Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army is said to have advanced in front of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. However, it is also said that the Ukrainian defense is unexpectedly strong.
In this battle, 200 Ukrainian soldiers were killed, 2,800 Russian soldiers were killed, and 7 helicopters, 10 Russian tanks, 80 armored vehicles, and 516 fighter jets were destroyed. Negotiations are also said to continue.
Ukraine was a country with nuclear weapons, but in return for the abolition of nuclear weapons, it signed a peace agreement with Russia to receive security and economic support. However, after Ukraine scrapped its nuclear weapons, Russia invaded the Ukrainian territory of Crimea and merged it with Russia.
As a result, Ukraine sought to join NATO as a safeguard against Russian threats, but the recent Ukraine crisis occurred while it was unable to join NATO due to Russian interference.
The Ukrainian crisis uncovered the uncomfortable truth that without strong military power, peace agreements were nothing more than paper. Ukraine abolished nuclear weapons without a more definite national defense safeguard before it scrapped nuclear weapons, and in a harsh international order, there could always be variables like what Ukraine is experiencing today.
“There is a possibility that Russia will invade Ukraine on February 16,” U.S. President Joe Biden mentioned at a video conference with European leaders on February 11, 2022. Stock indexes in major countries, including the U.S., fluctuated significantly, and oil prices easily exceeded $90 a barrel. International security and the global economy, which began to falter last year, are in a difficult situation to predict a day ahead. The global village, which has already suffered from the third year of the COVID-19 incident, is watching with anxiety when Russia will invade Ukraine. It is time to think about and prepare for the essence of this situation, what causes the situation to develop urgently as it is now, how the situation will develop in the future, and what the Republic of Korea’s countermeasures will be.
The border between Russia and Ukraine is now in a flash. It is true that 130,000 Russian troops were deployed near the Ukrainian border. Russia is showing that it is ready to go into practice at any time during joint training with the Belarusian army, the closest of the former Soviet Union members. At the same time, however, Russian President Vladimir Putin makes it clear that he has no intention of invading Ukraine.
The U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states only provided Ukraine with the latest military equipment but did not send troops to Ukraine. The UK, Canada, Germany, and the United States have each dispatched about 1,000 troops to the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and Poland, respectively. President Biden is only sending a strong message that he will impose severe sanctions and isolate Russia if Russia invades Ukraine.
The Ukrainian government is complaining that the U.S. side is overly suggesting a possible war. Meanwhile, Ukrainian citizens flock back to Euromaidan Square in the capital Kyiv to show off their willingness to fight. It seems unlikely that Russia will invade Ukraine soon. Neither Russia nor NATO nor Ukraine are poised to enter a heated battle in a real sense. The war between Russia and NATO could be the starting point for triggering a nuclear war that is hard to guess the end. Russia’s core intention is only to stop NATO’s eastward policy in Ukraine. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, former socialist countries that longed for liberal democracy and market economy have competitively joined the EU and NATO. The EU or NATO has continued to sign up for Eastern European countries with qualifications. As a result, Russia can no longer watch the situation in which Ukraine and Georgia, which can deal fatal damage to security, join NATO and have NATO forces just around the corner.
Behind it is the historical trauma of Russia. From Kievan Rus, a medieval country, to the early Soviet Union, which was born after the Romanov dynasty and the communist revolution, Russia has persistently survived the invasion of Genghis Khan’s Mongolia, Ottoman Turk, France, Poland, Lithuania, and Sweden. When World War II broke out, the Soviet Union was invaded by Adolf Hitler, killing as many as 25 million people.
In June 1941, the German army launched a war between poison and cattle and attacked the Russian Empire in three directions: northern, central, and southern. The German army quickly violated the Soviet Union with a surprise war that marched 100 kilometers a day via Ukraine. The German army blocked Leningrad (currently Saint Petersburg) for 900 days, and millions of Russians died in the aftermath. Two million people were killed during the seven-month Battle of Stalingrad (currently Volgograd).
