Author: Kelsey Longmuir
G-20 Summit
On April 2, twenty of the world’s economic powers met in a Group of 20 (G20) summit to discuss stability in the global economy and solutions to the financial downturn. The G20 is made up of a diverse set of countries including China, India, Germany, Indonesia, and Turkey; in total, these countries account for about 85 percent of the global gross domestic product.
President Obama entered the summit in hopes that other countries would follow his lead by instituting aggressive stimulus packages domestically, but he did not confront the nations who opposed further deficit spending. The President’s actions at the summit marked a policy shift from the Bush years, indicated by Obama’s openness to robust international financial regulation.
Experts argue that the paradox of the summit was that countries have lost faith in the United States’ style of capitalism, but also are waiting for America to bail them out through the continuation of ravenous spending. Obama worked to convince other nations at the summit that the United States is committed to recovery, but does not to return to voracious consumption.
A major success of the summit was the first-ever agreement about the need to regulate hedge funds and to force tax havens in places like the Caribbean and Switzerland to meet at least some global financial regulatory standards.
North Korean Missile Launch
On Saturday, April 4 North Korea failed at an attempt to launch a satellite into orbit. The missile and its payload fell into the sea on the far side of Japan. Some speculate that the campaign to launch a long-range missile was part of a strategy to position North Korea as a serious global threat. Western experts perceived the potential launch of a long-range rocket as a large step in the development of a military weapon capable of reaching halfway around the world.
President Obama and other world leaders immediately called for international action and the United Nations Security Council convened in an emergency session. In a speech in Prague President Obama called for United Nations sanctions and emphasized the need to halt global nuclear proliferation. Obama used this event as an opportunity to lay out the new approach to nuclear disarmament. The president stressed the need to commit resources to stop terrorist groups from acquiring weapons and the need to reduce the importance of nuclear weapons in the national security strategy.
A Rasmussen Reports survey showed that 57 percent of Americans favor a military approach to eliminating North Korea’s nuclear capabilities. This poll was conducted two days before the missile launch.
Gay Marriage Iowa
On Friday, April 3 the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously upheld a lower court ruling to reject a state law restricting marriage to a union solely between a man and a woman. The ruling would allow same-sex couples to marry as soon as April 24. However, opponents of same-sex marriage could attempt to pass a constitutional amendment which wouldn’t go to ballot until 2012.
The state’s new marriage policy does not have a residency requirement, which opens the possibility of marriage to same-sex couples from across the country. Opponents are seeking to enact a residency requirement. “[Iowa would] become the gay marriage Mecca,” U.S. Representative Steve King said (R-Iowa). Without a residency requirement there is likely to be debate over the legality of the marriages once non-residents return to their home states.
Massachusetts is currently the only other state in the country that allows same-sex marriage following the passage of Prop 8 which stopped the practice in California. Iowa has a history of being progressive on social issues and was among the first states to allow interracial marriages and was a leader in school desegregation.
Italian Earthquake
On Sunday, April 5, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake hit the Abruzzo region east of Rome. The bulk of damages were concentrated in L’Aquila as well as 26 nearby villages. As of April 6 the death count is estimated to be as many as 150 people.
The earthquake struck at 3:30 a.m. local time and could be felt up to 60 miles away. According to the U.S. Geological Survey the earthquake was just one of several to hit the region overnight. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi declared a state of emergency and cancelled a trip to Moscow in order to deal with the situation.
The Italian government is reportedly doing everything possible to help the homeless and injured citizens. Italy’s Civil Protection Agency estimates that 40,000 to 50,000 people have been left homeless. Those injured are being evacuated from the region because the hospitals could potentially collapse.
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