...of the twentieth century, United States foreign policy would begin to take a decisive turn, which would ultimately catapult and establish the country as one of the great world powers, in addition to setting a standard of future international engagement throughout the twentieth century. Prior to 1896, the United States had a largely none interventionist and insular approach when it came to foreign policy and international relations. While there were moments of engagement up to this time, coupled with watershed foreign policy directives (such as the Monroe Doctrine and its subsequent application), the United States had a tendency to mind its own business and only get involved in global politics when events threatened to directly affect the country's security. All this, though, would change by the late 1890's. When William McKinley took the office of president in 1897, a gradual change in the mindset of the United States populace, which had been fermenting since the end of the Civil War, was about to reach it's realization. While there were still many voices which supported inward looking policy and a non-involvement stance when it came to the international arena, the pendulum had swung toward a populace which viewed itself and it's country with a great sense of pride and self-importance, which would soon be exercised. When rebellion against Spanish rule again flared up in Cuba in 1895 (largely due to the detrimental economic effects of US tariff policies concerning imported Cuban...
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...“After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, U.S. foreign and defense policy undertook a major shift under the administration of President Bush. The Bush administration created and executed a policy of preemptive military action against any threat deemed imminent to the security of the U.S. (Commonly referred to as the "Bush Doctrine") This policy was used as justification for invading Iraq in 2003, which was believed to possess Weapons of Mass Destruction and accused of harboring international terrorists. Discuss whether you believe the U.S. should follow such a foreign policy. What are the costs of preemptive military action? What are the costs associated with not preempting threats to U.S. national security? Do you believe such a policy makes the U.S. and its citizens more or less secure?” There is arguably two ways one could approach this discussion. One way being from a political realist/power-politics perspective, and the other from a moralist idealist perspective; and while both can start in the same place; they end up in some very different conclusions. So for all intents and purposes I’m going to stay within a political realist perspective on this issue. Since the Second World War, the U.S. has increasingly achieved a sort of empire and has in fact become the new Rome, as Chalmers Johnson would put it. Much like its predecessors in order to maintain the empire it needs to enact the security of its interests in it. In the U.S.’s case, instead of traditional...
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...Jacob Ellinger The Hurt Locker The Hurt Locker is a movie written by Mark Boal and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. It displays combat at its best in Iraq. The movie reflects on the celebrated life of a soldier and is entitled, “war is a drug.” The soldier vividly displays war as a drug that needs to be taken by all soldiers at all times of their lives for their survival. The writer depicts this through the display of the paralyzing life of a soldier in war. She emphasizes this through the main character whose daring nature puts him at loggerheads with his colleagues (Eldridge and Sanborn). This paper critically analyzes the Hurt Locker with a specific focus on conflicts, symbols as well as irony presented in the movie. Various conflicts are displayed in the movie, first, when James is hired to replace the previous team leader, Sergeant Thompson. With his experience in war, he conflicts with the rest of the soldiers owing to his aggressive nature and failure to follow protocol. The soldiers find James’ ways reckless and disturbing but his spontaneity is seen to assist them soldier on to the end. Further James conflicts with Sanborn while trying to pursue the suspects of a petrol oil tanker that had exploded. Sanborn argues that the work should be left to the three platoons in the area. James however wins him over. Again, an external conflict is encountered while driving back to their camp, the three soldiers, Eldridge, Sanborn and James come into conflict with five mercenaries...
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...it creates. In recent times war has been used as a way to secure foreign oil and fulfill other political agendas that don’t necessarily benefit the majority of our nation. War, once considered a last resort, is now a go to tactic. It has become so commonplace it’s quietly become a big part of our lives that we never really notice. War culture is almost subtle, one doesn’t even recognize it at first but as we analyze certain events, police tactics, symbols and images in media and literature it becomes clear just how instrumental war culture has been in shaping a national identity. The action of occupation by force that the US military uses has influenced police tactics at home. While the whole of America might not be considered a police state, there are instances of police brutality that mirror tactics used in detention camps. One of the most recently talked about incidents in which military like action was taken against civilians were the actions that took place in Ferguson, Missouri. On August 9th 2014, 18 year old Michael Brown was gunned down by Officer Brian Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. The circumstances surrounding the events were questionable as many felt as though Michael Brown’s death was very much preventable. The wrongful death of Michael Brown led to protests in Ferguson. In “The Us War Culture Has Come Home to Roost” Gilbert Mercier reports that police forces using armored trucks tried to disrupt peaceful protesters with tear gas and rubber pellets. The use of excessive...
