Gd Topics

Every candle has its shadow. †¢ Has computer revolution lead to unemployment in India? †¢ Tube lights are better than bulbs. †¢ Red. †¢ Everyone likes it hot. †¢ India – Sustained growth is a mirage. †¢ Globalizations – a boon or bane? †¢ Advertising – A necessary evil. †¢ One can make a difference. †¢ Indian youth – unemployed or unemployable? †¢ Corruption is the main outcome of democracy in India. †¢ Life is an onion. †¢ Human capital of India. †¢ Blue. †¢ The impact of TV on society? †¢ Has election lost its importance in India? †¢ Prohibition should be implemented across India. Media is a mixed blessing / how ethical is media? †¢ Television news channels cannot replace newspapers. †¢ Film stars should not smoke in public. †¢ Foreign television channels are destroying our culture. †¢ Are we responsible for environmental imbalance? †¢ Quality is a my th in India. †¢ Indian villages – our strength or our weakness? †¢ Cricket is destroying other sports in India.†¢ Mobile is a social evil. †¢ Are women really safe in India? †¢ Are marriages becoming a business in India? †¢ India should have a compulsory military training. †¢ Does banning fashion show and New Year parties save our culture? Responsibility of Politicians in Today’s Politics. †¢ The costs of war are incalculable. †¢ Man exploits nature for his own ends but nature often has the last word. †¢ The IPL will damage Indian cricket. †¢ Gandhism is not relevant today. †¢ Reservation in the education institutions for the OBCs is a welcome step. †¢ The western life – style is harming Indians. †¢ India shining – myth or reality. †¢ The changing face of youth in India. †¢ Success is all about attitude. †¢ Multinational Companies: a threat to Indian industries. †¢ W ould we be able to use our mental faculties or completely dependent on machines?

Modern culture Essay

As has lately been pointed out (Hesmondhalgh, 2002; Negus, 2002) this term has been used with some quite differing meanings or at least deviating from Bourdieu’s original intentions (Bourdieu, 1986). If they can be seen as active and cognizant agents of social and cultural change – change in the supposed interests of themselves and the class fraction to which they go, as Bourdieu would have it – then they have been recognized with cultural critics (Bourdieu, 1986; Hesmondhalgh, 2002); those promoting a new lifestyle (O’Connor and Wynne, 1998); and those who choose which products go forward during the cultural production chain. It has also been used to portray those who â€Å"make things happen,† putting artists, money and audiences together in a means that creates new cultural possibilities. This might comprise Diaghilev, or Brian Epstein, or Charles Saatchi. At a more ordinary level it can be used to portray those who are able to translate between the language of policy makers and that of the cultural producers. As with the A+R men (music industry talent scouts: Artists and Repertoire) in Negus’ description these intermediaries work to bond one level of discourse to another – to â€Å"symbolize† the interests of cultural producers within the framework of wider policy development, and speak this language back to those producers. By the time Tony Blair’s New Labour came to power in 1997 in the U. K. the cultural industries had a well-built policy presence – it was here that consultants and policy makers had interpreted academic literature and practical illustrations into coherent policy possibilities. The narrative context for this was boosted by New Labor’s legitimizing of the cultural industries – and the term â€Å"creative† acceptable an argument about a benign combination of culture and economics to be placed at the level of personal potential and aspiration. Those in the sector could now distinguish themselves and others as â€Å"creatives† (Caves, 2000; Florida, 2002). At the same time the cultural industries also became a U. K. policy export, with consultants – and now academics – being asked by many European cities to advice on culture as a motor of economic development. Though, the interaction of these policy intermediaries with extremely different contexts destined that the work of definition had to be done over, and as such the narratives spelled out more evidently. Often this was not easy as the cultural (and by now â€Å"creative†) industry discourse was linked with Blair’s â€Å"Third Way,† or with some Anglo-U. S. assault on a European cultural policy consent. Certainly it was quite clear that a shift in discourse would challenge recognized policy consensus. The terminology itself brought fresh problems; whereas the U. K. can use â€Å"industry† almost interchangeably with â€Å"economic sector,† elsewhere it evokes factory production (O’Connor, 2000b). Cultural enterprise or cultural business frequently had to supplement the main term. In fact â€Å"cultural industries† became greatly an imported neologism, given in the English original and then explained (O’Connor, 1999a). How the term and the arguments are used and reconfigured depends on the local context. But if it was usually seen as an argument concerning a new relationship between culture and economics, how this relationship was understood could be extremely different, as could too the outcomes envisioned and the groups who picked up the ideas. Policy makers used it to drive diverse agendas – job creation, urban regeneration, the commercialization of subsidized culture, emerging new media industries, creating employment, retaining talent, etc. But cultural producers also reacted in different ways – some seeing it as a new set of opportunities, others as the thin end of a precarious wedge. â€Å"The perceptions that the creative industries are open to talent, and are indeed dependent on diverse talent, have also been somewhat optimistic† . It must be clear then that in working to construct a new policy object, and in efforting to shift discourses around culture towards economics – with the provision that economics too is moving towards culture, the cultural industries discourse rallies a narrative to strengthen its policy goals. These narratives become more obvious when the discourse enters a new framework – it has to justify itself and make its arguments obvious not simply as technical policy tools but as concerned with the primary direction and meaning of modern culture.

REFLECTION Assessment on being a health professional in Essay

REFLECTION Assessment on being a health professional in Interprofessional Capabillity Framework for the Faculty of Health Sciences - Essay Example Moreover, it illuminates on the appropriate demeanour of evaluating one’s philosophies, mannerisms, values, as well as attitudes. This assists in developing an effective practitioner (Gaare, Bernheim and Melnick, 2008). It is extremely significant and fascinating to be educated about other occupation in the health care squad. This illuminates on the similarities and disparities of one’s profession with those of other individuals in the well being affiliation. It also gives a vivid comprehension of other well being vocations. In addition, this brings the recognition that disparate proficiencies and knowledge that define one’s excellence in a profession, such as psychoanalysis are not sufficient. There are other prerequisites, for instance, excellent communication joint effort, operating ethically amongst other requirements. The reinforcement of this is through the analogous code of principles for an individual’s profession such as speech pathology and other well being occupations. The utmost significance in these lesions is the explication of the meaning of concentrating on a client’s needs. Moreover, it is extremely significant to deliver superior quality well being services as well as sustaining security in these endeavours. There is a widespread notion that excellence in a health occupation comprises of knowing the paramount interest of a client and fixing that client as per the interests. However, it is crucial to realize that listening cautiously is what provides a true comprehension of a client’s quandary (Deanery, 2012). The preliminary function of health practitioners is to protect and promote well being in society. Thus, they ought to apply verified techniques of peril analysis, propose efficient precautionary measures and ensure implementation. Additionally, they must give proficient and truthful advice to their clients. This is a facet of their

