Partition as a Solution to Ethnic Civil Wars Term Paper

Partition as a Solution to Ethnic Civil Wars - Term Paper Example Such feelings are never in favor of a country because they start destroying the foundations of the country slowly and gradually. When a group of people starts feeling unprivileged as compared to other people, they raise their voice against the government officials and the government’s discriminating policies, which results in starting a civil war. Kirschner, in an article states, â€Å"Individuals are more likely to continue fighting once a war begins, foreseeing severely restricted opportunities, if not annihilation, under the current state†. The best way to deal with such kinds of problems is to negotiate with the ethnic groups in order to know their concerns. If a government becomes unable to satisfy the people properly, chances of conflicts start increasing in the country, which leads the country towards many problems, such as, demand for separation or partition within the state. Chapman and Roeder state, â€Å"Partition is more likely than alternative institutiona l arrangements—specifically, unitarism, de facto separation, and autonomy arrangements—to preserve the peace and facilitate democratization† (677-691). ... Partition is one of the strategies to terminate all sorts of ethnic wars in a country. When government do not find any other way to the solution of the problems, it starts thinking of partition within the state in order to let the ethnic groups live their life on their own. However, it is never an easy decision for any government because partition destroys the autonomy and power of the government of the country. Partitions not only affect the political structure and but also affect the control of central government. Apart from these disadvantages of partition, there are several advantages of partition for the ethnic groups. Let us discuss some of the most considerable benefits in some detail in order to get a better understanding of how partitions terminate the possibility of ethnic civil wars in a country. Solution to Ethnic Wars Partitions are a good solution to the end of ethnic wars. Ethnic conflicts give rise to many problems for a country. They not only destabilize the economy of a country but also disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the whole nation. Ethnic conflicts arise when a group of people belonging to some specific culture or society start feeling unprivileged and ignored by the government. Such groups raise their voice to stop discrimination and unfairness against minorities and to give full protection to their rights. When a government fails to fulfill the demands of the ethnic groups, they start movements and strikes against the government. It acts as the starting point towards partition. Such groups start demanding a separate nation or a separate place where they can live their lives independently and in accordance with their cultures. In history, there are many examples in which different movements against the governments

An Evaluation of the Economy of the United Kingdom Based On the Dissertation

An Evaluation of the Economy of the United Kingdom Based On the Consequences ofthe Credit Crunch - Dissertation Example In the summer of 2011, the financial crisis that shook the global economy knocked the doors by jolting the economy of the United States and other European Nations (Oxlade (2011). The global markets were miffed by the possibility of another financial setback and probably another recession to deal with (Franklin, Douglas, 2007). The research highlights the current credit crunch scenario prevailing in the United Kingdom through a thorough analysis of past and present literature along with understanding and analysing the key reasons behind the rise of recession in different parts of the world (Lowery (2011). The information collected from different sources and resources helped in developing aims and objectives of the research along with understanding the present financial crisis rising from the ashes of the past crisis that once thwarted the financial progress and stablisation in different parts of the world. The research methodology helped in analysing the primary and secondary data in an analytical manner through logical research methods, approaches and ideologies. Findings of the research were compared with the analysis of literature in order to identify a common trend or relationship in a logical manner. Primary reasons behind the credit crunch have been highlighted well to support the proposed aims and objectives of the research. The research also discusses ethical issues and logical considerations that helped in presenting the research in an ethical and honest manner. The conclusion part is based on the overall analysis of the data and information collected from different sources along with relating with the literature in a significant manner TABLE OF CONTENTS Section 1.Introduction 1.1 Background of the Topic 6 1.2 Research Aim 7 1.3... The paper tells that the financial crisis of the 2007 strongly affected the economics of the global world in a negative manner. The financial crisis of the 2007; often considered as one of the worst credit crunches after the Great Depression of the 1930s changed the financial structure and image of the global economy. It resulted in the collapse of few of the financial institutions across the globe with the likes of Lehman Brothers and Northern Rock falling prey to the financial turmoil. The bailout of banks by the governments across the globe did not revamp the financial health of the financial institutions and the whole world suffered with the loss of money, investments and jobs. The financial crisis was triggered by the liquidity crunch faced by the banks of the United States because of the housing bubble that raised issues and questions over the sub-prime crisis. Investors across the world were skeptical in terms of investing their money and banks were facing credit crunch that b locked the equilibrium between the inflow and outflow of funds driven by the demand and supply of funds. A number of measures including governments’ initiatives to bail out financial institutions and improvement in the liquidity position of banks played an important role in stablising the credit crunch but the impact and influence was too hard that up to some extent changed the financial position of the global economy.

