Why Is the Middle East a Conflict Area?

Why Is the Middle East a Conflict Area? Over the last hundred years, the Middle East has been one of the most troubled regions in the world. According to the Economist, "With barely an exception, [the Arab world's] autocratic rulers, whether presidents or kings, give up their authority only when they die; its elections are a sick joke; half its people are treated as lesser legal and economic beings, and more than half its young, burdened by joblessness and stifled by conservative religious tradition, are said to want to get out of the place as soon as they can." However, at one time, the Middle East eclipsed the West in intellectual, scientific, and literary achievements. To examine what factors contribute to the Middle East's present circumstances, a team of scholars, headed by Egyptian sociologist Nader Fergany, published the Arab Human Development Report 2002, an analysis of the Arab world's strengths and weaknesses. The study found three key attributes for success in the modern world that the Arab community lacks: freedom, knowledge, and womanpower. According to the study, the absence of freedom is most visible in the region's absolute autocracies, sham elections, and restrictions on the media and on civil society. The authors contend that "the [global] wave of democracy that transformed governance . . . in the 1980s and early 1990s has barely reached the Arab states."

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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Sovereignty, opinion and revolution in Edmund Burke.

History of European Ideas 25 (1999) 99}120 Sovereignty, opinion and revolution in Edmund Burke Richard Bourke* Department of English, Queen Mary and Westxeld College, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, UK . Introduction Edmund Burke's involvement in the politics of empire during the mid-1760s obliged him to confront the practical signi"cance of the doctrine of sovereignty at the very outset of his parliamentary career. This confrontation was to recur throughout his published writings over the next 30 years. It took the form of a sustained attempt to elucidate the relationship between liberty and authority both in Britain and between it and the extended empire [1]. The defence of liberty as it appears in Burke's commentaries on the American crisis, on Ireland and on the Indian sub-continent had been a defence of moderate government. There was a connection in his mind between moderation in government and the security of property in modern states, but ultimately moderation implied a kind of commerce and compatibility between the designs of rulers and the aspirations of the ruled. It had always, however, been part of Burke's case that moderate government had to be founded on an absolute and uni"ed sovereignty. As he put it in 1765, the &unlimited Nature of the supreme legislative authority' was &very clear and very undeniable' [2]. Supremacy implied that ultimate

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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A Study of Nationalism and its relevance in Muslim States.

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 NATIONALISM 2 THE BASIC CONCEPT OF NATION 2 BIRTH OF THE CONCEPT OF "NATION" DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 4 COMMON LANGUAGE 4 COMMON CULTURE 4 COMMON HISTORY 5 COMMON RELIGION 5 THE BASIC CONCEPT OF NATIONALISM 5 NATIONALISM A DISTINCT IDEOLOGY 6 TYPES OF NATIONALISM 7 CIVIC NATIONALISM 8 ETHNIC NATIONALISM 8 IRREDENTISM 9 EXPANSIONIST NATIONALISM 9 RADICAL OR REVOLUTIONARY NATIONALISM 9 FASCISM 9 STATELESS NATIONALISM 9 ETHNOCENTRISM 11 ORIGIN OF NATIONALISM 11 THIRD WORLD NATIONALISM 14 CULTURAL NATIONALISM 24 EUROPEAN NATIONALISM " ENGLISH PURITANISM AND NATIONALISM 25 EUROPEAN NATIONALISM " FRENCH NATIONALISM 26 European Nationalism " The 1848 Revolutionary Wave 27 ASIAN AND AFRICAN NATIONALISM 29 Asian and African Nationalism " The New Nations 30 ASIAN AND AFRICAN NATIONALISM " POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES 31 NATIONALISM IN WORLD WAR I 32 TWO KINDS OF NATIONALISM 32 NATIONALISM IN GERMANY 33 NATIONALISM IN ITALY 33 NATIONALISM IN AUSTRIA-HUNGARY 33 NATIONALISM IN RUSSIA 34 NATIONALISM IN FRANCE 34 NATIONALISM IN BRITAIN 34 CAN NATIONALISM SOLVE THE CHALLENGES FACING PAKISTAN? 35 THE PROHIBITION OF NATIONALISM 36 NATIONALISM WITH ITS POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASPECTS 37 TYPE OF NATIONALISM BRINGING ABOUT SOLIDARITY 39 NATIONALISM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA DEVELOPED FROM THREE SOURCES 42 INDIGENOUS

  • Word count: 22315
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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What is Globalisation?

