The Concept of Arms Race, Sino-Soviet-American Relations, and the Persian Gulf War Essay Example

The Concept of Arms Race, Sino The Concept of Arms Race, Sino-Soviet-American Relations, and the Persian Gulf War Essay The Concept of Arms Race, Sino-Soviet-American Relations, and the Persian Gulf War Essay â€Å"The Concept of Arms Race, Sino-Soviet-American Relations, and the Persian Gulf War† Political Science 170 Winter 2009 Dr. Kendall Stiles February 12, 2009 For centuries, and particularly during the last one hundred years, nations have sought to develop, manufacture, deploy, and improve weapons in reaction to the similar efforts of their adversaries. We call this an â€Å"arms race†. As defined early on by Gray, an arms race involves the following characteristics: [T]here should be two or more parties perceiving themselves to be in an adversary relationship, who are increasing or improving their armaments at a rapid rate and structuring their respective military postures with a general attention to the past, current, and anticipated military and political behavior of the other parties. (Gray 1971, 40) Note that this definition excludes parallel arms acquisition by allies or neutrals, gradual and moderate increases in weaponry, or unilateral increases in weaponry that is unconnected to others’ behavior. On the other hand, the definition includes all types of weapons – conventional and nuclear, personal and strategic. Also, the definition includes both quantitative and qualitative improvements, implying that manufacturing and deploying obsolete weapons could be one way to engage in an arms race where the adversary is focused exclusively on developing new military technology instead. To what extent does this concept help us understand what took place in Sino-Soviet-American relations or the Persian Gulf War as described in as described in chapters 2 and 5 of the Stiles text, respectively? I will argue that the material makes clear that arms racing was a central dimension of the great power relations of the first case, but does not feature as prominently in the Persian Gulf situation. Specifically, the Cold War was largely a conflict over nuclear deterrent capacity rather than direct military confrontation between the U. S. and the U. S. S. R. , while in the case of the Persian Gulf War the United States injected itself in a regional conflict, mostly because Kuwait had been unable or unwilling to match Iraq’s military build-up and quickly succumbed to its forces once they attacked. This analysis offers a way to better understand that arms races are not the most unwelcome development in international affairs and may be preferable to alternative strategies. In 1945, the United States successfully tested an atomic bomb and a few weeks later dropped it on Hiroshima, Japan. It is interesting to note at the outset that although the weapon was originally developed in response to Germany’s threat, and was used against Japan, the principal target of America’s atomic and later nuclear arsenal for the next half-century would be the Soviet Union – an ally of the U. S. when the bomb fell on Japan. But by 1947 American and Soviet relations had deteriorated to the point that they each saw the other as its principal adversary. When the Soviet Union detonated an atomic device in 1949, it was clear to all concerned that this was a signal to the United States. It signaled that both superpowers had the capacity to eliminate each others’ major cities (although, as pointed out in the text, it would take some time before the Soviets would have the capacity to deliver the bomb to a distant target – see page 32). The development of the hydrogen (or nuclear) bomb by 1953 and the successful testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles by both sides by 1957 meant that the populations, industries, and military installations of both superpowers were vulnerable to nuclear attack. What took place in the first decade of the Cold War is a clear instance of an arms race. It was primarily technological in the early years and was both rapid and aggressive, as required by the definition. While one cannot speculate, it seems unlikely that the Soviet Union would have moved so quickly to develop nuclear-capable missiles had the United States not moved first. And these actions would not have been perceived as threatening without the generally hostile environment