The United States Invasion of Iraq Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The United States Invasion of Iraq - Essay Example By mid-April, 2003, Hussein's army and the government had collapsed, and the allies were largely in control of the major Iraqi cities. The allies gradually turned their attention to the rebuilding of Iraq and the establishment of a new Iraqi government, but progress toward that end was hampered by lawlessness, especially in Baghdad, where U.S. forces had tolerated widespread looting initially. On May 1, President Bush declared victory in the war against Iraq. No weapons of mass destruction, however, were found, leading to charges that U.S. and British leaders had exaggerated the Iraqi biological and chemical threat in order to justify the war. From this fact it's possible to make a conclusion that weapons of mass destruction weren't the main reason for the war, but only a cause, "casus belli". I think that the root of the US invasion of Iraq in March 2003 is control over oil fields. The background of 2nd Gulf War (2003) comes from an armed conflict between Iraq and a coalition of 32 nations including the United States, Britain, Egypt, France, and Saudi Arabia called the 1st Persian Gulf War in 1991. It was a result of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990; Iraq then annexed Kuwait, which it had long claimed. Iraqi president Saddam Hussein declared that the invasion was a response to overproduction of oil in Kuwait, which had cost Iraq an estimated $14 billion a year when oil prices fell. Hussein also accused Kuwait of illegally pumping oil from Iraq's Rumaila oil field. During August 1990 Iraq was sending more and more troops streaming into Kuwait, by August 6 there were nearly eleven combat divisions. Intelligence analysts at the time understood that Iraq had enough troops in the area to roll over Saudi Arabia nearly as easily as they had done to Kuwait. King Fahd of Saudi Arabia recognized his situation as dire and immediately requested aid from his most powerful friend and ally, the United States. President Bush promptly ordered the deployment of U.S. ground and air forces to Saudi territory. U.S. Navy ships were also deployed to the region. So began the operation to defend Saudi Arabia that would be called "Desert Storm".   The UN Security Council called for Iraq to withdraw and subsequently embargoed most trade with Iraq. On August 7, U.S. troops moved into Saudi Arabia to protect Saudi oil fields. On November 29, the United Nations set January 15, 1991, as the deadline for a peaceful withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait. When Saddam Hussein refused to comply, Operation "Desert Storm" was launched on January 18, 1991, under the leadership of U.S. Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf. The U.S.-led coalition began a massive air war to destroy Iraq's forces and military and civil infrastructure. Iraq called for terrorist attacks against the coalition and launched Scud missiles at Israel (in an unsuccessful attempt to widen the war and break up the coalition) and at Saudi Arabia. The main coalition forces invaded Kuwait and S Iraq on February 24 and, over the next four days, encircled and defeated the Iraqis and liberated Kuwait. When U.S. President George H. W. Bush declared a cease-fire on February 28, most of the Iraqi forces in Kuwait had either surrendered or fled.

Theorists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Theorists - Essay Example A cognitive theorist would try to apply any of the established theories of cognitive development, such as that of Piaget, to explain Dina’s behavior. As such, a cognitive theorist may refer to the fact that Dina is in her sensorimotor Stage, as identified by Piaget. During this stage, an infant starts to build up knowledge of the world, by relating the physical activities to perceived results of those activities. The main personal trait of infants during this stage is egocentrism, because young kids have no understanding of the external world other than their own. As such, a cognitive theorist may argue that Dina’s egocentrism during this early stage of development pushes her to reject the concept of sharing and prefer to have and possess everything she wants. To remedy this problem, a cognitive theorist may suggest that Dina should be related more to her social surroundings, and not to be left to her ego, as the social surroundings are extremely important in shaping th e personality and behavior of children. Unlike cognitive theorists, a behaviorist accounts for development in terms of learning. That is, behaviorists believe that the bad habit of egocentrism and rejection of sharing is highly affected by the stimulus context. In other words, the surrounding atmosphere, in which one performs this habit, would affect the frequency of practicing it. In this context, almost all behaviorists agree that the behavior of children is affected by the family within which he or she is raised. For example, many of the ill-behavior of children to divorced parents can be closely attributed to the fact that their parents are separated. That’s why a behaviorist may approach Dina’s negative behavior in the light of her relationship with her family and parents. For a behaviorist, Dina’s behavior may be modified after understanding her relationship with her family members. This is because a behaviorist believes that the

