Monday, January 27, 2020

Can Democracy Stop Terrorism?

Can Democracy Stop Terrorism? There is a general and growing concern about Terrorism and the fear it is spreading all over the world. Fighting it is one of nowadays main priorities and the most effective ways of doing it are being discussed by scholars, governments and people in general. The concept of terrorism has evolved throughout the years and no consensual definition has been reached. There are however certain features that clearly characterizes these unexpected and, many times, devastating events. Yet also the way terrorists are operating and the tools theyre using has been changing, which makes even more difficult to find the better way to stop them. When the huge and powerful democratic country USA became the target of one of the major attacks from all times, then many things were questioned and the sense that no one and no country were safe got easily spread among public opinion. Are Democracies more vulnerable to Terrorism? Is this type of regime the best one to stop the violence? Is Terrorism, or the measures to annihilate it, limiting the rights and liberties that democracy is meant to provide? These are intriguing questions. In this Essay, I will firstly explain what I mean by terrorism and democracy, before analysing the existence of a link between both. Then I will present arguments for and against the idea that democratizing the countries where terrorism comes from might be the solution to this fear spreading phenomenon. I will then show that probably it is not the case and that ending terrorism might involve much deeper measures than a simple change of political system. Finally, and to understand whether or not Terrorism is weakening democracies and its main guarantees, I will show recent examples that might allow us to understand it better. Throughout the paper I will also find in theories and great authors, like Hobbes and Schmitter, the necessary help to better understand these two complex yet challenging and current concepts. Defining democracy and terrorism Democracy can be defined as the political system where political authority belongs to people. The word comes from the Greek, where demos means people and kratos means authority. There are however different types of democracy and in this essay whenever I refer to democracy, I mean liberal democracy. This later concept adds to the general concept of representative democracy (in which people through elections decide their representatives) the fact (among others, but this is probably the most distinguishable) that there is the protection of liberties and rights through a constitution. Among those rights and freedoms there are the freedom of speech and religion, equality before law and others. Confusion between democracy and liberal democracy happens quite often because democracy is the word that resonates in peoples minds and springs from their lips as they struggle for freedom and a better way of life  [1]  . However what they look for in fact is a political system that combines dem ocracy on one hand with freedom, the rule of law, and good governance on the other hand in other words, liberal democracy.  [2]   Although terrorism is a difficult concept to define there are some common features among terrorist attacks that can be stressed: they involve an ideological component, use violence or at least a threat of violence, are generally conducted by an organized group (or at least by a group constituted by a strong leader and faithful followers), and aim, usually, civilians rather than belligerent groups. The main idea is to spread the fear in a generalized way and thats why their targets are common citizens that usually dont even know their purposes but sense fear and the unexpectedness of their acts more profoundly. According to Willem Schinkel  [3]  terrorism works bottom up, that means, that civilians are used as a mean to achieve their real audience (usually states, as symbols of a certain ideology or states themselves in cases of independence fights, like ETA in Spain). Depending on the nationality of those (people and institutions) involved in the attacks, we can differentiate two types of terrorism: transnational terrorism and domestic terrorism. In the former the incident takes place in one country [and] involves perpetrators, victims, institutions, governments, or citizens of another country, in the latter it involves perpetrators, victims, and an audience of the country in which the incident occurs  [4]  . For the purpose of my research I will mainly focus on transnational terrorism. Since within transnational terrorism there are different types, I will mainly focus my analysis on the one played by radical Islamist movements, like Al-Qaeda, for example. As it has already been said, the concept of terrorism has evolved through times. Namely the way fear and terror are being perpetrated is getting more sophisticated. The most common attacks are characterized by bombings, kidnapping and hijacking but the fear of weapons of mass destruction being used turns the finding of solutions even more urgent. Yet, what is frighteningly challenging in this new wave of terrorism is that fear is in the majority of cases unilateral (considering, like it was said before, terrorist groups like Al Qaeda). We can say that in this case fear wont probably be enough to end war, as Hobbes would say. According to this author, the society is composed by selfish beings and so the normal state is a state of war, but the war itself can be prevented because what also characterizes human beings is that they fear things, they fear death for example. However, in the case of terrorism (or in the case of one of the most common forms of it), its actors are not driven by fear, they are trained to face death if necessary and for the sake of what they believe to be a higher purpose.  [5]   Will Democracy be able to stop Terrorism? Mostly after 9/11 attacks in USA, that killed around three thousand people in both New Yorks World Trade Center and Pentagon, the majority of President Bushs speeches regarding the fight against terrorism involved the idea that only through the democratization of the countries generators of terrorism would that fight be successful. In February 2003, for example, in the American Enterprise Institute, Bush stated that The world has a clear interest in the spread of democratic values, because stable and free nations do not breed the ideologies of murder. There is then a great discussion regarding the capability of liberal democracies to end the grievances that feed terrorists actions. Assuming that the majority of terrorist attacks perpetrators come from the Middle East, where theres an undeniable lack of democratic principles, can then a link be made between these two phenomena? Would the democratization of these countries result in less terrorist events? Natan Sharansky in his book The Case of Democracy: The Power of freedom to overcome tyranny and terror defends that it would. He considers that the lack of democracy in these countries favours the flourishment of angry and frustrated minds and urges violence in order to achieve ones goals. He believes that democracy would bring peace to those nations and goes even further by saying that it is Wests responsibility to help the democratization process. According to Sharansky, and supporting Bushs intentions, the west and democratic world should make efforts towards the implementation of a democratic political system where it was never experienced and this would be the most effective way of ending this terrorism era.  [6]   Like Sharansky also Quan Li  [7]  defends that democracy would diminish frustrations and conflict by expanding political opportunities through elections and according to Rudolph Rummel living in a liberal democratic country would per se reduce conflict between people, because the interaction between people in a context of freedom is favourable to everyone. So, would a higher political participation contribute to the reduction of terrorist incidents? According to Michael Freeman  [8]  the mechanisms that drive transnational terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda are four: military, cultural, economic and political. The organized terrorist attacks are then the result of a sense of threat towards Islamic lands (military), a sense of threat towards Islamic culture and identity (cultural), a sense of frustration towards modernization and globalization, which the western world represent and that in the Middle East failed to improve the economy (economic) and a sense of inability to make themselves heard and to reach their demands (political). Considering these four mechanisms, democracy apparently seems to be able to have positive results but most likely wouldnt be enough to stop terrorism. I agree with Gregory Gause  [9]  when he argues that this political system would provide the possibility of a political participation from these groups but there is no guarantee that they would have enough support for their political agenda. And in that case, the question is whether they would accept peoples choice or would that situation make them even more frustrated and incite them to return to their previous modus operandi and attack their democracy and other nations too in order to get the accomplishment of their goals. Besides this uncertainty regarding terrorists reaction before unsuccessful elections, there is also the ideological component of their aims. And that is something that cannot be ignored. It is not just a question of being heard and achieving political representation, I would even risk saying that it is their mi nor priority. There is a rooted hatred towards what the western culture represents. Religious issues and fundamentalism are definitely on the basis of part of that hatred and that is something that should be smoothen namely by education. Islamism is far from the extremist ideas that these organizations stand for and children and young people should learn within an understanding and tolerant environment. Living in a free country, where rights and liberties are assured might not be enough if the mentality remains attached to the idea that Islamism is being threatened by countries like the USA and that that justifies the so called jihad. A crucial step to be taken is also the resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Osama Bin Laden assumed that this conflict was one of the main reasons for attacking the USA in 2001. This is a very sensitive question which generates great part of the sense of threat towards Islamic lands. It is then important to establish a peaceful relationship between Israel and Palestine so that a calmer Middle East can be achieved. Besides everything said before, the theories that see democracy as the solution for terrorism do not consider an undeniable reality: there are democracies that still have terrorist groups IRA in Ireland and ETA in Spain are two of the most resounding examples. Even though these are domestic terrorism organizations, they are examples of how it is possible that terrorist groups (with different purposes but with similar ways of terrorizing people) can emerge within a democratic system. Are Democracies becoming more fragile as a result of Terrorism? There is a strong discussion regarding the vulnerability of democracies before terrorism. The arguments in favour of a higher vulnerability of democracies when compared to other political systems are mainly two. First, some authors for example Paul Wilkinson  [10]  defend that the particular features of a liberal democratic nation such as free press, freedom of political organization and of movement facilitate the organization of terrorist attacks. Also Bianchi and Keller stated that the irony is that their [democracies] distinguishing traits and foundational tenets in many ways constitute fertile ground for international terrorism.  [11]  Namely the free speech right might be able to raise some violent reactions from the outside, when for example, like in Denmark, cartoons with Mohammed wearing a turban with a shape of a bomb (among other cartoons with the prophet) were drawn. This happened in 2005 and for several weeks not only the cartoonist responsible for the drawings wa s target of direct death threats and attempts but also Danish embassies throughout the world (namely the Muslim world) were burned. What started to be the result of a mans creativity and freedom of drawing whatever he wanted to (or the result of any other motivations, which Im not discussing here) turned out to be one of the biggest international crisis for Denmark after II World War, as Danishs Prime Minister at the time stated. The second argument regarding the higher vulnerability of democracies is defended by some authors who consider that it is not the result of democracies particular features (because in that case they would be as vulnerable to domestic terrorism as to transnational terrorism and they defend it is not the case) but the result of how they position themselves in the world, i.e., the result of their foreign policies. Democracies tend to engage themselves in foreign issues and get involved in conflicts, to which they believe they can give a positive contribute. Th is involvement might create certain resentments  [12]  . As B. Savun and B. Phillips stated The more frequently a state engages in conflict with other states, the more likely that it will create resentment and hostility abroad. Although this resentment may be most pronounced among the people who are directly affected by such hostile actions, it is likely that such hostile actions result in a broader resentment and negativity toward the participants of such crises.  [13]   Whether it is because of one type of argument or the other the fact is that many democracies have been throughout the years target of terrorist attacks. And this brings me to another question: At what extent are these attacks and the counterterrorism measures that they induce to be taken, making democracies weaker and making them lose some of their most important features, by obliging governments to restrict certain civil and political rights? This makes us rethink about governments priorities: security versus liberty. Should the state provide security, as being the most important good, like Hobbes would suggest, or should it be more worried with guaranteeing liberty for its citizens, above anything else, like Locke defended? My intention is not to prioritize between these two values but understand if there really is a trade off between both, i.e., if fighting against terrorism is in fact limiting some liberties. Some authors have tested that and reached some conclusions (like for example Weinberg and Eubank  [14]  ). First I would like to say that in this particular study of Eubank and Weinberg, democracy was measured by using Polity IV scales, civil liberties and political rights were measured according to Freedom House and Terrorism (please note that Im always referring to International Terrorism) was measured using the number of attacks occurred per year between 1968 and 2005. They included 24 countries in this test from West European countries to Latin America and South Asia. The results indicated a poor relationship between terrorism and civil liberties and political rights, indicating that probably there is no trade-off after all. These results were then against the authors first perception (that political rights and civil liberties have been suffering a reduction as a result of the spread of terrorism). In my opinion, however, (and even though the regressions might not be statisti cally significant in proving that there is an inverted relationship between terrorism and political and civil rights) a more empirical analysis would suggest that it can really exist and might even embody a trend to getting worse in next years. Statistics may not cover certain modifications and policies, which after a more careful analysis might be considered as reducing certain liberties, for example, in terms of privacy rights. For the sake of a safer country for example in the United States and since 9/11 attacks, several measures have been taken with controversial effects in ones privacy: wiretaps in private telephones, databases of phone calls made in American soil, inspections with warrant in suspicious packages received by Post. More recently, a failed attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines airplane in its flight from Amsterdam to Detroit stressed the major preoccupation regarding the possibility of terrorists hiding explosive engines in their bodies and being able to carry them to the airplane. This incident brought to the discussion a new technology that is being developed, consisting in a full-body scanner. This scanner is able to see through clothes and do the same thing to a human body like the x-ray engine doe s to the luggage. Some say this is a clear invasion of privacy but theres a quite majority (among public opinion and states responsibles) believing that this is a necessary evil, regarding how terrorism is evolving and how, besides all the level of protection, a terrorist was still able to bring explosives to the airplane. Counterterrorism policies will evolve accordingly to terrorism threats. And this is the main reason why I said that not only terrorism is jeopardizing certain liberties and rights but also it will keep doing it even more, as terrorist methodologies keep improving and surprising police authorities. Besides privacy rights issues, terrorism is also contributing to the rise of prejudice demonstrations around the world. One may often understand this everyday, mainly against people coming from Middle East. Since some of the more recent and major terrorist attacks (USA in September 2001, Madrid in March 2004 and London in July 2005) were perpetrated by Muslims or Muslims descendents, a climate of anti-muslim and anti-arab feelings was installed. These feelings are reflected in some common citizens reactions and attitudes towards Muslims but also in a wider attention from authorities in relation to them. This is a clear restriction to ones right of being equally treated. Conclusion Coincidently or not both terrorism and democracy