Film versions of Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

Film versions of Romeo and Juliet Essay My aim of this essay is to compare the two versions of Romeo and Juliet that are directed by Baz Lehrman and Franco Zeffirelli. Lehrman set his in modern times with modern clothing and buildings. He still uses early modern English but with some lines changed, so the modern audience can understand the story a little easier. It was created in 1996. It is given a Miami beach setting with loud music and super-artsy sets, reviewers said Natural born killers meet Stratford-Upon-Avon, a kind of Shakespeare MTV. This version definitely helped younger people with the understanding of the play, and to appreciate the works of Shakespeare, simply because Lehrman could keep to the main basis of the story, yet modernise it to suit these recent times, and keep the audience interested throughout the whole of the film. It was certified as a twelve. Zeffirelis version is set in Elizabethan times in Italy. At the time that this film was created it was the first version of Romeo and Juliet where the two main characters were played by actual teenagers (seventeen and fifteen). He created the latest action, humour and romantic film version of Romeo and Juliet yet. It was shot in Italy in three main cities of Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, but all the scenes of riot and duelling were shot in Gubbio. It was certified as PG. Both of the opening scenes begin with the famous chorus Two households both alike in dignity This gives you a basic outline of the story although it isnt clear. Zeffirelli had a male voice talking with the same tone of voice throughout it, it was a fairly plain tone but had the hint of sadness as well. On the screen all you can see is a border surrounding the town at the edge of the screen in orange and yellow swirls giving it an ornament look. There is a birds eye view moving across the town then through it, the camera moves very slowly and appears almost like an introduction to the town and gives a sense of romance and anger. The romance because of when the shot is in the town centre it pivots towards the sun it makes you think of happiness and love. Anger, because of the mist right at the beginning and the dark shadows of the walls when the camera goes down fairly dark alleyways. There is folky and old aged music throughout it, this gives you a head start in knowing there will be old fashioned buildings and costume, this creates an image of the Shakespearian times and recall over the whole story of Romeo and Juliet. Lehrman begins with a television set and a pitch black background with the T.V screen fuzzy at first then with someone channel hopping giving you the directors name an the production team name. It is completely silent with only the sounds of the remote control flicking over the channels. Then there is a newscaster announcing the news/story of Romeo and Juliets death. She is reading the chorus which is read at the beginning of Franco Zeffirelis version. As she is talking the camera very slowly zooms into the screen. Then just as she reads the last line the camera zooms in very quickly into the blue background on the T.V screen. Then very loud opera music is played. This gives you a sense of danger maybe violence, the camera zooms down a long road through the town, I think this might have been influenced by the last line Is now the two hours traffic of our stage as the word traffic stands out. Then there are flashes of the scenes throughout the movie mainly of violence. The chorus is repeated this time by a male voice. There are pictures of newspaper articles and main words like Two star crossed lovers take their life this is to point out main themes of the story. There is also displays of the white dove and sacred heart labelling Catholicism. The party scene in Zeffirelis in some ways is different but also similar to that in Lehrmans, like when the pair talk to each other there is a solo being sung in the background or on-stage both romantic songs to set the scene for when the pair fall in love. In Lehrmans you have the vision of Romeo who is on drugs, so there is a lot of spinning camera work to show the works of ecstasy also it changes from one thing to another like when