Analysis Of National Interest And Foreign Policy Politics Essay

Analysis Of National Interest And Foreign Policy Politics Essay At the heart of any national interest lays its security, in order states to survive they must protect their security, by any means available to them, the treats to national security can be both external and internal. External treats can include any treat that comes from competing nations and enemies of the state. Internal treats can come from groups with political aims of overthrowing the government, even though the aim of security in national interest doesnt always mean protecting the states territorial boundaries, nor the repulsion of foreign attack. In some cases nation may be required to sacrifice some of its territory, or renounce some of its claims, in order to preserve another, more intrinsic element of the state(Orme,5). States create economic developments by promoting foreign investment, modernising their economy from low-income based economy to high-income based economy, such as building infrastructure, investing in technology, research and development. Without social development economic development cant be fulfilled. States invest in education, access to public health, gender equalities, and civil societies. States dont further their national interest by becoming self centred , in this day and age where the world is a global village states cant afford to ignore the rest of the world, therefore states look far beyond their states and consider other factors that are important to their national interest, economically, socially and politically. The above mentioned characteristics identifies national interest of a state and its components, the question is how do states promote their national interest?, states promote their national interest through foreign policy, thus foreign policy is the sum of an actors goals and purposive actions in global politics. Foreign policy consists of those discrete official actions of the authoritative decision makers of a nations government, or their agents, which are intended by the decision makers to influence the behaviour of international actors external to their own polity. In practice, foreign decisions are not made by single leaders in isolation, but it is a cumulative process that involves, interest groups, domestic issues, bureaucracies, leadership, and so on. Therefore foreign policy is the means and national interest is the end. Countries conduct their foreign policy through many channels that are available to them, namely diplomacy, force, track11 diplomacy, communication, and so on. Countries when shaping their foreign policy take into account many factors that are important, such as, geography, the size of the population, the level of economic development, political tradition, domestic environment, internal environment, military capability, and national character. Diplomacy: Diplomacy is the main channel through which foreign policy is conducted, diplomacy has existed throughout the history from the ancient Greeks to the African tribal systems all used diplomacy to solve disputes and to defuse potential conflicts. Diplomacy involves negotiation to manage relations among states. It is perhaps the most prominent tool in foreign policy available to actors for managing disputes. Diplomats in foreign offices and ministries often argue exhausting peaceful efforts to achieve goals before resorting to war and try to achieve compromises with adversaries to prevent conflict(Mansbach, Rafferty :363). Countries that have the means such as the United States appoint ambassadors virtually anywhere in the world to represent their interest, poor countries that dont have the means rely on their UN ambassador to meet and discuss issues in New York with other UN ambassadors from all over the world. Over time diplomats come and go but countries maintain diplomatic missions abroad. The role of the diplomats is to assess their countrys objectives given its actual and potential power to gauge other states objectives in light to their power. Diplomats must also assess the extent to which their countrys objectives are compatible with those of other countries and then decide whether to use persuasion, compromise, or treat of force to pursue their countrys end. (Mansbach, Rafferty: 365). Force: If diplomacy fails then the use of force is the last resort. It is the choice of last resort because of the destructive nature of wars, on humans and economies. The following are the three strategies for managing conflict that require the treat to use military force; defence, deterrence, and compliance. Each of these involve to a different degree, using force in a different way. Defence is to repel an attack, defence may be passive or active, passive defence employs civil defences, bunkers, hardening of weapons systems, and increasing weaponry systems. While active defence involves directing military force against a potential or an actual attacker and may include missile defence, pre-emptive and preventive war. In pre-emptive strike state anticipates an imminent attack and strikes first to gain the upper-hand, whereas in preventive strike it anticipates an attack in the distant future, and therefore attacks the adversary before they gain the capability to strike. Deterrence is to prevent an enemy to attack in the first place. Deterrence is less expensive than defence, because it may not always lead to war, but the threat of war may influence an adversary to take a different course of action, rather than confrontation. Actors usually exercise the three Cs of deterrence, namely communication, capabilities and credibility, which means actors communicate to their adversary and inform them the path they have chosen will indeed lead to conflict, and demonstrate their capabilities if they dont change course, third the treats must be credible. Compliance unlike deterrence, which involves the passive use of force, compliance also called coercive diplomacy, uses limited force to make an actor alter its behaviour or undo certain thing already done. Successful compliance convinces an enemy of the following. There is urgency about complying with the demand to alter its behaviour The coercing actor is more highly motivated than the opponent; and The consequences of staying the course will be escalation and still greater pain for the adversary. This is called bargaining in simple terms, if the enemy fails to comply, the coercing actor must decide whether to back down or intensify the use of force. This is precisely what the United States and its allies are doing in relation to Iran, to convince the Iranian regime to abandon their nuclear ambitions. Track II diplomacy: States use un-official channels to conduct their foreign policy and further their national interest, these include cultural exchanges, people to people movements, conducting this type of diplomacy states show that their government is not hostile to the others. For example some may argue that if the line that divides the Indian sub-continent was removed and the follow of people is allowed between Pakistan and India that would have reduced a lot of the tension between the two nuclear armed nations and could create an atmosphere of understanding, co-operation, interaction and mutual respect. Communication: Communication is a major instrument of foreign policy, it can be in the form of propaganda, or what is called external publicity, the purpose of propaganda is to inform people and governments abroad of the policies, achievements, institutions, and values of the state concerned and to convert international public opinion, as far as possible, to its own point of view (Bandyopadhyay: 24). For example United States uses Voice of America to broadcast their messages, in many different languages around the globe. Other components that contribute the making of foreign policy are Geography and Size: shaping foreign policy states consider their geographic locations, and also the size of their population. Level of economic development: states take into account when shaping their foreign policy according to their economic capabilities. Political tradition: how states conduct their foreign policy is dictated by the political tradition of that state Domestic environment: International environment: Military strength: military capability is the ultimate decision to go to war. National character: In considering all these factors mentioned above. Foreign policy is the means in which national interest has to be promoted, and according to the realist, the success and failure of foreign policy must be judged, by, if the national interest of the state was promoted. Realist argue, the nature of international politics, revolves around power, in a self help environment; states seek to further their national interest by acquiring sufficient military capabilities, to deter attacks by potential enemies, any actor in international politics their aim is to demonstrate their power, or to maintain their power, or to further their power, with power actors can only maintain their position and influence by it. Thus the priority of every state is to promote national interest and for that matter to acquire power. I agree with the realist point of view when it comes to power and prestige, Americans dominate the rest of the world not because they have the largest population in the world, but they are the strongest nation, economically, militarily, technologically and the US president is often referred to as the most powerful man in the world. American influence in the world touches every part of this globe, shaping policies, furthering their interest.

