Abstract This paper examines the reason why President Ronald Reagen may have considered getting involved in toppling the Sandinista government of Nicaragua. It looks at the domestic and foreign policies of the administration and questions the possible motives for such a potential scandal. It looks at what the government thought it could benefit from involvement in this matter.
From the Paper "High-ranking members of the administration of President Ronald Reagan and President Ronald Reagan himself were amongst the people who violated United States laws during the Iran Contra Affair. The reasons for doing this may be speculative, it is certain that these people arranged the secret sales weapons to the terrorists of Iran. Why did Reagan do this? How did the government allow such actions by members of Reagan's Administration? Who was the Nicaraguan "contra" rebels? Was Reagan's hatred of communism so great that he placed America in danger?"
A paper that discusses whether the American decision to drop atomic bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima was justified - and the future ramifications of this decision.
Abstract This paper analyzes the consequences of the United States dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It discusses this in light on future developments in the arms race, the cold war and world hysteria of the nuclear bomb. It states the opinion the Americans have double standards when it comes to this issue because they are the only country ever to have used atomic warfare and at the same time have always lead the nuclear disarmemant war.
From the Paper "The United States? decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan in WWII was motivated by a desire for a decisive victory, an unnecessary act against a country that was would have surrendered without the use of the bomb, and a disturbing use of force that created worldwide fear and horror about the use of nuclear weapons. The bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima by the United States were justified by the American government as a reasonable means to bring a quick end to a bloody and long war that had engulfed the world for years. However, critics have argued that dropping the bombs was a completely unnecessary act, as a beleaguered Japan would have surrendered to the United States within days, even if the bombs had never been dropped. Further, critics argued that the United States? decision was ultimately motivated by a political desire to assert itself as a military and political power. Further, the bombing is now often seen as one of the cornerstone events that led to worldwide hysteria and fear about the effects of nuclear weapons that developed in the time of the Cold War between the United States and the U.S.S.R. Ultimately, given these important considerations, the United States should not have dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki."
Abstract This paper discusses the controversial policy of the U.S. government regarding Taliban prisoners kept in the Guantanamo Bay camps without trial. This paper explores the conditions under which the prisoners are kept, their rights under international and U.S. law, the possibility that some of them may be innocent, the U.S. administration's view point about the issue and what options are being considered for their future.
From the Paper "These prisoners have not been granted the status of prisoners of war, despite criticism by various governments as well as the Amnesty International (AI). ("the Wire" Amnesty International) The AI believes that prisoners captured during the conflict in Afghanistan should be considered prisoners of war. If there is any dispute about their status, the US authorities must allow a "competent tribunal" to decide, as required by the Third Geneva Convention. (Ibid.)"
This paper discusses that globalization is a good thing, since it has increased international trade; but environmentalists, trade unionists, and anti-poverty demonstrators argue that globalization creates more problems than it solves.
Abstract This paper explains that opponents to globalization claim the gains made by Western counties due to increased international trade have been at the expense of poorer countries. This paper states that globalization's export of jobs away from the United States has led to employment insecurity for many Americans, especially manual workers, since companies have been establishing production lines overseas where they can take advantage of low-wage economies. The paper relates that globalization has spawned a sort of "international Americanism", which threatens the national identities and cultures of smaller and weaker economies.
From the Paper "Since the 1970s workers have become more protectionist, and have tended to blame the international economy for the poor labor market for less-skilled workers over the last 30 years. According to these researchers, two-thirds of Americans think that international trade has been a main cause of U.S. living standards, and 30% of Americans believe globalization is the primary cause of slow wage growth. Furthermore, 56% of Americans believe that the increased disparity between rich and poor in America is due to the growth of international trade. Less-educated workers are more likely than highly educated workers to think that globalization has increased inequality in the United States."
Abstract This paper claims that the international community failed to act or even uphold international law as a genocide was occurring because Rwanda is a poor African nation, which has very little significance within international relations. The paper examines the issue of hypocrisy within international relations when it comes to upholding and applying international law. The paper claims that international law is applied, or not, depending on the status of a country. It attempts to prove this through an examination of the reaction of the international community to the events that occurred in Rwanda, starting in April of 1994. The paper analyzes the issue of the Rwandan genocide to illustrate that, within international relations, a country receives the protection of the international community, like Kuwait did, not because of any utopian ideals, but because of realistic calculations regarding the importance and significance of this country.
