This paper discusses the anti-American attitude of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez toward the United States and suggests alternatives for resolving this problem.
Abstract This paper explains that corruption and dissatisfaction with the Venezuela democratic government brought Hugo Chavez to power. The author underscores that, because of Chavez's hostility towards the United States and the dependency of the U.S. on Venezuelan oil, an alternative to the current state of affairs between the US and Venezuela must be developed. The paper explores several possible alternatives to the current state of affairs between Venezuela and the United States, all carry differing costs and benefits the United States. These include using an oil embargo against Venezuela, which would severely affect the popularity of Chavez's government by cutting the funding for several of his popular social programs, developing anti-Chavez, pro-U.S. sentiment in the region of Latin America in an effort to use multilateral cooperation to control Chavez and his foreign policy agendam, and ignoring Chavez's anti-U.S. rhetoric and developing bilateral relations dealing with several issues of mutual concern. The paper concludes that the best alternative is using multilateral support to control Chavez, which has both the greatest benefit and the lowest cost and could help U.S. and Latin American relations in the future.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
History
Development of Alternative Approaches
Cost Benefit Analysis of Alternatives
Recommendation and Justification
Executive Summary
From the Paper "Costs to developing this alternative are relatively few and would only significantly affect American policy in the Latin American region with relatively little impact on domestic issues. While the turbulent history of U.S.-Latin American relations have led to a large amount of hostility and suspicion on the part of Latin American governments towards any American involvement in the region, such a low opinion of the United States must change in order to develop the regional support necessary to control Chavez."
Tags:dependencyoilanti-americanrhetoric, multilateral support
Abstract This paper discusses the rise of anti-Americanism in recent years. The author demonstrates that while these anti-Americanism feelings are not entirely new, events in the last two decades, such as the collapse of the World Trade Center, the invasion of Afghanistan and the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal, amongst others, have lead to the rise of anti-American feelings. The reputation of America as a unilateral and power hungry nation has also been reinforced abroad through events such as these. The paper examines the prevailing causes to this rising tide of anti-Americanism and tries to find out if a proper course of correction can be determined.
Ouline:
The Issue - How Should the U.S Deal with rising anti-Americanism Background
What Policy Options Do We Have
Prognosis for the Future
From the Paper " The collapse of the World Trade Center, the invasion of Afghanistan, the extended terms of detention at Guaantonimao Bay, the American Lead toppling of the Iraqi regime, and the Abu Grade Prison scandal. Each of these events has left a far-reaching impact on the persona of the United States abroad. The course of action that followed the events of September 11, 2001 was a continuation down the road of American power and unilateralism. The after effects of these actions have left a serious rift in Alliances between some of America's oldest and greatest allies and cast a dark shadow over America's image across the globe."
Abstract The communist revolution in China crystallized and intensified the hostility between Washington and Peking. This was because the Americans had supported the Nationalist regime of Chiang Kai Shek, who had alienated the Chinese masses. The corruption of Chiang, therefore, had played a big role in fuelling the momentum of the communist revolution, which had no choice but to take on an anti-American disposition. The Korean War, which followed subsequently, solidified the antagonism between Chinese communism and the United States.
Abstract This paper examines the United States' dependence on oil and how a dependence on foreign sources of oil results in severe political, military, and humanitarian problems like the current crisis in Iraq. The paper explains that the United States currently remains the planet's biggest consumer of petroleum resources and has done little to nothing to reduce its dependence on oil. The paper notes that this in itself creates significant environmental policy problems and practical problems like pollution. The paper looks at how Iraq and its oil reserves provide potential future resources as the world's total supply of petroleum dries up. The paper then discusses the Bush administration and the crisis in Iraq. The writer believes that the United States may have dug itself into a hole - in addition to fomenting more anti-American sentiment throughout the world than existed prior to the invasion, the United States has been responsible for a humanitarian crisis in Iraq that rivals only that of Saddam himself. The writer concludes that invading Iran would obviously prove to be another costly political, economic, and humanitarian error.
From the Paper "Access to Iraq's oil wells serves a more direct economic function. A member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Iraq is a key to crude oil pricing. Interestingly, OPEC was founded in Baghdad in 1960, proving the centrality of Iraq in the American quest for oil. In the 1970s, OPEC declared an embargo and proceeded to control the production of oil as a means to control its price per barrel. As a result, OPEC has been frankly described as "a cartel with the purpose of maximizing the price of wholesale petroleum to world markets."
