What is Comparative Politics?

After taking this class I think I have a pretty good idea of what comparative politics is. It is a method of comparing other countries to find out what combinations of policies result in sucess. Comparing and contrasting the strengths and weaknesses of each country help determine what makes the countries successful and what makes them fail. In a nutshell, we are trying to find out the perfect formula for proseperity. In that way, comparative politics is like anything else in life, you are trying to find the best recipe for success. We learn from our experiences and other people’s experiences and try to either follow them, or not based on their previous decisions and outcomes. The study of comparative politics answers these questions: “How can we make this country better? What is causing this country to fail? Why is this country so successful?” Obviously it is more complex then this synopsis and these questions, but this is what I would tell someone who was interested in exactly what comparative politics is. The thing that I enjoy about the study is that there is no restriction on what variables you can isolate to prove your theories and facts right. There are many different reasons that influence what the status of a country is and we are all trying to find out what the answer is. The most important question though is this: What are we going to do to help make the world a better place ?

Comparative Politics

What is Comparative Politics? Well in definition, it is the study of domestic politics in nations all over the world, and comparing aspects of state, economy, and society. But in what I have learned throughout the year, Comparative Politics departs from dry facts and figures and asks us more pressing questions, for example: what does our government need to do in order to help starving people around the world? How can support for a growing economy bring political freedom to developing nations? Or, what political goods and democratic ideals can we export to other nations to increase equality outside our borders? These are all internationally based questions, but as Comparative Politics has taught me, the world is more interconnected and similar than it is divided or different. Sure, Africa and Asia share different histories than Western nations, but different civilizations all share the same goal: improving the lives of people. Though this may be hard to accomplish everywhere, especially where authoritarian nations are in power, people can still improve their standards of living and gain political freedom and rights if they fight for it, work for it, and occasionally get help from IGOs such as the U.N. and NGOs. Even multi-national corporations can help boost the economy in developing countries, and people can live better and get the chance of having democracy, which is in many ways a luxury good. So, Comparative Politics is the study of how countries produce political goods, develop economies, and react to cultural movements, but more than anything else, it has proven to not be just about the governments of countries across the world, but the lives of the people who live there.

German Politics

Like Davey, I agree that the simulation we were a part of taught each of us what it’s like to be a politician. Though the simulation was far from a complete and realistic setting, it was easy to see the policies, goals, and compromises made by different political parties and individuals on our “parliament” floor Thursday. I was even swept up in it. The need to make gains for my political party came first and foremost, and then my own personal beliefs and principles came second. This isn’t something I’ve ever encountered, but in a political arena where you are basically split into teams, it only makes sense to score points for your own team. Not that I didn’t think without my own ideas in mind. I noticed that other groups shared policies that my party agreed with, and that by bringing together these ideas we could form coalitions of minority rights, education, economic growth, and social reform that could really improve the country. Although this wasn’t a real situation, the foundation of politics was there, and I was able to see that people of differing views all want the same thing in the end: to make life better for people and help the country as a whole. So really, this very “human” simulation opened my eyes and my mind to a new view of politics, and it’s really taken my interest. I only hope that there is as much pursuit of change in our current government. But as Davey says, we can’t expect our government to be perfect. Yet I feel we can all strive to improve it.

German Elections

After doing the mock German Election simulation, I feel as though I got a little taste of what it means to be a politician. The first thing that I realized, is that it is not easy making decisions for your country. You are pressured so much by the desires of the people. You want to stay in power and by satisfying the people’s desires, you can achieve a long life in a position of power. At the same time, the people don’t always want what is best for them, so you want to make decisions that will benefit them in the long run even if they don’t agree with you. There are pros and cons in this political warfare and there are sacrifices that you must make; you’re constantly facing tough decisions that won’t go away until you make a choice. Nothing goes completely the way you want it to. People may sometimes view you as a bad political party or individual for standing up for what you believe is right. There are surprises everyday and like a point guard, you have to make split-second decisions that hold the weight of changing the game forever. I definitely have a new respect for government officials and politicians. I know our government isn’t perfect; we expect them to be perfect and that is too much weight to put on anybody. We don’t live in a perfect world and human beings aren’t perfect, so why do we expect our government to be?

Iraqi deaths spike in March

Deaths among Iraqi civilians, security forces and insurgents jumped in March because of the recent spasm of violence in the country’s Shiite regions, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.

As an Iraqi woman grieves over the body of a Shiite militiaman during his funeral Monday in Najaf, Iraq.

“It’s obvious that the [number of] killed and wounded have increased because of the military operation in Basra and the violence that erupted across the country after the operation started,” the official said.

A government offensive that started last week in the southern city of Basra targeting “outlaws” resulted in tough fighting between troops and Shiite militants. Clashes spread to other southern cities and parts of Baghdad, leaving hundreds dead and wounded.

On Tuesday a U.S. airstrike targeted militia fighters in eastern Baghdad’s Sadr City district, the heart of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s support in the capital. The U.S. military did not release casualty figures from that attack, but denied reports from Iraqi authorities that civilians were killed in the strike.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Tuesday said the ongoing military operation in Basra is a “legitimate” effort that has been a success.