Won’t fool me twice
Elections took place in Libya last week. I’m really happy that progress is happening in that country, considering the struggle they went through in the past few decades and certainly the war that the people battled during the last two years. However, I can’t help but feel a little cynical about the situation. How do we know that elections won’t be rigged? What if the country goes back to the way it was – falling under a dictatorship? The people of Libya need to step up and make sure that whoever is in power knows that if they head in the same path as the previous leader then they will suffer consequences. People will not stand for this corruption anymore!
From Mr Zaid Al Nawar
Abu Dhabi
Save yourself
During the last US elections, US President Barack Obama eloquently articulated big foreign policy visions: healing the US’s breach with the Muslim world, controlling global climate change, dramatically curbing global poverty through development aid and moving toward a world free of nuclear weapons. These were, and remain, worthy goals. However, for Obama or his successor, there is now a much more urgent big-picture issue: restoring the US economic strength. Nothing else is really possible if that fundamental prerequisite to effective foreign policy is not re-established. The US has been running trillion-dollar deficits, resulting in a huge explosion in the country’s debt. Economic renewal and fiscal reform have become pre-eminent issues, not only for domestic and economic policies but for foreign policy as well. Drones, kill lists, computer viruses and administration leaks are all the rage in the current political debate. They indeed merit serious scrutiny at a time when the rules of war, and technologies available for war, are changing fast. That said, these issues are not the foreign policy centerpiece of the 2012 presidential race. The US growing national debt is a threat not only to domestic programmes but to the country’s tradition of an active foreign policy that helped it prosper.
From Mr Samaoen Osman
Cape Town, South Africa
A big thank you
I am a 12-year-old Dubai resident of Indian origin. I suffer from a blood disorder – thalassemia – since birth. This disease demands blood transfusions coupled with a lot of examinations and medication. Five years ago my father decided to move to the UAE for a job and thinking that my treatment would cost too much, we decided that my mother and I would stay in India. Although being exposed to suffering and pain with countless needles, the thought of living without my father seemed too painful to bear. When my father started working, he explored the medical facilities. I would like to thank all the doctors for being with me whenever I needed help. It has enabled me to stay in the UAE.
From Ms Muskaan Arora
Dubai
Stepping into an oven
The fruit and vegetable market in Mina Port, Abu Dhabi is a place that the relevant authorities should visit. I recently went there at 8pm and felt like I was standing inside a furnace and wondered what the condition would be for those people working during the day time. Moreover, what about the fruits and vegetables that are kept in such high temperatures?
From Ms Susan Reni
Abu Dhabi
Editor’s note: If you would like to share your views or write to the newspaper, log on to www.gulfnews.com or email us at readers@gulfnews.com