Romeo is talking to Lord Capulet then the next moment he sees him singing also the appearance of Mercutio singing and dancing. Later he is looking into the fish tank and there he sees Juliet on the other side of it. He instantly takes an interest in her beauty and follows her over. Then Juliet dances with Paris but keeps an eye out for Romeo. When the dance is over there is a huge celebration when Romeo grabs Juliets hand and they begin to talk then the camera shows what Juliet is seeing when Paris turns around ands laughs. Later when they are in the lift together the camera slowly moves around them whilst they kiss to get all sides of them both, it does this about two times I think they do this because its such a passionate moment that Lehrman wanted to make it last as long as possible. In fact its done twice once when they get in the lift and then again when they run out of the lift then back in. When the nurse comes to get Juliet she gives Romeo an evil look, which he doesnt understand at first until he realises that she is Capulet, the music quietens and the camera holds long time shots at both their faces also when Juliet finds out Romeos a Montague, this creates a lot tension. In Zeffirellis he chose to get Romeo to see Juliet before she sees him whilst she is dancing. Soon Juliet spots him and she takes an interest. Zeffirelli chose to get them to meet through a dance called the moreska. Here they dance together they dont actually talk but you can see in their faces they begin to fancy each other. At this section just like in Lehrmans there is a lot of spinning camera work especially when there are two circles dancing it shows flashes of Lord Capulet, Romeo, Juliet, and of the entire room which they are in. When it finishes a soloist comes on stage and every one creates a circle round him, Romeo and Juliet try to find each other and when they do Romeo grabs her hand and talks to her. Later they kiss and the camera pauses on them whilst there is no singing in the music this makes it fairly romantic but I think it would have been a bit better if the camera looked up and down them to show they are really falling in-love. When the nurse takes Juliet away she asks the nurse to find out who Romeo is. Also Romeo finds that Juliet is a Capulet here, as well as Juliet finding out that he is a Montague. Both directors chose to hold the camera on the couples first kiss. I think they chose this because it really creates a romantic atmosphere this helps people to see the passion between each other. Also they chose to get Romeo to grab Juliets hand from behind a column, this makes him appear like the no fear type, the type who are not scared to jump into things like here he instantly tries to impress her with holy palmers kiss. This keeps up Romeos personality on what he does for love, like at the end killing himself for Juliet.

Hanjin Bankruptcy Case Study

Hanjin Bankruptcy Case Study Abstract Over the past five years, Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd has maintained its ranking among the top 10 shipping companies in the world making it in 8th position in 2015 (JOC 2016), however, on 31st of August 2016, Hanjin Shipping declared bankruptcy. It was clearly leading to bankruptcy as company was showing low profitability and Hanjin vainly attempted to increase liquidity but it was too late. It is also said that Hanjins breakdown was the largest and the most significant bankruptcy in the container transport industry (Paris and Nam 2016). 1. Introduction The purpose of this report is to examine and look at factors that led to the bankruptcy of Hanjin. This report is divided into two parts. In the first part the Business Report published by the company will be used to identify 4 factors which led to the Hajin Shipping collapse to give and analyse the image of liquidity and profitability. The second part will focus on cash budget went in 2014 and et sequitur. 2. Factors that resulted in Hanjin Shipping crash Four outputs were chosen from Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd financial results two from Balance Sheet and two from Profit and Loss account in order to explain the bankruptcy. Those outputs are Current Assets (comparing to the Current Liabilities), Borrowings, reduction of Profitability and Profit from Discontinued Operations. 