Storytelling :: essays research papers fc

Storytelling Storytelling has helped humankind evolve into a wiser species by allowing those with enough attentiveness and intelligence to learn from the mistakes of their predecessors. The Chinese culture, like many others world wide, base their beliefs largely on stories passed down from generation to generation. Because stories are told and retold, alterations and even new versions appear. Such is the case in " Fa Mu Lan," for more than one version is known to exist to this day. Many times the changes in a story are to put its message on a certain level for an individual to understand. If the change is to keep the message updated with society, the version would be a modernized one. These stories affect the stories with a flavor of their own personal character. In The Woman Warrior Maxine Hong Kingston utilizes stories told to her by her mother as a device to introduce readers to some aspect of her life. Kingston's mother pass down to her the wisdom she has acquired from her mistakes throughout her life along with best hopes and wishes. The Woman Warrior is a story about the life of Maxine Hong Kingston. It is easy to see her identity from those memorable occurrences that she mentions throughout her book, especially the stories her mother told her. The story of "Fa Mu Lan", for example, teaches women to strive to be the best they can be. It is a story about a woman warrior who takes place of her father in battle and returns in victory as a heroine. It evidently shows that her mother tells this story with her sincerest hopes and passions for her. Her mother wishes her to become more than what it was hope for . Even though woman in old China only grow up to be wives and slaves, she hopes and even dilutions of grandeurs for her daughters thrive in their hearts. Story-telling has been an essential part of their childhood. Maxine Hong Kingston was told that her aunt who committed adultery and brought shame, bad luck along with destruction to her family. She committed suicide because she could not face their families not tell who the father of the children is. The shame brought about by the incident was too much for her to bare. The story was told to warn the girls from having a child before getting married, as can be arrived at from this statement in The Woman Warrior: " Whenever she [her mother] had to warn us about life, my mother told stories that ran like this one, a story to grow up on.

Why did the Tamburlaine plays have such extraordinary appeal for sixteenth-century audiences?

The Tamburlaine plays are two works written by Christopher Marlowe. In this essay I will discuss why the plays were so appealing to audiences in Marlowe's time and whether they are still as appealing to a modern audience and why. The character of Tamburlaine can be compared to some historical characters the most accurate being Timur the Lame, a historical ruler over most of central Asia. Richard Wilson compares him to Tsar Ivan IV, commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, the 16th Century Emperor of Russia, whose tyrannical rule, may well be replayed in Tamburlaine. (pp.51, R. Wilson, 1996.) The first of the two Tamburlaine plays was performed in 1587, following Marlowe's graduation from Cambridge. The second was most probably written and performed later following the success of Tamburlaine Part 1 in the theatres. Some critics however believe that the two plays were written and performed together; ‘in November 1587†¦Philip Gawdy describes how in a piece recently presented by the Lord Admirals Men an actor, called onto fire a gun at one of his fellows tied to a stake, missed his aim killing a pregnant woman, a child and maiming others. This has often been taken to refer to Tamburlaine's execution of the governor of Babylon in the final act of Part II, but the assumption cannot be verified.' (pp. 69, V. Thomas and W. Tydeman, 1994) Also ‘in 1588 Robert Greene†¦could allude to Marlowe ‘daring God out of heaven with the Atheist Tamburlan', a far less ambiguous reference to the scene in which Tamburlaine†¦orders the destruction of the Koran and defiantly daring Mahomet to come down and punish his impiety.' (pp. 69, V. Thomas and W. Tydeman, 1994) Conversely it may be possible that in the eyes of a 16th Century audience, Tamburlaine's actions would not be considered heretical because the Elizabethans knew Tamburlaine to be an infidel and would be not see the Qu'ran as a Holy book compared to their own Bible. Had he burned the Bible the case would have been very different. The issues of holy texts were hotly debated during this time as in each English church there had now been placed a new English language bible, which was in many parishes regarded as an alien book. The emphasis on holy text would have resonance for an Elizabethan audience having suffered over the last 40 years the changes between English and Latin Bibles and the Catholic and Protestant religion. Tamburlaine often refers to God as Jove, the Roman divine ruler, but only when he is expressly defying God. ‘Tamburlaine: The God of war resigns me to his room, Meaning to make me general of the world; Jove viewing me in arms looks pale and wan, Fearing my power should pull him from his throne.' (Act V, scene ii, line 388.) This quote shows Tamburlaine referring to God as Jove while believing he has the power to overthrow god, he says God fears him. This could show a certain awareness of the heretical nature of his deeds. He would rather refer to a God that he does not believe in than use the one he does. A part of him does fear God but Tamburlaine does not want to recognise it. To show fear is weakness. Weakness is not acceptable in a man in Tamburlaine's position of power and his self-importance. Tamburlaine although essentially Muslim, seems to be indecisive in his religious beliefs. In the first play