The Region Is The Middle East International Relations Essay

The Region Is The Middle East International Relations Essay The region is the Middle East. The cause of the Israel/Palestine conflict is the question of land and who rules it. Jewish colonization and Palestinian nationalism, both laying claim to the same territory is the basis of this long conflict.The land involved in the Israel/Palestine conflict totals approximately 10,000 square miles at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. The state of Israel encompasses the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean ocean, bordered by Egypt in the south, Lebanon in the north, and Jordan in the East. The Gaza strip is an additional141 square miles south of Israel, thatis under the control of the Palestinians. Palestine is one of the oldest agricultural sites in the world. Archeologists found wheat at Jericho dating from before 8,000 B.C. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all have roots in the Middle East. The land has been one of conflict and shifts in power back to the days of the Bible. I believe unfair reports and incomplete information have reached the American people with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The only way to find the real stories is to go looking for them. Richard North Patterson brought the lack of accurate information to my attention when I read his novel called, â€Å"Exile†. I, like most Americans, have received most of my information, and therefore the basis for my beliefs from the media. Mr. North Pattersons novel shook my beliefs enough for me to want to look further into the facts of the conflict. As the organization of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting shows, the media does not always provide the unbiased detail to understand what the conflict involves. It is difficult to report a story without taking a side to the conflict, but one side seems to have had the sympathies of the media and therefore the rest of the world. After World War II, the United Nations recommended partitioning Palestine into two states and the internationalization of the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. In this UN Resolution, the minority of the Jewish people received the majority and the better of the land. The Arabs received 43 percent of the land, the Jews 57 percent. Despite the Arab Palestinians rejection of the partition and the existence of Israel, Israel was proclaimed a state on May 14 1948. While the Jewish people obtained their homeland, there has been no Palestine and no internationalization of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. In 1948, Palestinians were driven out of the new state of Israel into refugee camps in Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and other regions. Approximately 750,000 people were driven from their homes in Israel; and many Jews were also driven from their homes in surrounding Arab countries. Both the expelled Palestinians and Jews often had their land and bank accounts and other property seized. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been one of the longest and has led to thousands of deaths. For both the states, the claim to the land goes back thousands of years. The Jewish peoples claim dates from Biblical times when Jerusalem was the center of the Jewish Kingdom. By 70 A.D. the Romans had claim to the land which started the Jewish â€Å"time of wandering†. The Romans lost control by the 9th century to the Arabs who were mostly Muslims and who, like the Jews considered Jerusalem one of the holiest cities. Palestine remained under Muslim rule for over ten centuries. Britain claimed control of the land in November of 1917 and the League of Nations gave the British control to govern and help Zionists settlers build a Jewish national home. In 1922, Britain divided the land, with the eastern half becoming the separate country of Jordan. The British ruled Palestine over the next 25 years until hostilities between the Arab Palestinians and the Jewish settlers became intoler ably hostile so that Britain turned Palestine over to the newly formed United Nations. The holocaust during World War I, from 1939 to 1945 was a catalyst for the Jewish people to return to Palestine. The worlds sympathies were with the Jews and creating a Jewish national homeland. As a result in 1947, the United Nations divided Palestine into two states; one Jewish the other Palestinian. The Palestinians felt that establishing Israel and the resulting Jewish settlers that displaced the original Palestinian inhabitants created the conflict that exists today while the Israelis argue that the Palestinians refusal to accept Israel and by trying to destroy it, created the conflict that exists today. On May 15, 1948, the day following the declaration of Israels independence armies from five Arab countries combined to invade Israel. After a year of fighting, Israel held more land than was originally given to them by the United Nations. Cease-fire agreements were signed but the Arabs would not sign a peace treaty because they did not consider the war to be over. Egypt and Jordan absorbed the parts of Palestine not taken by Israel. The Arab Palestinians call this war the â€Å"Catastrophe†. Approximately a million Palestinians that were left without homes or farms fled Israel but most were turned away from other Arab countries and found themselves living in United Nations run refugee camps in the Gaza Strip and on the West Bank. In 1967, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan attacked Israel. During the 6-day-war Israel took large stretches of land from the Arabs including the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank from Jordan, which