Sociology Essay Level 2 Introduction What is Globalisation? Economic globalisation is, in a sense, the strengthening of the position of capitalism as the prevailing structure of production in contemporary history According to Walters, globalisation is a 'social process in which the constraints of geography on social and cultural arrangements recede and in which people become increasingly aware that they are receding.' It refers to the increasing integration of economies around the world, particularly through trade and financial flows. The term 'Globalisation' has come into common usage since the 1980s, reflecting technological advances that have made it easier and quicker to complete international transactions-both trade and financial flows. It refers to an extension beyond national borders of the same market forces that have operated for centuries at all levels of human economic activity-village markets, urban industries, or financial centres. There are various forms of Globalisation: As Sir David Henderson explains in one of his most recent publications, "The Changing Fortunes of Economic Liberalism", globalisation in its simplest form can be defined as "free trade and free movement of capital and labour around the world" (Sir David Henderson). Thus broadly speaking, globalisation is the process by which economic barriers are broken down between different geographic

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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2nd Draft Dissertation - The invasion of Afghanistan, The Iraq conflict, and The dubious legality of Guantanamo bay.

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION i) Abstract -Page 2 ii) Is This A Real War? - Page 4 CHAPTER 1 - THE INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN i) The Security Council Resolutions - Page 7 ii) The Use of Force under the United Nations Charter - Page 9 iii) Customary International Law and the Right of Self Defence - Page 13 iv) Does The Afghanistan War Conform To The Caroline Formula? - Page 15 CHAPTER 2: THE IRAQ CONFLICT i) Self Defence - Page 21 ii) Humanitarian Intervention - Page 23 iii) The Breach of UN Resolutions - Page 25 CHAPTER 3:THE DUBIOUS LEGALITY OF GUANTÁNAMO BAY i) "Law Amid The Clash Of Arms" - Page 31 ii) International Conventions - Page 34 iii) Constitutional Issues - Page 38 iv) What Alternatives Are There? - Page 42 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSIONS i) The United States and International Law - Page 44 ii) Alterative Methods to Deal With Terrorism -Page 45 a) Exhaustion of Diplomatic and Peaceful Remedies - Page 46 b) Collective and Multilateral Action - Page 46 c) The Charter Post-9/11 - Page 47 d) Inter-State Co-operation - Page 48 APPENDICES a) List of Treaties Used In Text - Page 51 b) List of Statutes Used In Text - Page 51 c) List of Cases Used In Text - Page 51 d) List of Abbreviations Used In Text - Page 53 e) List of Websites Used - Page 53 f) Bibliography - Page 54 INTRODUCTION i) Abstract "Sovereign capacity is incapable of legal limitation" - John

  • Word count: 18478
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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Should the United States Get Involved with Problems in the Middle East?

Q. Should the United States Get Involved with Problems in the Middle East? The United States sends Israel about $3 billion in financial and military aid every year. Most Americans--60 to 70 percent--approve of U.S. support of Israel. Others argue that this foreign aid intensifies the tension between the United States and Arab countries, who believe that Israel should withdraw from territories that rightfully belong to Palestinians. Indeed, terrorist Osama bin Laden, who masterminded the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, cites U.S. support of Israel as a major reason why many Arabs resent the United States. In light of this hostility, many Americans wonder why the United States continues its support of Israel. Stephen Zunes, the Middle East editor of Foreign Policy in Focus, contends that the United States supports Israel to further its own interests in the Middle East. According to Zunes, since its inception in 1948, Israel has proven a useful ally to the United States, especially during the Cold War. For instance, Israel's powerful military, the strongest in the region, keeps potential enemies of the United States--such as Syria, a Soviet ally during the Cold War--under control. In addition, Israel's numerous wars provided battlefield testing of American arms, often against Soviet weapons. Furthermore, Israel's intelligence department has helped U.S.

  • Word count: 18101
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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The Deliberative Agency: Opportunities to Deepen Public Participation.