he refers extensively to the way of Mohammed or Mahomet as he is called in the text, then nearing the end of the second play he denounces him as ‘not worthy of being worshipped' and burns the Qu'ran. This act which would cause uproar today especially to British Muslims, if not Muslims of all nationalities, would not have had the same effect on a sixteenth-century audience, in 1587 there were few i f any British Muslims, they were thought of and referred to as infidels, ungodly and wicked. A recent production of Tamburlaine at the Barbican in London in 2005, directed and adapted by David Farr, censored this part of the text in order to not incite religious reprisals, ‘key references' to Mohammed were also cut from the play especially from the book burning scene; ‘Simon Reade, artistic director of the Bristol Old Vic, said that if they had not altered the original it â€Å"would have unnecessarily raised the hackles of a significant proportion of one of the world's great religions†. The burning of the Koran was â€Å"smoothed over†, he said, so that it became just the destruction of â€Å"a load of books† relating to any culture or religion. That made it more powerful, they claimed.' (D. Alberge, 2005) In my opinion the final sentence of this quote is inappropriate because I feel that the burning of the Qu'ran is an incredibly important part of the play, without it being the Qu'ran it completely changes what the scene means and how controversial it would be to modern audience. The Qu'ran is a holy text, burning just ‘a load of books' renders the scene completely unnecessary and irrelevant to the play and takes Tamburlaine's death, completely out of context, if indeed his death is an act of God, for him burning the Qu'ran, as many interpretations claim. Terry Hands the director of Tamburlaine by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992 and Charles Nicholl, the author of The Reckoning: The Murder of Christopher Marlowe, opposed this censoring as did Inayat Bunglawala, the media secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain, who said ‘In the context of a fictional play, I don't think it will have offended many people.' Britain was a wholly and strongly Christian nation in 1587; no one would oppose the destruction of a book of another holy order, which they believed to be blasphemous. Violence and the disorder of war was part of contemporary Elizabethan England. Public execution and punishment in gruesome manners was a form of entertainment at the time of the Tamburlaine plays. As was making an example of those executed, as Tamburlaine's victims are hung on the city walls, many beheaded criminals had their head displayed on spikes to warn others. Many plays performed at this time used war or famous historic heroes of war as a basis for their storylines and often had what is to a modern eye grotesque and appalling episodes of violence. This is shown in Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus (1584), without doubt his most bloody play. ‘Marlowe achieved far greater fame and popularity than Shakespeare at the same point in their theatrical careers (both born 1564).' (pp.95, C. Breight, 1996) With the exception of Titus Andronicus Shakespeare did not really come into his own until the early 1590's and was not recognised as great playwright until his later life, whereas Marlowe was celebrated through his early life before he died at the age of 29. Marlowe was genius and his work was well known and widely performed by the time of his death. The language in much of Shakespearean text is very elaborate and although a sixteenth-century audience may have been able to understand it better than a modern audience, Marlowe's language is much more direct. This gives much more impact and ‘says what it means' leaving the dramatic potential for the delivery. ‘Tamburlaine: Your fearful minds are thick and misty then, For there sits Death, there sits imperious Death, Keeping his circuit buy the slicing edge. But I am glad you shall not see him there. He now is seated on my horsemen's spears, And on their points his fleshless body feeds, Techelles, straight go charge a few of them To charge these dames, and show my servant Death Sitting in scarlet on their armà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½d spears.' (Act V, scene ii, line 47) This quote shows how Marlowe uses a straightforward and more direct form of language than Shakespeare's and this is and was part of his appeal to contemporary and modern audiences. The aggressive and ego-centric speech is impossible to perform in a retiring and introverted manner and the stage presence of the actor is larger than life. In accordance with modern audiences, sixteenth-century audiences loved a character that they can hate, Tamburlaine can be compared to more modern comedic characters such as Flashheart in Blackadder and Jafar in Disney's Aladdin. These words and others in the play need to be performed to understand the full effect of what Tamburlaine is saying. He is teasing the virgins, he is making a joke out of the fact that they begged for mercy and he is still going to kill them. This ruthless and cruel nature is what makes Tamburlaine the man he is, it makes him such a loathsome character. Despite being a dislikeable character Tamburlaine is also a very passionate character, his determination and victory in all his conquests, his love for Zenocrate, his mercy shown in sparing her father after conquering Egypt almost make him a worthy role model for the 16th century man. ‘Audiences were not necessarily intended to understand Tamburlaine; such was his shock value and his capacity to break through the very fabric of society with his ceaseless conquests and unquenchable thirst for power. (novelguide.com, 2009)' This quote describes Tamburlaine as shocking character which he is; he is designed to shock and inspire an