Section 2: Set-Backs

The next section in my paper - set-backs

There are many setbacks in the current average Sudanese lifestyle that are preventing progress to be made within the country. One of the major setbacks is the corruption that lives within the government. With the recent separation of North and South Sudan, tensions are still high and conflict between the nations continue. Government spending is extremely high, as the officials that are appointed by the nominated president (though of the nominees, all of them are corrupt politicians with selfish motives) only worry about themselves and the capital city of Khartoum. These politicians are responsible for the disappearance  of millions of dollars in government money that are still yet to be found. Agriculturally, major setbacks include the drought and unpredictability of precipitation and climate. This makes the harvesting of crops in an already dry, nutrient-less soil even more difficult. These hardships obviously lead to lack of food availability causing prices to jump dramatically making food even more difficult to obtain. Meat prices have recently risen 84%, 45% for sugar, 40% for vegetables, and 70% for transportation which is highly linked to food availability as well (SOURCE). 

Sudanese Civil War citizen soldiers

Section 1: Sudanese Living

This is my first section explaining current life in Sudan. I haven't created the bibliography but I have a document with all of my sources saved & I will insert them later.

1. Sudanese Living

Sudan is one of the most poverty stricken countries on the planet. The population of Sudan as of 2013 is thirty eight million people. In some areas, the rate of malnutrition is over thirty precent, equaling out to almost twelve million undernourished starving Sudanese citizens (UNICEFSOURCE). Over half of all housing units in Sudan are single rooms with round mud walls and a conical straw roof (NATIONSENCYCLOPEDIASOURCE). The average family size in an urban setting is a set of parents with three to four children. When it comes to rural areas, the average number of children to accompany the parents is  six or seven (CIASOURCE). While the large number of children will eventually contribute to family agricultural practices, they also require nourishment and more resources. Nearly every family is engaged in agriculture, education is uncommon making it increasingly difficult for families to further themselves economically. Health care is poor to non existent in areas outside of the capital Khartoum. The father is typically who generates the income, along with every child as soon as they are of age. The mother is in charge of cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children that are not able to work yet. 

The average farm size in Sudan ranges from one to four acres. The average farm size in America is four hundred and forty one acres. Sudanese people almost wholly participate in subsistence farming, farming their average two acre farm for only themselves and their family. The main crops that they produce are sorghum, millet, and maize. These ingredients are what their most average meals consist of. In areas lucky enough to have a little more rainfall, mangoes, peanut butter, and potatoes are common (CIASOURCE).When participating in subsistence agriculture (because they are given no other option) they eat the majority of their food, leaving very little to generate profit from. Families are often left with little to no money to use for health needs. As previously mentioned in the preceding paragraph, health care is poor to non existent. Urban facilities lack medicine and utilities. In rural areas there are no health care facilities that exist. Those who seek health care and are able to afford it must travel to the capital city of Khartoum. High quality care is expensive and rare. There is some international assistance to war torn areas, but that can not be relied upon (CIASOURCE). Because of this, the life expectancy for a male is only 60 years, while for females it’s 63 (COUNTRYECONOMYSOURCE). That is nearly a 20 year shorter life than expected of an American citizen (COUNTRYECONOMYSOURCE).

Paper introduction

I attempted to model something similar to the sample paper that I read, but remain original as well. I tried to incorporate an introduction to the corruption of government and the topic of food security together. This is my current introduction:

Citizens of the United States of America are very fortunate. Blessed with a Constitution and permitted a Bill of Rights that guarantees the rights and freedoms of the American people, liberty is granted at nearly no cost. All that is required by the average citizen is to pay taxes, obey the law, and they are paid back with a democratic government that provides them with nearly every freedom imaginable. These freedoms include items that are taken for granted each and every day, such as the right to say whatever you please, to carry a firearm as protection, the right to purchase things, the right to work, to earn money, and to provide for ones family. American citizens are also provided with nutrition. Due to the freedom said democratic government bestows upon it’s people, food is everywhere. Food is available for extremely cheap prices and in tremendous abundances. It is also required to be available in safe, consumable form. Thanks to the U.S. Government, these are all guaranteed to the American people. Now turn the tables. Imagine having no idea who is in charge of your country. Imagine wondering whether the “government” of your nation even knows of your region’s existence. Imagine contemplating whether you were going to be able to eat on any given day, and worse, if your family would be able to eat. American citizens rarely deal with issues so severe, but in Sudan, it’s drastically common. Malnutrition and starvation are far too familiar concepts to Sudanese people. This can be largely traced to their government. The citizens of Sudan deserve to eat, and even more, they deserve to live.

