Abstract This paper examines transnational crime which has increased since the end of the Cold War fifteen years ago, primarily because the collapse of the Soviet empire provided vast new opportunities for international criminals to traffic more extensively in illegal arms sales and black marketeering. The fall of the Soviet Union and its entire economic and security infrastructure has had many consequences. The paper shows that many Russian conventional and nuclear weapons arsenals are no longer secure because the government lacks the funds to provide adequate security staffs, and unemployment is so high that many Russians are engaging in black market activities.
Abstract This paper argues that of the three causes of the Soviet breakup that have been offered, political, economic, and ethnic, the economic solution is the true one and crosses over the other two. The paper notes that 70 years of Socialist government had damaged the ability of the Soviet Union even to feed her population, let alone to cope with the many economic issues she had to face, especially with political decisions for increased spending on security and to counter the West, decisions which increased the amount of money that had to be spent each year.
Abstract This paper is on the Russian Revolution, its causes, its aftermath, and the rule of Stalin through the first half of the twentieth century. The paper notes that the Russian Revolution in 1917 was based essentially on principles espoused by Marx and Engels and then reshaped by Lenin and others in the era prior to the onset of the revolt. The revolution was an expression by the Russian people that they wanted a change in leadership, in economic structure, and in how society was ordered.
From the Paper "The Russian Revolution put the ideas of Marx to the test, but ideology was not the cause of the revolution but only one of the tools brought to bear in a social situation that had already deteriorated to an intolerable degree. The revolution was directed in part at correcting the ills of the serfdom that marked the agricultural sector. (Keep 3). Marx and Engels never wrote directly about the situation in Russia in any depth, but they did make certain references to it that would demonstrate to us how they viewed the matter."
Abstract This paper compares the impact of leadership on the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the Iranian Revolution of 1979. It is evident that the leadership exhibited by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin in Russia and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Iran were decisively important. The paper shows that without Lenin, it is unlikely that the Bolsheviks could have overcome the challenges facing them in 1917, and without Khomeini, it is unlikely that the Iranian mullahs could have overcome the challenges facing them in 1979.
Abstract Assessing risks and opportunities in any foreign investment scenario is almost assuredly a perilous venture for a business. The delicate nature of weighing the costs and benefits of any decision is difficult enough when done in an economic climate very similar to the one in which one is already operating. The paper shows that such is the case for Western businesses considering investment in Lithuania in the Baltic region of Eastern Europe. The paper shows that there are great opportunities for business investment development and operation in Lithuania mostly centering around low barriers to entry economic incentives and high GDP growth rates over the past decade.
Abstract This paper discusses how Russian President Vladimir Putin told his parliament that the fall of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century and how, the end of the Soviet brand of Communism has left tens of millions of Russian citizens out of the Russian Federation. It discusses the the reasons behind the USSR's disintegration.
From the Paper "Late last April, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his parliament that the fall of the Soviet Union was "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century." Adding that this was "a real drama," he noted that the end of the Soviet brand of Communism has left tens of millions of Russian citizens out of the Russian Federation ("Putin deplores collapse of USSR," 2005, para. 1, 3). What he didn't say was what caused the collapse, which, arguably, was doomed early in the experiment by Stalin's "Great Purge" and the ensuing tens of millions of executions of ordinary Russian citizens for allegedly opposing the revolution ("Case Study: Stalin's Purge," n.d., para. 1). "
Abstract This paper looks at democratization in the various former Soviet states, noting that many observers are optimistic about the prospects for democratization in many of these states. It looks at how the likelihood of democratization in the different states depends on a number of variable factors, such as regional history, economic and political stability and international pressures.
From the Paper "The Soviet bloc disintegrated in 1989, and immediately many in the West began worrying as to whether these states would be able to achieve democratization or democratic consolidation or would be further damaged by the effort. A more recent assessment finds that many observers are optimistic about the prospects for democratization in many of these states. The likelihood of democratization in the different states depends on a number of variable factors, such as regional history, economic and political stability, and international pressures. Philip G. Roeder, for instance, first defines democracy as an ideal arrangement in which more than fifty percent of the population is able to remove or prevent the removal of leaders (13). "
Abstract This paper makes use of Robert Cox's view of theory serving different audiences to explain Cold War ideology, and realist/neo-liberal views of the Cold War that have prevailed. Binary thinking continues despite the fall of communism, and is seen again in discussion of China, and more, in approaches to Muslim fundamentalist movements employing political violence. Events explained in one view in this paper and then the other, shows Cox's model to be correct. All phenomena addressed theoretically will produce views that suit one agenda and population, or another.