Size of financial sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Size of financial sector - Essay Example Moreover, profitability across all the financial sectors has improved except the insurance sector and it is anticipated to remain strong in the first quarter of the year 2015. Unfortunately, for the insurance and the building society the forecast suggests otherwise. The number of employment in the banking and insurance sector has decreased in comparison to other sectors while the training expenditure has risen. Department, I. M. F. M. C. M. (2014) suggests that this is a clear indication of the existence of shortage of skills and talents in the financial labor market. The financial sector has enormously grown over the last decades. Gloria (2015) illustrates that the parameters that measure these growths are: quantity of the financial market; the share of the GDP; wages; and employment. For instance, the economy of the UK has grown faster since the financial crisis of 2007/2008. It expanded by approximately by 1.9% in 2013. The growth is also attributed to the securitization in the financial market; intermediation of credit; and the subsectors of finance in the financial sector. On the other hand, the insurance sector has been steadily growing (at a steady pace). In addition, the growth is also evident in the increase in the financial claims and contracts such as bonds, stock, fund shares, and derivatives. Before the 200/2008 financial crisis, central banks use a simple modality that would effectively maintain and stabilize the inflation rate. However, in 2009 the interest rates were slashed to a level close to zero (zero lower bound). Jeucken’s (2001) notion indicates that below this benchmark would hav e been practical but wouldn’t have achieved the desired results. Central bank faced an uphill task of dealing with the increasing rate of unemployment as well as the collapse in the output. At some instances central banks have adopted the unconventional

Labeling Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Labeling - Research Paper Example While labeling theory is not as popular as it once was, it has not been completely discredited as a way to understand how social processes lead to deviant behavior. Labeling Theory & Who Labels Whom? Labeling theory argues that just observing the delinquent, or its characteristics, will not provide a whole image of deviance or crime. A complete picture has to include community/society responses to such incidents (Traub and Little 291). Labeling theory is used as a way to understand deviant behavior, including crime, as a consequence of social differentiation processes in which some of society's members are singled out, identified, and defined as deviant, while others are not (Traub and Little 289-295). The causal proposition of labeling theory is that the act of treating a person as a deviant, in itself, can lead to deviant behavior on the part of that person. The punishment of deviant behavior often has an ironic effect: efforts at social control lead to decreased control (Schur 10) . Social definitions of deviance and their accompanying social sanctions somehow pressure labeled individuals into further deviant behaviors. Loosely speaking, a "label," or, a definition of a person as deviant, may be thought of as an independent variable, or, a cause of deviant behavior (Akers 121). The process by which a person is labeled as deviant may be summarized as follows. First, an act is deemed as deviant. Second, the person committing the act is deemed as deviant. And third, a moral condemnation is placed upon this person (Traub and Little 289). According to labeling theory, then, reactions to criminal behavior should be considered at least as important as the behavior itself, if not more. Labeling theory took a lesson from Kai Erikson (p. 11), who argued that the "social audience," not the individual, is the critical variable in studying deviance because it is the audience who decides which acts, or types of acts, deserve the deviant label. In their coverage of labeling theory, Traub and Little (p. 290) wrote "it is the definition of an individual's behavior as deviant, rather than the behavior itself, that can cause a marked change in status which transforms a person's conception of self and initiates the process of locking that person into a 'deviant career'." Thus, it is the community and authority figures such as the police, judges, teachers, parents, and psychiatrists, who label persons as "criminal," "delinquent," "bad kid," "mentally ill," "poor student," and so on. Consequences of Labeling Labeling theory argues that public deviant labeling can have a profound impact on the ability of the labeled person to participate in mainstream society. In one sense, this is an all-too-obvious observation. Societal sanctions have obnoxious effects for the offender of social norms. This assumption is central to the classic school in criminology, namely the deterrence approach to crime and punishment (Gennaro 196). This perspective argues that being caug ht and punished for a crime should decrease one's future rate of offending. Punished individuals should tend to desist from crime to avoid the pain of punishment in the future. However, in direct contrast to this traditional view, labeling theory points out that the ability of the individual to engage in rational decision-making is not the only relevant factor in determining the consequences of punishment. Labeling theory looks beyond individual-level processes and

Fashion Retailer Zara Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Fashion Retailer Zara - Assignment Example The essay "Fashion Retailer Zara" discovers the marketing strategy of Zara. Zara designs all its clothes and majority of it is in Spain (about 80 percent). It focuses on shorter response time, which enables it to meet the constantly shifting fashion trends. However such moves do not take months, but this swift process is complete within in 30 days. And with this short time, Zara identifies the trends, design it clothes, supply it to all its stores. In short it means catching up a trend when it is in vogue in the fashion circles, rather than discusses it for months and then ask the overseas producers to work on it. On the contrary, even the smallest retailer takes up. Three to four months research, thinking, discussion for any such project, while bigger retailer take up to 9 months to produce to similar result. When the analysts start to forecast the fashion trends, Zara moves ahead for next trend. The trend identification is done through extensive research process in which every one in the organisation is involved. In the manufacturing environment, Zara’s product development teams fashion shows and catwalks and exhibition and then translate the latest fashionable ideas into products. Zara development teams visits universities and clubs to track the customer’s preferences and choices and understand the changing consumer’s needs. There are also teams in the international arena who also observe the latest fashion trends and report to the head office. Zara mangers also help in tracking customer.... t the Zara mangers also help in tracking customer demands through sales analysis, all of this process enables Zara to meet customer's needs and be ahead of its rivals. The research is not traditional research, but it includes email and phone calls from various stores to head office, to which Zara manufacturing machinery responds by designing the proposed item within 2 weeks time. Thus we can see, that it is the lead time and keeping up with the fashion trends which makes Zara the leader of the fashion industry. Low Risk Low Production Normally any proposed item (apparel) among other retailers is made in bulk, which always has the risk being a failure. Zara reduces this risk by producing in lesser quantity, thus instead of going for bulk production, it prefers fewer items. This approach gives Zara's double benefit, such as lesser risk and creating more demand by making artificial scarcity, which means it can charge more and earn extra profit. It is natural with all objects especially fashion products; they become more desirable making them more profitable for the company. Normally it is very rare to find a product in its early launch days, a customer has to request the item, which is taken into notice by the store manager and produced within a shortest period of time. Another benefit of this approach is that if the product does sell well, it can be easily scarped back due to lesser quantity, which is not possible for other retailers or in some cases it is moved to another location, where it is selling well. Leading in Innovation As for other retailers their profits comes through mass sale and bulk production. Zara instead produce more styles (new items) than any other retail store and generates profit through greater number rather than bulk production. For

Importance of Management and Interpersonal Skills Essay

Importance of Management and Interpersonal Skills - Essay Example Therefore it is enlightened as the way individuals relate with each other. Interpersonal skills also take into account the ability to understand and listen. Decision making, personal stress as well problem solving is also considered as a part of it (Barkley and Murphy, 2005, p.699). Therefore interpersonal skills play an indispensible role towards the success of an individual in both the personal and professional fields. It further helps individuals to perform effectively in the various circumstances at the workplace (Klein, 2009, p.9). Individuals with strong interpersonal skills can easily portray their confidence and charismatic image (Givens, 2008, p.314). It also helps to develop the management skills of a person. Management skills are also necessary for a person to function in an organization (Dan O’, 2008, p.163-164). Hence strong interpersonal skill and management skill act as the foundation of success. The report will present a brief introduction and the background of management skills. It will mainly demonstrate the required expertise for a person to work in an organization. The study will also discuss different type of management skill. Furthermore in the literature review section, the study will shed light on the previous works of eminent writers and will also emphasize on the theories of interpersonal and management skills. Then reflective analyses will be carried out, which will depict one of the necessary skills required for a person to excel in his/her career. The report will then conclude with the significance of interpersonal and management skill. Finally it will offer few recommendations for the purpose of developing interpersonal and management skills. Introduction In the last few decades, the scenario of managerial tasks has undergone substantial changes. The changes are mainly because of the fact that economic, technological and organizational context in which administ rative works are carried out has transformed rapidly. There have been changes in almost every sector of a business organization (Huber and Glick, 1995, p.400). Introduction of modern concepts such as â€Å"the self managed work team†, incorporation of Business Process Reengineering (BPR), extensive use of information technology and employment of a variety of communication techniques are some of the visible changes within an organization (Worrall and Copper, 1999, p.5). Consequently managers have to learn all such factors and their implementation processed in order to cope and get accustomed with the changes (Dey, 2004, p.86). Despite all such changes one thing remained constant and will probably remain constant in the near future. With inconsequential variations, what has remained unaltered for a number of years, are the basic skills that reside at the nucleus of effective management and is known as the management skills. In general management skills include conceptual skills , communication skills, interpersonal skills and finally effectiveness skill (Singh, 2012, p.20). Each of these skills has different applications and is implemented according to the need of the situation. However in addition to management skills, success also depends upon the personal skills.

