...Revolution to Civil War By Maya Bhardwaj Abstract: social movements and regime change across the Middle East and North Africa. While interconnected, uprisings in each nation took different forms and reached out distinctions and interactions between uprisings, revolution, and civil war. standing scholarly debate. The presence or absence of civil war is examined in examinations of civil war: the nature of the governmental regime, territoriality complete understanding of what constitutes civil war and provides a framework 76 Introduction the Middle East, authoritarian regimes thought invulnerable to protest and impossible to oust began to cede to massive protest. Attacks on governmental institutions and elite leaders ensconced from public opinion developed divergently in each nation, employing tailored strategies to mobilize the public and reap key support. This paper focuses on the nature and development of these Arab Spring further use these distinctions to illuminate the conceptual, instrumental, and semantic nature of civil war in general. - exacerbated the grievances felt by rebel forces and smoothed over ethnic, religious, and tribal ten- trastingly, in Syria, instances of mild reform under Bashar al-Assad, popular concerns for security, kept civil war at bay. Conceptual Isolation of Civil War presence or absence of civil war. However, the scholarly distinction between civil war and other insurgency and counter-insurgency, uprisings, genocide or genocidal...
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...Should the U.S. take Military Action in Syria? Syria, a country in the Middle East bordering Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon has experienced growing civil unrest since 2011. The current government, led by Bashar al-Assad, has responded with violence and human rights abuses. In September 2013 the United Nations (UN) (United Nations, 2013) confirmed chemical weapons were used against civilians in Damascus on August 21st. These actions have generated an outcry for intervention. Arguments Some believe taking action is the only way to stop the killing of civilians and end human rights abuses perpetrated by the military. These pro-interventionists conclude Assad continues his oppressive actions because he doesn’t believe anyone will take action to stop him. Assaults on Syrian civilians are documented by many sources. Since January 2011 it is estimated over 100,000 citizens protesting against the Assad regime have been killed by military forces (Table, 2013). A report commissioned by the UN in June 2013 estimated 5,000 were killed each month since July 2012. This number exceeds reported deaths in Iraq at the height of war in 2007. In a September 2011 report many atrocities against children were documented. Over a hundred children were killed in connection with protests, many others reported injured. A group of children in the town of Dara’a, as young as 8, were taken into custody in connection with anti-government graffiti on a schoolhouse wall. These children...
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...currently being dominated by the issue of the Middle East and the US relationship. It is, therefore, important to look at the factors that have resulted in a fragile relationship between the world superpower and the Middle East. For decades, the Middle East has been dealing with power struggles, Israeli-Palestinian border conflict, and the Arab-Israeli war. Some states in the region are pushing for constitutional monarchies or liberal democracies. My essay will examine the underlying animosity between these nations. It will also look at the pros and con of the American policies towards the Middle East and the ways it has succeeded. Hypothesis The USA is doing enough in its dealings with the Middle East. Analysis There has been an ongoing debate regarding the question of what the US’s foreign policies are towards the Middle East. Two main defense strategy objectives were resulting from the Pentagon’s Defense Planning Guidance between the year 1994 and 1999 (Reveron et al., 2014). This period was prior to President Bush Jr. Administration and has since then become more relevant. The primary objective was to deter another world war or an extreme enmity like the one portrayed between the former Soviet Union towards America. A new region strategy has therefore been put in place to prevent a hostile power from dominating the Middle East. If such a power controls this area with a consolidation control potential, then it can utilize the available resources resulting in the generation...
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...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): This paper will argue that the challenge of removing IS lies in our ability to understand and realize...
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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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...Introduction The world has undergone significant technological advancement and strategic landscape evolution since the start of this century. Globalisation has shrunk the spaces between states and nations. The world is now intricately connected and nations are hence more vulnerable to the impacts and effects of threats posed by others. With the transformation of the global security landscape, militaries have to cope with a wider spectrum of threats – traditional and non-traditional. Non-traditional threats are transnational by nature. They are not restricted by international boundaries or nationalities. Often, the threats are unpredictable and intricately woven into our traditional threats. Such combinations posed greater danger and risk in damaging the states or nations. The primary purpose of the military outfit is to defend the nation’s sovereignty and independence against traditional threats from other nations. The marrying of non-traditional and traditional threats imposed greater responsibilities on the military forces. It also fundamentally challenges the relevance, construct and employment of the military force. This essay seeks to explore how the global security landscape has changed and its impact on the world. It also aims to identify if military forces are successful in coping with the current landscape. Global security landscape and its impact Liberal trade and rapid advancement of technology has resulted in a greater degree of interconnectedness and interdependence...
