instruction:
Your task is to extract the thesis of an opinionated news article by selecting some of its text segments. The thesis is a summarization of what the author wants to persuade the reader of. Your answer should consist of segments of the given text. Note that you are not allowed to combine different sentences.
question:
If Abbott is serious about tackling terrorism, cutting foreign aid is the worst way to go about it. In conjunction with the joint military action against Islamic State (Isis), Tony Abbott has pledged $5m in humanitarian aid for Iraq on his recent surprise visit to Baghdad . But don't be fooled by the government's apparent show of generosity - Australia isn't giving any more to foreign aid than it was before . In fact ,  it is giving significantly less . It is vitally important that we don't stop talking about recent cuts to foreign aid . The government's mid-year economic and fiscal outlook has reduced the foreign aid budget to the lowest levels in Australian history . Foreign aid spending has been cut by almost $3.7bn over four years . In addition to the $7.6bn already cut in May's federal budget, foreign aid has been cut by one quarter . If the government is serious about tackling terrorist threats and defending "universal values" , cutting off foreign aid to programmes that provide education, reduce poverty and improve gender equality is one of the worst ways to go about it . The Save Australian Aid campaign states that $11bn in foreign aid - the amount cut from the foreign aid budget in the past year - is the equivalent of 2 million children who may not be able to enrol in school, 1.4 million births without a birth attendant, 3.7 million children who may not receive vaccinations, 4.7 million people who will have reduced access to safe water, and almost 22 million people with reduced assistance in emergency situations . These cuts further perpetuate the idea that Australia is not a team player, a notion fuelled by our past behaviour towards our neighbours, and our recent denials of international obligations towards asylum seekers and climate change . In addition to the cuts in the Myefo, Australia backed out of commitments made to tax justice in the recent G20 summit . It is estimated that developing nations lose $160bn per year to corporate tax dodging; an amount that would end world hunger three times over . The G20 commitment, Abbott said, was "about the countries of the world, the people of the world, receiving the tax benefits that are their due and it's needed so that governments can fund the infrastructure and the services that people expect and deserve." As the host of the G20, backing out of this commitment not only damages our international credibility, but also has a huge impact on the developing world . The foreign aid cuts are irresponsible, but not surprising . Cutting the aid budget sends a clear message to our developing neighbours that Australia won't lend a helping hand unless it's in our own best interest . However ,  our politicians seem to forget that there is something in it for us, and not only in Iraq . Aid is much more than a humanitarian gesture ; it's a tool for regional development, trust and cooperation . Foreign aid programmes promote stability through education and equality, in turn reducing conflict . As an added bonus, foreign aid and sustainable development programmes create stronger economies , which in turn create opportunities at home and abroad . Poverty breeds hopelessness and despair , which are both contributing factors to extremist behaviour . Foreign aid is not the only factor in answering this issue , but it's more than a step in the right direction . Higher levels of foreign aid have the potential not to only alleviate extreme poverty in our region, but to raise international opinion of Australia as a fair country . A recent study examining the effects of foreign aid on foreign public opinion found that US aid programmes targeting HIV/Aids have improved perceptions of the US among the public in recipient countries . Australia would reap these benefits as a side effect of foreign aid, saving the millions of dollars set aside to "stop the boats" and wage a "war on terror" . But our government has, predictably, made yet another irresponsible decision with untold repercussions . While two innocent people died in Martin Place on 16 December in what has been labelled an act of terror , a reduction of this size in the foreign aid budget will result in the unnecessary deaths of hundreds across the globe due to reduced access to vital services . The high priority the Abbott government has placed on security doesn't come cheap, with funds for anti-terrorism programmes costing billions of dollars . Wouldn't this money be better spent reducing inequality, poverty, and conflict? Shouldn't we be stopping the problem at the source, not trying to cure the symptoms?
