The final event I attended was David Sanger’s presentation on modern global politics. Sanger lectured about opinions, which were seemingly presented as facts, on the world and its problems and solutions. Sanger began as a journalist for the New York Times before he was named a Washington correspondent for the same publication. He covered global issues and governmental concerns directly from Washington, D.C. and around the world.
First, Sanger discussed America as the “world’s policemen.” He explained that he was with president Bush when the second plane hit the twin towers, and that we have maintained this role ever since. Then the Iraq War blossomed from this, which presented many problems for the United States regarding power. This, Sanger pointed out, would be the dilemma in deciding what to do today, regarding ISIS.
Sanger said that over fourteen years, America has come nowhere close to ending extreme Jihadism. He pointed out that sometimes, Americans want to be isolationists, and sometimes they do not. This is a fundamental problem in solving ISIS: we do not want to fight them, but we cannot ignore the present and ongoing tragedies. These conflicts lead to yet another concern of whether we would end up creating more terrorists if we fight ISIS. The concerns are endless.
In addition to ISIS, Americans face other problems. One problem is the post-Cold War threats of Vladimir Putin that remain adamant, although Russia would supposedly be an ally if we fight ISIS. Next, there is the threat of ISIS. Last but not least, cyber attacks remain the most threatening to America’s safety. There are many benefits to the cyber world, but many problems. Foreign hackers are considered to be the biggest threat to America, according to the head of the CIA and the National Threat Assessment. The lecture presented a scary picture of what America faces currently.
Finally, Sanger presented solutions. He discussed drone strikes, using Special Forces, and using a cyber attack against Iran. He proposed that there are easy steps we can follow to eliminate several threats to America and our homeland security, and ended the presentation on a positive note. The talk was informative, entertaining, and extremely interesting, especially for those interested in politics.