The Kosovo conflict between the Serbs and Albanians displayed their hatred for each other based on their many differences in culture, ethnicity, national identification, and religion. Differences in ethnicity and religion
On the night of March 24, 1999 (Kegley, 141) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) began its massive bombing campaign upon the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The NATO campaign was supposedly assumed to be completed within a few days or weeks; on the contrary the air-strikes pummeled Yugoslavia with bombardment for 78 days, the largest military campaign in Europe since the Second World War. The Kosovo conflict between the Serbs and Albanians displayed their hatred for each other based on their many differences in culture, ethnicity, national identification, and religion. Differences in ethnicity and religion however will prove to be the greatest catalyst in creating the rift between them. In fact the only thing that these two groups of people may have in common is their longing for Kosovo to be theirs to call home and theirs alone. During NATO air-strikes, high volumes of high explosives were used to bomb mostly military targets in the larger cities of Yugoslavia, which was designed to cease and disable the Serbian war-machine, although many civilians perished as casualties of war. In the end the Serbs led by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic surrendered to the unrelenting air strikes which heavily damaged the nation's infrastructure, (Kegley, 145) and had no choice but to abandon their nationalistic ambitions for a Greater Serbia. In the immediate aftermath of the
A Comparative Analysis On Nationalism, National Identity and Britishness/Englishness.
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The Process of National Identity Reaffirmation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia During Recent Years.
The Process of National Identity Reaffirmation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia During Recent Years During the break up of the communist systems in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, one country in particular differed significantly in the way its communist regime was overthrown when compared to its neighbouring Eastern European states. November 1989 witnessed the break up of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic (CSFR) and the creation of two sovereign states: the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Whilst the violent and bloody processes of dismantling the communist regime in Yugoslavia and the heavily publicised break up of the Soviet Empire reached the front pages of the media, the break up of the CSFR was rarely given a mention. Perhaps, due to the fact that no lives were lost and no blood was shed during the so-called 'Velvet Divorce' of the Czech and Slovak states, meant that the violent nature of the clashes in other states within Eastern Europe received the majority of the world-wide public attention. Furthermore, what makes the Czechoslovakian split even more significant, is that whereas the changes in other Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria and the Soviet Union were forced upon its citizens by the ruling elites, the Czechoslovakian break-up differed greatly in the fact that its revolution was instigated by students, intellectuals and
What accounts for the resurgence of nationalism in recent decades? Discuss in relation to at least one contemporary case.
February, 2004 What accounts for the resurgence of nationalism in recent decades? Discuss in relation to at least one contemporary case. "The 'end of the era of nationalism' so long prophesied is not remotely in sight. Indeed, nation-ness is the most universally legitimate value of our time.'1 The last few decades have seen the world become increasingly interconnected and integrated, with most of humanity "bound to the wheel of automated technologies", leading to the observation that "our world has become a single place." This process of globalisation has been concurrent with the rise and proliferation of various social movements and forms of identity protests, from feminism to the environment, and civil rights to religious revival. Running parallel to the development of these movements has been a seeming resurgence of nationalism, which has proved difficult to explain. We must begin by first attempting to define what is meant by nationalism. A nation is best described as a community of people who occupy a contiguous territory or homeland, while sharing a common history and culture. It has been argued by Benedict Anderson that the nation is an imagined community, as although most members will never meet one another, they nevertheless feel they all belong to a common community. Nations are also seen as sovereign, as nationalism is the celebration of independence and
Portugal, a state of two nations - Undergoing the gaps of society towards the Republic.
Portugal, a state of two nations Undergoing the gaps of society towards the Republic Sophie Wulk ID no.: 262129 Pigeon Hole 10 1.12.2003 Country File 2 Final Draft P. Calje Portugal's realization of state building in the eighteenth and nineteenth century stood apart from the typical developments in other parts of Europe. Whereas in the rest of Europe a strong middle class evolved while the feudal pattern gradually dissolved, Portugal maintained and stabilized the old structures. Despite lacking the emergence of a more rational society, discrediting the importance of a middle class, Portugal developed from a feudal absolute monarchy at the end of the eighteenth century to a democratic republic in 1910. What triggered those changes, did they have influence on the entire population and what importance did liberalism and nationalism have? Who made Portugal to a republic? In the following essay the evolution of the republic of Portugal will be discussed while elaborating on the influence and importance of the society pattern in this context. Liberalism in the Aspect of Traditional Preconditions Liberalism is seen as the ideology of the industrialized west and as a product of the breakdown of feudalism and the growth of capitalist society. Liberalism reflected the attitude and aims of the middle class, attacked absolutism and feudal privilege while supporting ideas of
Steven Lukes(TM) three dimensional(TM) model of power overlooks important aspects of how power actually operates(TM). Discuss with reference to at least three authors who are critical of Lukes(
'Steven Lukes' 'three dimensional' model of power overlooks important aspects of how power actually operates'. Discuss with reference to at least three authors who are critical of Lukes' work. There has been much discussion concerning the various faces of power. Steven Lukes' classical essay entitled: 'Power; a Radical View' was written in 1974 and although the essay was based on the context at the time, it still provides political analysts with a robust and rigorous method to approaching the concept of power and how it operates. However, much criticism has arose bringing attention to various flaws in the three dimensional model of power. There are three key arguments that are brought against 'Power; A Radical View', which are important to consider in relation to whether the three dimensional model overlooks important aspects of how power actually works. These include the proposal put forward by individuals such as Clarissa Hayward, Michael Foucault and Jeffrey Isaac that the environment and structures that people reside within have a certain power over individuals; a fact that Lukes inadequately addresses. The whole idea that Lukes determines power as 'power over' someone by an opposing agent is criticised. This is an argument brought forward by critics such as Peter Morriss and Talcott Parsons. These political scientists believe that power is not necessarily a negative
What is politics?
