Arab or the Muslims world. The psychological motivations behind the anti-Israel discourse are a matter for research and debate but they cannot be used to justify it. Whether hatred of Israel results from hatred of Jews, sympathy with the Palestinians, or self-proclaimed rights orientation, it is illegitimate, and constitutes a contemporary form of bigotry, albeit a sophisticated one. Demonizing Israel and its citizens is not expressing legitimate criticism. Portraying the Jews in Israel as racists, and as people who enjoy the suffering of others, is plain bigotry. International comparative surveys show that Israelis are neither more nor less racist than many other Western Democracies, and Israel is actually a world

leader in implementing multicultural and peace education. It is illegitimate to reject the right of the Jewish people to be sovereign in its homeland, and the right of Israel to define itself as a nation state like most countries in the world. All nations are artificial creations, yet too often it is only the Jews who are bullied into giving up their national rights. It is illegitimate to blame the Israeli military for committing war crimes or genocide against the Palestinians, when no country in history has done more to safeguard civilians during war (and indeed, the Israel military has the lowest ratio of civilian to militant casualties among armies that have engaged in warfare against militants who operate from within civilian territories). It is illegitimate to call a liberal democracy, currently ranked #16 in the UNs Human Development Index (below Denmark, above Belgium), the only country in the Middle East whose Arab citizens (1.5 million) enjoy full democratic rights and prosperity, an Apartheid State. And it is definitely illegitimate to call for a boycott against, and only against, Israel and Israelis. Not only that you are not likely to survive long with a real boycott of every product made in Israel (would you get rid of your cellphone or laptop?), such a boycott is a manifestation of hatred and double standard. Israel is not perfect, but it is a liberal democracy, and it is facing real and substantial threat to its security and existence. Its people deserve a fair, balanced, undistorted, and particularly hate-free discussion. Bigotry and hatred are wrong, whether they are based on ones religion or nationality, and whether they utilize old stereotypes or newly adapted ones. Criticize Israel if you wish but dont be tempted to ignore the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and dont adopt radical views just because they are politically fashionable in some circles. This is not only the right thing to do, it will also be more likely to facilitate real peace and reconciliation in the Middle East. It will certainly be more beneficial than hatred and extremism. We already have enough of those over there.

A commonly heard statement among critics of Israel and its policies is: Whenever we criticize Israel, we are always blamed for being anti-Semites, but criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitism. In political and public spheres, the term anti-Semitism (referring to hatred against Jews, not against Semites) is too often used as a political weapon in both relevant camps: the proIsraelis accuse Israels critics of anti-Semitism to silence the debate or to avoid dealing with their arguments, while the anti-Israelis attempt to clear themselves from hate speech by repeatedly stating that they are not anti-Semitic, but only against Israel. It certainly would be ridiculous to claim that every criticism of Israel results from anti-Jewish sentiments. Many Israeli citizens who criticize various policies of their democratically-elected government are not anti-Semites. The assertions that Israel should stop building settlements in the West Bank, allow the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, and do more for peace, are not anti-Semitic. They are actually the official and stated position of the United States and the European Union, of many political parties in Israel, and I personally share this criticism. But too often, criticism of Israel goes way beyond the rejection of specific policies, and is relentlessly expressed through a radical discourse that delegitimizes the Jewish state, demonizes its military and society, and demonstrates double standards in judgment. This discourse has penetrated the mainstream in recent years, and is socially tolerated if only because we all have gotten used to hearing it from many obsessed groups and activists whenever the issue of Israel arises. Do such strong anti-Israel sentiments reflect anti-Semitic views? This question deserves a thorough research, which unfortunately is still in its infancy. On the one hand, there are many reasons to suspect that they do so indeed. At the discourse level, anti-Israel arguments sound much like classic anti-Semitic arguments, only with the word Jews replaced with Israel or Zionism, the national movement of the Jewish people. The Jewish domination

14 A Picture Says More Than a Thousand Words

BY JINQIAN LI

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