Being Addicted to Crack-Cocaine Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Being Addicted to Crack-Cocaine - Term Paper Example Crack cocaine refers to a freebase type of cocaine that can be taken through smoking. Crack cocaine is a highly powerful and addictive stimulant produced from powdered cocaine through a simple process of conversion. Crack cocaine is strong stimulant to the central nervous system of the body that interferes with the brain and causes excess dopamine to the brain. It has both psychological physiological effects to the body. The Psychological Effects Crack cocaine affects the user’s brain chemistry resulting to feeling of euphoria, excessive confidence, alertness, lack of appetite, addiction, insomnia, excessive energy. The first effect is the release of dopamine, a brain chemical, in large amounts. It is this dopamine which results to euphoria leaving the user experiencing a depressed and low feeling. When smoked it is absorbed faster in the body than when it is injected. The user may take around three days without sleep as they recover from the feeling. When used in a binge, cra ck cocaine leads to increased irritability, paranoia as well as restlessness. According to Woods (2008), these may cause full-blown paranoid psychosis which makes the individual lose sense of reality and experience hallucinations. Excessive use of the substance may result to fornication where the effected user feel or believe they have parasites which crawl under their skin. This is also associated with alcohol withdrawal and high fevers as well as well as hallucinations. The Physiological Effects These include dilated pupils, heart rate, increased temperature, constricted blood vessels and blood pressure. Large amounts increase the user’s feelings of highness, and may cause violent behavior, erratic and bizarre. Large amounts can also lead to muscle twitches, tremors, paranoia and vertigo as well as a toxic reaction in form of amphetamine poisoning. Some users experience restlessness, anxiety and irritation. Under some instances which are rare death might occur on the first use of this substance which is caused by cardiac arrest or seizure accompanied by respiratory arrest. Some users may increase their dosage so as to prolong and increase the euphoric feeling hence addiction. before use after use An example of crack cocaine affected person Operant Conditioning It refers to the process in which results of a certain behavior influences the likely hood of that behavior being repeated. This is a common condition in crack cocaine addiction. Repeated use of crack cocaine acts as reinforce or a reward, and with the association between the reward, cue and response addiction becomes stronger and stronger. This is one of the principles of the operant conditioning. The principle of the immediacy of reinforcement which argues that the faster the user follows a certain behavior the behavior becomes more powerful and it is likely that the user will repeat it. When applied in this condition it means that once the user of crack cocaine follows a certain behavior or f eeling induced by the substance the more likely that they feel take it more and more resulting to addiction. Reference: Woods, S. (2008). Colombia. London: Bradt Travel

World Trade - Global Economics in the 21st Century Essay

World Trade - Global Economics in the 21st Century - Essay Example In the United States, trade deficits with China have soared as American products are unable to compete with the less expensive Chinese imports. American agricultural exports of corn, soybeans, and wheat reach markets all around the globe as vegetables from Chile and Mexico fill our supermarket shelves. Trade is everywhere and world trade seems to be a chaotic mix of goods and money, commodities and cash. However, world trade, administered under regional trade agreements and the World Trade Organization, are actually rather well-orchestrated transactions with rules, agreements, quotas, and regional trade organizations. A central component of the agreements on international trade is the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO is the "only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations" (What is the WTO?). The WTO was established in 1995 as a successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The GATT evolved as an international forum for establishing fair trade guidelines, negotiating agreements, and settling trade disputes. The biggest accomplishment of the international forum is that it has "dramatically lowered both tariff and non-tariff barriers around the world, creating freer trade and contributing to postwar world growth" (Democratizing the World Trade Organization). In addition, the WTO has addressed the issues of quotas and subsidies that give nations an unfair advantage on the world market. The 153 members of the WTO have agreed to non-discrimination in regards to tariff levels among the member nations, and have agreed to treat them all equa lly. The WTO is simply an organization that works to liberalize trade and reduces the barriers to international commerce. The vast amount of world trade is conducted under the WTO and is regulated by a set of agreed-upon principles. All members agree to treat all other members equally.

Interview Settings Essay Example for Free

Interview Settings Essay Having a conversation with a potential employer or a doctor an individual unconsciously puts himself or herself below the level of his/her interlocutor due to the reason of their communication: applying for a job or sudden chickenpox. Therefore, it is important that the employer makes certain efforts with regard to the overall environment in the office or wherever the interview is carried out. To put theory into practice, I made a decision to call the faculty office and ask them whether they will be willing to answer some of my questions for my future report. Having accepted my offer, they asked me about the time. Eventually, the interview was appointed and I was supposed to come at 9am. Later it turned out that the period of time between 8am and 11am is the most productive one and the staff intentionally asked me to visit them in the morning. Immediately after I came in the faculty office, I was offered a coffee and a sit. The walls of the room were covered with pictures of relatives and friends of the faculty staff creating an atmosphere of warmth and friendliness. Cozy armchairs and quiet music contributed to the calmness of the overall environment. Regardless of the fact, that there were many staff members in the office, they were mostly reading and therefore nothing disturbed my interview with the professor who was extremely eager to help me. Unlike the faculty office, the atmosphere in my boss’s office was characterized by overwhelming noise of equipment (computers, laptops, scanners, etc). Additionally, I could see many people chatting, laughing, and going back and forth. Having notified my boss about my interview in advance, I found that the scheduling was inconvenient as he made an appointment at 7pm on Friday. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my date to visit the boss. When I came to the office, I asked the receptionist whether the previous meeting had already been finished so I could talk to the employer. Preliminarily, I had to wait until the receptionist finished talking on the phone with her friend about â€Å"that cute football player†. In a couple of minutes I was told that the boss could not talk to me right away as a part of our department was out of fix and needed some maintenance. It was not until 7. 40pm that he asked me to enter his room. Surprisingly enough, I noticed a group of people moving furniture a couple of feet away from us getting ready for the repairs. They did not keep silence and therefore my boss and me could not have a proper talk with potential valid evaluation of each other. According to the notes, it is a must for every employer to have in-depth knowledge in ethics. However, every now and then I saw his eyes moving towards the workers. The overall environment was distracting and he even yawned twice. As I found myself in a very uncomfortable situation from psychological point of view, I asked for a glass of water. However, it turned out that they had nothing to drink. The third place, doctor’s office, was similar to the first faculty office. The atmosphere was welcoming and peaceful. I suppose that the doctor’s office was the safest place among three places I have visited. Physicians were dressed in white with dry clean hands; the building was high with much light inside and office-cleaners taking care of the hygiene. The atmosphere was friendly and hospitable. During my conversation with the doctor he was examining me with various medical instruments. It worsened the situation and communication process in general as pulling up the t-shirt and breathing in and out made me feel as if the physician was not fully interested in my opinion. At this point, my boss’s office was much more convenient for the inte4rview and negotiations in general as I was sitting just in front of him. In conclusion it would be appropriate to note that interview settings include various significant aspects responsible for the outcome of the interview. REFERENCES †¢ Interview Questions And Answers Anticipating awkward interview questions. (2006). Accura Resumes. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www. accuroresumes. com/articles-info/interview-articles/questions. html

