Obama and Bush in the Iraq war Essay Example for Free

Obama and Bush in the Iraq war Essay On April 11, 1991, the Gulf war ended with a cease fire that was negotiated between the United States and its allies and Iraq. A policy of containment was maintained by the United States and its allies towards Iraq. This policy encompassed various economic sanctions by the United Nations Security Council, the enforcement by the United States and United Kingdom of Iraqi no flying zones and inspections to prevent Iraq from developing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. In October 1998, the United States official policy toward Iraq became regime change with the enactment of the Iraqi liberation act. The act provided for the transition of Iraq to a democracy following the withdrawal of United Nations weapons inspectors. This legislation however did not correspond with the terms that were set out in United Nations Security Council Resolution 687 which basically focused on weapons and weapons programs and made no mention of change of regime. The United States and the United Kingdom launched the Operation Desert Fox one month after the Iraq Liberation Act was passed. The rationale behind the campaign was to restrict the ability of Saddams government to produce chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. On the other hand, United States national security personnel hoped that the exercise would weaken Saddams grip on power. With the election of Bush as the United States president in 2000, the United States became actively inclined toward the policy of regime change in Iraq. The Republicans campaign became prior to the elections called for complete implementation of Iraq Liberation Act and the ousting of Saddam. The invasion of Iraq may have been planned since the inauguration with the first National security meeting discussing the invasion (Hamilton, 2004). However, there are also claims that the National Security Council discussions were a continuation of Clintons administrations foreign policy. However, little formal step was made by the Bushs administration toward invasion despite its stated interest in liberating Iraq until the September 11, 2001 attacks on the twin towers. The rationale behind the invasion of Iraq after the 9/11 attacks has been questioned as there was little to suggest that Saddam had any cooperation with Al Qaeda. Shortly after the attack, President Bush announced the new war on terrorism which was backed by the doctrine of preemptive military action. Why Bush Started the War The Bushs administration considered Saddam Hussein to be a major distraction and threat not only to American security but also to global peace. As such, the only way to guarantee the global stability and peace was by ousting Saddams regime. The administration believed that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction and thus rushed to conquer the country before they could fire any weapon. The administration also believed that Saddam was a major sponsor of terrorists and with the 9/11 attacks, the American people were thirsting for some form of action. The electorate of the United States was skillfully convinced that the best solution to the problem of terrorism was to get Saddam Hussein. As such, the main reason that was given by the Bushs administration as a justification for the invasion was the Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. Other reasons were that Saddam supported terrorism and held the people of Iraq captive. Another primary motive which was however not stated with regard to the invasion of Iraq was the consolidation of oil resources in Iraq (Holtzman, 2006). A report which was commissioned before the September attacks by Dick Cheney indicated unambiguously identifies Iraq as the main destabilizing influence to the flow of oil to the international markets from the Middle East. The report also indicated that Saddam had expressed a willingness to threaten to employ the oil weapon and to use his own export program to influence and manipulate oil markets. Iraq was a destabilizing influence to global oil flow from the Middle East and therefore United States military intervention was inevitable (Moore, 2004). Within the American grand design for the world, oil plays a major role. The Middle East id the only place that is capable of satisfying the demand for oil as it contains the world’s largest reserves. An increase in the demand for oil was conceived by the Bush administration as inevitable, and Iraq was a stumbling block. The invasion was thus necessary for the United States to guarantee its energy needs. By securing a strategic position in the Gulf region through establishing a friendly and compliant government in Iraq, the United States will not only manage check the OPEC but also influence the conduct of other global powers. Why Obama is against the war According to Obama, Iraqs invasion without any clear rationale and without strong international support had the capacity to lead to instability not only in Iraq but also in the Middle East (Ambinder, 2007). The invasion, according to him, would fuel sectarian warfare. The Sunnis, having been empowered by Saddam, were likely to discover that they were the targets of Shia radicals who sought for revenge for the way that they were treated and power to control Iraqs future. Iraqs insurgency will thus be inspired, not only by the desire to kill the Americans but also by the ambition to be in power when the United States leaves. Obama also opposed the war because he envisioned a situation whereby the attacks would increase leading to the death of more American young people. The difference between Obama and Bush with regard to Iraqi war became clear in 2007. The year marked a critical turning point in the war in Iraq. It was during this period that Iraq sunk into a state of savage sectarian chaos with three thousand civilians dying every month. It was also during this period that the American people lost hope in the war and were thus prepared to bring the troops back to America. However, instead of letting the soldiers go back to America, a move that was favored by both Republicans and Democrats, Bush ordered a troop surge to ease the violence, suppress al Qaeda in Iraq and set the stage for political reconciliation. Obama had much to say concerning this issue, predicting that the surge would not be effective (Stone, 2009). Obama was not convinced that the twenty thousand additional troops would not solve the sectarian violence in Iraq. According to him, the effect will instead be reversed (Obama, 2002). This move, in his view, would not solve