have become more frequent in the last decades. Terrorism has been assuming new shapes, hitting apparently stronger targets and spreading fear throughout the world, at a growing rhythm. In a similar rhythm have been countries all over the world turning their political systems into democratic ones. My goal in this Essay was to analyse the link between democracy and terrorism from two different perspectives. First, I tried to understand whether the implementation of a democratic regime in the countries where terrorism is mainly generated would stop terrorism. I concluded that it could help but it surely wouldnt be enough. I exposed the four mechanisms that stimulate terrorism and theyre not only related to political reasons of lack of participation and week democratic principles, they have also a deep ideological, cultural and religious component that turn it even more difficult to understand and, as consequence, to contain terrorism. I suggested that higher efforts could be put on education in what concerns to religious and cultural tolerance. Moreover, I consider, as well as different heads of state, that in fact it is important that the conflict between Israel and Palestine is solved, since this conflict is, most probably, the highest responsible for the instability in the Middle East. Second, I analysed if democracies are getting weaker as a result of terrorism or more specifically as a result of counterterrorism policies. Said by other words, what I wanted to understand was whether certain rights and liberties were being limited or not by the terrorism environment that characterizes modern times. I presented one study, whose results do not prove the existence of a trade off between rights and liberties and terrorism. However, even though statistics do not corroborate my argument, and this I believe is a consequence of the fact that indicators do not catch every single law modification, I substantiated it through practical examples, where the reduction of privacy rights, for example, are quite visible. At the end of this essay I realized how difficult it is to define a concept so broad and always in constant evolution like terrorism. Making a link between this difficult concept and the political system that in last decades has been conquering more and more countries throughout the world is very challenging. I am sure that the current era of insecurity that were living nowadays together with the technological development speed will certainly add many chapters to this discussion in a near future.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Impact of Standardized Testing Essay

There is a vast literature available concerning African American male student accomplishment and its relation to the accomplishment gap occurrence (Perry, Stelle, & Hilliard, 2003; Thernstrom & Thernstrom, 2003; Hrabrowksi, 1998; Ogbu, 1998; Patterson, 2006; Polite & Davis, 2001; Duncan, 1999; Freeman, 1999). Researchers and media channels explain the causes of African Americans continuously staying behind their White partners. Several provide limited allegations concerning African American male student accomplishment from either a past, sociological, or monetary view when deciding school achievement or failure. On the contrary, sufficient notice has not been granted to experiential and mixed methodological styles for assisting in advancing the debate concerning the provision of efficient resolutions toward narrowing the achievement gap that exists between African American male learners and counteracting deficit-model styles. In â€Å"Educating African American Males: Voices from the Fields†, the author Fashola (2008) and some other important academician researchers tackle this matter. The book is segmented in eight chapters, locating itself in many thematic areas that include social, ethnic, and past matters; school reform; primary, middle and high school experiences; structural analysis of manliness; institutional types of prejudice; and extra-curricular activities which assist in the promotion of affirmative self-confidence and analytical skills for African American males. Altogether, the providers enunciate the requirement of novel styles by demanding the educational commune to shift beyond conventional means of accomplishment and to comprehend the importance of social, past, ethnic, behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and educational styles that add to the broadening of the achievement gap between African American males and their white partners. Cooper and Jordan (2003) tackle the issues of African American male student achievement and they do this by locating and investigating the past as well as the methodical impacts of prejudice and also by displaying the way institutionalized domination have a part to play in the broadening of the achievement gap. The authors assess the elements such as uncontrolled unemployment, poverty, and insufficient accessibility to health care as the possible elements of African American males not being franchised in the circumstance of school and community. The authors imply that an â€Å"intergenerational poverty† (p. 2) exists which disseminates a self-fulfilling prediction for several of African American males. Ogbu’s (1998) research allows for the contextualizing of such past injustices. It is implied that â€Å"the treatment of minorities in the wider society is reflected in their treatment in education† (p. 159). In his book Noguera (2003) assists in the contextualizing of few of the practical attitudes which are required for the comprehension of certain of the behavioral trends of African American males which have an impact on them in school. The author offers information and research which record the way they were marginalized and wronged by the schooling experiences in the capitalist educational frameworks. Text offers a qualitative study which looks for determining the part that educators have in the motivation of students; teachers can utilize this information to reassess and modify their educational and instructional practices and also to fulfill the requirements