New Beginnings

Meggie Gerfen Political Science 215 Final Paper New Beginnings It is clear to everyone who has ever read an American History textbook that when the Founders wrote the legislation that would lead this country to its independence, they were doing something right. It was not completely accepted by the American people during the creation of the Constitution, so many publications were constructed to help provide the public with answers concerning their questions against the new government. One of the greatest benefits set down by James Madison within the Federalist Papers was the assurance of this new democracy against the violence of political factions. This threat of political factions can be seen all over the world, especially in countries with a history of political turmoil such as South Africa. But would it be feasible to attempt to apply the ideology behind political faction prevention of the American democracy to another country like South Africa that is in desperate need of change? Although a republic does already exist in South Africa, a new development of democratic legislation, through a process similar to a joint veto policy, needs to ensue to ensure that a tyranny of one political faction does not occur over another, as the Federalist Papers would indicate, and this must be done in a different fashion than of the United States because the political and social

  • Word count: 4574
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
Access this essay

The role of International law in regards to The Palestinian Dilemma.

Final Paper Presented to: Dr. J. Allain POLS 472 The role of International law in regards to The Palestinian Dilemma Presented On: May 4, 2003 "To be Self-Determined, is to endorse one's actions at the highest level of reflection. When self-determined, people experience a sense of freedom to do what is interesting, personally important and vitalizing"1. The right to self-determination is an indisputable right that should be enjoyed by every human being as long as they have the opportunity to exercise it. It does not only imply the most basic human rights but has also been confirmed in vital documents dealing specifically with such an area, for instance article 1(2) of the UN charter that states the following To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace. Further, such a universal right has also been mentioned in numerous international documents like for example the 1966 International Covenant on Human Rights and the 1960 Colonial Declaration2. The many resolutions passed by the UN General Assembly and the establishment of the UN "Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People" by the Assembly in 19753 are clear proof of the general recognition of this right in regard to the people of

  • Word count: 4559
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
Access this essay

Why is Britain hesitating about membership of EMU and what are the main issues?

International Relations: Why is Britain hesitating about membership of EMU and what are the main issues? On Friday January 1st 1999, "European dreamers finally saw their cherished hope become reality at midnight when 11 countries signed away their sovereignty over monetary policy and the single currency was born".1 However, with the mass jubilation that followed the commencement of the final stage of Economic and Monetary Union within the European Union, there were still some sour notes amid the rhetoric. One included the argument from France that Wim Duisenberg (president of the European Central Bank) should step down in favour of a French president; the other major argument was the claim by Jacques Santer, European Commission president at the time, that Britain's membership of the single currency was inevitable. So why, 4 years later, has this "inevitability" not come into fruition? In order to answer such a question, one must derive first the meaning of EMU. Economic and Monetary Union has been a European ideal for many years. The end of the Second World War heralded the start of a new European surge towards integration. On the one hand, France, left in ruins by occupation from Germany, held a hereditary fear of any further European conflict. As the dust settled, Charles de Gaul emerged as the leader of the Provisional Government of the French Republic. De Gaul

  • Word count: 4558
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
Access this essay

Assess critically Marx's distinction between ideology and science

Assess critically Marx's distinction between ideology and science In 1958 the Chinese government, with Mao Zedong's blessing, launched an unprecedented campaign of economic construction - the Great Leap Forward - to allow China's transition to Communism within the space of a few years. To realize the unrealisable economic plans, Mao resorted to the revolutionary spirit of Marxism-Leninism, combined with new insights of the Mao Zedong Thought. Inspired by these revolutionary ideas the Chinese people would make a great leap out of backwardness towards a brighter future. The Soviet economists criticized China's ambitious industrialization plan, but the Chinese politicians defied criticism and blamed the Soviets for the lack of revolutionary fervour. Neglect of economic realities took a heavy toll on China: in months, the country faced economic collapse and starvation. The ideology of Marxism proved insufficient to produce an economic miracle. But Marx himself would have turned in his grave had he known about Mao's use of his name as a banner for ultra-leftist policies that defied reality. For much of his own career Marx debated with philosophers of Mao's kind - those who sought to liberate Man by liberating his Conscience, those who thought that Conscience determines the Being. Whatever the ethical merit of these ideas, Marx found them utterly unscientific, without a basis in

  • Word count: 4542
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
Access this essay

The Foreign Policy of Great Britain in relationship to the European Union.

The Foreign Policy of Great Britain in relationship to the European Union. B.A. (Hons) European Studies 2nd Year ES 202 - The Foreign Policies of the Main EU States : Assignment Introduction The aim of this paper is to analyze the British policy vis-à-vis the European Union; first of all by looking at how the British Government itself looks at its country's participation in this community and related aspects like monetary union and the organization of a common defense. Also this paper will look at Britain's position in regards to the Union's present major internal debates, namely enlargement to the Central-East of Europe and to the Mediterranean and the necessary institutional reforms. Historical Background Before looking at the present position it is important to keep in mind the historical background. The British Government today, led by Tony Blair's Labour Party explains to the British citizens that their country without Europe will be weak. Yet the same party, fifty-five years ago was completely opposed to British participation. The first elections after World War II were, perhaps surprisingly, not won by the pro-Europeanist and British leader during the War, Winston Churchill, but by the Labour Party led by Clement Attlee, which obtained a 146-seat majority in a seat of 640 deputies. There were several reasons that alienated the British Government away from the

  • Word count: 4541
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
Access this essay

The Euro.

