Democracy in Iraq?
Democracy My experience in the study of democratization theory says that if we were to install a democratic system of government in Iraq right away, it would be a mistake of tragic proportions. As I see it, Iraq is not ready for democracy, and hardly ideal soil for growing one. Iraqi society is too fragmented for democracy to exist. A transition to democracy in Iraq would be too dangerous and the resulting government too feeble; thus, the institutionalization of democracy, particularly a federal form of it, would fall short. The United States is also too erratic, and the Iraqis too unreceptive, to give democracy the time it would need to grow and bear fruit. In order to more clearly examine my opinion, I must first attempt to define democracy itself, however, there is probably no single word with more meanings than democracy. In the twentieth century, the word has been misused by dictators to persuade subjects that they lived in a just system. The Soviet Union used to claim it was the most democratic system in the world, and the government of mainland China still calls itself the "People's Republic". Democracy does not always equal freedom. Parties and elections can be used to bring dictatorial regimes into power. Democracy needs thoughtful citizens, limits on power, rule of law, and human and civil rights. Not every country that calls itself a democracy is one. Democracy
Reflection paper 2
Qi Ming Zeng Eths 220 Reflection Paper 2 . using the segmented labor market model given in class discuss your family's experience with regard to employment and work in the U.S. What barriers to economic mobility have you or your family members faced and why? Even if you have faced no barriers, try to discuss the common ones faced by many Asian American workers. Asian American workers who want to achieve a high status are prevented by many barriers in the market economy, where competitions are big, upward mobility through channels of higher education, independent business, and science and engineering are preferred. Economic and social structures are one of the barriers, which affect the social mobility of the Asian Americans. Societal barriers to social mobility vary through occupations and industries. The United States, a highly industrialized economy demands massive technically trained personnel. Many of the Asian Americans are immigrants which do not have the access to technical trainings or even wore many of them do not speak or know English. My parents have been in the United States for more than five years, yet they still can not speak a complete sentence in English; how do you expect them to have some kinds of training or have some kind of skills to have a chance to compete with others who happen to have some kind of training and skills. My parents have been working
Why have elitists, rational choice theorists and Marxists been so sceptical about the prospects for democracy?
Why have elitists, rational choice theorists and Marxists been so sceptical about the prospects for democracy? ILLUSTRATE YOUR ANSWER WITH EXAMPLES. Abstract Elitism, rational choice theory and Marxism are three theories that attempt to explain human nature with regards to the process of politics and the nature of states. This essay is concerned with the three theories beliefs about democracy. The essay will commence with a brief introduction outlining what democracy is, and will then consider each theory in turn. Elitism shall be examined first, and will begin with a synopsis of elitism according to each elitist, followed by analysis as to how their theories provide scepticism for democracy. The section will conclude by examining the possibilities that elitism is not wholly sceptical of democracy. Rational choice theory, and then Marxism will also be examined, first by outlining the theory, relating this to democracy, and then by suggesting factors that favour democracy. The essay will conclude by evaluating the approaches to democracy and suggesting linkages between the three ideologies. Why have elitists, rational choice theorists and Marxists been so sceptical about the prospects for democracy? ILLUSTRATE YOUR ANSWER WITH EXAMPLES. Generally speaking, democracy was born of ancient Athens, but since then has evolved and changed to form many different ideas about
What are the major obstacles to democracy in the third world?
What are the major obstacles to democracy in the third world? There are many obstacles to democracy in the third world. There are various arguments, not only when answering the question but of the heatedly debated concept of the 'third world'. When generalising in such a way it is important to understand where the idea has come from. 'Fundamental....'third world-ness' is that virtually all countries which are conventionally placed in this category were, at one historical period or another, a colonial possession of a foreign power' (Haynes, 1996). I seek to provide an examination of what seem to be the most prominent adversities to democracy in the third world at the present time. To gain a general perspective it is appropriate to look at the conditions for democracy in order to understand the many obstacles the third world states will be faced with. Democracy is not a natural order, this is stated by Pinkney in 1993. The majority of history shows rulers ruling without actually being chosen by citizens of the state, but born into a monarchy or voted by ruling elites. The forces that came into play to establish and maintain democracy in the west are different to those needed by the third world with just a few exceptions. The west had already established a stable economic and social structure, which are key conditions for the development of long term democratic ruling. In
Violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause?
Violation of the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause? Washington v. Glucksberg March 14, 2010 Facts of the Case: Dr. Harold Glucksberg -- along with four other physicians, three terminally ill patients who have since died, and a nonprofit organization that counsels individuals contemplating physician assisted-suicide brought this suit challenging the state of Washington's ban on physician assisted-suicide. The State of Washington has historically criminalized the promotion of suicide attempts by those who "knowingly cause or aid another person to attempt suicide." Glucksberg alleged that Washington's ban was unconstitutional. Following a District Court ruling favoring Glucksberg and his fellow petitioners, the Ninth Circuit affirmed and the Supreme Court granted Washington certiorari. (v. Glucksberg , 521 U.S. 702 (1997). Question: Did Washington's ban on physician assisted-suicide violate the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause by denying competent terminally ill adults the liberty to choose death over life? (v. Glucksberg , 521 U.S. 702 (1997) . Conclusion: No. Analyzing the guarantees of the Due Process Clause, the Court focused on two primary aspects: the protection of our nation's objective fundamental, historically rooted, rights and liberties; and the cautious definition of what constitutes a due process liberty interest. The Court held that the
Evaluate the acceptability of Plato's ideas about the state.
