By Melissa Ratliff
On the whole, Americans are sheltered from the outside world. The events in Gaza, the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and the genocides in Darfur seem a million miles away. Other than the terrorist attacks on Sept.11, the outside world does not breach our walls very often.
As we move closer and closer to a more global community, I feel we as Americans should become more in synch with international relations.
I spent a large part of my Christmas Break in London, where I saw first hand several anti-American and anti-Israel protests. I was stunned by the large turnout of people who peacefully protested for Palestine outside the houses of Parliament. It was eye-opening to see a protest from the perspective of the opposition. They marched with signs which read ‘Palestine: Occupied and Starving. What Would You Do?’ It was a question I had not thought to consider, and as an American, the Gaza conflict was something that was not foremost in my mind all this time.
At the dawn of this new administration, I say we make it a point to be well informed of both sides of international issues. Knowledge can only empower us as we strive to coexist peacefully in this world, because as playwright George Bernard Shaw once said “We are all of us dependent on one another.”