was the center of ancient Israel but was supposed to become the center of the Palestinian state in 1948. By winning the West Bank, Israel held most of historic Israel and the cities of Bethlehem, Hebron and the old city of Jerusalem. After the war, Israel attempted peace by returning all the land except Jerusalem but the Arab Palestinians would not negotiate on this point. The United Nations passed Security Council resolution 242 in November that called for, â€Å"Israel to withdraw from occupied territories in exchange for secure and recognized boundaries†. The Arabs rejected the resolution but over time, most Arab nations accepted the resolution as the basis for todays peace agreements and negotiations. Jerusalem is prized because of its religious history as the holy city for Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The current conflict over Jerusalem is the direct result of the United Nations Partition Plan in 1947, which would make Jerusalem an International city under United Nations control. In the 1948 war following the partition, Israel captured West Jerusalem and Jordan held East Jerusalem. The city remained divided until the 6-day war in 1967 when Israel also captured East Jerusalem from Jordan. Since 1967, Israel considers the entire city of Jerusalem to be its capital, while it was historically Jerusalem was the capital of Palestine and must be the capital of their future homeland. Peace depends on resolving the issue of Jerusalem. Palestinians have lived in the West Bank under Israeli occupation since 1967. Israel has built settlements in the West Bank which house 400,000 Jews. These settlements are illegal under International law, which Israel disputes and ignores. These settlemen ts on what should be Palestinian land are also a major factor in the conflict today. Since 1967, negotiations have centered on retuning land to pre-1967 states as required by International law and United Nations resolutions. In the late 1980s began the first Palestinian uprising called the â€Å"Intifada†. The movement was initially non-violent but the media focused on the violence that did occur. Young Palestinians confronted Israeli troops with slingshots and stones and thousands were killed by the Israeli military. In 1993 another one-sided peace accord, the Oslo Peace Accord, provided that Israel recognize the PLO and gave them limited autonomy in return for peace and an end to Palestinian claims on Israeli territory. This was one-sided because Israel gained control of the land, water and other resources, and the Palestinians really did not gain anything. Many acts of violence have occurred over the years from both sides but with little results. The Palestinians are still without a nation, have limited rights and suffer from poverty. Israel continues to increase and expand settlements into occupied territories, and are willing to give up less and less land than they promised. The Palestinians have lived under military occupation for over thirty years. Frustration and anger against both the United States and the United Nations have resulted in extremism in some cases. These militant groups from Palestine and other Arab nations have engaged in acts they see as freedom fighting but that Israel, the United States and most of the world see as terrorism. In 2002, Israel began building a large security fence in the West Bank to stop terrorists from entering Israeli cities and settlements, this fence falls on Palestinian land. The International court says the barrier was illegal but construction continued. In 2003, the United States and Palestinians pushing for peace and a two-state resolution announced a cease-fire but Israel continued to assassinate militant leaders leading to Palestinian suicide bombings and Israeli air strikes. In recent years, anger and frustration mount as poorer Palestinians find themselves with poorer and poorer land while Israel bulldozes their homes in an attempt to kill militant leaders more often killing innocent civilians including women and children. Israel has demanded that the Palestinian National Authority control the suicide bombers but then Israel bombs official buildings and compounds making it impossible for the Authority to control the terrorists. Israel is actually giving more power to the extremists such as Hamas and fueling their desire to destroy Israel. Hamas has gained power with the Palestinian people because although their means are terrorism and they are listed as a terrorist organization, Hamas spends most of its $70 million annual budget on extensive social programs. â€Å"Hamas funds schools, orphanages, mosques, health care clinics, soup kitchens, and sport leagues. Approximately 90 percent of its work is in social, welfare, cultural and educational activities.† The people depend on Hamas because the Palestinian Authority does not provide these services and because Hamas has a reputation for honesty compared to the corruption within the Palestinian Authority. The result of this conflict appears to be one-sided. The Israelis gained their homeland and the holy city of Jerusalem while Palestine lost its entire state and their holy city. Most Palestinians had their land taken, land which had been bought by or given to their ancestors and passed down through generations. The United States and other Western countries interest in the Middle East is and has been largely about oil. The United States military and financial support of Israel has been largely due to the oil to ensure a large, strong ally in the Middle East. However, the military and financial support has resulted in Israel having the strongest and most advanced military in the Middle East, which includes nuclear weapons. The United Nations has