Abstract This paper looks at how the United States' foreign policy has always been governed by what is in its best interest and changes from region to region. The writer examines four regions - Europe, Latin America, Middle East and FarEast and briefly discusses the current foreign policy of America towards these areas and how this policy benefits its national interests.
From the Paper "United States has enjoyed an important position in the international political scene, since its rise to power. The U.S government has actively participated in international political issues, primarily for the sake of country's own interest. After the Second World War, United States emerged as one of the largest economies of the world and soon acquired the position of the "only super power". The history of the United States is evident that these were the foreign policies adopted by the country's administration that led the nation to advancement, greater power and wealth in a way that no other power has ever achieved."
Abstract This paper provides a history of the country of Thailand, the origins of its people and culture. It then provides very specific demographic details of population make-up and birth-death statistics. It then analyzes various factors such as the geography, climate, education and religion. It analyzes Thailand's attraction as a tourism location, specifying poplular regions. It examines how Thailand has developed today and how it is coping with the economic situation in the FarEast.
From the Paper "Thailand covers a land area of 513,115 square kilometers, from North 5? 30? to 21? and from East 97? 30? to 105? 30?, and extends about 2,500 kilometers from north to south and 1,250 kilometers from east to west, with a coastline of approximately 1,840 kilometers on the Gulf of Thailand and 865 kilometers along the Indian Ocean.
Thailand whose origins are known were Khoms, who spread from a powerful Indian influenced kingdom in Kampuchea. The Thais are thought to have migrated from China, somewhere on. From there, they moved to the southern Chinese province of Yunnan and, later, further down towards Siam. But peasant communities already inhabited long before that appended, parts of the land. Siam is the name by which the country was known to the world until 1939 and again between 1945 and 1949. On May 11, 1949, an official proclamation changed the name of the country to "Prathet Thai", or "Thailand", by which it has since been known. The word "Thai" means "free", and therefore "Thailand" means, "Land of the Free.""
Abstract This paper discusses the arrival of Westerners to the FarEast from Europe in the 17th century. It focuses on the reasons for their arrival and the effect that Westerners had on Chinese religious and social traditions and customs. China's relationship to Great Britain at the time, is also discussed.
From the Paper "For many years, the Jesuits held Western dominance in China, mostly because they were more tolerant and open to Chinese religious and social traditions and customs. But in the mid 17the century, the Vatican in Rome became aware of what was occurring in China under the influence of the Jesuits and soon intervened with a very strict doctrinal approach to teaching Christianity. The emperor of China, the Manchu K'ang Hsi, a rather enlightened ruler for 17th century China, went against the Vatican and declared that the Jesuits' teaching style was appropriate for his people as long as it accommodated Chinese tradition. However, by the first decades of the 18th century, the Chinese monarchy evicted all Christian missionaries except for those individuals who contributed scientifically to the country."
Abstract The paper examines Hong Kong, China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. The paper includes country studies on these areas, including descriptions of native festivals and cultural differences. The writer discusses western fascination with the cultures of the Orient. The paper further includes a discussion on native foods and public holidays.
Outline:
Introduction
China and Hong Kong
Taiwan
Japan
Korea
References
From the Paper "For centuries festivals in Japan have been more a way of life than a mere reason for celebration. While many of the popular festivals in Japan are based on long standing legends others celebrate the coming and passing of the seasons. Festivals in Japan are a time to relax with family members, a time to eat and drink and a time to celebrate Japan's rich spiritual culture.
They range from the bizarre - at Kanamara Matsuri the locals parade a large pink penis up and down the main street - to the spectacular - during the Cherry Blossom festival parks across Japan become awash in a sea of pink blossoms."
Abstract In Asia, the U.S. military goal is to provide for a defense against the massive militaries of North Korea and China in the event of military escalation / conflict in that region. The future of the presence of the military in the Middle East, however, is a very different animal.
Abstract This paper examines how democratic governments in South-East Asia use violence as a tool for legitimacy. It explores the unique characteristics of some of the South-East Asian democracies with a comparative focus on the cases of Thailand and East Timor. The first part of the paper looks at how the Thai and Indonesian governments use violence and their links with the military to validate and strengthen their political legitimacy. The second part explores how these governments further use violence to quell dissent and maintain their legitimacy on an international stage, to important financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as to other countries. In the conclusion, the paper looks at the characteristics of Thai and Indonesian political institutions, which make violence an important component of maintaining political legitimacy. It posits that the rapid economic growth sweeping the region presents opportunities for more equitable distribution of resources and a greater recognition of individual civil rights.
From the Paper "This formulation presupposes that the absence of protest is the same as rational compliance. In South-East Asia, however, the seeming rational compliance often masks an undercurrent of coercion that makes dissent impossible and dangerous. This coercion is illustrated clearly East Timor's bloody struggle for independence. During two decades of Indonesian rule, the Indonesian government used military force to commit atrocities on par with the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The Indonesian military government took over East Timor's coffee exports and other businesses. Corruption was rampant as Indonesian economic migrants swarmed into the area for the jobs. In contrast to the Indonesians who profited from the area's business, many East Timorese experienced extreme hardship (Kingsbury 397)."