The Spanish Debate On The Americas :: essays research papers

Juan Ginà ©s de Sepulveda, Bartolomà © de las Casas, and Francisco de Vitoria arguments pertaining to the settlement and colonization of the native people of America, while presented in different manors, are all the same. All three Spaniards believed that the barbarians had to accept the rule of the Spanish because the Spanish were mentally superior, and divine and natural laws gave the Spanish the right to conquer and enslave the native people of America. The foundation for Spanish conquests was their interpretation of the bible. Ironically, it was the teachings of the bible they were all trying to bring to the newly found infidels. Sepulveda stated that the Spanish conquests were sanctioned in divine law itself, for it was written in the Book of Proverbs that "'He who is stupid will serve the wise man.'" In propositions one and two, Bartolomà © de las Casas stated that he believed that Jesus Christ had the authority and the power of God himself over all men in the world, especially those who had never heard the tidings of Christ nor of His faith. Las Casas also stated in his second proposition that St. Peter and his successors(that being missionaries located in the New World) had the duty by the injunctions of God to teach the gospel and faith of Jesus Christ to all men throughout the world. What is interesting is that Las Casas thought that it was "unlikely that anyone [would] resist the preaching of the gospel and the Christian doctrine..." While being a bishop and a Dominican missionary in the New World, he had the task of spreading the holy faith, expanding the area covered by the teachings of the universal Church(that being the Christian religion), and the improvement of the natives' souls as his ultimate goal. As stated in proposition ten however, the Indians sovereignty and dignity and royal pre-eminence should not, in his belief disappear either in fact or in right. "The only exceptions are those infidels who maliciously obstruct the preaching of the gospel... ." In proposition eleven though, he continues by contradicting himself by saying that "He who persistently defends it[that being the preaching of the missionaries] will fall into formal heresy." Sepulveda also thought that if infidels rejected the rule of Christianity, it could be imposed upon them by force of arms. Sepulveda's justification for the use of force was, after all, justified according to natural law, and that just and natural noble people should rule over men who are not "superior". War against the barbarians, according to Sepulveda, was justified because of their paganism and also because of their abominable licentiousness. Sepulveda and Las Casas both thought