Abstract This paper describes the stalemate America faces in trying to find a solution to being dependent on oil from the Arab world. The author traces the history and background of this problem, and cites the end of the 1973 oil embargo as the reason that no serious research has continued in this field. The paper additionally shows how oil pricing is high and further outlines the causes of Western dependency on oil. Also analyzed is the connection between oildependency, the increased energy needs of emerging nations and the environment. The author concludes with a call for more research and public awareness of the issue of oildependency.
Outline:
Introduction and Background
Genesis, Continuation and Increasing of Problem
Attempted Solutions
Evidence for the Problems of High Oil Price
Causes
Effects
Solutions
Conclusion
Table "U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices"
From the Paper "Solutions to the ongoing and continually-increasing problem of oil dependency could still be reached; if the political will and commitment were to truly exist (and in the opinion of this author, it currently does not). No real solution is viable without that. Oil lobbies would need to lose their grip on Washington politicians, which would even conceivably happen only if a groundswell of citizenry were to threaten to "un-elect" the career politicians supported, politically and sometimes, at least to an extent, personally (trips; favors) by various big oil interests."
Tags:oil, OPEC, United, States, Arab, world, petroleum, dependency, alternative, energy, sources
Abstract The paper explains the United States' interest in the sources of its foreign oil and the need to secure those sources. The paper asserts that the Bush administration is peopled by individuals with personal and financial connections to the oil industry. The paper contends that an administration as oil-dependent as Bush's could not help but want control of Iraq's oil, which was being frustratingly under-produced by the Hussein regime. The paper concludes, therefore, that American addiction to oil has undoubtedly motivated the decision to invade and occupy Iraq.
From the Paper "In his 2006 State of the Union Address, President Bush stated the obvious: "Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world." The Bush administration denied that oil had anything to do with the decision to invade Iraq in 2003. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defended this official position vehemently, repeatedly telling the press things like, "This has nothing to do with oil in my modest opinion," (Sample 2003). However, three years later no one in the administration could avoid more frankly addressing the oil-related motives in the Iraq war."
Abstract This paper maintains that, although historians argue that resistance rhetoric was highly entwined with anti-Communist sentiment in the context of the history of Southern desegregation, this correlation appears to be more academic than realistic. The paper further maintains that anti-Communism was used as a false rhetoric to shift the conversation away from the real issue, the difficulty southerners had with changing their way of life. The paper then concludes that, when most southerners realized that change was inevitable, they engaged in the rhetoric of gradualism backed by various delay tactics and token efforts at integration.
From the Paper "To the credit of Webb (2005), he acknowledges that the use of Cold War themes in resistance rhetoric needs to be understood beyond the concurrent development of the Cold War and the resistance movement. He asserts that southerners needed a different way to depict a regional struggle against segregation and to remove the issue of race from the debate. Therefore, they leveraged the Cold War to represent their opposition as a national struggle against a foreign enemy."
Tags:anti-communist, fear of change, parallel, cause and effect relationship, gradualism
Abstract The paper researches the potential effects on the American economy of high crude oil prices in 2004. The paper discusses the dependence on oil for energy purposes and describes the energy problems in the U.S. and the world at large, including crude oil prices. The paper illustrates the effect on the American economy.
From the Paper "High crude oil prices and in turn high prices for refined products, are the source of worries about the economy in the fall of 2004. The world's dependence on energy sources, most of which are not located in areas where they are consumed, causes the locations of world energy reserves to be as crucial a concern as are the energy surplus and deficit characteristics of the various international regions."
Abstract This paper presents a critical review of Paul Roberts book, "The End of Oil". The paper relates that Roberts' book begins with a candid series of observations that while realistic, are also gloomy. The paper summarizes these observations and then discusses another contention made by Roberts regarding the problems with the world's energy economy. The paper also discusses some of the solutions to the world's energy economy that Roberts makes and points out some of the problems with these solutions. Lastly, the paper discusses the Bush administration's energy policies according to Roberts and concludes with a reference to Robert's concern about what will happen in the Middle East if and when the Saudi crown prince dies. He is a close ally of the U.S., but upon his death, there will be a power struggle in Saudi Arabia, and some experts are convinced that a very anti-American power structure could emerge that could cut the U.S. out of oil.