Russia is not the Soviet Union. Instead of the planned economy of the communist regime, the market economy has now taken root. Russian young people, like the United States and European countries, want to think practically and engage in normal trade and investment activities. However, politicians in the U.S. and European countries still treat it as a strange country, so Russians complain a lot. Russians’ pride is hurt because they are treated as relatively underdeveloped countries under the shadow of China’s high-speed growth.
Will Russia and European countries continue to confront the new Cold War structure in the future? Russia and Western European countries have invested in pipelines since 1968. European countries are currently receiving crude oil and natural gas from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan through more than 10 different routes. Western European countries and Russian and Central Asian countries are benefiting considerably from this process. This is why compromise and cooperation between Russia and European countries should be possible and sustainable. In addition, Russia is the EU’s top three importers. Diplomatic efforts to stabilize Europe are urgently needed to revitalize the European economy devastated by COVID-19.
Active dialogue and diplomatic moves are expected to continue between the U.S., NATO member states, and Ukraine in the coming months. French President Macron and new German Prime Minister Olaf Scholtz visited Russia and Ukraine to mediate ahead of the presidential election in April. Russians who have suffered a lot of bitter wars often say, “Peace is worth more than any legitimate fight.” It seems unwise for Russia, which has been preparing for the opening of the Arctic era, to trigger war in Europe again.
Today, the world is in great chaos and confusion. The US army and Afghanistan lost the war against the Taliban. There are currently terrible situations in which several Afghans are beheaded by the Taliban.
The United States, Afghanistan, and the Taliban – US Army (external forces infiltrating Afghanistan) – Afghanistan government forces (weak government with the United States on its back) – Taliban (powerful rebels targeting Afghanistan)
In fact, it was the war structure of the above three. The U.S. and Afghanistan government forces were on the same side against the powerful Taliban.
When the territory fell to one side, both the U.S. military and the Taliban tried to annihilate the enemy by putting guns into the heads of citizens and asking for the hidden location of the other enemy. Why did they do this?
Due to the nature of the country’s topography, it was a guerrilla war in steep mountainous areas, so they hid and engaged in a war of consumption, and the testimony of citizens was intelligence and affected practical operations. Therefore, those living in the war zone were forced to become traitors in order to live.
Furthermore, Afghanistan was severely corrupt, and the Taliban committed slaughter, so the people had no one to trust anywhere. Fate was disastrous on the day either side prevailed. The people of Afghanistan had no choice but to stick to the US side like bats and then to stick to the Taliban side due to the ever-changing territorial disputes.
What about the Afghanistan army?
You may wonder what the Afghanistan government forces were doing before this situation, but Afghanistan has lived in tribal units for a long time due to its steep terrain.
When it comes to tribal units, only communities gather and do something. In other words, it did not fit with the national army, and for that reason, even though it had the name of a government army, it had no choice but to become a disorder.
This is why the nation’s army had no choice but to live a sad life in which the people had to keep their own lives without a place to rely on.
Summary of the Taliban Afghanistan War The longest war in U.S. history is said to be Afghanistan vs. U.S. military war. It has lasted for as long as 20 years from September 11, 2001.
From the 9.11 terrorist attack, the story gets longer, so let’s summarize what happened during President Obama to the present.
Obama Administration
Perhaps when President Obama was in power, the United States may have had a perfect victory. Because they beat Afgan and trampled on most of the Taliban. In particular, Osama bin Raden, whose existence alone caused fear, died.
All the main culprits of the 911 terrorist must have purged. President Obama declared that he would withdraw all of the United States in Afghanistan. However, at the end of the withdrawal, about 9,000 U.S. troops are left, for some reason, the withdrawal is suddenly put on hold.
When this happens, it becomes a very ambiguous situation, not like withdrawing or not. Thanks to this, the hidden Taliban took advantage of the opportunity to rebuild its power.
Trump Administration
However, as President Trump took the office, it changed immediately. In short, it became a flood. Far from withdrawing, they sent all the soldiers again and gathered all the shells called shells on the drones on the missiles, turning the Taliban into a field of mugwort.
They also tried to root out the Taliban by removing all the leaders of the Taliban through the air force bombing and exploding the Taliban’s money-line drug warehouse.