audience, his inspiration may not be as noticeable today in a less barbaric and more modern way of life, but to a 16th Century audience it would have been obvious, Tamburlaine's enthusiasm for war was what England at the time wanted from its people for the impending war with Spain. He is a ruthless, power hungry, slaughterer who does not give the audience a chance to see how he would cope with defeat. Defeat is not an option for Tamburlaine, just as defeat was not an option for Queen Elizabeth I when she launched the fire ships against the Spanish Armada just a year later in 1588. Tamburlaine shows determination but it also shows him going too far, he forgets that he's mortal and he is still down here on the ground. He is still subject to God, although he heretically believes himself to be more powerful. All Elizabethans knew that a strong sometimes even aggressive leader was essential for their safety in the 16th Century. Their experiences in the reigns of Edward VI and Mary Tudor both weaker monarchs in their capacities of leadership and war must have been unsettling and remembered by theatre goers. Strong dynamic leaders such as Henry VIII and the later Elizabeth I gave a sense of peace and safety to at least part of the nation although there were still dissidents. The appeal of Tamburlaine as play could be partly because people could discuss him and his activities without fear of being thought treasonable. His strength as leader would have been commendable. ‘A Prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank.' This quote from Machiavelli's The Prince was a European view on how a prince or other leader should be, it states how a person of a lower status can raise himself up from private to Prince as Tamburlaine has done from shepherd to King. It states that a prince's sole study should be the art of war in his role as protector. Tamburlaine is a strong leader, his subjects are safe from any surrounding forces as shown in the way that Tamburlaine has fought off two advances from Callapine, the son of Bajazeth the former Turkish ruler whom Tamburlaine tortured and humiliated. His knowledge and performance in war is unmatchable. In conclusion the Tamburlaine plays would have appealed to a 16th century audience for a number of reasons. Mainly for the various ways in which the character of Tamburlaine presents himself, as villain but also as an inspiration, as a man who has become drunk with power, but also a strong leader who knows what he is doing on the battlefield. Tamburlaine's self contradictions are endless. A 16th Century audience would have enjoyed the build up to ultimate power then the anti-climatic downfall of their ‘hero'!

The History of Archaeology Part 1 - The First Archaeologists

The History of Archaeology Part 1 - The First Archaeologists The history of archaeology as a study of the ancient past has its beginnings at least as early as the Mediterranean Bronze Age. Archaeology as a scientific study is only about 150 years old. Interest in the past, however, is much older than that. If you stretch the definition enough, probably the earliest probe into the past was during New Kingdom Egypt [ca 1550-1070 BC], when the pharaohs excavated and reconstructed the Sphinx, itself originally built during the 4th Dynasty [Old Kingdom, 2575-2134 BC] for the Pharaoh Khafre. There are no written records to support the excavationso we dont know which of the New Kingdom pharaohs asked for the Sphinx to be restoredbut physical evidence of the reconstruction exists, and there are ivory carvings from earlier periods that indicate the Sphinx was buried in sand up to its head and shoulders before the New Kingdom excavations. The First Archaeologist Tradition has it that the first recorded archaeological dig was operated by Nabonidus, the last king of Babylon who ruled between 555-539 BC. Nabonidus contribution to the science of the past is the unearthing of the foundation stone of a building dedicated to Naram-Sin, the grandson of the Akkadian king Sargon the Great. Nabonidus overestimated the age of the building foundation by 1,500 yearsNaram Sim lived about 2250 BC, but, heck, it was the middle of the 6th century BC: there were no radiocarbon dates.  Nabonidus was, frankly, deranged (an object lesson for many an archaeologist of the present), and Babylon was eventually conquered by Cyrus the Great, founder of Persepolis and the Persian empire. Excavating Pompeii and Herculaneum Most of the early excavations were either religious crusades of one sort or another, or treasure hunting by and for elite rulers, pretty consistently right up until the second study of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The original excavations at Herculaneum were simply treasure-hunting, and in the early decades of the 18th century, some of the intact remains covered by nearly 60 feet of volcanic ash and mud 1500 years before were destroyed in an attempt to find the good stuff. But, in 1738, Charles of Bourbon, King of the Two Sicilies and founder of the House of Bourbon, hired antiquarian Marcello Venuti to reopen the shafts at Herculaneum. Venuti supervised the excavations, translated the inscriptions, and proved that the site was indeed, Herculaneum. Charles of Bourbon is also known for his palace, the Palazzo Reale in Caserta. And thus was archaeology born. Sources A bibliography of the history of archaeology has been assembled for this project. History of Archaeology: The Series Part 1: The First Archaeologists  - You are here Part 2: The Effects of the Enlightenment Part 3: Is the Bible Fact or Fiction? Part 4: The Astounding Effects of Orderly Men Part 5: The Five Pillars of Archaeological Method Bibliography

Timeless Lessons learnt from previous U.S Conflicts