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Global Warming - Essay Example Nations that approved the Kyoto Protocol concur to decrease emissions of six greenhouse gases that increase the problems of global warming. These nations are also permitted to utilize emissions trading to reach their obligations if they maintain or increase their greenhouse gas emissions. All of these activities around the world are then observed and maintained by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or the IPCC, as well as other environmental protocol treaties. The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research or UCAR (2011) cited that â€Å"the IPCC coordinates the efforts of more than 2,000 scientists from 154 countries. Together, they represent a vast array of climate specialties, from physics, to chemistry, to interactions with Earth's surface, to the role of human behavior.† The IPCC also has a policy-making body that helps extensively review the findings from scientists or field-related researchers so that their formation in creating policies is well founded and guided. The question that should now be asked is whether or not such measures are good or bad for the environment. Could it be certain that the measures taken by these various human actions and endeavors help the world against the effects of global warming? These inquiries shall be explored further through the next discussions of this paper. The Affirmative Side It has come to the attention of various environmental organizations and some societies of various nations that the negative effects of global warming could no longer be taken for granted and ignored. This matter has made environmental groups and organizations rise in their activities through the years, and many have made successful advances with their agendas in government, business, and... Combining policies that deal with the local air pollution and the issue of global climate change would result to beneficial changes for climate alleviation. Medium to long term plans and actions to lessen air pollution will lead to more benefits in combating global warming. For example, the development of green intelligence policies has been growing in different businesses and societies. This was observed by the BusinessWeek Research Services (2009) who posited out, â€Å"amid the current climate of greater demand for both environmental awareness and corporate accountability, organizations are finding that success is increasingly being measured not only by financial performance, but also by ecological and social accomplishments as well† (p.3). If various major governments and much of the private sector adopt the green intelligence as a core goal and as part of their methods and practice, then it could make up for all the environmental damage that has been done for the past cen tury. Different methods of proper waste disposal and management can also help combat and deal with the increasing problem of global warming. Proper segregation and recycling of garbage or trash can prevent the creation of massive waste landfills that release a lot of gases that are harmful to the atmosphere, the ecological systems, and human health. Recycled material can also be used for the consumption and use by society and even help promote a new type or brand of goods to be used for commerce and trade.