Then, around 2018, the Taliban responded. When they suffered too much damage, they offered to reconcile with the United States. However, in response, President Trump bombarded more strongly.
Meanwhile, the war expanded further as ISIS, which was active in neighboring Syria, took the side of the Taliban and participated, which made Afghanistan’s land a mess.
At a time when the powerful firepower of the U.S. military seemed to calm the Taliban, President Trump suddenly signed a memorandum of reconciliation with the Taliban at the end of his term in 2020. The contents of the memorandum are roughly like this.
The Taliban agrees not to break ties with Al-Qaida and attack the U.S. military. Whatever happens within the border of Afghanistan, the Taliban and the U.S. military will pursue positive relations. The United States withdraws all soldiers from Afghanistan.
But what’s even more strange about this reconciliation is that the Afghanistan government was not there. Perhaps the national power was so weak that both places were ignored.
Like this, President Trump also began to withdraw US troops at ambiguous times like President Obama.
And after signing reconciliation, no matter what terrorism occurred in Afghanistan, the United States acted passively, and supported government forces, but only provided minimal support.
Biden Administration
After President Biden took power through Obama and Trump, he now pays attention to Afghanistan. President Biden declares that he will withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021.
Later, when Afghanistan and the Taliban fight, similar to the former presidents, the U.S. military will be very passive, only supporting aircraft or drones.
Thanks to this, the Taliban’s military power grew rapidly. As a result, the Taliban began to take control of Afghanistan at a very rapid pace.
The Taliban’s conquest of Afghanistan
The Taliban took over Afghanistan very quickly and intensified. It took down a city in about two to three weeks. In this situation, Afghan government forces proposed to share power, but the Taliban could not accept it.
As a result, Afghanistan said it would fight hard, but it had no time to deal with the collapse of the country in an instant. Eventually, the president said he would “transfer the regime” and fled to neighboring Tajikistan to disappear.
In 2021, the Taliban’s victory in the U.S.-Afghanistan war shocked the world. It has become the only country that has won both the superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union. As a result, people were curious about what the Taliban was.
What is Taliban?
In 2007, there was an incident in which two people were killed in the “Taliban” kidnapping of Koreans. Even though the Korean government warned against the travel restraint, the missionaries ignored it, left for missionary work, and were kidnapped. South Korea even prepared to deploy special forces, but stopped when diplomatic negotiations were concluded, and there was a rumor that it unofficially paid billions of won in taxes.
The Taliban cruelly executed the two missionaries in the above case. The Taliban group exhibits extreme discrimination, rejects foreign cultures, and shows a tendency to brutally suppress women. Moreover, it is an organization that has been criticized internationally for destroying even world-class cultural heritages. Taliban means “student”–but why are the students so cruel? They study conservative fundamentalism, interpret Islamic law according to their perspective, and apply it strictly. When a country is covered with extreme conservatism, extreme cruelty and confusion will follow.
Understanding the Taliban in Afghanistan
The origin of the Afghan Taliban began in the 1980s at the Afghan refugee camp in northern Pakistan. In the 1980s, when Russia invaded, resistance groups also avoided refugee camps. They worked like vigilante groups with the support of the “Pashtun” people in the south, and gradually developed their influence. Pakistan’s support also played a part in this.
They started their activities with the Pashtun Movement. It has the character of a group that spreads Islamic hard-line ideas. The Afghan government forces were so corrupt that they seemed to be rather dignified and fair to the people. In fact, they promoted road construction and regional development for commercial development.
There are two reasons why they were supported. First, Afghanistan is a religious-community country. Second, it was the only alternative to foreign power. Due to these reasons, the Pashtun was supported by the Afghans despite of its cruel behavior. It is cruel to the weak, children, and women who are the same people, but because it is a patriarchal society, it is only perceived as a bit radical by Muslims.
However, the Talian believes that men should wear beards and women should wear burqas. Also, commercial movies and music are prohibited, and women over the age of 10 should not go to school or outside. If a woman walks around with her face out, she can be stoned to death, and criminals such as thieves can be amputated or killed.
