Abstract Discusses growth of special interest groups, or lobbies. Contends that lobbyists act against direct democracy. Presents the pros and cons of lobbying Congress. Analyzes the effectiveness of gun and education lobbying groups. Special interest groups as a powerful political resource. The NRA. The AFT (American Federation of Teachers). Lobbying strategies.
From the Paper "Over the last four decades, interest groups or lobbies have proliferated at an astonishing pace, with their numbers growing from 5,000 in 1956 to over 20,000 today. However, this figure is only a modest estimation of the actual number of interest groups that claim to represent the multiple interests of the diverse American population today. For many Americans who are preoccupied with daily survival and personal responsibilities, interest groups serve as a useful and political tool for the masses that do not have direct access to legislators. Therefore, these interest groups enable the spirit of democracy to thrive in the U.S. On a more practical level, these organizations have the resources, the organization and the experience to address important political issues on behalf of the people (Berry, 1989). On the other hand, opponents of interest groups believe ..."
Abstract Compares their contrasting leadership styles. Their different socioeconomic and regional backgrounds. Bill Clinton's "seductive" style as governor and president. Hillary Clinton's more assertive, direct and dictatorial style. Bill Clinton's distinction between the public and the private. His abilities as a campaigner and communicator. How both Clintons worked to achieve their political ambitions.
From the Paper "Bill and Hillary Clinton:
A Comparative Study of Contrasting Leadership Styles
For eight years, Bill and Hillary Clinton occupied center stage in American political life, he as President of the United States and she as a First Lady with more direct involvement in the operation of the Administration than most other similarly situated women had ever before enjoyed (Andersen, 1999). The Clintons were from substantially different socioeconomic and regional backgrounds: she was the daughter of upper-middle-class Midwesterners, and he the son of a divorced and twice-married Arkansas mother (Andersen, 1999). Together, in the Arkansas governor's mansion and the White House, they created a leadership and governing style in which both played a critical part ? even though ..."
Abstract This paper discusses why the war on drugs is a failure - from a financial standpoint, prison overcrowding standpoint and a drug education and prevention standpoint. The writer explores solutions to these problems that could save money, solve the prison overcrowding problem and discusses new education techniques.
From the Paper "The unofficial war on drugs began roughly in 1972, when Richard Nixon was president. Since then, the war on drugs has grown drastically. It was militarized during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan (roughly 1984), and the budget for the war then began to soar. Government agencies formed for other purposes became involved in the war on drugs, which of course, raised the budget for the war on drugs even further. At last count, the United States' Government budget for the war on drugs reached the 17 billion dollar mark (Office of National Drug Control Policy, 1999). When spending reached 17 billion dollars in 1999 on the failing war on drugs, it had ?Democrats [including IL Rep. Jan Schakowsky] question[ing] whether more dollars. . .[was] the answer to the U.S. drug scourge. "Is [this] the first in a series of blank checks in a war that has no. . . end game"?? (Lytle, 1999 ). High spending on a war that has only claimed to have confiscated three percent of all incoming drug shipments last year on an already high budget (16 billion last year), does not need more money (Check, 5). It is time to think about re-structuring the war on drugs and taking a different viewpoint. Forget pouring money into the only aspect of the war that we can never win, and re-direct our efforts at the aspects of the war that we can win. The current strategies in dealing with the war on drugs simply do not work; thus, the failure of the war on drugs is evident on many levels. In terms of a financial standpoint, the war on drugs has cost more than we can afford. Also, prisons have become overcrowded and because of this, sentences are often reduced in order to make room for new incoming drug offenders. Many drug education programs have experienced mass failure."
This paper presents a comparison between the beliefs of Thomas Hobbes and John Locke who represent two very different ways of looking at human nature and the theories of government that they have generated.
Abstract The writer illustrates how political theorists have formulated justifications for the type of state that each would establish. Hobbes believed that human relations were inborn and could only be superficially controlled by government, whereas Locke saw man as basically being given the ability to know right from wrong by his Creator.
From the Paper "In a Hobbesian world, mankind needs such a power to defend its own interests. Therefore, Hobbes concludes, ?The only way to erect such a common power. . is, to confer all their power and strength upon one man, or upon one assembly of men, that may reduce all their wills, by plurality of voices, into one will.? (58) Hobbe's state, as a result, is totalitarian and fixed; once institutions are established, they are not subject to change, since the presumption is that the state is already ideal and can?t be wrong. There is also no concept of civil rights or individual freedom."