Essay Title Evaluate the acceptability of Plato's ideas about the state. The main aim of the essay is to evaluate the acceptability of Plato's idea about the state. Plato (428 -348 bc), has been recognised as one of the worlds earliest philosophers and political thinkers. His ideas have captured the imagination of many of the contemporary western world's political and cultural representatives. His writings some commentators will argue, have been instrumental in the implementation of the concept of democracy, a concept, which has been recognised by some political commentators, as a right and proper system of government. Historically the normal image of classical Greek politics is of the Athenian 'Participatory Democracy'. However Plato was fiercely opposed to this. From his work 'The Republic' which like most of work was of a series of dialogues in which a pure form of polity were outlined. The most fundamental concept of Plato's philosophical thinking was his theory of 'forms' "in which observable reality, constantly in flux and in decay is regarded as a departure from pure forms or 'ideas', e.g. the idea 'triangle or the idea of 'horse' which are necessary and unchanging" (Jary David and Dary Julia, page 493). Put into a simple terms, Plato is actually putting forward a concept which is mathematically based and concludes that objects which take a perfect form would
The Mass Marketing of Politics.
José Fernando Pérez Politics and Mass Media Book Report #3 The Mass Marketing of Politics March 24, 2003 "The Mass Marketing of Politics, Democracy in an Age of Manufactured Images" is a book by Bruce I. Newman. The intent of this book is to show how marketing has changed the foundations of democracy in the U.S. It discusses the negative impacts of trusting the marketing mentality that drives political campaigns and governments, and presents solution to this "crisis" in order to ensure the protection of democracy and participation of the American electorate in the future. Mr. Newman uses a lot of secondary research data in this book. He has numerous references to books and to historical political events. Mr. Newman also counted with the collaboration of people who were or are close to the government officials and presidential candidates. Their accounts helped better illustrates some of the author's points about image control and promotion of politicians. The book makes it clear to the reader that marketing has had a great impact on the electoral process, thus shaping the outcome of the process, and determining who wins office. In the past the president used to operate in a predictable manner, at least the author claims so. He used to be a teacher and guide. But now that marketing has been drawn to the electoral process, the aids of the presidential campaign need just
What should the role of government be in respect to regulating economic activity? Discuss with a focus on either the connection between business and government, or the Marxist critique of capitalism.
Subject Code: 100188 Subject Name: Philosophy, Politics, Economics Student ID Number: 359800 Student Name: James Kai Tanter Assignment Name or Number: Second Essay Question 1 What should the role of government be in respect to regulating economic activity? Discuss with a focus on either the connection between business and government, or the Marxist critique of capitalism. Use material from the economics readings to support your position (for example, the Global Financial Crisis, the gains from trade etc). In a market capitalist society, the role of government is to regulate economic activity in such a way as to promote the liberty, happiness and health (public good) of its citizens, within the constraints imposed upon it by the privileged position of business. The privileged position of business, or more accurately the corporate capitalist class, allows them to hold the rest of society captive to their wants, thus overriding the public good. This position of privilege can be seen as legitimate if a market-capitalist system is more desirable than alternatives, eg state socialism. However if capitalism and its inherent need for economic growth were fundamentally in conflict with the public good then regardless of the problems that would accompany alternatives, the role of government or the public in regulating economic activity would legitimately have to be increased
What kind of executive structure should a newly emerging democracy choose: parliamentary, presidential or semi-presidential? Using empirical evidence discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each.
When a newly emerging democracy is looking to establish a new executive structure, its primary aim should be to find the system most likely to create a stable and enduring democracy in that state. However, finding the system which can actually produce this desired outcome is extremely challenging, given the numerous variables affecting the decision, such as religious or ethnic diversity, the size of the state and its political history. Realistically though, a state will adopt either a presidential, semi-presidential or parliamentary system as these are the only three systems currently recognised as being compatible with democracy. Therefore the important question is; of these three systems which has proven to be the most appropriate for an emerging democracy? A parliamentary system is defined by the political theorist Andrew Heywood as; 'a system of government in which the government governs in and through the assembly or parliament, thereby 'fusing' the legislative and executive branches' (Heywood 2002: 313). Parliamentary systems come in two main forms; one based on majority government, known as the 'Westminster model', due to its origins in the UK and the other based on minority or coalition government which now dominates most of Europe and Scandinavia (ibid). Without a doubt the greatest strength of parliamentary systems is the ease with which governments can pass
The Influence of the Greeks on American Democracy.
The Influence of the Greeks on American Democracy Tyranny is the rule of one man to the advantage of the ruler, oligarchy to the advantage of the rich, democracy to the advantage of the poor. -Aristotle Democracy: a form of government that makes political decisions directly exercised by the whole body of citizens, under procedures of majority rule. This type of democracy is know as a direct democracy, however the form of government that citizens exercise the same right not in person but through elected representatives is known as a representative democracy. Today in the United States of America we have a representative democracy in which we appoint representatives through election. The founders of democracy in Athens exercised decisions through a direct democracy in which all male citizens were allowed to have direct influence on the decisions. Although in the United States today we accept democracy as a form of life it had its early beginnings in the city-states of Ancient Greece. The form of government known as democracy had its early roots in Ancient Greece but its influence has a direct connection with the type of government we have today in the United States. The Greek city-states of antiquity did not always live a lifestyle with the cooperation of democracy. The civilizations of Greece passed through many stages of government. In the 8th and 7th centuries the government