Overview Of Theory And Treatment Of Substance Abuse Philosophy Essay

Overview Of Theory And Treatment Of Substance Abuse Philosophy EssayThis invigoratedsprint is an everyplaceview of the chemical use, assessment, history and intervention recommendations of Jay W. a college student dealing with failing grades and inebriant. Upon interviewing Jay, his p bents, and researching various textbooks and video teachings on the theorys and treatments of substance generate fun this paper leave realise the spiritual, genetic, and psychosocial aspects of Jays manner. The assessment will asses if Jay is in use, abuse, or addictive cycle, and will show if there atomic number 18 any co-occurring issues. This assessment of Jay W. be wee-wees a referral based on the finding of Jays current needs. This paper will give specific steps that our needed to be successful in the recovery process.CHEMICAL USE ASSESSMENT/ write up AND TREATMENT RECOMMENDATIONSName Jay W.DOB/Age May 2, 1991Dates of Interviews April 20, 2011Evaluator Richard M. DoucettREASON FOR ASS ESSMENT Jays parents are concerned astir(predicate) his alcohol addiction and how it appears to be interfering with his aspirations of being a chemical engineer. Jay W. was referred for assessment after flunking out of his first year in college.SOURCES OF INFORMATION Beths (mother) interview, Dons (father) interview, Jays interview, Doweiko, H.E. (2009). Concepts of Chemical Dependency (7th ed.) Belmont, Ca Brooks/Cole Ceng ripen Learning, May, G.G. (1991). Addiction invest Love and Spirituality in the Healing of Addictions. New York, NY HarperCollins, Hawkins, R. (2009). pietism and Addiction www.libertyuniversity.edu, Clinton, T. (2009). Addiction and Recovery www.libertyuniversity.edu.BACKGROUND INFORMATION Jay W. was born May 2, 1991 to Don and Beth W. The gestation period was reportedly averageal with no complications to the labor and delivery. Jay W. met totally his developmental milestones primeval and was described as an advanced baby. Jay reportedly excelled in scho ol with needing very miniature effort to maintain a straight A report card even in the gifted and talented program.Jays parents report that Jay began beverage at the age of 12. They described the drinking as experimental initially but they state they became excessively more than concerned as he got older. Jay and his parents describe his early drinking years as typical of teenage behavior.They all three began attending AA together but Jay dropped out after 3 months. Don and Beth state they are both still active in AA and Al-Anon. Jay states he stopped going be effort, all they talk about is war stories.CURRENT STATUS Jay appears reluctant to treatment but agreed to come because his parents state they will not continue financing his college if he does not get help.Jay states that currently he drinks a 12 pack or more on the weekends. He qualified this by stating his friends help him drink the beer. He also does admit that his weekends one-time(prenominal)s start on thoriums and d ont end until Mondays. He states that he does not believe his drinking is the issue with his grades in college. He states he just gets bored in classes and his professors dont really last as much as they think they do. He states sometimes he just doesnt expression like going to class because it is dumb.Jay does admit to blackouts, drinking more than he intends to, and does seem to recognize that many of his friends have similar drinking patterns as he.INDICATIOR OF USE/ABUSE/DEPENDENCYAttitude and Behavior of Jay W. Jay W. uses alcohol because it makes him feel good and because it does feel good he wants to repeat this experience.Jay states he is willing to come to counseling but does not think he has a drinking business but he would like to figure out how to win his girlfriend back. Dr. Clinton tells us that the tragedy of addiction is that is destroys, individuals, families, and friendships (Clinton, 2009) Jay W. does not feel like he needs counseling but wants his girlfriend b ack, his parents arent happy with him, and he is destroying his own life by failing the classes that he needs to succeed.The basic laws of behavioral psychology hold that if something increases the individuals sense of pleasure or decreases his discomfort, then he is likely to repeat that behavior. This process is called reward process. This consequence has a stronger impact on behavior than delayed consequences (Doweiko, 2009, p.10). Thats why, since Jay found the effects of alcohol to be pleasurable, he will be tempted to use it again and again.Another meaningful fact is individual expectations as a component of alcohol use. The individuals expectations for alcohol have been found to be a strong influence on how Jay interprets the effects of alcohol. These expectations evolve in early adolescence as a result of multiple factors, such as a peer group influences and Jays exposure to advertising (Doweiko, 2009, p.10).Social Functioning of Jay W. Human beings are social animals. A gi ven Jays decision to use or not use alcohol is made within the social group. Alcohol use preserve make mild social problems worse by causing people to be more irritable and likely to argue and by affecting nous and control of behavior. Alcohol use rotter also be the topic of arguments.Jay W. qualified this by stating his friends help him drink the beer. He also does admit that his weekends sometime start on Thursdays and dont end until Mondays. He does seem to recognize that many of his friends have similar drinking patterns as he. He also reports a juvenile break up with his girlfriend of 2 years. He states he truly loves this girl but she broke up with him because she doesnt like his friends.One of the factors that influence volunteer(a) alcohol use is the social learning component of alcohol use. Individuals do not start life expecting to abuse alcohol. Rather, Jay W. must have been taught that alcohol is agreeable he must have recognized the effects of the alcohol and inte rpreted it as desirable. All of these processes are accomplished through the process of social learning, which takes guide through peer groups, mass media, family feedback etc (Doweiko, 2009, p.11).Occupational Functioning of Jay W. Jay W. is a student in a college, where he lives and spends time with his friends. Although he used to be a great student in school with needing very little effort to maintain a straight A report card even in the gifted and talented program. Jay is trying to become a chemical engineer in college, but he has already failed his first year. It seems that he has gotten in a circle of social failure and escape from feeling a looser. Alcohol and his alcohol use disorder (AUD) help him to forget about social responsibilities and pass water the success among his drinking friends in Jays artificial world. He can control everything in this alcoholic world Jay decides when he wants to get into this world of pleasure (from Thursday till Monday or on weekends). Nev ertheless when he goes out from these times of illusory euphoria, he gets into newborn troubles such as studying. To escape from these troubles, Jay buys a new pack of beer and starts the same circle of escape from responsibility. This is typical of a person starting on the road to addiction. Dr. Clinton tells us in our video presentation that the backbone components to addiction our control problems, compulsiveness, narrowing focus, denial, tolerance and withdrawal (Clinton, 2009). We see many of these components in the occupational functioning of Jay.Financial Aspects of Jay W. Abuse of alcohol may make current financial problems worse and cause new ones, including having less money for necessary expenses like food and clothing neglecting to pay bills and creating additional expenses, such as extra medical costs, fines, or car repairs. Jay W. reports spending an average of $75.00 a week on beer and his money doesnt always last until the end of the month. He attributes that to hi s parents not giving him enough money. He states they only give him $1,000 a month. The adverse impact on the financial status of the family of the alcohol abuser is one of the harms cogitate to alcohol. There is an increasing level of expenditure by the alcohol abuser to sustain his habit. Gradually, due to the restrictions that the family income imposes, the alcoholic abuser begins to borrow money, steal and/or lead astray household objects in order to sustain his habit (Doweko, 2009).Familial Relationships of Jay W. The relationship between an alcohol abuser and his family is complex. Family members report experiencing guild, shame, anger, fear, grief and isolation due to the heraldic bearing of an alcohol abuser in the family. They are often subjected to moderate to severe forms of harassment, conflict and tense atmosphere when they confront the drinking behavior of their alcohol-abusing family member (Doweiko, 2009, p.300). Spouses in families where there is chronic, excessi ve use of alcohol are frequently separated. Children of alcohol abusing persons report a higher incidence of emotional and school-related problems. Don W., Jays father, is a brain surgeon and his mother, Beth is a research scientist. Don was described by Beth as a functional alcoholic displaying heavy drinking patterns and binge drinking when he was not on call. She states however, Don vacate drinking 3 years ago when they realized Jay had a problem. Both Beth and Don have fathers that were alcoholics. Don states he quit drinking after the DUI incident because he wanted to support Jay in stopping. They all three began attending AA together but Jay dropped out after 3 months. Dan and Beth state they are both still active in AA and Al-Anon.Other complications in the family include long absences from home, destruction of household objects in rage, lack of communication between the alcohol abuser and the remaining family members, hostility and criticism that marginalize the alcohol ab user, and domestic accidents (Doweiko, 2009, p.300-305).Legal History of Jay W. His parents state they first began worrying about Jays drinking when he totaled his first vehicle two weeks after his 16th birthday. Jay lost his drivers license at that time and was charged with a DUI. Jay seemed to insinuate his parents are over reacting because he has had several friends that have lost their license. Jay is becoming like most people dealing with addiction in the fact that he is what Dr. Clinton says destined to misunderstand the story we find ourselves in because hell loves to confuse us (Clinton, 2009), Jay is confused and misunderstanding his story by thinking his parents are over reacting and lots of people have lost their license.Health History of Jay W. Jay W. was born May 2, 1991 to Don and Beth W. The pregnancy was reportedly normal with no complications to the labor and delivery. Jay W. met all his developmental milestones early and was described as an advanced baby. Although at this time he doesnt have any special diseases, alcohol abuse may cause short-term and long-term problems. The short-term effects of alcohol on the body include upset stomach diarrhea lack of coordination and judgment headaches and insomnia). Abuse of alcohol can cause many different long-term problems because the whole body is affected. Some of these problems can lead to death. The long-term effects of alcohol are philia disease cancer liver problems problems of the stomach, lungs kidney, skin, muscle, and bones infections mental disorders insomnia malnutrition and impotence and infertility in men (Doweiko, 2009, p.75-85).Spiritual History of Jay W. When Jay entered the college he found new stresses, responsibilities, and work. He may have felt lonely his girlfriend left him so he tried to relieve his pain. He hates feeling guilty, empty and alone. He longs to have acceptance and love alcohol use provides a remedy that helps to forget the pain, at least for awhile. Alcoholism d raws sorrow. Alcohol also provides Jay with predictable moments he can count on, an illusion of control, and the addiction masters him. The effect is always self-destructive bondage. Jay is forced to choose between his alcohol abuse and those, who love him. Although he does not want to lose those he loves, he does not want to quit drinking, even if he drinks every day.DIAGNOSTIC IMPRESSION Jay W. seems to have alcohol abuse problem on the level heavy social use/early problem alcohol use. Between social use and clear cut problem use. People whose chemicals use falls in this point in the continuum would use chemicals in such ways as to be clearly above the norm of society, and/or begin to experience various combinations of legal, social, financial, occupational, and personal problems associated with chemical use (Doweiko, 2009). Jay can be classified as being at risk for a substance use disorder or of becoming a problem drinker. Thus, not everybody from this category would progress to an addictive disorder. Still, at this level, Jay attempts to hide or reject the problems that develop as a result of his alcohol abuse.RECOMMENDATIONS Jay needs new goals to become a fully functioning human. Dr. Hawkins in the video presentation Theology and Addiction list six ways out of addiction to recovery and they are have encounter with the Heavenly Father, allow for the power of the Holy Spirit, make a commitment to a new goal, submit to a new truth, have accountability to a new family, engage in a new process (Hawkins, 2009). Dr. Hawkins firmly believes that recovery is an inside out issue requiring the Holy Spirit (Hawkins, 2009). Jay should start visiting again AA-group with his parents to start with. Jay W. does not need any hospitalization, he needs his own will. In our reading of the text Addiction and Grace the author tells us for the power of addiction to be overcome, human will must act in concert with divine will. (May, 1991, p.178) Second he needs the support of others his family and possibly his girlfriend to be with him, and support him. Third he needs to understand his own vulnerability, desire and anger our textbook also told us we cannot make this empowerment happen on our own, we can pray for it, desire it actively, open our hands for it and try our best to live it (May, 1991, p.178). If Jay wants to be a success, he has to open his eyes, his current illusion of power and control is only that an illusion. In Addiction and Grace we also learned that the alignment of our will with Gods must happen at a heart level (May, 1991, p.178). Studying hard and working(a) hark is real life, sometimes it is lonely, but real life with real results can help you understand real love.______________________________________ _____________Signature Date

Understanding The Russian Sphere Of Influence Politics Essay