Societal Impacts on Natural Disasters Essay Example for Free

Societal Impacts on Natural Disasters Essay Natural disasters are a devastating, but undeniably inevitable part of life and society. Because of this fact, many of us tend to believe that they happen as an act of nature, purely out of the human control. We need to start realizing that this is far from the truth and it this attitude that is stopping us from learning from our mistakes. The contemporary world inaccurately labels various disasters as ‘natural’ when in fact, when looked at more closely; there is an enormous correlation between ‘nature’ and ‘society’. There are many flaws in the human preparation for natural disasters that have equated in death and injury where it could have been minimized. Although the occurrence of a disaster can happen at any time, it is vital that we start recognizing that there is much that we can do reduce the effects that they have on us as well as taking ownership to the fact that there have been many changes that we have made to the environment in the past and present to aggravate ‘natural’ disasters and allow them to impact on us with much more severity then they would of otherwise. A natural disaster can be defined as a phenomenon that results in material and/or environmental loss where the affected community would not be able to restore themselves without external support (The Australian Government Department of Transport and Regional Services, 2002). The 2011 TÃ… hoku earthquake and tsunami that affected Japan and the Indian Ocean earthquake affecting Southern Asia are both primary examples of natural disasters. Although these two events were completely unrelated to each-other, the economic and environmental impact that they had on their effected regions were very much similar. These included widespread death and injuries, building and infrastructure losses, major economic downfall and socio-economic loss. The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami struck the coast of Japan at 14:46 local time on 11th of March, 2011. It was a magnitude 9.0 on the Richter scale (Shibahara, 2011), making it one of the most powerful earthquakes the world has ever seen. It lasted a total of 8 minutes and the violent earthquake later triggered a tsunami, which travelled up to 10 kilometres inland into the Sendai area (Norio, 2011). The short-term effects of the earthquake and tsunami included: death and injuries, destruction of property and  infrastructure including roads and all forms of transport systems, financial and economic downfall due to rebuilding, clean-up projects, and the falling of stocks. The event occurred where the pacific plates dip underneath the plate beneath northern Honshu. This is known as convergent boundaries; where one tectonic plate moves under the other, sinking into the Earth’s mantle as the plates meet. Where more traditional earthquakes are caused by friction of two plates moving in opposite directions, in this instant The Pacific Plate moved underneath Honshu’s plate, releasing large amounts of energy (N.A, 2005). The break caused the sea floor to rise by several metres. This underwater megathrust earthquake is the most rare and destructive type, hence producing the massive Richter scale reading. The tsunami that followed the earthquake was triggered by the destructive waves up of to 77 feet and engulfed the coast of Japan minutes after the quake. Some of the more powerful waves travelled up to 6 miles inland, causing damage that almost match that of the earthquake, even though limited to the coastal region. In addition to these events, the disasters also caused major disruption to the nearby nuclear power plants that put Japan in a the midst of a humanitarian crisis unseen in the history of modern Japan (Duan, 2012). Japan often experience’s natural disasters due to their geological placement and hence have developed earthquake and disaster procedures that are one of the most advanced in the world (Sheth Sanyai Jaiswai Gandhi, 2008). However, the series of disasters were simply too high in magnitude for Japan to be prepared for. The earthquake was above what they had predicted and the tsunami had not been factored in. Despite the unprecedented scale of the earthquake alone, many buildings infrastructures remained standing, proving Japan’s construction law’s, resilience and earthquake technology. This shows that if the earthquake was the only disaster that Japan had to deal with, they would have been able to cope with it far more successfully and the tsunami was the reason for the country’s failure (Zare Afrouz, 2012). They were left in a situation where they were facing several difficulties: The application of a response, the management of a large number of residents  that had been displaced by the disaster, and lack of experience in the management of medical resources for displaced populations. In addition to this, the people of Tohoku were only notified of the event one minute before the occurrance, leaving residents in a state of shock and unpreparedness (Norio, 2011). However, despite the devastating elements that the Japanese people were exposed to, they still managed to remain somewhat calm and dealt with the situation at hand with discipline. The public had confidence in officials that were part of relief teams and lined up in a civilized manner for food and drink, as opposed to demonstrating chaotic behavior, which would be very common in similar situations, especially in rural or developing countries. This would be a prime example of successfully educating the public on crisis behavior, especially in regions that are prone to disaster. The 2004 Tsunami, or otherwise known as the 2004 Indiana Ocean tsunami and earthquake is considered as the 6th deadliest earthquake/tsunami and the 2nd most destructive earthquake in the world (Wang Liu, 2008). During the quakes strongest point, it lasted a total of 8-10 minutes and caused a lasting rise in the global sea level of 0.1mm. Its destructive power also resulted in the inactive volcano situated in Indonesia to become active once again. The disaster affected a total of 15 countries, including: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, Somalia, Malaysia, South Africa, Madagascar and Kenya; with Indonesia suffering the most damage. The disaster measured 9.0 on the Richter scale, the same reading as the Tohoku event, this reading was measured in Sumatra, Indonesia and buildings were shaking in Bangkok as well as Singapore which were both more than 600 miles away. Similar to the Tokohu earthquake, the cause of the Indiana Ocean earthquake/ tsunami was also due to the sliding of tectonic plates, in this case the India plate underneath the Burma plate. Even though the process has been on-going for many years, it was the 26th of December 2004 when the process resulted in a rupture more then 1000 kilometers long and shifting the ground above the rupture by approximately 10 meters horizontally and a number of meters vertically. This event caused the entire planet to shake and witness  the largest magnitude earthquake in 40 years. Primary effects of the tsunami include major loss of life: 227000 people confirmed dead and 1.8 million people missing. More than 80000 houses were damaged or had been destroyed as well as overall severe damage to all infrastructure, roads, bridges and all utilities Secondary effects included the spread of disease due to contaminated water and the tropical climate (Wang Liu,2008). Another was major economic downfall due to the loss of coastal fishing industries as well as loss of tourism opportunity due to damage to areas such as Thailand. Emotional and psychological effects on those affected was also a significant factor, as well as the huge number of orphans that were left due to surviving the incident and their parents not being so lucky. The affected countries were entirely unprepared for the disaster (Athukorala, 2012). However, The Pacific Tsunami Monitoring Centre (PTMC) in Honolulu, Hawaii sent a message stating there was a possibility of a tsunami affecting countries in the Indian Ocean 65 minutes prior to the event. Unfortunately, this message was not passed onto the countries in the affected region, as the PTMC officials did not have required contacts in their address book. Furthermore, are a very rare incidence in the Indian Ocean and historically tsunami-related calamities had been of minor importance compared to other natural disasters (Abbott, 2011, Ch. 3; Albala-Bertrand 1993, Ch. 2, From Athukorala, 2012 ). It was also reported that â€Å" in many coastal towns and tourists resorts in Sri Lanka, Aceh, India and Thailand, many people watched the prior receding of the coastline with curiosity or took the opportunity to collect stranded fish and thus easily succumbed to the waves (Athukorala, 2012). † There is now research that shows a close correlation between the magnitude of the damage caused by the tsunami and the regions unpreparedness and lack of coastal resource management. Evidence shows that the shocking death toll could have been significantly bought down if the region had had more effective natural defenses such as coral forests and mangrove swamps, all of which had been destroyed for urban construction such as ocean facing hotels  and villas. By doing so, involved parties have not only broken coastal conservation legislation, but now live with the most serious consequence, loss of life. There is evidence that the amount of human lives lost was partly a result of modern progress, ruthless destruction of natural defenses such as coral forests and mangrove swamps, and building oceanfront hotels and villas in violation of coastal conservation legislation. For instance, in the areas surrounding Aceh, where the coastal ecosystem remained in good condition the tsunami’s effects were far less severe. Also, the island of Simeuleu in Indonesia experienced a relatively death toll, partially due to the healthy condition of the surrounding mangrove forests. Furthermore, in Sri Lanka the damage was much more brutal as there had been violation of regulation prohibiting mining coral reefs and damaging coastal mangrove forests, which act as a shield against the destruction of the sea (Athukorala, 2012). Both these events should act as a alarm for leaders all over the world, to revise their methods and procedure for disaster detection and response procedures. It could be an alarm for us to be more thorough and cautious about the earthquake hazard as the prepared and industrialized Japan with the most modernized technology confronted many extensive troubles, which were out of their predictions. We need to analyse the two events and see the connection between ‘nature’ and ‘society’ and understand that the two are interlinked. Although the occurrence of a natural disaster is out of our control, we are able to make a difference in the brutality of its effects by the choices we make to our surrounding environment, as proven by the regions that were fortunate to shield themselves from the wrath of the tsunami with their mangrove swamps and natural defense systems. Although the economic state of any region is a important factor in a range of decisions, officials need to also consider the environment as a major factor in their decision making when it comes to urban development; as without it, we have nothing.

