Ian Bunn | Political & Popular Culture Arts

Embracing innovative new forms of diplomacy (February 9 2013)Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton the 65 year old American politician, wife of the 42nd President of the United States Bill Clinton, leading candidate for the Democratic 2008 presidential nomination, and the US Secretary of State, has been the focus of an article by David Rohde on Reuters titled ‘Clinton: International portfolio, domestic concerns’ referring to her potential candidacy for the 2016 presidential nomination. Rohde states “…She [Clinton] has been a very good but very cautious secretary of state, who kept her distance from Afghanistan and other seemingly intractable conflicts. Clinton established a strong relationship with President Barack Obama, was innovative and worked tirelessly, but her position as a potential 2016 presidential candidate clearly influenced her performance. One State Department official praised Clinton’s tenure, but talked about looking forward to the arrival of her presumed successor, Senator John Kerry. …After promising a sweeping break with the approaches of President George W. Bush, the Obama White House has proved just as insular and controlling of foreign policy as the Bush administration. …Obama’s first-term foreign policy was marked by cautious, political calculation. Members of his foreign policy team rightly point to the president’s re-election as proof that their approach worked. A more decisive Obama approach in foreign affairs, though, may have helped him at the ballot box. …The lesson of Iraq is that American invasions are not the answer. But neither is isolation. Traditional American diplomatic engagement is needed in the Middle East, including efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the same time, new means of diplomacy – what Clinton called “smart power” – should be carried out as well. U.S. trade, technology and private investment – not simply drones – should be used to counter militancy. Clinton deserves credit for restructuring the State Department and embracing innovative new forms of diplomacy.”

Inspired by David Rohde, Reuters ow.ly/hhRPd Image source Kai Mork ow.ly/hhRIm

John Owen Brennan the 57 year old American chief counterterrorism advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama whose responsibilities include overseeing plans to protect the country from terrorism and respond to natural disasters has been nominated to fill the position of CIA Director on the resignation of General Petraeus resulting from his affair with his biographer. In an article published in Wired titled ‘If You Thought Obama’s Drone Godfather Was Powerful, Wait ‘Til He’s at the CIA’ Spencer Ackerman and Noah Shachtman states “If confirmed by the Senate to lead the CIA, John Brennan … will be clothed in immense power. He’s already an architect of the CIA’s accelerated counterterrorism campaign, the one that launches drone strikes at suspected terrorists around the world. From his perch at the White House, Brennan has been a major advocate for the CIA, perhaps more effectively than the men running Langley, thanks to his close relationship with Obama. …By putting Brennan at the CIA and former Senator Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon, Obama’s national security predilections come into focus: aggressive but secretive wars with minimal troop and logistics footprints, matched with winding down the long slog in Afghanistan. …Brennan suddenly looks like the most powerful member of Obama’s national security team. Hagel looks like he may face a tough confirmation fight, and in any event is new to the Pentagon, a management challenge like no other. …“Brennan is The Guy now,” Zegart notes. “There’s no more important asset, coming into the head of the agency, than having that kind of trust of the president. Brennan is possibly unique in that respect: I can’t remember an incoming CIA director with that kind of relationship with the president.””

Inspired by Spencer Ackerman and Noah Shachtman, Wired ow.ly/gGS16 Image source White House ow.ly/gGROp

Makes this counterterrorism tool so essential (May 18th 2012)

John O. Brennan the 56 year old USA the Deputy National Security Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, the chief counterterrorism advisor to President Barack Obama, has officially acknowledged in a speech for the first time the administration’s targeted killing of Al Qaeda members abroad. Mother Jones in an article states ”But Brennan didn’t tell the whole story: He largely rehashed the legal rationale for targeted killings of specific Al Qaeda suspects, instead of defending the use of more controversial “signature strikes,” in which targets are selected based on a “pattern of behavior.” Brennan defended targeted killings as an effective tool against Al Qaeda that helps minimize civilian casualties and likened the use of drones to laser surgery, saying: “It’s this surgical precision—the ability, with laser-like focus, to eliminate the cancerous tumor called an al Qaeda terrorist while limiting damage to the tissue around it—that makes this counterterrorism tool so essential.” …To borrow Brennan’s cancer metaphor, if targeted strikes on particular suspected Al Qaeda militants help excise cancerous tumors, signature strikes sound a little like flicking a scalpel around inside a patient’s abdomen. I’m no medical expert, but that sounds to me like it would inevitably kill the patient.”