2.1 Factors in Balance Sheet Liquidity, according to Subramanyam and Wild (2009), is companys capacity to rapidly convert the current assets into cash or to derive cash to cover its short-term obligations. The companys activity may be affected seriously if there is a lack of liquidity. Therefore, liquidity expresses the capacity of the company to comply with its short-term obligations, for instance, to meet expenses with sufficient cash inflows or to accumulate a security reserve for any incalculable situation such as payments growth. Consequently, liquidity may be defined as the factor that designates the ability of the company to transform assets into cash or to obtain cash to keep up with the short-term obligations. 2.1.1 Current Assets and Current Liabilities Current Assets are assets that are expected to be converted into cash, sold or consumed within short period of time, usually one year (Subramanyam and Wild 2009). Current assets generally include cash, trade receivable, inventories and prepaid expenses. Current Liabilities are obligations expected to be satisfied usually within one year (Subramanyam and Wild 2009). Current liabilities in balance sheet accounts ordinarily include trade payable, short-term bank borrowings, taxes and accrued expenses. First of all, the key point in the Balance Sheet (B/S) is the difference in size amongst Current Assets and Current Liabilities (960 billion and 4 036 billion of won respectively in 2015). It is also important to mention that Current Assets built up only 13% of Total Assets in 2015. Besides, the short-term Borrowings was the main output which drove the Current Liabilities so high (3 171 billion of won in 2015 what is 78,6% of Current Liabilities and 60 times more than Total Comprehensive Income that year). Furthermore, the distance in percentage between Current Assets and Current Liabilities was enlarging since 2013. In particular, Current Assets went down by 35% in 2015 since 2014 and by 47% since 2013, while Current Liabilities declined only by 18% in 2015 since 2014 and by 32% since 2013. This is the root cause of insolvency, as Current Assets were not sufficient to come over Current Liabilities. 2.1.2 Long-term Borrowings Non-current (or long-term) liabilities are obligations that come due in more than one year (or the operating cycle) and include borrowings, bonds and debentures (Subramanyam and Wild 2009). Long-term Borrowings are type of debt and financial obligations issued for the duration of several (3-5 or more) years (Matassa 2011). Any financial liabilities or bonds included in long-term loan are expected to be reimbursed in a longer than 12-month period. In the Hanjins report (2015), long-term Borrowings grew up by 20% in 2015 since 2014 what means that previous long-term loans were not sufficient in order to run adequately. Moreover, Borrowings were composing over 95% of total Non-Current Liabilities in 2015, and 45% of total borrowings during the same year what comparing to the previous year (2014) grew by 13%. The situation was aggravating due to lack of liquidity and consequently, the ability to repay the loans. Too much of Borrowings finally resulted in loss of confidence by banks who refused future debt services. 2.2 Factors in Profit and Loss account 2.2.1 Reduction of Gross Profit Reduction in profitability may be another cause which triggered a reject for further accrediting by banks or other investors causing erosion of equity what consequently ended with the actual collapse of Hanjin. In the Profit and Loss account (P/L), Sales went down by 9% in 2015 from 2014 comparing to Gross Profit which reduced by 14% in 2015 from 2014. This means that in the possible future, company could become less profitable (if the trend will continue) and go into losses again, as it was in 2013, where Gross Loss was accounted for 260 billion of won and Total Comprehensive Loss for 670 billion of won. Regarding to all listed outputs, it may be additionally supposed that the company was losing its paying capacity what may be another factor of bankruptcy. 2.2.2 Profit from Discontinued Operation What is more, looking at the P/L, the Profit from Discontinued Operations suggested the slippage (141 billion of won in 2014 and 0 in 2015) joined together with losses accumulated over the past years (2 251 billion of won in 2015) had ruined the companys equity. 