Misogyny in Theogony Essay Example for Free

Misogyny in Theogony Essay In Theogony, Hesiod expresses misogynistic notions and shows the triviality of the creation of women. Hesiod portrays the insignificant role for women. He uses marriage as a light-hearted yet serious judgment and stereotypes against all women. Hesiod explains the most misogynistic attitudes in the story of Pandora. He works misogyny into female monsters and goddesses that use their tricks on men. Hesiod displays the dominance of the male sex in his poem, Theogony. Hesiod touches on his feelings toward the idea of marriage. Referring to Theogony, he states that the man who avoids marriage arrives at an old age with no one to look after him and distant relatives share out his living. The man who finds a good wife spends a life, that is balanced between evil and good, / A constant struggle.(393-394) While the man who gets an awful wife lives with, He lives with pain in the heart all down the line, / Pain in spirit and mind, incurable evil.(395-396) Hesiod’s idea of marriage is more of a teaching process with the man as dominant and the woman is to be controlled. The very creation of women was a punishment to mankind. Out of Zeus anger toward Prometheus, came Pandora, the first woman. Hesiod explains the thoughts of immortal gods and mortal men as they first glanced at the beautiful creation as â€Å"sheer deception, irresistible to men. / From her is the race of female women, / The deadly race and population of women, / A great infestation among mortal men.† (373-376) The only reason women live in this world is because of the sins of one male figure. Women have no other purpose in Hesiod’s words than to be the bad that upsets the good in the world. In Theogony, Hesiod mentions the monster Echidna stern of heart, who was half nymph with fair cheeks and curling lashes, and half a monstrous serpent, terrible and huge, glinting and ravening, down in the hidden depths of the numinous earth. This monster that Hesiod describes seems to parallel with his image of women: beautiful but deceiving. Theogony also describes Aphrodite as a modest and beautiful goddess. Although she is the goddess of intimacy, tenderness, and pleasure, she is also the goddess of deceptions. Aphrodite claims she is the most powerful because she can influence all other gods. Hesiod wrote this poem with a lot of misogynistic thoughts in mind. The idea of marriage is irrelevant except for the matter of reproduction of strong and courageous men in Theogony. The creation of women was originally a punishment to Prometheus but Hesiod shows that this is a punishment to all mankind. Women are also often compared to monsters and evil creatures. Hesiod states throughout his poem that women are often insignificant and trivial to the lives of men.

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Partnering Construction Essay