attempted many resolutions that have been critical of Israels inaction, and though the international community has been behind these resolutions, the United States vetoes them. Instead, there is more Israeli land expansion and settlements. There is no doubt in my mind that the original United Nations plan to divide the land to provide for the needs of both the Palestinians and the Jews. The United Nations plan has not been carried out, honored, or enforced by the United Nations or by the United States. Today the Palestinians are in the â€Å"wandering time† without a homeland. There is no way to end Israels responsibility in the conflict without eliminating the consequences of the â€Å"catastrophe† of the Palestinian people. The same conflict exists today because of the continued wars, occupation, aggression, and walls to glorify Israels independence and legitimacy while trying to eliminate Palestinians legitimate national rights, freedom, and independence.† One cannot exist without the other. United Nations resolutions enforcement and United States interventions could right an imbalance. In the quest for a Jewish homeland with the creation of Israel, there has been devastation of Palestinian live s. Historic Palestine was of its people whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim and they lived together in peace. Violence and force will not bring peace to either side. â€Å"Only a peaceful solution to the conflict based on mutual rights will put an end to the violence and suffering on both sides, and will lay down the foundations for the prosperity and well-being of the two peoples (Bisharat).† Shah, Anup. â€Å"The Middle East conflict—a brief background.† Global Issues, Updated: 30 Jul. 2006. Accessed: 08 May. 2010. http://www.globalissues.org/article/119/the-middle-east-conflict-a-brief-background>

What is the purpose and role of a résumé?

I think the main purpose of a resume is to provide a company with an overview of your professional achievements and background. Your resume acts as a marketing document, whether on paper or online, and its purpose is to introduce you to potential employers, promote what it is you have to offer and entice them into wanting to know more. According to Lauri Harwood, â€Å"a resume is a brief document, typically one or two pages, that details your qualifications for a particular job or job target.†Describe each main section of a rà ©sumà © from the textbook and what should be included in each of these sections: 1) Contact Information 2) Objective 3) Profile 4) Qualifications 5) Work Experience 6) Related Experience 7) Education Contact Information – The header of your rà ©sumà © should include your name, address, phone number, and email address, if you regularly use it. When submitting a paper version of your rà ©sumà ©, it is visually appealing to use a large font fo r your name. Include both a local and permanent address and a phone number so that an employer can easily reach you.This is especially important for graduating students. â€Å"The objective is a concise statement of your immediate employment goal (not your long-term career goal). It is the first section of the resume, immediately below the contact information on the first page. † A job objective statement shows employers the direction you want to go, your work preferences, and serves as a focal point for employers to review and analyze your rà ©sumà ©. It allows employers to immediately identify the kind of position you want.If you are looking for jobs in a number of different fields, you need to have a different job objective for each position. The profile section is a brief statement that describes you by stating your most relevant experience and qualifications. â€Å"Use a profile instead of an objective on your master resume, if you can describe your qualifications wit h a job title (based on your overall experience, not just your current job), use the title as the heading for this section. † The qualifications section is a bulleted list of skills that highlights why you are the ideal candidate for the job.This is the place to put important or interesting information that does not fit anywhere else. With the advance of technology, it is increasingly important to include a section on computer skills. This should include any of your knowledge of computer programs, hardware, software, database knowledge, or Internet functions. If you have any other notable skills, such as foreign languages, musical talents, or writing skills include these here. In the work experience section of a resume, list the jobs you have held, starting with the most recent one.Start each one with the most important information; your job title and dates of employment. On the next line, list the name of the organization and the city and state, starting on the third line wri te a brief oriented description of your responsibilities. You would use the related experience section to highlight other experiences that relates to your job objective. Include activities such as memberships, awards, and leadership positions earned in professional or trade association such as honorary groups, social, service, and school organizations.In the education section you list your education in reverse chronological order (most recent first). List the technical schools, colleges and universities you have attended, the years of attendance, and the degrees or certificates you earned. In this section, include any information about your degrees, including where and when you graduated; dates; major, minor, or concentration; certification; and academic awards and honors. Make sure you use the official names for schools, degrees and majors/minors. I think you should include your GPA if it is an asset.

