Homework/Forum Response

Respond to Discussion minimum 150 Words

This week are tasked to focus on how enhanced communication to allow for the growth of civil and uncivil networks of organizations. For this forum I will compare the two and try to list the pros and cons of both.

The first organization that I will focus on is a "civil" network organization called the, "The Global Campaign for Education." This organization better known as (GCE), is a  civil society movement working to end the global education crisis. According to their website, their mission is: "to make sure that States act now to deliver the right of everyone to a free, quality public education." I find that their wording of their mission to, "act now" is an interesting one because it is stressing the urgency of access to education to areas that would not normally have it. They also go on to say that their membership is "comprised of a huge variety of national, regional and international civil society organizations, teachers’ unions and child rights campaigners. Together, we hold governments to account for their promises repeatedly made to provide Education for All." This organization points out that although their movement is growing and has helped at least 40 million children get an education, it also says that there are close to a billion people that have been denied access to an education. The GCE states that they campaign throughout the year, (including Internet campaigns) to put pressure on all sectors and holding governments and international institutions to account.

The "uncivil" network or, Transnational organized crime organization that I am going to focus on is the,"Yamaguchi Guchi" or better known as the Japanese Yakuza. They are the equivalent to the American Mafia and acquire more money from drug trafficking than any other source. They are very dangerous because you rarely hear about their crimes or even think of them, when you think of drug trafficking. They are highly organized and they go back hundreds of years. They are also very secretive and have a strict code of honor. Although the Japanese government has recently been trying to crack down on the Yakuza, it has been hard for them to tie the crimes to any one part of the Yakuza. With Japan being one of the most technologically advanced countries on the planet, it is easy for them to use enhanced communication to keep their illegal operations afloat and hard to trace.

Both of these organizations are not supposedly backed  or influenced by the government or NGO's but, I am sure that they use their resources to influence their causes, whether for good or for bad.

Marquita

http://www.campaignforeducation.org/en/about-us

http://fortune.com/2014/09/14/biggest-organized-crime-groups-in-the-world/

 -Marquita

Respond to Discussion minimum 150 Words

Evidently, the Internet is hands-down the most reliable means of communication. Whether its for just, or unjust purposes, civil, or uncivil purposes; we are starting to see more patterns of people using the Internet, as means of sharing their views. Although the Internet is rich in content (obviously being a hub for information), if used with ill intent, can also provide a sickening array of malicious information. I obviously cannot make the Internet seem like the devils work, for i am using the Internet now as we speak. But i can say i sometimes hate the Internet. As stated by author Paul Wilkinson, Terrorism is not a philosophy or movement: it is a method. Unfortunately, the main method  these cowards are using to convey, convert, decimate their ideologies and philosophies, is the Internet. As i read   Terror on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube , by author Gabriel Weilmann, i realized how openly terrorist sympathizers communicate with one another. The author gave insight on a man by the name of Abu Jendal, who openly seeked information on how to develop a bomb that would destroy an Army jeep. His question was answered by a person by the name of Abu Hadafa, who gave Jendal the information he was seeking. One might think, "well, why don't we just shut down these sites." The problem is while your shutting one down, another is being created. In my opinion, terrorism will forever exist. While we may believe there are means of controlling terrorism, the sad truth is that their really isn't. As stated by Wilkerson, Terrorist use their acts, to express their views. In the mist of expressing these views, innocent people die. I just do not see a perfect world, where everyone is going to feel the same about everything.

 

The civil side of the spectrum, involves more positive use of the Internet. Their are numerous groups that use the Internet to advocate just causes. Its not to say that everyone feels the same about the causes. In example, a government might not feel comfortable with a group publicly advocating against war crimes their government might have committed. What one side might feel is a just cause, the other might feel is a nuisance. I guess there really aren't any pros and cons. There will always be an arguments and disagreements.

 

International Relations: A Very Short Introduction. (n.d.). Retrieved August 18, 2016, from https://www.bookdepository.com/International-Relations-Very-Short-Introduction-Paul-Wilkinson/9780192801579

 

The Brown Journal of World Affairs on JSTOR. (n.d.). Retrieved August 18, 2016, from http://www.jstor.org/journal/browjworlaffa

-Raymond