My Proposed Solution(s)

Government Corruption: It is highly likely that no progress will be made within the Sudanese government unless there is intervention from developed nations. The issue with American intervention in Sudan is that we refuse to intervene until they stop committing crime against humanity. Yet, in order for any government to be established or any progress to be made whatsoever intervention must occur. My proposed solution is that the U.S. Government intervene in order to finalize the disputes between Sudan and South Sudan (bring the sides together and orderly figure something out such as the border, population, and oil disputes) and then from there establish a constitution and the building blocks for a government in the country. If these internal issues were solved it would result in food security rising.

If we intervened...
If we intervened, the internal conflicts would need to cease and the government spending/funding would need to be modified. The corrupt politicians are spending money on things that are unknown by its people and other nations. Possibly a conference with leaders of the Sudanese nations to settle conflict and then taking on the issue of where the money in Sudan is coming from, how it is being used, where it is ending up, etc. The suggestion would need to be made that a budget or spending plan be implemented so that the government could begin to acquire money rather than lose it. When the government begins to make money it will be much easier for new agricultural innovations to occur and for the Sudanese people to be fed.

Food Security: With the implementation of a more stable, conflict free government the country would now be able to focus on providing food for its people. Solutions such as somewhat modern or innovative technology to provide crops faster and in higher quantities. Watering systems to deal with the harsh droughts that occur and possibly GMO crops that are modified to withstand harsh conditions. Although, like I said, there are multiple solutions to deal with the agricultural difficulties but I believe that it must begin with the government being fixed to a state where it can move on from all of these internal conflicts, generate a steady income, and eventually then tackle the issue of food security.

Source of the Conflict: Food Security

Food Security:

• Conflict
• Displacement
• Poor Harvest

Conflict: Government issues (written about in "Source of the Conflict: Corrupt Government")

Also, lack in economic opportunities (people have no choice but to farm) leads to issues between farmers, agriculturalists and herders.

Displacement: Nearly 400,000 people were displaced because of the conflict between North Sudan and South Sudan. 

Poor Harvest: Drought and flood. "Human disaster mixed with natural disaster." The environment does not assist agricultural efforts because of the extremely difficult to predict weather and fluctuation in precipitation. Lack of food availability causes prices to jump, making it even more difficult to afford. (84% for meat, 45% for sugar, and 40% for vegetables. 70% FOR TRANSPORT, VERY MUCH LINKED TO ACCESS AND AVAILABILITY OF THE FOOD. Livestock vaccinations need to occur. This would provide safe animals that won't die and will produce long healthy lives full of dairy products and in the end produce healthy meat. 

Conclusion & Reflection: Three major factors above seem to lead to the lack of food in Sudan. If these issues were attributed to (obviously the government which is talked a lot about in previous blogs) but then halting of conflict, which could be solved by a solid government, and smarter agricultural practices (possibly the vaccination of livestock and attempting other farming strategies), which also could be fixed with the implementation of a solid government.

Source of the conflict: Government Corruption

Government Corruption:

• The government of Sudan is engaged in committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in an ongoing conflict in the country surrounding exploitation of oil resources.
• Although South Sudan has acquired their independence, the government of Sudan is still engaged in conflict between the two countries. (Other countries have attempted to intervene, treaties & peace agreements have been signed but no progress will be made)
• Political marginalization: People outside of Khartoum are not adequately represented in the Sudanese government.
• Economic Disparity: This is due to unequal development between North Sudan and South Sudan. Much of this inequality is because of oil production. The Sudanese government taxes the oil-rich areas without compensating their inhabitants.
• Direct & indirect killing of citizens. 
• (http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org/index.php/crises/crisis-in-sudan)

Conclusion & Reflection: The ultimate cause for conflict within the government of Sudan is corrupt practices by government officials. War crimes, crimes against humanity (killing of citizens), focus on oil exportation (disputes with S. Sudan), issues of independence with South Sudan, officials embezzling of public funds, and lack of ANYTHING to help the problem. Sudan's government is full of selfish politicians who obviously care nothing about improving the status of the country. They commit crime after crime, are still focused on conflict with South Sudan, and steal money that doesn't belong to them. The government refuses to do anything to solve the conflicts that are so obvious within their country. No attention is paid to the remainder of the country and its people, only the capital city of Khartoum.

