Negative Relations Between Israel and the US - Research Paper Example

Chapter 6 Question Barack Obama) When he became the first black president of the United s, Barack Obama made history not only for America or even African America but also for a world that had been and to some extent is still mired in issues of racial discrimination. However, his influence in the global affairs has over the cause of his first and second term transcended his ethnicity and as a president, he has distinguished himself as one of the important figures of the 21st century so far. His influence has especially been felt in the international sphere, which is axiomatic in any case given the central role America plays in them as the only superpower and the self-appointed global democracy police. Obama also made history by becoming the first president to not only get A Nobel peace prize in their first term but in less than a year after ascending to office. In justification for giving him the award, the Nobel committee restated that his efforts to promote world peace in warring nations had in the short time he had been in office made the world a much better place to be ("The Nobel Peace Prize: Barack Obama…”). By living up to his campaign promise to withdraw his troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama managed to effectively end two occupations and pseudo wars that had been going on for a decade. His handling of foreign affairs is best examined under a constructivist lens, this is under the supposition that international relations cannot be given but they must be constructed. This is especially a valid point of view when dealing with the issue of terrorism, which is largely a social construct, it was the cause of many of the IR relation challenges Obama inherited from his predecessor. He took cognizance of the hostile societal attitudes of the citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan and probably realized it there was more likely to be more radicalization if the US troops were se then as “colonizing” and this would likely escalate the security and terrorism problem even further. If he had not withdrawn his troops, the two nations of Iraq and Afghanistan would probably still be tottering on the brink or instability spurred by public discontent over having foreign soldiers on their soil. As matters stand both are trying to come to terms with the aftermath of the civil and external wars and slowly rebuilding their countries something that would still be a distant ambition had Obama not kept his word. His crowning achievement is probably the fact that he weakened Al Qaeda the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization by the capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden who was the worlds most wanted Man. To cap it all his success against terrorism was achieved even as he dismantled the military framework his predecessor had put up with using the fight against terror as justification. Nevertheless, his presidency has also contributed to negative relations between Israel and the US, which has considerably impaired America’s diplomatic ability as a player in the resolution of the Palestinian and Israeli longstanding conflict. Chapter 8 Question 2 (Nuclear and Cyber Weapons) In retrospective and largely contemporary wars and battles have been fought with the conventional weapons that have come to be associated with modern warfare mainly guns tanks submarines and bombs. However, technological development and diversification the types of threats have increased the use of some weapons over others while bringing to the fore completely new techniques of fighting. According to Best and Kellner, the paradigm shift in warfare techniques can be examined under the postmodern turn that attempts to explain the turbulent modern age transformations. Nuclear weapons profoundly increase the threat and extent of destruction since it is alleged that some nuclear warheads are powerful enough to wipe out entire cities in a single strike with the added certainty of nuclear fallout that would not only destroy life but render land uninhabitable (Gray 23). This is not to mention the use of drones which are used for gathering intelligence or/and launching bomb attacks while controlled by remotely, like nuclear weapons drones are being developed by many world powers so as to give them as strategic intelligence and military advantage. Another emerging weapon of war is the internet and technology; today most developed nations depend of the internet and centralized systems for operational communication logistics deployment for their military and civilian infrastructure to operate. Case to point the US power grid systems (SCADA) are extremely centralized and divided into 3 separate grids the eastern Western and the electric readability Texas council of, this system supply the power needs for over 90% of the country’s military infrastructure. A successful cyber strike on any one of the grinds could deprive the DOD’s connection to power and the internet and ultimately incapacitate them in terms of intelligence making the country extremely vulnerable to external attacks. A demonstration of how the “cyber fighting” could weigh in on a war was recently staged in a real life scenario when Israel and the US jointly launched and cyber-attack on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure in an operation dubbed Olympic Games. These scenarios are evidence of the rapidly changing face of the post-modern war where the participants (fighters) are not necessarily the immediate victims given than in a cyber or nuclear war, the immediate and ultimate target will be the civilian populace who may even be attacked while in the imagined safety of their own homes. Chapter 9 Question 2 As a result of the rapid rate of globalization which is gradually turning the world into the proverbial global village, many firms have benefited from the expansion of market as well as the access to raw material across geopolitical boarders. These are the multinational corporation many that have grown so exponentially that their budgets rival those of some countries. However, there has been considerable debate regarding their character given the huge power and influence they wield. Liberals claim they are a boon for the global economies and social life while radicals are convinced they are exploitative and inherently built on a culture of self-interest or control or resources. The liberal argue that they serve an important role as they create millions of jobs around the world and the inward investment by multinationals often inject badly needed foreign currency in the host countries. In addition, they provide services such as telecommunication transport and manufacturing which given their expansive scale of operations serve to allow people from all over the world to access essential goods as well as to connect. Although primarily driven by the need to make profit, they contribute a lot to the betterment of society by conducting research and development activities which allow them to invent and produce new products