Role of the Military in Establishing Democracy

Role of the Military in Establishing Democracy ABSTRACT Under the conditions of globalization the term governance does not point to governmental and state actors, but it refers to intertwined governmental and non-governmental, private, transnational, national and local actors and networks, which guide and govern. Efficient and democratic governance has become an intended end of the state for the external assistance provision, notably for the United States. Analyzing the changes within the Defense Department and State Department after September 11, 2001, the author argues that, by militarizing the civil spheres of assistance such as foreign developmental aid, the USA jeopardize the main goal mentioned above. There is a tendency in USA to equalize military occupation with the modern concept of governance, which is an oxymoron as the military is one among many actors of governance and it can support democratic and efficient governance only by the establishment of security and its own accountability. Key words: military, governance, USA, democratization, developmental aid, militarization, stability and reconstruction, security INTRODUCTION Moving a society from insecurity toward security has been a perpetual goal of every community in the history of mankind. After the end of the Cold War hopes were raised that a global security concept would emerge which would embrace political, economic, diplomatic and other aspects of security; instead of narrow, defense-oriented concepts aimed at exclusive security for states and alliances. The rhetoric of commitments to democracy and human rights has become a central issue in current world politics. The number of states ruled by the military has declined sharply, and the democratic control of the military, has started to become a norm. Between 1985 and 2001, world military expenditures declined by one-third; the arms trade underwent a 65 percent contraction at the same period. The concept of security sector reform is being developed by academic and practitioners as a framework for addressing the provision of security within the state in an effective and efficient manner, and in the framework of democratic civilian control. Simultaneously, globalization and growing interdependence have questioned conventional conceptualization of hierarchical dominance by a central government. Namely, it has been noted that large number of both international and domestic actors and growing importance of networks and other forms of interaction between state and society limit the capacity of states to govern in an autonomous manner to certain extent. Hence, both academic and practitioners have started to point out that more cooperative forms of governance are essential. Until the 1980s, the term governance was used as synonymous with government, but in the last two decades, political scientists and practitioners use it to refer to something broader. The new use of governance does not point to state actors and the institutions as the only relevant, but focuses on the role of networks in the pursuit of common goals: intergovernmental or inter- organizational, transnational, or networks of trust and reciprocity crossing the state-society divide.6 Providing for effective and democratic governance has become an intended end state for numerous actors dealing with various forms of external assistance. Keeping in mind all these changes, it should have been expected that the military is only one actor in dense web of horizontal and vertical networks governing local societies, and that its role, as a hierarchical, top-down institution, is declining. This paper systematize opposite practice within the U.S. military/Department of Defense and the U.S. foreign assistance, and outlines possible consequences for democratic governance. After the first part on the concept of governance in various academic and policy context, the main characteristic of military doctrine, budget and procurement practice of the United States after the end of Cold War will be outlined. The next part will research basic documents issued by the US government after the 9/11, 2001, and elaborate gradual transfer of civilian responsibilities to the military in areas related to foreign assistance and in stabilization and transition operations abroad. Finally, the effects of military build-up after 9/11 on the transparency and accountability of defense-related matters within the U.S. and securitization of the U.S. foreign assistance without consideration for the democratic governance in numerous states worldwide will be elaborated. THE CONCEPT OF GOVERNANCE In this section the concept of governance within the academic and policy context will be defined, and the content of democratic and effective governance is elaborated. The approach toward governance applied in the US practitioners discussions related to the military and intervention will be presented. Until the 1980s, the term governance was used as synonymous with government. However, there are important differences in the current discourse. Anglo-American political theory uses the term government to refer to the formal institutions of the state and their monopoly of legitimate coercive power. Government is characterized by its ability to make decisions and its capacity to enforce them. In particular government is understood to refer to the formal and institutional processes which operate at the level of nation state to maintain public order and facilitate collective action. As of the 1980s, political scientists and practitioners refer to the term as distinct from government and as something broader, including civil-society actors, and the role of networks intergovernmental or inter-organizational (Rhodes); transnational (Rosenau), or networks of trust and reciprocity crossing the state-society divide (Hyden). The term is used in different subfields of political science: public administration and policy, international relations, comparative politics. Governance refers to self-organizing, interorganizational networks characterized by interdependence, resource-exchange, rules of the game, and significant autonomy form the state. Rod Rhodes refers to governance as a vogue word for reforming the public sector. Such approach can be placed within the filed of public administration and policy. Scholars in this field study the tasks, organization, management and accountability structure of the public sector. This approach is echoed within policy circles in the World Bank definition of governance as the institutional capability of public organizations to provide the public and other goods demanded by the countrys citizens or their representatives in an effective, impartial, transparent and accountable manner, subject to resource constraints. The World Bank subdivides the public sector into three broad categories: policymaking, service delivery, and oversight and accountability. Institution development cuts across all these sectors. The efficient governance is also related to this subfield, as opposite to poor governance, which the Bank identified as the cause of the prolonged economic crisis in developing countries. Other synonyms in use are good and weak governance respectively. It is important to note that, keeping in mind decentralization, transfer of authority to supranational organizations, and