"U.S. Assistance" and "Outlook for Congress & U.S. Policy" Summary & Reflection

https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R42774.pdf    (Page 30, 31)

Summary: Sudan is among the top recipients of U.S. foreign aid, globally, and has been for decades. We provide them a lot of assistance. Bilateral aid, emergency humanitarian aid, and support for peacekeeping operations, has totaled over $1 billion annually in recent years. "Consolidation and strengthening of the nation Sudan" is seen as the biggest governance challenge. The U.S. aid provided to Sudan is supposed to “accelerate progress in the critical areas of governance, rule of law, conflict mitigation, economic development, delivery of basic services, and security sector reform.” Efforts to build the country’s agricultural capacity and reduce its dependency on food aid are a central component of economic growth objectives.  There are some restrictions on U.S. assistance (that I will need to find out exactly what they are) that may limit the help that we can provide Sudan. There are disputes over whether or not we should send a U.S. ambassador to Sudan, because if we did it would most likely be seen as a key step toward improving relations, and some contend it would raise the caliber of the bilateral dialogue. Although, we are hesitant to do so because we fear that it will display an acceptance of their regime's abuses. There is a low level of trust between Khartoum and the United States. The Sudanese see it that we have "moved the goalpost" on lifting sanctions, yet U.S. officials say that Sudan continues to "commit violations of human rights and modern rules of war... so grave as to make it impossible to proceed"

 Reflection: The fact that we provide so many funds to assist Sudan, and seemingly nothing is accomplished in terms of the country politically and economically seems ridiculous and it is obvious that something needs to change. The money we are providing in enormous sums seems to fund short term solutions. There is a very large debate over the amount of intervention that the U.S. should use to help the problem in Sudan. The Sudanese are participating in rights that violate human rights and the modern rules of war, and until they cease to do so we will mostly refuse to intervene on that part. Although, it seems that if someone does not intervene then nothing will be accomplished and we will continue to shell out billions of dollars to emergency humanitarian aid, which will save lives for the mean time, but in the long run nothing is solved. We may need to get over the fact that what they are doing is terribly wrong and go over there and deal with their abusive regime, then work towards fixing and stabilizing their government, then proceed to assistance of the rest of the country which would closely relate to food security, since malnutrition is so large in Sudan that it would have no choice but to be addressed quickly after this supposed "stable" government be implemented. 

"Political and Economic pressures" summary and reflection

https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R42774.pdf   (Page 21)

Summary: Sudan has an array of internal conflicts of which their government can't support or address with funds because there are none available. The government using force against these internal conflicts causes them to have poor relations with certain Western countries such as the United States. Sudan continues to rely on other countries, such as China, Russia, and Qatar, for financing and arms acquisitions. The government is aware that they need to diversify their economy and focus on its development of agriculture but its multiple military operations take the funds away and delete a much needed opportunity for foreign intervention. The internal conflict seems to be coming from opposing Political parties within the state. The parties are "all talk, and no action" as they argue about which political system is better, but none is being implemented. Meanwhile the country suffers tremendously. There is also an apparent corruption within these political parties, that are sensitive to criticism and are seemingly more focused on things other than the needs of the Sudanese people. Another internal conflict is religiously, where religious freedom has recently been implemented, "hate speech" and attacks on churches with opposing views are beginning to occur more frequently.

