First: After watching the video, read the article below. There are criticisms about their effort and there has been many instances when the government has said it is impossible for the U.S. to go in when it does not directly effect us. Are there instances in history where we have done so? What do you think about President Obama sending in the American advisors this past October? What obstacles do you think they will confront?
Your task: 1)Answer the questions above and 2) find information for your classmates to post and respond about, for example: are there any policies you can find about the issue, what are other countries saying about this issue, etc.3)Do you have any comments about Invisible Children's campaign strategies?
Article from: http://www.suntimes.com/news/world/11145268-418/web-star-born-invisible-childrens-joseph-kony-2012-video-gets-millions-of-views.html
Joseph Kony 2012 video gets millions of views
By RODNEY MUHUMUZA and JASON STRAZIUSO Associated Press March 8, 2012 8:44AM
If Joseph Kony lived in relative anonymity before this week, he’s an Internet star now.
A video about the atrocities carried out by Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army has become viral, racking up millions more views seemingly by the hour.
The marketing campaign is an effort by the advocacy group Invisible Children to vastly increase awareness about a jungle militia leader who is wanted for atrocities by the International Criminal Court and is being hunted by 100 U.S. Special Forces advisers and local troops in four Central African countries.
The group’s 30-minute video, which was released Monday, had more than 21 million views on YouTube by Thursday. The movie is part of an effort called KONY 2012 that targets Kony and the LRA.
“Kony is a monster. He deserves to be prosecuted and hanged,” said Col. Felix Kulayigye, the spokesman for Uganda’s military.
But Kulayigye said that Kony’s forces — once thousands strong — have been so degraded that he no longer considers him a threat to the region. Because of the intensified hunt for Kony, his forces split into smaller groups that can travel the jungle more easily. Experts estimate that the LRA now has only about 250 fighters. Still, the militia abducts children, forcing them to serve as soldiers or sex slaves, and even to kill their parents or each other to survive.
Uganda, Invisible Children and #stopkony were among the top 10 trending terms on Twitter among both the worldwide and U.S. audience on Wednesday night, ranking higher than New iPad or Peyton Manning. Twitter’s top trends more commonly include celebrities than fugitive militants.
Ben Keesey, Invisible Children’s 28-year-old chief executive officer, said the viral success shows their message resonates and that viewers feel empowered to force change. It was released on the website, www.kony2012.com.
“The core message is just to show that there are few times where problems are black and white. There’s lots of complicated stuff in the world, but Joseph Kony and what he’s doing is black and white,” Keesey said Wednesday.
The burst of attention has also brought with it some criticism of Invisible Children’s work on Internet sites, including the ratio of the group’s spending on direct aid, its rating by the site Charity Navigator, and a 2008 photo of three Invisible Children members holding guns alongside troops from the country now known as South Sudan.
Invisible Children posted rebuttals to the criticism on its website.
Kony’s Ugandan rebel group is blamed for tens of thousands of mutilations and killings over the last 26 years.
Last year, Invisible Children began installing high frequency radios in Africa’s remotest jungle to help track militia attacks in Congo, Central African Republic and South Sudan. People in areas without phones can report attacks on the radios to people who put them on a website called the LRA Crisis Tracker.
Invisible Children’s efforts to recruit support from U.S. political leaders appears to have paid off. Last year the State Department called the group’s Crisis Tracker “a really innovative tool” for information sharing. A U.S. military spokesman said the U.S. military is also aware of the Crisis Tracker.
1)In WWII the US did enter when it did not affect us. Syria wants us to go in now but we don't want to lose our troops to something we don't need to jump into.
ReplyDelete2)I think that President Obama's decision of sending in 100 troops was one of the best and only great ideas our president has ever made, because of the fact that enough people have already wanted him to do it and finally he has. so I'm just as happy as the next person that posts on this blog.
I can't think of an instance where the US stepped in without us being affected by the situation. During th Holocaust we didn't step in until the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Syria also wants us to step in and help but we won't because it does not yet affect us.
ReplyDeleteDuring the conflicts in Rwanda, the Bill Clinton Admnistration chose to ignore the mass genocide seen in Rwanda. Obama made the right decision to deploy 100 advisors sent to train the Ugandan Military. These 100 advisors are in danger due to the fact that they are in a hostile battleground and also, they could be forced into battle too.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to The Uganda National Culture Policy and some information on it.
http://ocpa.irmo.hr/resources/policy/Uganda_Culture_Policy-en.pdf
I think that the Invisible Children's campaign strategies have been intelligently set up. These strategies have helped spread major awareness throught the United States and even around parts of the world.
Here is some information from the article.
DeleteThe National Culture Policy has addressed this challenge by providing strategies to
enhance the integration of culture into development. These strategies include;
advocating for culture, ensuring capacity building, ensuring research and
documentation, promoting collaboration with stakeholders and mobilizing resources for
culture. These strategies are an integral part of the Social Development Sector Strategic
Investment Plan (SDIP) whose mission is to create an enabling environment for social
protection and social transformation of communities.