The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Partnering Construction Essay Partnering can be a very efficient way to commission the design and build of construction projects, from the unique to the more common and repetitive build. This paper provides an overview of the cost, benefits and the potential drawbacks of partnering, also describing and comparing the three types of partnering (1) I.E Project partnering : objective driven, tactical and short term in approach used on a single project Strategic partnering: long term alliances that continue across a series of project opportunities Framework agreements: a hybrid, which packages a series of projects having a known life span. (2) Traditionally the construction industry had a structure based on the apparent status of various professions and trades. But it provided no explicit coordination or control. Clients dealt with an industry that appeared chaotic by using competitive tenders and tough contracts to protect their own interests.(1) The fact that partnering has become so popular in recent years construction has seen a variety of new contracts emerge and some expansions on the more traditional ones to accommodated partnering, this paper will also look into these. partnering is a management approach used by two or more organisations to achieve specific business objectives by maximising the effectiveness of each participants resources (Bennett and Jayes (1995) When looking directly into project and strategic partnering Research shows beyond reasonable doubt that, properly applied partnering reduces the price clients pay for a given building. At the same time consultants, contractors and specialists earn better than normal profits and the industrys workforce find their work more rewarding in every sense (1) Typical benefits from partnering would be Reduced exposure to litigation. Improved project outcomes in terms of cost, time and quality. Lower administrative and legal costs. Increased opportunity for innovation and value engineering. Increased chances of financial success. The cost of setting up partnering strategic, and the procurement issue is one to be addressed. This will need to increasingly addressed as the economies and levels of client satisfaction diminish if the lessons learnt and the benefits of a close working relationship on one project the learning curve cannot be carried across projects. The answer to this is move away from project partnering towards strategic partnering which sees partnering in use for many projects and gives significantly improved results including: Continuing cost reductions Tailored service provision Client satisfaction Repeat business Improved turnover and profitability Performance improvements over traditionally and management approaches by project teams using partnering successfully Construction Costs Construction times Traditional Approaches 100 100 Management Approaches 85 70 Project Partnering 70 60 Strategic Partnering 60 50 Strategic Collaborative working 50 20 (fig 1) source 1 Drawbacks of partnering Given the nature of change it can draw-out criticism from experts and academics and partnering is no different. The following criticisms identify by senior managers. Organizations trying to establish partnering culture for specific projects face severe problems when they have to use cut-throat competition to win other projects. Modern forms of decentralized decision-making undermine partnering as decisions by one department are contradicted elsewhere. Commercial realities that require firms to have alternative suppliers and many customers, inhibit the development of deep partnering relationships The open communication required by partnering is inhibited when one partner also works with anothers competitors. Partnering relationships inhibit firms from developing more profitable new businesses. These are just some of the drawbacks associated with partnering and senior managers and academics have many more criticisms but this should serve as a reminder that partnering is not easy and must be worked hard at by all involved, though the evidence is there to prove the massive advantages archived through successful partnering. costs An initial investment must be made before any benefits can be reaped by any party. These costs include time spent by senior management establishing the approach, careful team selection procedures, and training and partnering workshops. This is another reason strategic partnering is such an advantage though it makes sense for partnering relationships to develop on smaller projects in order to keep costs down. When entering into a partnering agreement all parties should discuss how the project should be run, they should all be positive and genuine about working cooperatively and any concerns should be discussed before entering into a partnering agreement. parties should all be clear on their own interests and concerns they may have, this may occasionally mean missing out on bad projects but by only being honest and clear from the outset can partnering be a success. When all parties are decided on a partnering workshop should be held, this is the basis for establishing cooperative relationship and teamwork. Any party that could have a bearing on the end result should attend these workshops. It should be held by a specialist partnering facilitator as it help to broaden view and focus on the projects overall success. A set of mutual objectives should be drawn up by all parties this helps to adopt a win win attitude, this encourages all involved to focus on hitting targets achiving goals and producing value for each other. Meaning all parties will make more profit and the client will pay less. Some mutual targets would be: Value for money Guaranteed Profits Reliable construction