Timeless Lessons learnt from previous U.S Conflicts The core responsibility of the Department of Defense is to ensure that there is well sustained security and homeland defense in the United States of America. Besides, the department is also charged with the task of overseeing international security issues that may equally pose potential threat to the United States and its citizens (NDS, 2008).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Timeless Lessons learnt from previous U.S Conflicts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, the unparalleled conventional military wing capability is always prepared to counteract any possible attack on the U.S interests both at home and abroad. This has compelled both perceived and real enemies to restructure and find the right balance in the art and science of warfare in order to be resilient enough against United States’ grand strategy on security plan. Additionally, the U.S government in collaboration with its military leadership has quite often endeavored to shape the country’s military capabilities to be stable enough in readiness to fight and win attacks launched by the emerging 21st century enemies. On the other hand, while the U.S. military forces continue to fight insurgency warfare in Iraq and Afghanistan, the same insurgents and other rival nations are integrating modern technology with ancient techniques such as mutiny and terrorism aimed at achieving egocentric political goals. It is imperative to note that countering terrorism requires appropriate strategies as well as preparedness for war at any given time. However, past war events have left trails of defeats and uncertainties due to myriad of factors that should act as lessons in guiding military and political leaders to redirect and reexamine their actions. This essay offers a succinct analysis of some of the prudent lessons that the United States military and political leaders need to learn on past conflicts. Today, the United States g overnment has put in place myriad of strategies aimed at curbing rising rates of revolts and insurgencies. It makes use of its intelligence wing to gather credible information on the strengths and weaknesses of terrorists alongside other forms of enemies. According to General Petraues (2006), one of the key elements of effectively tackling insurgencies is obtaining precise and exact intelligence. Accurate, actionable and timely intelligence reports regarding revolts, planned acts of terror as well as other related security threats have been revealed to the U.S key decision makers and military leaders.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Both internal and external capabilities of all threats to security have been identified by intelligence department. They have used intelligence information gathered to establish grand strategies. However, in order to avoid biasness and mishaps t hat leaders in the past committed, it is crucial for decision makers to come up with sound judgments before engaging in any form of war so that past blunders can be corrected once and for all. Past conflicts have witnessed U.S. military forces being committed to war with little regard of other important factors. Hence, it is highly recommended that decision makers on homeland and foreign security of U.S interests ought to read, understand and follow the Weinberger Doctrine. This doctrine lays out integral parameters that must be met prior to committing the U.S. military forces to war. The Weinberger Doctrine parameters clearly points out that before any act of war, a determining factor such as vital interests of the United States or of one or more of its allies being at stake should be established (Handel, 2001). Additionally, sufficient force should be applied to reflect unequivocally the intention of winning. Moreover, the Weinberger Doctrine highlights the principles of objective and simplicity by emphasizing that political and military goals must be clearly defined and continuously reassessed to keep cause and response in synchronization. Most importantly, before troops are committed to war, there must be a reasonable assurance of support from the American public. Finally, undertaking of a combat role should be done when there are no alternatives and as last resort (Handel, 2001). Clear and well defined objectives depend on accurate knowledge of an enemy’s anatomy and physiology. The success of the grand strategy depends on accurateness and timely intelligence information shared by every participating organization. The lessons learned from the Vietnam War clearly emphasized the importance of having sterling intelligence gathering capabilities in order to shape the U.S. grand strategy. Apparently, the United States decision makers did not have vivid information on the Viet Cong’s strengths and weaknesses. In turn, it led to vague political obj ectives. The United States Armed Forces employed superior air power attacks against Viet Cong and achieved swift military victory. This decisive military victory did not kill the determination of the Viet Cong to fight with the Americans.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Timeless Lessons learnt from previous U.S Conflicts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Instead, Viet Cong’s army employed the art and science of guerilla warfare against the U.S. military forces. The U.S. decision makers and military leaders continued in ignorance to deliver fly-by responses to counter the Viet Cong attack. The end result was that the number of U.S. casualties started to pile up. The aftermath of Vietnam War has been used as a lesson to the United States decision makers and military leaders about the need for balance mechanism before engaging in any war. During conflicts and times of war, the concept of Clausewitz trinity emphas ized that it is crucial for the government, military and the general public to exercise proper balance (Handel, 2001). It is instructive to note that the United States lost the Vietnam War since