Is Regeneration an Anti-war Novel? Essay

â€Å"Opposition gives definition† said Heraclitus in 6th century BC (Graham). If that was true, in 21st century people are given â€Å"definition† by the usage of the prefix â€Å"anti-â€Å". Therefore, an â€Å"anti-war† novel is one, which opposes any form of aggressive competition. Regeneration by Pat Barker is one of the plentiful novels inspired by the atrocious events of the First World War. Barker’s book does not focus on depicting combats and stratagems. On the contrary, it portrays in detail the mental and physical consequences of the war. Regeneration is an â€Å"anti-war† novel, which touches upon the appalling harm done by warfare and the following recovery process. Barker condemns war and her negative attitude is displayed by her complex, credible characters and hard emphasis on consequences. Description of both mental and physical war injuries tags every chapter of the novel, thus provoking the reader’s sympathy. Barker aims to create a picture of the real circumstances during that period. Both by imaginary and real characters she succeeds in creating the solemn and discouraging mood in Craiglockheart. The introduction of the patients of the hospital (Prior, Anderson, Burns and Campbell) arises sympathy in the reader. Each of them has his own misfortune caused by war, which would probably mark his life forever. They would never be able to continue their ordinary lives and would have to get used to new habits. The tragic fates of these patients make the reader indeed sympathetic. Barker uses the fates of her character to express in a hidden voice her negative attitude towards the war, thus provoking â€Å"anti-war† feelings in the reader. In addition, Barker uses other very interesting techniques to represent the awful effects of war on human psychology – representation of nightmares, dreams and hallucinations. For example, such a moment is the imaginary meeting, which Sassoon has with his friend Orme in Chapter 13 from part two. Sassoon wakes up â€Å"to find Orme standing immediately inside the door†, but then â€Å"he remembered that Orme was dead† (Barker 143). This episode represents another aspect of the war effect – grief for all the lost friends, relatives and comrades. In that particular episode, Barker also implies the idea that Orme’s visitation is a wake-up call from the dead, delivered by one of them and reminding silently of what Sassoon is delicately trying to forget. With its emotional shade the scene once again makes the reader sympathetic. As a whole, the description of the damage caused to patients, both mental and physical, makes the reader sympathetic. That sympathy in turn, promotes another attitude – â€Å"anti-war† attitude. In the novel not only physical and mental injuries are depicted, but also social ones. The social conditions are curved by war. Society puts restrictions on the individual. Any form of protest is forbidden and all those who dare object are condemned – â€Å"‘conchies’, cowards, shirkers, scrimshankers and degenerates† (Barker 4). The novel begins with Sassoon’s bold Declaration. As the plot unfolds, it becomes evident that his ideas are entirely justified but rejected. The government pronounces him mentally ill and silences him in a mental hospital. By censuring Sassoon’s protest, the country prevents another upcoming remonstrance. Also, expression of sexuality is confined in the society. At that time homosexuals would not be accepted in the army. When Sassoon implies his homosexuality during one of his sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ances with Rivers, the doctor warns him. Even though Rivers really feels sympathy for Sassoon’s unfortunate situation in the prejudiced society, he tells him that he must face the reality he lives in. The doctor explains that society could become more accepting in the future, but it is not likely â€Å"that any movement towards greater tolerance would persist in wartime† (Barker 204). He implies that it is not possible for a single man to change the world and make it look from another angle. Rivers also states its time for Sassoon to grow up and start â€Å"living in the real world†, whether or not he agrees (Barker 205). The purpose of his words is to convince Sassoon that if he admits his sexuality this would worsen his present situation even more. Moreover, through Prior’s character another social restriction that is denounced – censorship. During wartime there is no privacy at all: â€Å"I censored it every week. We read all their letters†¦.† (Barker 131). Also, soldiers are never told if their letters have arrived. They are kept like prisoners on the front with their homes and loved ones far away. By depicting all of these social restrictions from the war time Barker maintains the â€Å"anti-war† mood throughout the novel. Furthermore, by the end of the novel Rivers’ convictions shift and he realizes how unjust the war is, how awful and long-lasting the consequences are, thus contributing to the peak of the reader’s anti-war certainty. The idea of unjust war is implied through River’s change. In the beginning his ultimate goal is to see all of his patients return to the front in good health, prepared to fight once again for their country. However, because of some events Rivers starts to question war’s justification and realizes that he sends his patients to an almost certain death. The culmination of his â€Å"anti-war† conviction is when he witnesses Burns’ dire condition: â€Å"Nothing justifies this. Nothing nothing nothing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Barker 180). Furthermore, the doctor confirms his fears when he goes to observe Yealland’s methods. As he watches Callan’s treatment Rivers is horrified: â€Å"He couldn’t bare to go on watching. He looked down at the backs of his clasped hands†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Barker 232). After that episode Rivers considers the differences between himself and Yealland and for his horror realizes that they are the same. In Chapter 14 his thoughts are released: â€Å"Obviously he and Yealland were both in the business of controlling people. Each of them fitted young men back into role of warrior †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Barker 238). At that point Rivers understands that instead of curing his patients he actually breaks them down. Even though his methods are less severe than Yealland’s, the effect is the same. To a certain extent Rivers is violating his patients’ rights because of war. All of these examples portray how Barker gradually, but effectively builds the â€Å"anti-war† suggestion in Regeneration. Barker’s novel Regeneration is an â€Å"anti-war† book because it provides a unique possibility to the contemporary reader to dive into the depths of a war that had irrevocable effects on soldiers’ mentality. The author’s personal attitude is expressed by her characters’ behavior and destiny in the society. She aims to remind people of what effects the war had on previous generations and warn them, so that the same mistake does not occur. Will it?