of African American males and at the same time provide with suitable scaffolding so as to assist the learners in meeting the academic standards. Along with this, Noguera also debates that the learners are to be taught and habituated so as to see that the academic institutions are advantageous to them and also that the anticipations for them are high. Noguera writes about the schooling experiences of African American males by assessing their accomplishment trends in public schools and tackling with their consequent detachment. He writes that Black males underperform on standardized tests and that they undergo much higher drop-out rates. Although Black males achieve much and their performance is good in the primary grades, they tend to underperform by the age of nine (Garibaldi, 1992). His recommendation is that the educators should be placing literary and language enrichment at the head of their instructional concerns. This is particularly important during their primary school times; supplementing with the talents allows for African American males to become self-sufficient, analytical thinking is principal for their general intellectual achievement or failure. Development of Problem An operational attitude to the tradition of schooling also offers a valuable contextual structure for the investigation of student â€Å"oppositionality† and â€Å"resistance† (Ogbu, 1998) as minor traditional features displayed by particular minority learners in reaction to their communal marginalization. The idea of identity and the way it is written either by a person or the community is made pertinent by the reactions of these marginalized learners and is a vital part of a sufficient hypothetical viewpoint on tradition. The academic achievement gap which is present between African American and White learners is a very urgent contest for the urban education in the United States in the present times. Generally, the rank and academic achievement of minority groups in science have been issues of concern in various areas (National Science Foundation, 1994; Atwater, 2000). In a wide-ranging assessment of the issues, Jencks and Phillips (1998) suggest that there should be an application of methodical and preserved research attempts targeted at investigating the causes for the low performance of particular minority groups. When discussing the achievement gap and displaying it as a challenge for the urban education, there has to be an emphasis placed on certain aspects of the urban schools which are responsible for the existent gap. In the United States, the fact that the majority of the Black students study in urban or inner city institutions is correct, and on the other hand White students normally study at suburban schools. It is possible that this factor is responsible for the achievement gap between the Blacks and the Whites and it provides with an urban/suburban aspect. Urban academic institutions are also different from the suburban ones in the accessibility of the study material and commune sources. Even though the fact that the suburban schools normally have much better sources in contrast to the urban schools is true, an exploration can be made in whether the resources that are accessible for the urban schools are utilized most advantageously so as to improve the student involvement and intellectual accomplishment. Even though standardized testing traditionally has been slackly connected to responsibility and student education, the association had been weak. The association between student education and high-stakes standardized testing became more distinct, and a rise in the utilization of the tests has reached classic magnitude following the introduction of the No Child Left Behind. The argument behind such a connection is that raised pressure to perform well on standardized tests, and also a series of incentives and penalties, will raise the student education and accomplishment. Impacts of such testing standards have broad results, not just on the current generation but also on the next generations of youth. Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to assess the impact that standardized testing has on African American male students. The study aims to display the issues connected with the impact of standardized testing on African American males. African American males face discrimination and due to that they do not perform as they should in their academics. Innumerable researches have been conducted to examine African American youths’ academic results. There is relative concentration with a stress on the achievement gap between African American youths generally and also that of other ethnic categories, like the Europeans and Asian Americans. Several conceptual structures have been offered which propose the achievement gap in educational results is the outcome of societal-level discrimination which afflicts African Americans (for example, Fordham & Ogbu, 1986; Ogbu, 1987, 1994; Steele, 1997). In reality, several of the studies record the negative impacts of such macro system-level elements on the encouragement and intellectual accomplishment of African American learners (Howard & Hammond, 1985; Ponterotto & Pedersen, 1993; Steele & Aronson, 1995). Nature of the Study Social research can be deductive or inductive and each is applied according to the research type. Deductive approach refers to particular information that has been gained from a general theory. Through the theory the researcher gets the foresights concerning the happening. Deductive research is termed as theory testing. In the case when a research initiates with a theory and is following the hypotheses that the researcher has set to test, the approach is deductive. Deductive reasoning sets to work moving from the more universal to the more precise. Induction is usually described as moving from the specific to the general. Observations are used for inductive approaches. Inductive reasoning moves from the more specific to a broader generalization and theory. In this case there is quite some uncertainty involved and the conclusions are based on theories.