Costs within agreed budget Handover on time Cost reduction Excellent site facilities Safe construction Shared risks Improved efficiency for users No claims Effective meetings Shared use of computer systems Timely design information Shared Information Fast construction In order to maintain successful partnering throughout numerous projects its a good idea to hold workshops throughout the project and hold i final workshop that identifies problems and lessons learned by the previous project. Partnering case studies. Partnering for social housing refurbishment. Case study Reference: Housing Forum HF175 The London borough of Camden used partnering for the refurbishment of 2,500 properties, teaming up with Willmott Dixion and Llewellyn. The main befits were: The client saved over  £500,000 from a  £7.8m budget. Time scale was more accurate with 74% starting on time and 70% finishing on time. Tenants were a lot happier with less that 1% making complaints. There were no formal disputes or claims, unavoidable extensions of time and the costs of necessary additional work were agreed quickly in the spirit of partnering. The contractual risks are also reduced by partnering. Case study reference: 010 A high risk project for the construction of the Tunstall Western bypass was completed 10 weeks early within budget and to a high standard of quality thanks to strategic partnering. Claims as high as 6M were avoided by risk management and problem solving, Project was delivered nearly a 1m under budget and all final accounts were resolved within a few weeks of completing construction work, improving cash flow and budget control. Types of contracts. Since idea of partnering has become so popular in the UK contracting scene that there are now several standard form partnering agreements available, for single projects (project partnering ) as well as for multiple projects overtime (strategic partnering). An example of the former type is the ACA standard form of project partnering PPC 2000 (Mosey 2003). Here, the key stake holders of a project i.e. the client contractor, consultants and key specialists, sign only one single integrated contract ( no other contracts are needed, such as appointments of professionals or building contracts). Other standard forms for partnering, such as x12 of NEC 3, do not create a muti-party contract. Strategic partnering in contrast, involves developing long-term commitments from both parties in the contract. The aim is to move the focus of attention away from getting the cheapest or quickest solution for a particular job, and towards developing a longer term understanding of the purposes of the projec t, and understanding from both parties about what each other whats to get out of the project. These polices have their roots in widespread business practice where long term relationships enables buyers and sellers avoid litigious disputes because the relationship becomes an important part of the process. The essential feature of strategic partnering is that it provides a method of for selecting a contractor (or other supplier) other than the more traditional approaches of competitive tendering. Examples of a standard -form arrangement for strategic partnering are the JCT FA 05), NEC 3 framework Contract and the ICE Partnering Addendum. (Construction contracts: law and management by john Murdoch and will Hughes pg 95 Any contract used should be partnering bias, most standard contracts dont facilitate for the idea of partnering, traditional contracts require terms that need negotiating this often destroys partnering attitudes. Even so many firms require the protection a contract gives, if this is the case its reasonably well established that the project partnering contract (ppc2000) and the NEC engineering and construction contract with the partnering option are the best to go for. Framework Framework agreements are used by major clients, they provide a resource pool of competent consultants, contractors and specialist. They establish a foundation for negotiations over future contracts with a limited number of firms. These are standing offers that remain valid over the life time of the agreements. Framework agreements can take a variety of forms; they dont have to be binding and dont hold the promise of work for the firms in the pool. The offers can be terminated at any time but contractual agreements must be completed for any individual project already undertaken. If a contract has been entered to purchase a volume of goods or provide a service over a period of time then this must be honoured. Advantages Establish long-term relationships (advantageous for partnering) Allows specialist buyers to negotiate best value for money on goods that can be used over a number of projects, but used any time Gives firms better buying power Reduces time spent on procurement and tendering Makes reliable after-sales better Disadvantages FW agreements can be unresponsive to change, there may be a better solution developed after the agreement was set up. Often can be a one size fits all approach, however most FW agreements dont place any obligation on any parties so if their is a better deal to be had then there is nothing to stop them. This in turn can be another drawback as there is no guarantee of business so a lot of money may be wasted getting a company into the resource pool of the framework. (http://blog.tendersdirect.co.uk/2010/05/27/answering-your-questions-on-framework-agreements/) When the comparison of a partnering agreement and a framework is made a FW Agreement is a step toward partnering but no work is guaranteed its more of a root to secure a pool of reliable resources that are likely to gel once in a partnering agreement, this makes the tendering process faster giving more access. (may need changing)