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...www.ccsenet.org/res Review of European Studies Vol. 4, No. 3; July 2012 Europe and the Middle East: From Imperialism to Liberal Peace? Raymond Hinnebusch1 1 School of International Relations, University of St Andrews, Scotland, UK Correspondence: Raymond Hinnebusch, School of International Relations, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AX, Scotland, UK. Tel: 44-1334-462-861. E-mail: rh10@st-andrews.ac.uk Received: November 24, 2011 Accepted: April 26, 2012 Online Published: July 1, 2012 doi:10.5539/res.v4n3p18 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/res.v4n3p18 Abstract Europe’s relation with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is discussed in the context of normative (International Society) and materialist approaches (World System’s Theory). First, European imperialism’s export of a flawed Westphalian state system is summarized. How Europe is “caught” between MENA and the US and co-opted into a division of labour toward the region is then surveyed. The gap between the normative rhetoric and actual inequitable outcomes and structures constructed under the Euro-Mediterranean partnership is examined, looking at the three “baskets” of economic developmental, political reform and cultural convergence. Four “hard cases,” EU policies toward Palestine, Iran, Syria and Turkey, illustrate the ambiguities of the EU’s approach to MENA. MENA public opinion’s ambivalence toward Europe reflects these realities. The conclusion is that the EU’sMENA policy...
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...To what extent is security a necessary precondition for development? Introduction It is put forward that security is not necessarily a precondition for development, but rather, both concepts of security and development are inextricably linked. With neither one being predominant over the other; rather the influence of both oscillate, dependent upon the individual circumstances within the State or region. In essence, what this answer will aim to illustrate, is the extent of this link, the theories which explain it, and whether or not security underpins development. Before we begin however, it would be prudent to first, define the concepts of ‘security’ and ‘development’. From the obvious, national security dimension, to the more human-centred, holistic definitions, finding a simple definition for the concept of security is a complex task, due to the variety of ways in which it can be defined. For the purposes of this essay however, the definition provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as security being “the prevention of any threat to individual or national security irrespective of that threat being political or economic in its nature, as such threats would threaten the process of development”[1] would be an appropriate fit, as it incorporates both the traditional State-centric element, and also the more holistic, human security definition.. Traditionally, the definition of development has been one that has been predicated upon a mainly economic...
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...than the specific acts of terror. Foreign internal defense (FID) is a term used by several countries[citation needed] for programs either to suppress insurgency, or reduce the conditions under which insurgency could develop. Counter-terrorism includes both the detection of potential acts and the response to related events. Anti-terrorism versus counter-terrorism Further information: Detentions following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack The concept of anti-terrorism emerges from a thorough examining of the concept of terrorism as well as an attempt to understand and articulate what constitutes terrorism in Western terms. In military contexts, terrorism is a tactic, not an ideology. Terrorism may be a tactic in a war between nation-states, in a civil war, or in an insurgency. Counter-terrorism refers to offensive strategies intended to prevent a belligerent, in a broader conflict, from successfully using the tactic of terrorism. The US military definition, compatible with the definitions used by NATO and many other militaries, is "Operations that...
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...religion has affected art in the form of the colloquial idea of art as well as literature, sculpture and architecture. Two structures where religion plays heavy influence, in differing time periods are the Arch of Constantine in Rome, Italy, and the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral in Paris, France. The two exhibit the different views of Christianity in their respective time periods. While, the Arch of Constantine was constructed during the rise of Christianity and the Notre Dame de Paris was originally constructed during a time when the norm was to build extravagant pieces as a tribute to God. The political, cultural, religious and economic climates all had a hand in creating the similarities and differences between the two structures. This analysis will show that regardless of temporal period religion plays a significant role in architecture during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment. The construction of churches and religious-themed buildings was common in the newly emerging city-states and the already well-established areas. The arch was commissioned by the Roman Senate in the fourth century A.D., in the Italian city of Rome situated between the Coliseum and the Palatine Hill. The beginnings of Christianity, or the Flowering of Christianity as Sayre describes it, saw the construction of the Arch of Constantine in Rome. The triple arch is dedicated to the Roman Emperor Constantine, who is notable for being the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity (Sayre, 255). Though...
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...Running Head: INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD PAPER Intertestamental Period Paper: Antiochus Epiphanes William Callister Liberty University December 8, 2013 This paper is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for NBST 510 – New Testament Introduction. INTERTESTAMENTAL PERIOD PAPER 2 Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................. 3 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 4 The Persian Empire .......................................................................................................... 4 Cyrus the Great (539-530 BC) ........................................................................................ 4 The Decline of Israel (530-331 BC) ............................................................................... 5 The Greek Conquerors ..................................................................................................... 6 Alexander the Great (331-320 BC) ................................................................................. 6 The Ptolemaic Period (320-198 BC)............................................................................... 6 The Seleucid Period (198-167 BC) ................................................................................. 7 Antiochus IV Epiphanes as a Ruler .........................................