Friday, January 10, 2020

How The Meaning Of Democracy And Globalization Differs In Deferent Essay

Globalization is making international trade more easy and accessible. Business operations cut across transnational borders in contemporary times, more than before. Furthermore, there are increasing numbers of players in the international trade and deal transactions than ever before. The neo-liberalists views in international trade has always supported a globalize and open market order in which every countries is expected to open up its market and imbibe the culture of free trade, free economy entry and exit of labor and the opening of the state economy to the international market for active competition. The adoption of open markets have resulted in the political responses in terms of change in the political structure, that is hitherto exhibited and the way government intervene in her country’s economy. This change has resulted in the adoption of the neo-liberal stand. Even, the communist states are now gradually opening up to the trade zone to international transactions. â€Å"Globalization can be briefly defined as, the intensification of economic, political, social, and cultural relations across borders† (Holm & Sorensen, 1995:4). According to Yeung (2002), from an economic perspective the term globalization is defined as â€Å"the rapid proliferation of cross-border production, trade, and investment activities spearheaded by global corporations and international financial institutions that facilitate the emergence of an increasingly integrated and interdependent global economy†. Thus, globalization is a transformation of the world order to become accustomed to the changes of time and the pattern of the world order. Democracy is seen as a system of government where the government is accountable to the people, and sovereignty of the state lies with the people. Cultural differences in terms of the practices and way of living of people makes them adapt to different conceptualization and practice of philosophy associated with democracy and globalization. DIVERSITY IN CONCEPTUALIZING DEMOCRACY AND GLOBALIZATION IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES Williams (1983) try to capture in his book the differences between in articulated experience and the general conclusion reached in regards to democracy and globalization. This according to him has lead to the covert disappointments in the failure to formulate that tension abstractly. People’s experience in actual life sometime differs from the principles underlying democratic practices and the gains and pains attributed to globalization in the 21st century. Williams work preoccupies with the connections between human ideology and societal culture. The cultural difference between countries and political and economic settings tend to present different realities pertaining to democracy and globalization. For instance, in underdeveloped African countries democracy in the real sense which has to do with government by the people and where full public accountability is emphasized is a far cry from the realities. African leaders are corrupt and tend to infringe on people’s human rights. There is poor public accountability, amidst high level of corruption. The interpretation giving to democracy in the advanced western world respects the rights of the people and public accountability is emphasized. Sovereignty should lie with the people according to democratic principle, but in African countries that practice democratic rule, the leaders see themselves as custodian of sovereignty, as it is observed in a monarchical rule. The African culture embraces a fatalistic perspective to life, while the western culture tends to strive for change. This fatalistic lifestyle as made globalization not too beneficial to underdeveloped African countries, as they rely on primary goods production, which are grossly under priced in the international trade level. Williams thus, recognized the importance of taking individual and social circumstances into consideration as this bring about the differences in interpretation to vital issues of life, like democracy, human arts, industry, class and culture. The role of developing countries in globalizing the world is one in which they play significant role. Most raw materials utilized in both advanced economy and in processing into finish, products are sourced from developing countries from Africa, Asian, and Latin America. At the aftermath of the Uruguay Round Agreements (URA) the role of developing countries in global economy has increased significantly. Furthermore, the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is harnessing trade negotiations within developing countries. According to Michalopoulos (1999), â€Å"The integration of the developing countries into the multilateral trading system has been especially impressive for a group of perhaps 15-20 middle and higher income developing countries in Latin America and Asia†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The increasing significant of developing countries in speeding up the global development ascribes on them certain responsibilities that is expected for them to play. This comes in way of putting in place a smooth export trade zone for its raw materials and free movement of labor in and out their national boundaries. Some developing countries in assuming this responsibility has formed export agency among them to enable the smooth export trade in raw materials. â€Å"†¦exports have risen b y more than 10 per annum in volume since 1970†¦ the developed countries combined gross domestic product (GDP); at the beginning of the 1990s†¦accounted for 1. 8 per cent of GDP, whereas the figure in 1999 was 3. 