its government lost the battle back home. If the United States government intends to succeed in fighting wars abroad, it must first win the battle at home (Gray, 2005). Professor Zimmermann (2011) argues that both senior military and political leaders must be adept and flexible enough in forming winning strategies before going to war. Furthermore, they must be well acquainted with comprehensive knowledge on the art and science of war and how it is supposed to be balanced. Finally, he points out that knowing the enemies’ strategies, societal and cultural weak points as well as their mindset is key to victory (Zimmermann, 2011). The U.S. decision makers and military leaders must deliver clear and achievable objectives. The leadership must incorporate some exit strategy and well-defined end-states when establishing war plans to avoid mistakes made through fly-by responses. The Vietnam War planners violated key doctrines related to the 12 Principles of the Joint Operations which includes the principles of objective, offensive, mass, economy of force, maneuver, unity of command or effort, security, surprise, simplicity, restraint, perseverance, and legitimacy (JP 3-0, 2008). As Handel (2001) observes, one of the ways of achieving political goals is through military victory (Handel, 2001). According to President Bush, military wars are not intended to bring stability or linger for long, but they are meant to be swift with winning purpose (Gordon Trainor, 2006). Additionally, he wanted the force level to be smaller and faster in contrast to the First Gulf War plan (Gordon Trainor, 2006). The Operation Enduring Freedom and the Operation Iraqi Freedom was oriented to military strategy.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Again, with all the show and effort, swift military victories were achieved but the wars failed to attain the much needed peace and tranquility. Lack of intelligence-gathering capabilities on the part of United States caught its leadership off-guard. The disgruntled Iraqis joined the al-Qaeda movement and utilized insurgency warfare to kill Americans. At this point, it is imperative to note that the U.S military forces and her Allies have not been fit enough to fight insurgency warfare largely due to the fact that the US leadership including military leaders have forgotten lessons learned from the Vietnam War. The high-frequency U.S military forces are also not well prepared to fight insurgency. It is vital to reiterate that the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 restructured the U.S. military forces. As such, the United States Armed Forces is known as the Joint Forces, which should be very able to fight against the 21st century enemies and win with ease. Importantly, the U.S. Army under took modularization that integrated it right into the principle of the economy of force (Metz, 2007). As such, the Joint Special Operation Forces (JSOF) has continued to shape its team towards leaner-and-combat ready forces. The JSOF have become essential capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense through good communication, speed, precision weapons, and accurate and timely Intelligence report afforded at the Sea, Air, and Land. It is through the aforementioned essential capabilities that SEAL team 6 got the opportunity to kill Osama bin Laden instantaneously. Today, the Joint Special Forces are currently deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other areas of the globe executing a range of military operations such as law enforcement and security to troubled nations.The Joint Special Forces provided the host nation civilian population tight security to be able to live a near-normal life. Besides, this military wing has embedded with the host nations’ civilian population and as such provides the willing local national’s education and training regarding law enforcement and security protocols to assist them in nation-building operations. It is common knowledge that security is a vital and necessary during stability and reconstruction operation. Without tight security, stability and reconstruction mission will not be achieved. The Joint Special Forces and related partners are continuing to project military interventions to ensure the United States, her Allies, its coalition partners ,the public and private organization as well as the local nationals who works side-by-side to accomplish the stability and reconstruction operation will succeed. The embedded Joint Special Forces can transmit via secured line of communication accurate intelligence information regarding the host nation civilian population, the local insurgents, and the transnational extremists’ current activities. Additionally, it can utilize the local nationals as human intelligence , a form of employment to earn money. Moreover, the Joint Special Forces utilizes network-centric warfare (NCW) to counter possible kinetic attack from insurgents. The NCW characterizes warfare in the information age (Groh, 2006). The link between the sensor and shooter is tailored with the right precision munitions to minimize collateral damage and prevent fratricide. Additionally, the Joint Forces utilizes NCW to destroy time-sensitive targets (TST). When close air support (CAS) is needed, the ground forces can reach back to the NCW and request for close air support. The CAS should first be used against positively identified targets that may be critical to the success of an operation (Gordon Trainor, 2006). Furthermore, CAS must be coordinated with the army systems to suppress enemy air defenses right before the CAS strikes. That requires close coordination between the air liaison officer and the fire support officer (Zimmermann, 2011). The synergistic effect between the ground f orces, the network centric-warfare, and the air capabilities are lethal. The system interconnectivity is a force multiplier. Air