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...Do economic or security interests play a greater role in shaping the foreign policy of the United States? Has this changed since the end of the Cold War? Attempting to separate economic and security interests in terms of American foreign policy is no easy feat as both play, and have always played, a major role in the decisions made by the government at different times over recent years. Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, security interests appear to be of the utmost importance, but prior to that, since the end of the Cold War, economic interests seemed to be the priority. Over the past seventy five years or so, the interests of the United States has fluctuated between security and economy, but all of this has relied upon the world situation at the time. For example, during the Cold War, the U.S. had the worry that they would be the target of missile attacks, making security the number one priority; as is to be expected. However, prior to this, during the depression, the economy was clearly the number one concern. In an attempt to distinguish between the two, the following essay will cover a number of separate occasions where the interests of the United States have swayed between their economy and national security, and how foreign policy was affected by this; those cases being the Great Depression, the Cold War, America’s support for Israel, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the very recent Global Financial Crisis, or GFC. With this evidence a conclusion will be made which...
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...ENERGY POLICY The energy policy of the United States is determined by federal, state and local entities in the United States, which address issues of energy production, distribution, and consumption, such as building codes and gas mileage standards. Energy policy may include legislation, international treaties, subsidies and incentives to investment, guidelines for energy conservation, taxation and other public policy techniques. Several mandates have been proposed over the years, such as gasoline will never exceed $1.00/gallon (Nixon), and the United States will never again import as much oil as it did in 1977 (Carter), but no comprehensive long-term energy policy has been proposed, although there has been concern over this failure. Three Energy Policy Acts have been passed, in 1992, 2005, and 2007, which include many provisions for conservation, such as the Energy Star program, and energy development, with grants and tax incentives for both renewable energy and non-renewable energy. There is also criticism that federal energy policies since the 1973 oil crisis have been dominated by crisis-mentality thinking, promoting expensive quick fixes and single-shot solutions that ignore market and technology realities. Instead of providing stable rules that support basic research while leaving plenty of scope for American entrepreneurship and innovation, congresses and presidential administrations have repeatedly backed policies which promise solutions that are politically expedient...
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...2016 In “Cosmopolitanism,” Kwame Appiah uses this term to explain the responsibility that each member of the universe has to one another; a responsibility that goes beyond just country borders. He believes that in this day in age we separate ourselves from others with whom we do not share the same nations, opinions, customs, etc.. Appiah says, “In the wake of 9/11, there has been a lot of fretful discussion about the divide between us and them” (72). In the world today humans have a tendency to be fearful and hesitant when it comes to things we do not understand or that are different. This may be partially human nature; however, this intolerance was definitely heightened drastically after the events of 9/11. In our post 9/11 world the state of cosmopolitanism, if adopted, would greatly improve communication with other nations and lead to a progression of knowledge. In this reading Appiah really explores the way we humans communicate with each other and the problems that arise. He concludes that in many ways we might hear each other but we do not listen. Our preconceptions of other’s ideas, cultures, and beliefs cloud the conversations that we have with individuals with whom we do not share coinciding beliefs. Appiah also says, “conversations across boundaries can be fraught, all the more so as the world grows smaller and the stakes grow larger” (68). This means that the stricter we humans affiliate only with our niche and community the less meaningful our conversations become...