Water Contamination Is Defined By The Safe Drinking Water...

Water contamination is defined by the Safe Drinking Water Act (ADWA) refers to the presence or rather the introduction of physical, chemical, biological or radiological substances or matter in water (EPA, 2016). Some drinking water may practically contain a given amount of contaminants that have been proven unsafe. However, it is quite difficult to determine the presence of the contaminants just by the sheer look unless proper techniques are employed. Measures should be implemented to control water contamination to avoid health risks. The United States is heading to Third World country status in warp speed after the findings of the Flint water crisis. Have you ever imagined that the United States would have an issue of water contamination within our own water supply systems? The Flint water crisis was an act of ignorance and a water war between City of Flint and Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD). The greatest water war in Michigan’s history was contributed to vast pollutions of water. In April 2014, Flint started using the Flint River as it new water source. A state expert said, The quality of the water being put out meets all of our drinking water standards, and Flint water is safe to drink† (Bosman, J., Davey, M., Smith, M., 2016). General Motors plant in Flint, Michigan also complained that the water was corroding new car parts and even stopped using Flint water in October 2014. Flint water contributed to the mass poisoning of over 100,000 Flint

HSBC and financial deregulation in the UK - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1266 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? A little over five years later, HSBC appears to be weathering the banking storm as the unofficial Last Bank Standing of the UK banking system, whilst the CEO of RBS has lost his job and the bank itself has had to accept recapitalisation on terms that could concede a majority equity stake to the UK government Following the extensive financial deregulation in the UK throughout the 1980s, many banks began rapidly growing their product portfolios, taking advantage of the deregulation to explore ever more profitable financial services (Harris, 2007). In recent years, this expansion has encompassed overseas investments, with banks taking on joint ventures and acquisitions in non UK markets in an attempt to access more rapidly growing sectors and markets. The Royal Bank of Scotland was one of the most active banks in this activity, taking a 1.7 billion stake in Bank of China Ltd in 2005, giving it access to around 13% of the overall Chinese market (MarketWatch, 2005). However, the main focus of RBS expansion activities in the period focused on increasing the availability of their leveraged financial instruments, with Risk (2002) reporting that RBS spent the majority of 2002 and 2003 increasing the liquidity available to it in foreign exchange and other dealing markets. As part of this, and in r esponse to shareholder concerns about the potential riskiness of some of these instruments, RBS implemented a series of risk management products to increase the level of transparency around their investments and ensure that they were hedged against any market downturns (Corporate Finance, 2003). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "HSBC and financial deregulation in the UK" essay for you Create order In contrast, HSBCs corporate strategy was focuses on acquisitions in developing markets, including the acquisition of a Mexican pension fund management company in November 2003, together with the purchase of a stake in an Indian retail bank and the acquisition of Lloyds TSBs onshore and offshore businesses in Brazil, both in December 2003. In addition, several of HSBCs majority owned subsidiaries entered into joint ventures and acquisitions over the same period, allowing the company to diversify its operations (HSBC Annual Report 2003, 2008). Whilst this was criticised in some areas for not taking advantage of the leveraged opportunities at the time (Davidson, 2003), it enabled HSBC to grow its revenues as the US and UK economies faltered. Indeed, in 2007 HSBC managed to achieve a new high level of earnings in spite of the falling markets in the UK and the US (HSBC Chairmans statement 2007, 2008). This is partly because HSBC has such a strong focus on emerging markets, but also becau se HSBCs operations are not as highly leveraged as RBS, and hence have not suffered as much from the deleveraging currently occurring in these markets (HSBC CEOs statement 2008, 2008). Indeed, RBSs annual reports show a very different story to those of HSBC, with the bank completing nine acquisitions in 2003, of which four were