Cain (2005) confirms that Democrats and Republicans had a mutual agreement of building a big tent politics. Their aim was based on attracting voters, building coalitions, combining forces, and sharing a common interest to achieve objectives such as combating the war on terror, the war on a moral foundation and the war on economic infrastructure (Cain, 2005). However, rather than forming ‘big tent', the political parties have formed a wider tent filled with controversies. Parties are forming political rallies but with a common purpose of building a great America. However, despite the common purpose, the parties present different progressive ideas and approaches (Cain, 2005). As a result of different views on how to combat the war on terrorism, culture war and economy war, the parties are filled with bitter disputes and the inability to pass law due to disagreements. The Americans patriots who created the U.S the American constitution and the democratic government said that first, people should be patriotic, second they should have self-interests and third, they should create political parties (Cain, 2005). However, today's politics is stupid as politicians have reversed these important elements. Rather than devoting to build one's country, create a sense of attachment and have national pride, political leaders put their interest first and ignore the interest of the citizens. Democratic and Republicans are injudicious and lack effective leadership. They show a high level of stupidity in that rather than creating common goals of eliminating barriers that hinder development, identify problems and implement solutions, and connecting people, they create more barriers to development and implement wrong solutions (Cain, 2005). Rather than motivating and inspiring voters to have higher turnouts, they create class warfare that division in social, political and economic positions. The American political system should change and focus on self-government. Politics should focus on improving the community, better health, quality of life and well-being.
Reference
Cain, H. (2005). They think you're stupid: Why Democrats lost your vote and what Republicans
must do to keep it. Macon, Ga: Stroud & Hall Publishers.
Whiskey back in 1974 was distilled money for the frontline farmers. These are farmers that had no money and whiskey was the easiest and most profitable good for them. Everything for this farmers depended on the whiskey and this included even paying the preachers, whiskey was exchanged for the basic needs of these farmers including food and other supplies (Chesney, 1528). Under the presidency of George Washington, Congressional Federalists passed a whiskey tax on the nation’s whiskey producers in 1791 which sparked the whiskey rebellion. The tax was meant to help deal with the financial burden that the state was going through at the time. The tax was a good idea by Hamilton to help raise money for the state, but it negatively impacted the small producers and this is what triggered the rebellion. The rebellion itself consisted of two stand points, there were those that supported the taxes commonly known as the federalists and they included the large producers and the federal government. And there were those that opposed the tax commonly known as the democrats and they mostly included skilled workers and the small farmers (Chesney, p 1529).
The Federalist position denounced the Democratic - Republican Party as an illegitimate faction who they viewed, with fear of subversion in mind that the opposition to the Federalist policy equated to be active disloyalty to the Government. The rebellion by the democrats was viewed by the federalist to be a move to try and dis-empower the federal government and it was not tolerated hence the show case of power through the use of force (Patrone, p. 247). However, at the other end of the spectrum or rather the Democratic-Republican Party, which included the people, in which the tax affected the most, being the farmers and consumers of whiskey themselves saw the taxation as a discriminative move by the government against them. The tax was viewed as unfair and unjust, so in accordance to these solemn beliefs of constitutional rights a rebellion was formed in which was essentially hopeless. It was quickly shut down via retaliation from the government, but this was the first example of political suppression in our nation's history. Though the rebellion from the democrats was shut down, this did not help implement the unfair taxation. The rebellion empowered the democrats to continue fighting for their rights and it paid off with the whiskey taxation getting repealed in the year 1802 by President Thomas Jefferson (Kotowiski, p 1).
Arguments for the tax by Federalists
Hamilton and Washington were the leaders and face of the federalists that supported the whiskey tax. The support for the tax amplified centralized power which planned to use the taxation exercise to help reduce the monetary problem. Hamilton believed that whiskey industries could bear the burden of paying tax with the average American family drinking six gallons of whisky every year. Hamilton argued that that intake could cost about $1.50 annually for every family and this would greatly help ease the financial burdens that the country was going through at the time (Kotowiski, p 1). The supporters of this tax argued that alcohol intake was a luxury and not a necessity and so the people that did not want to be taxed could stop taking the alcohol. The others argued that the farmers could just raise the price of their products to their consumers so that they could have enough to pay for the tax. They backed up their argument illustrating that the rich were already paying a tariff of 8% on imports and that cost them much more than the $6 tax every year (Patrone, p. 248). The two pro-activists led an army of about 13,000 men to search for whiskey criminals in Pittsburg and though they did not manage to arrest many whisky dealers, they managed to pass across the message to the society (Kotowiski, p 1). The federal government showed that it had the power to use force and also back up laws that supported their move. The ambitious big government programs that were created by Hamilton received a lot of opposition from the democrats like Jefferson that believed in individualism. Hamilton’s argument for the tax was functional for about two years after which violence broke out with the tax collectors getting attacked which later on led to the tax getting repealed.
Arguments against the tax by Democrats
The leader of the anti-federalists was Thomas Jefferson who argued that the increased tax on whiskey was wrong and unfair. This taxation exercise was viewed as just illustration of prejudicial policies that were frequently dictated by the eastern elite and they negatively affected the common American residents (‘Whiskey Rebellion’, p 1). Other critics of the tax included the small farmers and the skilled workers, the farmers sensed that the duty was a misuse of federal power that was erroneously aiming and confronting a population of farmers who relied more on harvests such as corn and grains to make whisky and make revenue (‘Whiskey Rebellion’, p 1). The shipping of the grains was dangerous mostly because of the poor storage which could lead these crops to go bad hence the decision to make liquor out of their crops which was easier to ship as well as preserve. Whisky was a form of currency for the farmers and a means of lively hood because they exchanged everything that they needed with the whisky. These farmers were not in a capacity to pay the required tax that was informed of money without falling into dreadful financial strains. The democrats were against the whiskey tax because they felt that the tax was just a plan for the federal government to have more power which would be wrongly be expended to benefit the wealthy while the poor like the small farmers continue to be negatively affected.
Personal Position
Whiskey tax was something that brought out the issue of inequality in the American society in the sense that the wealthy are advantaged by laws created while these laws negatively impact the poor. Whiskey in the American society during that period was something that was very valued in regard to its economic impacts especially among the small farmers. This was common tool of trade that had come to be accepted as form of currency and many people especially the small farmers used it to purchase other commodities that they required. Whisky was the only cash producing product for these small farmers because it could readily be utilized instead of cash. Farmers remunerated for their dry imports with the whiskey, the traders exchanged it for next year’s supply and the priests and ministers salaries were in most cases paid through this liquor (Kotowiski, p 1). This is an illustration of the simple lie that the small farmers lived relying on the whisky for everything in their lives. The whiskey tax was required to be paid in cash, something that most of these farmers did not have the luxury of acquiring unlike the wealthy large scale farmers. The unfairness of the tax on the farmers is illustrated with the fact that the small farmers and producers were expected to pay a tax of 9 cents per gallon rate of whisky while the large producers were expected to pay an annual rate of 6 cents per gallon and the more they produced the further the tax would break for them (‘Whiskey Rebellion’, p 1). The small farmers that sold the least whiskey are the ones that were expected to pay the highest tax which was very unfair.
Taxation is not something that a federal government should impose without analyzing the effects that it will have on every member of the society. In this case, the whisky tax was something that could have worked if the federal government took time to listen to the arguments of the small farmers instead of using force to instill the tax laws. The failure of the law was mainly based on the need of the federal government to show its power to the society which instigated rebellion. I believe that if the arguments of the small producers were listened to, the policy makers would have come up with a good plan which would have ensure that the implemented whiskey tax was fair and benefitted every member of the society.
Historical Significance
In 1794 the Whiskey Rebellion was put to a stop by George Washington in his annual address to congress where he denounced the societies as inherently illegitimate. This single act was seen as the first time under the new constitution that political suppression was observed. This was just a small step in the direction that the government took just four years later in the sedition act and the beginning of a campaign to silence the Republican press in which true government suppression was shown. The significance of whiskey rebellion is that it was the first test of the power that the federal government has within the United State constitution (Kotowiski, p 1).
The western farmers threatened the taxation law on whiskey because they were angered by the attempt to enforce the tax that they felt was unfair to them. In this case they threated the power of the federal government by trying to disregard its authority which was responded to by the government sending in troops to protect the law which helped end the rebellion (Kotowiski, p 1). The response saw army troops sent to the streets to deal with the rebellion where a couple of the rebellion members were arrested. Through this rebellion response, the federal government showed its power in the society something that has impacted the modern society (Kotowiski, p 1). This is the same power that the government today has to enforce various taxation laws that are seen fit for the society as long as they are fair and do not favor certain members of the community against others like the whiskey tax did. The rebellion is an illustration of the legitimacy of the federal government power and also its limits; though the federal government was able to counter the whiskey rebellion a lesson on the importance of equality was also impacted.