the long term political strife between the ethnic and religious groups in Iraq. Obama believed that strategic defense is a much more preferable approach to the entire war, an idea that many people seem to agree with. He opposed the war on the premise that the United states did not know how much it was going to cost, what the exit strategy would be and how the invasion itself will affect the relationship of the United States with the rest of the world. Again, he doubted the soundness of the American intelligence and held that capturing Bin Laden ought to have been the priority. Obama felt that because Al Qaeda had not been put to rest, it may act as distraction. Obama conceived of the invasion of Iraq unwise use of the military. According to him, the invasion brought more problems than solutions as more and more money was being used, more American soldiers were being killed and Al Qaeda had grown stronger. With regard to the reduction of the surge due to the deployment of more troops, Obama felt that it the reduction of violence was mainly as a result of the sacrifice by the soldiers. According to Obama, the Bush administrations judgment concerning the length of the war, the conception of America by the Iraqis as the liberator and the view that there was no history of violence between the Shiite and the Sunni were all wrong. Obama referred to the war in Iraq as a dangerous distraction. His view is that central front in the war on terror was never Iraq but the terrorist themselves. As such, his position is that the terrorists should be attacked directly. His new strategy has therefore been to directly fight Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. His first priority has been to end the war in Iraq as he had opposed it from the onset. With his position that the war in Iraq was unnecessary, Obama has made it his responsibility to redeploy the United States combat troops that propel Iraqi leaders toward a political solution, rebuild the military and refocus on Afghanistan and broader American security interests. His plan is to remove the combat brigades from Iraq by 2010 and to send additional combat brigades to Afghanistan. The worth of Iraqi war Assessing the worth of Iraq war requires that one reflects upon whatever would have happened in the Bush administration would have not gone to war in March 2003. There is no secret concerning the things that have gone wrong ever since the United States invaded Iraq but it cannot also be assumed that everything would have gone right if the United States had not invaded Iraq. It is a fact that there was a heavy casualty which does not go well with the American public. However, there is need to address what the alternative to war would have meant. Many people agree that Saddam was not the best leader. Other individuals like Madeleine Albright compared him to Hitler, a comparison that cannot be far from the truth in many respects. Saddam had contempt for human life, killing thousands of his own citizens beside threatening and butchering his neighbors. It may therefore be argued that removing such a man from power was worth some sacrifice. A more intriguing question is however whether the failure of the United States to go to war with Iraq in 2003 would have produced a lasting peace or would have postponed war. It may be said that Saddam would have pushed toward confrontation and war regardless of what might have been done. He brutally and patiently pushed his way to power in Iraq after which he impatiently and brutally made himself the dominant figure in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. In all these instances, he employed war and the threat of war as his principal tools. In short, Saddam was in every conceivable way a threat not only to his people but also to world peace. However, some individuals have argued that even though Saddam posed a threat to world peace and stability, he would have been contained through sanctions and no-fly zones which would have acted as deterrence (Hunt, 2008). This argument was advanced even before the war even with the belief that he had weapons of mass destruction. For the majority of Americans, the question of whether the war was worth fighting revolves around whether the weapons of mass destruction were recovered or not. However, the major issue is whether Saddam could have been contained. Even though the war in Iraq has remained unpopular, the Iraqi people can claim some success with regard to the introduction of democracy. With the help of the United States, the Iraqi people have been successful in establishing the first Arab democracy. This is a major achievement with regard to the war on terror and for the purpose of liberty. The different ethnic and religious groups can now work together in a national army. They have made important steps in repossessing their country from the insurgents that have invaded their homeland. The Iraqi troops are solely responsible for clearing the Basra and Sadr City. The oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein was ousted. Conclusion The main difference between Obama and Bush on Iraq war lies in the objective of the invasion. The bushs administration saw it as a war against terrorism while Obama felt that there were better ways of fighting terrorism rather than invading Iraq. A sensible argument for the invasion was not that Saddam was about to attack anyone with a nuclear bomb. It was that the preservation of containment would nit have been indefinite and that Saddam was defying the international community repeatedly and that this defiance seemed to both the Clinton and Bush administration to be succeeding gradually. It may therefore be argued that if the Bush administration would have not gone to war then the United States would have faced a more daring and dangerous Saddam Hussein. References Ambinder, M. (2007, April 21). Obama’s Iraq evolution. National Journal, 39(16), 79-80. Retrieved on March 29, 2009 from EBSCO host database. Hamilton, W. (2004, April 17). Bush began to plan war three months after 9/11. The Washington Post, p. A01. Holtzman, E. (2006). The impeachment of George W. Bush; A handbook for concerned citizens, New York: Nation Books. Hunt, T. (2008. March 18). Bush: Iraq war worth it. The Huffington Post, Moore, J. (2004). Bushs war for reelection: Iraq, the White House, and the people. John Wiley Obama, B. (2002, October). Barrack Obama’s 2002 speech against the Iraq war. Retrieved on April 23, 2009, Responsibly ending the war in Iraq. (n. d. ). The White House. Stone, M. (2009, May 9). Bush 2007 v. Obama 2009? The Global Buzz. Retrieved on March 29, 2009,