in the US, three in Europe and two in the UK and Ireland (RBS Chairmans statement 2003, 2008). These acquisitions were driven by the expansive fiscal and monetary policies of the US at the time, which led many analysts to believe that these markets had come through the worst of the post dot com recession (RBS Chairmans statement 2003, 2008). However, RBS 2005 statement reveals an excessive level of focus on the western world, with the company depending on the UK for 58% of its profits, with the majority of the remainder coming from the US and Western Europe. Even attempts to diversify, including the investment in Bank of China, were driven by disposals of shares in Banco Santander in Spain, thus failing to reduce the companys dependence on its core markets of the UK and US (RBS CEO, 2005). As a result of this, whilst RBS direct exposure to s ubprime lending was not as large as HSBCs, the lack of diversity of the portfolio, and the fact that RBS had a more leveraged portfolio meant that RBS was forced to make a 5,925 million write down on the value of its credit market portfolio in 2008, hence leading to a projected record loss of over 1 billion (RBS CEOs report 2008, 2008). As a result of this, RBS was unable to capitalise itself any longer, and was hence forced to accept recapitalisation by the UK government. In contrast, whilst HSBC suffered a significant drop in profits due to its direct exposure to the US markets, its lower degree of leverage meant that it was still highly profitable, with the gain from its emerging market investments helping to offset its losses from the US. As a result of this, HSBC was able to continue with its planned acquisition of Korea Exchange Bank, and even attempted to lower the previously agreed price as a result of the credit crunch. This continued strategic focus on the Asian markets, where high savings rates provide capital, and hence reduce the reliance on the now non functioning wholesale lending markets, has enabled HSBC to come through the credit crunch as the unofficial Last Bank Standing, and is one of the few UK banks not to need a bailout from the UK Government. It is interesting to note that RBS wished to avoid the need for a government bailout, and attempted to seek recapitalisation from its own shareholders by means of a new rights issue. Howev er, this rights issue was significantly under subscribed, meaning that the UK government was forced to buy up most of the shares at a premium to the market price. As a result, RBS is now largely owned by the UK government, and has effectively been nationalised. In conclusion, RBS sceptics were largely correct to be concerned about the banks excessive use of leverage and lack of diversity in its revenues. In contrast, HSBCs decision not to highly leverage its portfolio, whilst greeted with some scepticism, has allowed the company to avoid any indirect losses. As a result, whilst HSBC had the largest direct exposure to US sub-prime lending, it did not have as large an indirect exposure as many of its peers, who depended on the wholesale markets for funding, and hence saw significant indirect losses as they were forced to liquidate positions to cover the loss of wholesale funding. Finally, RBS was strongly involved in highly leveraged investment banking products including foreign exchange and other dealing markets. Whilst this allowed the company to grow its revenues strongly from 2003 to 2007, it meant that when the deleveraging process began the bank was much more vulnerable to forced selling. In contrast, HSBCs lack of leverage and strong c ushion of savings deposits from the Asian markets meant that HSBCs revenue growth was not as spectacular over the first part of the period, with RBS operating profit growing from 6 billion in 2003 to 10 billion in 2007, whilst HSBCs only grew from $20 billion to $24 billion. However, HSBCs rise was ultimately more sustainable, and thus the bank has not suffered the same fate as RBS. References Banker (2002) HSBC risks foray into North America. Banker; Vol. 152, Issue 922, p. 30. Corporate Finance (2003) The Royal Bank of Scotland Financial Marketsleading the revolution in foreign exchange trading. Corporate Finance; June 2003 Supplement, p. 2. Davidson, C. (2003) Advanced analytics for private investors. Risk; Vol. 16, Issue 6, p. 14-16. Harris, G. (2007) Brand portfolio options for the UK retail banks. Journal of Financial Services Marketing; Vol. 11, Issue 3, p. 249-256. MarketWatch (2005) RBS takes a risk by banking on China. MarketWatch: Global Round-up; Vol. 4, Issue 10, p. 118-119. MarketWatch (2004) HSBC: major stake in Chinese bank. MarketWatch: Financial Services; Vol. 3, Issue 9, p. 11. Risk (2002) Latecomers advantage. Risk; Vol. 15, Issue 12, p. 95.