Reflection: Internal conflict is a humongous issue in Sudan. The conflict among political parties, religious groups, etc leads to an inability to further the country in any way at all. (Whether it be economically, politically, socially, nutritionally, etc.) In order for Sudan to make any progress with anything (specifically their government then leading to food scarcity/security the internal conflicts must be taken care of. It seems to be that the United States will refuse to intervene with these because of the government's willingness to use force against these so called conflicts. If we want to see these issues cease and the country further, however, it seems inevitable that we must intervene to stop these conflicts. These conflicts are the barrier preventing the country from establishing a stable system of rule and economy. Some suggest, according to the article, that not only is the government of Sudan doing nothing to cease the conflicts, they are encouraging them and participating in them. It is highly unlikely that these internal problems will come to an end without the participation of a developed country that can offer help. Once the internal issues are solved, the country can then work towards developing a permanent constitution, and a concrete government that will allow for food security in the country and overall less poverty, malnutrition, and starvation.

 

Sample Paper: notes, reflections, and ideas for my own paper

I examined a sample paper from the Iowa Youth Institute website. This paper obviously must have done very well, since it was displayed as the Youth Institute's first choice as a paper to use as a model. Therefor it would only make sense if I used what I saw as effective within this paper to implement into mine as well.

Organization: The paper is perfectly organized into separate sections in the order that makes the most sense for what the paper is trying to accomplish.

The topic of the paper is "Haiti: Sanitizing drinking water".

There is an introduction that relates this problem to the whole world, explaining how comfortably we live while Haitians struggle for clean water.

It then moves to section one, "Haitian Living" and gives two paragraphs on their lives.

Section two is "Set-backs" which gives one paragraph on what makes it difficult for Haiti and it's citizens to not only receive clean drinking water but to live in general.

The third section is "Current Water Situation" Which obviously explains their current way of obtaining water and what makes it so scarce, dirty, and difficult.

The fourth section is "Haitians need for clean water" which explains the effects of what would happen if they were to obtain their clean water, and why it is so crucial that they get this water (hot climate, less diseases, economy would benefit, etc.)

Section five is "Aftermath of unclean water" which explains the diseases and deaths and dehydration spread throughout the country because of the lack of water.

Section six is "Solutions" which multiple viable solutions are proposed to solve the issue.

Section seven is "Clay filters" which seems to be the best solution for this issue therefor getting it's own section and three paragraphs about it.

Section eight is "other possibilities" explaining other smaller ideas that could deal with the issue.

Section 9 is sponsors which is how these ideas that were proposed would be paid for.

Then there are the resources with cited sources.

I very  much enjoyed the way that this paper was outlined, it made a lot of sense and I will most likely outline my paper the same way. It was around four and a half pages including the cited sources, single spaced, with no indentions, double spaced between sections.

"Governance and Development Challenges" summary and reflection

The article used on Sudan is https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R42774.pdf

Governance and Development Challenges (summary): The majority of challenges loom in the extremely low rates of literacy within the Government and Civil Service. The country has a high agricultural potential but relies strictly on rain-fed subsistence farming and the output falls significantly short. Conflict and population displacement place additional stress on Sudan's limited resources and cause a greater need for humanitarian services. The lack of government revenues until they can export oil again places more strain on the diminished development funding. High level corruption is a major issue. In 2012 there was a disappearance of over $1 billion dollars. The money could not be accounted for by the government. The challenges facing the government are great, and it's capacity is limited. Among its many tasks are adopting a permanent constitution and transitioning to fully elected national and local governments, as required by the current transitional constitution. The development of legal and regulatory frameworks to protect basic rights and freedoms, such as freedom of speech, and to address issues of property ownership and labor rights, may serve as important benchmarks for donors and investors alike.

Reflection: There are countless issues with the Sudanese Government. It is obviously very evident that something must be done, yet, the United States has attempted to intervene and offer assistance and nothing has been accomplished. It is obvious that something MUST be done about the fact that a large quantity of their Government and Civil Service members are lacking the proper literacy to even function a country in the first place. Next, they continue to rely on rain-fed subsistence farming and if they do have a high agriculture potential as this article states (I'm not sure in what) but that needs to be exploited because the current way of doing things is not going to work any longer for the people of Sudan. I'm not exactly sure why they are not allowed to export oil anymore but if they were I am positive that would have a great impact on their economy and generate a lot of much needed revenue. There must be prevention of scandals dealing with billions of dollars going missing. If a Sudan wants to recover from the terrible state that they are currently in, these things can not be happening. The country seemingly must start from the beginning and establish the legal and regulatory government framework to protect basic rights, and establish a permanent constitution. Then, they can begin addressing other issues.