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...‘Doing some things’ in the Xi Jinping era: the United Nations as China’s venue of choice ROSEMARY FOOT * There has been intense scholarly debate in China over the past few years as to the continuing relevance of the famous aphorism attributed to Deng Xiaoping exhorting the Chinese government to ‘bide its time, hide its brightness, not seek leadership, but do some things’.1 Although that debate about the appropriateness of this strategy in an era of enhanced Chinese material power has not reached a definitive conclusion, there are several indications that the new leadership, under President Xi Jinping, has decided that it would like to become more active and ‘do more’ in the international realm. How much more, in reality, will undoubtedly be influenced by the reactions of others and the unfolding of events—both domestic and global—but undoubtedly there is an intention on the part of Beijing to make good on its increase in relative power and the opportunities that a more centralized leadership under President Xi Jinping provides for articulating a clearer foreign policy message and more forward foreign policy behaviour. This article provides evidence in support of the argument that China has decided to adopt a more activist foreign policy. It focuses predominantly on China’s policy towards the United Nations as a way of demonstrating a new willingness to take decisions previously left in abeyance, and as an example of a policy area where the Chinese leadership believes it is showing...
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...alone. If you want to go far, go together." - African Proverb Since the Zionist movement decided to execute its will upon the Palestinian people through illegal and heinous acts, it has pushed the Palestinian people to establish resistance movements. The contestations between Israeli and Palestinian nationalism to achieve statehood are not the only two factors that have prevented the Palestinian people from succeeding. The civil war between Fatah and Hamas is an intricate factor that is responsible for making the resistance movement weak. The beginnings and methods of two main resistance groups will be examined as well as how the differences have undermined the potential strength of the Palestinian people. The fact of the matter is that the Palestinians have two political systems that continue to further polarize. Consequently, they have disrupted progress towards their essential goal which is ultimately to create a completely independent and sovereign state for the Palestinian people. Fatah first surfaced between the Suez War of 1956 and the June War of 1967. The founding leaders of Fatah include; Yasser Arafat, Farouk Qaddoumi, Salah Khalaf, Khalid al-Hassan, and Khalil al-Wazir. The birth of the movement was inspired by the lack inspiration of the Arab regimes and political parties to establish a solution for the Palestinian problem(Britannica). For quite some time ,,it was believed that the liberation of Palestinian would present itself under Arab unity. Fatah came to...
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.... ìGETTING TO NOî AN ANALYSIS OF FAILED MEDIATION IN THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT (1993-2000) Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy Thesis Submitted by Ahsiya Posner 9 February 2003 Under the advisement of Professor Eileen Babbitt and Professor Diana Chigas ABSTRACT This paper will attempt this difficult but important task with the humble understanding that ìthe full storyî is impossible to know and telló even for the very participants of the process. Nevertheless, in this investigation, the author will explore four main questions. The first three questions are: 1) did the OPP set the Israelis and Palestinians on a trajectory that ìdoomedî CD2 from the start?; 2) were there problems inherent to the process and structure of CD2 that led to its failure?; and, 3) how should future mediation attempts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict be structured in order to meet with more success? The fourth question, however, requires further introduction. The forthcoming study of CD2 will be guided by a ìProvisional Framework (PF)î of seven criteria that I believe are necessary ingredients to successful peacemaking processes. I devised this framework after consulting existing literature and scholars in the field of mediation and negotiation in general, as well as after reviewing scholarly pieces focusing on the Israel-Palestinian peace process in particular. Thus, after using this framework to analyze CD2, conclusions will thus be drawn with regard to a fourth and final question:...
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...a European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM or EAEC) were the first attempts to an energy cooperation within the European Community. As the size of the European Union grows (reached twenty eight member states as of March 2013), it needed more energy sources as energy plays an important role for economic development. Now the European Union is the largest importer of energy (oil and gas) in the world, and the second largest energy consumer. Therefore, member states of the EU need more secure access to energy resources. Beside the North-South and East-West energy corridors, Europe ingests the South-North corridor, connecting it with North Africa and the Middle East. In 2007 Oil and Gas Journal estimated stocks and supplies of oil at 114 billion barrel and natural gas at 13, 9 billion cubic meter. Almost one third of European imported oil comes either from the Middle East or from North-West Africa. Europe pipeline interests in the south are focused exclusively on natural gas. In 2006 Algeria delivered 16, 7% of Europe gas, and it’s considered to be the biggest third land delivers natural gas, including LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), to Europe. Almost half of the supplies to Europe go to Spain and the rest to Italy and France. The other two important countries in the region producing Gas are Libya and Egypt, they hold together with Algeria a proven reserves of 4, 5% of the world reserves. These three lands can present a reliable long-term...
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