This paper explores the themes of Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince", one of his best-known works, and cited for encouraging politicians to be dishonest and use any technique in order to fulfill their quest for power.
Abstract The paper looks closely at "The Prince", a work of political philosophy in which Machiavelli describes behavior that is considered unethical. According to this paper one cannot determine whether or not he believed that this represented an ideal practice. This paper asserts that Machiavelli differed from other writers of the period in that he wrote with a view of reality, not about an ideal.
From the Paper "In 1512 the powerful Medici family retook Florence, and the republic was over. After a few years in prison, Machiavelli became a writer of political philosophy who did his primary work during this period. Because of his unorthodox views, he virtually developed a whole new way of analyzing government and its behavior and purpose. Machiavelli was also extremely interested in history, and developed many of his theories as a result of historical research."
Tags: Florence, philosophy, politics, Italy, government
Abstract This paper debates the growth of cyber terrorism and the different forms and dangers of this trend. It discusses how e-mail bombs and attacks on internet servers are the lowest forms of informational terrorism in terms of destruction. Higher forms of informational warfare include using the internet as a catalyst to produce physical terrorism on a higher scale.
From the Paper "The Department of Defense definition of terrorism is "the calculated use of violence or the threat of violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological." (Research, 1) While in physical terrorism, the perpetrator must come in contact with the target, in informational terrorism the perpetrator only needs a computer connection. Not only are the tools of information terrorism more accessible but the implications can be more devastating."
Abstract This paper examines Aristotle's theory of an ideal state by analyzing the nature of Polis, the city-state and its workings in his book "Politics", a work which actually addresses issue of ethics and morality more than politics as we mean it today. It looks at how Aristotle's ideal state, whatever its specific form of government, maintains its legitimacy by serving the good life for the people as a whole. It shows how Aristotle's description of the state as an association of free men aligns him with democratic theory, though he expresses a distaste for democracy at a certain level and finds that there are certain classes in society that should not be given the right to participate because they are not worthy.
From the Paper "The city contributes to the possibility of absolute justice, sought by human beings through political interaction in the city. Based on his concept of absolute justice, Aristotle finds that there are three right forms of government--monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. Each of these can also degenerate into a lesser form: monarchy into tyranny, aristocracy into oligarchy, and democracy into mob-rule. Aristotle can be considered a democratic theorist in several respects. One of his abiding concerns is with the constitution of the state and the agreement it involves between the ruler and the ruled. Aristotle sees the state as a natural development, but he also sees it as a voluntary association of human beings based on the fact that man is a political animal and that people thus come together because of common interest to the degree that it contributes to the good life of each person."
Abstract This research takes a look at the U.S. Social Security system, and asks the question whether privatization would provide a better approach to retirement for Americans than the current structure. It then examines social security system in Chile by way of contrast and analyzes the two for their effectiveness.
From the Paper "The so-called "baby boomers," one of the largest generational groupings in American history, are nearing the age when they will be able to collect Social Security benefits. When that happens, the ratio between those individuals contributing to Social Security and those receiving it will decline significantly. As a result, many have expressed concern about how Social Security can be funded over the long-term, and several different proposals have been made by politicians and economists alike."
Abstract A breakdown of clashes between Arabs and Jews from 1948 until Prime Minister Barak's time. The Palestine question is discussed as well as how different Arab groups formed and why each direct confrontation came about.
From the Paper "Tensions between Arabs and Jews extend back centuries, but the modern conflict begins with the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, after which there was fighting between the newly declared state and her Arab neighbors, and in 1949 the fighting ended with armistice agreements between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Israel as a state developed out of the Palestinian question. When the British wanted to turn the state of Palestine over to the United Nations, a solution to the issue of what people would reside in Palestine was reached in the form of partition. Jerusalem would be made an international city in which there would be free access for worship in Christian, Islamic, and Jewish shrines and holy places. The Jews accepted the partition, but the Arabs did not, feeling that the agreement actually gave Jewish landowners more than 50 percent of Palestine. After the war and the creation of the state of Israel, Israel now controlled half of Jerusalem, and nearly 60 percent of the Palestinians had been uprooted from their homes. Displaced Palestinians lived in crude refugee camps, and the remaining Palestinians lived within the 22.6 percent of the territory the Israeli's had failed to capture (Neff 23-24).