in which Americans and Soviets consolidated control over their respective spheres of influence and confronted each other’s allies in places like Korea and Berlin. At the same time, it is worth noting that although the rhetoric and posturing were openly hostile, the actions of both superpowers were relatively restrained. The Soviet Union chose not to attack West Berlin even though the presence of an American ally in the middle of a Soviet-dominated state was clearly irksome. Likewise, the United States was careful not to threaten Soviet territory in its war with North Korea and ultimately settled for a stalemate. In Cuba, where the United States might have benefited substantially from an invasion, it chose instead to adopt more tentative and non-violent means to pressure the Soviets to withdraw their missiles. It appears in retrospect that both states were deterred from attacking the other. And ultimately, the Cuban Missile Crisis seems to have prompted the two superpowers to meet face-to-face to negotiate how to prudently manage what was clearly a dangerous military situation. And, as we know, the Cold War ended with a fizzle rather than a bang as both sides accepted each other as rivals but not enemies and dramatically reduced their nuclear arsenals in the 1980s and 1990s. The implication of this story is that an arms race can – especially where nuclear-tipped missiles are concerned – lead world leaders to avoid rather than seek military confrontation. Knowing that her country cannot deliver a â€Å"knock-out punch† may prompt a leader to pursue non-violent ways to resolve disputes. The reverse seems to be true where Iraq is concerned. In 1990, Saddam Hussein, frustrated over Kuwait’s apparent theft of oil from Iraq fields and hoping to establish himself as the dominant power in the region, launched a surprise attack against his smaller neighbor. At the time, the Iraqi army was the forth largest in the world and was equipped with advanced tanks, artillery, and aircraft. The Iraqi army was also battle-hardened, having fought an eight-year war with Iran during the 1980s. Kuwait, for its part, had a reputation for arrogance borne of its extraordinary oil wealth. On the other hand, Kuwait’s military was small and ultimately ineffectual. Iraqi forces were able to overrun the small country in a matter of hours. Shortly after its victory, the Iraqi army began to mass on the border with Saudi Arabia, prompting consternation in this sometime US ally. Saudi Arabia’s government knew that its military would also not be a match for Iraq. Both governments chose to use their oil wealth primarily for other purposes besides full-scale militarization, perhaps in part because neither considered Iraq a particularly serious threat. After all, the only clear indication that war might be imminent, according to the chapter, was that roughly one month before the invasion the Iraqi government released statements indicating its intent to attack Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (see page 83). The two states chose not to enter into an arms race with Iraq. The result was that Saddam Hussein was undeterred from attacking them. One might argue that had Kuwait and Saudi Arabia matched Iraq’s military capability, they would have been spared the catastrophe they endured. But although they could certainly have been able to pay for large numbers of advanced weapons, they could not have matched the manpower Iraq was able to deploy. On the other hand, forming a military alliance with a superpower might have quickly balanced their military capacity relative to Iraq’s. Ultimately, this is precisely what took place, although this could not be considered an arms race according to our definition. In conclusion, these two cases show in different ways how the concept of arms race helps us understand international affairs. In the case of the U. S. and U. S. S. R. , although it proved costly and dangerous, the nuclear arms race night have prevented a direct military confrontation, and ultimately resolved itself once political conditions changed. On the other hand, the lack of an arms race in the Persian Gulf may have been a cause of the war that started in 1990. In other words, the implications of the lack of an arms race may be as dire as the alternative. Reference: Gray, Colin (1971) â€Å"The Arms Race Phenomenon,† World Politics vol. XXIV (October): 39-79.

