...ISIS’ CATACLYSMISM: A PHILOSOPHICAL APPRAISAL By Dominic E.B. Anyalagbuna 1. ABSTRACT: The very inhumane hazards of the so-called Islamic militant group named ISIS are indeed highly cataclysmic! However, this paper is faced with the problem of undertaking a philosophical examination of the named group. This, the paper does, using the critical-evaluative method by considering their history, aims and activities. Upon this examination, this work discovers that, among other relevant theories, this rebel group seems to be operating on the Transcendental Idealism of Immanuel Kant which states that ‘only ideas in the mind exist,’ though one cannot absolutely arrive at it. This theory follows from the militants’ idea of Muhammad’s prophecy that ‘there will be a time when the whole world will be subjected under a ‘caliphate,’ with a ‘caliph’ as their head. Nevertheless, in the end, this treatise highlights that the solution to ISIS’s crisis is mental and intellectual re-formation. In such-wise, this work adequately recommends an urgent mental re-configuration founded on re-interpretation of the Quran among these Islamic extremists, which fundamentally, is the task of philosophy to rationally and critically accomplish. 2. PREAMBLE: There is a profound state of topsy-turvy in almost the whole countries of the world, but principally and most intensely in Syria and Iraq. This is superabundantly generated by the insurgent undertakings of the Islamic militants baptised ISIS. However, there...
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...power to declare war, however the president is the commander and chief of the armed forces. This is where as a country we run into problems with the president over stepping his boundaries in some areas. When a president sends troops they are only allowed to be deployed for ninety days before war must be declared. The framers of the constitution meant by Article II, Section 2 that once war has been declared the president’s responsibility as commander in chief is to direct war. This clause has been interpreted that the president has the power to act with free hand in foreign affairs or can send troops to battle without consulting Congress. There have been many instances where presidents have sent troops without consent of Congress. President Truman sent American troops to the war in Korea without requesting authorization from Congress, Clinton sent forces to Bosnia to support NATO operations against the Serbian aggression, and President Obama led a missile strike in Syria . Some criticize these president’s decisions but others feel that they acted with the country’s best interests in mind. In June 1950 President Truman sent U.S. troops to Korea without congressional authority. This still today stands as the most important precedent for the use of military force without approval. Truman believes since he is the commander in chief that he has the authority to send troops to Korea without authorization. No president had ever launched anything on the scale of the Korean War before...
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...Defeating the Islamic State: Both Short-term and Long-term Counter Strategies for the Proto-State and its Ideologies Christopher J. Minchin Norwich University FIRST DRAFT SOCI 401A Culture and Anthropology February 16, 2016 Tracey Poirier Source: The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP).), Jan, 2016. “If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles“ –– Sun Tzu, Chinese philosopher and military strategist, around 500 BC. “Our terrorism against America is blessed terrorism.” –– Osama bin Laden (on video) “The acme of this religion is jihad.” — Osama bin Laden (Bergen, 2001, p. 41) Many have asked, “what can we do to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)? ” There have been a variety of suggestions from airstrikes, isolation , establishing a national unity government in Iraq to the feasibility of a counter-offensive using 'local' militia's and only as a last resort U.S. Boots on the ground. These are all worthy ideas; however, it is imperative to get a fundamental understanding of what has caused this problem because ISIS is growing and becoming stronger (even though current air strikes and counter-offensives have been successful). Before a decision can be made a rigorous analysis is necessary, a sociological analysis, so that the United States and the rest of the world can determine what must be done regarding ISIS and why. (Thesis):...
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...After the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States, the American government began "clearing the nation of thousands of its Muslims" ("Arab"22). Fear of another deadly attack had crippled not only the Bush Administration, but also the entire nation. The Bush Administration implemented a new tactic of prevention: racial profiling. Racial profiling has caused millions of innocent “Arab-looking” people to lose their lives because of racial bigotry. "There is absolutely no evidence to support claims of superiority" (Swedlund 60); these claims of superiority are the government's inability to accurately profile terrorists and provide civilians with false protection. Racial profiling is an excuse for blatant racism of minority groups...