Israel thus began in conflict with her neighbors, and tensions continued during the years following the creation of the Israeli state. During this same era, the United States and the Soviet Union each became embroiled in the conflict, forced to choose sides and to become more and more enmeshed in Middle Eastern politics. Direct confrontation occurred in 1956, 1967, and 1973 (Neff 27). After the Sinai Campaign of 1956, there was a period of relative quiet along the Israel-Egypt border, in part because of the presence of the United Nations. This did not mean that the conflict was ended, however, and within a year of the "settlement" of the 1956 dispute, the Arab world experienced a series of upheavals (Herzog 145-146)."
Tags: confrontation, Middle, East, Palestine, Israel
Abstract This paper looks at the history of policing in general and of community policing in particular. It discusses how the elevating of one group of citizens over another is a problematic issue in any democracy and how the police force needs to overcome this problem. It discusses why community policing is such a sensitive issue and is often faced with claims of inequality and racial profiling.
From the Paper "This paradox ? how some may have authority over others within a system of governance that holds all people to be equal, is one of the reasons that many police forces within the United States now at least in some part use a strategy called community policing. Community policing is simply collaborative policing in which the concerns (and to some extent the standards) of the local community are taken into account (Trojanowicz, 1998, p. 11). For example, if race relations are even more fragile in a particular community than in general in the United States, the issue of racial profiling will no doubt be of concern to the community, and community leaders and police will come together on a regular basis to discuss the issue of how the community can be kept safe while the rights of minority members living in that community can also be safeguarded. This paper looks at precisely this issue ? racial profiling ? and how community policing methods can be used to reduce rather than increase racial tensions in a community while also controlling crime and maintaining public safety."
Abstract In "The Story of the Education Dollar", Allen Odden, David Monk, Yasser Nakib and Lawrence Picus describe some basic facts about education spending in the United States to facilitate an understanding of the level and uses of the federal government's policies on education funding. The paper shows that the purpose of the authors' discussion is to argue that public education facilities need to change their focus on the consumption of educational resources to a focus on producing high levels of student achievement. It shows how they contend that such a redirection in focus will require large improvements in student achievement, given that only about 10 percent of students currently attain the desired level of achievement across the board in mathematics, science, writing, history, geography and civics. The paper then shows how James Traub, in his article "What No School Can Do", expands on their discussion to argue for the necessary inclusion of after-care activities for inner-city youth in any successful educational spending program.
From the Paper "Odden et al. note that their analysis of spending patterns across the 50 states is supported by the conclusions reached by the Finance Center of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), although the results of their research did diverge in some significant ways. Odden et al. examined spending and staffing patterns at the district and school levels. They also scrutinized staffing patterns of expenditures by function and program and spending across curriculum content areas in California, Florida and New York. Their major conclusion was that while there had been considerable national investment in public education during the 20th century, as a rule the funds were distributed unfairly and used ineffectively."
Abstract John Locke wrote at a time of social unrest and questioning, at a time when the long-standing sovereignty of kings as ordained by God was being questioned. Locke did not see the power of kings as derived from the will of God but rather as developing as the result of some social condition. The paper shows that Locke asked first what state man would be in if there were no government and he found that human beings originated in the state of nature, the state that existed before human beings came together to form a society and a government. It shows that Locke saw this state of nature as placing the individual into a state of perfect freedom, with no necessity to ask any other person before determining his or her own actions or disposing of their own property. Property was an essential element in Locke's thinking, with the relationship of the individual to his property as being of paramount importance. The paper shows that the ownership of property was seen as a fundamental right, meaning that it was a right born in the state of nature. For Locke, the defense of individual liberty is inseparable from the defense of private property.
From the Paper "The individual in society does not have absolute freedom, showing that something has been lost from the state of nature. Locke sees human beings as having agreed to give up certain rights and powers through some form of agreement. Society is thus formed when men cede certain powers to a central authority. Private property rights are to be protected by this state that has been created--human beings have given up certain rights in order to assure the protection of their property from the depredations of others. Locke traces the concept of private property from the time when God gave the world to Adam and his posterity. Locke sees political power as being "for the regulating and preserving of property" (Locke 4), among other things."