3 Cases of Nonequivalent List Items

3 Cases of Nonequivalent List Items 3 Cases of Nonequivalent List Items 3 Cases of Nonequivalent List Items By Mark Nichol When a list of items in a sentence is not a simple matter of a, b, and c, writers can easily err in erroneously constructing the sentence, mangling the syntax in the mistaken belief that nonequivalent items are equivalent. Each of the sentences below presents a distinct problem with parallel structuring of lists, and the discussions and revisions that follow the examples explain and resolve the problems. 1. If you have a kitten, pregnant, or nursing cat, we recommend that you feed it kitten food. This sentence reads as if it refers to three types of cats: kitten cats, pregnant cats, and nursing cats. However, â€Å"kitten cat† is redundant, so kitten must appear syntactically distinct from the two other types of cats mentioned. The references to those types may be combined into a compound phrase, but it must follow a conjunction and a shared article, and the punctuation between them must be omitted to allow them to share the article: â€Å"If you have a kitten or a pregnant or nursing cat, we recommend that you feed it kitten food.† 2. Companies need to embrace innovation, cultural change, and embark on the digital-transformation process to become more nimble and keep up with the changing business environment. This sentence attempts to refer to three actions: embrace of innovation, embrace of cultural change, and embarkation on the digital-transformation process. But â€Å"cultural change† is not provided with its own verb, and the comma that precedes the phrase prevents it from sharing one with innovation. In order to share, the comma must be replaced by a conjunction. In addition, because such a revision results in two, not three, list items (the combination â€Å"embrace innovation and cultural change† and the phrase about embarkation), no internal punctuation is required: â€Å"Companies need to embrace innovation and cultural change and embark on the digital transformation process to become more nimble and keep up with the changing business environment.† 3. Factors influencing technology selection and implementation include the entity’s goals, marketplace needs, competitive requirements, and the associated costs and benefits. Because â€Å"associated costs and benefits† is only tangentially related to the entity, it should not be part of the list describing various aspects of the entity; the sentence must be revised so that â€Å"competitive requirements† is clearly the final item in the list: â€Å"Factors influencing technology selection and implementation include the entity’s goals, marketplace needs, and competitive requirements and the associated costs and benefits.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comma After i.e. and e.g.List of Greek Words in the English Language15 Names and Descriptions of Effects

Ethics in Organizations Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethics in Organizations - Term Paper Example Further the high dependence on ethical business behaviour also helps in enhancing the social image of the concern in the external environment. Introduction to the company General Electric (GE) is an established company in the field of services, technology and manufacturing. The company operates in more than 100 countries and has 313,000 employees worldwide. The company owes its origin to the inventions of Thomas A. Edison. Edison established Edison Electric Light Company in the year 1878. It was in the year 1892 that a merger between Edison General Electric Company and Thomson – Houston Electric Company lead way to the birth of General Electric Company. GE has the record of being the only company that is listed in Dow Jones Industrial Index today that was also listed in the original index. GE holds the rank of the 5th largest U.S based company in the fortune 500. The main head quarters of the company is in Connecticut, U.S. the main division of work in GE are, GE Aircraft Engi nes, GE Appliances, GE Industrial Products and Systems, National Broadcasting Company, Inc., General Electric Capital, GE plastics, GE medical Systems, GE power systems, GE technical products and services. GE since its inception has undertaken the strategy of diversification and expansion in a global scale. The company has been successful in establishing itself in various industrial market and countries (General Electric, 2000, p.1). Corporate Vision/Mission The mission statement of GE represents the goals set for all their business units. The mission statement of GE represents the values that are centered on their key believes, Imagine, Build, Solve and lead. These four expressive verbs are chosen by the company to symbolize the stand of GE as a singular entity. For almost more than 125 years GE has been regarded as a company that believes in imagining and brings the imagination into life. GE believes in the power of imagination. The imagination of human brain if focused on the rig ht issues can build up solutions for several problems. The stress given by the management on building solutions for various problems, gives GE the edge and the strength to lead. Corporate Objective/ strategy The main strategy applied by GE in establishing itself as a global player is the two basic strategies: the strategy of diversification and the strategy of global scale operations. GE from the era of its inception has been open to all kind of business markets. The company which owes its origin mostly to electric engineering today has several operations that vary in nature from services to manufacturing. The company has been very adaptive during their growth and has added many operations including Medical equipments and home appliances to enter new market. The company has also applied aggressive strategies to enter the global market. GE has several dealers and showrooms in most countries. The trained sales force of GE give the company an easy entrance in many countries. GE has als o applied the strategy of resourcing their raw materials or parts from suppliers in countries from low wage countries. This Step taken by GE though

