Foreign Affairs Update

The world has been a busy place in the past week.  The international response to debt crisis in the United States is only the tip of the iceberg of what is happening across the globe.  Here's an update from five countries on current events. 

-Syria

The global movement Amnesty International is an non-governmental organization whose mission is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Yesterday, Amnesty International denounced the United National Security Council response to the massacres in Syria as “completely inadequate” and “deeply disappointing”.  The measure passed the Security Council was drafted by the United Kingdom, France, Germany ,and Portugal.  Syrian President Al-Assad has continued a deadly crackdown on protestors.  In the city of Hama, dozens have been killed in the past week.  AI has received the names of more than 1,500 people said to have been killed since the pro-reform protests started in mid-March.   

“The U.N.’s response is completely inadequate,” said Jose Luis Diaz, Amnesty International’s representative to the United Nations.  “After more than four months of violent crackdown on predominantly peaceful dissent in Syria, it is deeply disappointing that the best the Security Council can come up with is a limp statement that is not legally binding and does not refer the situation to the International Criminal Court.”

-Saudi Arabia

Child marriage is widespread across the Arab nation of Saudi Arabia, largely due to the absence of a minimum age marriage law.  With no laws in place to establish the minimum age for marriage, young girls are often forced to marry older men for dowry or other personal motives.  This unregulated practice has led to girls as young as 8 years old to be married to men old enough to be their grandfathers.  

After many years of protest both domestically and internationally, the Saudi Arabian government has expressed an intention to set a minimum age for marriage.  Keep in mind, women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive, travel abroad, or undergo surgery without the permission of a male relative.  

-China

The Chinese Dagong Global Credit Rating downgraded the United States credit rating from A+ to A with a negative outlook.  The official Xinhua news agency said on Wednesday, “The months-long tug of war between Democrats and Republicans...failed to diffuse Washington’s debt bomb for good, only delaying an immediate detonations by making the fuse an inch longer.”

China currently holds $3.2 trillion US dollars in foreign exchange reserves as of the end of June, making it the largest holder of US Treasury Bills.  China’s central bank said it would continue to diversify its foreign currency investments, which is a sign that there is little confidence in the United States government in Beijing.    

-Egypt

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak left the town of Sharm el-Sheikh to return to Cairo for his trial.  There are images circulating of him lying ashen-faced on a hospital bed inside a metal cage with his two sons.  He pleaded innocent to charges of corruption and complicity in the killing of protestors at the start of his trial.  It marked the first time Egyptians have seen Mubarak since February 10, when he gave a uncooperative address in which he refused to resign.  

-Mexico

In Ciudad Juarez, the economy is thriving despite a global recession.  Jobs are being created and the city is exporting more goods to the United States than ever before.  Car part factories, and credit card reader refurbishers are the two main bases of industry in the city of 1.5 million people.  Because of its proximity to the United States border, the time it takes factories in Ciudad Juarez to ship the parts to America is short.  Also, factory wages are roughly $10 per day, which is far cheaper than those across the border in El Paso, Texas.