From the Paper "Meanwhile, Roberts' book begins with a candid series of observations that while realistic, are also gloomy. In his Prologue, Roberts points out that the Middle East countries are engaged in a "perpetual state of political instability, ethnic conflict, and virulent nationalism" - and oil is at the center of this chaos. The war that the U.S. launched in 2003 in Iraq - ostensibly to remove Saddam Hussein from power - was, Roberts insists, whether "openly acknowledged or not...clearly meant to restore Middle Eastern stability and maintain Western access to a steady supply of oil." The suspicion by Roberts and many others that the current executive branch had a secret oil agenda is given credibility by the fact that the vice president, Dick Cheney, was recently the CEO of Halliburton, an oil service giant, a company in fact that was given billions in no-bid contracts to work in Iraq following the toppling of Saddam."
Abstract This papers introduces, discusses and analyzes the book "The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies" by Richard Heinberg. According to the paper, author Richard Heinberg explores the world's dependence on fossil fuels in this book, and comes to the conclusion that the "Party's Over" when it comes to society's long-term dependence on non-renewable forms of energy. The paper reports that sooner or later, we will run out, and when we do, it will alter society forever. The paper is written from a personal perspective.
From the Paper "I feel the current political policies, for the most part, are critically flawed and need to be radically reformed. In fact, I think many politicians have their heads in the sand over this issue, and need their attitudes totally readjusted. I just read an article online that the Nevada Legislature wants to rescind a law giving "green" builders tax breaks, because it could cost the state too much money (Bellisle). This seems extremely short sighted and backward to me. It is a time when we should be encouraging the use of alternative power and building methods, rather than rescinding tax incentives. That is just one reason I feel the current political policies are fatally flawed and unrealistic. It seems as if the politicians refuse to do anything until the problem is staring them in the face, and by then it will be too late. As the author notes, "In hindsight, the reasons for abandoning the path of conservation seem tragically wrongheaded" (Heinberg 80). I think we need to make it "cool" again to conserve and be aware, and begin a strong educational campaign to teach children in school and their parents, how important it is to conserve energy and change our basic energy usage patterns."
Tags:oil, fuel, energy, crisis, conserve, conservation, danger, fossil, fuels, green
Abstract This paper explains that Korean War, one of the most destructive conflicts of the 20th century, is called the "forgotten war" because it took place less than five years after the end of World War II. The author points out that the basis of the Korean War not only was the distrust between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S., but also was fostered by underlying political contentions between North and South Korea. The paper relates that, from a general historical point of view, Russia, through its political strategies and anti-Americanrhetoric, was more influential than China in starting the Korean War; it was the fear of global communist dominance that was the most obvious cause of the war.
Table of Contents
Introduction: the Background
The Causes
China and Russia
From the Paper "Efforts were made to normalize the growing tension in the region; and, in 1948, an attempt was made to hold elections throughout the country. However, this failed mainly due to the fact that North Korea refused to allow voting observers while demanding full observer access to the voting in the South. The result was that both North and South Korea declared that they had been victorious in the election. Each declared their government as the true representative of the entire Korean people. Against this background, there was a growing buildup of military power in the north and south. Each government was aided by their respective supporters ? the Russians and the Chinese in the north and the Americans in the South."
Abstract The paper researches the oil energy industry and how it affects us. The paper discusses the manner in which oil prices affect individual citizens, the airline and transportation industries. In addition, the investigation explores government regulations on energy. The research substantiates the claim that in the modern world the top privately owned oil companies are extremely profitable, because western society is addicted to the oil energy. The paper explains that, as a result, energy companies' profits are related to supply and demand.
