Question Analysis:
Possible Ideas:
Legend:
SV = Supporting Viewpoint
OV = Opposing Viewpoint
Sample Paragraphs:
(OV 1)
Critics may argue that in an interconnected world, people should care more about international issues, particularly regarding major events in countries that could pose a threat to their own country. Indeed, I acknowledge the fact that universal issues such as issues pertaining to health are applicable to everyone. By educating ourselves about outbreaks of diseases in other countries and the steps that the governments take, we can take the necessary precautions to prevent diseases from exacerbating when they hit our shores. In comparison, focusing more on national issues may not give us sufficient insight, especially if our country has not experienced the problem before. Thus, we should take reference from countries that have previous experiences. For instance, countries that manage the COVID-19 pandemic well include Taiwan. Taiwan was known to take reference from both China's stance towards curtailing the virus and their prior experience with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak. By closing borders in the early stages of the pandemic and implementing contact tracing and mobile SIM-tracking to identify and ensure those quarantined are abiding by the rules, Taiwan has one of the lowest casualties and infection cases in the world. As a result, looking beyond one's shores to learn valuable takeaways can definitely help a country to generate insight and prepare accordingly, particularly facing an unprecedented crisis. Conversely, focusing mainly on internal affairs may render a country isolated and insular. If a country were to focus more on national issues in the aspect of disease outbreak, people would not be able to react swiftly in time and cause greater turmoil within the country. Hence, whilst I agree that we should not always focus on international issues, I concede that in times of crisis, it would be wise to take reference from countries that have been affected earlier and make the necessary adjustments to previously done measures to suit our own country and its situation.
(SV 1)
People should focus on national issues above international issues because different countries have different legislative practices. Since every country has different legislative practices, it is more pragmatic for citizens to be educated about our own country’s laws and practices rather than be concerned about laws of other countries that are inapplicable to ours. To illustrate my point, in the United States of America, many gun rights activists have invoked the Second Amendment in the United States Constitution as a means to persuade state legislatures to legislate for more permissive gun laws. The increase and ease of gun ownership have contributed to the increasing threats faced by an average citizen. A particular incident is the school shooting at a Texas elementary school in late May 2022 which left 21 individuals dead. In comparison, Singapore bans civilians the right to own guns. While Singapore had seen a fatal attack by a student in the River Valley High School incident in 2021, there was one casualty and the attacker was wielding an axe. Such a contrast demonstrates that different laws affect the nation differently, particularly involving wielding weapons capable of causing mass destruction. As a result, understanding the implications of the laws affecting the nation we currently reside in is more imperative than knowing about foreign nations where cultures differ greatly. In this manner, we are better able to adjust to the society we currently live in. If we were to focus more on international than national issues, particularly neglecting the national laws governing our own country, we would end up ignorant of our own laws. Ignorance, however, does not excuse a person in the eyes of the court when a crime has been committed. Therefore, given the need to understand our country's laws as international laws may be inapplicable, I argue that, in this case, we should focus more on national than international issues.
Links for Reference:
https://thediplomat.com/2021/07/why-taiwan-is-beating-covid-19-again/
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/05/25/uvalde-school-shooting-victims/