Burning Fall Leaves May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Burning Fall Leaves May Be Hazardous to Your Health Burning fallen leaves used to be standard practice across North America, but most municipalities now ban or discourage the incendiary practice due to the air pollution it causes. The good news is that many towns and cities now offer curbside pickup of leaves and other yard waste, which they then turn into compost for park maintenance or for sale commercially. And there are other burn-free options as well. Burning Leaves May Spark Health Problems Because of the moisture that is usually trapped within leaves, they tend to burn slowly and thus generate large amounts of airborne particulates- fine bits of dust, soot and other solid materials. According to Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources, these particulates can reach deep into lung tissue and cause coughing, wheezing, chest pain, shortness of breath and sometimes long-term respiratory problems. Leaf smoke may also contain hazardous chemicals such as carbon monoxide, which can bind with hemoglobin in the bloodstream and reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood and lungs. Another noxious chemical commonly present in leaf smoke is benzo(a)pyrene, which has been shown to cause cancer in animals and is believed to be a major factor in lung cancer caused by cigarette smoke. And while breathing in leaf smoke can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat of healthy adults, it can really wreak havoc on small children, the elderly and people with asthma or other lung or heart diseases. Small Leaf Fires Can Cause Big Pollution Problems Sporadic individual leaf fires usually don’t cause any major pollution, but multiple fires in one geographic area can cause concentrations of air pollutants that exceed federal air quality standards. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), several leaf and yard waste fires burning simultaneously in a particular locale can cause air pollution rivaling that from factories, motor vehicles, and lawn equipment. Fallen Leaves Make Good Compost Purdue University consumer horticulture specialist Rosie Lerner says that composting leaves is the most eco-friendly alternative to burning. Dry leaves alone will take a long time to break down, she says, but mixing in green plant materials, such as grass trimmings, will speed up the process. Sources of nitrogen, such as livestock manure or commercial fertilizer, will also help. â€Å"Mix the pile occasionally to keep a good supply of air in the compost,† she says, adding that a compost pile should be a minimum of three cubic feet and will generate soil conditioner within weeks or a few months, depending on conditions. Mulch Leaves Instead of Burning Another option is to shred leaves for use as mulch for your lawn or to help protect garden and landscape plants. Lerner suggests adding no more than a two-to-three-inch layer of leaves around actively growing plants, chopping or shredding the leaves first so they don’t mat down and prevent air from reaching roots. As to using leaves as mulch for your lawn, it is just a simple matter of mowing right over the leaves with the lawnmower and leaving them there. As with leaves used for garden mulch, this will provide many benefits, including weed suppression, moisture conservation and moderation of soil temperature. EarthTalk is a regular feature of E/The Environmental Magazine. Selected EarthTalk columns are reprinted on About Environmental Issues by permission of the editors of E. Edited by Frederic Beaudry