Understanding The Russian Sphere Of Influence Politics EssayThe aim of this chapter is to bring protrude the elements behind Russias sideline to maintain a force field of forge around itself. In doing this, wholeness should not just look at pre move Russian politics and young attempts by Russia to restore its former welkin of influence. hotshot has to look briefly into the write up of Russia from the time of the Tsars and during the Communist regime. The Tsars had always desired to grow a bailiwick of influence which would act as a belt of protection for Russia. One has to look at Russias geography to understand this key element in Russian foreign policymaking throughout the centuries.In 1991, the Soviet Union wreckd and Russia alienated various areas which were the ex-Soviet Republics. Since then, Russia has retreated progressively. NATO expanded east state of state of warfared in atomic number 63 since 1994 ca using Russia to be wary and resentful. After the Septemb er 11 attacks, the USA established military bases in Central Asian countries to support its military operations against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and initially Russian hot seat Vladimir Putin gave his support, though he would resent long-term American military presence in what Russia perceives its eye socket of influence. In the Far East, Russia faces a rapidly rising mainland China as a potential superpower. So, it is understandable that Russian foreign policymakers find to counterbalance all these factors. Russia is not just a European power but likewise an Asian power. All these factors contribute to the multivector characteristic in Russian foreign policymaking. One must not exit that Russia also has its economic interests in the Central Asian region and not just military and political interests. The stage setting-up of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) and the corporal certification Treaty Organisation (CSTO) show how Russia is trying to adapt to i ts loss of empire. One must not forget that the collapse of the Soviet Union took place twenty dollar bill years ago and that Russia is still going through what is called its imperial syndrome.This chapter has the aim of demonstrating the change and continuity in Russian foreign policy through its history to the present day.2.1 The Tsarist rootsWhen Russia began to expand as an empire, the Tsars always had the intention to intake to newly conquered lands as belts of protection around Russia. This can be traced support to the time of Ivan III, also known as Ivan the Great. He started by what historian call the collecting of the Russian lands which was followed by wars with Poland in the westernmost (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 18). Ivan IV, known as Ivan the Terrible, conquered lands from the Tatars and Russia reached the Caspian sea (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 19). In 1613, Mikhail Romanov was elected Tsar, hence starting the 304-year Romanov dynasty. Under his reign and his sons reig n, Russia fought eight wars with Poland and it retook Kiev, which had the capital city of the eldest Russian state, the Kievan Rus (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 19). So, in this time frame, one can see Muscovy expanding its territory and cranial orbit of influence.The ascension of Peter I, known as Peter the Great and his subsequent reign (1689-1725) had a lasting yield on Russian foreign policy. He is known for his secularization and modernization of the Russian Empire along European lines (Hosking, pg 76). He too foc utilise on expanding Russian territory and had one of his counterbalance successes when he captured the fort of Azov from the Turks, thus giving Russia access to the calamitous Sea (Hosking, pg 76). He then proceeded to war with Sweden and the victories he attained at that place much(prenominal) as the capture of the river Neva in 1703, Narva and Dorpat in 1704, gave Russia access to the Baltic (Freeze, pg 114). The Treaty of Nystad with Sweden in 1721 crowned Russ ias get toments in the Baltic and Sweden lost its place as a European great power to Russia (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 20). With these conquests, Peter the Great brought Russia c fall awayr to Europe as he had always desired and Russian foreign policy took a new dimension from then on.In 1689, in that respect was the Nerchinsk Treaty between the Russian Empire and China where the two powers hold to divide their spheres of influence which led to China keeping Mongolia under its dominion and Russia keeping land north of the Amur river (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 20). After the death of Peter the Great, there was the Kyakhta where Russia and China agree to set up formal diplomatic relations and paved the way for trade between the two powers (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 20).Under Catherine the Great, Russia continued to expand its territory and this is seen in the placeitions of Poland which brought Belarus (White Russia), Lithuania and Western Ukraine under the Russian realm (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 20). Russias military forays southeasternwards resulted in two wars with Turkey and these culminated in the treaties of Kutchuk Kainardji (1774) and the Treaty of Jassy (1792) which gave Russia control of the north B leave out sea coastline from Azov to Odessa (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 20).After the victory against Napoleon in 1815 and the Congress, Russias Tsar Alexander I was able to demonstrate Russian power to Europe (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 21) and Russia added Finland and lands in the south and Central Asia to its dominion. Nicholas Is reign (1825-1855) saw Russia turning its attention on the Ottoman Empire which was referred to as the sick man of Europe and this is seen in the Russian rivalry to take Constantinople and get naval access to the Mediterranean Sea and the base at Sevastopol (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 21). However, one can see the role of ideology behind Russias expansionism such using the protection of Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire to justif y its wars with Turkey, which one of them resulted in the independence of Greece (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 21).In the second half of the 19th century, Russia began flavour eastwards again and started to violate the Treaty of Nerchinsk by penetrating deeper into Chinas territory. In 1860, Vladivostok was founded and in 1860, the two powers sign(a) the Treaty of Peking where Russias new gains in the Amur region (legalized since 1858) were consolidated and China and Russia agreed on the new border along the Ussuri river (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 24).In Central Asia, Russia took Tashkent in Uzbekistan in 1865 and Merv in Turkmenistan in 1884 (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 24). To lull Britain that it was not going to pursue its conquests south to India, Russia signed an agreement with Britain that it was going to limit itself to northern borders of Afghanistan (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 24).One must not exclude the ideology of Pan-Slavism from Russian foreign policymaking during the time of th e Tsars which had considered Moscow as the Third Rome and the Tsar as the protector of all Orthodox Christians (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 25). This led to tensions with the Ottoman Empire resulting in