George W. Bush During Afghanistan’s War on Terror Political Analysis Based on Donna H. Kerr Essay Example

George W. Bush During Afghanistan’s War on Terror Political Analysis Based on Donna H. Kerr Essay ALFONSO OTERO MIRELES 938394 FOREING POLICY George W. Bush during Afghanistan’s War on Terror POLITICAL ANALYSIS BASED ON DONNA H. KERR The term War on Terror refers to an ongoing, worldwide campaign against terrorism led by the United States and supported by several other countries, most notoriously England and members of NATO. The term was first used under George W. Bush’s administration following the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States, where 2996 people lost their lives and more than 6000 others were injured. Within months after the 9/11 attacks, the US sent troops to Afghanistan because this was believed to be the operational base for Al-Qaeda, at the same time the US looked to dethrone the Taliban regime and ‘’Bring Democracy’’ to this middle eastern country. Two years after the occupation, and without yet finding Bin Laden, the US embarks in yet another military invasion, this time against Iraq. This War on Terror has been worldwide known as the Bush War, due to his effusive support and controversy. The implementing agent during Afghanistan’s war is without a doubt the Bush administration, they are the ones who started it, developed it and spent the most money on implementing the war. The authorizing agent in this situation would arguably be the United Nations because According to the UN’s rules, The US had to get approval from the UN’s Security Council in order to go ahead with the wars. In the case of Afghanistan, the UN accepted the occupancy, backing up their decision with the consent of most members plus an official report that stated that around 70% of deaths in this country were caused by the Taliban regime. We will write a custom essay sample on George W. Bush During Afghanistan’s War on Terror Political Analysis Based on Donna H. Kerr specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on George W. Bush During Afghanistan’s War on Terror Political Analysis Based on Donna H. Kerr specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on George W. Bush During Afghanistan’s War on Terror Political Analysis Based on Donna H. Kerr specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Conditional Imperative was the danger that Middle-Eastern Terrorist groups represent for the United States and the world and how nobody, not even the United States was safe from another possible attack. The recurring conditions of post-traumatic fear and terrorism fobia became a part of the everyday life of the average North American; the constant news reports on violence in some Middle Eastern countries was also a condition that needed to be ‘’fixed’’ by the US’s democracy Since its start the United States has maintained itself stable in ll of his policies regarding Afghanistan, they have indeed substituted policies in Iraq (after leaving the country) but as to Afghanistan they have only talked and promised to change it, but up until this day there has been not a notorious substitution of policies. All important declaration were made publicly, virtually everyone in the world was aware of the US’s decision of invading Afghanistan, and most of Bush’s declarations towards the topic. Of course the relevant public in this case would be the US’s government and population, the UK’s government and population and any other country that supported or was against the war, also the United Nations council and of course and Afghanistan’s entire population and ruling powers. GEORGE W. BUSH PERFORMANCE DURING IRAQ’s WAR Bush’s administration decided to go ahead and send troops to Iraq in 2003. With a similar approach as in Afghanistan, the occupation was led by George W. Bush and supported mainly by the UK. The main reasons where the belief that the Iraqi government was harboring weapons of mass destruction and some claims that linked Iraqi officials with terrorist group A-Qaeda. The lack of evidence of this weapons and the high costs of the two wars during times of economic instabilities led to an avalanche of national and international criticism and lack of support for the Bush administration, even though no consistent proof was (or has up to this day) been presented, George W. Bush won the following reelections and the North American troops remained officially in Iraq’s soil until December 2011. The military prescience of the US still remains in Afghanistan up-until this day. Bush’s administration main goals and objectives was primarily finding this infamous Weapons of Mass destruction, hunt down and get rid of all officials linked to Al-Qaeda, this included the nation’s leader Sadaam Hussein, who aside from being accused of crimes against humanity he was also believed to be linked to Al-Qaeda an of course to ‘’Bring Democracy’’ to this country. The UN gave Iraq one last opportunity through the resolution 1441 to come clean about the weapons of mass destruction. Iraq allowed inspectors to go and search for them. The United States blamed Iraq’s government of not being cooperative, and went ahead and used the force even though the resolution didn’t authorize the use of force even if they had been found. This is when he first option for Bush comes, he could’ve easily gone the other way and simply acccept the fact that there may not have been any secret weapons in the first place and not does anything relevant in Iraq, including not removing Sadam Hussein from power. A second option