The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good – This past week, President Obama hosted his first bipartisan meeting since the turbulent midterm elections.  Although there was rancor following the meeting, it appears that the meeting was slated as “productive” by both sides.  The president felt encouraged by the collaborative spirit of the meeting, in which Republican and Democrat leaders gathered to discuss the challenges that lie ahead.  Let’s hope that bipartisan collaboration continues to exude over Capitol Hill despite the rhetoric of the last couple of days.

The Bad – The international soccer federation, FIFA, held a meeting at its headquarters in Zurich last Thursday to declare which countries would win their bids to host the upcoming 2018 and 2022 soccer World Cups. While the World Cup will be held in Brazil in 2014, Russia won the 2018 bid while the nation of Qatar won the 2022 bid, promising to dismantle stadiums built for the games and donate them to developing nations. The bad? The U.S. lost! It seems we Americans will once again be travelling abroad to see this international tournament for the next decade or so…

The Ugly– Wikileaks consumed the airwaves last week after publishing a massive amount of classified U.S. diplomatic cables that were not intended for public consumption. The release of the memos has clearly strained diplomatic relations between America and both strong and tenuous allies alike.  In some cases, such as the cable that revealed Yemeni politicians covering for the U.S. airstrikes to reduce the backlash, America’s allies are facing difficult and compromised positions with other countries around the world.  How the release will affect America’s relations around the world is yet to be determined, but it’s not likely to have a great outcome in the foreseeable future.

Kevin Fickenscher, MD

The views and opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Dell Services or its affiliates.