a war in 1878.In the early twentieth century, Russia had tension with Japan over territories in the Far East and this culminated in a Russo- Nipponese war in 1904-1905, which to Russias humiliation, Japan won (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 27). So, Russias ambitions in the Far East were limited to the northern part of Manchuria, the northern half of Sakhalin island and had to accept Koreas incorporation in the Japanese sphere of influence (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 27).What was the motivation behind the Tsars aim of expanding their realm? Robert H. Donaldson and Joseph L. Nogee give a variety of reasons. The geography of Eurasia may be one of the explanations for Tsarist Russia to make headway all those land to create a protective barrier around itself. Russia also wanted ice-free harbours whic h led to its ambitions to take harbours in the Black Sea and the Baltic as tumefy as Pusan in modern South Korea culminating in the war with Japan in 1904-1905 (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 29). The autocratic ideology of the Tsarist system of rules is also listed as a reason. The Tsars expressed their autocratic character by pushing for conquering of new lands and military expeditions (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 30). Even Henry Kissinger, in his book, Diplomacy, agrees with the turn over that Tsarist autocracy led Russia to behave in that way in the international relations of the time (Kissinger, pg 140)2.2 Continuity under the USSRThe continuity with the Tsars cerebration was nearly clear under Joseph Stalins rule. In August 1939, the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed an agreement known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact where they agreed to share easterly Europe between their spheres of influence. Through the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact, Russia regained those lands such as Eastern Polan d, the Baltic states, Bessarabia and northern Bukovina (Kenez, pg 135). The motivation to expand Russias territory could not be clearer. In October1944, there was the Percentage Agreement between British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet draw Joseph Stalin to divide spheres of influences of their states in Eastern Europe (Dunbabin, pg 87). The element of continuity with the Tsars thinking of expansionism is clear.After the Second World War, the USSR did not make it a secret that it wanted to keep Eastern Europe under its orbit as well as export its Communist ideology throughout the world. The USSR was using the banner of Communism and proletarian internationalism to spread its influence around the globe. The West responded by the enactment of the Truman Doctrine which had the intention of containment (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, pg 220). In June 1947, the European Recovery Program, better known as the Marshall Plan was launched in order to help Europe recover and st em the tide of Communism (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, pg 222). This was part of the containment policy. On the 4th of April 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was set up to challenge Soviet hegemony (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, pg 223-224). The Soviet response was to create the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance, COMECON in 1949 to create sociaist planned economies in Eastern Europe (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, pg 219). In 1948, the USSR expelled Yugoslavia of Jozip Broz Tito because Tito did not want to have Stalin dictating to him how to govern the country (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, pg 219).In may 1955, the USSR set up the capital of Poland Pact as a response to NATO as Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev say we wanted to make an impression on the West (Dunbabin, pg 221). In 1956, Hungary under Imre Nagy rebelled because it did not want to remain under Soviet domination and left the Warsaw and the Soviets response was to launch tanks to crush the uprising (McCauley, pg 340). In 1968, Czechoslavakia, under the leadership of Alexander Dubcek, attempted to create socialism with a human face, unlike the hard-and-fast Soviet communism which is known as the Prague Spring. Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev was alarmed by this since he feared it could spread and create a domino effect and the USSR would lose its sphere of influence in East-Central Europe. The USSR tried to exert pressure on Dubcek (Dunbabin, pg 568) but when it saw that it was not enough, it launched a military invasion on 20th August 1968 to crush the Prague Spring and remove Dubcek from power (Dunbabin, pg 569). This showed that the Soviet Union feared that different interpretations of Marxism among its satellites would lead to collapse of Communism and lose its strategic sphere of influence. Due to the upheavals that took place, the Brezhnev leadership came up with the Brezhnev Doctrine which claimed that it was the sole right of the USSR and the Warsaw P act to take action against socialist countries which deviated from Soviet Communism (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo, Schulze, pg 274). The message the USSR sent to the rest of the world was that it will not tolerate any changes to the political-economic system it had created in East Europe, its sphere of influence. This was because it felt highly threatened by those changes. The West gave its response in the Helsinki Final Act in 1975 where it accepted the Soviet sphere of influence in Eastern Europe but the USSR agreed to accept the human rights basket, which would have serious consequences for the USSR in the 1980s (Dunbabin, pg 571).2.3 Post-Communist Russia and Sphere of Influence Thinking in Current Russian Foreign PolicyAt the collapse of the Soviet Union, many former Soviet Republics which were also part of the Tsarist Empire became independent. Russia had lost those lands which had provided a belt of protection for Russia for centuries. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 19 91and up to the late 1990s, the newly constituted Russia began to use the term near abroad for its former Soviet republics (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 163). In this part, the setting up of the Commonwealth of separate States (CIS), Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC), Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and Russias participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and their gain to Russia in maintaining its sphere of influence will be analyze. This part aims to put under focus Russias aims and aspirations behind the setup of these organisations. The interests Russia has in keeping Central Asian states, Ukraine, Belarus and other ex-Soviet states will be analyzed. Russia has and still claims that it uses multilateralism to achieve its aims of maintaining its sphere of influence and checking other powers such as China in the East. To analyze this in much detail, the focus will be on Russias behavior both in the institutions it is part of and leads and its behav ior towards the smaller ex-Soviet republics. Russias activities in the CSTO and SCO will also be analyzed as well as its successes and failures in preserving its sphere of influence.2.3.1 What are Russias interests and motivations, and how does it