Outline:
Introduction
Oil as a Commodity
Petroleum Sector
Transportation Industries
Government Regulations on Energy
Foreign Affairs
Black Energy Trade
Future Trends
Future
Conclusion
From the Paper "Oil has long been a source of fuel in America and throughout the world. During the last three decades America and other nations have greatly increased their dependence on foreign oil, however America was not always so dependent on foreign oil. According to Han (1994) during the late 1940's America was both the main producer and consumer of crude oil and petroleum products in the world. The author explains that there was "an average annual production of 1,906 million barrels of crude oil during 1947-49, the United States alone accounted for nearly two-thirds of the combined production of all market-oriented economies. This situation existed simply because the United States was a large industrial economy that thrived on oil more than any other country in the world (Han 1994, pg. 11)." "
Abstract This paper discusses how President Truman's rhetorical style and manner of outlining the objectives and direction of American politics, brought a radical change to the rhetoric of American politics especially during the Cold War. The paper examines the phases that Truman's rhetorical context follows, focusing on his rhetoric in the first years of the Cold War just after World War II and the following years.
Outline:
Introduction
Propaganda during the Cold War
a) Period of Naivete
b) Period of Hysteria
Evaluation
From the Paper "According to Medhurst (1988), between 1945 to 1947, Truman exhibited rhetorical failures by choosing the rhetorically "inappropriate strategy of silence and noncommitment" (p.54) when confronted with the inflexible and deceitful politics of the Soviet Union. Medhurst states that the President's rhetoric during this period, was reticent and one which failed to inform the Americans about the arising problems of Soviet "expansionism, intimidation and support for indigenous armed minorities" (p. 55). In fact, Medhurst defines Truman's rhetoric as a "rather laudatory of the Soviet Union" (p. 55) and points out that it was due to his forthright, clear and authoritarian rhetorical manner that lead to the perception that the Soviet-American relations were mildly positive. However, even though this authoritarian style attempted to portray the Soviet Union in a mildly positive light in the eyes of the American public, "rhetoric had not mirrored reality" (Medhurst, 1988, p. 56). Vague assertions such as "we shall refuse to recognize any government imposed upon any nation by the force of any foreign power" (as cited in Medhurst 1988, p. 56), stated by the President in a foreign policy address in 1945, "were as close as he would come to overt criticism of the Soviet regime" (Medhurst, 1988, p.56). "
Tags: Truman, rhetorical, rhetoric, speech, Cold, War, propaganda, administration
Abstract This paper briefly describes the beginnings of the American economy, explaining that it has almost always been based on big business, and then takes a look at the evolution of the American economy in more recent times. The paper discusses the development of micro and macroeconomics and its influence on the American economy as well as the influence of Japan's economic strength and the role of financial institutions in America. The paper also discusses the general state of the American economy today and what the future holds for the economy, explaining that while there is no guarantee, America's economy in the future looks strong.
From the Paper "It is an arguable fact that the initial American economy was built by outsiders....The Irish built the canals and tall new buildings and roads. The Chinese helped build transcontinental railroads. But, without entrepreneurs, some legitimate, some not, all this labor would have gone to waste. There were no true business giants in the rest of the world to compare with the Rockefellers, Morgans, Carnegies and Fords. Yet, the pioneers who settled this country now sat back and let hired imported cheap labor do much of the work. The American economy, as the 20th Century began, created an ever-widening gulf between the Have's and the Have-Nots. There was little sympathy for Communism as the voice of exploited workers. People like Eugene V. Debs and Norman Thomas developed Socialist political parties, but the were a distinct minority. Unions, on the other hand, began to flourish, and with them came the strong and powerful union leadership which, after World War II deteriorated into the same greedy, power-mad elite that they had organized to fight."
Abstract This paper examines the debate over oil drilling in Alaska. It suggests that it is not necessary even given current and possibly future gas shortages in America. It gives various reasons to the adverse affect of using Alaskan oil reserves including the Exxon Valdez incident, the development of supplementary energy sources, and environmental issues.
From the paper:
"As gas prices have risen over the past year, the term "crisis" has been tossed around a great deal, suggesting a number of different possibilities. Among these: Americans may soon run out of gas, Americans may soon be paying five or ten dollars per gallon, and the American will stall utterly if there is not enough cheap gas available. In fact, of course, none of these speculations is true. What is true, and what will be discussed in this paper, is that these higher gas prices are indeed a wake-up call to Americans that something must be done to change our expectations about where our energy will be coming from in the next century."
Tags: environment, energy, Exxon-Valdez, fuel, oil, fuel, prices, energy