journalism Essay -- essays research papers

When journalism is chosen as a career, society tends to have a stereotypical image of a group of photographers chasing celebrities. If not, then an image of an anonymous person writing biased comments about current affairs, trying to manipulate the truth. However, their real work earns them every cent they deserve unlike the heartless lawyers who earns millions for defending criminals. The work of journalism, on the hand, consists of interviewing and attending events in all conditions in order to gather news and information for public interest. This is followed by further research into the background information then assessing suitability of reports and articles for public. The process is much more difficult than expected, especially with the requirement of interpreting news at the same time commenting on public’s behalf within an established style and format. Although the hard work usually comes to a good income, certain qualities and skills are needed. The qualities and skills required mainly evolve around their general knowledge and English skills. All journalists must be able to write clear, concise, objective, and accurate material in a limited time. It also requires the ability to work under pressure and in long, irregular hours under any weather conditions. As the job could be undertaken in different areas, journalists must have good communication skills to gather news from sources and in cases of working on radio or television, must be able to interpret the informat...

Problems and Questions

Briefly explain the meaning of R-squared. A time series analysis of demand tends to result In a higher R-squared than one using cross-sectional data. Why do you think this Is the case? R-squared measures the goodness of fit of a regression equation. A time series analysis of demand tends to result in a higher Required than one using cross-sectional data because data is being gathered at multiple periods of time as opposed to one period of time when using cross-sectional data. II.What is the identification problem? What effect will this problem have on the regression estimates off demand function? Explain. The identification problem occurs when there Is an Inability In the principle to Identify the best estimate of values of one or more variables In regression. This problem effects regression estimates of a demand function because there is a simultaneous shifting of both the supply and demand, which results in biased results. Ill. A. Why are manufacturers' new orders, endogens capital goods, an appropriate leading indicator?They are an appropriate Indicator because they are commitments that show that economic activity will take place In the future. B. Why Is the Index of Industrial production an appropriate coincident Indicator? The Index of Industrial production Is an appropriate coincident indicator because it provides information about the current state of the economy. C. Why is the average prime rate charged by banks an appropriate lagging indicator? It's an appropriate lagging indicator because changes in the prime rate generally trail changes in the rest of the economy.IV. You have been asked to produce a forecast for your compacts product, bottled water. Discuss the kind of Information you would look for In order to make this forecast. An effective forecast for bottled water would Include sales revenue, marketing, competition, Seibel issues that may arise in the future, and information about the target demographic. V. One of the most difficult tasks in re gression analysis is to obtain the data suitable for quantitative studies of this kind.Suppose you are trying to estimate the demand for home furniture. Suggest kinds of variables that could be used to represent the following factors, which are believed to affect the demand for any product. Do you anticipate any difficulty in securing such data? Explain. Determinants of Demand for Furniture Suggested Variables to use in Regression Analysis Price Prices set for furniture at competing companies Tastes & Preferences % of people who like modern, rustic, traditional, contemporary, country, etc. Hypes of furniture Price of related products Price of accent Items (blinds, pillows, rugs) Income Average Income of buyers Cost or availability of credit % of people who purchase furniture with cash or credit Number of buyers # of sales per year Future expectations Availability of products, future income of buyers Other possible factors Seasonal sales I do not see any problem securing this data. M ost of this Information can be maker of a leading brand of low-calorie microwaveable food estimated the following emend equation for its product using data from 26 supermarkets around the country for the month of April.