US-Afghan War and the Taliban.
By 1996, they had taken control of the whole country except for some northern regions. However, in 2001, a decisive event occurred. The 911-terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 took place. After terrorists bought by “Osama bin Laden” hijacked the plane, they collided with the “World Trade Center” on the 110th floor, leaving tremendous damage.
The United States has started to punish them. The United States claimed that the Taliban was protecting him and asked him to come out, but the Taliban refused. In fact, bin Laden was the head of an armed terrorist organization, Al-Qaida. However, Islamic terrorist groups recognized him as a common hero, so he didn’t give it up until the end. Then, the United States invaded Afghanistan.
The early US-Afghanistan war was, of course, a one-sided victory for the United States. After the U.S. occupied Afghanistan, a government was established that united the Tajik, Uzbek, and Hajara, who were oppressed by the Taliban. As a result, it succeeded in extracting the Taliban regime, but resistance groups fled to Pakistan and others, so the war did not end immediately. However, the United States began to neglect in Afghanistan as it started the “Iraq War.” Moreover, the Taliban set up a shelter in the Pashtun camp in northern Pakistan, crossed the Afghan border, fought guerrilla wars, and then went back. The place, which consists of deserts, high mountains, and forests, was suitable for guerrilla warfare.
Comparison between Afghan army and Talibanarmy
In fact, the Taliban’s weapons and combat power were not very high. However, there were weapons supported by the United States when fighting the Soviet Union in the past. Moreover, soldiers surrendered and brought weapons, and they have been fighting long-term with weapons stolen by attacking U.S. transport helicopters. They also attracted funds with the help of rebels.
The United States trained and gave weapons to the pro-American regime. The number of Afghan government troops was 300,000, far ahead of the Taliban’s 70,000. Moreover, Afghan military power had air force that the Taliban did not have at all (helicopters), and heavy-armed weapons were overwhelming. Afghanistan’s military power ranks 40th in the world. However, the real problem was the Afghan government.
The Afghanistan government was corrupt, and it was as if it had used government forces at an unpaid level. Naturally, the government forces began to move toward the Taliban, which paid quite highly. The U.S. has poured $100 trillion in subsidies, but the money has been evaporated into thin air, and the actual number of government troops has fallen to only one-sixth of the registered number.
Eventually, the United States, which signed a peace agreement in August 2021, withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban took control of the country. When the U.S. escaped, government troops gave up the battle and surrendered immediately, so the Taliban captured the capital “Kabul” in half of the expected period. Finally, the 20-year U.S.-Talibans war returned to the Taliban’s victory.
As for my summer project at the end of my junior year, I’ve had the privilege to participate in the Seoul Museum’s Internship Program. The program provides high school students with insights into how a museum works in general. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program is carried out virtually through Zoom meetings.
The program began with an introduction to many jobs and careers at the museum including a museum’s curator, education department, investigation department, artifact management department, exhibition department, and preservation department. During the program, students are asked to plan an exhibition for a given topic that relates to the history of Seoul.
The theme of the program was: the Enlightenment Period of Korea in Seoul. Before the Japanese Occupation of Korea between 1910 and 1945, Korea pursued an open policy to allow foreign culture and influence to enter the nation in order to make a step towards a pre-globalized world at the time. At the centre was the town Jeongdong. It is an historical area with Deoksu Palace from the Joseon Dynasty and some of Korea’s first modern schools and churches.
Source: Deoksu PalaceMuseum in Jeongdong
For my research theme, I chose three different aspects of Jeongdong along its time line. Initially, Jeongdong was the site of many foreign embassies. This led to the period of establishment of schools (not only for boys but also girls), hospitals, and churches with the help of many missionaries. It flourished and embodied the foreign culture until the beginning of the Japanese Occupation of Korea.
I am currently working on the my project by conducting thorough research. I will be uploading updates of my project regularly so that I can share this meaningful experience with you. Thank you.