Inspired by Mother Jones http://ow.ly/aOTXR image source Pete Souza http://ow.ly/aOTLQ

They will have to pay dearly (March 30th 2012)

Meir Dagan the 66 year old former Israel Defense Forces officer and former Director of the Mossad has put his trust in US President Barack Obama to intervene where necessary, cautioning against attacking the Iranian nuclear sites. In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” program, Meir Dagan said he believes the Iranian regime along with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are “very rational”. “An attack on Iran before you are exploring all other approaches is not the right way… and (President Obama) said openly that the military option is on the table and he is not going to let Iran become a nuclear state, and from my experience, I usually trust the president of the US… But no doubt, they are considering all the implications of their actions… They will have to pay dearly… and I think the Iranians at this point in time are… very careful on the project… It’s our duty to help anyone who likes to present an open opposition against their regime in Iran… If I prefer that someone will do it, I always prefer that Americans will do it.”

Inspired by france24 http://ow.ly/9Fyh0 image source http://ow.ly/9FydC

Scott Kevin Walker the 43 year old Republican Governor of Wisconsin in the USA has become a focus for protests against his ideological plan to curb union bargaining rights of public workers as the state’s biggest school district closed due to teachers leaving workplaces to demonstrate. Thousands of demonstrators, many wearing cheese wedge-shaped hats peacefully crowded the streets around the State Capitol, receiving support from President Barack Obama who called the proposal an “assault on unions.” Walker has threatened to layoff more than 10,000 employees unless his plan is implemented. In order to implement the plan Walker requires ratification from the state senate, however 14 Democrat senators left the state denying Republicans the needed quorum of 20 necessary to hold the vote.

Inspired by Michael Cooper ow.ly/46eme image source Wikipedia ow.ly/46eAM

Rahm Israel Emanuel the 51 year old former White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama, known for his “take-no-prisoners style” earning him the nickname “Rahmbo” has been elected mayor of Chicago, making him the first Jewish mayor and the first mayor of any US city with dual citizenship in the US and Israel. Emanuel who has been characterized as being the most influential chief of staff of a generation, has taken out the mayoral contest with an excess of the required 50% vote to avoid a run-off election. Emanuel experienced yet won a protracted legal battle relating to his residency qualifications that threatened to have him disqualified from the voting ticket.

Inspired by Paul Harris ow.ly/41IL3 image source Wikipedia ow.ly/41IKu

Peter Richard Orszag the 42 year old  American economist who is a Vice Chairman of Global Banking at Citigroup and the former Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Barack Obama has become somewhat of a nerd celebrity. Orszag has expressed his delight in his new role at Citi with analysts on the ground in sixty-six countries world-wide giving him global access to an “information flow” greater than most officials in the US government have access to. Orszag noted in an interview with The Daily the strong positive US economic trends, although predicting employment will remain sluggish suggesting that high unemployment may impact on Obama 2012 re-election campaign.

Inspired by Avi Zenilman ow.ly/3Y6ln image source Wikipedia ow.ly/3Y6eZ

William Michael Daley the 52 year old American lawyer and business executive has been announced by President Barack Obama that he would become White House Chief of Staff to succeed Rahm Emanuel. Daley previously had served as Secretary of Commerce in the second administration of President Bill Clinton, and named to the advisory board of the Obama-Biden Transition Project. Regarded as a Democratic centrist, Daley is perceived to bring a business acumen to the White House, providing Obama with advice on economic matters for which he has faced strong criticisms as being anti business. His appointment is bringing criticism from progressives who are skeptical of Daley’s finance business background, and his urgings for the administration to move toward the political center.

Inspired by Ben Feller ow.ly/3EANg Image source ow.ly/3EAN2

Growth and intelligent austerity measures (June 27th)

Adapting Pop Arts notion of mass media imagery into a context of the contemporary digital age, the work draws on a myriad points of reference. Utilizing fractured images to provide an allusion to the digital noise pounding away daily into our sub consciousness.  The work diverges from the traditional Pop Art notion of a pronounced repetition of a consumer icon, instead this work focuses on the deluge of contemporary digital content. The compilation of the fragmented imagery is vividly distractive, not unlike cable surfing or a jaunt through Times Square.
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Erodes the trust that is necessary (June 23rd)

My digital art work is about iconic people, places and events of our day.  Recorded visually through daily compilations of manipulated digital images, posted online and disseminated via online media and social networks. The works are diaristic in nature that metaphorically record a spectators experience of the contemporary digital age.  The resulting work intentionally has a painterly aesthetic acknowledging my historical painting practice.
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