could have been accepting the UN’s statement of not using the force, admitting that there isn’t enough proof of the harboring of weapons but still destitute Hussein from power, and install a US hosted presidency. The third option would be also to dethrone Hussein, stop looking for weapons but stop not installing a US government overseas and simply let the Iraqi people decide for themselves. If Bush simply retracted from all accusations against Iraq, sent the troops back and not do anything against Hussein, there would’ve been an initial reaction of public opinion concerning mainly on Bush’s indecision and lack of consistent information. It would be hard to simply accept they were wrong and just leave. Moneywise, the costs of sending troops would still affect the economy but not as much as it did in reality, of course depending on when the decision would’ve been made. Supposing that Bush had accepted its wrongful information referring weapons of mass destruction, decided to leave the country, but not without restituting Hussein, I guess public opinion would judge this decision harsh, he would still increase public debt paying for the time of the troops in Iraq, but would maintain a high influence on this country by imposing its US funded government. I think in a utopian world, Bush should have gone with decision number 3, which meant the same as option two but without imposing its own ‘’democratic’’ government, this would appear as if the country was acting upon mere sympathy, a situation not common at all when it involves the US and wars. The Iraqi people could choose whatever form of government they wanted, which for me I think it sounds fair, it shouldn’t be up to the superpowers decide who will rule over weaker countries, but on the other hand I would suppose violence would increase, division and the local hunt for power could bring a mess of a consequence. Other countries and organizations including peace corps and the UN could also help out control the mayhem. Many theories surrounding the veracity of this accusations and the lack of overall evidence that backed up the US’s actions led to questioning over the real goals for George W. Bush in Iraq. Public opposition claimed that Bush was looking only in Iraq for oil and more power. Accoring to author John Harold Chapman of UK’s newspaper, the whole purpose behind the war was the hunt for oil and that the economic situation upon which the United States was going through justifies this answer. In his own words: Control over Iraqi oil should improve security of supplies to the US, and possibly the UK, with the development and exploration contracts between Saddam and China, France, India, Indonesia and Russia being set aside in favour of US and possibly British companies. And a US military presence in Iraq is an insurance policy against any extremists in Iran and Saudi Arabia. The prisoners dilemma represent BUSH on one hand with two options, whether to admit the lack of proof refereeing to weapons of mass destructions in Iraq, and on the other hand the percentage of his political party that supports him. Which in a way are pretending not to know about the lack of evidence and in a way ‘’hope for the other prisoner to be quiet. All assumptions are based on the hypothetically situation in which both know the weapons are a lie. 1)In one paragraph, describe and analyze the leader’s use of â€Å"cognitive shortcuts† and experience with â€Å"cognitive dissonance. † For example, the policy and culture of the Bush administration was one of war expansion, regardless of fact. They sought war and when confronted with conflicting evidence and faulty intelligence on Saddam Hussein, they went ahead and invaded anyway. Minimum paragraphs: 1 Minimum sources: 1 (excluding Neack) As to cognitive dissonance and Bush, I would say it’s a trick that he has played to the US government, he can go and invade a foreign country, in the case of Iraq, knowing that there isn’t enough proof to go and invade, both a big number or Iraqui civilians and US soldiers will lose their lives, public debt will increase, the already unstable economy will get directly affected but at the end, he uses this psychological tool to exclude and not metion the downside of going to war and just promising democracy for the needy, a ‘’greater good’’. Hurrican Katrin is also a good example of the hand-picking selection of information provided to the public regarding the delay of the help post-hurricane. Both appointments occurred under President Bush, who in 2001 also appointed two other civilians, James Roche (General Motors) and Thomas E. White (Enron), to head the Air Force and Army. William D. Hartung, Head of the Arms Trade Resource Center, challenged the appointments because he felt it was unethical to appoint businessmenwhose former companies would be the prime beneficiaries of increases in defense spending. Hartung further noted that at no time in recent history had military appointments been made from the civilian sector. With the use of cognitive shortcuts, Bush’s administration has been dealing with the big percentage of public discontent, providing only certain information that could be relevant in some cases, for example during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, he never gave a real reason why there was a significant delay of help provided by the government, but instead he only focused on informing how much the delayed help forces helped once they arrived there. Iraq would still be the best example, by the big amoung of congnotive shortcuts used to cover the lack of information regarding Al-Qaeda’s connection to Iraq and evidently about the weapons. Comments: Good job, but you missed the Bureaucratic Model section! Some of your bibliography formatting was not correct. Grade: B+ Kerr, D. (1976). The logic of policy and successful policies. Policy Sciences, 7(3), 351-363. Neack, L. (2008). The new foreign policy: Power seeking in a globalized era. (Second ed. . Lanham, MD: Rowman Littlefield Publishers, Inc. Breuning, M. (2007). Foreign policy analysis: A comparative introduction. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. ARTICLE UN – TALIBAN 70% DEATHS http://articles. cnn. com/2011-12-15/middleeast/world_meast_iraq-us-ceremony_1_iraq-war-iraq-body-count-iraqis-struggle? _s=PM:MIDDLEEAST UN RESOLUTION 1441 http://www. undemocracy. com/securitycouncil/meeting_4644#pg010-bk01 JOHN HARROLD CHAPMAN, http://www. guardian. co. uk/world/2004/ jul/28/iraq. usa

Sweetness Overload 14 Cute Valentines Day Gifts Ideas

Sweetness Overload 14 Cute Valentines Day Gifts Ideas If you’re looking for some Valentine’s Day gift ideas that off the charts in terms of cuteness and sweetness, then this article is definitely for you. Each one of these 14 ideas is a bottomless pit of adorable potential that you can use to really make an impression this year on someone extra special. The key theme that we’ll be focusing on is personalization. When you put in some extra effort and make the gift unique that really says something to them that no generic gift off the shelf can really accomplish. Let’s begin. 1. Homemade Plant Holder Getting flowers and a vase is nice, but why not make something yourself that they can use and keep in their home or kitchen for the rest of their lives? What can you use to make a plant-holder which could have their name on it, or a special message? 2. Get Fridge-Crafty Make a sweet fridge magnet yourself. Or, you could find a really cute retail magnet and then spruce it up with your own decorations. 3. Make Your Own Card Instead of buying a card from the shelf, make one yourself. Again, there are almost endless possibilities here. When possible go with something other than paper. Find a surface that will last longer. 4. Use Expensive Chocolate Instead of going for some dirt-cheap chocolate, why not get some quality stuff with a really interesting story behind it. For example, Endangered Species chocolate is not only super health and organic (mega-tasty), but a portion of the proceeds goes toward saving an†¦endangered species. How sweet is that? 5. Paint The Cup Yourself Everybody loves a quality coffee mug. Here’s a thought: paint it yourself! Who cares whether or not it’s the best or worst paint job ever? You’re making something unique and that’s a big deal to everyone. 6. Healthy Heart-Shaped Baking Go for a super-healthy cookie or cake mix and include some organic frosting for an extra special statement that says, â€Å"I wanted to give you something sweet, but healthy as well.† 7. Really Say Something Don’t just put the ordinary drivel in their card. Really write something from the heart that will make their eyes tear up. Honestly and sincerity with some love behind it. 8. Frame Custom Cuteness-Art Getting the frame is easy. Then it becomes a matter of using your creative energy to put something within it that communicates to them how special they are. 9. An Original Pillow It’s too easy to just go out and buy some industrial throw pillow that’s soft for a while but then quickly gets old or thrown into the closet. Instead, make one yourself that they’ll keep on their bed for years. Oh, and make sure to give it a nice scent with some cologne or perfume. 10. A Photo Kiosk Experience! This is the perfect addition to any Valentine’s Day. They typically have them in malls. You know, the little photo booths with enough room for two that takes four pictures? Get goofy. Get silly. Hug and have a smooch! 11. Go Back to Grade School Remember Valentine’s Day back in grade school when everyone would make, fill out and then give cards to others? What if you got all the supplies and stuff and sat down with a special someone to make cards for one another? So cute! 12. Make a Special Valentine’s Day Shirt Maybe it won’t be a shirt they wear to school, but for one day they could and it will really add a layer of uniqueness. Don’t make it embarrassing! And make sure it fits them rather than looking like a hand-painted parachute shirt. If you want to go into sweetness overdrive, create a matching one for yourself that you can wear along with them. 13. Incorporate some Fitness Most of us imagine stores full of boxes of chocolate, cupcakes and candy on Valentine’s Day. It’s how the special day has been heavily monetized by the retail industry. But not everyone has a sweet tooth or is interested in fattening sweets. Maybe they would prefer to get outside and go on a hike, jog or bike ride with their special someone? That’s also super cute, especially if you’re wearing the special shirts you made, or you’ve laced up the bike seats with special Valentine’s Day decorations! 14. Go Completely Overboard What if they walked into their front door to a tsunami of red, purple and pink balloons? What if they do have more than one sweet tooth and you ordered 30 boxes of chocolates with a massive bouquet of flowers to their address? There’s many ways you can go overboard, more so than you ever have or ever will again. Now that’s sweet! Tell us something you’ve done or plan to do this Valentine’s Day that you know will really work wonders in the sweetness department.