the delivery of public services by private actors, the distinction between public and private that characterizes traditional public administration theory is not clear. There is a baseline agreement that governance refers to the development of governing styles in which boundaries between and within public and private sectors have become blurred. The essence of governance is its focus on governing mechanisms which do not rest on recourse to the authority and sanctions of government. The governance concept points to the creation of a structure or an order which cannot be externally imposed but is the result of the interaction of a multiplicity of governing and each other influencing actors. The last two points are very important as they imply that military governance, particularly externally imposed, is an impossible construction. The term global governance belongs in the field of international relations and it challenges the realist paradigm about the states as the most important units and the international system as anarchic, as there is no government reigning over all states. Global governance is conceived to include systems of rule at all levels of human activity from the family to the international organization in which the pursuit of goals through the exercise of control has transnational repercussions. Or, it could be defined as a shift from hierarchical and territorial relations of government to polyarchical, non-territorial and networked relations of governance networks and complexes that are bringing together governments, NGOs, military establishments, and private companies in new ways, as a part of an emerging system of global liberal governance.15 At least three perceptions of governance can be identified in international relations: a narrow perception of governance that refers to practically all activities in transnational networks; a broader perception of global governance as a meta affair, the process of coordinating the sum of transnational and intergovernmental activities; and third, the minimal definition of neo-realism that equates it with world government and therefore dismisses it as naive.16 Another field which refers to governance is comparative politics. Governance is the stewardship of formal and informal political rules of the game. Governance refers to those measures that involve setting the rules for the exercise of power and settling conflicts over such rules. Within comparative politics, governance focuses on state-society interactions, and deals particularly with the role of the state in economic development how to incorporate societal actors in order to gain the capacity to formulate and implement efficient economic policies; as well as with the theories of democratization. Governance is not equal to democracy democracy is one institutional setup that may or may not be the outcome of processes of governance. Additionally, as some democratic societies are not very efficient, particularly in post-conflict periods, and an important dimension of governance is to provide goods demanded by the countrys citizens or their representatives in cost-effective manner, for the Western/liberal actors it is necessary to underline both democratic and effective governance as the desired end state. As it is demonstrated above, governance is a very complex and multilayered term; nevertheless, the approach toward governance applied in the US practitioners guidebooks related to the external support and intervention is quite straightforward. Recent The Beginners Guide to Nation-Building by prominent RAND Corporation, for example, threats governance separately from rule of law, democratization, development, economic stabilization, and practically equates government and basic service provision with the governance. The opening under heading Governance is as follows: Societies emerging from the conflict may be able to wait for democracy, but they need a government immediately to provide law enforcement, education, and public health care. Electricity, telecommunications, water, and other utilities also require a government to regulate them, and, in some instances, to provide the service. Sometimes the intervening authorities initially serve as the government The intervening authorities need to choose partners carefully with a view to creating a government and distribution of power that will survive their departure. Similarly, regardless recent changes in the meaning of the term governance, it is used with regard to past events, again as synonymous for rule/government: The idea that the military has a central and key role to play in terms of democratization and governance is not new. The U.S. military has experience in military governance in Cuba and the Philippines after the Spanish-American War, in Germany during World War I, in Latin America during the Banana Wars, in Germany and Japan and other territories during World War II. To meet the World War IIs requirements a Military Government Division was established on the Army Staff and a School for Military Government was created at the University of Virginia in 1942. Linkage of governance and military goes back in openly colonial times, as the roots are found in 1899, when the Bureau of Insular Affairs was created as Americas first colonial office, created to support the Armys reconstruction and occupation duties in the Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico. THE U.S. MILITARY AFTER THE END OF COLD WAR Within this section the main characteristics of military doctrine, budget and procurement practice of the United States after the end of Cold War are outlined, and security gaps within peacekeeping missions noted by the Clinton administration. By contrast to substantial declines in defense budgets and arms trade worldwide, US military spending declined by only 17 percent between 1985 and 2001. Actually, the United States moved from spending only 80 percent as much as the (perceived) adversary group in 1985 to spending 250 percent as much in 2001. While the world changed rapidly and radically after 1990, Americas armed forces did not apart from reducing in size. Between 1990 and 2001, the US armed forces bought 45 major surface combatants and submarines, more than 900 combat aircraft, and more than 2000 armored combat vehicles (while upgrading another 800). Defense Planning Guidance drafted in 1992 by Paul Wolfowitz, Under Secretary of Defense, proposed the following: With the demise of the Soviet Union, the US doctrine should be to assure that no new superpower emerges to challenge the USAs benign domination of the globe. The US would defend its position by being military powerful beyond challenge. The USA would act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated through ad-hoc coalitions. Pre-emptive attacks against states seeking to acquire nuclear, biological or chemical weapons were desirable. The paper was buried during the Clinton administration, but still the Defense Department had basically spent the nineties buying one type of military while operating another. The military was split into two rival camps over decade: one that had to deal with the international security environment as it was (Military Operations Other Then War MOOTW) and another that preferred to dream of the one that should be. Or, in other words, during the decade prior to the terrorist attacks against the United States in September 2001, thinking about defense was driven by a theory about the character of future war rather than by clear visions of emerging threats in the context of history and contemporary conflict. Proponents of what became known as military transformation argued for a capabilities based method of thinking about future war. In practice, however, capabilities-based analysis focused narrowly on how the United States would like to fight and then assumed that the preference was relevan t. Defense transformation was firmly rooted in a widely accepted yet fundamentally flawed conception of future war: the belief that surveillance, communications and information technologies would deliver dominant battlespace knowledge and permit US forces to achieve full spectrum dominance against any opponent mainly through the employment of precision-strike capabilities. Readiness was defined as being fully prepared to execute the two-war scenario, although after 1989 the rising requirement was for a capacity to handle frequent and multiple smaller-scale contingencies