Works cited
Chesney, Robert M. (2004). “Democratic-Republican Societies, Subversion, and the Limits of
Thesis statement: The development of Latin America and the rising of China in the 21st century
Chapter 1: Introduction and overview
The introductory part will embrace all the alterations and show the gradual change from ancient times to today. Latin America underwent astonishing advances in the past couple of decades (Shambaugh, 2013). Although the region, well known for negative things, it is a beacon of hope due its cultural diversity and environmental beauty.
Chapter 1.1 Over View of the underlying factors
Latin America is home to an estimated half billion people. Despite the various form of challenges, the region is in a better political space (Shambaugh, 2013). On the other hand, the economic progress of China is notable and crucial for historical purposes. China is not a new comer in global politics and setting economic goals.
Chapter 2: Underlying Reasons for the Development of Latin America and Rising of China
The proper utilization of land integrated with right amount of environmental systems played a fundamental role in the rising of China and setting it up on the world stage. Reclamation of land and putting it to proper use allows setting up of residential areas, industrial firms, and corporation world (Shambaugh, 2013).
Chapter 2.1 International Strategies And Global politics
The nature of China and Latin America’s international strategies center on food and energy to bring about social economic progress in their own nations. More so, combining better standard trades and a good geopolitical surrounding is enough to favor and stimulate the various social and economic sectors of the two countries (Shambaugh, 2013).
Chapter 3: Role of Politics in Developing Both Latin America and China
According to Statistics, in 2011, Latin America moved from poverty to middle-income territory (Hammond, 2014). No country is an island and geopolitics had a role to play in establishing key fundamental aspects that would see the region develop in its various social and political aspects
Chapter 3.1: Trade Treaties
It is vital to note that Latin America is the only place where income disparity reduces on a daily basis. In fact, in the past 15 years, China played a major economic role in Latin America and even the Caribbean (Hammond, 2014). The interdependence between China and Latin America allowed access to a reliable market and profits rose from around 10 billion dollars in the year 2000 to an estimated $ 270 billion in 2010. Simply, put China had a significant political and economic impact on Latin America.
Chapter 4: Correlation between The Rise of China and Development of Latin America
Political researchers and observers claim that china loans and offer suitable trade deals to developing regions such as Latin America (Hammond, 2014). Investment in other regions based on agreeable terms with fewer stipulations brings out good political good will other countries unlike western nations, which have tough terms when offering loans
Chapter 4.1: Political Impact
In the end, China accessed and gathered greater political influence over the years (Hammond, 2014). The decisions made between china and Latin America may facilitate screwed economic decisions in the future resulting to a slow economy.
Chapter 5: Summary and conclusion
It is a factor that China’s all time high demand for Latin America products, undeniably boosted the economic sector of Latin America resulting to more people moving into from poverty to middle income status (Hammond, 2014).
Chapter 5.1: Geopolitical Factor
The broad geopolitical environment encourages the interaction of China and Latin America through increment in economic capabilities between the two countries (Shambaugh, 2013). China gets its share of political power through handing out economic favors and Latin America receives financial support to stimulate its economic growth and put its social structure in place.
Reference
Shambaugh, D. L. (2013). China goes global: The partial power (Vol. 111). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hammond, A. (2014). Which World: Global Destinies, Regional Choices-Scenarios for the 21st Century. Routledge.
This research paper contains a set of pages on the negative effects and problems associated with mass incarceration in the U.S. Main focus on this papers is the U.S style form on mass incarceration that involve punitive isolation of many deprived minority. It is argued that incarceration has turn out to be a middle society for the community of minority. It has checked cost of imprisonment on different aspect in life. In other words, it finds out how to determine the historic growth rate in prison inhabitants over the past decades has affected incarcerated, mental and physical health status and their families in the society. The research contains five pages that cover the following sub-headings: the introduction of mass incarceration, how children whose parents are incarcerated are negatively affected, the spread of HIV/AIDS on the incarcerated and ways on how mass incarceration can be solved.
Introduction
Incarceration is the state of being confined in prison. It is the main form of chastisement and rehabilitation for the commission of felony and other offences. In the world, the main penal complex populace and the maximum per person imprisoned. Incarceration is painful and can’t be viewed as being partial to the loss of objective freedom. It brings removal of choice such as the need for conjugal rights, segregation from liberated society, access of assets.
Children experience all sorts of things as they grow up and their well-being get influenced (Hoghughi, & Long 2004). The incarcerated individuals are parents who have kids left out suffering in the pity less society. There is a change that comes to families when someone goes to prison. In most cases, a child becomes the host of this changes becoming negatively affected when their parents are incarcerated. In the last 25 years, incarceration has emerged like a prime power in the redefinition of paternity (Arditti, 2014). Parenthood is a life-varying condition and skill that obviously involves focusing on offspring and their growth. Although parents are stimulus concerned for their children security, preventing hardship and promoting their growth, the act of incarceration prevents the parents from fulfilling their duties.
Economic instability also can have effects at the aggregate level, meaning that they matter not just for kids who personally acknowledge the incarceration of a close relative but also for other children growing up during the same uncertain times (Wakefield & Wildeman, 2014). The influence of parental situation on the lives of offspring is obvious not only in differences between labor associates but also in ancient ethnic disparity in physical condition, education and occupation achievement and happiness. This demonstrates that, accounting for paternal incarceration represents a significant advance in explaining the racial gaps in childhood well-being. They also have implications not only for individual children but also for inequality among them.
The imprisonment affects children and lives them homeless, an event we would all hope to have our children avoid (Wakefield & Wildeman, 2014). A homeless child has durable negative consequences, meaning that its effects spill over into adulthood. This children experience high rate of victimization and exposure to infectious disease and have limited access to health care making them compromise later health. Mental problems also occur to the children suffering from incarcerated parents making them struggle to keep up with their school work.
The catastrophe of health care behind bars particularly among the mass incarceration of the poor and uninsured people with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C and other constant and contagious diseases that can be hazardous if stay untreated, has given rise in the United States to what might be called disastrous punishing institutions. The overcrowding of the prisoners in jail with soaring rates of AIDS set in motion a deadly chaos behind bars (Crowder & Steiner, 2008). In most prisons and jails prisoners nearly suffered from multiple maladies, often a consequence of a long-neglected viral infection. The incarcerated rarely received a comprehensive approach to their medical care; furthermore, all HIV/AIDS infected prisoners were being isolated from others and taken to stay in poor infrastructures. The analysis of a failed system of health care especially for prisoners with HIV/AIDS at Limestone prison contributes a broader understanding of penal conditions in an increasingly punitive age (Crowder & Steiner, 2008). This analysis demonstrates how at the institution level of health care delivery, overcrowding and hash living condition have led to the veritable dehumanization of sizable populations confined in the jails and prisons all across the United States. This should give pause to all those concerned with crime and punishment, irrespective of political ideology.
Mass incarceration being the greatest civil rights injustice in the United States, the government has to re-think on how the prison can be used as a hasty sentence greater part of crime (Alexander, 2012). The wrong fairness scheme drives reinforce deep-rooted cultural discrimination. Way on finding solution to the increased mass incarceration in the United States, writers have called for reduction on expenditure of incarceration and at the same time option on how spending of government funding developments has to be viewed. Politically legislature should start reversing growth of jails to protect community security while eliminating urgent troubles of physical condition, schooling and failing country budget (Jacobson, 2005). The replacement of possessions from correction to other part of the scandalous injustice system and to other parts of administration is the easiest way to emulate the prison problem. Consequently, affecting national incarceration rates would involve the difficult task of changing most states diverse prison and related policies.
Government management that governs the prisons should put hand in making sure that the elimination of lower level crimes is done in order to lessen the level imprisonment (Alexander, 2012). When someone breaks the low, prison should not be the default criminal justice sanction. The law makers and assembly should modify sentence law to build alternative to jail defaulting fine for definite recessed wrongs, like pedaling and minor robbery. State and central legislature are supposed to lessen least and most sentence strategy and build which are more relative to the committed crime. Punishment should occur to those who commit crimes like stealing instead of taking them to prison. In fact investigation shows that, long term imprisonment do not lead to lesser recidivism. Occasionally, longer stay can even enhance recidivism (Jacobson, 2005). The in charge management should reduce time taken in jail for those who did petty mistakes in the society this will trim down the number of incarcerated prisoners. On the matter of health care control in the prisons of the United States it is seen becoming hectic to treat the situation. People have come on board to find solutions to this situation of isolated programs of taking care of the diseased in the prisons. This can be pinned out when we look at the systems in the Limestone prison where they have doom known as “doom 16”. This doom is said that is segregated for HIV infected individuals (Crowder & Steiner, 2008). In this doom, it is said that patients have no space of movement for rooms are densely occupied. The state of this doom contributes a lot in the spread of other diseases since it is dirty and this makes it become a habitat for dangerous insects that spread diseases when they bite one person to another. For this reason infectious diseases multiply like wildfire through a populace of organic and badly managed environment. This can be fascinating description on physical condition. Catastrophe for the concealed jail competence links are abandoned and forgotten. Recurring fatalities which covers unobstructed outlook in the United States gives this personnel and non-governmental organization ways to treat this situation.