There isn't any real big time that it didn't effect us when we went in to help or fight for a cause. I think we can do more than advisors but at least something is being done. I think a lot of us think it will be a lot easier to arrest Kony but in America adults are almost always the only threat. I think it will be hard to capture him because the child soldiers have been brainwashed and won't stop for anything and will kill people, there they are a threat to. It will be hard because we want to fight for the childrens' freedom but the children are also the soldiers we are fighting against. I think that now that Kony knows we are coming for him he will expeand his army of children at a faster rate, and will tell them to stop at nothing to protect him from being captured.
ReplyDeleteread more at:
Deletehttp://www.globaltvedmonton.com/top+5+things+you+need+to+know+about+invisible+children/6442597240/story.html
This shosw that the word is actually getting out that even though it is not directly affecting us that this time we aren't standing on the sidelines but getting involved
.
There has never been an example in history where the United States has went into a country that didn't affect our military, economy or well being. Going to Uganda to stop Joseph Kony will be a first. If we keep supporting the mission of the U.S. military, the government will continue to send them. I think it is great that Barack Obama sent our troops to protect the children of Africa. They will face many obstacles, like failure and noit being able to find Kony, but I believe that they can find him and murder to him to free all these poor, innocent children. here is a policy on the issue:
ReplyDeleteAs for the viral video, in the end it does a very positive thing in bringing the acts of Joseph Kony into the light. It however doesn't take the time to explain that the government's army does much the same as Kony's army of children does. Attempting to right one wrong with another wrong equals a wrong.
DeleteRaising a voice to those whose voices have been silenced is always a positive. While there are critics on both sides of this issue bringing world-wide attention to the plight of these children is note worthy. In the end a voice that breaks through the darkness shatters the chains and brings forth a chance to make a positive difference.
People are upset about the video, but I believe it is right. They think that it didn't focus enough on the government or that Invisible Children is using their money for things not related to Africa, but I believe they are. Invisible Children was set up to help these poor innocent kids and let them know it is not acceptable to be treated like that. Future generations should know that this kind of behavior is terrible. We need to find Kony and join the Invisible Children to help better our society, our world.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/320859#ixzz1oZoI3Qnt
1) I can think of a few instances where the US stepped in wihtout us being affected. One time was in Vietnam where Johnson sent the troops in without teh US being affected. But i think it was nesscieary because when human lives are at stake people and other people can help to change that then it is completely nesscary. Also the Us wasn't needed in Syria but they did because inncoent people were being killed and others felt they needed to stop the inncocent killing
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI never felt there was a time that the U.S. deployed our soldiers into other nations without our own nation being affected. Sometimes we helped other nations but we believed that later on in time our own nation would be hurt if we did not act.
ReplyDeletePresident Obama sending American advisors into Uganda was a smart decision. Even if it doesn't effect our own power we know whats going on in Uganda is wrong. As people living on this world we need to make it best it can for our children and future generations. We need to stick up for others and fight with them in order to have peace in this world.
2)Part of the letter sent to president Obama:
Delete“The comprehensive White House strategy that you released in November of 2010 to address this issue included a range of measures intended to help reduce and mitigate the effect of LRA violence in the region, and produced new hope for an end to the group’s atrocities. Through its implementation, your Administration has helped improve cooperation among regional governments, expanded programs that provide early warning of LRA attack to vulnerable communities, and invested increased resources in efforts to help LRA fighters and abductees defect peacefully. Your decision to deploy U.S. military advisors to the region in October of 2011 was a welcome measure of further assistance for regional governments in their efforts to protect people from LRA attacks…
Whenever we send help or troops to another country, we are affected. Whether it be economically, militarily, or in any other way,we are directly affected. In World War II, we sent many troops to Germany and stationed them in the Pacific, when Japan attacked. We declared a full-blown war on them, and we lost many american lives. It is also costly to us.
ReplyDeleteWhen we sent american troops to Iraq in the 2000's we lost many lives and much money. It actually hurt the economy and we are still paying for it. Our country is in a huge debt crisis now.
The decision to send in american troops to help is a good one, however it is similiar to the Vietnam War in a way. Then, we sent American troops and never declared war, but we lost many lives there. There is less opposition and fighting in Uganda, but it can still affect us. It is good that someone in the government finally listened and sent help to the good guys over there.
Here is some more information on the Kony video:
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/03/07/10603135-charity-goes-after-african-rebel-leader-with-kony-2012-video?ocid=ansmsnbc11
1)I think that whenever the U.S. deploys our troops in another country it is because we are threatened either we are in danger or when we are heavily impacted economically.
ReplyDeleteIn World War 2, we only got involved because the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. In the war in the Middle East, we only got involved because of 9/11. I think that it was important for Obama to sent troops because the Ugandan army is not as trained as U.S. troops are. I think the hunt for Kony will be hard, the jungle around those areas is very dense and since Kony has expanded into other countries, it is not even known if he is in Uganda anymore.
2)Many people in Uganda are mad about Invisible Children's video:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/03/uganda-kony-2012-reaction.html
3) I think that invisible children have put their money into a good thing, their youtube video alone has gotten over 38,000,000 views in 3 days.