of a complex sort: not just traditional combat missions, but also non-traditional missions, including stability and humanitarian operations. Despite that, during the 1990s the lions share of the militarys time and resources was devoted to traditional activities and threats. The vaunted two-war strategy made claims on almost all of Americas conventional assets; it dominated planning, training, and procurement. By the decades end, operations other than war especially peace, stability, and humanitarian operations were considered anathema.28 Baseline is that the military was expected to wage a major war (or two) against raising peer competitors, and no connection with democratic governance was established. In reality, the Clintons administration in the 1990s was involved in many peacekeeping or humanitarian interventions, within the UN framework or without it. Since Korea, the U.S. military has resisted performing police duties. However, it become obvious that the security gaps created during various international missions required putting boots on the ground, as actual security threats could not be eliminated by high-tech equipment pilled under the pressure of defense industry and Cold War era military officers mentality. The Americans had to press its European allies to provide police and constabulary forces for the growing number of missions, and frequently faced with difficulties. In 1997, the Clinton administration began an interagency effort to analyze and learn from the experience of the peace operations. The National Security Council (NSC) requested from the Office of the Secretary of Defense to prepare the first draft of a Presidential Decision Directive on international polic e and judicial assistance in countries emerging from ethnic conflict to find ways in which the United States could improve its capacity and that of the United Nations to rapidly deploy effective civilian police forces and rebuild criminal justice system during peace operations.29 U.S. military leaders believed that peace operations dull combat skills, expend resources, and reduce readiness; in addition, soldiers were neither trained nor equipped to deal with civilians. This predilection to avoid nation building was reinforced by the traumatic experience of Somalia. At the Pentagon, the majority view was that discussions on this topic were to be avoided, stressing a myriad of problems and uncertainties involving legal authority, funding, administrative restrictions, and interagency differences.30 But the assignment went to Office of Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which believed that future peacekeeping missions were inevitable and that the Pentagon had a duty to provide clear guidance regarding constabulary functions. The process stretched into three years and only on February 24, 2000, Presidential Decision Directive 71 (PDD-71) on Strengthening Criminal Justice Systems in Support of Peace Operations was unvei led. It was under the pressure of the Department of State, as its officials were concerned about the UNs inability to stem violence in Kosovo.31 The Directive extensively addressed the role of civilian police, but also elaborated the understanding reached within the Defense Department on the need for U.S. military forces to perform constabulary functions during peace operations if necessary. Also, it provided a list of areas in which the U.S. military agreed it would cooperate and coordinate its activities with civilian police forces; and instructed the State to enhance U.S. capability to provide civilian police, including the increase of the speed with which is able to recruit, train, and deploy American civilian police abroad (through commercial contractors). However, at the time president Clinton left office, the efforts of assigned leading agency, State Department, to implement PDD-71 made little progress as differences arose between agencies with conflicting organizational cultures and institutional priorities.32 THE BUSHS ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE TO 9/11 This part analyses basic documents issued by the US government after the 9/11, 2001, and elaborate gradual transfer of civilian responsibilities to the military in areas related to foreign assistance and in stabilization and transition operations abroad. During the Bushs administrations first months in office, Washington agencies began an internal debate over the property of U.S. involvement in what were called complex contingency operations, stability and support operations, or multidimensional peace operations. To many it seemed safer and intellectually more comfortable to retain the U.S. militarys Cold War mission and to leave responsibility for peacekeeping to others.33 PDD-71 was abandoned and forgotten, so that even superb experts years later claim that the United States has been engaged in non-stop nation building since the end of the Cold War, but every one of this operations started virtually from the scratch, with little attempt to tap the expertise developed in the past. The terrorists attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, inflicted massive casualties, but could not be seen as a purely military threat. The response to terrorist threat has been possible within three layers: nonmilitary international solutions, military options, and homeland security measures. An examination of federal spending since September 11, 2001, in light of such framework reveals that in budgetary terms, military solutions are clearly preferred, even though much of the new money devoted to the defense department have little effect in addressing the problems of terrorism. Nonmilitary international measures are the clear losers of the budget sweepstakes.35 With the attack on 9/11 a new Big One threat was found possible pear competitions like China dropped off the radar, to be replaced by terrorist groups with global reach and any rogue nation suspected of supporting them.36 Global War On Terror (GWOT) was proclaimed, and although the Bush administration touts a multi-faceted campaign to disrupt and destroy terrorism worldwide one that balances military measures with diplomatic and economic ones, it has reached primarily for the handy one the military actions. Only after initial military operations quickly removed the Taliban and Ba-athist regimes from power, the disconnection between the true nature of these conflicts and pre-war visions of future war was revealed. Previous reluctance toward Military Operations Other Than War helps explain the lack of planning for the aftermath of both invasions as well as why it took so long to adapt to the shifting character of the conflicts.37 But how such adaptation to the character of the conflict has been carried out Alongside the threats to national security of the United States on its own soil, since September 11, democracy has become critical for the legitimization of interventions and post-conflict engagements. In the States it has been embraced by both supporters and opponents of Bush administration policies, and has become the proposed solution to all sorts of global challenges: terrorism, civil war, corruption, post-communist transitions, economic backwardness While the moral dimension of encouraging democratization through a foreign military presence is complex and multifaceted,38 or blatantly highly dubious, within this paper only concrete changes related to the U.S. foreign assistance are discussed. The U.S. arm sales and military assistance have been controversial form the aspect of human rights and democracy promotion for long time. However, the changes in these areas as of 9/11 are of major significance. Although weak and failed states are defined as a security threat,39 much of the expansion of military-to-military relations occurs with countries that fit the criteria of poorly performing states as determined by the UN Development Program, the World Bank, and Freedom House.40 At the same time, the bar has been raised for developmental aid, and weak and failing states are explicitly excluded from a new program which promotes development on the ground that the aid would not be effective for the areas of poor governance. Namely, The Millennium Challenge Account, proposed by President G. W. Bush in March 2002 and authorized by the Congress, promises to deliver substantial new flows of foreign assistance to low-income countries that are ruling justly, investing in their own peopl