Us Policy On Iraq Essay Example for Free

Us Policy On Iraq Essay The war in Iraq has been costly not only to the Iraqis and Americans but to the whole world. Some political analysts say that it is ironical that the war on terrorism has led to increased terrorism activities in defiance and retaliation. Events such as the February 22, 2006 bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, the attack in Mumbai this week and countless suicide attacks in and out of Iraq have been making headlines. In Iraq, such activities are undermining efforts of the current transitional government and the US and her allies to bring peace and stability in the region. Seemingly, terrorists and insurgents are keen to undermine Iraq’s economy, security, and political process. This has led to different quarters asking for a change in the US Iraq policy to one that is based the desire of Iraqis for the speedy formation of an inclusive, national unity government that serves the interests of all Iraqis without drawing so much resentment and hostility from the people and form a sable government. Though the Iraqis themselves produced this key provision (transitional government), the United States throughout helped facilitate agreement on it and other key provisions be it on religion, oil allocation, or federalism. Therefore, looking at the present US Iraq policy helps in understanding the whole process in Iraq as to why these polices are not working and the war continues almost 6 years down the line at the expense of the tax payer’s money. This paper looks at these policies and evaluates how successful or unsuccessful they have been and make recommendations for alternative policies. Policies According to the dossier on US Iraq policy http://www. uspolicy. be/issues/iraq/iraq. asp), the US activities in Iraq are based on †¢ A noble fair and just war †¢ Suppression of the Al-Qaeda and †¢ Reconstruction of Iraq Fairness of the war The underlying policy in the war in Iraq has been that â€Å"the war in Iraq is noble, necessary and fair†. President Bush has been clarifying o n the importance of the war saying that â€Å"Defeating the enemy in Iraq will make it less likely we will face this enemy here at home†¦. † (www. whitehouse. gov/news/releases/2008/03/20080319-3. html). This one single policy locks out all arguments that have been fronted or were fronted even the before the war began. As such, the US feels compelled to attack and occupy Iraq until she feels that her main reason of going to war as to liberate the people of Iraqis fulfilled. But does this bring another definition of freedom into the limelight? Salim 2007 asks. The author says that â€Å"the presence of American and allies troops in Iraq is a threat of the peace and freedom they claim to fight for the people of Iraq†. The Bush administration believes that the war in Iraq is noble in that it is carried out in the right manner in a conscious way. What necessitated the war were the claims by the Bush administration that the government of Sadam Hussein was supporting terror groups and terrorism activities. Now with the man they sought dead, what else could then be the driver to increased instances of terrorism activities? This is one question that the Americans have not paused and addressed it unto themselves according to one online analyst Suppression of the Al-Qaeda As one of the leading terror groups in the world and the one responsible for the terror attacks in the US world trade center, Al-Qaeda is blacklisted by the American government to be denied access to resources that would enable the group to carry out its terrorism activities. With the group based in Iraq, it is feared that it will easily gain access to the numerous oil fields and utilize those resources in undermining global peace efforts. As a result, the targeting of the Al-Qaeda as a group and not Iraq as a country has created a long list of countries that the Bush administration feels deserves action. Among them are Syria, Sudan and Somalia. In light of this view, the American government insists that the idea of attacking Iraq was not for political reasons or economic gains but by a justified reason to protect the globe from terror harm. Continued occupation of Iraq by the US and her allies thus is in pursuance of the denying the terror groups and access to resources. This is accomplished by ensuring that Iraq has a stable government that is capable of handling internal hostilities and insurgencies which are led by the terror groups. Therefore, it would seem irresponsible of the US withdrawing from Iraq without due suppression of the Al-Qaeda. Unfortunately, suppression of the group has not been as successful as such. Countless minor or affiliate terror groups have sprung up and continue to carry out their deadly attacks. This indicates that there is need to change the manner in which the US approaches the terror group. The approach of denying the groups access to oil money does not seem to work as it may be that the terror groups have other sources of resources to finance their activities. Reconstruction of Iraq Two wars