Emma Goldman Essay

In January 1886 a 16YOA Jewish girl- Emma Goldman arrived to in New York City from St. Petersburg, Russia, where her parents ran a grocery store. As soon as immigration officials had examined her and approved her entry into the US, she hurried to Rochester, New York, where her half-sister lived. Emma was extremely independent-minded. Her father had tried to force her to marry when she was 15, saying when she protested that â€Å"all Jewish daughter needs to know is how to prepare gefulte fish, cut noodles fine, and give man plenty of children† Defying her father, Emma had flatly refused to marry. â€Å"I wanted to study, to know life, travel,† she explained years later. She had also found the harsh government of Russia Czar unbearable. Like most immigrants she expected the United States â€Å"the land of opportunity,† to be a kind of paradise on earth. Moving in with her stepsister’s family, Emma got a job in a factory sewing coats and earning $2.50 a week. She paid her sister $1.50 for room and board and spent 60 cents a week on carfare to get to and from her job, leaving her only with 40 cents for all her other needs. But when she asked her employer for more money he simply told her to â€Å"look for work elsewhere.† This she did, finding a job at another factory that paid $4.00 a week. In 1887 she married Jacob Kirshnern, another Russian Immigrant, but they did not get along and soon divorced. She moved to new Haven, Connecticut, where she worked in a corset factory. In 1889 she moved to NYC. There she took up with a group of radicals most of them either socialists or anarchists. She herself was by this time an ardent anarchist, convinced by her experiences with all with the darker aspects of American Capitalism that all governments repressed individual freedom and should simply be abolished. In New York, Emma fell in love with another Russia-Born radical, Alexander Berkman. They started a kind of commune with another couple, sharing everything equally. Emma worked at home sewing shirts. Alexander found a job making cigars. They never married. Next, the couple moved back to New Haven, where Emma started a cooperative dressmaking shop. Then they moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, where, with Berkman’s Cousin an artist, they opened a photography studio. When this business failed, they borrowed $150. And opened an ice-cream parlor. Nearly all immigrants of that period retained their faith in the promise of America life even after they discovered that the streets were not paved with gold and that the people and the government were not as perfect as they had expected. But Emma was so disappointed that she became even more radical. The harsh punishment meted out the anarchists who were accused of Haymarket bombing of 1886 shocked her deeply. In 1892, when she and Berkman learned of the bloody battle of Pinkertons and striker during the Homestead steel strikes, they closed the ice-cream parlor and went back to New York. They formed a plan to assassinate Henry Clay Frick, the arch villain of the Homestead Drama. First they tried to manufacture a bomb, but that proved to be beyond their powers. Berkman then went to Pittsburg, where, posing as a representative of an agency that provided strikebreakers, he got into Frick’s office. Pulling a pistol, Berkman aimed for Frick in the shoulder. Berkman then stabbed Frick, but still homestead boss survived. Convicted of the attempt on Frick’s life, Berkman was imprisoned for fourteen years. The next year Goldman was herself arrested and sentenced to a year in jail for making an â€Å"incendiary† speech urging unemployed workers to distrust politicians and demand government relief. Upon her release, she was taken up by leading native-born radicals. She got to know Lillian Wald and other New York settlement workers, but while she respected their motives, she disparaged their methods. It did little good to teach good table manners to people who had no food, she believed. Leaving the US, Goldman went to Vienna, where she was trained as a nurse. When she was returned to America, she worked as a mid-wife among the New York poor, an experienced that made her an outspoken advocate of birth control. She also helped organize a theatrical group, managed a touring group of Russian Actors, and lectured on theatrical topics. In 1901, Goldman was arrested on charges of inspiring Leon Czolgosz to assassinate President McKinley, Czolgosz had attended one of Goldman’s lectures, but there was no direct connection between the two, and the charges against her were dropped. In 1906, Goldman founded Mother Earth, an anarchist Journal. When Alexander Berkman was released from prison later that year, she made him it editor. Mother Earth denounced governments, organized religion, and private property. Goldman believed in primitive form of communism in which all would share equally and no one would have power over anyone else. By this time Goldman had become a celebrity. â€Å"Her name in those days was enough to produce a shudder,† recalled Margaret Anderson, editor of a literary magazine. â€Å"She was considered a monster, an exponent of free love and bombs.† During the next decade Goldman campaigned for freedom of speech all over the US and in Canada and lectured in support of Birth Control. She even developed a plan so that subscribers to Mother Earth could also get the American Journal of Eugenics, a Magazine that advocated contraception. In 1915, after Margaret Sanger was arrested for seminating information on birth control, Goldman did the same in public speeches. She was arrested and spent two weeks in jail. Goldman regarded the Great War- and Especially American entry in it- as a calamity beyond measure. When congress passed a conscription act, she Berkman, and a few other radicals organized the No-Conscription League, not so much to persuade men to resist the draft as to provide and and comfort to anyone who did so. In 1917, Goldman and Berkman were convicted of conspiring to persuade men not to register for the draft. They served two years in federal prison. In 1919, they were deported to Russia. Two years later, disillusioned with the Bolsheviks, she left the Soviet Union. â€Å"Red Emma† Goldman was not a typical American, but she was in many ways a typical immigrant. She held on to the culture of the old country; most of her close friends in the United States were Russians. But at the same time she learned English and quickly became familiar with American ways. She worked hard and developed valuable skills. Gradually moved up the economic ladder: from sweatshop laborer, to factory worker, to running a shop, to nursing, to lecturing, and editing magazine. And while she was critical of the government and economic system of the United States, she was a typical immigrant also in insisting that she was an American patriot. â€Å"The kind of Patriotism which loves American with open eyes.†