answer:
the government is serious about tackling terrorist threats and defending "universal values" cutting off foreign aid to programmes that provide education, reduce poverty and improve gender equality is one of the worst ways to go about it


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New Congress: My fellow Republicans, here's your chance to prove you can lead. This week marks a new era in American government . For the first time in the six years of the Obama administration, Republicans took the reins of power in both houses of Congress, bringing divided government to our nation's capital . With this new power comes not only responsibility, but also real challenges and opportunities . Yes, the newly empowered Republicans in the Senate have the ability to control the floor and try to break through some of the gridlock and dysfunction associated with the failed tenure of now Minority Leader Harry Reid . Instead of bottling up all the legislation that's been passed by the GOP House without ever letting it see the light of day, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can start moving things forward with up or down votes and a full, fair and thorough amendment process . He has pledged to get back to regular order and help re-establish trust between the American people and Congress . But even more importantly, the Senate can get to work on the issues of real importance to the people who elected them . Instead of pushing petty, politically motivated bills, or not voting just to protect one of the Democratic members from taking a tough vote, the Senate can focus on things that will have a direct impact on the American people . I am encouraged to see that the Keystone XL Pipeline is on the top of the docket . This common-sense, environmentally sound project will not only create good-paying jobs for both unions and non-union members, it will also increase our domestic supply of oil, helping to keep prices low and more money in people's pockets , and it will help to reduce the influence of foreign governments . It's unfortunate that President Obama continues to impede progress on Keystone and is standing with the radical fringe of his party rather than the overwhelming majority of the country . Likewise , now that the elections for leadership are over, House Speaker John Boehner needs to move immediately to unite his caucus and focus on the overwhelming areas of agreement within the GOP . Given that Republicans now boast their largest House majority since the late 1920s, it's not surprising that there have been, and will be, minor areas of difference within the caucus . But the things that unite us are so much more plentiful , and it's now the job of Speaker Boehner to focus on these issues . I was heartened to see the House Republicans roll out a series of bipartisan jobs bills this week, including legislation called the "Hire More Heroes Act." This bill would exempt veterans already enrolled in health care plans from the VA or Department of Defense from counting toward the employer mandate under ObamaCare . This is a win-win for both veterans and small businesses . Many businesses are not hiring because of ObamaCare's many mandates and new regulations , and this measure would be a good first step to help alleviate that problem . Above all ,  Republicans in Congress have to prove to the American people that they are responsible leaders who will put our country's interests first by being able to lead and get real results . They need to show that they have learned from the mistakes of the past and will stop lurching from cliff to cliff and forcing self-imposed government shutdowns that only tarnish the GOP brand and make it harder to win future elections . The new Republican Congress needs to make it impossible for the Democrats to falsely portray the Grand Old Party as a group of fire-breathing extremists focused on divisive social issues . History tells us that when we focus on the issues that really matter-- such as low taxes, getting our debt and deficit under control, limited government, returning power to the states and a strong and muscular national defense-- the American people are with us , and we win elections as a result . The simple reality is that even with a GOP Senate, there is only so much of President Obama's destructive agenda that we can work on repealing these next two years . Getting rid of ObamaCare and rolling back his overreaching executive orders and memos-- that's not going to happen if a Democratic president succeeds the current occupant in January 2017 . We Republicans have a slew of talented candidates who, over the next few months, will throw their hats into the ring and begin the process of running for the White House . The new GOP Congress needs to make sure it provides critical support and issue-oriented ammunition for our nominees -- not become unwelcome distractions that will hurt the brand and increase the Democrats' chances of retaining the White House . Let's make these next two years count, so that in January of 2017 a newly elected Republican president can take power with robust GOP majorities in Congress and really get this country back on the right path .
answer:
For the first time in the six years of the Obama administration, Republicans took the reins of power in both houses of Congress, bringing divided government to our nation's capital


question:
The trap of insecurity: Extrajudicial killings in Kenya. Over the years, Kenyan police have acquired a dubious reputation of being a source of insecurity instead of one of security . In many instances, the police represent clear, palpable and imminent danger to the lives of Kenyan citizens . The transformation of the police from a security institution into a bastion of insecurity didn't occur overnight , nor did it come as a surprise ; it was the inevitable outcome of a number of factors . Some of these factors are beyond their control . For instance ,  policemen are underpaid and ill-equipped to do their job ; others seem to be an institutional choice, such as the endemic corruption within the police force . Under the previous constitution, the police were at the beck and call of the executive , which used it as a tool of coercion to further its political goals . As a result , when confronted by a new security situation, the executive's default response has been to set up a "special" police unit to address the situation . In most cases, t he unit would operate under minimum oversight and