The US border Security Essay Example for Free

The US border Security Essay Discussed in this essay is an outline of US borders and security related to them. The geographic and strategic value of the borders has been described in the beginning. Then the origin and purpose of United States Border Patrol has been discussed. Mentioned in the middle body are the steps or actions that USBP had taken so far in for safeguarding the borders along with the trouble they have endured in curbing issues such as illegal immigration, drug and human trafficking and screen immigrants for the signs of terrorism. Also discussed in length are human and drug trafficking that takes place across US border and how these things make their way into United States. The United States policy regarding border security is briefly discussed and the essay is closed with an analytical conclusion. US Border Security Since the beginning of civilization, borders have perhaps been the most valued asset nations consider themselves to have. Wars have been waged for the sake of their protection or expansion but they have been regarded sacredly none the less. As humanity progressed into the latter centuries, the concepts and its rigidity regarding the borders of a state kept on changing as the ancient world had open and unmanned borders. United States of America, since its creation has been guarding her borders with absolute zeal and dedication. Acquiring the half of the north American continent, United States is flanked by ocean on both its east and west side, whilst it shares its borders with Canada in the north and from Mexico in the south. Being one of the richest, most advanced and highly organized countries of the world, United States borders have been the object of fascination for its neighboring countries, specially Mexico being a third world country living right at the door step of US. Adhering to a strict and stern immigration and interior policy, people from all across the globe find it difficult to get entrance into the US without severe securitization. Offering the glorious prospects of freedom, financial security, safeguarding of rights and its ability to assimilate the diverse cultures of the world into its own, almost every person in the world has been enchanted by the prospect of living a life in the US, the Land of the Free. That is the reason its 8,000 miles long border have been violated enough times, specially from the south as immigrants from all across South American wishes to live a life of peace in the US. Along with the sea of illegal immigrants, US borders also face smugglers of both drugs and contraband items because of being one of the most lucrative markets in the world. Coupled with these troubles, US borders have been guarded highly as means of not permitting terrorist from making their way into US. The taste of 9/11 is something that US hasn’t quite forgotten yet. Thus, the border security of United States is not only one of the highest efficient and vigilant in the world, it is also one of the most sensitive one due to its immense size. Its importance can be summed up in the words of Ronald Regan as he said: The simple truth is that weve lost control of our own borders, and no Nation can do that and survive. We ignore Americas lost sovereignty at our own peril† (cited in www. usborderwatch. com) Overview The land border of US along with Canada spans 5,525 miles and is the longest non-militarized border in the world. There are 84 land POEs (Point Of Entry) along the northern border, which include but are not limited to three in Idaho,13 in Maine, three in Michigan, five in Minnesota, 10 in Montana, 12 in New York, 18 in North Dakota, seven in Vermont, and 12 in Washington. Around 250,000 people enter the United States from Canada. Canada is the single largest trading partner of the United States, with the total trade exceeding almost $372 billion in 2003. In fact, the largest trade link in the world is the Ambassador Bridge (connecting Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario) that has more than 7,000 trucks crossing daily transporting goods worth more than $120 billion per year. The southern land border with Mexico is 1,933 miles across and has 25 land POEs, six of which are in California, six in Arizona, two in New Mexico, and 11 in Texas. Over 800,000 people arrive from Mexico daily. Mexico is United States second largest trading partner, with the trade of $220. 3 billion in 2003, down from $247. 2 billion in 2000. The coast line of the United States is 12,479 miles long and there are 143 sea POEs. Some sea and river POEs are principally commercial ports while others receive passengers (Border Security: Inspections Practices, Policies, and Issues, 2004). In order to be able to cope with such a vast border from which not trade merchandise has been able to pass but also torrent of immigrants, either legal or illegal along with the high possibility of drugs, liquor, contraband items and smuggled good, US Border Patrol was founded in 1924 which after 85 five years is among one of the finest law enforcement organizations in the world. United States Border Patrol (USBP) Founded in 1924, the U. S. Border Patrol was established in El Paso, Texas, and Detroit, Michigan. Its primary purpose was to curb the illegal entry of aliens, contraband, and the flow of forbidden liquor from Mexico and Canada into the United States. Under the authority of the Immigration Act, approved by Congress on May 28, 1924, the Border Patrol was created as a uniformed law enforcement branch of the Immigration Bureau (â€Å"85 Years Of Protected By†, 2009). Back in those days, smuggling of liquor from Canada and Mexico was an immensely lucrative business and invited illegal immigrants to have a go at their lucks in United States. Today, the USBP’s primary mission is to detect and prevent the entry of terrorists, weapons of mass destruction, and illegal aliens into the country, and to interdict drug smugglers and other criminals along the border. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 dissolved the Immigration and Naturalization Service and placed the USBP within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (Border security, the role of US border patrol, 2008). In the wake of 9/11, USBP’s funding and man power has been increased exponentially by the consent of Congress. Now having almost 18,000 agents in 20 sectors, and 164 stations all across the United States, its objectives and strategies also include the prevention of terrorists from entering the United States soil along with the detection and neutralization of weapons of mass destruction. Perhaps the toughest task USBP has to do is to curb the flow of illegal immigrants the swarms the borders of United States, especially the southern border. Due to the fact that over 97% of unauthorized migrant apprehensions occur along the southwest border, the USBP deploys over 90% of its agents there to deter illegal immigration. In 1993, a study commissioned by the Office of National Drug Control Policy pointed out to the fact that the southwest border was becoming the den of illegal immigrants noting as an example that 6,000 illegal immigrants attempted to enter the United States every night along a 7. 5 mile stretch of the San Diego border. The study also concluded that drug smuggling was a serious threat all along the southwest border, and recommended that the entries of the illegal immigrants should e prevented at the border rather than arresting them after entrance. This consequently led to USBP’s implementation of its first National Strategic Plan (NSP) in 1994. National Strategic Plan An endeavor to gain control over the overrun borders, NSP started out as a multiphase programs so as to maximize the USBP’s resources and their implementation on the areas of greatest entry of illegal immigrants and goods. The focus of the NSP was an operational strategy known as â€Å"Prevention Through Deterrence. † The strategy’s goal was to place USBP agents and resources directly on the border in order to prevent the entry of illegal aliens, rather than attempting to arrest aliens after they have already entered the country. Strategy’s phase I was called program â€Å"Hold the Line† at El Paso sector, which focused on the deployment of the agents deep into the borders in order to detect any alleged or attempted entries of border crossing rather than apprehending the culprits in the city streets and wasting precious time as it was relatively easy to catch border crossers in the wide open desert. The program wasn’t a complete success as it merely shifted the border crossing point from El Paso to somewhere else. San Diego’s Operation Gatekeeper followed after the El Paso program and many agents were deployed along the San Diego border. Aiding them was the state of the art ground sensors, infra-red cameras and stadium lights along with landing mats used as a border fence. Phase II of the program included the expansion of Operation Safeguard (1999) in Tucson, Arizona, operation Rio Grande (1997) in the McAllen and Laredo sectors of Texas, and an increased emphasis on securing the northern border. Phase III was set to involve the remaining areas of the southwest border as well as the coastal waters around Florida and Puerto Rico (Border security, the role of US border patrol, 2008). After the fateful events of 9/11, the USBP has modified its directives and prioritizing the prevention of terrorist penetration through the