From the Paper "In the second place, and as Philip Gorevitch writes, the Tutsi sent several appeals to the international community to save them and sent detailed reports of what was happening to governments, media and to representatives of Western governments (98-99). In the third place, foreign governments found the reports of the genocide believable enough to order the evacuation of all their citizens from the country. The French government sent its military to evacuate French nationals and witnessed the genocide for themselves (142-144). Consequently, the explanation for lack of action as being lack of knowledge of the genocide is not acceptable by any standards."
Abstract This paper explains that the possession of nuclear weapons by North Korea is a problem because of its deviant and erratic behavior, capricious communist leaders, impoverished citizens and the serious threat to its neighbors and the international population. The author points out that, from the North Korean viewpoint, it requires a nuclear weapons program for self-preservation especially against the inevitable attack from the United States; having a nuclear program is the only way it will be able to negotiate with the United States. The paper explains that the argument of the global community over the ever-changing standards used to decide if a country is suitable for nuclear weapons development is complicated by differing motives, such as power, influence, nationalistic pride and security nations; however, when these motives are pushed too far and manifest into irresponsible or unpredictable behavior, the international community is required to aggressively pursue disarmament, as is the case for North Korea.
From the Paper "President Clinton, who served dual terms from 1993-2000, was a firm believer in the power of diplomacy to sway the Koreans and employed lots of negotiation devices throughout his term. Conversely, President Bush, who served from 2001 to the present, is commonly portrayed as taking a tougher stance on foreign relations and decided to decline all bilateral negotiations with North Korea. Agreeing to meet with North Korea one on one would be appeasement in his eyes and Bush argued that he would not seek to pacify the Koreans; rather the President wished for the nations of South Korea, Japan, and China to also engage with North Korea and take greater responsibility in the dispute, citing their regional responsibility. Lastly, in 2003 President Bush cancelled the Agreed Framework pact, created by the Clinton administration in 1994, and ended the regular fuel shipments to North Korea."
Abstract In this paper, the writer examines President John F. Kennedy's decision-making during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. The writer provides a background of the crisis. In the article, the writer discusses dealings between Kennedy and Soviet leader, Khrushchev. The writer also covers the outcome of the crisis.
From the Paper "The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in October when the Soviet Union under the leadership of Premier Nikita Khrushchev began placing offensive ballistic missiles in Cuba, just miles off the U. S. coast. Traditionally, historians have contended that Khrushchev began placing the missiles in Cuba from a position of strength, intended to defy a weak foe, President John F. Kennedy. They emphasized the apparent resolve Kennedy showed in dealing with Khrushchev, essentially portraying Kennedy as a man who finally became presidential during ... "
Abstract This paper examines the impact of oil prices and the economic effects that occur directly following rising oil prices. The paper suggests that tapping large oil resources in Canada will help decrease the cost of crude oil but warns that the voracious appetite of the Chinese economy for fuel may not yet have peaked. The paper points out that regardless of the direction of oil prices it is clear that the United States is in the unenviable position of being forced to find an alternative fuel source for the future. In conclusion, the paper shows that as the leader of the global economy, American will bear the bulk of the costs associated with this effort but will hopefully reap the majority of the rewards and until that time, oil prices will continue to have a significant impact on the US economy.
Outline:
Rising Oil Prices Hurt the Consumer in a Number of Ways
The Resilient American Economy
Peaked or Transitioning Higher
From the Paper "Just four years later, Huber's article seems less accurate than it might have been viewed at the time it was written and yet, many of the indications presented in the article can be reasonably said to have survived the economic tumult that rising oil prices have caused in the US. It is, however, difficult to assess how much of an impact the price of oil is responsible for causing to various aspects of the economy. To be sure, oil price has a measurable impact, but at what point does the terrorist attack of 2001, the corporate scandals of 2002 and the Iraq war of 2003 become simply economic footnotes rather than an influencing factor on the buying power of the American public. After all, the price of oil does not exist in an economic vacuum and yet there are some indicators that can be tied directly to the price of oil."
Abstract This paper presents an overview of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, and how these have shaped American foreign policy for good and bad from the end of World War II to the present.
From the Paper "The Truman Doctrine was the impetus for the change in United States foreign policy, from isolationist to internationalists; thus we were drawn into two wars of containment and into world affairs. The Truman Doctrine led to a major change in U.S. foreign policy from its inception - aid to Turkey and Greece - to its indirect influence in Korea and Vietnam."