e, and encouraging economic freedom. More specifically, U.S. military and police aid to 47 poorly performing states, analyzed in a massive research conducted by a think-tank in the States, began to multiply in 2002, so that taken together these countries received 114 times as much assistance in 2004 as they did in 2000. The bulk of money went to seven countries classified as war on terror states Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Indonesia, Tajikistan and Djibouti. U.S. government documents claim that an underlying purpose of aid to all of these states is to encourage human rights and pluralistic politics. In fact, on September 11 three of these seven countries were legally banned from receiving U.S. security assistance by Foreign Assistance Act which prohibited aid to countries whose government reached power through a military coup and countries developing nuclear weapons. Additionally, Congress had prohibited most aid to Indonesias security forces due to serious human rights concerns. However, the Bush adminis tration waived these prohibitions in the weeks following the attacks on 9/11.42 The aid was channeled for various purposes, primarily weapons and equipment, but also even food, uniforms, and salaries for some militaries in Central Asia so unestablished, unprofessional or underequpped. Additionally, the United States trained 4.5 times as many military and police personnel from the war on terror countries in 2003 as it did in 2000, excluding joint military operations and joint training exercises, which do not appear in official reports to Congress. Within the same research, another group of 12 poorly performing states were categorized as strategically important: Georgia, Nigeria, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Guinea, Eritrea, Cameroon, Zambia, Chad, Tanzania and Niger. The principal U.S. interest served by security aid has been to maintain governments friendly to the United States; these countries have something US whishes to protect natural resources, geographic location, or a position of regional leadership. The aid for these states in 2004 raised about 70 percent over 2000 levels. For majority of them the State Departments 2004 foreign aid request called for improving the recipient countrys ability to participate in peacekeeping missions. Peacekeeping means interoperability, i.e. that militaries have similar structures and training and use similar weapons and equipment. It benefits U.S. defense industries; and peacekeeping mission provides US with a politically palatable reason for maintaining close military ties with troubl ed countries. Transferring weapons and teaching lethal skills are less controversial for the U.S. Congress to approve, if the goal is to create a corps of blue-helmeted guarantors of human rights and regional stability.44 The adaptation to culture-centric warfare within the U.S. military itself has been slow. For example, the Army released its first counter-insurgency manual in decades and West Point has offered its first-ever class entirely focused on counterinsurgency warfare only three years after 9/11.45 On 28 November 2005, the Department of Defense issued Directive 3000.05 Military Support for Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction Operations (SSTR). Military support to SSTR is defined as Department of Defense (DoD) activities that support U.S. Government plans for stabilization, security, reconstruction and transition operations, which lead to sustainable peace while advancing U.S. interests. It practically represents a new doctrine as defines a new policy for Do D. Stability operations are a core U.S. military mission that the Department of Defense shall be prepared to conduct and support. They shell be given priority comparable to combat operations and be explicitly address and integrated across all DoD activities including doctrine, organizations, training, educations, exercises, material, leadership, personnel, facilities, and planning.47 A December 2005 Presidential Directive was issued to promote the security of the U.S. through reconstruction and stabilization for foreign states and regions at risk of, in, or in transition from conflict or civil strife. The directives states the response to these crises will include among others, activities relating to internal security, governance and participation, social and economic well-being, and justice and reconciliation. DoD Quadrennial Defense Review from early 2006 includes increased funding for fighting non-state actors, new efforts to improve interagency cooperation, and emphasis on agility and speed to counter emerging, asymmetric threats; and plans for over 30 percent increase in civil-affairs units.49 It provides roadmaps for Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTR), Irregular Warfare, and Building Partnership Capacity to address new military requirements and to advance them in future defense programs.50 However, while the directive demonstrates the importance of incorporating democracy as well as governance efforts in this work, it doesnt define both the Department of States and Defenses roles in these kinds of endeavors, along with how they can coordinate with other actors including NGOs, contractors, foundations, universities, and the private sector. The three roadmaps call for increased military involvement in establishing and supporting democratic and effective governance across the spectrum of conflict, but the concepts in these roadmaps are underdeveloped.51 THE CONSEQUENCES FOR DEMOCRATIC AND EFFICIENT GOVERNANCE Same important improvements have been made both with the military and civilian authority with regard to the involvement on the ground in foreign (AFRICOM), and the administrations Building Global Partnerships Act.55 Namely, the Office of the Secretary of Defense has developed a proposal, the Building Global Partnership Act that authorizes the military to do nearly everything it has done in Iraq and Afghanistan anywhere in the world, without subscribing to the human-rights and other restrictions that govern State Department dollars. The proposal reaches well past the Pentagons traditional areas: military-to-military training-assistance programs and weapons sales, and it would allow Defense to engage itself in virtually entire architecture of another countrys internal security. The downstream threat is that the State Department becomes the supporting institution for Defense Department initiatives, instead to formulate and lead the foreign policy according to its criteria and priorities .56 The Pentagons expanding foreign assistance role raises concerns that U.S. foreign and development policies are being subsumed by a short-term security agenda, that it will exacerbate the longstanding and glaring imbalance between the military and civilian components of the U.S. approach to state-building, and may undermine long-term U.S. foreign policy and development objectives to advance security, good governance and growth.57 Alongside relying more heavily on military instruments that on civilian ones, the U.S. approach is distinctive from many other donor governments, the European Union, and the United Nations, with regard to its underlying motivations. Whereas many other donors place the emphasis on foreign coherence for development that its, ensuring the alignment of national policy instruments to alleviate poverty and lay the conditions for self-sustaining growth in target countries U.S. engagement with weak and failing states is focused overwhelmingly on what might be termed policy coherence for national security that is, integrating policy tools to prevent weak states from generating transnational security threats that could harm the United States and its allies (rather) than on alleviating the structural causes of instab

Achieving a Balanced Life in Jane Austens Sense and Sensibility Essay