Discovery of HIV Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Discovery of HIV - Research Paper Example Many people still do not understand the origin of HIV and the truth behind it. This paper, therefore, describes the discovery and origin of HIV, including how the scientific agreements and consensus-building are based on evidences and logics. Diagram: How HIV Invade T-Cell Retrieved from: http://www.nature.com/nri/journal/v8/n6/fig_tab/nri2302_F4.html The history of HIV discovery began in late 1970s, when many people believed that epidemic diseases caused by microbes and viruses were never a threat to developed and industrialized countries. In addition, many people also believed that viruses never caused cancer, and nothing existed as retrovirus, which infected humans (Barre-Sinoussi, 2010). These beliefs, however, were successfully approved by scientist researchers, since the attempts to find retroviruses in cancer and other diseases in human beings all ended up in vain. Most retrovirus researchers also turned their work to study oncogenes (Gallo & Montagnier, 2003). The establishme nt of HIV and AIDS began with the identification of human T-cell leukemia virus types 1 and 2 (HTLV-1 and HTLV-2). These viruses were established to cause the abnormal T-cell leukemia. The other contributor to the discovery of HIV and AIDS is the process for growing T lymphocytes in culture for a period that is enough to allow development of putative latent retrovirus (Marlin & Ed, 2011). This research study helped in the separation of T-cell growth factor in Bethesda, Maryland. In Paris, it was demonstrated that interferon can suppress the production of retroviruses in mouse cell. This idea led to the use of anti-interferon serum in the search for human retroviruses (Levy, 1993). Francoise Barre-Sinoussi Francoise Barre-Sinoussi is a young retroviriologist working at the institute Pasteur in Paris. One year earlier, a cluster of Pneumocystis carinii (p jirovecii) causing pneumonia infection had been established among gay men in Los Angeles, USA. This paved way for research and disc overy of global AIDS epidemic (Barre-Sinoussi, 2010). Barre-Sinoussi’s began her research work together with Willy Rozenbaum. They focused their research in patients who had not developed AIDS; since they discovered that infected patients lacked CD4 cells if at all the causative agent was attacked T lymphocytes. Barre-Sinoussi, along side other researchers from institute Pasteur, began their work by growing cells from a biopsy that was obtained from a patient. These cells were obtained from a cell culture in the presence of interleukin 2, initially known as T-cell growth factor (Barre-Sinoussi, 2010). They were focused to obtain a retrovirus, and during that period, HTLV-1 was the recognized model of human retrovirus. These researchers, however, did not assume that the virus had the same characteristics as HTLV-1. After two weeks, they realized a reverse transcriptase activity in the culture. Instead of the virus immortalizing other cells, they were found dead. In order to sa ve the virus, they asked for a new sample and quickly added lymphocytes from the culture (Barre-Sinoussi, 2010). Again, they noticed a reversed transcriptase activity in the new sample. Over the following years, tests were developed, the virus characterized, and confirmatory discoveries made. The research community then named this virus as HIV. After the initial discoveries, Barre-Sinoussi still continued with her research work focusing primarily on the

Declaration of Independence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Declaration of Independence - Essay Example There is no big difference between the initial Declaration and the final version. Most of the wording was retained as it was in the initial document. Very minimal alterations were made on the document. In comparing Jefferson’s initial Declaration with the final version, it can be noted that most of the alterations made were on the wording in the document. This was more for the purpose of clarity than for alteration of meaning of the words in the Declaration. Of the draft presented to Congress, only two passages were rejected directly by Congress. One of the passages referred to the English people in an inappropriate manner which did not go down well with congress since even the Americans were of British roots. The other passage which denounced slavery and slave trade did not please Congress as many members owned slaves and were not willing to set them free. The alterations of the wording in the document was to give the document a more personalized feel as will be explained by the following examples. Some of the alterations for example at the start of the Declaration where the article â€Å"of† is changed to â€Å"by†, was intended to bring out the aspect of personalization. The alteration of the words â€Å"sacred & undeniable† to read â€Å"self evident† may have been done to avoid the statement a religious feel. Some alterations were made for grammatical purposes to avoid unintended meanings from statements. This is evident in the second paragraph where the article â€Å"in† was deleted before the word â€Å"rights†. It is clear from this example that inclusion of the article would have given the statement a different meaning that was not intended by the drafters of the declaration. Other alterations may have been made to correct human error as in the case where Jefferson deletes the words â€Å"he has dissolved† from the beginning of a line he was writing. It is clear that this was because he was repeating the previous line and on