borders. As the investigations relating to 9/11 revealed that the terrorists had roamed freely across US with the status of illegal immigrant and prepared for the attacks from with in the US soil, USBP in collaboration with Immigration and Custom’s Enforcements, Anti Smuggling Units and CBP’s intelligence has directed all its attention towards the alien penetration across the US border. USBP revealed their new strategy to cope with the terror threats from entering US via illegal border crossing in March 2005. The five major points of that strategy are as follows. Establishing the substantial probability of apprehending terrorists and their weapons as they attempt to enter illegally between the ports of entry; Deterring illegal entries through improved enforcement; Detecting, apprehending, and deterring smugglers of humans, drugs, and other contraband; Leveraging â€Å"Smart Border† technology to multiply the deterrent and enforcement effect of Agents; Reducing crime in border communities, thereby improving the quality of life and economic vitality of those areas (Border security, the role of US border patrol, 2008). Striving hard to get the task done, the Homeland Security Department last year awarded one of the most ambitious technology contracts in the war on terror, a 10-year deal estimated at up to $10 billion to the global consulting firm Accenture. In return, the company would provide services to create a â€Å"virtual border that would electronically screen millions of foreign travelers. Termed as US-VISIT program, which stands for the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, started in July 2003. The US-VISIT system must eventually cover nearly 7,000 miles of borders along Mexico and Canada, including more than 300 land, air and sea ports that witness 450 million crossings a year (Higam OHarrow Jr. , 2005, p. A01). Human and Drug Trafficking across US borders Aside from the newly instilled fear of terrorism, United States faces the troublesome elements of smuggling of drugs and human trafficking and most of these gruesome things wade their way into America by means of illegal border crossing. Addressing the human trafficking element first, â€Å"The U. S. State Department’s 2005 Report on Human Trafficking estimates that between 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year and almost 20,000 are trafficked across U. S. borders alone† (â€Å"Combat Trafficking in Persons†, 2005). The horrible side of this gruesome business is that most of the trafficked persons are children. Extremely lucrative and seemingly unobtrusive, â€Å"human trafficking is considered to be the third-largest source of criminal income worldwide, generating an estimated $9. 5 billion per year. It is also closely linked with money laundering, document forgery, drug trafficking and international terrorism. † (Keefer, 2006, p. 5). According to John P. Torres, deputy assistant director for smuggling and public safety at the United States Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cross border human trafficking is a â€Å"significant risk to national security and public safety† (Seper, 2004). Drug trafficking is the problem that has plagued US since its very beginning. The very purpose of the establishment of USBP was to prohibit smuggled drugs from entering American territory but even after 85 years, the problem has not been fully curbed yet. It is the most lucrative organized crime operation in United States with its annual income estimated to be â€Å"as high as $110 billion† (â€Å"America’s Habit†, 1986). Cocaine being the most sought after drug, as its roots of origin are literally buried in South American countries, other popular drugs such as marijuana and heroin make its way into United States by means of either maritime vessels or through southern border. The numerous drug cartels active in United States gets their drugs en route Mexico regardless of the joint ventures both countries engaged in so as to hamper the drug trafficking. Mexico itself cultivates heroin and due to its lightly guarded 2,000 miles border with United States is the chief trafficker of heroin in USA. Drugs also are brought in underground through tunnels; some 100 have been discovered since 1990 along the 1,950-mile U. S. -Mexico border. The most sophisticated tunnels have lights, air systems and hydraulics (Feyerick et al, 2009). Regardless of extra tight security since 9/11 drug somehow is making its way into United States and hasn’t completely been stopped yet. Aside from human and drug trafficking, the USBP also has to look out for items of contraband nature such as weapons and pirated merchandise. With such a huge number of people passing through both north and south borders of United States, hunting down illegal immigrants, terrorists, drugs and pirated merchandise has become a daunting task for USBP. United States Border Security Policy Aware of its much sought after status, United States border security has always been very clear and its primary motive is to make sure the safety and its borders from the swarms of illegal immigrants and smuggled goods. The primary emphasis of the policy is about the status of immigrants who crosses both the borders of north and south to gain access into United States. Being in excellent terms with the government of Canada, the northern border of United States is subjected to less scrutinizing as compared to the southern one that’s in contact with Mexico. The residents of Mexico are issued a special Mexican Laser Visa that grants them access into US for as long as 6 months. Southern border, being constantly breached by illegal immigrants and smugglers is a highly watched territory where thousands of people pass every day thus making it extremely difficult for CBP and USBP to keep an eye out for anomalies. Keeping that in mind, granting Visa is not the only procedure to gain access into United States. Interviews are conducted, data is cross referenced and surveillance is mounted so that only the right person could be able to go through the gates of US. In the post 9/11 times, the security checks has been doubled and it has become the â€Å"primary mission of CBP is to prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the country. However, other components of CBP’s mission include interdicting other prohibited items such as illegal drugs, ammunition, firearms, and counterfeit goods; and monitoring trade compliance† (Border Security: Inspections Practices, Policies, and Issues, 2004). Conclusion The border patrol strategy was aimed at strengthening of United States immigration laws and strove for decreasing the number of illegal immigrants coming into the United States by increasing controls at the its borders. Previously the resources were primarily directed at strengthening the border patrol along the southwest border, to curb the entrance of illegal immigrants and smuggled goods but the terrorist attacks, however, brought attention to the northern border, which has been understaffed and lacked the necessary technology to adequately screen individuals seeking entry into the United States. Several pieces of legislation passed in the 107th Congress authorized and appropriated funding for additional staffing and resources along the northern border. Regardless of its outstanding services and capabilities, USBP has not been able to completely tackle the problem of illegal immigrants and smuggled merchandise. Many reasons, such the sheer size of the borders, the number of immigrants passing through it every and the dogged determinacy of people willing to enter the Land of the Free etc may contribute to its incomplete success. But that still doesn’t change the fact that US borders are much more safe and vigilant in the presence of United Stated Border Patrol. Reference â€Å"85 years of protected by† retrieved May 24, 2009 from http://www. cbp. gov/xp/cgov/border_security/border_patrol/85th_anniversary. xml/. â€Å"Americas Habit†, Drug Abuse, Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime Presidents Commission on Organized Crime, 1986, retrieved May 24, 2009 from http://www. druglibrary. org/SCHAFFER/GOVPUBS/amhab/amhabc3. htm/. â€Å"Border Security: Inspections Practices, Policies, and Issues†. CRS Report for Congress, 2004. Order Code RL32399, Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress. â€Å"Border Security: The Role of the U. S. Border Patrol†. CRS Report for Congress, 2008. Order Code RL32562, Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress. Feyerick, Deborah; Cary, Michael Steffen, Sheila. â€Å"Drug smugglers becoming more creative, U. S. agents say† April 16, 2009, retrieved May 24, 2009 from http://edition. cnn. com/2009/CRIME/04/16/creative. drug. smugglers/index. html/. Keefer, Sandra L. , â€Å"Human Trafficking And The Impact On National Security For The United States† March 2006, U. S. Army War College Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania 17013, p. 5-8. OHarrow Jr. Robert Higham, Scott. â€Å"US Border Security At Cross Roads† Washington Post, Monday, May 23, 2005, p. A01. Regan, Ronald. Quotation. Retrieved May 24, 2009 from http://usborderwatch. com/. Seper, Jerry. â€Å"Human Smuggling a Security Risk. † Washington Times. 19 May 2004, retrieved May 24 2009 from http://www. washingtontimes. com/functions/print. php? StoryID=20040518-103934-8980/. Trafficking in Persons Report, U. S. Department of State, 2005, retrieved May 24, 2009, http://state. gov/g/tip/tiprpt/2005/46606. htm/.