Achieving a Balanced Life in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility We are often told that too much of anything can be a bad thing. Even Aristotle, one of the greatest thinkers of all time, insisted that the only path to real contentment and inner peace is "The Golden Mean" (Funk & Wagnalls 328). This life lesson is learned by two of Jane Austen's most well-known characters. Only when Elinor and Marianne Dashwood achieve a balance between Sense and Sensibility do they find true happiness in their lives. The dichotomy between "sense" and "sensibility" is one of the lenses through which Austen's Sense and Sensibility is most commonly analyzed. This distinction is most clearly symbolized by the psychological contrast between the novel's two main characters. Elinor, the older of the two, represents qualities of "sense," such as reason, restraint, social responsibility, and a clear-headed concern for the welfare of others. In contrast, Marianne, her younger sister, represents the qualities of "sensibility," such as emotion, spontaneity, impulsiveness, and rapturous devotion. As both Elinor and Marianne suffer disappointments in love, they undergo transformations that bring each character closer to the other in behavior and personality. Elinor, the epitome of all that is proper and conventional, begins to show emotions, traits that appeared to have been hidden within her. Marianne, the over-reacting and highly emotional young lady, evolves into a more mature and dignified woman. In the final analysis we find that only when these two young women achieve a balance in their lives, can they truly enjoy a peaceful existence. In other words, the novel's success is a result not of the triumph of sense over sensibility, or sensibilit... ...rself as a mature and responsible young woman. By adapting some of each other's traits but maintaining some of their own, these women have achieved the necessary balance. Perhaps Yasmine Gooneratne says it best when she writes, "The complete human personality needs certain qualities in balanced proportion. Sense and sensibility, reason and passion, mind and heart, complement each other" (73). This is "The Golden Mean". Works Cited "Aristotle." Funk and Wagnallas New Encyclopedia. 1992. 328. Austen, Jane. Sense and Sensibility. New York: Doherty, 1995. Gooneratane, Yasmine. Jane Austen. London: Cambridge, 1970. 73. Mansell, Darrel. The Novels of Jane Austen: An Interpretation. London: Macmillian, 1973. 66. Reinstein, P. Gila. "Moral Priorities in 'Sense and Sensibility'." Renascence 35.4 (Summer 1983): 269-83. (I found this using the MLA Database)

The Character of Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice Essay -- Pride and

The Character of Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen, like her most beloved heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, is a keen observer of the nature of man in society. To simplify her studies, and to give her readers a better understanding of the concept of Pride and Prejudice, Austen does not focus our attention on the larger social structure as a whole, but skilfully directs our consideration only to a small, isolated segment of the society. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen scrutinizes a microcosm, people dwelling within similar cultural and social backgrounds, but representatives of the larger human community. Austen demonstrates in Pride and Prejudice through Elizabeth and Darcy that in man's perennial pursuit of the joys in life, those who conform too strictly or not at all to the existing social norms face the danger of never finding their place in life nor ever finding personal happiness. Elizabeth Bennet is a person worthy of our imitation. She is a model because she is different from all the other characters, except Darcy, and because she does not adhere rigidly to the standards set forth by society, "where the family and the community...tend to coerce and even predetermine the volition and aspirations of the self" She is self-reliant and independent, while "contemptuous of all the conventions that restrict the individual's freedom. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. The first sentence of the novel Pride and Prejudice highlights the importance of marriage within the world of the novel. The sentence suggests that the sole purpose for marriage was to increase the characters social and financial ranking. The quote m... ...nging from "She had a lively, cheerful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous", to "hardly a good feature in her face..." We can see that different people have varying views on her. Her observations lead us through the story, meaning that we see everything through her eyes, and her intelligence and wit mean we enjoy her commentary. At first I was unsure if the title statement was accurate to Elizabeth’s personality. But, like Elizabeth, my views changed, â€Å"Till this moment I never knew myself†, Elizabeth becomes a rational creature speaking the truth from her heart. Without neither family wealth nor wisdom to aid her, Elizabeth's success is an attribute to her inner strength. She is by far the most fascinating character in the book, and I believe all the reasons mentioned prove her to be an independent, unconventional and passionate heroine.

Challenges Faced by the Steel Industry

Challenges faced by the steel industry Introduction3 Challenges faced by the steel industry3 Conclusion13 Work cited During the 1950s,the European steel market, steel production and import unrelentingly augmented. This created surplus provisions on the promotion of the Six. Due to this, there was deterioration of the market together with its selling value. This drop continued as a result of antagonism from inexpensive introductions from eastern nations. Therefore, the European steel industry was actually positioned at a drawback for the reason that its cost prices were higher than those of its contestants (Steel Industry and the Environment p. 1). Consequently, there was a proposal from the High Authority that there should be limitations in the import steel from third countries and also increase in the convention tariff by a certain percentage. This proposal brought concern to the European administration and industry, which feared that their operating associates would take castigatory procedures. In the year 1963, the High power, during the reign of the Italian President Dino Del Bo, there was a proposal of the ordinary viable guiding principle. On the other hand, the administrations differed on the concern that, the level of fortification was only afforded for by the ordinary exterior tariff (Steel Industry and the Environment p. 1). Therefore, the High power made use of its authorities in order for there to be adoption of a number of proposals which included, the mandatory where there was concern of there aspirations. Though there was a suggestion of an option in regard to the means of achieving the aims. This offered an invitation to the administrations in order for there to be a set up of tangential fortification at a level which is at a minimum height of 9 %. This was, at an instance where there was a requirement by Italy. This was later followed by the French Government criticism that the alternative had been made to the supranational technique, though this was the only available alternative despite the divergence amid the administrations. In the end, there was a challenge by the role of the High Authority, by numerous administrations, which turned to be a question once again (The European Steel Industry p. 6). The encouraging substance outcome attained during 2004 by the steel mills are still being working out their optimistic impact on the in general movement of this commerce throughout the first half of 2005. There has been a great cover on the stipulation for the steel inventions on the entire manufacture of the first section regardless of the increase in the quantity of mills. Therefore, there has been augmentation in their production, which in turn will offer response to the promotion necessities that have confirmed a stipulation in the expansion, even though this has emerged lethargic in some areas and burly in others (The European Steel Industry p. 6). The Arab area was possibly among those main sections, which have observed an augment in manufacture of, and also stipulation for the steel products throughout the first quarter of this year. In most it has been made known that the construction statistics of the most prolific nations in the Arab region have exposed an augment in the production expansion speed of extended and level manufactures. According to the predictions of the International Iron and Steel Institute (IISI) the global stipulation for the steel creations there was an observed growth of 3. 7% throughout the year of 2005. Therefore, there is an expected increase in the demand by the IISI that the stipulation will surpass one billion tons for the first time that is up by 36 million tons in comparison to 2004 (Challenges and Opportunities of Steel industry . . 