tankers form part of force multiplier. Aerial refueling capabilities have been used by the US forces to enhance rapid transport of critical capabilities to the Combatant Commander. The materials transported include fresh ground forces, ammunitions, crucial spare parts, medical personnel and medical supplies. The rapid medical air-evacuation of the severely burned and critically wounded warriors from the battlefield to Landstuhl Army Medical Center in Germany or to the burn unit at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas saved thousands of lives. Local nationals that need further medical interventions have been flown to Germany or to the United States. This is one way of winning the heart and minds of the host nation civilian population, the most challenging terrain to win (Petraues, 2006). Petraues (2006) pointed out that the host nation civilian population is the decisive terrain. To win the hearts and minds of the host nation civilian population as well as the enemies, the United States and her partners must know what the local population needed most (AFDD 2-3, 2007). The Joint Special Forces and the Human Intelligence are the Combatant Commander’s priceless assets. These capabilities provide real situational awareness of the host nation’s current health status. Understanding the critical infrastructures that are mostly needed are crucial. Addiionally, understanding the host nation’s cultures, beliefs, religions, society, economic, ideology, and politics are critical elements that the U.S. political and military leadership leaders should know. Their grand strategy must fit into the host nation’s chronic problem in order to provide a long term solutions. The Joint Forces can train and educate the willing civilian population and work side by side building critical infrastructures such as the water system, schools, road and bridges, the economy, electrical grid, and medical facilities. This action promotes the feeling of ownership and boosts self-esteem (Natsios, 2005) Moreover, the U.S leadership must train, educate, organize and equip each warrior prior to deployment so that they can be knowledgeable and become experts in various areas. The expert warriors can decisively employ the art and science of capturing and winning the hearts and minds of the host nation’s population as well as reshaping the behavior of the captured enemies and enemies on the loose (Petraues, 2006). The AFDD 2-3 states that in a protracted war, winning entails depriving the enemy of the support of people reducing the influence of an enemy and overlooking the legitimacy of a competing ideology (AFDD, 2007). Conclusion and recommendations The successful counterinsurgency operation in El Salvador proved that military activities were subordinate to economic, political, and psychological activities . African Nations that continue to suffer from drought, famine, and diseases will continue to challenge the United States security at home and interests abroad. Additionally, the available natural resources should be explored and marketed and proceeds used to set up reliable water systems, food supplies, well-equipped medical facilities and schools. Moreover, the Joint Special Forces or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should recruit, train, educate and equip the local people on matters of security and law enforcement. The new local recruits should know the cultures, languages, beliefs, and geography of places in order to effectively secure jobs such as security officers and law enforcement officers. The Joint Special Forces or NATO can also strengthen the nation’s Army through education, training and equipping them with current military technologies. The Unites States leadership must also expand the number of Special Forces and the Human Intelligence network. Th e warriors should continue to learn how to speak, read and write foreign languages in order to be effective in the battle field. The instruments of power such as diplomacy, information, military, economic, law enforcement, sharing of Intelligence reports, security, education and training ought to be integrated with the nine principles of reconstruction which include ownership, capacity building, sustainability, selectivity, assessment, results, partnership, flexibility and accountability in order to succeed in the stability and reconstruction operation. Finally, in order to defend the United States security at home as well as interests abroad, the U.S. military capabilities must be flexible and strong enough to fight and win wars against the surging 21st century enemies. Reference list Air Force Doctrine Document (AFDD) 2-3. Irregular Warfare, 1 August 2007. Groh, Jeffrey, â€Å"Network-Centric Warfare: Just About Technology?† 2006. Gordon, Michael, and Bernard Trainor. Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq. New York: Pantheon Books, 2006 Handel, Michael. â€Å"Strategy: Past Theories, Modern Practice.† In Masters of War: Classical Strategic Thought, 1-16. Portland, OR: Frank Cass, 2001. Metz, Steven. Learning from Iraq: Counterinsurgency in American Strategy. Carlisle, PA: U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, 2007. Natsios, Andrew. â€Å"The Nine Principles of Reconstruction and Development.† Parameters, 35, no. 3 (Autumn 2005): 4-20. Petraues, David. â€Å"Learning Counterinsurgency: Observations from Soldiering in Iraq.† Military Review (January-February 2006): 2-12. U.S. Department of Defense, The National Defense Strategy of the United States of America. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, June 2008. U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. Joint Publication 3-0: Joint Operations. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, 17 September 2006 [13 February 2008]. Zimmermann, Ralph Email Fe edback 12 August 2011. Zimmermann, Ralph Week 4 Feedback, 7 July 2011.