2.3 Evaluation of the effect on the financial result All in all, it can be said that the Liquidity was low due to incapability of Current Assets to overcome Current Liabilities and continuous Long-Term Borrowings. Profitability was also hardly struggled because of reduced Gross Profit and sudden losses from Discontinued Operations. Combining all afore-mentioned factors and taking into consideration the amount of accumulated losses, the size of total remained Equity was smaller than share capital by 34% in 2015 (the situation, however, was better than in 2014 where the distance was accounted for 38% but unfortunately for Hanjin not enough to solve the issue). As a result, the outcome of stated factors became the rapid decline of Hanjins financial sustainability which consequently led to companys insolvency and crash. 3. Budgeting P/L account (Y0) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Sales revenues 52 55 59 65 55 53 57 59 64 67 70 74 Cost of sales -29 -31 -34 -36 -31 -29 -33 -34 -35 -36 -37 -39 Salaries -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 Electricity -3 -4 -5 -5 -2 -2 -2 -3 -3 -5 -6 -7 Depreciation -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 Other overheads -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 Total expenses -47 -50 -54 -56 -48 -46 -50 -52 -53 -56 -58 -61 Profit 5 5 5 9 7 7 7 7 11 11 12 13 Legend: From previous Year Reduced inventories Increased sales Electricity policy Payables policy 3.1 Cash Budget for Y0 (2014) Cash Budget (Y0) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Trade Receivables 65 52 55 59 65 55 53 57 59 64 67 70 Trade Payables -35 -29 -31 0 -34 -36 -28 -26 -30 -31 -35 -36 Salaries -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 Electricity -3 -4 -5 0 0 -6 0 0 -5 0 0 -15 Overheads -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 Total payments -51 -46 -49 -13 -47 -55 -41 -39 -48 -44 -48 -64 Cash Surplus 14 6 6 46 18 0 12 18 11 20 19 6 Opening Balance 50 64 70 76 122 140 140 152 170 181 201 220 Closing Balance 64 70 76 122 140 140 152 170 181 201 220 226 Legend: From previous Year Reduced inventories Increased sales Electricity policy Payables policy 3.2 P/L Forecast for Y+1 (2015) P/L forecast (Y+1) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Sales revenues 55 58 62 68 58 56 60 62 65 68 71 75 Cost of sales -29 -31 -34 -36 -28 -26 -30 -31 -35 -36 -37 -39 Salaries wages -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 Electricity -9 -6 -5 -15 Other overheads -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 Total expenses -42 -44 -56 -49 -41 -45 -43 -44 -53 -49 -50 -67 Profit 13 14 6 19 17 11 17 18 12 19 21 8 3.3 Cash Budget for Y+1 (2015) Cash Budget (Y+1) Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Trade Receivables 74 55 58 62 68 58 56 60 62 65 68 71 Trade Payables -37 -39 -29 -31 -34 -36 -28 -26 -30 -31 -35 -36 Salaries wages -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 -10 Overheads -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 Electricity 0 0 -9 0 0 -6 0 0 -5 0 0 -15 Total payments -50 -52 -51 -44 -47 -55 -41 -39 -48 -44 -48 -64 Cash Surplus 24 3 7 18 21 3 15 21 14 21 20 7 Opening balance 226 250 253 260 278 299 302 317 338 352 373 393 Closing Balance 250 253 260 278 299 302 317 338 352 373 393 400 3.4 Effects of Initiatives on profitability and liquidity There is more cash available for spending on other business opportunities such as: Pay off a loan; Take advantage of new opportunities; Adoption of new technologies; Increased efficiency on operations. Implication of new assumptions for Y+1 as well as consideration of the changes that were applied in the Y-0 eventually allowed achieving positive results for the company. First of all, when comparing cash budget Y-0 and Y+1 it becomes possible to see that due to the introduction of new proposals overall expenses within Y+1 were maintained relatively close to expenses within Y-0. Moreover, assumptions that were set for the Y+1 allowed further increasing the overall profitability of the company and achieving final amount for closed balance of 347. Furthermore, implications that were introduced in Y-0 and were present in Y+1, such as electricity costs policy and supplier policy, also made a significant impact in terms of boosting the overall performance of the business during the Y+1 period. All in all, initiatives that were proposed and incorporated proved to be efficient and had a significant impact on the companys performance. 