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...Intelligence Mission on ISIS Report Chye Yue Zhang SCTY 415 Studies in Intelligence II Abstract The threat of terrorism became very real when it caught the United States off guard and seized the attention of the rest of the world on the 11th of September 2001, using four hijacked airliners led by a terrorist organization named al-Qaeda in an attempt to conduct suicide missions of prominent landmarks of the U.S. The Twin Towers in New York were destroyed while the Pentagon in Washington D.C. suffered damage that took a year to repair. The total fatalities amounted to almost 3,000 while twice the amount of people were injured. Since then, most nations in the world have become wary of terrorist and militant groups and the potential threats that they pose. This can be seen by the tightened national securities of many countries especially on every possible stations and ports of all modes of transport that a terrorist may pose a threat to. At this point of time, although the al-Qaeda is no longer a prominent terrorist threat, another established and independent militant organization by the name of the Islamic State (IS) got the world concerned about its activities in the Middle East which in turn affected and continues to affect the rest of the world through its twisted beliefs and brutality. This paper aims to define this currently infamous group’s beliefs and objectives, how it works as an organization, how it is a threat to many countries all over the world, and the methods...
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...turbulent world structure, I think the United States cannot hold an organization principle or a doctrine, instead, it need to be pragmatic and maintain a realistic approach when dealing with these matters. In order to maintain its position in the world today, the United States should continue to develop both its “hard power and soft power”. I’ve identified three major challenges that the United States facing, and in order to resolve these problems, pragmatism is vital. One of the issues that the United States faces is the rise of China, which demonstrates that single doctrine or an organizing principle will not work; the United States faces China with ever-changing strategies. First of all, there are military conflicts in the South China Sea. Although China claims the South China Sea based on its history, the United States think...
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...War on Terror and its impact on Development in Pakistan Over the years Pakistan has fallen victim to the affects of war on terrorism. Slowly but surely Pakistan’s social structure, economic development and political systems are being eroded. Due to its geo-strategic position, Pakistan has faced adverse affects because of the invasions in Afghanistan by the USSR and U.S. The country also faces internal threats by religious and linguistic groups that help increase terrorism in Pakistan. Terrorism is destroying Pakistan infrastructure by reducing human capital, diverting foreign direct investments and redirecting public investment funds to national security. Terrorism can be defined as “the use of violent acts to frighten the people in an area as a way of trying to achieve a political or social goal” (). Terrorism has now become a global problem and Pakistan is among one of the countries that has been highly affected by it. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the Taliban surfaced as a resistance movement aspiring to eject the Soviet troops from Afghanistan. The United States and Pakistan provided considerable financial and military support to the Afghan Mujahedeen who were able to impose heavy losses on the Soviet troops. Following the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. declared a war against Afghanistan. at this point the U.S. recognized the seeds they had sown. Taliban was a creation of the Pakistani intelligence agency (the ISI) but was funded by the U.S. The U.S. provided...
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...What ISIS Really Wants What is the Islamic State? Where did it come from, and what are its intentions? The simplicity of these questions can be deceiving, and few Western leaders seem to know the answers. In December, The New York Times published confidential comments by Major General Michael K. Nagata, the Special Operations commander for the United States in the Middle East, admitting that he had hardly begun figuring out the Islamic State’s appeal. “We have not defeated the idea,” he said. “We do not even understand the idea.” In the past year, President Obama has referred to the Islamic State, variously, as “not Islamic” and as al-Qaeda’s “jayvee team,” statements that reflected confusion about the group, and may have contributed to significant strategic errors. The group seized Mosul, Iraq, last June, and already rules an area larger than the United Kingdom. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been its leader since May 2010, but until last summer, his most recent known appearance on film was a grainy mug shot from a stay in U.S. captivity at Camp Bucca during the occupation of Iraq. Then, on July 5 of last year, he stepped into the pulpit of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, to deliver a Ramadan sermon as the first caliph in generations—upgrading his resolution from grainy to high-definition, and his position from hunted guerrilla to commander of all Muslims. The inflow of jihadists that followed, from around the world, was unprecedented in its pace and volume...