Ongoing UN Peacekeeping Missions in Africa

Ongoing UN Peacekeeping Missions in Africa There are currently seven United Nations Peacekeeping Missions in Africa.   UNMISS The United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan began July 2011 when the Republic of South Sudan officially became the newest country in Africa, having split from The Sudan. The split came after decades of war, and the peace remains fragile. In December 2013, renewed violence broke out, and the UNMISS team was accused of partisanship. A cessation of hostilities was reached 23 January 2014, and the UN authorized further troops for the Mission, which continues to supply humanitarian aid. As of June 2015 the Mission had 12,523 service personnel and more then 2,000 civilian staff members. UNISFA: The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei began June 2011. It was tasked with protecting civilians in the region of Abyei, along the border between The Sudan and what became the Republic of South Sudan. The Force is also tasked with helping The Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan with stabilizing their border near Abyei. In May 2013, the UN expanded the force.   As of June 2015, the Force was comprised of 4,366 service personnel and more than 200 civilian staff members and UN volunteers. MONUSCO The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo commenced 28 May 2010. It replaced the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. While the Second Congo War officially ended in 2002, fighting continues, particularly in the eastern Kivu region of the DRC. The MONUSCO force is authorized to use force if need be to protect civilians and humanitarian personnel. It was due to be withdrawn in March 2015, but was extended into 2016.   UNMIL The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) was created 19 September 2003 during the Second Liberian Civil War. It replaced the UN Peace-building Support Office in Liberia. The warring factions signed a peace agreement in August 2003, and general elections were held in 2005. The UNMILs current mandate includes continuing to protect civilians from any violence and providing humanitarian aid. It is also tasked with assisting the Liberian government with strengthening national institutions for justice. UNAMID The African Union / United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur began 31 July 2007, and as of June 2015, it was the largest peacekeeping operation in the world. The African Union deployed peacekeeping forces to Darfur in 2006, following the signing of a peace accord between The Sudan government and rebel groups.   The peace agreement was not implemented, and in 2007, UNAMID replaced the AU operation. The UNAMID is tasked with facilitating the peace process, providing security, helping establish the rule of law, providing humanitarian aid, and protecting civilians. UNOCI The United Nations Operation in Cà ´te dIvoire began in  April 2004. It replaced the much smaller United Nations Mission in  Cà ´te dIvoire. Its original mandate was to facilitate the peace agreement that ended the Ivorian Civil War. It took six years, though, to hold elections, and after the 2010 elections, the incumbent, President  Laurent Gbagbo, who had governed since 2000, did not step down. Five months of violence followed, but it ended with the arrest of Gbagbo in 2011. Since then, there has been progress, but the UNOCI remains in  Cà ´te dIvoire to protect civilians, ease the transition, and ensure disarmament. MINURSO The  UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) began 29 April 1991.   Its outcomes were to   Monitor the ceasefire and troop locationsOversee POW exchanges and repatriation Organize a referendum on  Ã‚  Western Sahara  independence from Morocco The mission has been ongoing for twenty-five years. During that time, MINURSO forces have assisted in maintaining the ceasefire and removing mines, but it has not yet been possible to organize a referendum on Western Saharan independence. Sources Current Peacekeeping Operations,  United Nations Peacekeeping.org.  (Accessed 30 January 2016).