In fact, there have been times when we have entered into a conflict not to protect any interests besides our, but instead because we saw a chance to expand our power. There have been some times, such as World War II, when we did become involved, but only after being attacked first. Perhaps the only other time when we became involved to protect interests besides our own was when we led the NATO airstrikes in Libya.
ReplyDeleteSending in military advisers seems to be a wise move, as this is by no means a unilateral action. Such a move provides help for those who are unable to act to the degree necessary to find a person such as Kony. Still, the advisers will need to traverse unfamiliar terrain and look in areas that they have little to no knowledge about.
The United Nations Refugee Agency has stated that the LRA has recently attacked the Democratic Republic of the Congo, indicating that a broader effort to find Kony is necessary. Some people have criticized the ways in which Invisible Children operates, feeling that too much of its money is spent on things besides trying to stop the events in Africa. I personally feel that it is unfortunate that so much money is spent on advertisement, but on the other hand the need to raise awareness is very real and critical in any effort to stop someone such as Kony.
The biggest example is afghanistan. The U.S. could have turned the other way and chose to stay out of the war entirely. The main issue is, when a foreign problem becomes globaly known, it is too apparent to be ignored by the U.S. government. Also, the U.S. usually has an economic or strategic reason to enter into a war that isn't ours. When enough people were rallied by the invisible children to argue to help fight the war kony is raging, Obama had no choice to send troops. It wiil pay off in the long run. and help connect our two countries. I think the advisors will struggle with the foreign land, and be at a disidvantage because of their small number. I agree with the invisible children's campaign strategy. When the government turned them down the first time, they didn't stop fighting to stop the war. The more people who know about the war, the more people will help the cause.
ReplyDeleteIn May 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, legislation aimed at stopping Kony and the LRA. The bill passed unanimously in the United States Senate on March 11. On May 12, 2010, a motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill was agreed to by voice vote in the House of Representatives. In November Obama delivered a strategy document to Congress, asking for more funding to disarm Kony and the LRA. In October 2011, Obama authorized the deployment of approximately 100 combat-equipped U.S. troops to central Africa. Their goal is to help regional forces remove Kony and senior LRA leaders from the battlefield. "Although the U.S. forces are combat-equipped, they will only be providing information, advice, and assistance to partner nation forces, and they will not themselves engage LRA forces unless necessary for self-defense," Obama said in a letter to Congress.
ReplyDelete1) One instance where we interfered is World War II. Another is the Bosnian war. But honestly i don't think the U.S. has ever interfered unless we were somehow substantially affected.
ReplyDeleteI think Obama's sending in troops was a good step to move forward, but there's only so much that small amount of troops can do.
But bringing in large amounts or troops goes against Teddy Roosevelt's " Speak softly and carry a big stick." policy. Therefore this is a hard situation.
They may encounter many obstacles especially since they have such a small number, and their impact is limited due to the fact they don't know where Kony is. (So they basically they can just train African troops.)
2)There is some controversy to how invisible children operates such as :http://visiblechildren.tumblr.com/
3)I believe invisible children is trying to make a difference for the better. But I can see why some think they are trying to obtain this through 'the white mans burden' and 'the saviour' complex. I also can see why some have a problem with their funding, mostly because some of the money goes to Ugandan troops which also rape/loot. But in the end they are doing the best they can to help the situation in Uganda.
I cannot think of a time where the United States has stepped in to help world conflicts that do not effect the U.S. The main reason is the fact that the U.S. defense has strict budget plans and appropriations. Breaking of these rules by jumping into an international conflict would not be cost effective for the nation and would also be very complicated to send extra troops overseas.
ReplyDeleteI cannot think of an other exaple in history where this has happened. I think it is a good thing that President Obama sent these advisors in. However, they are just playing a guessing game, trying to find Joseph Kony in the middle of a vast, desnse forest. I believe both the Ugandan army and the American advisors will soon encounter the obstacle off needing the technology to track the L.R.A in the jungle. Once this happens they will turn to Invisible Children for money, and the advisory will be removed after a while when they realize that finding Kony with no technology will need luck more then anything else. I think the Invisible Children's current campaign strategy is great. Especially the cover the night idea.
ReplyDeleteThe message
ReplyDeleteThe Invisible Children campaign film is provocative and sensational and perhaps in the world's current state this level of radicalism is what we need to get our attention. But we need to ask -- how will millions of school kids and teenagers stop a hardened rebel group in the middle of Central Africa? Their purpose is to make him famous? Get back to reality! He is not walking down 5th Avenue in Manhattan. He is not hiding in Harrods of London. The LRA sits deep in the heart of the Central African jungle. No level of fame or outrage will affect them. Let us not kid ourselves or the international youth, who we have an obligation to guide responsibly that are now Tweeting, Facebooking and blogging KONY2012. Commander Kony has evaded capture for over two decades. This includes international military interventions and a long and tiresome battle with the Ugandan Defence Force -- the very solution Invisible Children see to this problem. This smacks of totally naivety.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/corrin-varady/why-should-we-be-hunting-_b_1331132.html