4. Conclusion Taking everything into account, all the implementations that were made within Y-0 and Y+1 have proven to be successful in terms of allowing the company to expand its capital. As it can be seen from the calculations provided in the report the company experienced a steady growth of shares which can be used as a support to the previous statement. Finally, the decisions which were made regarding Braemer Shipping Ltd created a positive effect on the business simultaneously setting the ground for the companys future expansion. Reference List Hanjin Shipping (2015) Business Report Hunter L. (2017) Lecture, Available at: (Accessed: 10 March 2017) JOC (2016) Hanjin Shipping Bankruptcy, Available at: http://www.joc.com/special-topics/hanjin-shipping-bankruptcy (Accessed: 2 February 2017) Paris C. and Nam I.-S. (2016) Move by South Koreas Hanjin Shipping Roils Global Trade, Wall Street Journal, Available at: https://www.wsj.com/articles/troubled-hanjin-shipping-to-sell-healthy-assets-to-rival-1472611190 (Accessed: 2 February 2017) Subramanyam K. R. and Wild J. J. (2009) Financial Statement Analysis, 10th edition, McGraw-Hill/Irwin: New York Matassa F. (2011) Museum Collections Management: A Handbook, Facet Publishers

Affirmative Action and Racial Tension Essays -- Argumentative Persuasi

Affirmative Action and Racial Tension    Affirmative action. What was its purpose in the first place, and do we really need it now? It began in an era when minorities were greatly under represented in universities and respectable professions. Unless one was racist, most agreed with the need of affirmative action in college admissions and in the workplace. Society needed an active law that enforced equality during a period when civil rights bills were only effective in ink. With so much of America ¹s work force spawned from integrated schools now, some may question whether racism really is the problem anymore, and many college students might answer yes. They see it on college campuses today, and they are not sure why. Subconscious prejudices, self-segregation, political correctness, reverse discrimination, and ignorance all wade in the pool of opinions surrounding affirmative action and racial animosity. With racial tensions ever present in this country, one might question whether the problems can be solved by affirmative action. Some feel that affirmative action in universities is the answer to the end of racism and inequality. If more black students get into and graduate from good colleges, more of them will go on to even out the lopsided numbers in the work force. Prejudice secretly slips through everyone ¹s thoughts. Or so Barbara Ehrenreich believes when she writes of a quiet, subliminal prejudice that is caused by statistics that prove the fewer numbers of blacks in high profile jobs. When we see ninety percent of leadership roles in the corporate world held by white men, we begin to doubt other ¹s competence in that field. With so many minorities in menial roles, people begin to believe the white man is best for ... ...uys. ² Time 13 March 1995:114. Irvine, Reed, and Joseph C Goulden.  ³The Å’Blame Whitey ¹ Media. ² USA Today Magazine January 1994: 78+. Landes, Alison, et al. Minorities - A Changing Role in America. Wylie, Texas: Information Plus, 1994. 93-111. Martin, Anna. Student Survey. 30 October 1996. Page, Clarence.  ³We, the Indigestibles: The Campus Culture Wars. ² Showing my Color: Impolite Essays on Race and Identity. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. 257-282. Price, Hugh B.  ³The Black Middle Class: Past, Present, Future. ² The State of Black America 1995. Eds. Paulette J. Robinson, and Billy J. Tidwell. New York: National Urban League, 1995. 181-197. Zuckerman, Mortimer B.  ³The Professoriate of Fear. ² US News & World Report 29 July 1991: 64.  ³Going, Going ... ² National Review 29 July 1996: 12.  ³Thumbs Down. ² The Economist 30 March 1996: 30+.

