Secure Savings or Save Sumatra

By Liz Soolkin
The Blue Print
on Armed Services:

The Armed Services Committee in the House of Representatives faces a dilemma: provide military aid to assist those whose homes were destroyed by an unexpected volcanic eruption in Sumatra or allot that aid to offer security for international corporations in Ecuador.

On February 25th, Sumatra, an Indonesian island, was struck with a catastrophic natural disaster. Mount Sinabung erupted violently and unexpectedly. The eruption, along with the days of earthquakes that followed, stole millions of lives from the island. The Indonesian government has pronounced a state of emergency and has eliminated all flights in and out of the country. The government of this devastated nation, has already expressed its dire need for foreign aid, especially from the US government.

Simultaneously, conservatives in the Armed Services Committee are expressing their desire to protect various American companies in Ecuador, a country whose relation to America can only be described as tense. The country’s recent election of a socialist president has only worsened the relationship.

This consideration to provide military support to Ecuador will most likely be overturned by liberals who would not want to pressure Ecuador to change the government policies unless they were violating human rights. Also, the Democratic Party will most likely want to send in more foreign aid to Sumatra, to assist with the after-effects of the massive destruction. Assisting the tiny and utterly devastated nation will become a priority and will be rightfully prioritized over the security of the conservatives’ investments in Ecuador.