Cyber Crime Complaint Center (in United Arab Emirates) Thesis

Cyber Crime Complaint Center (in United Arab Emirates) - Thesis Example Hacking, Malware, Fraud, Identity theft, Information warfare, phishing scams, viruses, cyber stalking are some of the examples of the cyber crime that are discussed most today. (Dwyer, P., 2010, p. 3). Usually the large organizations become the victim of cyber-crime because either the hackers are more interested in the financial gain or they want to attain the prestige by getting access illegally to their secret data. Additionally the countries where there is unemployment are also at more risk of cyber crime like in some of the countries where there are youngsters holding degrees but having no jobs gets annoyed and their mind starts moving towards the criminal activities. They are well qualified so can easily learn hacking and scamming and thus for the financial gain they gets indulged into such crimes. According to the statistics of 2008 to 2009 it is found that the financial fraud via cyber is doubled. As the cyber criminal activities have increased much so there is a need for the organizations to consider on the internal skills and structure. If the structure is strong then the risks of attacks are also minimized because about 60% of the cyber criminal activities are being play ed from inside the organization. Due to this loophole majority of the organizations get failed to deal with the cyber crime as there is either improper structure or lack of knowledge and expertise. Since now there have lots of researches being carried out on the topic of cyber crimes. The research articles with the latest information are published in International Journal of Cyber Criminology. There are number of books by Wall, Jewkes, McQuade and Yar have been written on this topic. Still as this research topic is fresh so the depth study is required as mentioned in the recent work of Nhan and Bachmann (2010). The cyber crime increases as the growth of internet connectivity increases in any area and as we know that the new

Paulo Freire Essay Example for Free

Paulo Freire Essay In â€Å"Pedagogy of the Oppressed†, Paulo Freire presents two concepts of education, banking and problem-posing. Specifically, Freire argues that in banking, teachers assume students are passive, take all control, determine what will be learned, and â€Å"fill† students with pre-selected information. Problem-posing education allows people to develop their human natures fully because it depends on dialogue, recognizes the relationship between people and the world, encourages discovery and creativity, and leads to transformation. Freire criticizes the banking method throughout the essay and clearly praises problem- posing in more than just an educational settings. For instance, narration sickness is a term used when the teacher talks about a subject as if it were â€Å"motionless, static, compartmentalized, and predictable. † In addition, necrophilia is another one of Freire’s exaggerated imagery, comparing the banking concept and oppression to the love for the dead. Freire supports the problem-posing method as being the only educational concept needed. His essay is well laid out with examples and supporting details, but is this practical for public education? Freire says that to be truly committed to ending banking the students must reject it all together. I have mixed feelings. It’s not that I do or don’t support this statement, but I do believe both concepts are necessary at some point in education. Some information presented to students can only be taught through repetition, memorization, and narration. For example, math and science equations are concepts needed to be memorized in order to complete problems. The way a student memorizes it can be creative and active, but it still falls under the banking category for needing to be told how to perform it.