Conclusion
The rise in incarceration rate of U.S. has become a big brow to many both those who commit crime and those who govern the prisons at large. Many researchers have come up with ways to bring these issues on bond and find ways to eradicate the problem. The unparalleled increase in imprisonment rates can be credited to rising disciplinary political ambiance nearby criminal justice rule shaped in era of increasing offense and fast communal alter. It will provide the background for a sequence of strategy choice in all areas and level of administration that considerably increase verdict length, requisite jail period for small offense, and intensify penalty for drug dealers. Government should come up with strategies to help those negatively affected by the incarceration, such as children who are left behind when parents are incarcerated. Also those who are living with diseases such HIV/AIDS should be given an intensive care to prevent transmission of the virus.
Hoghughi, M., Long, N., Sage Publications., & Sage eReference (Online service). (2004). Handbook of parenting: Theory and research for practice. London: Sage Publications.
Jacobson, M. (2005). Downsizing prisons: How to reduce crime and end mass incarceration. New York and London: New York University Press.
Wakefield, S., & Wildeman, C. J. (2014). Children of the prison boom: Mass incarceration and the future of American inequality. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Change is good as a rest and the public looks forward to a new face representing their interests in the Congress. The first ramification from the public’s perspective is coexistence and acceptance of other races, as part and parcel of America (Ginsberg 112). More Americans will shun the ideologies that come with race. In other words, her election points to an ever-changing electorate that looks beyond identity into the ideals and values of leadership.
Apart from integrating the country, her election will have a divisive stance on American politics (V.O.A NEWS). Moreover, divisive politics will give voice to minority groups. In fact, the presence is of Talib is already a strong statement that minority ethnicities have a place in American society.
Question 2
The Constitution Gives the President Enough Power to Govern a Country
The constitution checks presidential powers. So far so good, the president cannot wake up one morning and decide to dictate policies, the rule of law ensures a balance between effective leadership and dictatorial tantrums. As history proves, absolute power is able to corrupt even the noblest of leaders within the society (We the people11, slide 3). However, the president can use other departments of the government to run the country because direct power can be dangerous to a nation. There are various ways the constitution uses to keep the president away from damaging the country (Ginsberg 134). For instance, the congress is an institution a president can use to further a nation’s agenda. In addition, overseeing other activities within government requires delegation of duties. On the other hand, the constitution gives the president enough power to cater for the needs of the country in times of need.
Works cited
Ginsberg, Lowi Weir, et al We the People. 11th Essential Edition. ISBN: 978-0-393-28364-8 (pbk). pgs 272-311
The film Zero Dark Thirty by Kathryn Bigelow focuses on the efforts by the Central Intelligence Agency to track the whereabouts of Al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden as a way of fighting terrorism in the country. After the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11th September 2001 (Bigelow 1), a CIA operative by the name Maya is tasked with interrogating prisoners suspected of working with Al Qaeda so as to get information that could lead to the apprehension of their leader. However, the prisoners are unwilling to cooperate, forcing the CIA to result to enhanced interrogative techniques, among which is water boarding. When analyzed under Kantian ethics, the decision to use water boarding was ethical in that the CIA operatives had a duty find the terrorists responsible for the attacks on the United States and bring them to justice. Although water boarding is a form of torture, it was a tool that the CIA operatives, led by Maya, had to undertake in order to fulfill their duties in serving their country and protecting its citizens.
According to the Kantian ethics theory, an act is considered to be ethical if the person engaged in the action performs all acts because of a duty or responsibility without being influenced by any emotions regardless of the end results (Vleeschauer 1). In the case of Maya, as a CIA operative, she was expected to do all that was in her power to retrieve information that would assist her in fulfilling her duties. Since water boarding was part of the enhanced interrogative techniques authorized by the agency she worked for, it was her duty to employ its use in interrogating the terrorist suspects (Bigelow 1). While the technique itself may be immoral due to the harm it causes those who have to endure it, Maya had to put her duty above the prisoners comfort and ensure that she used all methods to get results. The morality of her actions and decision to use water boarding is therefore determined by her duty and not by the effects that the method had on the prisoners.
While the ethical nature of an act in Kantianism ethics is determined by the duty and obligation of the person conducting the act, it can be argued that the acts by Maya in the film are better analyzed under the Utilitarian theory. The theory suggests that an act is considered to be ethical if its end results produce the most good (Driver 1). As such, the use of water boarding was ethical because the prisoners gave out information that assisted in the tracking and killing of Osama Bin Laden. Since Osama was the leader of the Al Qaeda, his death is seen as an acceptable outcome for everyone in the community. His death also brought justice to those affected by his terrorist groups, not to mention the disruption it caused to the Al Qaeda operations after losing their leader (Mayer 1). It would therefore be correct to state that, under the Utilitarianism theory, water boarding was ethical despite the pain and torture the prisoners had to endure before providing the information.
The moral dilemma comes about when the CIA need to retrieve information through interrogations from prisoners accused of being members of the Al Qaeda. There are various methods that the CIA can use to interrogate prisoners such as questionings, offering deals and negotiations. However, due to the nature of the prisoners they are dealing with, the CIA have to resolve to stricter methods classified as enhanced interrogation techniques. Among the approved methods that the agency can use is water boarding (Bigelow 1). The method involves holding the prisoner and pouring water on their face especially when placing a cloth over their head. When the cloth gets wet, it becomes difficult for the individual to breathe, giving the feeling of drowning. The dilemma for Maya was caused by the knowledge that water boarding is a form of torture but she had to carry it out in an attempt to get information to assist in finding the location of Bin Laden.
Even though the decision by Maya to use water boarding as an interrogation technique is ethical under Utilitarianism theory, its morality can be questioned when viewed from the perspective of the people tortured. To begin with, the CIA had to interrogate a group of prisoners before getting concrete information that led to the murder of Bin Laden. The people who were tortured had families who worried about their well being and seeing their loved ones suffer was in no way a common good. Furthermore, water boarding was used to torture the prisoners with the sole aim of finding the whereabouts of Bin Laden (Bigelow 1). Granted, killing Osama did disrupt the activities of Al Qaeda, the death of one person could not stop the destruction caused by the entire terrorist group. The overall good in this case was not targeting society but rather the interests of the CIA. The agency was invested in finding the men responsible for the attacks on the United States (Bigelow 1). While the common good would be to bring an end to terrorism, the interrogations carried out only managed to bring an end to a few members of the terrorist group among them being their leader. It is therefore difficult to assess the common good because the good achieved mostly favored the CIA and not the country.
The use of water boarding in Zero Dark Thirty was ethical when examined under the Kantian Ethics theory as Maya was acting in accordance to her job description, utilizing the methods that had been assessed and approved by her superiors as acceptable interrogation tools (Labrecque 1). Even though some may consider water boarding as being unethical and immoral as it is a form of torture, retrieving actionable information using the provided methods was a duty that Maya had to fulfill. Since Kantian Ethics places more emphasis on duty rather than the end results, the CIA operative carried herself in an ethical manner as she was only doing her job.
Depending on the perspective that one takes, an act can be moth ethical and unethical. This is especially because the decision of what is moral and what is not is based on perceptions that people have towards certain topics in society. In the case of water boarding, the act itself is immoral as it is a form of torture. However, since society has made the provision where some rights can be exempted especially when dealing with criminals, water boarding becomes moral under the Kantian ethics as was the case with Maya in Zero Dark Thirty. Despite being immoral, water boarding was moral as the CIA operative was carrying out her duties in accordance with the provision given by her superiors through the enhanced interrogation techniques.
Work cited
Bigelow K, “Zero Dark Thirty” First Light Productions, 2012, film
The impeachment of the United States president, Donald Trump, has received more attention after speculations have come up citing that the president allegedly paid hush money to two women that he had affairs with in the past. The information was sourced from a testimony given by the president’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen who testified at the Russian enquiry and attested to having paid the two women in an attempt to keep their alleged affair with Donald Trump secret. Despite being a violation to the campaign finance laws, Michael Cohen admitted to have paid the women but he was coordinating, and was being instructed by a candidate running for federal office. Since Donald Trump was the candidate at the time, it then means that he conspired with the lawyer and engaged in a criminal act as the hush money that bought the women’s silence influenced the way the election turned out and can therefore be considered a campaign contribution.