Social and Economic Conditions of the Northern and Southern states in t

Social and Economic Conditions of the Northern and Southern states in the years 1820-1850   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early to mid 1800s the United States seemed to be split into two sections, the Northern states and the Southern states. Although they had the same flag, spoke the same language, and had the same president, the two regions seemed to be two separate countries, each one having different views and political opinions. But, because they were the same country, there were also many similarities. This mostly showed in the social and economic conditions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The economies of each region at the time where really only similar in that they were expanding and growing stronger. One way the two regions differed in economics was in the base of the economy. For example, the South’s economy was based on cotton farming, while the North’s economy was based on manufacturing. Because the South did not manufacture goods, they were forced to purchase finished products from the North- thus adding to the North’s economy. With the South’s money they would purchase cotton from the southern states. Also, in the South, there were little job opportunities for whites since slaves had the jobs in the field, unlike the North where jobs were abundant in factories for the unskilled workers. Many of these unskilled workers were immigrants from Ireland and Germany.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While on the topic of immigrants, this brings me to how the to areas compared and contrasted in their social conditions. In compariso...

Blackened Soul :: essays research papers

America is said to be the land of opportunity, the land of freedom. Much of that freedom is used for expression, which most of it comes from writing. Many great writers have been a part of our history, sharing their creative thoughts, ideas, and opinions with everyone. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allen Poe are two writers who come to mind. In his stories, such as â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Hawthorne shows how he believes that man is always living in denial of their true condition, and that pride keeps them separated from everyone, including God. Poe, on the other hand, expresses his ideas of mankind in a slightly different way. In two of his pieces, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Black Cat,† Poe explains in a dark manner how humans have a conscience with two sides, the â€Å"life instinct† and the â€Å"death instinct.† Seeking to do violence is what the so-called â€Å"death instinctà ¢â‚¬  does, and Poe was the first to ever believe this. Both authors have attempted to describe the darker side of human nature. Many questions arise when reading Poe and Hawthorne’s pieces, most of which can only be answered through analysis. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† is a great example of humankind’s struggle with evil. This story revolves around pride, which is an inherent evil of humans, as Hawthorne believed. The black veil worn by Reverend Hooper represents the evil of humans, which essentially separates people from everyone, including God. Hooper decides to teach the people this very fact by wearing a black veil over his face. To show the people that they are prideful and sinful becomes a trickier task than he believed. The people responded in a frightened manner, such as Goodman Gray who, on page 104, cried, â€Å"Our parson has gone mad!† This clearly shows that Gray, along with the other people, missed Hooper’s point in wearing the black veil. But the congregation wasn’t alone in their misinterpretations, and soon Hooper realizes that he needs to be taught himself, so he believes that he must wear the veil for the rest of his life . He realizes his mistake when, on page 107, it says, â€Å" At that instant, catching a glimpse of his figure in the looking glass, the black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others.† He finally realizes he is just like the rest when he noticed his reflection with the veil covering his face. Blackened Soul :: essays research papers America is said to be the land of opportunity, the land of freedom. Much of that freedom is used for expression, which most of it comes from writing. Many great writers have been a part of our history, sharing their creative thoughts, ideas, and opinions with everyone. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allen Poe are two writers who come to mind. In his stories, such as â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Hawthorne shows how he believes that man is always living in denial of their true condition, and that pride keeps them separated from everyone, including God. Poe, on the other hand, expresses his ideas of mankind in a slightly different way. In two of his pieces, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Black Cat,† Poe explains in a dark manner how humans have a conscience with two sides, the â€Å"life instinct† and the â€Å"death instinct.† Seeking to do violence is what the so-called â€Å"death instinctà ¢â‚¬  does, and Poe was the first to ever believe this. Both authors have attempted to describe the darker side of human nature. Many questions arise when reading Poe and Hawthorne’s pieces, most of which can only be answered through analysis. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† is a great example of humankind’s struggle with evil. This story revolves around pride, which is an inherent evil of humans, as Hawthorne believed. The black veil worn by Reverend Hooper represents the evil of humans, which essentially separates people from everyone, including God. Hooper decides to teach the people this very fact by wearing a black veil over his face. To show the people that they are prideful and sinful becomes a trickier task than he believed. The people responded in a frightened manner, such as Goodman Gray who, on page 104, cried, â€Å"Our parson has gone mad!† This clearly shows that Gray, along with the other people, missed Hooper’s point in wearing the black veil. But the congregation wasn’t alone in their misinterpretations, and soon Hooper realizes that he needs to be taught himself, so he believes that he must wear the veil for the rest of his life . He realizes his mistake when, on page 107, it says, â€Å" At that instant, catching a glimpse of his figure in the looking glass, the black veil involved his own spirit in the horror with which it overwhelmed all others.† He finally realizes he is just like the rest when he noticed his reflection with the veil covering his face.