Atomic Radius Definition and Trend

Atomic Radius Definition and Trend Atomic radius is a term used to describe the size of an atom, however, there is no standard definition for this value. An atomic radius may refer to the ionic radius, covalent radius, metallic radius, or van der Waals radius. Atomic Radius Periodic Table Trends No matter what criteria you use to describe the atomic radius, the size of an atom is dependent on how far out its electrons extend. The atomic radius of an element tends to increase the further down you go in an element group. Thats because the  electrons become more tightly packed as you move across the periodic table, so while there are more electrons for elements of increasing atomic number, the atomic radius may decrease. The atomic radius moving down an element period  or column tends to increase because an additional electron shell is added for each new row. In general, the largest atoms are at the bottom lefthand side of the periodic table. Atomic Radius Versus Ionic Radius The atomic and ionic radius is the same for atoms of neutral elements, such as argon, krypton, and neon. However, many atoms of elements are more stable as atomic ions. If the atom loses its outermost electron, it becomes a cation or positively charged ion. Examples include K and Na. Some atoms might lose multiple outer electrons, such as Ca2. When electrons are removed from an atom, it might lose its outermost electron shell, making the ionic radius smaller than the atomic radius. In contrast, some atoms are more stable if they gain one or more electrons, forming an anion or negatively charged atomic ion. Examples include Cl- and F-. Because another electron shell isnt added, the size difference between the atomic radius and ionic radius of an anion isnt as much as for a cation. The anion ionic radius is the same as or slightly larger than the atomic radius. Overall, the trend for the ionic radius is the same as for the atomic radius: increasing in size moving across and decreasing moving down the periodic table. However, its tricky to measure the ionic radius, not least because charged atomic ions repel each other. Measuring Atomic Radius You cant put atoms under a normal microscope and measure their size- although you can kind of do it using an atomic force microscope. Also, atoms dont sit still for examination; they are constantly in motion. Thus, any measure of atomic (or ionic) radius is an estimate that contains a large margin of error. The atomic radius is measured based on the distance between the nuclei of two atoms that are barely touching each other, which means the electron shells of the two atoms are just touching each other. This diameter between the atoms is divided by two to give the radius. Its important, however, that the two atoms dont share a chemical bond (e.g., O2, H2) because the bond implies an overlap of the electron shells or a shared outer shell. The atomic radii of atoms cited in the literature are usually empirical data taken from crystals. For newer elements, the atomic radii are theoretical or calculated values, based on the probable size of the electron shells. How Big Are Atoms? A picometer is 1-trillionth of a meter. The atomic radius of the hydrogen atom is about 53 picometers.The atomic radius of an iron atom is about 156 picometers.The largest measured atom is cesium, which has a radius of about 298 picometers.