Since Donald Trump did not disclose the reimbursement he made to Michael Cohen in the financial disclosure he made in 2017, it then means that he sought to conceal the arrangement with him. In his defense, Donald Trump claimed that Cohen was a proven liar and that his statement is not credible (Stephen, 2018). Despite the serious nature of the allegations made against the President, it is impossible to prosecute Donald Trump during his presidency and the only way to hold him accountable for his actions is through impeachment which would, if successful, see him vacate his office and therefore make it possible for him to stand trial. While there is enough evidence to support the call for impeachment, it would be unwise to impeach Donald Trump as such a move would either fail to hold in court or even end up making him more popular which could be beneficial for him in the coming elections.
Impeachment means taking charges to congress which could act as the basis for a trial against the person whom the charges are made against. It is a provision in the United States constitution that makes it possible to remove the president from office so as to try him for crimes such as bribery, treason and other crimes after impeachment. The process to impeach is initiated by the House of Representatives where it can be passed by a simple majority. The trial is then taken to the senate but a president can only be removed from office if two thirds of the senate votes to have him impeached. While there is enough evidence to make a case to impeach Donald Trump, there are various reasons as to why he should not be impeached.
To begin with, it would require a house of representatives that is fully controlled by the democrats to carry out a successful impeachment as they would have enough votes. However, the republicans control the senate and the House of Representatives making it difficult to guarantee enough votes to remove the president from office (BBC, 2018). The success of the impeachment is further threatened by the fact that majority of the republicans are loyal to the president. Despite the serious nature of the charges made against the president, the republicans are likely to overlook the claims and continue with their support for Donald Trump and turn down any call for impeachment.
Another reason why Donald Trump should not be impeached is due to the advantage that the move will create for him especially if the case goes in his favor. With the presidential elections being held in 2020, any move to impeach the president is likely to create publicity and make him more popular (Washington, 2018). If the case is presented, all the Trump supporters will rally and back the president, a move that could gain the sympathy of other moderate voters if Donald Trump is presented as the victim. Since the case against him does not have concrete evidence that warrant the removal of a president from office, Trump supporters could use the impeachment case to gather more support from other voters that seek out justice more than propaganda and as a result, gain more support for the president regardless of whether he is guilty of the allegations made against him or not (Young, 2018). If that happens during the election period, more people may end up voting for Donald Trump and see him becoming president for a second term instead of removing him from office as the impeachment sought to achieve.
Furthermore, initiating the impeachment process is likely to draw attention from the 2020 elections and direct manpower and funds towards the impeachment process. Despite the likes of Tom Steyer donating 120 million dollars to fund the impeachment process, any donations made to impeach Donald Trump take away from the capital that would have been used to support a suitable candidate in the coming elections (Washington, 2018). Instead of allocating the resources, to the impeachment, the money should be used to gather support and fund another candidate so as to reduce the chances of Donald Trump being reelected. Since only 39% of the voters support the impeachment process (Washington, 2018), it means that majority of the voters are either satisfied with Trump’s rule or that they would rather wait for the president to finish his term and elect a new candidate. Rather than creating popularity for trump, it would be wiser to allow him to finish his term and then try to persuade the voters to elect a new candidate.
Lastly, the impeachment history in the United States should act as a caution to discourage any ideas to impeach Donald Trump. Throughout history, only two of the impeachment cases brought against seating presidents have been successful. The most recent case was the impeachment of Bill Clinton who was found guilty of obstruction of justice and committing perjury in front of a grand jury when he claimed to not have had an affair with Monica Lewinsky. It was however proven that he had an affair with Monica and even tried to persuade her to lie about the affair and this led to his impeachment. Other than Bill Clinton, the only president to eve be impeached in the United States was Andrew Johnson in 1868 (BBC, 2018). With the history of failed cases of impeachment in the United States, any impeachment attempts to remove Donald Trump from office are likely to result in failure especially with the continued support he gets from the senate. Republican senators are likely to overlook any evidence presented against Trump as they have done in the past.
The United States remains divided with voters supporting either the democrat or republican candidates. Since it is already difficult to convince the senate to agree on one thing, it will be even difficult to get them to cooperate and get enough votes to remove a sitting president from office (Trahant, 2018). Although a significant number of people may consider Donald Trump to be a bad president, his shortcomings are more of personal opinions and cannot be classified as impeachable offences (Culbertson, 2018). There is little evidence to get the senate to agree on impeaching the president as most of the allegations are offences that his supporters are likely to overlook. Impeaching a seating president for offences based on ambiguous evidence or those that cannot be classified as criminal offences greatly threaten democracy in the United States.
In conclusion, the decision to impeach Donald Trump is mostly influenced by personal opinions, backed by weak evidence that does not warrant the removal of a seating president from office. Since the aim of impeaching the president is to force him to vacate the president’s seat, all measures should be taken to ensure that the move does not end up making Trump popular amongst supporters whose allegiance can easily be swayed. Instead of focusing time, money and efforts towards the impeachment, especially with the elections drawing near, it would be wise to wait for Trump to finish his term and then try to support a new candidate to replace him. Such a move will ensure that there is enough support for the new candidate and that there are better chances to get a new president through the constitutional approach of elections. With Trump’s presidential term ending in just a year’s time, it would be pointless to waste resources and political energy removing from office when the same can be achieved backing a more worthy candidate in the next elections.
Terrorism in America has a long history and it has left a mark in the whole world since many countries have lost the life of their citizens due to the terrorist menace. Many groups are engaged in the terrorists' activity and for this reason, U.S is taking aggressive efforts to understand the structure of the terrorists, their strategies as well as their changing nature in order to combat them (Newman, Clarke & United States, 2010). However, much effort and support should come from the society since it is the target of terrorism or it is vulnerable to the terrorist threats and actions. The society should understand that the terrorist groups are active and have the ability to attack the society unexpectedly anywhere and at any period of time.
The society makes it difficult to combat territory due to;
Fear and apprehension
` Color-coded The Homeland Security Advisory System that was established after the 9/11 attack brought fear and apprehension to the community. The purpose of the advisory system was to take protective measures against terrorist attack but rather than planning effective protective measures and offering proper training to the personnel, it made people afraid (Newman, Clarke & United States, 2010). The system did not communicate to the people or it did not provide specific alerts. Thus, it is impossible for the society to combat terrorist due to fear and resilience which breaks the citizen-government inertial relationship and causes disruption in daily life. Lack of trust, security and social supports creates anxiety and uncertainty which them leads to ‘climate of collapse' thereby giving the terrorists a chance to attack the society.
Information from the media
The society is unable to combat the terrorist since the media portrays negative images of terrorists' event that trigger prejudice and fear. In addition, the information from the media creates a social-psychological perception that gives way to rumors, anxiety, and terror (Newman, Clarke & United States, 2010). The inadequacy of knowledge and the dissemination of threatening information heightens the level of unpreparedness and inability to combat the terrorists.
The group dimension
Today, the industrial society has different social roles and complex group life. Some groups have an economic interest, some form social classes, racial identity, political identity and more. These groups create divisions and the gap makes them unstable to combat terrorism in times of attack (Newman, Clarke & United States, 2010). The groups have no solidarity and create internal conflict as well as disruption to the agencies who maintain law and order.
Institutional interdependence
The transportation, communication and energy departments should work together to reduce the vulnerability of terrorist attack. However, these departments have differentiated their social activities and have become mutually dependent. Various institutions sphere including the educational, schools medical and more are structurally separated and the separation creates vulnerability.
To fix this vulnerability, there should be a new Advisory System that should play the role of providing the society with timely information, alerts and warnings to avoid the overarching threat. Also there should be multiple agencies at different levels who should coordinate in making quick decisions, sharing information and taking proactive measures in times of attack (Newman, Clarke & United States, 2010). The agencies should work together in conducting research, creating mission, rules and regulations, training and defining roles to ensure a high level of preparedness. To avoid evoking fear in the citizens, there should be a code of norms and should guide the media to avoid reporting negative information concerning the terrorism.
The terrorist attack requires planning and preparation and terrorists pass through six-stages one of it being the target selection. In the target selection, the terrorists select their targets by considering things like vulnerability and the level of protection where they use search engines to conduct research to find the vulnerable group (Gitterman, 2014). When selecting a target group, they consider factors such as ideology- the terrorists want to know how a certain group perceives the terrorism, how the group reacts to the terrorists' actions, and the level of security and whether the group disobeys the terrorists' beliefs. In addition to these internal factors, terrorists consider external factors such as the physical environment-they target institutions like schools and prisons where they recruit members who form organized groups and communicates with the terrorists on which areas to attack (Gitterman, 2014). Terrorists also consider migration as a factor. Terrorists target areas where the rate of immigration is higher. In such areas, there are many types of immigrants such as new immigrants, second-generation immigrants, and Islamic immigrants. These immigrants have different socioeconomic views and the diversity creates conflict in trying to create a social identity. Some groups resist the Western culture and want to maintain their culture and this gives way to the formation of terrorist groups (Gitterman, 2014). Finally, terrorist consider opposition institutions. Terrorists target areas where there are a radical movement and governmental problems. They target these opposing groups that are in conflict and unable to eliminate terrorism.