Tags: civil, rights, indonesia, thailand, east, timor
Abstract Robert Moses was a leader in the early years of East Harlem in New York City. East Harlem was the home of the New Negro. One of the early songs was called "All Coons Look Alike to me". The people in East Harlem have changed due to the new welfare laws and people who are dedicated to changing the area.
Abstract This paper begins by briefly outlining the astronomical pace of economic growth in the East Asian NICs. It then explores the course of development's relationship to development theory. It asserts that the neo-liberal link between economic development and democracy and greater equality is dismissed by the experience of the NICs. However, the dependency/world system approach, currently expressed in globalization, is affirmed by the recent history of the East Asian NICs and the present situation.
Abstract This paper examines Middle East terrorism. It looks at how ever since the emergence of Middle East terrorism in the nineteen-seventies, it has become increasingly evident that terrorism thrives on media coverage, and tends to fade in influence and significance when media attention is diverted elsewhere. It discusses how subsequently, radical Islamic terrorist tactics and strategy are very media-oriented, for the mass media is seen by terrorists as a long-range weapon that can strike fear into their enemies, regardless of where they live.
Abstract This paper discusses international relations and the legal regulation of armed conflict, specifically with regard to the East Timor conflict in which Indonesia refused initially to withdraw from the country. As this paper reports, the country held a referendum that was facilitated by the United Nations on whether or not the East Timorese people wanted independence or to integrate with Indonesia (West Timor).
From the Paper "The concept of legal regulation of war and armed conflict has been around for centuries. Today, the United Nations (UN) holds the responsibility of maintaining and enforcing legitimate international relations and laws of war according to the guidelines in the Charter of the United Nations. The UN is accountable for establishing the conditions of justice and monitoring peacekeeping efforts. Brokering peace is an important job and should not be taken lightly. The United Nations has undertaken broad range of governmental functions in order to ensure peace is maintained once the UN peacekeepers have departed ("East Timor" p. 2). "
Abstract This paper, written from a religious Islamic perspective, explores how diversity represents a major roadblock to achieving peace and harmony in the Middle East. The writer first describes the Muslim outlook on cultural diversity, as opposed to Christianity. The paper then highlights the different religious outlooks and sects within Islam. Several obstacles to establishing democracy in the Middle East are illustrated, with an emphasis on the suppression of minorities in the region. The author concludes citing Islamic concerns about democratization in Israel.
From the Paper "The Sunni is the largest group of the Islamic faith, with nearly 90% of all Muslims subscribing to this practice (Ibrahim, p. 323-369). The Kharawaj is another major political force in the Islamic world. When the prophet Muhammad died he had no sons to inherit leadership. The primary point of contention between these two groups is how to decide the leadership succession. The Kharawaj reject the Sunni idea that bloodlines are the most important factor, but feel that the right to rule is divinely granted."
Abstract This paper discusses the water resources in the Middle East. The essay is based on two articles but will also discuss some of the main researches that have been conducted in this area. Finally it will compare the two articles and give a brief analysis.
Abstract This essay will assume the position that the pre-modern societies of East Asia were isolated and stagnant. It is recognized that this argument is controversial, and dependent upon certain geographical and social assumptions. "isolation" and "stagnation" are relative concepts. It will be seen that two of the main economies of the region - that of China and Japan - possessed flourishing domestic economies and some degree of trade with other economies in the region. However, given the inescapable fact that European colonial powers in this era came to dominate Asia, first economically and then politically, a balanced view of the pre-modern economic history of the region must explain why this came to pass. Key to this explanation is a recognition that, in comparison to the nations of the West, the pre-modern economies of China and Japan were stagnant and isolated.
Tags: ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY (ANCIENT HISTORY) / PRIMITIVE CULTURE (PALEOLITHIC), ANCIENT EMPIRES, economies east asia
Abstract A paper concerning the topic of the conflict in the Middle East and U.S. interests. The paper claims that the United States is interested because of national security, oil and Israel.
Abstract This paper explains that the Barcelona Declaration, and the Barcelona Process that came out of it, marks a new phase in Europe's foreign policy. It explores how this is a stage in which the European Union is announcing that it cannot afford the continuing conflict in the Middle East and that peace is the only option. This peace is an important factor in the EU's foreign and security policy. It concludes that, even though the EU is not challenging the role of the United States, it is working for peace, not just following in the U.S.'s footsteps.
From the Paper "The reason why the European Union is placing a high level of importance on the Middle East Peace process is that it is related to its own security. This is admitted in the Common Foreign and Security Policy, and explained in the EU's 1999 statement on peace in the Middle East. As the CFSP openly seems to declare, the security interests of the EU cannot be divorced from the Middle East situation, not just because of the close geographic relation between them but because this area provides the EU with the majority of its energy needs and counts as a major trade partner, not to mention a leading source of investment in Europe (16). Therefore, the close geographic and economic relations between the two regions have placed the EU in a position in which it needs to give a status of priority to the Middle East Peace process. It is as such that the EU's resolution on peace in the Middle East firmly calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state, the removal of illegal Israeli settlements and the return of all occupied Arab territories (""EU European Parliament: Resolution ..."). The fact that the EU stresses these points is because it understands that the realizing of these goals is the only way to stabilize the region, thereby creating a peaceful and stable neighborhood for the EU."