against Iraq by the US have crippled the infrastructure of Iraq that is currently an eyesore. The gulf war and the present war have reduced oil production from the world’s third largest oil reserves with 84 billion barrels of oil under her surface. Decreased production has created an oil crisis in the global market leading to skyrocketing petrol and petroleum products. Reconstructing Iraq and maintaining peace and stability in the region is seen as of the ways of bringing down the global oil prices that are hurting very many economies. As the attacker, the US government is bound by moral and humanitarian obligations to correct the effects of the war and reconstruct the economy. Prior to the war, the US had promised to reconstruct the country after the ousting of Saadam. Thus even as the war continues, the US government is committed into helping Iraq find her path to economic prosperity a d realize full democracy. As evidence of this, the US government has been financing almost entirely the transitional government in Iraq either in direct aid o humanitarian aid. Unfortunately, most of the aid forwarded to the country according to Pilisuk and Rountree (2008) is in form of military aid. The future of Iraq The unprecedented length in the Iraq war has called for reevaluation of strategies used in the war. The Bush administration has unveiled six elements it incorporates in its new policy on the Iraq war (http://www. whitehouse. gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070110-3. html). 1. placing leadership on Iraqi people 2. Empowering Iraqi people to defend themselves against terrorism 3. Isolate extremists; 4. Facilitate democracy 5. Diversify political and economic efforts 6. Situate the strategy in a regional approach. By letting the Iraq people lead, then the Iraqis will take responsibility of their own actions and have more responsibility in decision making that will be very critical in stabilizing the region. The second element of helping the Iraq people protect the population has two sides of it. For one, the Iraqi nationals will be involved in fighting terrorism. Secondly, the citizens will keep away from terrorism activities national and international. All these elements are going to be accomplished in four fronts: economic, political, regional and security. Iraq was formerly the leading economy in the Arab world in the late 1980’s. Prior to the Gulf War, the country was using her oil reserves for economic development and prosperity. A series of external attacks have derailed the country from its earlier path and it today relies heavily on foreign aid to run basic government operations. At the moment, the country is just a shell of the former self. Questions have been raised over the effectiveness of the US policies on Iraq and the future of the country. Now that the US economy is facing financial turmoil, the questions on whether the aid assistance to Iraq will continue if of utmost importance. The recent signing of an agreement between the US government and the transitional Iraq government signed an agreement allowing the US troops to remain in Iraq beyond 2008 into the year 2009. Unfortunately, some of the Iraq people are not comfortable with this move. They view that the presence of American troops in their territory infringes on the country’s sovereignty and it is tantamount to total disregard of democracy and independence of one country. They therefore call for the unconditional withdrawal of all foreign troops in the region. The expected coming to power of Barack Obama as the US president provides some hope for a change in policy in how the US handles the situation in Iraq. In his campaign addresses prior to the elections the president elect promised a phased pout withdrawal of American and allied troops from the region that would approximately take 16 months. In addition to this, the fact that the president elect was against the waging of the war from the very word go shows that there is a looming drastic change in the American policy on Iraq once he occupies office. The current economic crisis in America will throw Iraq into further turmoil unless quick strategized withdrawal is put into place. Before the on start of the war, the Bush administration claimed that Iraq had in its possession weapons of mass destruction which were suspect of being used for terrorism purposes. Therefore, the idea behind the war was based on recovery of these weapons and the toppling of the Saddam regime as a supporter of terrorist groups. Unfortunately, only the toppling of Sadaam happened as no weapons of mass destruction were seized. Assuming that the terrorism groups never gained access to the weapons where else could they source such weapons? By adopting such a question, then the US government can have a broader perspective on the fight against terrorism. The resentment by the Iraq people that have fueled increased internal terror activities have resulted from the humanitarian crisis present in the country. US troops have been accused of committing humanitarian atrocities among them killing of innocent civilians