view itself and the countries surrounding it?The best way to start the subject is to look into Russias interests. Historically, the ex-Soviet republics were part of the USSR and forward the October Revolution of 1917. It is not restricted to this reason though. Russia has economic interests as well as competing new powers for influence. This is most felt in the Central Asian region. For Russian political analyst Dmitri Trenin, this is sphere of interest rather than sphere of influence, as he points out in his article in The Washington Quarterly. Trenin outlines three types of interests that Russia has the ex-Soviet states. The first includes the military and security reasons, secondly, Russias economic interests and thirdly, the cultura l aspect. Regarding Russias security and military interests, Trenin mentions the CSTO as a way for Russia to maintain its influence and dominance in most of the ex-Soviet republics and also to combat Islamic extremist movements (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). Trenin goes on to refer to the fact Russia would like the CSTO to on the same level with NATO and that this would create the new European security architecture thus leading to the legitimization of the primacy of Russia in its former Imperial and Soviet subjects (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). Trenin maintains that Russias intention is halt US and NATO encroachment in its perceived regulate of responsibility and he refers to the August 2008 war with Georgia. By taking a heavy-handed attitude towards Georgia, Trenin suggests, Russia was sending a clear message to NATO that it would accept anymore intrusion in the ex-Soviet space (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). So, the real reason behind the war wa s Mikhail Saakashvilis explicit intention to get NATO appendageship for Georgia. Russia also thinks that the USA is using democracy encouragement in order to draw the ex-Soviet states away from Russias influence (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). The second reason, the economic interests of Russia, also cannot be ignored. Russia has millions of foreign workers who come from the CIS member states, a factor which gives Russia an upper hand in dealing with its neighbours (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). Another important economic factor is energy. The ex-Soviet states around the Caspian Sea are thick in energy resources and Russian energy companies such as Gazprom, the Russian state-owned gas corporation, would like to be the ones that have control over these resources especially oil colour and natural gas (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). Russia has also worked towards economic integration in Eurasia and this is seen in the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsE C) and Russia has made no secret of its deprivation to have a customs union with Kazakhstan and Belarus (The Washington Quarterly, October 2009). So Russia also uses economic means to keep up its influence and its interests. In the later onmath of the 2008 economic crisis, Russia has double out billions in funds to help the economies of the former Soviet Republics to recover (The Washington Quarterly). Thirdly, there is the cultural aspect. Dmitri Trenin makes a reference towards the presence of millions of Russian inhabitants in post-Soviet countries and how the Kremlin tries to use the case of Russian minorities for its political advantage. This has been listed as one of the objective lenss of Russian foreign policy in the Russian Foreign Policy Concept of 2008 signed by President Dmitri Medvedev (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, 12th July 2008). This objective of Russia protecting ethnic Russians in the neighboring countries has also one been one of the first objectives of Vladimir Putin since he first came to power as Russian President in 2000, as outlined by Ingmar Oldberg in his article for the Swedish Institute of world(prenominal) Affairs (The Swedish Institute of International Affairs, 2010). Russia has been taking advantage of its cultural predominance to use the Russian minorities in the neighboring countries to preserve its influence and has used many methods to try to achieve its objective such as the media, issuing of passports and backing pro-Russian political parties in these states (The Swedish Institute of International Affairs, 2010). One has to care for the fact that Russian culture, especially the language is a very strong factor.2.3.2 Organisations which Russia uses as part of its objective of preserving its sphere of influenceIn this section, the focus is on organisations such as the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC ) and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The aim of this part of the chapter is to give a short history of each of these organisations and more importantly, Russias role in them and what Russia hopes to achieve by being active in these organisations. Is Russia using these organisations as a new way to portray itself as upholding the principles of multilateralism while at the same times keeping the post-Soviet republics under its influence? Does Russia behave as an be ally or is it the dominant member due to its military strength? The best way to answer these questions is to analyse these organisations and Russias role in them.2.3.2.1 Commonwealth of Independent StatesThe Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) was born out of the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union. After the Soviet Union collapsed, 15 newly independent states emerged. Russia wanted to use the CIS in order for it to be able to maintain its influence in the newly independent states (Nogee and Dona ldson, pg 165). It wanted to create The Baltic states kept away from association and Georgia left the organisation after its August 2008 war with Russia. Ukraine, which in the early 1990s was under the leadership of Leonid Kravchuk did not want much integration in the CIS in order to preserve Ukraines independence (Donaldson and Nogee, pg 166). As a sign of continuity with the Tsarist and Soviet foreign policy thinking, Russia placed considerable importance to the CIS as way of protecting itself with friendly countries, and this was mentioned in the 1993 Russian Foreign Policy Concept (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 154). With the establishment of the CIS, Russia was aiming for a common economic space, a common market, co-ordinated customs policies, cooperation in the environmental protection, developing communication and transport systems and combating organized crime (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 154). Much of these ambitions aims were not achieved and in 2005, President Vladimir Putin himself complained that the CIS did not achieve what Russia envisioned a decade earlier (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 154). Stina Torjesen, in a contribution to the book The Multilateral Dimension of Russian Foreign Policy, lists virtually reasons why Russia did not achieve as much as it hoped for in the 1990s regarding the CIS and CIS integration. Torjesen mentions reasons such as that coordination was not executed well, that when it came to implementing policies, Russia was either slow or didnt implement them at all, causing the other assistants to be irritated, Russia in the 1990s was going through economic