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...It’s important as members of the Gainesville Community Hospital to understand what HIPAA is, how it operates, and how it affects us as healthcare providers in many ways. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed in 1996 by congress to ensure the protection and privacy of patient health information whether that be in a clinic, hospital, nursing facility, or dental office. The major focus of HIPAA is making sure that as patient information that is being shared whether by mail, phone, or electronically that information that is disclosed is protected. There is information that as healthcare providers we need to know to protect our patient rights and ourselves as the providers. HIPAA has implemented some new rights concerning health information of a patient called Protected Health Information (PHI). The privacy rule calls all “Individually identifiable health information”, PHI. We should also be aware that there is the possibility of being fined if there is a violation or breach to comply with the rules and regulations whether they are violated accidentally or purposely. If an employee violated a HIPAA regulation without knowledge of doing so than that employee can be fined 100 per violation with a maximum amount of 25,000. The maximum penalty is 50,000 per violation with an annual maximum amount of 1.5 million. No one wants to find themselves owing this kind of money and more importantly,...
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...‘70’s was the decade in which people put emphasis on the skin, on the surface, rather than on the roof of things… It was the decade in which image became preeminent because nothing deeper was going on (Schulman, 145).” It described the new American self-awareness and the collective retreat from history, community and human reciprocity. Compared to the 1960’s, Americans in the 1970’s were self-absorbed and passive; it was a stylistic change in American preoccupations (Schulman, 145). Cheap gas prices allowed Americans to drive in gas guzzling vehicles, which eventually changed the automobile industry due to the Oil Crisis. Studying the oil crisis of the 1970’s dramatically illustrates American dependence on fossil fuels. At the time, the United States was consuming a huge percentage of the world’s...
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...Spring 2012 The neoconservative model for foreign policy has always been based on a desire to spread the gift of democracy to other nations so that they too may enjoy the fruits that democracy and free markets bear. Going a step further, Robert Kagan presents the neoconservative belief that ‘the great spread of democracy, the prosperity, and the prolonged great power peace- have depended directly and indirectly on power and influence exercised by the United States.’ To ensure that this is the case, the Bush doctrine was created to preemptively strike countries in order to prevent a conflict further down the road. While it may be true that the developing world has directly and indirectly been affected by United States influence, the United States isn’t the sole arbiter of prosperity around the globe and its purpose for influence shouldn’t be mistaken for ‘spreading democracy’ but rather the neoconservative desire to leverage influence for economic and political gain. While much of this had previously been achieved through unofficial intervention and covert operations, the Bush doctrine represented a significant departure in that it used preemptive strike as a forerunning option in preventing potential future wars. While Robert Kagan's quote reflects the ideal interpretation of the neoconservative model in that it ‘spreads democracy,’ history has shown its intent to much more in the self interest of the United States relative to that of the host country in question. While...
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...On September 11, 2001, 2977 people lost their lives during the plane hijackings and the attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Virginia. This single incident led to major changes in the United States in both domestic and foreign policy. These changes have led to an ever-changing role for the US in the global arena. Following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States has been in the position of being the primary military and economic ‘superpower’. Foreign policy was focused on the possible threats of long-range missile attacks by North Korea directly or upon our European allies by Iran. Domestic policy was more economic in nature focusing on developing markets and free trade agreements, such as NAFTA, with emerging foreign markets in developing countries such as Mexico, China, and India. Unfortunately, this has led to a loss of 20% global market share for the US as outsourcing jobs and sometimes entire companies to these countries has become a more prevalent practice. Since the 9/11 attacks, the focus has been on fighting a war against terrorism beginning with the bombings in Afghanistan 26 days after 9/11 in 2001 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003 (nymag.com, 2014). In a speech to the joint houses of Congress on September 20, 2001, President Bush stated, “We will direct every resource at our command ... to the destruction and to the defeat of the global terror network. ... We will pursue nations that...