The Social Benefits of Mass Communication Essays -- Mass Media Mass Co

The Social Benefits of Mass Communication Mass communications, like anything for humans, has its advantages and disadvantages, but mass media has far more advantages to offer the world. From taking you to a far off land to teaching you about the intricacies of the life inside a colony of ants, to surfing the Internet for a new chat group to join, we learn and experience things and events that no humans ever before in history have experienced through this miracle we call mass media. This paper will explore the multifaceted and unique areas of the public’s perception of mass media, the educational value of the media, and the Internet as a new mass medium. The public has always had an interesting relationship with mass media because it is the public that is breaths life into this organism called the mass media machine. From the earliest time periods in human history mass media was communicated through â€Å"word of mouth,† and it was that very relationship that spawned small town gossip in the middle ages , where information like what the local lord was doing and if he was hanging anyone that week for insubordination. Word of mouth continued until the invention of the printing press in 1436 when the news of the town could be told and recorded forever. A present-day survey taken about what the public’s view on the media is from the article, â€Å"Who Do You Trust and Why?,† by Joe Saltzman says that â€Å"... the public’s use and view of its media, shows that word of mouth is less trusted than CNN, public television news, local television news, and prime-time TV news magazines. News anchors Americanâ€⠄¢s see on television are considered more reliable as sources of accurate information than personal acquaintances† (par 3). This ... ...ve all made impacts on who we are as humans and what we will become in the future as we progress through the ages. Hopefully mass media will last several more hundred years being that mass media is only fairly recent when human history is considered. Works Cited Gabler, Neal. â€Å"The Net-Setters.† The Los Angeles Times 27 June 1999: 3 pgs. 22 March 2000 Online Proquest. Hogan, Majorie, â€Å"Media Education.† Pediatrics Aug. 1999 22 March 2000 Online Proquest. Huston, Aletha C. â€Å"Television and the Informational and Educational Needs of Children.† Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science May 1998: 9-23. 22 March 2000 Online Proquest. Saltzman, Joe. â€Å"Why Do You Trust and Why.† USA Today Jan. 2000: p. 59 22 March 2000 Online Infotrac. â€Å"Survey Asks Young Adults About Media Use.† The Quill Jan. 2000: p. 7 22 March 2000 Online Infotrac.

Background and Structure on the United Nations

Student Handout Background on the United Nations Basic Facts of the United Nations The United Nations was founded in 1945 with the mission to maintain world peace, develop good relations between countries, promote cooperation in solving the world’s problems, and encourage a respect for human rights. It uk/why-nations-fail-chapter-5-review/">provides the nations of the world a forum to balance their national interests with the interests of the global whole. It operates on the voluntary cooperation and participation of its member nations. Nothing can be accomplished without their agreement and participation.Currently, there are 191 member countries with different social, political, and economic systems. These countries agree to peacefully settle disputes, refrain from threatening or using force against each other, and refuse to help other nations that oppose the U. N. ’s mission. Headquartered in New York City, the U. N. is a separate and independent entity with its own f lag, post office and postage stamps, and its buildings sit on international territory. Six official languages are used at the U. N. – Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. Creation of the United Nations The creation of the U.N. resulted from a long history to promote international cooperation. Nineteenth century European philosophers and statesmen like Immanuel Kant had proposed a federation of nations dedicated to protecting the rights of smaller countries caught up in struggles between larger ones. The federation would punish any nation that committed an act of aggression against another. This idea became a reality after World War I with the establishment of the League of Nations. The League was the brain-child of U. S. President Woodrow Wilson and some of the victorious European powers.During its operation from 1920 and 1946 it enjoyed a few notable successes but ultimately faltered when it couldn’t prevent World War II. It suffered from two major flaws: 1) several of the world’s most powerful and influential countries were not members, including the Untied States; 2) The League required unanimous agreement to oppose aggression. If any member disagreed, the League was powerless to act. Thus, when Germany, Italy, and Japan took military action against fellow members of the League in the late 1930s, they would not agree to take action against themselves to stop their aggression.In the end, the League failed in is primary mission to prevent another world war. While fighting the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan during World War II, United States President, Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin met several times between 1941 and 1945 to develop an international peacekeeping organization with the goal of preventing future wars on the scale of World War II. In April of 1945, even before the war was officially over, representatives from 50 countries met in