and raping of women and young girls. It would seem appropriate then that the US government carries out its operations in Iraq with a lot of caution over the volatility of the region and the sensitivity of the connection between Muslims and terrorism. This is because among the many violations that the troops are accused of, a majority of them have a religious violation connotation. This is very important in that abrupt withdrawal of troops could throw to waste all the efforts made in stabilizing the region and eventually winning the war on terror. In conclusion, it would seem that the best manner in which to carry on the war and formulate polices in handling the war, the involved parties in coalition forces and the US should emphasis on winning the confidence and trust of the Iraqi people. Some of the hostilities meted against sympathizers of presence of foreign troop are not terrorism based but an expression of the anger of the presence of the troops. Unfortunately, the US has not been keen to interpret such incidences as so but is comfortable with the labeling of such activities as terrorism. Therefore, the future of Iraq lies in how strategically America positions itself in the eyes of Iraqis and the success of sanitizing the existing image of America in the eyes of Muslim extremists. Works cited Pilisuk, M. and Rountree, J. Who benefits from global violence and war, New York: Greenwood, 2008 Pillar, P. Terrorism and the US foreign policy, Chicago: Brookings 2004 US policy towards Iraq, Washington: GPO, 2003 Iraq policy at, (www. whitehouse. gov/news/releases/2008/03/20080319-3. html US troops to stay in Iraq beyond 2008 www. arabamericannews. com/news/index. php? mod=articlecat=Iraqarticle=670

The Healing Process Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Healing Process This is a brief psychological overview of the healing process. The image of healing is best described by Gloria Vanderbilt in "A Mother's Story" when she talks of breaking the invisible unbreakable glass bubble which enclosed her that kept her always anticipating loss with echoes of all past losses. She wrote, for example (Page 3),"Some of us are born with a sense of loss there from the beginning, and it pervades us throughout our lives. Loss, as defined, as deprivation, can be interpreted as being born into a world that does not include a nurturing mother and father. We are captured in an unbreakable glass bubble, undetected by others, and are forever seeking ways to break out, for if we can, surely we will find and touch that which we are missing". This concept of healing was also described by Philip Berman in "If It Is Not Good Make It So" as changing positively from the unhappy attitude of(Page 48) "we never got the habit of happiness as others know it. It was always as if we were waiting for something better or worse to happen". Psychological theory of change suggest it is possible to heal, to break out of the glass bubble, to develop the attitude of happiness. For example, in "The Process of Change: Variations on a Theme by Virginia Satir says on Page 89 that "successful change-making turns out to involve struggle, necessitating skill, tenacity and perspective". The struggle occurs when a foreign element produces chaos until a new integration occurs which results in a new status quo. Kurt Lewin echoed this view in saying that an old attitude has to unfreeze, the person experiments, a new attitude develops and a refreezing occurs. Janis and Prochasky suggest a person starts in relative complacency, is presented with challenging information, the person evaluates the new challenge to habit or policy and reviews alternate policies to create a new policy or return to the original one, The psychological theories focus on perspective and rational thought. The significance of the therapist is in giving a new perspective and in aiding self-esteem in order to break down resistance to change. Otherwise, Satir suggests people are likely to revert to their trance lik... ... learn that laws and mores are not absolutes but open to constant revision as we are to do with our inner selves. Psychology seems to share the ideas that a person in emotional pain is stuck in a self made prison which can be escaped through unconditional positive regard and a fresh perspective. What isn't clear is how rational thought combined with 'love' enters the person's heart and soul. Bibliography Bugental James,F.T. "Lessons Clients Teach Therapists", J. of Humanistic Psychology Vol.31 No. 3 Summer 1991 Mittleman Willard "Maslow's Study of Self-Actualiztion: A Reinterpretation" Journal of Humanistic Psychology, Vol. 31 No.1, Winter 1991 Pages 114-135 Morrow Susan L. and Smith Mary Lee,"Survival Coping by Sexual Abuse Survivors", Journal of Counseling Psychology 1995 Vol 42, No.1, pages 24-33. "The Process of Change:Variations on a Theme by Virginia Satir", J. of Humanistic Psychology, Vol. 34 No.3, Summer, 1994 Pages 87-110. Schoen Stephen MD "Psychotherapy as Sacred Ground", J. of Humanistic Psychology, Vol 31 No.1, Winter 1991 Pages 51-55 Vanderbilt Gloria, "A Mother's Story", Alfred A. Knopf, N. Y. 1996