1). According to Areclor, which is the largest steel manufacturer globally, there has been a contradiction in the views expressed by number of companies in the decision making in the reduction of their own production due to the slowdown in the demand and also in the maintenance of the supply or stipulation demand. All this is in spite of the growth of t he statistics, which point out to the augmentation in stipulation and an increase in the production in a number of regions in the globe (â€Å"Analysis of economic indicators of the EU metals industry p. 1). This has led to the declaration that there will be reduction in the manufacture of even formations by a number of tons in the first half of that year due to the low stipulation in the promotion of the European Union. Although, this decrease unreservedly aspires at offering support to the advertising costs that the company has already publicized. This has clinched an augmentation of Euro 15/ton effectual early in the second quarter. The second largest steel producer, â€Å"Mittal Steel†, provided some analysis that opted to taking comparable applications to that of Arcelor (â€Å"Analysis of economic indicators of the EU metals industry p. ) This offered assistance in the reduction of the creations within the perception of the requirement of upholding the provisions and stipulation stability of sustaining the values at the cost of measure. Therefore, that is what the steel industries have been determined to attain in 2005, particularly after the augmentations that took place i n the prices of the raw substance. Particularly, the iron ore industry, which had indentures concluded in the year 2005 with an augment of up to 71. 5% over the stage of preceding year. There may be an illustration to a new path for this steel manufacturing during this year (The European Steel Industry p. 6). Therefore, this tendency of the modifications observed by the global steel markets, which are determined in the light of the promotion actions and through the proposals which were being taken by the main corporations. This controlled the majority of the steel production internationally, which may depict a new path for this production during that year. This track was set as a foundation on viewpoint punctuality from, sustaining value at the cost of measure. Therefore, this may somehow or one more, signify that the steel cost will keep on going in the same drift observed by the steel creations during 2004 in addition to the first quarter of 2005, to be precise, the increasing tendency of prices. Therefore, this may lead to the increase on the complexities facing the steel customers in a number of the main overwhelming segments at the front of which are the sectors of building, manufacturing productions and cylinders and conduit manufacturing (The European Steel Industry p. ). The Arab steel manufacturing saw an apparent enlargement throughout the year 2004 and early 2005. Therefore, this development is symbolized in escalating the manufacture, which had a powerful justification in entering into indenture on the measure manufactured throughout the first quarter and measures of some fractions of that year. There must be a stimulation of the necessity of making as a severe review of the situation of the markets as to take into deliberation of the well-matched provisions and stipulations. This is all in order to shun any saturation under the force of the requirements of manufacturers for there to be an augmentation in the production which may result in a turn down in cost and materialization of the price antagonism in the promotions. Despite, there was a hold back, which commenced to come into continuation for a number of steel creations in a number of promotions (The European Steel Industry p. 8). The monetary recuperation experienced by most Arab promotions because of the high gas and oil costs comprised an encouragement to the surroundings for the affluence of the preponderance of the other different divisions. This led to the prevention of the quick appearance of the holding back circumstances of stipulation in some intense segments. Nevertheless, this delay came into continuation when the steel overwhelming segments became powerless in the take up of the sustained augment in the cost of the produces, which may enlarge into a higher enlargement in the prospect (The European Steel Industry p. 8). The increase observed in the steel costs, which were further than many prospects, stand in itself occasions and confronts. These occasions were to be made use of, hence requiring that the confrontations should have been examined that the steel manufacturers will be required to maintain the explosion, which it has observed. This detonation was given a productive suggestion in the enhanced circumstances of the steel industries, which have also offered contribution to inspiration of the expansion procedures of the steel manufacturing. This is only achieved by having reflections of coming up with a number of many innovative developments (The European Steel Industry p. 6. ). Privatization of the European steel manufacturing has made a significant move in the direction of a more competent manufacturing organization. The major confrontation of the industry is the post-privatization and is required to convene the prospect of the industry’s innovative stakeholders. This is in different to the administrations, classified shareholders who in turn have different or even more monetarily familiarized objectives. Those industries that are possessed by the state have more focus on the maintenance of the production volume in order to secure jobs rather than on their end product presentation. Differently in the case of the private shareholder, there is more focus on the average return, which implies that there is a look into the enjoyment of the price of the share together with its bonuses. This takes place over a given period of time in order for they’re to be an evaluation of the presentation of the reserves of the steel markets (Directorate Science, Technology And Industry p. 2). . More and more, the European steel market is required to have an international competition with other different segments in the steel industry for capital to investment prospects. Therefore, the steel industry is required to show and at the same time demonstrate the worth formation possible of their approaches to the worldwide monetary society. Increase in the concealed possession and commercial awareness has offered assiststance to the steel corporations to function outside countrywide limitations and optimize their possessions organizations in the European background, focusing construction mainly in superior worth creations that are added. Over a number of years, the European steel makers have combined productions, exchanged possessions, cooperative undertaking, easing unity of the European steel industry (Metal Bulletin Research p. 1). In the opening new Challenges in the industry, if continued at present circumstances, the company’s improvement is likely to put additional damage on the energy, carbon dioxide and on our ecological trail in universally and also the raw material possessions. Other challenges that come about in this steel industry will be due to the high anticipation on the increase of energy stipulation. Therefore, the demand in energy will add to with about 60 % amid 2002 and 2030. In excess of 66% of the augment in global power stipulation amid 2002 and 2030 is likely to originate from those nations that are on the rise. Such countries are particularly in Asia. Also China counts for over 20% of the entire augment (Metal Bulletin Research p. 1). In the enhancement of the carbon dioxide confrontation, there is a likeliness of ArcelorMittal decreased carbon dioxide emanations by over 20% since 1990, through scientific expansion and reservations. Therefore this consequence surpasses the European Kyoto target by about two and half times. Although there is still much further development to comprehend as steel creation in countries, for instance like the CIS or China has a much higher carbon dioxide emanation speed, up to two times the heights which are allowed in, North America and Western Europe (The European Steel Industry 2001 p. 6. ). Despite all the challenges, there is no jeopardy of shortage, although a number of features are likely to lead to a good deal of lower quality resources. There are also, steel corporations that offer protection to their enduring supplies through upright incorporation. Since 1999, there has been an increase in the stipulation in the world steel steadily. Nevertheless, this augmentation has been in acceleration since 2002 and has symbolized up to around 50 million tones additional yearly. In 2003, there was an increase in the world steel expenditure increased by about 6. 