The Deliberative Agency: Opportunities to Deepen Public Participation Deliberative Democracy Consortium Discussion Paper1 March, 2004 Deliberative Democracy Consortium Link to Government Working Group 612 U Street, NW Suite 408 Washington, DC 20009 Tel: 202-299-0694 Fax: 202-299-0128 Email: [email protected] INTRODUCTION Public involvement in the activities of federal agencies is required by numerous Acts of Congress, among them: the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the Government Performance and Results Act, the National Environmental Protection Act, the E-Government Act, and the National Environmental Protection Act. Recent legislative activity suggests a heightened interest in this area as well. 2 This, together with the increasing use of both face-to-face and online collaborative forums in civil society and the private sector, is increasing pressure upon government agencies to bring the public into decision-making processes. Methods for deliberative citizen engagement emphasize non-adversarial, results-oriented, community-wide decision-making on large issues and are being used with increasing frequency around the world in a range of settings. This emerging field of practice is producing an array of tools and processes that can support the evolution of the deliberative agency. This paper will provide a general introduction to this

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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The Failure of the Israeli - Palestinian peace process and Israeli oppression

THE FAILURE OF THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE PROCESS and ISRAELI OPPRESSION The Israeli Palestinian conflict has been with us for more than fifty years, and recent developments don't indicate that a peaceful solution is imminent. Steps towards peace have been taken in other conflicts (like Northern Ireland, for example), with some success, but the Palestinian-Israeli problem has remained. Why have so many attempts failed? I submit and will attempt to illustrate in the following pages that the failure to reach a comprehensive, lasting and durable peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians is seemingly due to systematic oppression by Israel of the Palestinian people and the blame for this failure most probably lies primarily with Israel and failed Israeli policies and practices, especially since Israel's big land grab in 1967. This systematic oppression of the Palestinian people and these failed Israeli policies and practices include eight main areas which I have identified and which I will attempt to expand upon. They are: Israel's human rights abuses of the Palestinians, Israel's appropriation of Palestinian resources (including land, water and other resources necessary for the normal functioning of the Palestinian economy), Israeli confiscation and occupation of Palestinian land, Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories ( West Bank and Gaza),

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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How has the success of the Extreme Right in France come about and what impact has it had on National and European politics? A detailed examination of the Extreme Right in France and its National and European success

Table of Contents Acknowledgements 2 Glossary of Terms 3 Abstract 4 Introduction 5 Chapter 1: Policy Areas Attributed to the Extreme Right 7 Chapter 2: The French Exception 12 Chapter 3: The FN's Success in the 1999 and 2004 European Elections 17 Chapter 4: The FN's Success in National Elections from 1995-2007 26 Conclusion 35 Bibliography 37 Statement of Originality 43 Glossary of Terms Front Nationale FN Jean-Marie Le Pen Le Pen Vlaams Blok VB Pim Fortuyn List PFL Freedom Party of Austria FPO European Union EU United States US World War Two WWII Member of the European Parliament MEP Mouvement National Republicain MNR Mouvement Pour la France MPF Abstract: The rise of the extreme right in Europe is a contentious issue. Extreme right parties, such as the FN, have flourished in Western Europe in recent years and many academics have attempted to explain why this has happened. Mudde has attempted to explain this phenomenon by identifying a criteria of the extreme right in order to analyse the policy areas they are able to gain support from. This dissertation will apply this criteria to the FN to assess the ways in which the party has been allowed to thrive in France. Additionally, due to the vast amount of success the FN have had, both electorally and in setting the political agenda, the dissertation will also address the issue of whether this rise

  • Word count: 11330
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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Indonesia Regional Autonomy: Field Experiences and Emerging Challenges.

Indonesia Regional Autonomy: Field Experiences and Emerging Challenges ABSTRACT After more than three decades under a centralized national government, Indonesia decided to implement a new policy of regional autonomy that became effective on January 1st, 2001. This paper examines both the preparations for and the initial implementation of autonomy in the regions, as well as some of the challenges which have emerged during implementation. The paper is based on research conducted in fourteen districts across eleven provinces over to the last two years. This presentation has two areas of focus: first, the internal processes used by local governments to manage their new powers and responsibilities; and second, the extent to which the process of creating public policies under regional autonomy for the regions reflects the spirit of transparency, good governance and democracy. Law No. 22, 1999 on Local Government has devolved central government authorities to local governments in all government administrative sectors, except for security and defense, foreign policy, monetary and fiscal matters, justice, and religious affairs. Consequently, local governments have had to reform their internal structures to accommodate the huge increase in responsibility that has been passed on from the central government. A significant part of this process includes placing a large

  • Word count: 10367
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Social studies
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