In planning to attack, terrorists consider hard and soft targets. Hard targets menus that the particular area or group has appropriate protective measures and so it would be hard to access the areas. On the other hand, soft target menus that the areas or the group lack appropriate protective measures and so it's easier to attack (Guzman, Das & Das, 2011). For example, a shopping mall is a hard target because it has standard security, camera surveillance and many armed security guards. On the other hand, soft targets like hotels, restaurants and high rise buildings are easy to attack due to their concrete structural designs. These areas have unarmed and unmotivated security guards who are unable to combat potential terrorists but only focus on potential thieves.
References
Newman, G. R., Clarke, R. V. G., & United States. (2010). Policing terrorism: An executive's guide. Darby,
PA: Dianne Publishing.
In Gitterman, A. (2014). Handbook of social work practice with vulnerable and resilient populations. New
York : Columbia University Press
Guzman de Melchor., Das Mintie Aiedeo., & Das K. Dilip. (2011). Strategic Responses to Crime: Thinking
The Madrid attack in 2004 in Spain involved bombing of various commuter trains targeting thousands of people making their way to work. The explosion involving 10 bombs occurred on t4 trains that were heading to Madrid killing people and another 1,800 sustained injuries. Initially, the Spanish authorities blamed the attack on Eta a separatist group from Basque Country but the group vehemently denied any involvement in the incident. An investigation carried out by police later on and ensuing trial unearthed no evidence that could link the attack to the group. The investigation later designated Islamic Militants as the major suspects in the bombings. The attacks were identified through investigation of various exhibits remaining at the scene.
Discussion
The investigation into the attack was a complex and extensive one consisting of standard forensic tests and DNA analysis, with the later mainly aimed at supporting the former (Phillips et al. 2009). The forensic tests were done on over 600 exhibits majorly comprising of contract traces including detonated IEDs fragments, the suspect vehicles, personal items at the train station or from the suspects' houses and an IED that never exploded (Phillips et al. 2009). The FBI also formed part of the team of officers investigating the attack. The anti-terrorism police officers were involved in the investigation and apprehending the suspects. The police raided the suspects' apartment where they collected the exhibits for investigation and also apprehended some of the suspects during the raids. At the time, a letter sent to an Arabic newspaper based in London claimed that Abu Hafs al-Masri, a militant group associated with al-Qaeda network, was responsible for the attack even though the accuracy of such claim could not be proved (Hamilos, 2007). Al-Qaida also claimed to be responsible for the attack through a video purporting to be from the spokesman of the group in Europe (Hamilos, 2007). The investigation led to arrest of various men in connection with a cell phone the police found in the backpack that had the undetonated explosive. In 2007, 21 individuals accused of belonging to terrorist groups were found guilty of involvement in the bombings by a court in Spain (Barrett, 2008).
The terrorist group placed 10 bombs on 4 separate trains which were then detonated. The bombs involved 14 explosive devices that had been developed and placed in various sports bags and rucksacks. The terrorist then placed these bags on trains at Acala de Henares (Sciolino, 2004). There was also a van that appeared to have been used in the planning of the attack since it consisted of documents written in Arabic and also a tape of Koran readings referring to childhood education. The attacks were coordinated since they happened nearly simultaneously with the trains being the target. It happened in the morning starting at 7:37 and going on for the next few minutes (Hamilos, 2007). The attacked trains were using the same line and heading in the same direction. Further reports indicated that 14 IEDs had been planted on these trains and the team tasked with disposing of bombs arrived at the scene and detonated the remaining one in a controlled explosion. Another explosive device was found in the evening (Sciolino, 2004). They were also carried out three days to Spain's general elections and the planners appeared to have aimed to influence the political environment in the country. Even though only the 10 of the bombs exploded, they caused massive destruction including financial costs of over 2000 Mm Euros (Hamilos, 2007). The number of victims in this incident was larger than any other such attack in the country and was even the worst bomb attack in Europe at the time (Hamilos, 2007).
The terrorists chose to attack the trains most likely because of thousands of potential victims of the bombing especially in the morning when many people were commuting to their workplaces. By maximizing the impacts of the attack, the terrorist would get the publicity and fame they wanted. The timing of these attacks especially in the morning and just before the general elections in the country clear indicates the intent of the terrorist (Dannenbaum, 2011). The country lagged behind in terms of radical Islamists irrespective of the fact that it had experienced prior attacks specifically from the ETA separatist group (Byman, 2005). Spain's proximity to North Africa, its historical association with Islam and open policy to immigration made it a transit point and hub for radical and terrorist groups before (Byman, 2005). The terrorists found a chance to exploit the country's unpreparedness to prevent or control terrorism, with few security officers and financial resources allocated for this purpose. There were terrorist threats and warnings that the government ignored and failed to take any action.
In fact among the terrorists who had been arraigned in court, there were many with terrorist history and others were known as terrorists connected with some terrorists before (Byman, 2005). There was an opportunity for the group to influence the coming elections through bombings, a practice that had previously been employed by the al-Qaida terror group. The strategic aspects of the attack were derived from more experienced terrorists especially the al-Qaida. The attack was, therefore, intended to be a shocking surprise to the country and others in Europe at the time of elections. They knew that the authorities underestimated the threat they posed or their capabilities and this led to the situation. The security apparatus and intelligence community had generally underrated the local Islamists while placing too much focus on the operations of ETA and thus failed to regard the risk posed by the Islamists (Byman, 2005).
Moreover, there is a prominent argument that the 2004 Madrid attack suspects had been radicalized due to the invasion of Iraq by the United States in 2003. There were about five individuals from the network of the responsible group who had been radicalized due to the Iraq invasion and these were part of the criminals who were being led by Jamal Ahmidan (Reinares, 2009). These individuals embraced the violent ideology during this time and others could have been radicalized after attacks of 9/11 in New York and the following military actions in Afghanistan. Spanish ruling government had clearly supported the United States in the invasion of Iraq but the opposition had strongly opposed the decision (Reinares, 2012). The radicalized individuals associated with the terror groups were presented with an opportunity to influence the election to be held if only to help the opposition to replace the sitting government. The association with al-Qaida could have made the individuals be Islamic radicals especially those from North America and would have desired to attack the train station and thus mark their presence among other groups (Reinares, 2012).
The heightened investigation by police involved DNA analysis and forensic tests on the exhibits that remained at the stations including the personal items, the devices left at the van and the explosive device that failed to go off. The court had ordered the collection of samples from the relatives of suspects who were missing and for whom the international warrants of arrests had been given (Phillips et al. 2009). The aim was to assist in identifying the DNA match with samples that had collected near the locations that were closely linked with the suspects. It was also determined that attackers boarded these trains together at the same time and station (Reinares, 2012). Some of the bombs failed to explode and this played a big role in helping the investigators to discover the group within a short time. The attackers had not scattered and remained together in one place which made it possible for the investigators to identify them. With the DNA and forensic results obtained at the scene, the investigators were able to follow some links to the suspects' houses. The officers were able to search their houses and arrested some suspects while others blew themselves up in their houses after they were corned so as to avoid the impending arrests.
Conclusion
The 2004 Madrid attack was perpetrated by some Islamist radicals from North America who were associated with the al-Qaida terrorist group. They saw Spain as a major target to attack given the country's support for the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and wanted to use this to draw international attention and make a political point in the country. The group succeeded in executing the attacks and greatly attracted the attention of European countries leading to the adoption of various anti-terror measures. The attack also influenced the outcome of the general election as then government that had support the Iraq campaign lost to the opposition that had opposed the invasion.
References
Sciolino, E. (2004). 10 Bombs Shatter Trains in Madrid, Killing 192. The New York Times, 1-1. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/12/world/bombings-in-madrid-the-attack-10-bombs-shatter-trains-in-madrid-killing-192.html
Hamilos, P. (2007). The worst Islamist attack in European history. The Guardian, 31.
Barrett, J. (2008). Court finds 21 guilty of Madrid train bombings. Reuters, May, 27, 174-179.
Reinares, F. (2009). Jihadist Radicalization and the 2004 Madrid Bombing Network. CTC Sentinel, 2(11), 16-19.
Reinares, F. (2012). The Evidence of Al-Qaida's Role in the 2004 Madrid Attack. CTC sentinel, 5(3), 1-6.
Byman, D. (2005). Strategic surprise and the September 11 attacks. Annu. Rev. Polit. Sci., 8, 145-170.
Dannenbaum, T. (2011). Bombs, ballots, and coercion: The Madrid bombings, electoral politics, and terrorist strategy. Security Studies, 20(3), 303-349.