WHAT IS POLITICS? Approaches to Politics Studies 07/08 On hearing the word politics, claimed and enhanced by dictionary definition as "the practice of the art or science of directing and administering states or other politics units" 1 what usually springs to mind are images of government, politicians and their policies or more negatively the idea of corruption and dirty tricks? The actual definition seems to have been obscured and almost lost by such representations and clichés that tend not to pinpoint the true essence, which defines this thing, called politics. Politics in its broadest sense appears to be the activity through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live. Although conversely, Politics is also an academic subject- sometimes identified by the use of "Politics" with the capital P- it is clearly the study of this apparent activity. Politics can thus be claimed to be inextricably linked to the phenomena of conflict and cooperation, since on the one hand, the existence of rival opinions, different wants, competing needs and opposing interests guarantee disagreement about the rules under which people live. On the other hand, people recognise that, in order to influence these rules or ensure that they are upheld, they must work with each other; hence Hannah Arendt's definition of political power as "acting in concert".2 :
What is truth according to Platos allegory of the cave?
What is 'truth' according to Plato's allegory of the cave? The allegory of the cave by Plato is a series of dialogues by Socrates who was his biggest influence and by Glaucon who was Plato's older brother. The allegory see's men since birth sitting in a cave in near total darkness but for a fire behind them with their heads chained to a stick and forced to look at the wall in front of them. The fire that creates the artificial light also has people and animals passing in front of it, which then in turn casts shadows on the walls in front of the prisoners. Essentially the only images they are able to capture throughout their life are these shadows in front of them. However first of all it is important to know exactly what an 'allegory' is. Ted Ellen's definition of it sees an allegory as being a kind of metaphor which uses objects, people and events to compare to things other than their literal meaning this making an allegory a story with two meanings; one which has a literal meaning and the other which has a symbolic one. 1 It is common misconception to see the cave for just a cave; it has a much bigger and deeper meaning to which philosophers have been trying to uncover for thousands of years. 2 'Like ourselves' says Socrates to Glaucon when talking about the prisoners.3 The prisoners are basically being paralleled to us right now. We are essentially the prisoners living in
What, in De Tocqueville's View, are the Virtues and What are the Vices of Democratic Government?
What, in de Tocqueville's view, are the virtues and what are the vices of democratic government? Tocqueville undertakes in Democracy in America to analyse the conditions to be found in the new democracy which is beginning to form in America and to find the conditions which 'lessen its vices and render its natural advantages more prominent'. He claims that democracy has now taken the place of aristocratic rule and is an unstoppable equalising force; however, he questions whether this system of governance affords adequate protection to the individual. The first and most obvious virtue of democracy cited by Tocqueville is the equality it engenders among men. The first emigrants who arrived in America all saw one another as equals, and therefore the 'germ of aristocracy' was never planted in their ranks. This, according to Tocqueville, is advantageous for a number of reasons; primarily because, once the dominance of the aristocracy has been removed, men do realise that they truly are equal to one another; they may differ somewhat in their opinions, talents and personalities but, fundamentally, they are all human beings equally deserving of rights and opportunities to better themselves. On top of this, the increasing equality which could be seen in America, Tocqueville saw to be advantageous in allowing all men to exploit their natural talents and thus to contribute to the
Was Thatcherism anything more than traditional Conservatism adapted to the conditions of the 1980s?
Was ‘Thatcherism’ anything more than traditional Conservatism adapted to the conditions of the 1980s? When Margaret Thatcher took up her position as the first female leader of a Western democracy, few would have envisioned the profound effect she would have in reshaping the political landscape. British politics had been in a state of near consensus across the main political parties since the Second World War ended, but Thatcher’s arrival on the political scene marked the death of the ‘ancient regime’. It was also the end of Keynesian Economics, subsidized welfare and trade union power. Before Thatcher there was a general agreement across the political middle ground on many issues; such as a Keynesian interventionist economic policy with a focus of minimizing unemployment and a firm commitment to public spending on the Welfare State. This was at odds with Thatcher, who said herself in 1981 that, "political consensus seems to be the process for abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies”. It was in keeping with this declaration that Thatcher swiftly moved the Conservative party away from this political centre and to the radical new right. [1] Furthermore, this quote can be seen as an indication of ‘The Iron Lady’s’ unwavering, unflinching public personality that came to dominate and influence much of the social change in Great Britain across the