In building an argument for the role of the Fourth Estate in Democratic World, developing the historical contexts for both the Seoul Spring and the Arab Spring was a crucial part of my research. Here are some history of the two springs:
The Seoul spring started on 26 October 1979 and ended on 17 May 1980. This spring is historically significant as it facilitated the democratization of South Korea by enhancing the participation of the citizens in governance. The struggle for democracy had an impact on the form of governance and brought robust changes such as the freedom of the media through, unfortunately, violent political changes. President Park Chung Hee, who governed South Korea from 1963 to 1979, was assassinated on 26th October 1979 by Kim Jae Kyu, his chief security, during a dinner in the presidential compound. At the time of his assassination, the president had exercised an immense dictatorial power in South Korea for 18 years. In his election campaign, he had spent about 10 percent of the national budget, afterwards establishing the Yushin Constitution in 1972 to safeguard his perpetual dictatorial regime. After his assassination, many citizens expected the emergence of democracy across the nation with a newly-elected president. However, there were attempts by the National Conference for Unification to Nominate Choi Kyu Hah to be the next President after the death of Park. His nomination was a sign of new leadership and was contrary to the Public’s expectations, who wanted the president to be elected by the people.
The election of a president—as a result of a conference meeting and without the people’s votes—still showed inadequate democratic participation in the society. Through the aid of public interest groups, the citizens formed political gatherings through disguised weddings to plan on how they could strategize on protesting for democracy of the country. However, political gatherings had been illegalized during the period, implying the lack of democracy as an evidence. The martial law ordered the arrest of over 140 people who participated in the instigation of demonstrations which also indicated a lack of freedom of expression, further increasing cases of political unrest. Among the 140 people who were arrested, 14 were led to the security command of the defense. A series of demonstrations at the Seoul Station took place, staged by the public in protest of the government’s dictatorship.
The Arab Spring, in its contextual state, turned out to be a series of protests that were pro-democratic which took place in Tunisia. In due time, as the need for a ruling government that upholds democracy and the rule of the people, by the people and for the people increased around the world, the protest spread to adjacent Arab nations. The main significance of the protests was their ability to transform the leadership of many nations from an authoritarian government to a democratic leadership. The protests took place in the North African and the Middle East regions between 2010 and 2011. As highlighted by Allagui and Johanne, the main contributory factor to this Arab Spring was the Arabic nations who were undergoing severe authoritarian oppression. In these nations, public views were not presented adequately, and the lack of consideration of human rights and privileges were prevalent due to the dictatorial governments. Their citizens were not accorded with the basic rights and freedoms, such as their freedom of speech. Additionally, their political views were not put into consideration.
The first demonstration took place in December 2010, in the central part of Tunisia. The main catalyst was the “self-immolation” of Mohamed Bouazizi which led to the protests and violence against the oppression of the public and reformation of the leadership that began to spread throughout Tunisia. The attempts of the Tunisian government to end the unrest proved to be futile. The protest further advanced into an intense movement, and the incumbent President, Zine el-Abidine, was forced to relinquish the presidency as a result of the piling pressures from the people, followed by a free election in the nation that led Tunisia to elect the former Prime Minister as the President in 2011. This move ushered in a new form of leadership that actually considered the opinion of the public in its governance process. The political changes that were undertaken after these protests tend to be the shifting of the authoritarian era to a democratic one.
The spring further extended to Egypt, where, in late January 2011, a massive breakout of protests was witnessed, and the government had found itself having limited efforts in curbing the protests. The Egyptian army vehemently refused to use force and brutal measures against the protesters, forcing President Hosni Mubarak to step down. By stepping down, there was an indication that the government is failing to settle the disputes that had surged among the citizens. This move was a major motivation to other Arab nations such as Syria, Libya, Bahrain, and Yemen who later settled to starting their mass protest movements. The major reason and driving force of the protests were the abuse of power by the government to suppress the rights, privileges, and freedoms of their people. Other factors that led to the rise of these protests include the authoritarian form of leadership, a high rate of unemployment, and increased economic downfall.
Alimi, E. Y. 2007. Israeli Politics and the First Palestinian Intifada: Political Opportunities, Framing Processes, and Contentious Politics. New York: Taylor & Francis
Allagui, Ilhem, and Johanne Kuebler. “The Arab Spring and the role of ICTs| introduction.” International Journal of Communication 5 (2011): 8.