The Rise And Challenge Of Neoliberalism To Neorealism Politics Essay

The Rise And Challenge Of Neoliberalism To Neorealism Politics Essay The neo or the new kind of liberalism and realism was developed in the 1970s as a significant change in theories of International Relations. The neoliberalism is an advancement of liberalism thinking, as it believes to a cooperation and interdependence between States and non-state actors, while the neorealisms theory is focused on the idea of conflict. For the liberals or neoliberals, they have a more optimistic view of peaceful relations, but compared to liberals the neoliberals are highly focused on creating institutions to manage the international system. The neorealists compared to realists argue that the causes of conflict are different. While realists believe that the self-interest of states create conflict, the neorealists explain that the conflict comes from the anarchy, as the lack of authority involves states to seek power and develop a system of self-help. The development of neoliberal theory was formulated by Robert O. Keohane and Joseph S. Nye (1977) based on interdependence model. The founder of neorealism school is Kenneth Waltz (1979), he stands out from realists about the question of the balance of power. For realists the equilibrium results from the willingness of politicians, but Waltz believes that the balance of power is an attribute to the international system which is composed of selfish units, regulate themselves. Thus for him, the less major powers there are, the more stable the international system is. Therefore the number of poles is reduced to increase system rigidity and more people choose carefully. Having in mind this above statement, the main purpose of this essay is to examine in some detail how neoliberalism is a response to neorealism and how it can challenge the realisms simplistic approach and neorealist theory of the international system. To begin with an analysis of the rise of neoliberalism, it is important to explain the main concept of this theory as this is also the rise of institutions, of pluralism, of rationality. Then, by different ideas from authors the discussion and argument on the debate will be analysed in order to identify the key points of neoliberalism to counter neorealism. The renewal of liberalism occurred after World War II to regulate international system for a peaceful world order. The ideas of neoliberalism are based on cooperation through international institutions and international organizations, which play an important role in the international distribution of wealth and power to maintain stability. Indeed, the major authors like Stephen Krasner (1982) and the founder of neoliberal thought, Robert O. Keohane (1984) has published a book After hegemony and both develop an hegemonic stability theory, they argue that the hegemon provides public goods through institutions (e.g. International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization), determine the content of rules and procedures of cooperation in order to act in the interest of all. Thus the hegemon provides a necessary and sufficient function for the creation and maintenance of international regimes. The neoliberals saw institutions concentrated on international regimes defined by Krasner (1983) as institutions possessing norms, decision rules, and procedures which facilitate a convergence of expectations. Neoliberalism also refers to a rise of pluralism, which is viewed as the source of liberal justification (Robert B. Talisse, 2005, pp. 60) that relies on the assumption of rationality. This leads to an interaction between states, as the rationality involves them to focus on strategy in which actions will lead to reactions by others, then the result will depend on the interaction of other state strategies (Tim Dunne, et al., 2007). Thus the pluralism involves multiple forces in the international system. As David Armstrong, et al., (2007, pp. 85) state neoliberals no longer looked inside states, at how they are politically organized, but rather followed neorealists in treating states as rational actors. The rise of neoliberalism leads to an emergence of international institutions, often called neoliberal institutionalism is focused on collective actors, as they provide rules and norms that support the interaction of states that will work all together. Neoliberals are much more pragmatic than liberals. The notion of international institutions (e.g. International Monetary Fund, World Bank) differs from liberals, especially after the publication of Robert O. Keohanes book After Hegemony (1984). The institutions have a huge influence on states and have provided a way to challenge neorealism. International institutionalism can explain non-security policy areas, the focus goes beyond trade and development issues, like cooperation in trade, monetary policy or environmental protection (David Armstrong, et al., 2007). Thus, institutions, by pushing states to work together, facilitate international cooperation in reducing inherent uncertainties in anarchy. Also one of the major difference with realism is how they see the concept of anarchy (Grieco 1988). Both theories agree on state action and anarchy in world politics. Even if neoliberals recognise their proximity to neorealists, how they manage their similarities is different. Like neorealists, states are important but run with other entities (institutions, organizations). The anarchy, for neorealists, is the absence of authority above states, leading to conflicts on international system. This also means that a state is the guardian of its own security and independence (Spanier, 1978 pp. 11), thus the guarantee of security and safety for states does not exist. The self-interest for neorealists is based on the measurement of gains and have preference on relative gains where states refer to power balances (Grieco, 1988). They believe in hegemonic cooperation, where the hegemonic state holds the position of power to arbitrate any coalition in international system with a preponderance of economic and military power (Hobson, J. M.,2000, pp 39). For neorealists, cooperation can be used to obtain some goals, but it is limited and risky as it introduces the possibility of attack from another state, even if the other state is an ally. According to Waltz for each state the prior research of security is achieved by relying only on itself. However would this lack of trust and cooperation towards other states tend to a dependence of the hegemonic state ? Neoliberals in response have demonstrated that anarchy cannot only deal with a constant threat of use of force by major powers. Miller, B. (1995, pp. 52) in his book called When Opponents Cooperation: Great Power Conflict and Collaboration in World Politics, has raised and competed theoretical perspectives to advance plausible explanations. He stated that the small number of great powers and the use of force are insufficient factors to induce cooperation in conflict resolutions. The cooperation under anarchy (Oye, K. 1986) is possible. Unlike neorealists, they argue that the concept of self-help is not the most profitable for a state because of the risk of war. The cooperation may respond to the self-interest of a state. Neoliberals argument is actually the strongest one because they introduced idea of complex interdependence (Robert O. Keohane and J. Nye, 1977) to explain how multiple actors, agencies and forces can be managed in the world system. Keohane and Nye do successfully cha llenge structural realists as they provide a better understanding of changing security. They explain, for example, that in post Cold War era the security changed through multiple communications in multipolar system. Moreover they argue that using force by military actions are costly and tend to negative effects on economic goals. This also leads to a risk of nuclear rise. Therefore, complex interdependence assumed that the military power is not necessarily effective in economic and political interests of states. If issues occurred between great powers and smaller states, the great powers should dominate. However, the US experience in Vietnam (1961) shows the failure of neorealist theory on bipolar system. Keohane (1997, pp 187) has remarkably explained that : Failure of great powers to control smaller ones could be explained on the basis of independent evidence that in the relevant issue- areas, the states that are weaker on an overall basis have more power resources than their stronger partners, and that the use of power derived from one area of activity to affect outcomes in other areas (through linkages) is difficult. Thus the complex interdependence has arguably challenged the neorealist theory in security concerns. The concept of Prisoners Dilemma, used by neorealists, is based on idea that they have a policy of self-help by default because they could not know the behaviour of other states. How to predict the behaviour of other states ? How to reduce the uncertainty in the situation of international anarchy ? The neoliberals responded by international institutions and international regimes creation. According to Keohane (1986) international regimes facilitate cooperation by reducing uncertainty. He argued that regimes were created to solve the Prisoners Dilemma concept where states share a common interest in cooperation. The regimes are operated between self-interest states aware of all the benefits they can get from the coordination of their policies. In contrast to neorealists, they are concerned with absolute gains getting the best possible deal. Grieco stated that State seeks to maximize their individual absolute gains and are indifferent to the gains achieved by others (Baldwin, 1993, pp 117). By using absolute gains neoliberals seek a long-term cooperation through institutions which are considered for neoliberal institutionalists as the mediator and the means to prevent to cheating in the world system (Baylis and Smith, 2001). Keohane and Nye (1977) have clearly defined the importance of institutions as powerful norms. Indeed, NGOs and networks are strongly effective in penetrating states and use domestic norms and rules to force political leaders to focus on global issues. The most significant argument is found in neoliberalism theory because international institutions encourage the opportunity of negotiations and focus on collaboration and distributional issues. Thus the collective aim is to achieve a positive outcome (Martin, Lisa L., and Beth A. Simmons, 1998). One of the relevant example to illustrate the importance of institutions is the World Trade Organization (the WTO agreement) created in 1995, its goal is to provide free trade agreements and settle disputes between nations. If governments are confident to other ones they would not establish barriers to trade and would not try to do so. Thus they will be more willing to cooperate. The WTO system widely contributes to strengthen that trust and the negotiations lead to agreements by consensus. Small countries can benefit from greater bargaining power. It is important to remain that without a multilateral regime such as the WTO system, the more powerful countries could further unilaterally impose their force on their smaller trading partners. Thus smaller countries would have to deal individually with each of the major economic powers and would have more difficulties in resisting to pressures. But with the WTO system, smaller countries may be more effective if they have opportunities to create alliances and share their resources (e.g. Association of Southeast Asian Nations, 1967). Besides, major economic countries will also find their interest as they can negotiate with almost all of their trading partners at a time. As emphasized earlier, neorealists greater focus on power and security as a core goal through military force and tangible assets, but for neoliberals the dominant goal is the welfare through institutions and organizations. Walts focus is based on anarchical structure of the international system, states compete each other in order to survive. Neorealists also share common ideas as defensive realism because anarchy causes a security dilemma leading states to worry about one anothers future intentions. Thus leaders mistakenly believe in aggression to make their state secure. For example: in the Cold War era, the Soviet Union with their nuclear weapons threaten the safety of America. One of the other popular neorealists, John Mearsheimer (2003), leader in offensive realism, believes in status quo power and blamed security competition between great powers. However the neoliberals concept on international institutions is the best means to avoid conflicts and hostility as they have an independent causal impact because they oversee global tasks that states do not (T. Dunne, et al., 2009). As they represent a third party or neutral parties they have a complete autonomy to deal with states and promote values and goals on a global scale. One of the dominant strand for liberalists and neoliberalists is the democratic peace theory, based on Kants notions of Perpetual Peace. While neorealists completely dismiss this idea of democracy where states have no conflict among each other, neoliberals use this peaceful argument to counter neorealists on their use of force. The democratic peace theory is the argument that democracies do not tend to, or rarely go to war with each other. People are directly affected by decisions of war, the public opinion is therefore important as it affects the political behaviour. Democratic norms emphasize on the importance of dialogue and negotiation, the same for trade relations. Besides, the main reasons that democracies do not go to wars or militarized conflicts against each other are the fact that state leaders have cultural and institutional restrictions (Doyle, 1986). Neoliberals stand as a challenge to neorealists in providing argument for peaceful and cooperative international relations through democratic peace. Michael Doyle (1983) finds three pillars based on : first, peaceful conflict resolution between democratic states, second the common values among democratic states and third economic cooperation among democracies (R. Jackson, G. Sorensen, 2007, pp. 44). It is argued that this theory is also used as a tool to create homogenous world and challenge states sovereignty in the era of globalisation. Whereas neorealists think that globalisation does not exist because states only have state-interests. For them the globalisation would be economically bad, with negative outcomes such as dangerous inequality, rebellion, conflicts. In response to this negative idea, neoliberals think that globalisation can lead to community of states and new interests. Moreover, the democratic peace theorys benefit is to identify and condemn countries for human rights violations. While neorealists dismiss cultural differences between states, neoliberals emphasize the importance of culture and morality. For both, democracy must be normalized meaning that they have normative quality in which how the world ought to be or the way the world should be ordered. Democracy remains a moving target (M. Brown, et al., 1996, pp. 268) and is used by neoliberals to challenge neorealists as a response to war and a collective solution for peace. The American hegemony is also a debate between neoliberals and neorealists. This is, on the one hand, viewed as a hard power by neorealists as the USA have ability to impose their will on other political states: in terms of military force, technological growth, they have permanent seat in the UN Security Council, nuclear weapon power and economic power. On the other hand, the concept of soft power (Nye, J.) has a different view of hegemony, as emphasized earlier, it used other means, like culture, ideology, institutions. If the power of the US, analyzed in terms of resources and influences, is obviously not what it was in the 1950s, but this decline should not be exaggerated. The pax Americana is more a myth than a reality, the US has never enjoyed a complete hegemony. Nye believes that they should consider sharing their leadership to face the transnational interdependence. Robert Cox (Canadian neoliberal) thinks that hegemony and leadership terms are confused to describe the domination of one power in the international system. He stated that hegemony is a leadership by consent and is not a power struggle, but rather functions in a subtle way, by a kind of universal consent. Nye finds that the power definition has a lack of uniformity. That is why he undertook two approaches of the power definition : The first one, is to identify the factors of power : they can be measured from natural resources, territory, population or as political factors from institutions, organisations. A clear understanding of the factors are important to then define the power. The second approach is the goals of the power. For neorealists and realists the goals are the defense of national interests. However, Nye added that action fields of power are numerous and different. The challenge for the US is how to keep their hegemony as long as possible. In hard power the goal is to keep superiority, the US should more take active part in foreign conflicts (they tend to do since 9/11). As they cannot intervene everywhere (due to internal expenses) they must make a selection, necessarily based on national interests. In this instance their hegemony would appear as a strong supremacy. In soft power, the US must continue to promote exchanges and keep their advanced technology. As a response to neorealist theory, neoliberals argue that the use of force and a bilateral system are not effective. Arguments are based on peaceful world order by the creation of international institutions, organisations and regimes. Indeed, these ideas have successfully challenged neorealist thoughts, as organisations like the WTO allowed to reduce conflicts and settle disputes. They especially lead to agreed members to cooperate through negotiations, the community of states is the main successful factor in order to avoid conflicts and wars. Finally, the notions of hegemony or power are used in both theories but have different meaning. Some similarities are also found in both, like universality, uniformity or anarchy and critics argue that instead of a debate this is more a neo-neo synthesis  [1]  .