Event on Social Gathering for Women’s Day Essay

Gathering means a group of people together in one place and social gathering means a gathering for the purpose of promoting upliftment of the society/fellowship. A social gathering is an informal user generated event for those interested in social entrepreneurship enterprise, share ideas and meet new people. A social gathering is open to anyone with an interest in social enterprise. It helps in gaining advice, support and inspiration from entrepreneurs. It is an event specially organized for the awareness of the current issues. The event may include speeches, discussions, dramas, songs and many more cultural activities to make people aware. It is organized 4 to 5 hrs or lesser. It may include social issues like suicides, girl education, water conservation, garbage, etc. mostly the social gathering on these issues are followed by a campaign on large scale. Social gathering includes all the general public. The publicity is done on great extent. The targeted people are colleges, universities, other NGO’s, own NGO’s members and volunteers contacts and family and relatives etc. Since gathering means a collection or accumulation an assembly of persons, so the people gather for completing a task. It is a fully refreshing and entertaining type of event. Thus the event includes lunch together, and has discussions. This is organized in such manner that every one participate in the task taken on the issue. Mostly the social gathering is free of cost or low cost. The speakers are well-qualified and master in their field. The speeches by them are very practical which we can have in our daily-scheduled-routine life. The term female feticide means killing the female fetus in the mother’s womb. Sex selective abortions and increase in the number of female infanticide cases have become a significant social phenomenon in several parts of India. It transcends all castes, class and communities and even the North South dichotomy. The girl children become target of attack even before they are born. India is growing dynamically in all the fields†¦ the country have witnessed advancement all over but female feticide is still prevailing in India. In spite of all the stringent laws framed to curb the female feticide still, the practice continues. Many girls missing from our country are seen buried in the graveyard. The bias against females in India is related to the fact that sons are called upon to provide the income; they are the ones who do most of the work in the fields. In this way, sons are looked to as a type of insurance. With this perspective, it becomes clearer that the high value given to males decreases the value given to females. The exorbitant dowry demand is one of the main reasons for female feticide. A girl means accumulation of sufficient recourses for the dowry the parent have to give away, when the girls get married. As a matter of prestige too, more money and material goods are asked in dowry. Poor families are unable to give so much of things in dowry. Result is in front of you many, many women are treated hostile by their ‘in laws’’ so many of them commit suicide. Murders of women whose families are deemed to have paid   insufficient dowry have become increasingly common. Another major problem among girls is that in many villages of India, girls are considered as a big trouble to their parents. They are killed as soon as they are born. The phenomenon of female infanticide is as old as many cultures, and has likely accounted for millions of gender-selective deaths throughout history. It remains a critical concern in a number of â€Å"Third World† countries today, notably the two most populous countries on earth, China and India. In all cases, specifically female infanticide reflects the low status accorded to women in most parts of the world; â€Å"Female infanticide is the intentional killing of baby girls due to the preference for male babies and from the low value associated with the birth of females.† It should be seen as a subset of the broader phenomenon of infanticide, which has also targeted the physically or mentally handicapped and infant males as with maternal mortality. Some would dispute the assigning of infanticide or female infanticide to the category of â€Å"genocide† or, as here, â€Å"gendercide†. When demographic statistics were first collected in the nineteenth century, it was discovered that in â€Å"some villages of India, no girl babies were found at all; in a total of thirty others, there were 343 boys to 54 girls. In rural India, the centuries-old practice of female infanticide can still be considered a wise course of action.† According to census statistics, â€Å"From 972 females for every 1,000 males in 1901 †¦ the gender imbalance has tilted to 929 females per 1,000 males.