Mesopotamian and Egyptian Culture

The main scripture that holds the Christian faith is the Holy Bible. It has existed for a very long time already that it is already considered as an â€Å"institution† when it comes to its teachings and the values that it imparts on the readers. Some religions have even sprung from Christianity itself, and the basis of their teachings is also the Bible. But there are some who dispels the notion as the Bible being an institution of knowledge by saying that some parts of the Old Testament has been copied or patterned to other writings from other cultures. This has greatly affected the formation of the Old Testament, since it has to incorporate some materials and information from other cultures. It could also just be a coincidence that they have similar points, other than that, neither one of them copied the contents of the other. The Epic of Gilgamesh/Gilgamesh as the Babylonian Noah One of the great literary pieces to ever exist was the Epic of Gilgamesh. It talks about how the great Sumerian King Gilgamesh lived is life. Even though epic was compiled into written form a very long time ago, it has existed way back in 2100 B.C. in another form which is through word of mouth. This just show how long it has already been in circulation, in order to establish a comparison with the existence of the Christian’s Moses, if he ever existed. Moses, when he came into the scene through the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament, is said to be 800-900 years younger than the Epic of Gilgamesh. With this information at hand, it is clear to see that the Epic of Gilgamesh came first, with a head start of 900 years before The Book of Exodus in the Old Testament came into existence. One of the arguable points in the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament was Great Flood that the Lord had given the lands of man. It was done in order to cleanse the earth of the sins of man. However, in the Epic of Gilgamesh, we can see that there was also a great flood delivered to cleanse the world of sinful people: same content, but different stories. It was Ut-Napishtim who told him about the gods giving such punishments to people. He told Gilgamesh to take down a house and make a boat out of it. He would spare Gilgamesh’ family and relatives; he was also instructed to gather as all the animals and living things that he can spare. Gilgamesh was vey much like the famous Noah who built the Ark on God’s bidding for them to be spared, along with pairs of different animals he can gather. But considering the time frame, it is more like, Noah was very much like Gilgamesh who built a large boat, and God was very much like Ut-Napishtim, who cleansed the lands with a great flood to get rid of sinful people. Gilgamesh and Noah are two different people coming from two different cultures in different time frames. They are very similar in a lot of aspects, especially in the matter of the Great Flood. If it was merely a coincidence that they both constructed a great water vessel and rounded up all the animals in the world, no one knows. It is just that These two men were both heroes and icons of their own times, and have made their marks in their own different cultures. The Code of Hammurabi and the Laws of Moses One of the most notable law maker/leader would be King Hammurabi of the Babylonian Dynasty. He was noted for his Code of Hammurabi, a very influential set of laws and corresponding punishments to its violators. He existed around 1792 B.C. to 1750 B.C., 300 years before Moses is said to have existed. The point of comparison that is being built-up here is that Hammurabi came before Moses. Most people know that Moses is noted to be the bearer of the Lord’s 10 Commandments. This is because of some claims saying that even the 10 Commandments, as well as the laws set by Moses or the Mosaic Laws were patterned to the Code of Hammurabi. There are several concepts that would attract one’s attention if he’s looking for similarities. One of these concepts is with regards to the respect for parents. For Hammurabi, a son who strikes his father should have his arm cut off. In Mosaic law, if someone curses his parents or is very rebellious, then death is the right punishment. Another would be on marriage. For Hammurabi, if a man wishes to leave his family, then he should prepare a fraction of his property and wealth in order for the mother to raise their children. On the other hand, Mosaic law says that divorce will only be allowed if a spouse becomes indecent or unfaithful. Both Hammurabi and the Mosaic law agreed that death should be the appropriate punishment for both man and woman committing adultery. Incest for them is also unacceptable, and should be dealt with sever punishment, and if necessary, it should be death for those who have committed the crime Theft is also another aspect of similarity, where both of them condone the act of stealing and robbing from other people. In the Mosaic law, whatever living property is stolen and has been killed, should be returned