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...AFRICAN POVERTY Duncan Kennedy* Abstract: African extreme poverty is probably a function (although not solely) of the balkanized post-colonial geopolitics of Africa. It is also probably a function (although not solely) of the income distribution generated by a typically perverse African political economy, through its effect on the allocation of resources to development. As between these two causes, the second is probably much the more important. This reinterpretation puts considerably more of the blame for African poverty on the Western great powers than does the “poverty trap” analytic that is a common contemporary way of thinking about the African economic situation. INTRODUCTION This essay, which really is an essay rather than a sustained scholarly encounter with the problem, proposes an alternative to the “poverty trap” analytic for understanding extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. The poverty-trap idea is well instantiated by the following quotation from Jeffrey and Lisa Sachs, and it is common among liberal Western commentators on African economy. For the world’s poorest people, daily life is a struggle for survival, with millions of impoverished people each year losing that struggle to famine, disease, environmental catastrophes, and violent conflicts that arise in conditions of extreme deprivation. . . . One basic point, not always remembered, is that impoverished countries lack their own budgetary resources needed to supply vital—indeed life-saving—services such...
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...THEME India enjoys distinct status of being the largest democracy. Biggest middle class and secularism are considered and propagated as the binding forces in a land of diverse culture and ethnicity. Sheer geopolitics combined with the land and mass of the country places India in an advantageous position in the comity of nations. However, the short history of India, as a republic has exposed her “Cloak of Secularism”. The secular political philosophy of India, which sought to achieve unity through diversity, is now faced with challenges of rising communalism and caste-ism heralded by Hindu fundamentalism and socio-economic discrimination of the socially backward sections of society. There are strong movements and simmering aspirations seeking for greater autonomy and even independence. Analyze the socio-ethnic mosaic of India with a view to determine the causes of ethnic sub-nationalism/ conflicts and ascertain the future of these fissiparous tendencies and their impact on the national integration of India. SUB THEME – SEPARATIST MOVEMENTS IN INDIA India has a host of separatist movements fermenting on its outer fringes; from the freedom struggle of Kashmiris in the North West to the Naxal, Naga, Mizoram and Manipur Movements in the North and North eastern parts particularly the ‘Siliguri Corridor’. From the 1980’s onwards, virtually the entire North has been plagued by such activities with a large proportion of religious and ethnic groups in the region forming movements...
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...Indo-U.S. Relations in the Post Cold - War Period (1992-2006) By Debasish Nandi Supervisor : Dr. Abhijit Ghosh October, 2012 Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment to the Ph.D (Arts) Degree in Political Science Department of Political Science, The University of Burdwan, Golapbag, Burdwan, Pin - 713104, West Bengal, India. Content Page No. 1. Preface 2. Acknowledgement I-II III 3. Abbreviations IV-VI 4. Chapter - 1 : Introduction 1-10 5.Chapter - 2 : Indo-U.S. Relations in the Cold War Period 11-41 6.Chapter - 3 : Indo-US Diplomatic Ties in the Post- Cold War Period 42-79 7.Chapter - 4 : Indo-U.S. Economic, Technological and Scientific Co-operation 80-131 8.Chapter - 5 : 9/11 Incident: US Attitude towards Terrorism Vis-à-vis India and Pakistan 132-169 9.Chapter - 6 : India’s Nuclear Links with the USA 170-204 10. Chapter - 7 : Conclusion 205-214 11. Select Bibliography 215-237 Preface Indo-U.S. relations constitute important and influential relations in this world politics. It influences not only the U.S.-Pakistani and the Sino-Indian relations to a great extent; ‘Indo-U.S. relations in the post-Cold War period (1992-2006)’ has been the title of the present dissertation. Beginning against the back ground of the U.S.-Pakistani Arms Assistance Agreement of 1954, the Indo-U.S. relations had witnessed many ups and down in the following years. For example, there had been flourishes...