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...Credible Sources Newspapers and News Sites: These are categorized by typical bias, meaning they are organized by the conclusions they usually draw when examining the same facts. However, with these newspapers, you have little worry that the actual facts are in question. NEVER rely strictly on sources gathered from a single point of view. You must know the other side to counter-argue effectively at the very least. Liberal Conservative Huffington Post National Review National Public Radio (NPR) Drudge Report Time Wall Street Journal Slate New York Post Newsweek Washington Times US News and World Report Heritage Foundation Politico PJTV (Pajamas TV) New Yorker American Thinker Mother Jones American Spectator ACLU Forbes Harpers Stanford Review CBS Rush Limbaugh New York Times FOX News NBC (especially MSNBC) The American Conservative Mostly Centrist with Occasional Slant Libertarian CNN ACLU CSPAN (just shows the event) Ludwig Von Mises Reuters Reason Magazine PBS CATO Institute Real Clear Politics (both perspectives) Ayn Rand Foundation John Stossel, Reporter Milton Friedman,Economics Respected Think Tanks Always check their mission statement for bias or perspective, but these are known for accuracy in research even if they do cardstack and/or research from a biased perspective. They are helpful...
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...American Foreign Policy Essay Over the time span of 1793-1825 the U.S. had to undergo serious changes. It was this time period that marked its process of becoming a national super power. It gained a strong sense of identity but the effects that came with it were that of uncontrollable influence. The nation as a whole started to stand out from the rest of the world and shine as a beacon. But it was the things the nation did during this time frame that caused this shift. America’s Foreign Policy from 1793-1825 went through many changes that made isolation impossible to retain due to the effects of attempting neutrality, economic dealings, and The War of 1812. There are some scenarios in life where attempting to prevent something only gives it greater chance of happening. When attempting neutrality through the time period of 1793-1825 this happened fairly quick. The Neutrality Proclamation made by George Washington was aimed at staying neutral in terms of the French Revolution. Though this is what the proclamation was primarily focused towards it was neutrality overall that it was really encouraging. Washington wanted the U.S. to stay uninvolved and build up our resources first to become a well-developed nation. While this approach may have been able to work in theory it didn’t take into account the peoples and pro-war opinions. In document A, a passage from The Neutrality Proclamation by George Washington it states, “I have therefore thought fit by these presents to declare...
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...The United States has become the dominant force in international relations. It is argued that the United States’ military act as the world’s police. What are two real-life international incidents where the States have used military action abroad? What are two factors that propelled America into a dominant military and diplomatic force after World War II? What are the key differences in American foreign policy before and after World War II? What are the main reasons in the changes of pre- and post-war policy occurred? In what manner does the justifications used for America’s overseas involvement during World War II still play a role in United States military action abroad? What example can be provided of such justifications in action? In what fundamental ways in which the rise of the United States to a world superpower has shaped the country’s responses to domestic spending, Fourth Amendment protections, and Americans’ choice of leaders in Congress and the White House on the home front? These previous topics covers the manner of America’s shift of power occurred and the consequences that the United States faces as a result of this elevated status. What are two real-life international incidents where the States have used military action abroad? In 2011, the United States aided in NATO’s successful intervention in Libya. According to the website of foreign affairs, the United States facilitated the intervention, took its led in cutting off funding to Libya as well as freezing...
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...New York revises controversial policy on Ebola quarantines amid pressure New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) on Sunday revised a controversial policy to quarantine returning health-care workers from Ebola-stricken nations, under pressure from the Obama administration and medical experts over the aggressive measures. Elaborating on the procedures, Cuomo said health-care workers who have been in contact with Ebola patients but do not show symptoms of the deadly virus can return to their homes but will be forced to remain there while being monitored by state health officials for symptoms. He said those being monitored can interact with family and friends. “It’s not like this is the toughest duty,” Cuomo said in a news conference late Sunday with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D). The change separates the state’s quarantine process from that of New Jersey, which has come under scrutiny after the weekend retention of a nurse who showed no symptoms of Ebola. Kaci Hickox, who returned from Sierra Leone after working with Doctors Without Borders, has been held in isolation at a site attached to a New Jersey hospital. On Sunday, Hickox told CNN’s Candy Crowley on “State of the Union”: “This is an extreme that is really unacceptable, and I feel like my basic human rights have been violated.” Cuomo said New York’s new policy is more in line with those of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He said people who are quarantined in their homes will be able to interact with...
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