Anderson, L. 2011. “Demystifying the Arab Spring.” Foreign Affairs 90 (3): 2–7.
Brehe, Matthew. “The South Korean Kwangju Uprising Of 1980: Through The Eyes Of The American Media.” Ph.D. diss., 2007.
Christopher and Alexandra Dunn. “The Arab Spring| Digital media in the Egyptian revolution: Descriptive analysis from the Tahrir data set.” International Journal of Communication 5 (2011): 25.
Cohen, Noam (20th February 2011). “Egyptians Were Unplugged, and Uncowed.” nytimes.com/.7 May 2015. Carey, J., 2002. “Media Use during a Crisis.” Prometheus 20 (3): 201–207.Google Scholar | Crossre
Days of Anger: The Egyptian People’s Revolution for Bread, Freedom, and Human Dignity”. tavaana.org/. Retrieved 17th May 2015.
Harlow, Summer (2013). “It Was a “Facebook Revolution”: Exploring the Meme-Like Spread of Narratives During the Egyptian Protests.” Revista De Communication. 12: 59–82.
He, B., Warren, M. E., 2011. “Authoritarian Deliberation: The Deliberative Turn in Chinese Political Development.” Perspectives on Politics 9 (2): 269–89.Google Scholar | Crossre | ISI
Jump up to a b c d e f Stepanova, Ekaterina (May 2011). “The Role of Information Communication Technologies in the “Arab Spring” (PDF). pircenter.org/. Retrieved 17th May 2015.
Nadje. Al-Ali, “Gendering the Arab spring.” Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication 5, no. 1 (2012): 26-31.[19] Sohail, Dahdal, “Social media and the Arab Spring.” In Conference for E-Democracy and Open Government, p. 219. 2012.
In the Seoul and the Arab Spring, media censorship and oppression practices prevailed significantly, blocking every step of the media’s attempt to uncover and inform the public of unjust acts perpetrated by the governments. These media-silencing efforts had served to benefit the few people in the society at the expense of the larger population. Majority of the citizens who were staging protests against the government were largely affected by such media censorship move. In its nature, the Arab Spring majorly constituted the anti-government protests that were staged in 2010 in the Arabic countries around the world. Majority of these countries overthrew their presidents as a result of violating the most basic fundamental human rights along with escalation of corruption, economic frailty, increased unemployment rates, and increase in the poverty rates. The protests, thus, served to advocate for a leadership that was both transformative and developmental.
The Seoul Spring, which took place between October 1979 and May 1980, consisted of a series of protests and demonstrations in large parts of South Korea. There were a large number of people who were arrested and detained as a result of the protests, which later further fueled anger among the public [4]. On 18th May 1980, the protests were brought to an abrupt end after the Gwangju massacre despite the unresolved issues that initially sparked the conflicts. A series of media censorship and abuse that made attempts to suppress any leakage of the unearthed truth still lay prevalent in the two springs. The common factor that is most noticeable between the two springs was the series of protests for the common resentments of the poor living standards as well as the oppression of the government.
Despite the fact that both the Arab world and Korea suffered the loss of lives vehemently, people had helped in facilitating their societal reconstruction into a more democratic and just society by protesting against the elites within their respective societies and calling for a radical change in the ruling regime. The main issue of media suppression and oppression during the springs was due to the widespread propaganda by the people in power for their selfish benefits. Apart from the corruption in the government that was widely evident, some individuals were taking advantage of the chaos and confusion in the uprising period for their selfish gains. Others who were confronted by the citizens made tireless efforts in ensuring that the media does not expose the injustices perpetrated by the government. Nonetheless, the silencing of the media was mirrored the lack of justice in the society and, hence, the lack of representation of the public in the formulation of policies and democratic participation of the citizens, which, in turn, sparked the widespread protests and uprisings to fight for change.