How to Help People Without Giving Money or Give to Charity

How to Help People Without Giving Money or Give to Charity 5 Ways To Help Charity without Donating Money If you like helping others, but dont have much financial resources to do so, cheer up! There are a plenty of ways to give to charity even if you dont have extra dollars in your pocket. In fact, there are a lot of organizations that need help even if you cant donate money. Here are a few ways in which you can help charitable institutions: Devote your time You can become a volunteer at an organization and spend time with people who need it. It doesnt take money, but your help there can be even more important than material reimbursement. Maybe people need someone to rely on, to talk to or to ask for a piece of advice. Just be there for them. Support others Theres nothing more important than support. If you know people who are into a specific project or are raising money for a good initiative, support them. Therere specific online platformsthat really works. Sometimes, support is all people need to move their projects forward. Teach You can become a teacher to others even if you are still a student. Theres always something you like or know in detail and can share with others for free. So, if you have any specific skills or hobbies or theres something you can do with your own hands, you speak another language or use a gadget, share your knowledge for free. Maybe something you teach others will change their lives. Entertain If you have any talent like dancing, singing, playing or telling stories, you can help too! A song, a poem or a story, your dance or any other performance will help others cheer up. It is also charity without spending money. Cook If you cant buy food for others, you can help with cooking it. You can create an awesome dish for people in need and share it with them. Or you can take part in the cooking master class for the disabled people. Therere so many ways of how you can help and your engagement can be much more valuable and helpful than any money.

Implementation of Integrated Performance Management Essay

Implementation of Integrated Performance Management - Essay Example TQM has a preventive approach and not a detective approach to work (Walton, 1986). It is a proactive system and not a passive one and stresses on removing the defect rather than just locating it. Deming (1986) and Walton (1986) both state that the detective systems have serious disadvantages. Firstly these are results and as such cannot help in correction of past errors. Secondly, the greater loss is that due to errors the customer will be dissatisfied. Thirdly the direct cost of defect detection and later correction or replacement is doubled. Fourthly the human cost by way of fear of performance and loss of pride in workmanship is the greatest of all (Walton 1986). All this can be avoided by following TQM process by not allowing a defective product or service to be sent from production lines. Obviously prevention is better than cure. Performance management should be understood as a tool for measuring corporate objectives and is calculable in tangible form in terms of outputs and finally deliverables to customers. The ultimate goal is to deliver total quality and 100 percent value to the end customer. (Zairi 1994) and this is the standard or benchmark of acceptable performance management that describes the optimum use of all resources. Zairi (1996) goes on to state that product life cycles are getting shorter making it imperative for organisations to turn to innovations with greater speed to remain effective in their markets. Decision making thus becomes dependant on quality assurance systems that provide the required information for these judgments. Performance management is therefore essential to evaluate the quality and to ensure acceptability by customers. According to Zairi and Youssef (1998) in the global context today competition cannot be met with cost efficiency alone. Quality plays an equally important role in assessing competitiveness. Quality is a function of (TQM) and

Bugs, Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bugs, Inc - Essay Example World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which administers the rights of inventors, has given further safeguards. â€Å"The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is dedicated to developing a balanced and accessible international intellectual property (IP) system, which rewards creativity, stimulates innovation and contributes to economic development while safeguarding the public interest.† (wipo.int, n.d). In the case of BUG, Inc, the new copyright treaty signed in 1996, provides the needed copyright protection for its software. With this safe protection, BUG will be able to expand its reach and sales internationally. That is, the intellectual property rights will minimize the risk of other companies pirating the BUG’s software and using it. So, protection of its software is one of the important legal protections, BUG should have for its intellectual property. Steve is the ‘proxy’ employee or spy of WIRETAP who worked in BUG to steal BUG’s important secrets and files. Steve did that by forwarding the BUG e-mails; he received or hacked, to WIRETAP, including the e-mail correspondence between BUG’s officers. For this crime, Steve can be charged under the Economic Espionage Act of 1996. As this act covers and bars stealing and trading of company’s secrets and details through computer and internet, Steve can be accused of violating it. Likewise, WIRETAP, Inc. could also be charged under the same Economic Espionage Act, for their role in the stealing of a company’s classified documents using computers and internet. So, both the parties in the crime, Steve and WIRETAP can be charged under the civil liability of Economic Espionage Act of 1996 â€Å"The Espionage Act is a very important weapon to address and penalize computer and Internet espionage† (Cheeseman, 2004). RICO Act, short for Racketeerin g and Influenced Corrupt