6% measuring up to 2002, and additional enhancement by 6% in 2004 and 5% in 2005 were in expectation (Directorate Science, Technology And Industry p. 2). This strong rush in the consumption of steel is as a consequence of the spectacular acceleration of familial steel in terms of its stipulations in China where there has been an average of 2. 6% yearly steel consumption that had been increasing by over the time 1995 to 2000. This augmentation has been by some 25% yearly ever since 2001 and there is an anticipated growth which is likely to take place at a rate which is a very fast pace also in both 2004 and 2005. In comparison to this, there was a decline in the consumption of steel in the rest of the world by 4. 2% in 2001 and since then there has been an annual rate of 2. % (Directorate Science, Technology And Industry p. 2). There was a turn down in the steel expenditure OECD region by 0. 5% in 2003, which was a total difference to the year 2002. This therefore, gave an indication of an 8. 9% reduction in North America that counterbalanced a 2. 6% add to in Europe and a 4. 5% augmentation in the Asian-Pacific region. Due to the bett er economic conditions in the region during 2004, the steel expenses in the OECD were anticipated to rise by nearly 3%, with the North American as the promotion grasped most of the augmentation (+5. 7%) and more reasonable increase in Europe (+2. %) and Asia (+1. 3%). Therefore, the tendency was anticipated to persist also in 2005 (Directorate Science, Technology And Industry p. 2). Other many challenges that are facing the steel industry, include, the increase in the considerable steel prices that has led to more generation of profit in the industry of steel. However this has also led to the reduction in the limitations due to the spectacular add to in prices of raw materials and shipment. There are also some jeopardizes of the scarcity for scrap and coke that help in the process of manufacturing steel. Therefore, the important enlargement in prices of most steel creations at the commencement of 2004 created troubles for many industries that were consumed steel (The European Steel Industry 2001 p. 3. ) There was an expectation that, as the cost of the raw materials begged off within that year, there was anticipation that the cost of steel was likely to stay put at comparatively high heights for the rest of that year. In common with the augmentation in the cost of the raw material, there was a dramatic increase in the transportation costs. Also there was an increase in the contract charges for huge vessels which augmented fourfold in a single years, as of 17 000 $/day in January 2003 to 68 000 $/day in early 2004. However afterwards, the rates of shipment began to decline and were likely continue with the decline taking into consideration the limitations on loaning that was introduced by the Chinese administration in order to deliberate the expansion (Directorate Science, Technology And Industry p. 2). In the current years, the opening between aptitude and manufacture condensed. This lessening in the past few years was mainly significant in the OECD region, where steel-manufacturing aptitude had confirmed a net decrease of about 41. 5 million tones, or 6. 7%; a further net reduction of some 15 million tones which was anticipated by 2005. In the NIS, most of the outdated unproductive surplus aptitude has been blocked. Though, with the increase in the familial stipulation and a high level of exports, a number of innovative capacities are anticipated to come on stream in the near prospect. Also pressure and complexities in raw substance markets lasted up to the end of 2005, by which time alterations that were expected by contractors assist in the easing of the complexities (Directorate Science, Technology And Industry p. 2). There are also a number of challenges that are faced by the steel industry. They include, the steel market is experiencing a holding back in the stipulation. This is happening in both the restricted and worldwide face. Therefore, due to this, there are a number of smaller producers who are really far prolonged with arrears, and are taking damage. At that height of the promotion, there are clear indications of the effects of the deceleration. There are a number of key reasons that are accountable for the turn down of the stipulation in the steel industry. The initial cause is the rate of interest indecision that has put anxiety on the customer expenditure, in general. There is also a condensed customer expense that has affected all industries to some level (Woodley, et al p. 6). As there is reduction in the expenditure of the customers in the chain value, there is a reduction in the volumes and profits of the retailers and, in turn, the contractors and manufacturers. This clearly indicates that once there is talk in the reduction of the interest rate, there is a likeliness of the opinions of people turning positive hence leading to more expenditure from the customers. The other reason that has led to the economic deceleration is the international sub prime, which commenced in the US and has been making effect throughout the monetary markets globally. Therefore, there is anticipation since the nation is still waiting to see if it will get affected. Therefore, the impact of the US hold back is likely to be insightful and it is important for the world to work through it and the extremes of the precedent (Woodley, et al p. 6). Conclusion The steel industry has had a number of challenges that have had a great impact in the sector hence lowering its income. They include, the steel market experiencing a holding back in the stipulation. This is happening in both the restricted and worldwide face. Therefore, from the observation, there is a clear indication that the steel industry had had it all in terms of its economy, demand and supply. There is a likeliness of the company observing an augmentation in its stipulation for all cold-rolled, thin measure stainless steel. This is because the cookery facilities are generally among the last things to be improved prior to any event like that (Woodley, et al p. 8). Therefore, in spite of the recession experienced in universally, there is likeliness that there has been fragmentation in the stainless steel market, as the tank-tainer promotion explodes in harsh contrast with the rest of the industry. This kind of trend is not rare in the stainless steel industry in addition to the carbon steel industry. This is because the possessions have got an extensive variety of submissions together with their duration of use on many potentially contradictory markets. Therefore, there is a possibility of a number of divisions in the promotion showing an improvement while others indicate a recession. Therefore, this is not a bad thing in the industry of steel though the most important thing is for the steel market to be prepared for the challenges Woodley, et al p. 6) Work cited â€Å"Analysis of economic indicators of the EU metals industry: the impact of raw materials and energy supply on competitiveness. † European Commission, 2006 â€Å"Challenges and Opportunities of Steel industry† 2005. 31March 209 http://www. arabsteel. info/total/long_editor_last_e. asp? ID=18 Dirctorate Science, Technology And Industry. â€Å"Recent Steel Market Developments† 2004. 31March 2009 http://www. oecd. org/dataoecd/34/48/32366875. pdf. Metal Bulletin Research, Steelmaking Raw Materials Monthly Issue 146, July 2008 â€Å"Steel Industry and the Environment, Technical and Management Issues. † IISI and UNEP Technical Report No. 38. 1997. The European Steel Industry: â€Å"Restructuring in an Era of Globalization† 2001. http://www. hatch. ca/consulting/knowledge_base/Articles/THE%20EUROPEAN%20STEEL%20INDUSTRY%20RESTRUCTURING. pdf. Woodley, David & Wilkes, Alan. â€Å"European Stainless Steel Industry Faces Fundamental Restructuring† 1998. 31March 2009 http://www. hatch. ca/Consulting/Knowledge_Base/Articles/European%20Stainless%20Steel. pdf