Media bodies are capable of conducting an assessment of the society’s well-being with regards to the citizens’ level of democratization and freedom. The media channels, such as the books, news and other forms of art, took a great step in exposing the harsh realities of various events during the Arab-world and Korean uprisings. As such, it is vital to ensure that there is guaranteed access to media channels that can clarify and reshape the future of any particular community in a just manner. To secure the transparency and the accountability of the society, any form of media oppression must be identified and eradicated. Any events that happen in the society ought to be exposed publicly for a better-informed population. The main advantage of this move is to enhance a strict adherence of the law and embrace human rights as many citizens will become more aware of any motives or moves made by the government that poses imminent danger to them. In many quarters of human societies, media oppression and censorship form a critical issue that calls for frequent checks and well-adjusted balance to ensure the guaranteed freedom of the press.
References:
Aday, Sean, Henry Farrell, Marc Lynch, John Sides, and DeenFreelon. “Blogs and Bullets II: New Media and Conflict after the Arab Spring.” Peaceworks: United States
Almond, G. A., Powell, G. B., Karre Strom, K., Dalton, R. J., 2000. Comparative Politics Today: A World Review. New York: Longman
Associated Foreign Press. “Social Media, Cellphone Video Fuel Arab Protests.” The Independent. 27th February 2011.
Bimber, B., Flanagin, A. J., Stohl, C. 2012. review Action in Organizations: Interaction and Engagement in an Era of Technological Change. New York: Cambridge University Press
Casilli, Antonio A., and Paola Tubaro. “Social media censorship in times of political unrest-A social simulation experiment with the UK riots.” Bulletin of Sociological Methodology/Bulletin de Méthodologie Sociologique 115, no. 1 (2012): 5-20
Ginsberg, J., Mohebbi, M. H., Patel, R. S., Brammer, L., Smolinski, M. S., Brilliant, L. 2009. “Detecting Influenza Epidemics Using Search Engine Query Data.” Nature 457:1012–14
Scott-Stokes, Henry, Lily Xiao Hong Lee, and Jai-eui Lee. The Kwangju uprising: eyewitness press accounts of Korea’s Tiananmen. ME Sharpe, 2000.
Amidst the rise of authoritarian politics across the globe today, there are two key examples we can look to understand how the people can fight authoritarianism, even when the structures of check and balance fail them. The Arab and Seoul Springs serve as prime examples of how the people managed to fight authoritarian regimes even when the odds were heavily stacked against them. The common theme in both the Arab Springs and the Seoul Spring is the role of the fourth estate.
In both the Arab Springs and the Seoul Spring, authoritarian regimes heavily utilized media suppression and censorship in an attempt to curtail mass protests and dissuade political dissent. This type of political landscape is especially relevant in today’s political landscape as we are seeing a rise of political figures spread fake information to hamper the people’s ability to access legitimate information and disarm their ability to enact political change. In this regard, it is critical to reexamine the ways in which burgeoning democratic movements within authoritarian regimes were able to overcome the challenges of media suppression and censorship.
This post will explore the significance of the fourth estate as the bastion of democracy and political integrity, analyzing the historical contexts of the Arab and Seoul Spring to understand how traditional media houses attempted to act as the voice of the people and evolved to circumvent the widespread governmental media suppression. Lastly, it will also explore the ways in which the fourth estate must evolve today to better combat the mass spread of fake information and rise of authoritarian figures in global politics.
As a project entry to the 2021 National History Day, I produced a documentary film on the role of broadcasting system that impacted the communication that enabled reunions of many dispersed families across South Korea as well as between North and South Korea. Based on the theme of 2021 NHD, “Communication in History: The Key to Understanding,” I found the historical event of the reunions of families who were separated during the Korean War between 1950 to 1953, to be a great example of how the media, broadcasting system in this particular case, facilitated communication between people across the country as well as between two divided countries.
This project will shed light on the perfect storm of the Korean Diaspora and its aftermath, which tremendously shocked the global world. Through the Korean Broadcasting System, the media was able to pervasively connect innumerable reunification among war orphans and parted families who were in a great quandary. Thus, the communication has brought great sanguine amidst bleak times. Resembling modern Social Networking Service, the 1980’s technological platform had entailed the development of humanity and other parallel serendipity around the globe. Registered as World Heritage by UNESCO, the director of this documentary will articulate and extract the communication process that is the key to understanding.