THE EURO What is the euro? It is the official name of the new currency which will be used by the participants in EMU. The euro is also known as the single currency or the single European currency. The introduction of the euro is just one aspect of EMU, although it will be the most visible sign. While legislation will probably refer to the plural of euro as euro, common parlance will probably refer to euros. What will the sub-unit of the euro be called? The sub-unit of the euro will be the cent. Each euro will have 100 cent. Although common usage may refer to cents or centimes as the plural of cent, the technically correct plural is cent, not cents nor centimes. If the £ sign represents sterling, what sign will be used for the euro? European Commission Regulations specify that the euro is officially represented by the symbol . Hence, a reference to 100 euro can also be written as 100. In addition, every currency is provided with a three letter code by a body called the International Standards Organisation. For example, the three letter code for sterling is GBP. The three letter code for the euro is EUR. Hence, 100 euro will often be written in financial circles as EUR100. Many financial institutions will also write 100 euro as euro100, as their computer systems are more easily able to cope with this. Many people will not be able to use the

  • Word count: 4490
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
Access this essay

The Management of Global Crisis.

The Management of Global Crisis The Terrorism Case Within the EU Policies From the beginning the paper has to take into account some methodological limitations, due to the fact that the research paper will examine the terrorism case only from the perspective of the European liberal democracy. By doing so, it assumes that the analise of a limited framework it is enough for proving the international character of terrorist activity.In this way the paper shows that the European terrorism case is to some extent particular, but in the same time it has a strong common ground with worldwide terrorism. For the last three decades, the liberal democracies have been facing a normative dilemma: how should they act consistently against terrorism in such a manner that the result should meet at least two conditions- efficiency and democratic acceptable? It seems that between the compromising politics of democracies and the violent actions of terrorist, there is a procedural gap, in which the first is in a disadvantaged position. It is the state able to use unconstitutional measures in order to be more efficient, and by doing so loosing democratic accountability? The answer is certainly no. For this reason the liberal state avoid indiscriminate countermeasures against terrorist actions. To a certain extend the problem of the liberal state acting efficient, so necessarily

  • Word count: 4486
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
Access this essay

presidential power how far does it go

THE PRESIDENTIAL POWERS: HOW FAR DO THEY GO? THE ATTACK ON AMERICAN IDEALS September 11, the twin towers, a monument to Americas' supremacy fell in an instant covered by smoke and dust. One after the other they crumbled and the war on terror begun. Since that day the president of the United States has permitted by executive order some extraordinary measures. Wire tapping on American citizens has been authorized, torture has been deemed necessary and Guantanamo has been changed to suit this purpose. Controversy has arisen in these matters do to the fact that opponents have stated that these measures are either illegal or contrary to core American values. This paper will explore both sides of the argument and arrive at a conclusion. Jane Mayer contends that the Bush's response to the 9/11 attacks, the putative War on Terror has been carried out using methods which are contrary to American "ideals". These actions were perpetrated by the passage of the Patriot Act and specific actions that Jane Mayer and others claimed overstepped the boundaries of this legislation. In no particular order, these acts include; - the indefinite incarceration of prisoners, including preteens, with minimal or any reasonable proof of guilt; \ - the domestic surveillance program involving wiretapping of American citizens without empowering the court to make sure that the

  • Word count: 4470
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
Access this essay

Common Agriculture Policy in European Union.

Common Agriculture Policy in European Union COMMON AGRUCULTURE POLICY IN EU INTRODUCTION The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is comprised of a set of rules and mechanisms, which regulate the production, trade and processing of agricultural products in the European Union (EU), with attention being focused increasingly on rural development. Among the EU's policies, the CAP is regarded as one of the most important policy areas. Not only because of its share of the EU budget, the vast number of people and the extent of the territory directly affected, but also because of its symbolic significance, and the extent of sovereignty transferred from the national to the European level. The significance of the CAP, nowadays, is also portrayed by the fact that it is directly related to the Single Market and the EMU. The Treaty of Rome defined the general objectives of a common agricultural policy. The principles were set out at the Stresa Conference in July 1958. In 1960, the CAP mechanisms were adopted by the six founding Member States and two years later, in 1962, the CAP came into force. To explore the different aspects of this very significant EU policy, we will start by explaining the very first reasons of the creation of the CAP. Then, we will describe its objectives, its functionment and the way it is financed. We could thus make an assessment of the first consequences of the

  • Word count: 4465
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
Access this essay

In 1957 The Treaty of Rome came into existence it declared a common European market as a European objective with the aim of increasing economic prosperity and contributing to "an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe".

In 1957 The Treaty of Rome came into existence it declared a common European market as a European objective with the aim of increasing economic prosperity and contributing to "an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe". It established the European Economic Community (EEC). The goal of the EEC was to reduce trade barriers, streamline economic policies, coordinate transportation and agriculture policies, remove measures restricting free competition, and promote the mobility of labour and capital among member nations. It was very successful, but just as with the ECSC, it served more of a peacemaking role between the European nations than an economic role. At this time, the monetary exchange rate between countries was controlled by the Bretton Woods system, which connected currencies to the U.S. dollar, allowing for only a one-point fluctuation around designated values. This was referred to as the "pegged rate" and was based partly on the gold backing of the dollar. This system worked well for 20 years, helping to stabilize exchange rates and restore economic growth in the post-war period. By 1960, however, the system began to fail, and exchange-rate agreements became the prevalent topic among European political and economic leaders. By December 1969, Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Pierre Werner, was asked to write an EC (European Community) report covering the need for a

  • Word count: 4449
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Politics
Access this essay