San Fr ancisco to create the charter for the United Nations.Similar to the League of Nations, the U. N. was created to promote international peace and prevent another world war. To avoid the structural failures of the League, the U. N. founders gathered the support of the world’s most powerful nations. U. S. participation was secured when the U. N. headquarters were located in New York City. To provide enough power to impose and enforce its will, a security council was developed with authority to take action against aggressor nations. To reassure powerful nations that their sovereignty would not be threatened, the U.N provided veto authority over its actions. The five victors of World War II – the U. S. Britain, France, the Soviet Union (which Russia gained at the break up of the U. S. S. S. ) and China – received this veto power. A veto provides any one of the five permanent Security Council members the authority to reject any U. N. resolution. The Structure and opera tion of the United Nations Accomplishments of the United Nations: During its 60-year history, the U. N. has achieved many remarkable accomplishments in fulfilling it goals.The U. N. has peacefully negotiated 172 peace settlements that have ended regional conflicts and is credited with participation in over 300 international treaties on topics as varied as human rights conventions to agreements on the use of outer space and the oceans. The U. N. has been involved in every major war and international crisis since its inception and has served as a catalyst for the prevention of others. It authorized the international coalitions that fought in the Korean War (1950-53) and the Persian Gulf War (1991).It provided a forum for mediation in the ArabIsraeli conflict resulting in numerous peace accords and keeping the conflict localized to the Middle East. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the U. N. was used as a podium by the United States to challenge the Soviet Union’s placeme nt of nuclear missiles in Cuba. The embarrassment of public indictment was instrumental in forcing the Soviets to remove the missiles. U. N. military forces (provided by member states) have conducted over 35 peacekeeping missions providing security and reducing armed conflict.In 1988, the U. N. Peace-Keeping Forces received the Nobel Prize for Peace. The U. N. has also set up war crimes tribunals to try war criminals in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. The U. N. has also made great strides in raising the consciousness of human rights beginning with the â€Å"Universal Declaration of Human Rights† adopted by the General Assembly in 1948. The U. N. Commission on Human Rights through its investigations and technical assistance in promoting free and fair elections has helped many countries in the transition to democracy. The U. N. s intense attention to specific human rights abuses helped end apartheid in South Africa. In its humanitarian efforts, more than 30 million refugees f leeing war, persecution, or famine have received aid from the U. N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The International Court of Justice has helped settle numerous international disputes involving territorial issues, hostage-taking and economic rights. Since the end of the Cold War, the U. N. has become increasingly involved in providing humanitarian assistance and promoting improvements in the health of the world’s peoples.In addition to providing relief for humanitarian crises caused by international conflicts, the U. N. can also respond to emergencies caused by natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes. On a proactive level, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other U. N. affiliated groups have eliminated smallpox and are actively pursuing a battle against AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria around the world. The WHO played a significant role in diagnosing and containing the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. U. N. rograms, like the United Nati ons Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have saved and enriched the lives of the world’s children through immunization programs for polio, tetanus, measles, whooping cough, diphtheria and tuberculosis. The lives of over 3 million children a year have been saved. The U. N. operates under the principle that promoting economic and social development will help bring about lasting world peace. The United Nations Development Program provides economic assistance through expert advice, training, and limited equipment to developing countries.The U. N. Development Program coordinates all the U. N. efforts in developing nations and has had success in part because it is not perceived as an outside group threatening a developing countries’ authority or degenerating it to colonial rule. In addition to promoting workers rights and the right to organize and bargain for better pay and working conditions, the U. N. has also played a significant role in improving agricultural techniques and increasing crop yields in Asia, Africa and South America. The U.N. has also helped developing nations obtain funding projects through the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, also known as the World Bank. A related U. N. agency, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) promotes international cooperation on monetary issues and encourages stable exchange rates among nations. Sources: Wikipedia Encyclopedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_the_United_Nations Encarta Encyclopedia: http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_761564986/United_Nations. html