What is Justice? :: essays research papers

Of course I looked â€Å"justice† up in the dictionary before I started to write this paper and I didn’t find anything of interest except of course a common word in every definition, that being â€Å"fair†. This implies that justice would have something to do with being fair. I thought that if one of the things the law and legal system are about is maintaining and promoting justice and a sense of â€Å"fairness†, they might not be doing such a spiffy job. An eye for an eye is fair? No, that would be too easy, too black and white. I could cite several examples where I thought a judge’s or jury’s ruling was not fair, but I won’t because frankly, we’ve all seen those. I actually believe in our legal system and I believe in justice. I believe in justice as an ideal that we strive for and that is what it means to me. The legal system, when looked at closer is not justice but instead - judgment. You can be punished when found guilty, in a number of ways, but who knows if they’re â€Å"fair† punishments, it’s all a matter of opinion. Is life in jail, say 25 years, going to be enough punishment for the parents charged with brutally murdering their daughter Farah Khan? Her life was brief, but whoever killed her also mutilated her body parts. The possibilities for her life were endless, she could have lived to the old age of 95. So is 25 years enough for her killers? They’ll be able to walk free at the end of their term, and perhaps few will remember them then and what they did. Why is justice important then? Because although the legal system is not always right, it needs that lofty ideal of justice as something to strive for, something to hope gets accomplished, the hope for every victim of a crime of any nature. The seeking of justice is a tiring and long quest akin to the seeking of truth, for they are closely linked and without one there may not be the other. Without the understanding of what really happened in an event or place and time justice is not being sought out and can’t be dealt to those that need it. We all have felt wronged, at one time or another, in one form or another and I feel that is why we all have a common interest in seeking justice.

Connection of European Trials Essays -- Witch Witches Hunting Essays

Connection of European Trials The witch hunting trials that took place in Early Modern Period occurred across the expanse of Europe, including in its believers groups of people ranging from kings and popes to peasants and servants. Some historians argue that the witch trials of the Early Modern Period where not connected; that the trials where not related to each other and are not part of one large witch-hunt. Other historians argue that the witch hunting trials are related to each other by there similar characteristics. The Early-Modern witch trails where both related and separate entities that where born with the help of elite and common people’s belief in Catholic as well as Protestant locations including Geneva, Trier, Scotland, England, Bamberg, and Runchain. One thing that both the Catholics and the Protestants did have in common was the belief that the Bible was the word of God. Partly because of this belief both Protestant and Catholics participated in the practice of witch hunting. John Calvin began the Calvinist movement that began in Geneva Switzerland. Calvin lived from AD 1509-1564 during the Early Modern Period. During the Protestant Reformation Calvin wrote about witches stating, â€Å"And Paul, after he has warned us that our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but with the princes of the air, with the powers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness [Eph. 6:12].†1 This passage that Calvin took from the Bible helps to illustrate the feelings of the new Protestant church toward witches and witchcraft. The passage also shows that the Protestant church, like the Catholics, believe that witches are a threat and that something must be done to dispose of their demonic and wicked presence. The demonic ... ...ty of Pennsylvania Press, 1972. â€Å"The Confessions of the Chelmsford Witches of England.† In Witchcraft in Europe 1100- 1700, edited by Alan Kors and Edward Peters. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972. â€Å"The Persecution in Scotland.† In Witchcraft in Europe 1100-1700, edited by Alan Kors and Edward Peters. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972. â€Å"The Persecutions at Bamberg.† In Witchcraft in Europe 1100-1700, edited by Alan Kors and Edward Peters. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972. â€Å"The Persecutions at Trier.† In Witchcraft in Europe 1100-1700, edited by Alan Kors and Edward Peters. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972. â€Å"The Trial of Suzanne Gaudry.† In Witchcraft in Europe 1100-1700, edited by Alan Kors and Edward Peters. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972.