Phillips, C., Prieto, L., Fondevila, M., Salas, A., Gómez-Tato, A., Álvarez-Dios, J., ... & Carracedo, Á. (2009). Ancestry analysis in the 11-M Madrid bomb attack investigation. PLoS One, 4(8), e6583.
Impact of international terrorism on security for world class venue
Introduction
The Premier Facility holds meeting whose attendance includes high profile individuals with large security needs. The security needs arise from the increased threats of domestic and international terrorism activities that affect the security of attendees of the events being held frequently at the venue. The devastating attacks carried out in major cities such as Paris and shootings in California indicate the level of threats that the facility is exposed to and which need to be addressed. The threat level is increased by lack of adequate training of security personnel to deal with the emerging issues. These attacks threat the performance of the facility as a preferred venue.
Impacts of domestic and international terrorism on the facility
The domestic terrorism threats are perpetrated by people or groups that are associated with major local based movements that embrace various extreme religious, political, social or racial ideologies. For example two law enforcement officers were murdered after being ambushed in a restaurant with the culprits being a couple that were opposed to the government and their intention was to use the incident as a starting point for new resolutions. Such threats from domestic terror groups are persistent where culprits defy the Frist Amendment to the constitution where personal rights are connected (Jenkins, Liepman & Willis, 2014). They commit such crimes with an aim of furthering a different political agenda. The venue is exposed to Homegrown Violent Extremists, groups that consists of individuals who are sympathizers and who can be used to carry out terrorist attacks on people holding various events in the venue. Such people have been radicalized within and their aim is to carry out attacks from within. They would aim at attacking places that are frequented by high profile persons so that their actions can be highlighted and capture the attention of the entire public. There are also large numbers of military veterans who came back from wars in place such as Iraq and are dissatisfied and are willing to embrace the extreme ideologies (Jenkins, Liepman & Willis, 2014). The difficult economic situations bring about various groups in the country that are ready to engage in violent rhetoric and instigate actual violence. These individuals may target places where they feel are associated with high profile individuals whom they consider to be privileged in the society. Since the facility holds such large and high profile conferences and meetings, any lax in security may give these groups an opportunity to carry out their actions.
In recent times, many attacks and confrontations have been carried out by lone persons with political zeal, and these have led to questions regarding their mental health. Some of the ideologies are spread through the internet platforms such as social media which are likely to feed a mental disturbance or extremist inclination that were pre-existing (Kurzman, Kamal & Yazdiha, 2017). They can be radicalized so that they act out of desires that have cautiously been considered to farther some broader cause. In addition, white supremacist or jihadist may be behind he increased cases of mass killings, with their actions driven by their ideologies. The radicals may be driven by ideologies such as Christian Identity which empowers them to perceive themselves better and other racist to evil (Kurzman, Kamal & Yazdiha, 2017). A great threat emerges from leaderless resistance where individuals work alone, and such a terrorism model lacks the control that a wider movement or group can exert over the actions of the person. Such individuals may perceive some incidents such shooting of innocent people as moral mistake and set out to correct them through vengeance. These individuals can easily enter the facility in case of security negligence and unleash attacks on unsuspecting people in the facility. Individuals who are possession of ammunitions such as guns can disguise as being among the individuals holing their events at the center and then attack from within.
The international terrorism poses a major threat to the security of the facility given their experience and expanded global reach that enables them to carry out large scale attacks. The terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida and Islamic states have managed to radicalize citizens of different countries which they use to unleash their terror on public places (Hoffman, 2016). In the past , conventional wisdom held that violence instigate by these groups would be contained only to the volatile areas and that threat to the Western countries would be random and isolated attacks carried out by “lobe wolves” without directive from any organizations . However, such wishful thinking has been swept aside by a series of attacks especially a major one in 2015, which caught the security organs unawares. There was no any warnings of the attack and the terrorists defied the then prevailing assumption that groups such as Islamic states were not keen on carrying out external attacks , and that they did not have capacity to do so(Hoffman, 2016). The fact that the leader of the operation managed to travel to Syria from Belgium, get radicalized and then back in spite of him being among the most wanted individual is a sign of the level of threats exposed to installations in the Western countries (Hoffman, 2016). This should raise the alarm over the idea that security personnel guarding the facility have in regard to complete understanding of the capabilities of international terror groups.
Given that the facility holds important high profile global events, the management is confronted with a major security environment since threats emanate from at last two large terrorists movements. The major groups specifically Islamic State can be seen to be present in the international scene in the likely future (Hoffman, 2016). It has established external operations in many Western countries that are likely to remain unnoticed until their carry out an attack. Such was the case for Paris Attacks where the Islamist lived within the country and carried out the attack without being identified by intelligence and security organs (Hoffman, 2016). The management of the facility can be caught unawares if such terrorist manage to infiltrate inside while various events or meetings are being held in the compound. Such possibilities cannot be wished away given the information about the group’s activities in the country. Defense officials and intelligence in United States have revealed important information regarding Islamic State deployment of many operatives who are likely to find their way into the country and cause security breach in various infrastructure and population (Hoffman, 2016). The situation is made worse by the involvement of foreign fighters who have returned home and in plotting for attacks which improves the effectiveness of their planned attacks (Hoffman, 2016). These individuals can target the facility since no one will be suspecting their plans especially if they happen to be among those who have been hired for management of various events. The security risk increases if these individuals are operating as lone wolves.
Planning for events involving high profile individuals in the facility is, therefore, greatly affected the activities of the terrorist groups. Domestic and global terrorism as totally curtailed the carefree operations of any event planners and even people way of life. The management has to prove to the interest stakeholders including the government security organs and attendees that security has been bolstered to prevent cases of terrorist attacks and related threats. Many people may have the fear of attending events such as meetings and conferences since it can attract terrorists who wish to disrupt such an event to make a strong statement (Skoll & Korstanje, 2014). The global terrorism related disruptions may take different forms including protesting specific operations of parties that have been associated with events being held. This is especially true if such events involve individuals who are leading fights against terrorism and whose fear include being target in their way to the facility. For example, a meeting involving government agencies presents a higher risk since its likelihood of being targeted is greater and this represent a security challenge to the management. In addition, events that are viewed as highly important are more likely to be targeted by both domestic and global terrorists (Skoll & Korstanje, 2014). The terrorists are also likely to attack foreigners who may also be tourists attending various events or meetings in the facility. They can target the major events so tat to cause fear among the attendees, so that they can send a statement to others who are planning to hold such events. This means that by targeting the facility and other individuals can desist from holding events or meetings in that place which will negatively impact the business.
The facility is associated with tourists and travellers and as destination for holding national and global conferences, which makes it a target for tourism and an attack on the facility can hurt its positive public image. The management of the facility has to incur huge costs in installing security systems that will ensure that any suspicious activities are detected before any terrorist attacks can take place. The managers have to employ every reasonable measure that will provide a safe environment for the staff and the attendee especially where the events to be held are big. This involves employing a security contractor who can be trusted to provide the confidence that is needed by event organizers and the attendees and thus maintain good performance of the facility. The best security providers are not likely to be cheap and their demands in terms of payment may be higher (Skoll & Korstanje, 2014). The management may also be required to install systems that will capture anybody that comes in. The attendees may be required to provide their details while undergoing thorough frisking which may not sit well with some people. In this case, having intelligence organs in the facility may also be part of the strategy that will cost much resources for the facilities. Improved security will ensure good business for the firm but any terrorist attack may damage the facility’s image.
Conclusion
The facility faces terrorist attacks from both domestic and global extremists which have great impact on its performance in terms of business. The domestic terrorist may carry out attacks on events that concern political or social issues and perpetrators may be lone wolves. The international terror groups may carry out large scale attacks on high profile individuals which can hurt the image of the facility as a safe place.
References
Kurzman, C., Kamal, A., & Yazdiha, H. (2017). Ideology and Threat Assessment: Law Enforcement Evaluation of Muslim and Right-Wing Extremism. Socius, 3, 2378023117704771.
Hoffman, B. (2016). The Global Terror Threat and Counterterrorism Challenges Facing the Next Administration. CTC Sentinel, 9(11), 1-7.
Jenkins, B. M., Liepman, A., & Willis, H. H. (2014). Identifying Enemies Among Us: Evolving Terrorist Threats and the Continuing Challenges of Domestic Intelligence Collection and Information Sharing. RAND NATIONAL DEFENSE RESEARCH INST SANTA MONICA CA.
Skoll, G. R., & Korstanje, M. E. (2014). Terrorism, homeland safety and event management. International Journal of Hospitality and Event Management, 1(1), 95-110.