From the Paper "All theory points to the benefit of someone, and a purpose, as expressed in Robert Cox's work. (2000) Cox's view of the Cold War is interesting for his emphasis on how ideas tend to be repeated in public or official debate, and on how very different analyses of the same event can be produced. Since 1989, and the dissolution of Soviet Europe, people have no longer been caught up in the ideological and strategic war between communist and capitalist camps."
Abstract The paper discusses how with the collapse of the Soviet Empire at the end of the 20th century, the rise of a unitary new world order known as globalization and it has been one of the most controversial and complex phenomena of our time. The paper examines how in large measure, this is due to the fact that there has been wide debate among theorists and commentators on globalization with regard to its historical specificity. The paper explains that its geographic reach is the global equivalent to the planetary.
Abstract The paper discusses how many people believe that globalization is a good thing for the world; for example, it has opened up free trade and it has made the world a smaller place, a global village. However, other people argue that globalization is extremely negative, it is bad for the economies of smaller countries and it threatens the environment. The thesis of this paper is that the rise of globalization since Bretton Woods has led to an alarming rise of transnational corporations (TNCs).
Abstract The unification of former East Germany and former West Germany back into the singular Germany as it was prior to World War II in 1989 is commonly cited as a text book scenario of healing ideological and economic divisions between rival states. It also is quoted often as model of reunification for North and South Korea to follow in their eventual reunification as well. Yet, how difficult was the execution of the reunification of East and West Germany? This paper presents a brief examination of each countries' economy prior to reunification, as it reveals much regarding the hurdles that had to be overcome regarding the recombination of German society within the framework of a homogeneous political and economic paradigm.
Abstract This paper considers the argument of Friedman in "The World is Flat" concerning how globalization is changing the world's economy. The paper offers an outline of Friedman's argument, including a discussion of what Friedman sees as flattening forces and it is followed by an attempt to apply Friedman's argument to several businesses. The paper discusses that Friedman's argument is wanting for offering explanatory power.
From the Paper "In his book, "The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century," Thomas Friedman presents a thesis that the world is becoming smaller and economies are moving faster in an age of technology-driven globalization. He claims that the pace of development has accelerated due to the availability of increased access to information and customized approaches to business processes. In order to remain in business and capitalize on the inevitable changes which come with globalism, Friedman suggests that businesses have to alter their approach to the market in such a way that the empowering nature of the free market is optimized. This brief paper will discuss Friedman's argument regarding the nature of globalism's changes, which he terms the "flattening" of the world."
Abstract The paper relates how Sir David Edward and the making of substantive European law have become fairly conjoined in the minds of most legal observers over the course of the past decade-and-a-half. With this in mind, the paper briefly discusses Judge Edward's steady rise to the top of his profession, as well as the maturation of the peculiar institution - the European Court of Justice - with which he is most associated. Just as importantly, the paper examines the evolution of the European Union, for without this Union's emergence and growth, the story of David Edward would be dramatically different.
Abstract The paper reveals that Poland has been a remarkable example of the type of economic transition that can take place in a former centrally controlled, planned economic model to that of a free-market economic model. Since its release from under Soviet control in 1989, Poland has been instituting free-market economic strategies and structures that have made it a leading European economy that has seen its GDP grow by an estimated 25% to 30% since liberalization reforms were instituted.
Abstract The paper discusses how after reading this book, the writer learned that Gorbachev's aging predecessors, Yuri Andropov and then Konstantin Chernenko, both died after brief presidencies, so the Politburo felt compelled to select a young, dynamic leader and elevated Mikhail Gorbachev to the chairmanship of the Communist Party and the presidency of the Soviet Union. More importantly, the writer explains how he/she learned why Gorbachev's elevation to power ultimately doomed communism in the USSR.