hardship which led to difficulty in implementing proposals and that Russias behavior was still zero-sum sort of of being a multilateral partner (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 155). Russia still sought to be the dominating party and sought primacy over other partners. So Russia deserves part of the saddle for the failure to achieve the earlier objectives behind the cre ation of the CIS. Lilia Shevtsova, in her book Lonely Power, believes that Russia does not treat its neighbours as equals and cares about its primacy (Shevtsova, pg 90). Shevtsova makes a reference to a speech by President Dmitry Medvedev at the Council of Foreign Relations where the Russian President stated that Russia had a sphere of privileged interests (Shevtsova, pg 89).There were attempts by some post-Soviet republics to try to lessen their dependence on Russia and this is seen in organisations they set up such as GU(U)AM (Mankoff, pg 247). This consisted of Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan (which left the organisation), Azerbaijan and Moldova. GUAM as organisation was first set up in October 1997 (Tsygankov, pg 126). Uzbekistan left the organisation in May 2005 (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 173). After the summit in Kiev on 23rd May 2006, GUAM had a new propose Organisation for Democracy and Economic Development GUAM (Organisation for Democracy and Economic Development GUAM).T he August 2008 war with Georgia also spoke volumes about Russias efforts to preserve its sphere of influence. Moreover in May 2009, Russia sent in extra 1,800 troops into Abkhazia and South Ossetia which inflamed suspicions in the West that Russia was up to its tricks again, that pursuing its domination of its neighbours as well as punishing Georgia for the pro-Western path it had taken (The Jamestown Foundation, 6th May 2009). After all, President Medvedev had made no secret of Russia wanting to be responsible for what he described as Russias privileged sphere of influence (The New York Times, 31st August 2008). US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US President Barack Obama did not agree with Dmitry Medvedevs fructify (OpenDemocracy, 20th April 2009).Russias cutting of the gas supply due to a crisis with Ukraine was interpreted as Russia using its energy resources to punish those countries which took positions against Russia such as Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, clai ms which Russia denied and Russia counter-attacked by claiming it was a quarrel over payments (Valdai Club, 13th January 2009).Lately, Russia has had problems over gas with Belaruss President Alexander Lukashenko but analysts claim that Russia uses its position of energy supplier to bend its neighbours to its will. This was the case with Belarus in June 2010 since Russia had been very irritated with Lukashenkos lack of recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states and retaliated by banning milk from Belarus (The Economist, 24th June 2010).2.3.2.2 Collective Security Treaty OrganisationThe Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) is the military organisation Russia uses in order to maintain its influence in the post-Soviet states. One has to remember that out of all the former Soviet states, Russia is the most militarily and economically powerful and these factors do give it primacy in the CSTO. From the beginning, Russia intend that the CSTO will be used to create protection and security for Russia by having an organisation which included the former Soviet states (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 182).Before the CSTO was established in 2002, there was an agreement, the Collective Security Treaty (CST), signed in May 1992 at Tashkent by Russia, Armenia and the former Central Asian Soviet republics but Turkmenistan remained out (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 183). After the fall of the USSR, Russia and the former Soviet states began discussing how to have a single military space under the CIS (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 183). So the CST, and later the CSTO, was to work under the CIS. The objective of a creating one military structure was not achieved because each state chose to have its national army but the CST helped to bring the new states armies to cooperate when a threat emerged (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 183). Throughout the 1990s, there were discussions on what type of military organisation the CST members national armies were goi ng to set up (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 183). The discussions were between whether there should be a decision-making structure similar to the one of NATO, which the majority of CST members wanted, or having a hierarchical structure, as Russia and Uzbekistan wanted (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 183-184). In the end a mixture of both was chosen. One can remark that the fact that Russia wanted a hierarchical structure tells much about what its role in the CST was going to be. It sought to be the leader and not an equal with the other partners. By the mid-1990s, the CST had been successful in dealing with many challenges and Russia, through its military advantage, played a central role in helping Central Asian states to safeguard their borders and training their armies (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 184). But there was still no proper organisation of a supranational nature and this was seen in the civil war in Tajikistan in 1992, when the CST members did not work together and Russia a nd Uzbekistan helped the Tajik government (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 184). In 1993, peacekeeping troops from CST and CIS states Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan did come to Tajikistan aid, but Russia was the dominant partner and its actions, such as supporting militarily the Tajik government of the day, were not multilateral (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 185). In this incident, one can see Russia acting as the dominant partner and this is something which the other states took note of. So Russia had some part of the blame for the failure to develop a fully-fledged multilateral military organisation. Its actions contradicted its objective of collective action. The maintenance of its sphere of influence was what mattered most.However, in the late 1990s, there was military cooperation between the CST members which was led by Russia such as military exercises in 1999 and 2000 (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 185). In October 2000, the CST members proceeded to cooperate on th e issue of terrorism and this culminated in an agreement in Bishkek between Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to create an anti-terrorist center where they could share intelligence on terrorists (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 185). On May twenty-fifth 2001, cooperation increased and this led to the creation of the rapid Deployment Forces to deal with security in the region (Eurasianet, 25th May 2001). This increase in cooperation led to the creation of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in May 2002 with Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Armenia being the members (Wilson Rowe and Torjesen, pg 185). In October 2002, the Charter of the CSTO was signed and it came into effect from the 18th