The patterns of media reporting on terrorism are influenced by the descriptions, images and the background information regarding the terrorist activities which presumably, the journalists worked hard to collect. The media coverage includes the various phases of terrorism so that the news of terrorists attacks are greatly emphasized, any casualties and damages are greatly highlighted and the post-attack coverage diminishes with time.
The major concern about this pattern of reporting is whether it helps to deteriorate the suffering of terror victims or helps to spread the terrorists’ agenda. The media coverage may seem to play into the trap of the terrorists who want fame and recognition in the major media outlets. By having the photos and names, and the ideologies of the terrorists, the media can largely contribute to fueling of more terrorism activities. Where media reports seem to sympathize with any kind of terror attacks, the results can be dire. For instances, the insinuation by the MEMRI TV that “there is a form of terrorism that is legitimate …necessary … and ... sacred” shows how media serves to spread terrorist’s propaganda (MEMRI, 2010). This is what such terrorists want and the media including their online platforms are providing extra what they ant.
A major issue in media bias while reporting terrorism is wider coverage if the perpetrator of the crime is a Muslim. In the various online platforms, papers and TVs, the terrorists’ activities receive more coverage if carried out by Muslims than the non-Muslims. This is despite research showing that during some times, Muslims who carried out the attacks are fewer than people from other religions. On the other hand, shooting by other individuals such as Dylann Roof, a white, at a church in America whose majority members were black received less coverage by the entire media fraternity (Kentish, 2017). The bias may be due to the widely accepted terrorism definition that the media houses ant to meet in their coverage of the issue. Even though many terrorist acclivities are carried out by religious extremists from the region, other perpetrators do not get such wide coverage.
Conclusion
The media pattern of reporting seems to place most of the terrorists and their activities to limelight especially where the victims and damages are given much coverage. This may serve to spread the propaganda from the criminals, so that their presence is felt. The bias in media reporting on terrorism may be due to ordinary definition of these acts.
Politics in the U.S encompass the government and the law since it is the role of the government to make decisions and develop rules, regulations, and policies that guide and shape the social system. The U.S Complain for the Palestinians Right (USCPR) is a political aspect in U.S where the U.S government view the lack of justice, freedom, and equality a humanistic matter. For many years, Palestinians have lived under Israeli restricts and they have been subjected to a humanitarian crisis. The Israeli military limit their freedom such as controlling the flow of goods, access to water, access to health, access to human and civil rights, and labor laws. The U.S is showing great efforts in offering a two-state solution to the conflict that exists between Israeli and Palestinians. The U.S aims at establishing democracy, good governance and help the Palestinians Authority receive international recognition. The US is committed to Palestinian rights, and the USCPR is doing a great job to ensure that Palestinians achieve freedom, justice, and equality.
Palestine and the United States once had a diplomatic relationship, but the relations do not exist since the U.S failed to recognize Palestine as a State (Jones, 2018). Currently, the relation that exists is between the U.S government and the Palestinian Liberation Organization as both work together to support the Palestinians ‘rights to return' to their territories which were occupied by Israel. The majority of the Palestinians live in the West Bank and the Gaza Strips; regions which are occupied by Israel. The U.S recognized Israel a State, and it cooperates with the Arab nations to support the State. The relationships among the U.S, Arab nations, and Israel have created anti-American Islamic sentiment (Jones, 2018). The U.S focus on creating a safe environment in Israel with the aim of achieving its energy needs. These goals have locked the Israel and Palestine in a tug-of-war since each wants to be recognized as a State.
There is U.S Palestinian solidarity movement that aims at empowering the Palestinian assisting them in achieving their freedom, justice, and equality. The movement has created a collaborative politic in the U.S where structural and political centrality have been developed with the aim of creating a two-state solution that focuses on securing the fundamental rights of the Palestinians (Elman, 2018). The important point is that the campaign does not focus on developing a statehood, but its focus on reclaiming the Palestinians rights to help them free from the Israel state oppression. In this case, the Palestinians rights are not only based on the national self-determination, but rights should also be based on the political, civil, economic and other fundamental rights (Institute for NGO Research, 2018). Example of the US Palestinian solidarity groups includes Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and individual activists. These groups make community-based organizations and campaign-based initiatives. The U.S Palestinian solidarity groups are under the control of the Boycott Divestment, and Sanctions. The BDS has played a significant role in unifying the many Palestinian solidarity movements by establishing principles which the organizations should follow. The primary goal of the movement is to discourage the international support to Israel and encourages the need for Israel to adhere to International law (BNC. n.d). BDS focus on the fundamental rights and the need to end the Israel apartheid practices.
Another group that is working to help the Palestinians achieve their fundamental rights is the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR). This is a union which holds common goals of improving the Palestinians achieve freedom, justice equality (GUIDESTAR, 2018). Even though the coalition is determined to end the Israel occupation, its vision is directed on achieving fundamental rights since Palestinians are not only in need for reoccupying their they demand justice, freedom and full equality (US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, 2016). In other words, the movement focus on helping the Palestinians realize their social, cultural and economic rights.
The Grassroots International is a non-profit Organization that play a significant role in solving the inequality issues. It supports the social movement and human rights work to ensure the well-being of people. Grassroots International supports the US movement toward reclaiming the Palestinian rights and ending the Israel occupation (Grassroots International, 2018). The Organization focus on identifying the cause of the problem and offering solutions to promote the well-being. Other sources of funding come from individual donations and several supporters.
Ethics, stewardship and civil engagement
In politics, ethics can be defined as adhering to moral virtues in making decisions and policies. The efforts to maintain peace and building citizens trust between the Israelis and Palestinians requires transparency and accountability. In this case, the public servants or the representatives are expected to have a high standard of conduct before entering into the public administration. Public servants need to have a common understanding and adhere to the set values and standards (US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, 2016). The US Campaign for Palestinian Rights have common ethical principles which guide them toward achieving their goals of bringing resolutions between the Israelis and Palestinians. All members in the USCPR have common goals that is; adhering to the international law in promoting peace, maintaining human rights and bringing resolutions. The ethical principles also state that members should not allow the Israelis to use military, financial form or apartheid policies to control Palestinians (STAFF, 2018). The members also agree that the goal of the campaign is to assist the Palestinians to achieve freedom, full equality and right to self-determination. The ethics also states that the USCPR should oppose racism, anti-Semitism, bigoted behaviors and oppressive structures.
In politics, stewardship is the act of governing a nation-state and managing public resources. Political stewardship is essential for preventing tyrants and authoritarian oligarchy who would consider the public funds as their private property. The United Nations (2012) reports that effort to create an independent Palestine emerges from the United Nations and much efforts comes from the U.S administrations. However, the Palestinian authorities argue that the state does not achieve a statehood recognition or in other words, it has not achieved full UN membership. President Mahmoud Abbas said that the ongoing peace negotiations are frozen and illegal and the UN Security Council does not support the State but Palestine continues to suffer from economic and fiscal conditions due to the internal divisions and Israel's security restrictions (United Nations, 2012). For this reason, Palestinian Authority seek for a non-member state status from the U.N where it would act as a permanent observer. In this case, Palestine as a permanent observer may play the role of attending and speaking at the General Assembly conferences, voting, cosponsor resolutions, submit proposals, circulate documents, participate in debate and more.The UN is doing a good job in that by granting Palestine a non-member state status; it will experience intended consequences such as a symbolic victory for the Palestinian Authority (United Nations, 2012). The UN is also acting as a steward with the aim of achieving a two-State solution through peaceful negotiations. Through its stewardship, it has created an independent and a democratic State.
In politics, civil engagement can be defined as working together as political and non-political agents to make a difference in the community. People combine knowledge and skills and motivate each other in making policy, shaping culture and socioeconomic status. USAID is doing a good in ensuring that the government and the citizens participate in making decisions regarding the West Bank and Gaza which are under the Israel control (USAID, 2017). In addition, both government and the citizens are working together to eliminate the conflict and promote peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians through engaging in conflict management programs where Israelis and Palestinians discuss issues related to economic development, health, education and more, providing grants and improving the governmental institutions. Through civic engagement (people-to-people activities and community-based organizations) the West Back municipalities and other ministries have improved governance (USAID, 2017). USAID has empowered the civil engagement activities with the goal of ensuring effective solutions between Israeli-Palestinian. Also, USAID also focuses on bringing economic opportunity and humanitarian needs such as education and health access, infrastructure development, employment growth and more importantly build a democratic region that would benefit both the Palestinians and Israelis. Civil engagement activities include the communities and municipal governments working together to improve the policy framework and increase accountability and transparency (USAID, 2017). The Enhanced Palestinian Justice Program has developed justice sector institutions for meeting the citizens' needs and providing technical assistance and training to court facilities. There are women's courts which are created to support women, protecting their rights, supporting civil society organizations and addressing gender-based violence. Through USAID, civil society organizations have created a protective environment for children with the aim of preventing sexual abuse and providing essential services to the families (USAID, 2017). USAID has developed social accountability where the civil society is given the role of monitoring the West Bank localities and ensuring that citizens' rights are met.
