Strauss-Kahn's Fall

10 Facts you should know

Dominique Strauss-Kahn is a French economist, lawyer, and politician

Strauss-Kahn is a former communist and member of the Socialist Party of France

In 2007, he became the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Strauss-Kahn has been arrested for attempted rape

The trial was held Monday, May 16^th, 2011 in Manhattan

Strauss-Kahn was charged for attempting to rape his hotel maid on Saturday, May14th, 2011

Many European countries have always disliked Strauss-Kahn, but need the support of the IMF

Strauss-Kahn persevered and continued to help to bring these countries financial aid

Now that Strauss-Kahn is out of the picture, debt-choked European countries are undergoing difficult economic times

Some European countries fear that more powerful countries will enforce their hard-line policies (Germany in particular)

In my opinion Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s fall is harming multiple European countries. The defeat of the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund will prove disastrous for the countries to which it provides financial stability. Debt-choked countries who rely on the IMF to provide the finances required to keep their economy stabilized will grieve over the arrest of Strauss-Kahn. Unfortunately his fall will take its toll on not only the IMF itself, but on the countries in which it is invested. Strauss-Kahn was not a popular figure in a number of European countries involved with the IMF, but his defeat means that those countries are in for a trying time; without Strauss-Kahn, these countries will easily be filtered into the ways of more powerful Euro countries (such as Germany). In conclusion, the detainment of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, although justified, will have a negative effect on European countries which are dependent on the IMF.

Environmental	Political	Social & Cultural	Economic
Countries in poverty because of national financial instability will become littered and filled with wreckage and filth è    pollution Citizens will overexploit natural resources in search for profit from trade or industry è    Diminish natural resources	IMF is an international government organization è    Loses world reputation Effects the governments of many desperate European countries è    Leaves them open for powerful countries to enforce their hard-line policies Makes a poor exemplar for other IGOs	European countries lose faith in the IMF è    Financial instability France is given a poor reputation è    Sets the climate for the Socialist party of France to rise Gives power to other IGOs è    IMF supporters are left without a cause àbrings other parties into power	Trade will increase between poor European countries Financial debt increases àcivil war European national debt increases àwar Inflation àDepression

How did this issue start?	How should this issue be resolved?
On Saturday, May 14th, 2011 Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the leader of the IMF, attempted to rape his hotel maid and was arrested before his New York-bound flight took off	Dominique Strauss-Kahn should be tried in court and punished accordingly He should be fired as Managing Director of the IMF, and denied return Dominique Strauss-Kahn should make a public apology on behalf of the IMF to allow the worthy IGO to maintain its reputation, and save Europe from worsening its debt

Nuclear Construction & Expansion in Brazil

Facts you should know

1.       Brazilian nuclear industry is planning the construction of a nuclear reactor on the coastal region of Angra

2.       The reactor should be complete by 2013

3.       The nuclear plan is expanding and should be complete with several more reactors by 2030

4.       GREENPEACE has made demonstrations protesting the nuclear growth

5.       Brazilian people are fearful of an incident similar to Japan 2011 if construction continues

6.       Government buildings, such as the BNDES, have become the place for protesting

7.       GREENPEACE is not only planning to end construction, but to shut down all nuclear plants

8.       The BNDES announced a 3.9 billion dollar loan from the United States for the works

In my opinion, the GREENPEACE protests are completely legitimate and justified. I feel that they are effectively speaking on behalf of the Brazilian people, and voicing their concerns for the country. If Brazil already has two nuclear reactors, a third is unnecessary and poses nothing but argument and tension. The Brazilian nuclear industry is developing at a rapid pace and is consuming much of the country’s funds; financially, Brazil cannot afford to allow the nuclear industry to continue expansion at this rate. I believe that the government should listen to the concerns of the people and put an end to the construction, the new nuclear reactor demonstrates more risk and negativity than advantages. If the population, the environment, and the future financial stability are all at risk then this project should seriously be given more thought before being carried out. There is fear of a nuclear industry war between the neighbouring countries which will, without a doubt, spread throughout the rest of South America. This would be harmful to the continent’s reputation, as well as pose outside threats; if the rest of the world gets involved we will only be following history’s destructive pattern. More so, for the future of the environment and on behalf of its unspoken pain the nuclear construction should be terminated immediately. Brazil should definitely reconsider expanding its nuclear industry, and start thinking about its future generations as well at their effect on the declining environmental state of the world around them.

Environmental	Political	Social & Cultural	Economic
Nuclear construction is harmful to the environment Leakage into the waterà spread throughout the ocean, reaching distant countries Infects the rest of South America through ground water, soil, and eventually crops	The government is being challenged for its decisions Government-run building have become the gathering place for protests and riots à government workers are influenced and distracted	People are fearful of a nuclear accident This is a sensitive time, just after Japan’s nuclear incident in 2011 Loss of faith in the government à loss of faith in the people	Nuclear industry grows à takes over other industries à loss of jobs Loss of diversity in the industry A massive nuclear industry would take up a lot of space à loss of domestic space à population decline

How did this issue start?

How should this issue be resolved?

This issue began when the Brazilian government expanded its nuclear industry growth plan, planning to build several large nuclear reactors to be completed between 2013 and 2030. The people of brazil expressed concern, and GREENPEACE began demonstrating that concern through visual protests outside of government buildingsàconcerned about expenditure as well as environment, and protection

To resolve this issue, the Brazilian government should listen to the people and put an end to the nuclear construction. The rights of the people, Brazil’s economic state, the environment and the potential for disaster should all be taken into consideration by the government before any further construction takes place. Nuclear industry workers should go on strike to demonstrate the sacrifices that the citizens are willing to make for their safety