My experience in producing the documentary was absolute one of the best as I was inspired by my great-grandmother. My late great-grandmother used to tell a story about her two lost sons who got separated from her during the evacuation to Seosan in 1950. Unable to reunite with her sons, she reflected the sensitivity and emotional nature of separation of family members among those affected. To express my sorrow and gratitude to my late great-grandmother, my project documents the effectiveness of media communication in reuniting separated families in Korea during the 1980s’, highlighting the critical role of communication in conflict resolution integrated with global peace and humanity.
Source: Author’s documentary film
My research for the project comprised a variety of primary and secondary data collection methods. For the primary data, I reached out to persons of interest through E-mail and held Zoom meetings. In Particular, I was able to have an interview with Mark Litke, the former ABC foreign correspondent who broadcasted from Seoul in 1983 and Jiyeon Lee, the former MC of the show. I also made telephone calls to the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) and enquired about their 1983 show: Finding Dispersed Families. Indeed, a significant proportion of information for the research was gathered through the internet. This involved viewing original videotape recordings from the KBS show Finding Dispersed Families as well as photographs of family reunions commissioned and archived by KBS.
The four-month airing of the show Finding Dispersed Families by KBS had major impacts across the Korean region as well as globally. My historical argument is that a single television program had a widespread and significant positive impact on Korean people’s lives. The program epitomized humanity and hope having succeeded in bringing together family members separated due to conflict that ravaged the Korean peninsula during the 1950’s. The reunion of separated family members was further challenged due to lack of modern telecommunication technologies such as those in existence currently. However, KBS’s use of television broadcast to run the program facilitated the reach of thousands of Koreans leading to their reunion. The story is a testament of the vitality of media communication and the profound nature of family ties.
The topic of my project highlights how a single television program changed the lives of thousands of individuals affected by the prolonged Korean conflict. The emotional reactions elicited during the reunions and documented in the show highlighted the role of television as a communication tool. Similarly, the impact of KBS’s show was critical in instigating a shift in ideology towards a closer focus on the importance of television programming. The television show served as a communication channel for thousands of Korean people who had not seen their kin for decades. The show illustrated how the power of broadcasting can be harnessed to ensure humanity through programming that is relevant to the needs of the viewers.
Source: Author’s documentary film
Upon the deliberation of the results on the international round the NHD, I will upload my documentary and share my amazing result with you.
Black History Month is a federally accepted month of celebrating the achievements and contributions of the African Americans to the present-day US-History and the larger civilization. This year’s celebrations seek to pay tribute to many African American families that struggled sweat and blood to attain full American citizenship and the general Black experience. However, it happens under difficult circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic and the late 2020 protests against racial injustices witnessed.
The idea of celebrating Black History was first founded and introduced in 1915 by Carter G. Woodson. Woodson believed in the fact that truth had the power to uphold reason in prevailing over prejudice. The organization to foster this move was founded by Woodson and is currently known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASLAH). Being a son to the just freed Virginia slave, he worked hard and managed to join Harvard where he graduated with a doctorate. He was worried about the ignorance of the African American families on the great achievements of those that came before them. Woodson thus started a week of celebrations in 1926, which has been upheld up to date. The month of February was chosen because it encompasses birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln.
The ASLAH website clearly shows that this event has had Black history incorporated into clubs and that teachers have managed to include Black History into the curriculum. The event was commemorated for one week until 1976 when President Gerald R. Ford made a pronouncement that the event is celebrated month-long. Since then, the event has been celebrated over February of course with many other presidential pronouncements by the subsequent presidents.
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![Feature] We saw helicopters firing in Gwangju: US missionary](http://res.heraldm.com/phpwas/restmb_idxmake_amp.php?idx=680&simg=%2Fcontent%2Fimage%2F2019%2F05%2F15%2F20190515000854_0.jpg)
Ryan’s Story of History 
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