Conclusion
Palestinians have experienced severe conditions under the Israel government. The latter enforce discriminatory restrictions on the movement of goods, restrictions to agricultural land among other punitive measures that have led to the humanistic crisis. These issues are alarming and have led to the rise of international actors to assist the Palestinians to achieve the freedom, justice, and equality. The US campaign for the Palestinian rights has brought a two-state solution toward resolving the conflict. The coalition focus on opposing the military and financial support to Israel for the Palestinian to achieve full equality, justice, and freedom.
References
Jones Steve. (2018). A Brief History of U.S.-Israel-Palestinian Relations. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from: https://www.thoughtco.com/early-u-s-palestinian-relations-3310398
Institute for NGO Research. (2018). US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. Retrieved from: https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/us-campaign-to-end-israeli-occupation/
GUIDESTAR. (2018). EDUCATION FRO JUST PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. Retrieved from: https://www.guidestar.org/profile/42-1636592
BDS National Committee. (BNC. n.d). What is BDS? Retrieved from: https://bdsmovement.net/what-is-bds
STAFF TOI. (2018). US COMPAIGN FOR PALESTINIAN RIGHTS. THE TIMES OF ISRAEL. Retrieved from: https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/us-campaign-for-palestinian-rights/
Grassroots International. (2018). US COMPAIGN FOR PALESTINIAN RIGHT. Retrieved from: https://grassrootsonline.org/what-we-do/advocacy/us-campaign-to-end-the-israeli-occupation/
United Nations. (2012). General Assembly Votes Overwhelming to Accord Palestine ‘Non-Member Observer State’ Status in United Nations. New York. Retrieved from: https://www.un.org/press/en/2012/ga11317.doc.htm
USAID. (2017). GOVERNNACE AND CIVIL ENGAGEMENT. Retrieved from: https://www.usaid.gov/west-bank-and-gaza/fact-sheets/governance-and-civic-engagement
US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. (2016). Retrieved from: https://uscpr.org/about-us/
Congress of Vienna is an assembly that came into being in 1814 to 1815 and known to restructure Europe after the Napoleonic wars. At the start of September 1814 saw its birth, which was five months after the Napoleon I made it a final act and establishing the system of that time. The main aim of the Congress was to ensure that Europe nations and its environs come up with a plan that would maintain peace throughout the continent. Furthermore, peace would come as a result of settling and discussing past controversial issues. This paper will carry out an in-depth analysis into the Congress of Vienna response against the impacts of French Revolution, and the strategies of the leaders at the forefront of the critical event within the confines of history.
The decisions of the Congress of Vienna buffered against the effects of the French revolution. Decisions reflect the intention of the maker of a decision and the decision makers of the congress exposed their utmost strategies through their choices. The Congress made crucial decisions that revolved around guarding the interest of their countries. For instance, the states that constituted the Congress made sure that they expand the territories under their jurisdiction to increase their grip on power. Some people claimed an ever-present form of control might make them more noticeable and wave off any enemies that might try to unseat their power by overthrowing them. Any territory concurred would lead to more power and people would be afraid to even think about starting a revolution. However, no land agreed would belong to other regions within the Congress (Eder, 2003).
Besides, the decision-making purposed to balance power among the members and in so doing bring about peace. Consequently, peace would settle the minds of the people the leaders ruled over and gave out a more holistic approach balanced perspective that would control the masses with ease. It is important to note that balance in power was to satisfy the masses and stop a possible revolution that was in the making due to the inequality or any unlawful act brought about by any nation (Jarrett, 2014).
The Congress restored boundaries to ensure that each nation had its rightful share of land. In fact, the restoration aimed at delivering justice to any aggrieved country by past actions of a nation. Correcting past mistakes was a sign of good faith to keep peace and make Europe an example other people will try to emulate (Merriman, 2010).
Peace came with a hefty price, but it was worth the effort the Congress was putting in. The Congress achieved its most important goals by uniting and inclusion of all Kingdoms known to contribute significantly to regional politics. Austrian Chancellor was at the center of the Congress and structured its cause of action. With a united front and strong leadership, the Congress had better perspectives and workable plans that made them more active within their region. Uniquely, it is their leadership and inclusion that made the Congress progress with pride and counters the effects of the French revolution that threatened to shatter peace and destroy the economy of Europe (Spielvogel, 2011).
The Congress had to define boundaries and come up with policies that would not undo whatever they rectified in the past such as allocation of territories. As stated above, the Congress was inclusive of any relevant nation whose effort would make a difference, but it also had to let go of around eight countries so that their participation would not have significant effects. The rejection of eight nations was to save time and ensure that policies discussed would not lead to divergent views. In short, a short board would quickly set the pace as compared to many board members. Therefore, the management of issues was more natural (Vick, 2014).
The downside of the Congress had to do with the amount of criticism it had to take head-on. At the time, some members of the public claimed that Congress had a hand in restricting divergent views by suppression of opinions and movements that aimed at being liberal or bringing contrasting views on the table and into the public. The reason for suppressing different opinion some say was to retain power and keep peace at the center of Europe. On the other hand, speculation was rife that the Congress's primary goal was to protect monarchs, which had all the power. Despite all the perspectives, peace rested in Europe once the Congress came into being. It is good to look the Congress in all angles to reveal the manner in which they countered the French revolution (Vick, 2014).
Equally important to note that the Congress was not an official congress per se. In fact, it was one of the factors that made it efficiently counter the impacts caused by the French Revolution. The Congress met in full, and the agendas of the meeting were not formal. Besides, the sessions of each conference were face to face with influential powers only. Different from other past Congresses that delegated duties, Vienna did not charge any responsibility to lower states as if to hide the subjects of the meeting held under closed doors. Then again, it was first of its kind and time where state legislatures came organized to make treaties instead of relying on the situations created by situations that their nations experienced at the time. This integration made them have similar perspectives that shaped their political landscape and formed a framework that would carry forward international geopolitics until world war one broke out (Spielvogel, 2011).
The Congress had a chair at each meeting session. Clemens Metternich was the chair of the Congress and saw to it that the goal of the Congress was the priority of each sitting. As stated earlier, the primary objective of the Congress was to ensure that peace and stability were in Europe and its environments. In addition, the chair was a representative of Austria. Emperor of France, Francis was informed of details of each meeting as the sessions took place in Vienna. Castlereagh was part of the leaders at the Congress. He was a man who represented the interests of England and ensured that all the sessions went according to plan and not deviate. Alexander was a Russian delegate who sought to colonize Poland and coalesce peace among European states. In fact, Alexandra formed the holy alliance in 1815, which was to promote and push forward an agenda of monarchism and oppose secularism that would effectively fight off Revolutions. Talleyrand was a French man who together with Dalberg ensured that settled a treaty in Paris. The agreement did not go as planned and had to talk with the chair of Congress secretly into intervening in their situation (Jarrett, 2014).
The dominant countries of the powerful nations had a plan to lock out France from engaging in the activities of the Congress or participating in any way. However, Talleyrand infiltrated the sessions with proxies unknown to other representatives at the Congress. Talleyrand managed to sneak meeting sessions in the early days of the meetings before the participants knew each other's faces or names. Talleyrand was shrewd in his dealings and befriended other members of lesser power such as Spain and Portugal. He succeeded in swaying the opinion of committee members of less powerful countries into allowing him to take apart in negotiations. After having an impact among the committee members of less powerful nations, he left the Congress (Eder, 2003).
In the meantime, while significant players had not come into a conclusion in the manner in which they should handle their affairs without triggering anger from less powerful nations, Talleyrand was already part of the Congress and took part in consultations on recommendation usable within the Vienna. The purpose of the recommendations was to satisfy the needs of all the members present within the Congress. Talleyrand took part in the meeting and even attempted to suggestions made by some influential members of the Congress (Eder, 2003).
In summary, the Congress of Vienna brought together representatives of European nations. Their main aim was to bring peace to Europe and fight in the face of revolutions and secularism that threatened their monarchs and systems of status quo. The congress brought together great minds to think alike and create a strategy that would solidify their grip on power. Furthermore, the nations had designated various roles to each member to carry out the agenda of the Congress.
References
Eder, J. M. (2003). Barron's how to prepare for the AP European history advanced placement examination. Hauppauge, N.Y: Barron's.
Jarrett, M. (2014). The Congress of Vienna and its legacy: War and great power diplomacy after Napoleon. London: Tauris.
Merriman, J. M. (2010). A history of modern Europe: From the Renaissance to the present.
Spielvogel, J. J. (2011). Western civilization: A brief history. Boston: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.
Vick, B. E. (2014). The Congress of Vienna: Power and politics after Napoleon. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.
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