Language Teaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Language Teaching - Essay Example Normally, people learn their first language through the natural inputs of hearing, seeing and observations in their daily life experiences. It was only after the emergence of psychology as a branch of science that interest on the evolution of methods based on the research findings of how human acquire learning and how they respond to different modes of teaching took a paradigm shift. And as part of a changing world system, the methods have also evolved to become more effective over the years. (Anthony, E.M. 1963). Most of us learn to speak at least two languages. Our first language (L1) is known as our native language, and is acquired from our childhood years. The Second Language (L2), also known as foreign language, is acquired as taught in schools, or by living in a state where another language is spoken. Acquiring the first language in most situations is as effortless as learning normal routines. We learn it because we are exposed to it most of the time. On the other hand, learning another new language calls for greater effort and dedication, and persistent application of the trial and error methodology. The emphasis on this type of language teaching is on how an individual can successfully grasp a second language over a given period of time. It is suitable for the classroom as well as the individual student, because every student who wants to learn a new language has different learning needs, and the instructor has to choose the right method to be used in teaching the classroom which can be easily understood by everyone and does not alienate any student in the class. (JoAnn (Jodi) Crandall, p.3). 3. Approach, Design and Procedure Richards and Rodgers developed a three levels framework to help instructors effectively teach second language. The three levels: Approach, Design, and Procedure, are interrelated to each other as the content of each level directly affects the contents of the other levels. Richards and Rodgers implied that in order to select the best method, we should look at each method as a separate series of theories and applications, and that the methods can be evaluated by comparing and coordinating the three interrelated levels. Now let us define the three levels first. (Richards, J. and T. Rodgers. 2001). 3.1 Approach No methods exist alone unsupported by theoretical views, and that is why methods and theories must be viewed together. The methods that are to be utilized for the purpose of language grasp have their orientation in well tested and defined theories. The system or method used is first split into units of components comprising the whole. These units are then employed as components of the language, viz. grammar, vocabulary,

Making a decision and a decision tree Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Making a decision and a decision tree - Essay Example Jaeger is better off harvesting the grapes immediately. In my opinion, Mr. Jaeger should be guided by the decision tree options, because the calculation of options is viable. This means that the options calculated in the decision tree have a chance of occurring. From the decision tree, it can be seen that the expected monetary values for the two options are very different, a margin that Mr. Jaeger cannot afford to dismiss. However, an analysis of the case indicates that the Riesling is not a large part of the winemaker’s business; therefore, Mr. Jaeger would not be ruined if he takes the gamble and losses. This means that the winemaker has the option of taking the gamble to impress wine connoisseurs, since the presentation of a quality wine would raise the reputation of the winery. After an analysis of the two options open to Mr. Jaeger, it can be concluded that the best decision would be to harvest the grapes immediately. This is because the expected pay off from waiting for the storm is not justified by an accompanied increase in