Marriage, Divorce and Childrens Adjustment Literature review

Marriage, Divorce and Childrens Adjustment - Literature review Example The next issue the title addresses is divorce and this is the core of the text book. The textbook will essential talk about divorce and how it affects the family in general. The next bit of the title addresses children and this is because the book is essentially talking of the effects of divorce on children and how it takes toll on their lives. The last bit of the title addresses adjustment and this is related to children after the divorce. In general the title is well phrased and tackles all the ideas that are presented in the book by showing us the logical flow of ideas as in what leads to what and who gets affected and the final outcome. Book titles are supposed to be informative and give the reader an idea about the book. The reader should be able to deduce what the book is talking about from the title. This is because the title is the first selling point of the book. The book begins with an editor’s introduction. The editor begins with an overview of the subject of child development expressing his views that the topic has attracted scholars in the field to examine it. The editor speaks of the problem of the state of the family institution in the United States speaking of the problems that it is facing and how they are affecting children. He goes ahead to mention the problem of divorce citing its far reaching consequences that it has had on children and adolescent development and thus necessitating a closer examination into the causes of some of the problems in marriage that lead to divorce and how children are affected and what can be done to ease the situation (Emery, 1999, pp. ix-x). The introduction has essentially given us a direction on the scope of the book as it tackles child development issues and how the family as a whole plays an important role in the development and well being of the child. So far in the introduction, various aspects are said to be covered in the text and the scope proposed by the editor does not present any limitations. The editor says that the book is part of a series of books in child development and says that various aspects have been covered in the previous book. Given the fact that this is a second edition means that the author has developed his ideas well and no aspect of the subject has been left behind. The preface helps to bring the message home by explaining the aspect of divorce and how it should be understood. The author picks the subject from a neutral point of view presenting his experiences and those of others and explaining that some of these aspects are multidisciplinary and should be looked at from various angles in order to get a better understanding. The table of contents in any book should be the guiding factor for the reader to easily get information from the book. The table of contents should have a simple flow that shows the development of ideas from one stage to another. This book has a well structured table of contents that has a chronological flow of ideas. The book has d ivided its contents into seven chapters. Chapter one presents an overview of divorce and various perspectives on children and divorce. Chapter two sets out by examining the cultural, historical, and demographic perspective of the issue of divorce and this is based on the United States (Emery, 1999, pp. 5-20). Chapter three presents research findings and shows the methodology that was used in conducting the research concerning divorce, marriage and children adjustment (Emery, 1999, pp. 21-30). Chapter four then looks at how children adjust after divorce and breaks them down into a number of problems that are individually addressed. It also looks at the issues that result in divorce such as intimacy and emotional problems (Emery, 1999, pp.

Work, Organizations and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Work, Organizations and Society - Essay Example Professional autonomy suggests that professionals are responsible to themselves for the services they offer. A profession is distinguished by initial and sustained education, an association created a set of codes, and accreditation procedures. Professional autonomy is based on three points: the high degree of control and influence on others, the fact that professionals define the problems on which they work, and the criterion that professionals are self-directed learners (Davis 1996, p. 443). The assumption that professional autonomy is based on control and influence is supported by the notion of professionals as experts. Employed professionals such as engineers, state attorneys and accountants, to name but a few, argue that their status as employees retracts their autonomy essential to be true professionals (Davis 1996, p. 441). Others such as physicians and nurses are subjected to several legal limitations and provisions that significantly limit their absolute professional autonomy . Professionals strive to attain as much autonomy as possible and employ several measures to establish their professional autonomy but are faced by different principal limitations to attaining their independence. Professionals attempt to establish their autonomy by forming various professional organizations, which socially and legally grant them autonomy, and significant control of their profession’s activities and practice free from external interference. These organizations define the requirements an individual needs to join a given profession, the nature and length of training, status, pay, expertise and code of ethics. These characteristics of professions, which are said to distinguish them from other occupations, derive from their autonomy. Consequently, they achieve considerable professional autonomy by claiming to be self-regulating, wrapping themselves in their cloaks of competence and repulsing that nonprofessional managers are qualified to challenge their profession al judgment. In one empirical study on healthcare professionals, including all kind of physicians and specialists from different medical specialty areas, findings indicate that some unique and professional characteristics confers more professional autonomy to them than to paraprofessionals and non-professionals (Kilic et al. 2007, p 159). Paraprofessional group, such as medical assistants, owns only partial professional knowledge and skills while non-professionals are just prepared to engage in running clerical, office work and administrative duties (Kilic et al. 2007, p. 160). Due to their strong organizations, healthcare professionals try to support the factors that strengthen their professional autonomy and resist the factors that may erode it. For instance, the study indicates that health professionals are unenthusiastic to make use of clinical IT potentials to improve health care delivery and efficiency (Walter & Lopez 2008, p. 11). This is due to privileges healthcare professi onals have over non-professionals and paraprofessionals. Legal privileges create a protected market for health care professionals and are the basis for autonomy and self-direction. Non-professionals are a threat to professional autonomy. Autonomy will only be found where a profession can control the production and application of skill and knowledge in its work. Autonomy will not be found if people outside the profession can understand, criticize and evaluate the work. According Chau and Hu (2002, p. 34) in another related research, a feature of clinical IT can be considered as threatening factors to healthcare professional autonomy. The factor is the level of knowledge codification and knowledge distribution conducted by a