maximum impunity . More than any other institution in the country, the police has deep institutional problems , but one of the most detrimental ones is its involvement in extrajudicial killings. Remarkably, this is not only a new phenomenon , but it is deeply entrenched with a clear pattern . In the 1990s, crime was on the rise in Kenya . In order to stem the high rates of carjacking and violent robberies, in 1995 the government formed a new police unit called the Flying Squad. This special unit was given the express authority to shoot any suspect on sight without due process . As a result, the unit was implicated in multiple and egregious extrajudicial killings , which they claimed was their way of dealing with the new security reality . In some cases, the police officers were caught shooting suspects after they had surrendered or were lying face down . The unit executed several innocent people in cold blood . The police command instead of seeing the unit's trigger-happy attitude as dangerous, celebrated it as the only "medicine" with which to treat spiralling crime . The late 1980s and 1990s saw deep economic problems, shrinking political space for dissent and increasing insecurity . This was the time when criminal gangs emerged and flourished . These gangs e stablished their "spheres of influence" , mostly in slum areas, where the state's presence was negligible . To establish loyalty from the community and enhance their legitimacy, these groups provided security for a token fee . To exert their superiority, from time to time, these groups engaged each other over "territories" and business interests . Among these groups were the Mungiki, the Taliban, the Kosovo boys, the Baghdad boys, Chinkororo, and the Kalenjin Warriors . Mungiki is a Kikuyu word for multitude . The organisation had both a cultural and political element to it . In the beginning of the group's existence, the social aspect was more prominent and it involved traditional Kikuyu beliefs in the god named Ngai. But as the organisation expanded, it began taking an overtly political posture , which brought them into confrontation with the state . Mungiki operated primarily in the Nairobi slums, in the Central Province and parts of the Rift Valley . In these areas, the group started providing the poor in slum areas with protection and social services for a fee . Refusal to pay the protection " tax " almost always resulted in violence and killings . In 2002, the Kenyan government banned 18 of these criminal gangs . The spread of Mungiki's influence forced the government in 2007 to establish a special police unit called Kwekwe which was tasked primarily with hunting down members of Mungiki . But Kwekwe's operation against the criminal group went too far . According to a National Commission on Human Rights 2008 report:"Extrajudicial executions and other brutal acts of extreme cruelty have been perpetrated by the police against so-called Mungiki adherents and that these acts may have been committed pursuant to official policy sanctioned by the political leadership, the police commissioner and top police commander" . HRW observed in 2008 that,"The brutality of the police crackdown matched or even exceeded that of the Mungiki itself." Kenya has been in the crosshairs of the transnational jihadi movement . In the past, the fact that Kenya was seen as being firmly in the western sphere of influence made Kenya a target , with most of the incidents, including the 1998 US embassy attack, targeting western interests . However ,  after Kenya's intervention in Somalia in 2011, the country itself become a target . Terrorism activity in Kenya reached a peak with the attack on the Westgate shopping mall in September 2013 , when unidentified gunmen killed 67 people and injured almost 200 others . As a response to the growing terrorism threat, the Kenyan government created the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) in March 2003, following the 2002 attack on an Israeli-owned Mombasa hotel . This was also accompanied by the passage of Anti-Terrorism Act in 2012 . As part of the wider counterterrorism effort, the government also began a huge crackdo wn on the Somali and Muslim communities especially in Nairobi, parts of Northern Kenya and coastal Kenya . As the crackdown intensified, a number of extrajudicial killings of Muslim preachers took place, some in the coastal city of Mombasa . Most of the victims were suspected of having connections with Somalia's al-Shabab group . While in almost all the cases the police deny culpability , research by human rights organisations reveals the ATPU's involvement . In its August 2014 report,"Kenya: Killings, disappearance by anti-terror police," HRW points to" ...evidence of at least 10 cases of extrajudicial killings of terrorism suspects, some of whom were last seen in ATPU custody or had been threatened by the unit's officers after courts had released them" . The Kenyan government has accused some of the clerics who were killed of recruiting Muslim youth for terrorism activities through their mosques . However ,  despite initiating investigations against them, the government never followed through to prosecute the imams . After public outcry over the killing of Muslim cleric Ibrahim "Rogo" Omar, the government set up a task force to investigate his murder . The director of public prosecution promised in 2013 that he will institute an inquest, but has not done so yet . One of the commissions established following the 2007-2008 violence to look at the role of the police, was the Waki Commission . Established to look into the circumstances and facts surrounding the violence and provide recommendations, the Waki Commission found that of the 1,500 deaths, the police was responsible for more than 30 percent of them . As a result several reform measures were proposed including the establishment of a civilian oversight of the police, and many other reforms . However ,  due to lack of political will, the police reforms have stalled . The extrajudicial killings by the police in Kenya are anchored in a systemic lack of accountability and deeply entrenched culture of pervasive impunity . While the police undoubtedly face ever changing security challenges , its involvement in extrajudicial killings make matters worse . Effective security sector reform is the only way forward .
answer:

Over the years, Kenyan police have acquired a dubious reputation of being a source of insecurity instead of one of security