September 2003 (CSTO Official Website). In 2003, Russia began to reform on the already existing facilities at the airbase at Kant in Kyrgyzstan, and in 2006 added more personnel at the base (Mankoff, pg 268). After the 2005 Tulip revolution, the USA h ad to pay $200,000,000 periodic to keep its airbase at Manas while Russia did not have pay any rent, though it did provide military hardware to Kyrgyzstan (Mankoff, pg 268).In August 2008, after the war with Georgia, Russia asked the CSTO members to recognize South Ossetia (The Times, 30th August 2008) after China and four Central Asian countries had refused to recognize South Ossetia. This is another proof of how Russia wants to use the CSTO to be on par with NATO and trying to stop NATO from encroaching in its neighbourhood.In 2009, the Kyrgyz government announced to the USA that it was going to close down Manas airbase and this was soon after Russia promised more than $2 billion in aid to Kyrgyzstan on condition that the Kyrgyz government tells the US to leave the Manas Airbase (San Francisco Chronicle, 22nd February 2009). The Russia aim to keep Kyrgyzstan under its sphere of influence could not be clearer.On February 4th 2009, at a CSTO summit in Moscow, Russia and the other m ember states set up the Collective Rapid Reaction Force (CRRF) and it must be pointed out that Russia was once again the dominant player because it had the greater military power and it provided all the weapons, as Aleksei Malashenko from the Carnegie natural endowment for International Peace (Moscow) argued (Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty, 4th February 2009). This shows again how Russia uses the CSTO for its central objective of maintaining its sphere of influence. It claims that the CSTO is there to fight terrorism but Russia uses the war on terrorism to make the CSTO one of its foreign policy tools. In fact, one can see this when in the same summit, Uzbekistan demanded special concessions for itself as a condition to join the CSTO (RIA Novosti, 4th February 2009). In May 2010, Belarus decided to contribute over 2,000 personnel to the CRRF after its ratification of the Moscow agreement (RIA Novosti, 26th May 2010). Since then, the CRRF members have practiced military exercises i n October 2010 (RIA Novosti, 22nd October 2010).However, there were some disappointments and the latest one has been during the political upheaval in Kyrgyzstan when President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was overthrown. Russia did not send peacekeeping troops as Medvedev said that Russia and the CSTO would not participate in Kyrgyzstans domestic unrest (Global Post, 15th June 2010). Russia caused disappointment by its behavior because it showed a lack of consistency and did not act with its CSTO partners to send a peacekeeping mission to Kyrgyzstan. This shows that Russia uses organisations such as the CSTO to give an image that it is working multilaterally with its partners, but in naturalism it does the opposite.2.3.2.3 Using economic means to protect interests and maintain sphere of influence The Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC)Russia does not only create military organisations to preserve its sphere of influence, but it also uses economic means. Since the collapse of the USSR, Rus sia has tried hard to create customs union and foster economic integration in the CIS and belatedly it seems to have had some successes. Russia wants to follow the example of European integration and apply it to the CIS. The Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC) is Russias tool to achieve this objective.Some of the objectives behind creating the CIS were to create a common economic space and a common market and deepening cooperat

Antigone and Ismene :: English Literature Essays

Antigone and IsmeneTragic heroes are generally people of high social peak with a tragic flaw that usually manifests itself in the form of poor judgment and arrogance, condemning the hero to a disastrous end and establishing the characters destiny. Antigone is a tragic heroine deeply conflicted between her virtue and her hubris, personifying courage in her civil disobedience against criminal leadership. A product of incest, her very existence is shameful, alone perhaps this is why Antigone has such a burning desire for righteousness. She has great regard for following tradition, and a compulsion to follow these traditions even at the damage of her own carriage. Sacrifice is one of her qualities and she is ready to die for what she believes in. She shows disdain for Ismenes cowardice and tendency to be a fair-weather friend. Her reprisals against traitors are especially fiery. Her concern for family becomes approximately an unhealthy obsession, and her selflessness is soon shown t o be madness and self-infliction. Being a tragic heroine, she shows excellence of character and bravery, but her fatal flaw is that her will to amuse the gods is greater than her will to preserve her own life. In the end, uncompromised rigidity is her downfall. She obeys the laws of the gods and is careless about the mortal laws penalty, her own death. Antigone does not understand the engage to act according to humanitys place in the scheme in things, ones pleasing of the gods should continue up until the point when it puts ones life in danger. Our heroine shows hubris by breaking the rule of the golden mean, not because she is egotistical, but because her head gets in the clouds when she believes herself to be a high and mighty enforcer of virtue. This is a form of arrogance, which Zeus despises. Her conception of justice is so rigid that she puts herself in harms way, which is not at all honorable in the eye of the classics. Her holier than thou quest has gone too far, and she i s stubborn and irrational, lacking the common sense the Greeks so valued. One example of Antigones extremely twisted romance of unbending idealism is when she told Ismene she wouldnt care if she yelled incriminations about the burial from the rooftops, an unnecessary passion and clear disregard of moderation. The exact opposite of her sister, Ismene is, according to Greek conventional wisdom of the time, functioning ideally in her moderation, aware that it is vital not to overstep her boundaries in the overall scheme of things.

My Vacation to China Essays -- Summer Vacation Essays

While vacationing in China last summer I had the opportunity to visit The bulky groin. Combined with its technological feat and awesome presence the Great Wall could easy be one of mans most remarkable accomplishments. With its design and grain that stretch for miles it can be an overwhelming experience. Construction of the Great Wall started in the seventh century B.C, it joined the walls to hold off the invaders from the Xiongnu tribes in the mating and extended them to more than 5,000 kilometers. Even many miles away from the Great Wall, one could already see the outline of the wall stretching out forever.Standing honest the Great Wall I notice the cold stale air. It was hard to breathe and I had to constantly cough to keep my throat clear. Visiting this broad wall of block in the morning can be an unforgettable experience. The ground was muddy because it rained non-stop the previous day. Climbing up the stairways that leads up the Great Wall, I could hear all different langu ages spoken by the people who were in attendance. On top looking down sideways the wall seems t...