five folds. If it is alive, it should be returned immediately. On the other hand, Hammurabi states that it depends on the social position of the thief, whether he should pay ten-folds or thirty times the original. But for those caught in the act of robbing someone else or stealing someone else property, no matter how valuable it is, the punishment to be given should be death. Finally, the one that showed relevant similarity was on inflicting physical injury in another person. In Mosaic laws, it depends on the weight of the damage done by the offender. Injuries which are not serious should be given necessary fines, where the offender would pay this fine for the damages he has done to the victim. But for those who have committed serious injury on somebody else, then it would be necessary to exercise taking a life for a life, or a limb for a limb. The Hammurabic code is the source of the line â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.† The Hymn to Aton Not only did the Bible borrowed from the early Mesopotamian societies, they have also extracted some from early Egyptian cultures. Praise worship for the Lord which is found in several verses of the Bible can be traced back to tomb scriptures of some of the great men of Egypt, rulers who have made a great impact on their constituents. They are revered even after their deaths, with poems, songs and hymns being written for them as a form of praise-worship. This has been adopted by some verses in the Bible, showing how the Lord is miraculous, powerful and merciful. Not many of the people know that these verses were patterned from some dead guy’s tomb scriptures. The Sinai Covenant The Sinai covenant has been the primer of what seemed to as periodic worship, which is timely, for it was allotted a day in a week for worship. However, there are also other religions that follow this day of the Sabbath, where they would do nothing else but worship their gods all throughout the day. This is in relation to what the Bible claimed to be the day of worship for its followers. References: Anonymous. â€Å"Egyptian & Old Testament Scriptural Correspondences.†Ã‚   http://www.mystae.com/restricted/streams/thera/egypt.html. Caroll, Robert Todd. â€Å"Noah's Ark.†Ã‚   http://skepdic.com/noahsark.html. Latoundji, David Paul. â€Å"God at Sinai: Covenant and Theophany in the Bible and Ancient near East.† Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society ( Mar 1999). Nosotro, Rit. â€Å"Comparing the Content of Hammurabi's Code, Mosaic Law, and Justinian Law.†Ã‚   http://www.hyperhistory.net/apwh/essays/comp/cw03hammurabijustinlaw.htm. Tolerance, Ontario Consultants on Religious. â€Å"Comparison of the Babylonian and Noahic Flood Stories.†Ã‚   http://www.religioustolerance.org/noah_com.htm. Worldwide Church of God. â€Å"Did Moses Steal the Ten Commandments? .† Worldwide Church of God, http://www.wcg.org/lit/bible/law/steal10.htm.      

Jonathan Roghubir. Ethics Of Engagment. Professor Genzale...

Jonathan Roghubir Ethics of Engagment Professor Genzale We live in a society where we must fit and understand social justice. Its justice in terms of how wealth is distributed and the different opportunities and privileges amongst the people. Viewing things in an ethical manner allows people to make decisions based on position of self and society. People all over transpire from many different ethnic backgrounds leaving the world very diverse. What people fail to realize is that not everyone can be the same. If that was the case it would be unusual to see different races, gender, and language. The things that make up our community is what makes us unique and stand out as a nation. People must not become blind to the things that make†¦show more content†¦They were all forces who saw that the world needed change and they each had their own ways in ensuring there was change. Malcolm X was a civil rights activist who used violence to make his voice be heard. He practices violence because he saw no power in verbal fights with people w ho seemed weak. Nelson Mandela was a civil rights activist but most famous for helping bring an end to apartheid. He led peaceful protest and the armed resistance movement. Mahatma Gandhi the leader of the Indian independence movement whose profound spiritually and belief in justice inspired the world. Gandhi revered the world over his nonviolent philosophy of passive resistance. Each of these activist goals were to end social injustices. Although they fought and died supporting civil rights to day discrimination is still evident. When we wake up to the news every morning to see how the world is changing in such a bad way. Immigrants still faces issues entering a country that they only came to, for better opportunities. Police brutality against minorities, the killings of the young and innocent. People who can’t be comfortable in their own skin because they are afraid of what this and that person might say. It is very disappointing knowing that so many people throughout our h istory fought for equality so that today the world would run peacefully and it is not the case.