2 per cent† (Akyuz, et al 2001). Developing countries has developed policies in their exports, which is characterized by imposition of control and taxes on export of primary products and foodstuffs, and also they tend to provide incentives and subsidies to their exports manufacturers (Michalopoulos 1999). Thus, the need to create a trade free zone and easy passage of primary products to international zone where they would be converted into finished product is one responsibility developing countries need to carry out. Furthermore, the developing countries play the significant role in the supply of labor, in the production process, given their large population. Developing countries have large labor markets, thus the supply of this to the global labor market goes a long way in contributing to global development. Thus improving of labor skills in developing countries is a way the usefulness of labor in this part of the world would contribute significantly in area of global development. In this view, Akyuz, et al (2001), has it that â€Å"improvement in labor market conditions will also require a reorientation of development policies at the national and global levels, particularly with respect to the speed and pattern of integration of developing countries into the global economy†. The role third world countries play in globalization is directly connected to how their cultural background and interpretation to the phenomenon is connected to their occupation and way of life. For instance, countries in Africa, it has 70 percent of its workforce in peasant farming. Thus, the continent economy is agrarian and thus, its involvement in globalization is in the production of primary product. On the other hand, advance western countries like U. S. and EU states, including advance Asian countries like Japan, China, produce finish products like automobiles, electronics etc. While the western world would conceive globalization as an expanded place for trading, with the less barrier to trade, the underdeveloped countries something conceive this as a continue exploitation of the westerners and the dependency on their products. CONCLUSION Democracy has in contemporary times being widely acknowledged globally in the political realm and in work place. Workers participation are urging for more participation as a way to embrace democracy. In addition, this globalization phenomenon has made organized capitalism to transit from corporate capitalism to monopoly capitalism not it is in its customer capitalism. However, democracy is different interpreted by countries in line with their cultural setting. While the advance political states seeks for more respect for human rights and public accountability, the underdeveloped state in their nascent democracy are trying to fight huge level of corruption and leadership oppression as it is being notice in Zimbabwe where Mugabe is hindering any move of oppositions. In addition, the conceptualization of globalization by different countries depends on the receiving end they find themselves in the international trade. While those countries primarily engaged in the production of primary products such as raw materials cry for unfavorable term of trade, the advanced economic countries see globalization as a pattern for encouraging free trade and maximizing economic wealth. REFERENCES Akyuz, Yilmaz, et al (2001), â€Å"Globalization, Inequality and the Labour Market† http://www. flassbeck. de/pdf/GLOBALIZ. PDF. (02/12/07)Michalopoulos, Constantine (1999), â€Å"Trade Policy market Access Issues for Developing Countries: Implications for the Millennium Round† http://wbln0018. worldbank. org/research/workpapers. nsf/bd04ac9da150d30385256815005076ce/a70066326b8be18c85256818005b9fb6/$FILE/wps2214. pdf. (2/12/07) Williams, Raymond (1983) Culture And Society: 1780-1950, Columbia University Press. Yeung, Henry W. (2002), â€Å"The Limits to Globalization Theory: A Geographic Perspective on Global Economic Change† Economic Geography, Volume 78, Number 3, July http://www. europe. canterbury. ac. nz/courses/euro223/yeong. pdf. (02/12/07)

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Can Alzheimers Be Stopped - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1247 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/04/04 Category Medicine Essay Level High school Tags: Alzheimer's Disease Essay Did you like this example? Summary This material was prepared by a big team which was written and produced by Sarah Holt known as film director. American and Colombian medical and genetic researchers united to investigate if Alzheimers disease can be stopped or not. On the example of several families from Colombia in which this disease was genetically transmitted, experiments were conducted to try to stop and prevent the onset of Alzheimers disease. Reflection This film is produced in an understandable language and is based on real events taking place in ordinary families and ordinary people. It is in easy access and will be clear to anyone. I was very interested in this film and it seemed very interesting and informative as same disease has affected my family too. This is why I choose this film to revise. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Can Alzheimers Be Stopped?" essay for you Create order The story begins with the fact that one of the Colombian families received a very bad version of this Alzheimers disease and each family member gets sick very early, at the age of 40-45 years. It is believed that this is a very early age and a rare event in world statistics. Therefore, the doctors undertook to specifically study this situation to help this family. Alzheimers disease damages the brain so affected people cannot think as they could before and normally perceive reality. There is one phrase that is uttered by one of the members of the family of the patient, and I quote: On some level, you know, Alzheimers is a kind of death in life, when your mom or your dad no longer recognizes their son or daughter. The person is no longer there, and yet they are. Deal with that. This phrase made me think and I heard some truth in these words that is actually very sad. There was an experimental drug administered to people who wanted to participate in a trial top take a chance and maybe escape from this challenging life situation. Narrator explains why the companies are having hopes on testing those drugs. The main points are to help millions of sick people plus get billions of dollars. Alzheimers disease is gaining momentum and world medicine is trying to come up with drugs that could prevent, treat, or at least slow down the progress. Unfortunately, a lot of experimentation was failed, but the world does not stand still and new inventions can be made. The first signs of Alzheimer may be anxiety, depression, and forgetfulness. This disease progresses rather quickly and a person can die in 7 to 10 years. It has been scientifically established that more often women are getting this disease; pathology in most cases develops in older people. Damage to the brain is accompanied by loss of memory, impaired thinking, orientation and coordination. The last stage of Alzheimers disease is characterized by personal degradation, complete loss of memory, speech, body functions are lost, and death is possible. If the first symptoms of the disease were missed and treatment started with severe symptoms of the disease, the average life expectancy is 3 to 6 years. At this stage of the disease, the patient has cognitive impairment. The patient forgets everything, it is difficult for him to perform simple actions to take the keys with him, the money when going to the store; the patient can go out in clothes out of season; he forgets words, he has the first signs of a speech disorder. At the mild stage of Alzheimers disease, the patient may get lost on his street, go to another part of the city, forget his address. Patients avoid communication, withdraw into themselves, are often annoyed, show aggression. With the development of pathology, the symptoms are the same for everyone, but the course of the disease occurs individually in some p atients, the disease progresses very quickly. Special tests were developed to determine the stage of the disease with the following classification: early, moderate (medium), severe (last). The last stage of Alzheimers disease is characterized by complete degradation of the individual, the patient can no longer take care of himself, the reflexes are disturbed, he cannot swallow food, loses speech. The last stage of the disease confers a person to bed the patient cannot raise his head, stops smiling, there is an increased muscle tone, the person experiences severe pain. This stage of the disease is fatal. At the last stage of Alzheimers disease, the patient needs help with everything he cannot use the toilet by himself, there is urinary incontinence, he may not be well oriented in the apartment. The last stage of the disease requires the use of adult diapers, round-the-clock supervision of the patient. Living with such a patient becomes a very difficult ordeal for relatives. The patient behaves inadequately, can be aggressive, hit, shout, refuse to eat, hygienic procedures. During the severe stages of Alzheimers disease, it takes a long time to care for a sick person. Often, members of a family in which there is a patient with Alzheimer suffer from depression and experience chronic stress. The main cause of Alzheimers disease is amyloid deposits in brain tissue that cause disruption of neural connections and cell death, which leads to degeneration of the brain substance. Amyloid deposits are formed in two variants. Amyloid plaques that form first in the tissues of the hippocampus, and then spread to the entire brain, prevent the organ from performing its functions. Amyloid increases the concentration of calcium in brain cells, which causes their death. The second type of deposits is neurofibrillary tangles. The tangles found in the study of the brain of a deceased patient consist of insoluble tau protein, which also disrupts normal brain function. The causes of deposits leading to the development of Alzheimers disease have not been precisely established. Almost at the very beginning I wrote that one of my relatives had this disease. This is my aunt, my mothers sister. Unfortunately, she is no longer with us and I understand that this may concern any of our family. I identified several signs that should be taken into account if they appeared, because if you identify this disease at an early stage, there will be more chances to overcome it. Here is the list: Loss of memory (This includes requests to repeat the same information several times, the growing dependence on written reminders and the difficulty in recalling recent events.) Neglecting the usual activities (Apathy, loss of interest, avoiding the usual circle of people and favorite activities.) Disorientation in time and space (Failure to determine the time of year, your location or why you ended up in this place.) Visual and spatial difficulties (It becomes difficult to climb or descend the stairs, climb into the bath, find your way home, read books.) Changes in personality and mood (Changes in behavior and mood.) Reduced writing and verbal communication skills. Difficulty solving problems or planning. Constant shifting of objects. Loss of judgment. Difficulties with the implementation of the usual tasks. After all, this film gave me a lot of useful and necessary information. I really want this disease not to affect me and my family. I worked for some time in a Memory care Unit and saw it all with my own eyes. I saw different stages of this disease. And I tried to give warmth and care to these patients while no one was around. We will all hope very much that research and science will give us a new and effective medicine and society to get rid of Alzheimer