Management By Objectives :: Business Management Studies

Management By ObjectivesMBO Principles* Cascading of organizational goals and objectives.* Specific objectives for each member.* Participative decision making.* Explicit time period.* Performance evaluation and feedback.Types of objectives* Routine objectives.* Innovation objectives.* overture objectives.The objective must beo Focused on a result, not an activity.o Consistent.o Specific.o Measurable.o Related to time.o Attainable.MBO dodge has three basic parts1. All individuals within an organization are assigned a special set of objectives that they try to reach during a customary operating period. These objectives are mutually set and agreed upon by individuals and their managers.2. Performance reviews are conducted periodically to determine how close individuals are to attaining their objectives.3. Rewards are given to individuals on the basis of how close they come to reaching their goals.MBO has six stages1. Define corporate objectives at broad level.2. Analyze mana gement tasks and devise formal job specifications, which allot responsibilities and decisions to individual managers.3. Set mathematical process standards.4. Agree and set specific objectives.5. Align individual targets with corporate objectives.6. Establish a management information system to admonisher achievements against objectives.The 8 key result areas where managers must pursue clear objectivesare Marketing. Innovation. Human organization. Financial resources. Physical resources. Productivity. Social responsibility. Profit requirement.MBO Key Advantages and DisadvantagesAdvantageso MBO programs continually emphasize what should be done in an organization to achieve organizational goals.o MBO process secures employee commitment to attaining organizational goals.Disadvantageso The development of objectives can be time consuming, leaving both managers and employees less time in which to do their actual work.o The elaborate written goals, careful communication of goals , and detailed performance evaluation required in an MBO program increase the volume of paperwork in an organization.Managing for Results The Eight Perceptions Resources and results exist outside, not inside, the business.

Representation of Colors in Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale Essay

Representation of Colors in Marg atomic number 18t Atwoods The Handmaids Tale Imagine if you can, living in a world that tells you what you are to break dance, where to give way, as well as your position and value to society. In Margaret Atwoods novel, The Handmaids Tale, she shows us the Republic of Gilead does just that. Off bolshy, the main character, is a Handmaid, whose usefulness is her ovaries. Handmaids are ordered to live in a house with a Commander, his wife, and once a month attempt to become pregnant by the Commander. Throughout Atwoods novel, you will notice she uses divergent colors for her characters garb that correspond to their position and place in the Republic of Gilead. They become aware of peoples statuses by the color of their garments. The colors of dress that have been utilise are red, blue, green, white, black, and khaki. Going into detail, I will show the social rank that each color represents in the novel, and my interpretation of them. The Handmaids are the only ones wearing red dresses, and several references are made towards the comparison of blood. When Offred is in the room, which she refuses to call her own, she hears the bell to signal her time to go to the market. Getting up she puts on her red habilitate and her red gloves, all the while thinking, everything except the wings around my face is red the color of blood, which defines us. The dress she wears is also red, being ankle-length as well as long sleeve. The only item she wears that isnt red is the white wings around her face to keep her from seeing, as well as from being seen. Leaving the room, she walks knock off the hall, and heads for the stairs. She knows there is a mirror on the hall wall. If she turns her head so that the white wings framing her face direc... ... responsible for conceiving and giving birth for a Commander and his wife wear red. The Commanders wives wear blue which is the most prestigious color worn by a woman. Guardians, as well as Marthas , wear green, which is not an authoritive color, putting them in a lower class. White is the color to be worn only by the virgin daughters until they are given to a soldier to marry. Econowives are wearing dresses that are mixed colors because they have multiple functions and little value. The Republic of Gilead believes in showing levels of hierarchy, by the color of clothing worn. Works CitedAtwood, Margaret. The Handmaids Tale. New York Anchor Books, 1986. Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. Cliff Notes on Atwoods The Handmaids Tale. Lincoln Cliff Notes, Inc., 1994. Websters New World Dictionary, Third College Edition. New York Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1988.

Habitat Destruction and Biodiversity Loss Essay -- Loss of Biodiversit

If we pollute the air, water and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no sum of m unrivalledy will save us.-- David SuzukiImagine this bulldozers growl and grind through a local field, while the whine of chainsaws echoes from a nearby grove of trees. The trees brush to the ground, only to be cut up for firewood or sent to a sawmill, and the re main(prenominal)ing ground is cle bed of stumps and plowed. The tall grasses and brush in the field are demolished, leaving behind churned-up soil. Any birds or other small creatures that lived in the freshly cut trees have long since flown or run away(p) in terror as their homes fell. The moles, mice, and other animals that lived in the field were either killed or forced to abandon the area in search of a bran-new home. Soon to come on this land a subdivision consisting of huge, two- or three-story houses with pristine front lawns and the occasional small, decorative tree p laced by the main door.The scene painted above is becoming more and more common today people want more space, more houses, more roads, more with child(p) buildings, more cities all over the world. However, what the population does not consider is that construction destroys natural habitat, or the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows (Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary). While humans may think nothing of this habitat destruction, it is actually the number one cause of extinction worldwide (Dudley 17) and influences many other species, including humans, that are not endangered or threatened. Habitat loss causes loss of biodiversity, which adversely affects the health and miserliness of human life. We as humans need to take more ... ...vernment. 08Nov. 2008.Biodiversity. Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. Springfield, MA Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2007.Dudley, William, ed. Biodiversity. San Diego, CA Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2003.Habitat. Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. Springfield, MA Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2007.Heimlich, Joe E., and Mitchell Smith. environmental Impact Statements. FactSheet. Ohio State University. 09 Nov. 2008.Novacek, Michael J., ed. The Biodiversity Crisis. New York The New Press, 2001.Primack, Richard B. Essentials of Conservation Biology. Sunderland, MA Sinauer Associates, Inc., 1993.David Suzuki Quotehttp//www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/biodiversity.htmlxFwgQLK5MbhLMRjG.99