Tags: america, legislation, president, Marshall, Plan, Cold, War, Soviet, Union, Korean, War, Vietnam, War
Abstract This paper details the origins of the Peace Corps and its development. It looks at the key political figures who urged the association to be set up. It talks about the type of work the association does, the requirements volunteers have to meet, training methods and goals and the way the type of volunteers involved in the Peace Corps has changed over time.
From the Paper "It was Wednesday, November 2, 1960. With election day less than a week away, more than one thousand five hundred enthusiastic democrats assembled at a $100.00 a plate dinner at San Francisco's Sheraton Palace Hotel. Speaking to his uproarious supporters, who punctuated his every sentence with screams and cheers, candidate Kennedy called for the establishment of a pool of "talented young men and women willing to serve their country" for three years as an alternative or as a supplement to peacetime selective service, well qualified through rigorous standards? to be ambassadors of peace.? That night in the raging melee of the Cow Palace in San Francisco, the American Peace Corps was born (Sullivan 13-15)."
Abstract This essay suggests that Third World debt and underdevelopment are inextricably linked to European and American colonialism and imperialism. Historical and recent examples are given. Dependency theory is discussed.
From the Paper "Dependency theory emerged out of Latin America in the 1960s, during a time when modernization theory, which stresses heavy industrialization and laissez-faire economics, was increasing in popularity. It examines the root problems of poor countries, taking into account their histories?which are very different from those of the European and American superpowers, and by drawing connections between the imperialism of the last five centuries, and the neocolonialism of today."
Abstract This paper discusses influencing factors on the decision to send atomic bombs on Japan during WWII. The author argues that atomic bombs used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were essential for America to win WWII.
From the Paper "The peaceful town of Hiroshima, Japan was beginning its day on the morning of August 6, 1945. Many Japanese were going to work or still in bed. The streets were bustling with bicycles. All at once, a flash of light was seen in the air. A deafening roar and fire hotter that the sun's surface. "Little Boy" exploded with the strength of twenty million tons of dynamite. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan were necessary for the Allies to win the Second World War, according to their terms of unconditional surrender of Japan. In order to determine this, one must observe: One, the German Nazi's example to Japan; two, the strife between Japan and the Allies; and three, the arguments given by Secretary of War Harry L. Stimson."
Abstract This paper examines the Watergate break-in scandal in 1972. The author discusses the political motive behind the act, the figures involved in the scandal, and attempts to understand why President Nixon would authorize the illegal act and jeopardize his future.
From the Paper "The cause of the Watergate scandal lays in the split between the containment and new world order factions within the Nixon administration. Through 1972, Richard Nixon's presidency had been a successful one. He had begun to remove the United States from Vietnam , opened relations to China , achieved detente with the Soviets, and brought the allies back under tighter control through higher energy prices, all of which helped strengthen containment. Henry Kissinger and the other members of the Rockefeller establishment needed to find some way to gain leverage over Nixon in order to promote their new world order agenda. Watergate would become their tool for wresting power from Nixon and changing the grand strategy of American foreign policy."
Abstract This essay discusses the Vietnam War not just as a war fought in Asia, but as a war fought in American as it related to cultural change. It was, in many ways, a cultural war that was coming for several years and only needed some powerful fuel to ignite radical changes. The essay concludes with the realization that the psychological impact left on the families and soldiers involved in Vietnam, was greater than anyone imagined.
From the paper:
?The country was living in the lap of luxury, or more specifically in the lap of capitalism. America was proud, yet was also beginning to feel pressure concerning truly solid realities such as the inequality of the African American and women. The Vietnam War served to ignite many fires, changing the American culture in many ways.?
Abstract This paper explores the concept of globalization, and its affect on international world order. The author suggests that globalization is now having a negative effect upon the United States by its blurring of international borders, and as a result is placing Americans all over the world at risk for attack by people and countries who do not like western values.
From the paper:
"Globalization today has become a threat to identity, culture, values, norms and traditions that set one nation apart from the other. While the supporters of Globalization are of the view that it is extremely important for the world to unite as one nation with a global economy, they have failed to understand that basic human psyche is such that man wants to have an identity of his own. This is the primary reason why people are raising voice against this phenomenon, which has been the product of capitalism. We need to understand here that globalization has been criticized and condemned not only because of the economic problems it creates, but also because of the fact that it is due to the presence of similar commodities in every part of the world that local values of each nation are being threatened."