This paper looks at John Locke's contribution to early American political theories and his role in formatting ideas for the Declaration of Independence.
Abstract Explores how in the years leading up to the American Revolution,the people of the colonies developed a political ideology that was to be the basis for revolution and for the formation of a new kind of state. This paper looks at the philosophy of John Locke, often referred to as "classical liberalism," which was one of the primary sources on which the American founders drew. It explains that although many sources served their varied purposes, some of the most important and fundamental ideas in the Declaration of Independence are easily traced directly to Locke.
From the Paper "Locke's influence throughout the eighteenth century touched on a number of topics. For example, his works dealing in whole or in part with education emphasized the idea that the child began as a blank slate and the impressions made on him/her were essential to the formation of mind and character. This meant that "parents were largely responsible for the formation of their children's character"--an idea that became commonplace by the mid-eighteenth century and permanently revolutionized thinking about the basic nature of parenthood and the family (Wood 149). But the most influential aspect of Locke's thought was his political philosophy as embodied in his two treatises on government. The first treatise was largely a refutation of the traditional belief in the divinely sanctioned right of kings. This was an essential step, of course, for any revolution and Locke wrote his treatises "to justify the glorious and bloodless revolution of 1688," saying that he hoped they would serve to "establish the Throne of our Great Restorer, Our present King William--to make good his Title, in the consent of the People'" (quoted in Squadrito 95). The revolution, Locke believed, was a necessary step taken by the people to protect their natural rights and the suggestion that a people could be responsible for their own selection of rulers and that even a monarch could only rule with the consent of the governed was still a hotly contested notion a century later."
Examines the importance of game theory in analyzing foreign policy decision-making and outcomes and its compatibility with other foreign policy models and systems.
Abstract Game theory is the use of mathematical models to predict the outcome of a dispute or interaction between two or more independent actors. It has been applied in a wide range of contexts, including gambling, business and international relations. This essay examines the importance of game theory when analysing the foreign policy decision-making process. It argues that while simple games such as the Prisoner's Dilemma may not illuminate the process on their own, more complex models can offer a systemic device by which foreign policy can be analyzed more accurately.
From the Paper "Perhaps the most widely recognised game is the Prisoner's Dilemma, which examines the choices faced by two people arrested for the same crime, and observes the likelihood that they would both accuse the other one, and thus both go to jail. When used in foreign policy analysis, it is often used to describe the nature of arms races, or the possibility of nuclear fallout. This is a non-zero-sum game, a game where it is possible for both players to lose, or to win (as opposed to a zero-sum game, where one actor's gain is always equal to another actor's loss)."
Abstract This paper examines how terrorism is seen all across the world and affects all races and all social classes and how there is no escaping from it. It shows that while some countries have been able to eradicate terrorism with what seems like very little effort, others are left grieving and living in fear of the next terrorist attack. It looks at how history has shown us a wide variety of terrorist attacks across the world, both internal and international with examples form Northern Ireland and terrorist incidents in Europe. It evaluates The "War on Terrorism" that is being fought by the U.S. and the treaties than have gone into effect to prevent terrorism and punish those who have committed terrorist acts. Among others, there are treaties regarding biological weapons, chemical weapons, genocide and human rights, nuclear materials, torture, warfare and general terrorism.
From the Paper "Europe's terrorism can be divided into three main categories; leftist, right wing, and ethnic-based. A number of leftist terrorist groups were formed in the late 1960's and early 1970?s. These groups included; Germany's Red Army Faction (RAF), France's Action Directe, and Italy's Red Brigades, among others. During the 1970's the RAF engaged in a series of bombings, robberies and murders leaving several RAF leaders jailed and other members using terrorist activities to try to free them. An airliner hijacked by the RAF in October 1977 caused many committed members to abandon the group. This incident caused right-wing terrorism to flourish as the leftist groups dwindled away. ?Although more extreme forms of the sentiments that have led to right wing gains have sometimes been expressed in terrorist activity, large-scale, organized right-wing terrorism comparable to the leftist terrorism of the 1980's did not emerge in Europe during the 1990?s."
Tags: 9/11, bin, bush, laden, september, threats, usa