such as drugs which governments may not have the expertise of finances to provide. Both the radicals and liberals admit that multinationals make huge profits and provide essential services as well as employment, however on several other issues the grossly diverge in opinion. The radical view on multinationals is that they are profit and power hungry and they exploit both consumers and employees for the sake of money (Gilpin 186). The approach the issue from the Marxist view point in which expansion is viewed a necessary ingredient for the growth of capitalism, however Marxism has it that capitalist economy cannot grow without exploitation of the working class. Therefore, the radical hold that expansion of multinational is directly connected to the increase in the levels of exploitation of the masses world over. Probably the most serious accusation which both sides are in agreement about is the fact that multinationals in their pursuit for profit cause a great deal of pollution in the environment which potentially negates many of the benefits they bring in the long run. Ultimately, even if the radicals were 100% right which in not practical, multinationals are here to stay and cannot be wished away since they play a vital role in the world’s economy, however it is important that governments exercise more regulations over them to ensure the negative aspects do not overshadow their benefits. For one, both the firms and various governments to ensure they follow the set regulations to avoid escalating the already acute climate change situation for the interest of profit should address the issue of pollution. Chapter 10 Question 1 The universality of human rights is a subject that has been extensively discoursed on and many are of the opinion that given that cultural relativism is a global reality; human values and by extension rights greatly vary in different cultural settings. This enhances a long standing dilemma on how there can be universal human rights in a culturally diverse world, with the rapid integration of the international community due to globalization how can cultural integrity be preserved? One of the main arguing points for post-colonial discourse is the contention that human rights are inherently western since these are the only countries where all the inherent conditions human for human rights can be practically met. In addition, they originate from the west and to a significant extent they are viewed as being primarily representative of westerns expression and interests. To a large extent the relativist are right, some of the central ones are the rights to equality and protection from discrimination on the basis of sex or gender. This obviously resonates in the west where through civil activism and secular modern cultures women have become empowers and are legally seen as equal to men. However, the application of these rights is radically different in a country governed through traditional practices or religious doctrine. For example in a Muslim country like Saudi Arabia governed through Sharia/Islamic law, women are expected to submit to men and their freedom of movement, expression and socialization is heavily impaired by the paternalistic laws (Sidani 499). Essentially, this directly contradicts the bill of rights and as a result, the country has exempted itself from the rights bill concerning women’s right. In this and other countries with similar situation where their social cultural beliefs contradict the bill of rights, it is impossible to implement the rights without undermining the sovereignty y of the state. Gender equality may or may not be morally correct but at the end of the day it is a predominantly western idea and as such, that it is in the bill of human rights makes it difficult or impossible for non-western cultures to adopt without abandoning their culture. Evidently, despite the fact that the UN charter proclaims that human rights are natural born rights of human being universally, in some third world countries where food security is still a dream, the right to food for example is a pure abstraction as thousands starve every year because for them, the rights are too expensive. Chapter 11 Question 1(The Internet) An issue can be described as a globalization issue if it profoundly affects or is affected by globalization one way or another, for this question, the internet will be discussed in that context. Ina sense the internet has both been affected and affected the process of globalization, and this is by large what makes it an ideal subject for consideration along with globalization. The globalization theory describes the term as a contemporary phenomenon that embodies a gradual shift from an independent world to a more integrated economic and social political one. To a major, extent, the internet can has been a major driving force for globalization and it has facilitated this expansion towards the realization of “a global village” where creation interaction and trade are much easier and cheaper because of the communication abilities facilitated by the web (Mittelman 64). Through a vast pool of online resources, people across geopolitical boarders can access the same informational resources and in the present informational age, possession of accurate and timely information is an invaluable asset to anyone whether they are in businesses education any other field. On the other hand the interrogation resulting from globalization has causes the internet to expand significantly owing to the increasing pool of information from new global frontiers. In addition, the interaction of thinkers and programmers from all over the world has facilitated the development and synthesis of new knowledge because of the diversity in the online community. Numerous criminals ranging from cyber criminals and hackers to drug misuse one the negative side, the internet and cartels organized crime rings which have also taken advantage of globalization and the internet to expand their operations across geopolitical borders. Due to the anonymity, the internet offers as well as geographical circumstances, many criminals are able to ply their trade in relative safety thanks to the internet. Ergo, groups like anonymous and other cyber activist are able to hack, sabotage websites as well as information systems, and still manage to gloat about it with the authorities often being unable to do anything about them. . Works Cited "The Nobel Peace Prize: Barack Obama; Nobel Committee Statement." Los Angeles TimesOct 10 2009. ProQuest. Web. 27 Mar. 2014 . Gilpin, Robert.” The Political Economy of the Multinational Corporation”. The American Political Science Review, Vol. 70, No. 1 (Mar., 1976), pp. 184-191 Gray, Cris. “Postmodern War: The New Politics of Conflict” London. Routledge, 2013 Mittelman, James. Globalization and Its Critics, in: Stubs, Richard and Geoffrey Underhill, PoliticalEconomy and the Changing Global Order, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Sidani, Yusuf. "Women, Work, and Islam in Arab Societies." Women in Management Review 20.7 (2005): 498-512.  Read More