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...COLOGNE BUSINESS SCHOOL (CBS) How do international organizations support Emerging Markets and Future Emerging Markets - NGOs Term paper for “International Trade and Emerging Markets” Winter Semester 2015/2016 Lecturer: Prof. Herrmann Leon Hankamp MA 14 IB / International Trade and Emerging Markets Student-No. 114550000 Table of contents 1. Introduction 3 2. Non-governmental organizations 3 2.1. What is a NGO? 3 2.2. Different types of NGO’s 4 2.3. Strengths and Weaknesses 5 2.4. Renowned NGO’s in emerging markets 5 3. NGO’s in emerging markets 7 3.1. The role of NGO’s in emerging markets 7 3.1.1. Poverty 7 3.1.2. Human rights 9 3.1.3. Corruption 10 3.1.4. Environment 12 4. NGO’s collaborations with other entities 12 4.1. Companies 12 4.2. World Bank 14 5. Conclusion 15 Bibliography 17 1. Introduction The purpose of this term paper is to analyze and demonstrate the role of NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) in the emerging markets and future emerging markets. First at all, what is a NGO? The first part of the paper focuses on the theoretical framework of the NGOs, although there is no real definition of what a NGO is. There are different definitions from different companies or entities; however all NGOs have the same goal, to help the poor, stand for human dignity and protect the environment. In the main part I am going to handle the subject which is the actual role of NGOs in emerging...
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...Hindus in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights 2011 www.HAFsite.org March 12, 2012 “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” “One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one’s own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma. Yielding to desire and acting differently, one becomes guilty of adharma.” “Thus, trampling on every privilege and everything in us that works for privilege, let us work for that knowledge which will bring the feeling of sameness towards all mankind.” Swami Vivekananda, “The Complete works of Swam Vivekananda,” Vol 1, p. 429 Mahabharata XII: 113, 8 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, Article 1 "All men are brothers; no one is big, no one is small. All are equal." Rig Veda, 5:60:5 ...
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...onaryDictionary of Ònìchà Igbo 2nd edition of the Igbo dictionary, Kay Williamson, Ethiope Press, 1972. Kay Williamson (†) This version prepared and edited by Roger Blench Roger Blench Mallam Dendo 8, Guest Road Cambridge CB1 2AL United Kingdom Voice/ Fax. 0044-(0)1223-560687 Mobile worldwide (00-44)-(0)7967-696804 E-mail R.Blench@odi.org.uk http://www.rogerblench.info/RBOP.htm To whom all correspondence should be addressed. This printout: November 16, 2006 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations: ................................................................................................................................................. 2 Editor’s Preface............................................................................................................................................... 1 Editor’s note: The Echeruo (1997) and Igwe (1999) Igbo dictionaries ...................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Earlier lexicographical work on Igbo........................................................................................................ 4 2. The development of the present work ....................................................................................................... 6 3. Onitsha Igbo ...................................................................................................
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...Armed Conflict in Syria: Background and U.S. Response Jeremy M. Sharp Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs Christopher M. Blanchard Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs September 6, 2013 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL33487 Armed Conflict in Syria: Background and U.S. Response Summary The popular-uprising-turned-armed-rebellion in Syria is in its third year, and seems poised to continue, with the government and an array of militias locked in a bloody struggle of attrition. Members of Congress and Administration officials are debating options for responding militarily to President Bashar al Asad’s forces’ reported use of chemical weapons in attacks on rebel-held areas and civilians. After the U.S. intelligence community concluded that Asad’s forces used weapons in limited attacks earlier this year, the Obama Administration had signaled a pending expansion of U.S. civilian and military assistance to the opposition. Earlier in the conflict, U.S. officials and many analysts asserted that President Asad and his supporters would be forced from power, but had difficulty articulating how that outcome would take place within the timeframes they set forth. Recent developments suggest that both the opposition and the Asad regime face considerable challenges in their attempts to assert greater control over Syria. Increasingly, analysts have focused on the potential for the regime and its opponents to carve out strongholds and prolong the fighting. Rapid escalation...
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