Accepting Our Innate Good and Evil :: Philosophy Essays

Accepting Our Innate Good and Evil The evil of destruction is like a shadow cast by the good of creation. Nature gives and takes life. Even on the cellular level of the human body, the evil of decay and death exists side by side with the good of growth and health. For example, while the precise mechanism of cancer remains unknown, research has demonstrated that the malignant transformation of a cell is linked to cancer-causing genes called oncogenes. In normal cells, oncogenes are called proto-oncogenes, which promote cellular growth and are regulated by cellular genes called tumor-suppressor genes. Tumor suppressor genes, in other words, control growth-promoting genes, which could potentially turn malignant. ( ¡Ã‚ °Cancer: Causation. ¡Ã‚ ±  ¡Ã‚ °The Cause of Disease: Abnormal Growth of Cells. ¡Ã‚ ± Encyclopaedia Britannica, CD 1999). Thus, the potential for cancer not only exists in every cell of the body, but also supports the cell ¡Ãƒ ¤s growth and health. Concerning the nature of good and evil, Nichiren Daishonin states:  ¡Ã‚ °Good and evil have been inherent in life since time without beginning ¡Ã‚ ­The heart of the Lotus school is the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, which reveals that both good and evil are inherent even in those at the highest stage of perfect enlightenment. The fundamental nature of enlightenment manifests itself as Brahma and Shakra, whereas the fundamental darkness manifests itself as the devil king of the sixth heaven ¡Ã‚ ± (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 1113). The Daishonin explains that all people are endowed with supreme good and evil, as well as all the possible life states in between. We can be either as godly as  ¡Ã‚ °Brahma and Shakra ¡Ã‚ ± or as devilish as the  ¡Ã‚ °devil king. ¡Ã‚ ± Good and evil, in other words, are innate, inseparable aspects of life. This Buddhist concept is called the  ¡Ã‚ °oneness of good and evil. ¡Ã‚ ± This teaching, however, does not mean that evil is good, nor does it imply that the distinction between good and evil is irrelevant. Instead, it teaches us to perceive and triumph over evil inside ¡Ã‚ ªthereby conquering evil on the outside ¡Ã‚ ª through faith in the universal goodness of life. In the context of the Daishonin ¡Ãƒ ¤s teaching, good means the  ¡Ã‚ °fundamental nature of enlightenment, ¡Ã‚ ± or absolute freedom and happiness resulting from profound self-knowledge. Evil indicates the  ¡Ã‚ °fundamental darkness, ¡Ã‚ ± or life ¡Ãƒ ¤s innate delusion negating the potential of enlightenment and causing suffering for oneself and others. This inner darkness echoes with the despair that our lives are ugly and meaningless; it drives a wedge of fear that splits the hearts of people into  ¡Ã‚ °us ¡Ã‚ ± and  ¡Ã‚ °them.

Leadership in a time of complexity

Introduction A true and effective leader reacts to critical incidents especially in times of stress  and challenge. He sets an example and is clear about the â€Å"rules of the road† and then adheres to them along the journey. Clarity, consensus and intensity are three essential factors for aligning values of leaders with those of the followers. The importance of shared values is that they channel and focus people’s energies and commitments. Leadership during a Crisis Leadership in critical times was clearly seen in the Hurricane Katrina which hit the Gulf Coast. The U.S. government agencies tasked with relief and rehabilitation operations seem to remain in limbo.   One of which is Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which reportedly delivered a mere 15 percent of the travel trailers and mobile homes that it hurriedly purchased for temporary housing. The Chicago Tribune reported that FEMA ordered 125,000 travel trailers or mobile homes after Katrina struck in order to provide housing for the estimated 600,000 people who have been displaced by that storm and Hurricane Rita, which hit eastern Texas and western Louisiana three weeks later. However, FEMA was only able to install 18,834 travel trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi and 494 more mobile homes in the two states.[1] Repercussions of the Hurricane There were also reports that a year before Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, information technology utilized by the Homeland Security Department to support disaster management was so disconnected and inadequate that it was necessary for employees to develop ad hoc alternatives to supplement them. This was revealed by DHS' inspector general in a derisive report. Conclusion Thus, to point our fingers to a single cause or leadership may be overly simplistic.   The slow and inefficient disaster response may properly be viewed as the effect of various factors, including, but not exclusively, the inadequacies of the FEMA officials.[2]   All these spread far and wide, up to the very top of the government and down to the local government officials. It is sad that there was no strong leadership to have prevented this disaster. In sum, we conclude that leaders do not achieve success by themselves. Exemplary leaders enlist the support and assistance of all those who must make the project work. They involve, in some way, those who must live with the results, and they make it possible for others to do good work. BIBLIOGRAPHY Martin, A. Hitches Show in FEMA Trailer Plan. The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 19. 2007 at: Memo: FEMA had problems before Katrina. USA Today. Retrieved May 19. 2007 at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/executive/2005-10-17-fema-memos_x.htm ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; [1] Martin, A. Hitches Show in FEMA Trailer Plan. The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 19. 2007 at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0511060220nov06,1,4411564.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed [2] Memo: FEMA had problems before Katrina. USA Today. Retrieved May 19. 2007 at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/executive/2005-10-17-fema-memos_x.htm ; ;