Art of the americas before 1300 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Art of the americas before 1300 - Research Paper Example Another theory states that some of the original Americans used boats to cross into the Americas. The theories placed the crossings to between 30,000 B.C. to 10,000 B.C (Kleiner 511). By the 8,000 B.C. to 2,000 B.C., the Stone Age hunters changed their ways from travelling to settling down in communities. The hunter age was characterized as individuals moving in the path of their prey. The hunters had to move from one place to another in order to catch their animal food objects. If the hunters stayed in one place permanently, the hunters may die from hunger. The wandering animal food sources would soon disappear. By changing their ways to a community life, the hunters decided to engage in agriculture. With agriculture, the people were able to grow their own food. The harvested plants and fruits became the food source of the settled communities. Likewise, some of the hunters decided to establish animal farms. The animals were grown on farms. When the animals were of eating age, the ind ividuals cooked the slaughtered animals (Kleiner 511). Further, the people decided to engage in fishing. Living near the seashores, the settled communities of the Americas used different hunting tools to catch fish. Some caught small fish. Other more experienced individuals were able to catch bigger and stronger fish types (Kleiner 511). As the communities settled down for many years, the communities established better community cooperation. The communities were characterized as having high levels of social complexities. Likewise, the communities improved their technological skills. The South Americans started to use Llamas as a means of better transportation. The Llamas were used to carry humans, food, and other materials (Kleiner 511). In terms of engineering and infrastructure, the Americas during this time period build complex roads. The people also built bridges to connect two nearby communities. The communities’ complexities contributed to their becoming complicated net works of cities. The early engineers were instrumental in the establishment of irrigation systems. The irrigation systems enhanced the drainage systems (Kleiner 511). After the above complexities of the Americas prior to the 1300s flourished, the people turned art to entertain themselves. The art forms included carved towering monumental stone statues. Other types of art forms included the reliefs. A third form of art form was the painted extensive murals. Additionally, the people turned to weaving to cover their bodies. The people also engaged in pottery. Other members of society were busy doing metal works (Kleiner 511). The Americas are divided into three groups. First, the Mesoamerica region included several current day nations. One nation is Mexico. Another nation is Guatemala. A third nation is the Belize. A fourth nation is the Honduras. Another country is El Salvador. The Aztec empire flourished during the 1485 – 1547 B.C. time period. When the Spanish invading army o f Hernan Cortes attacked and conquered the Aztec kingdom, the people decided to vacate the place. Consequently, the works of art were left at the mercy of nature. The Spanish invaders decided to destroy the Aztec kingdom in order to eliminate the pagan religions. With the elimination, the Spanish conquerors imposed the Roman Catholic religion on the people. Consequently, t

Understanding The Context Of Securitization Theory Philosophy Essay

Understanding The Context Of Securitization Theory Philosophy Essay Over the last decade, contemporary security studies witnessed a fundamental attempt by various social constructivist approaches to re-conceptualize the traditional notion of security as a perception of objective threat, and redefine the theoretical agenda of security studies. One of the most influential and eminent analytical frameworks among these approaches, the securitization theory, developed by Barry Buzan, Ole Waever, and their associates from what came to be later known as the Copenhagen School, based the meaning of security upon the socially constructed practice among actors. The core hypothesis of the Copenhagen School rests with the designation of securitization as a discoursive process through which an intersubjective understanding is constructed within a political community to treat something as an existential threat to a valued referent object, and to enable a call for urgent and exceptional measures to deal with the threat.  [1]   Thus, successful securitization encompasses three inextricable components existential threats, emergency action, and effects on inter-unit relations by breaking free of rules.  [2]  This, however, leads to an epistemological dilemma of whether the main purpose of securitization theory is to focus on the speech act as a creative force of security or to relate the establishment of security articulations to the context in which an interplay of the securitizing actor and a relevant audience takes its place. In other words, the enduring problem in the analytical framework of the securitization theory is what or who decisively invokes the move beyond the sphere of normal politics the speech act itself or the context in which relevant actors interacts. Consequently, this theoretical problem triggered two distinct interpretations of securitization theory. The first interpretation adhered to a rather internalist reading of securitization claiming that the security can be understood as a self-referential activity,  [3]  while the second standpoint, labeled externalist, correctly pointed out that the Copenhagen School generally put aside the contextual aspects in the analytical framework of the securitization theory, and in contrast proposed a conception of security as an intersubjective process  [4]  . The internalist point of view, narrowly based on the poststructuralist reading of securitization, is focused on the speech act event, and is anchored in the notion of a performativity, i.e. a result of the securitization is determined by the power of the act itself. In contrast, the externalist perspective rests with a more complex understanding of the securitization as a process of interactions between the audience and the secu ritizing actor through which a meaning of security is brought to existence. In particular, the former assert that the determinant power inherent in the discourse creates an exceptionality modus, whereas the latter link the effects of securitization to the context in which an interplay between the securitizing actor and a relevant audience occurs. The internalist understanding of the securitization theory rests with Waevers interpretation in Securitization and Desecuritization where it is, by drawing on John L. Austins concept of performative utterances,  [5]  claimed that the mere utterance of security is more than just saying or portraying an event, but performing an action that moves an issue beyond normal politics.  [6]  Whether this utterance of security is related to a particular context in which a stimulus triggers a response is irrelevant for the internalists. Contrary to the externalist argument that the communication between the agency and a respective audience enables the endowment of extraordinary measures, the internalists downplay the role of the context to the performative force of the speech act to impose an extraordinary situation and create a security. In particular, by referring to Derridas claim that there is nothing outside the text, the internalist understanding of the securitization concludes tha t the indeterminate nature of a speech act itself has a power to create new circumstances in a broader social framework. More specifically, it is not the sender-responder relation that bears authority in imposing the exceptional conditions, as the externalists suggest, but rather it is about the very nature of the performative speech act that constitutes not only new meaning, but also the social actors and reality.  [7]   However, this particular perspective on the determinacy of the situation by merely uttering the speech act has two shortcomings. Firstly, given the nature of the performative act which is in the internalist notion solely regarded as the language-discoursive framework, one can argue that this is only one means through which the meaning of security is constructed. More specifically, the speech act of securitization cannot be reducible to verbal phrases or rhetoric, because what portrays something or someone as an existential threat is a broader performative act composed of different contextual and symbolic patterns that increase the overall effectiveness of an appeal for emergency measures. As Michael Williams shrewdly notes, the television images of 9/11 destruction, casualties and human suffering have considerably contributed to the dominant perceptions of security and to a construction of a necessary response to an existential threat.  [8]  Secondly, it is not the utterance of p erformative act that creates a meaning of security, but rather the routinized practices of the bureaucratic machinery and professional managers of unease applied to various issue areas that allow the act to urge an embracement of extraordinary measures.  [9]  In particular, surveillance practice, the control of borders or immigration policy is an ultimate aim behind the use of language by networks of security professionals that generate specific meaning of (in) security. Related to the second shortcoming, the externalist reading of securitization contributes to the debate by adding a social and political context in which the practice is exercised by relevant structures. In general, by referring to the concepts of the audience and the facilitating conditions suggested by Buzan et al. (1998) in Security: A New Framework for Analysis, the externalist understanding transfers the creation of the meaning from the speech act to the intersubjective level of analysis. Thus, rather than reducing the securitization to a discoursive event, the externalist understanding draws on a broader conception-a dynamics between the securitizing actor initiating the speech act, and a relevant audience accepting or refusing it.  [10]  The interpretation and depiction of the existential threat are, in other words, negotiated between the actor and a respective audience. Nevertheless, although the speech act is enacted and introduced by the authoritative actor, it is the au dience in this relationship that decides whether the discourse will be accepted as an appropriate narrative.  [11]  In addition, following the concept of facilitating conditions the exceptionalist logic infers that the possibility of a successful securitization act will depend on whether the audience recognizes the conventional procedures within the performative act, and whether the securitizing actor holds a position of authority.  [12]   Nevertheless, both concepts (the audience and the facilitating conditions) are theoretically underdeveloped leaving many epistemological gaps in the analytical framework of the securitization. Firstly, even if one identifies a relevant audience, the question remains why and how the receivers will react to the utterance of the act. Although coercion or brute force may in general be effective, in order to maintain credibility the securitizing actor will particularly need to identify his/her move beyond normal politics with the audiences values, norms, interests and feelings. Thus the content of the performative message would need to be contingent upon the moral justification corresponding to what is generally perceived as legitimate by the audience, and upon the approval of the legal authority.  [13]  Yet, it still remains unclear what constitutes the broader socio-political basis for the securitizing actor to claim authority to impose measures and for the audience to conform to th e language of the act. However, the concept of facilitating conditions is a rather objectivist, to the extent that it posits the discoursive process inside the exogenously given actor-audience structure and at the same time it is static, in terms of reducing a securitization to a mere event dependent on the stimulus-response pattern. To comprehensively grasp the essence of the securitization, one therefore needs to move beyond both internalist and externalist understanding and analyze the audiences expectations, the actors authority and a meaning of the speech act as embedded in social relations of meaning and power that constitutes both actors and speech acts.  [14]   The seemingly unavoidable gap between the two understandings may be bridged through the internalist-externalist distinction developed by Holger Stritzel who seeks to establish a context in which the actor, an audience and the speech act are embedded as mutually constitutive and non-separable relations. The context in this view is constituted of two dimensions: social-linguistic, referring to the networks of constitutive rules and narratives that surround a single linguistic act and socio-political, i.e. structures from which the power to influence the process of constructing meaning is derived  [15]  . Consequently, the power connectedness of the three elements of securitization is interlinked with the two dimensions through the constitution of three forces of securitization: the performative force of the speech act (internalist), its embeddedness in the existing discourse (externalist) and the positional power of actors who shape the meaning (internalist-externalist).  [16]  What Stritzel effectively achieves with his analytical framework is three-fold: firstly, the moving from the given meaning of the threat to the meaning generated by the dynamic social interactions; secondly, the interrelatedness between the text of the speech act and the discoursive practices add a missing part to the internalist notion of the speech act as an utterance itself; finally, the power position of the actor that underpins his/her authority departs from both the inclusive nature of the linguistic concept of power outlined by the internalist reading, and the exogenously defined relationship between the actor and the audience proposed by the externalist understanding of securitization. In conclusion, the epistemological division between the internalist and the externalist view, as shrewdly suggested by Stritzel, may be bypassed through the establishment of interconnectidness between the language act and actors/audience within the mutually constitutive social context. Nevertheless, the dilemma about which element decisively constitutes the security persists within the securitization theory. As McDonald effectively put it, the incoherence within the existing analytical framework of securitization theory will lead to the downplay of either the performative effects of the speech act or the inter-subjective nature of security.  [17]  Therefore, a closer focus on different empirical cases may provide useful insights into the problematic of the speech act-actor-audience triangle, and moreover contribute to the analytical framework of securitization theory.

The Churches Of Christ: A Comparative Essay :: essays research papers

The Churches of Christ: A Comparative Essay Over the past ten years there has been much controversy in the Christian and secular media about the International Churches of Christ (ICC), and the United (or mainline) Church of Christ (CoC). This controversy has stemmed from the ICC's misuse of funds, doctrinal problems, member abuse, and mind-control. The differences between the CoC and the ICC are important for Christians know and understand. The CoC began in 1957 when these four groups merged The Congregational Churches, The Christian Church, The Evangelical Synod of North America, and The Reformed Church in the United States. These churches had firm Protestant roots in England, Germany, Sweden, and the United States, totaling over 49 years in their own traditions and fellowship. On June 25, of 1957, the four churches held a synod meeting in Cleveland, Ohio, to commit more fully to unity, liberty, freedom in Christ, and the evangelism of the world. These groups, under the head of the Uniting General Synod, became the United Churches of Christ. Today the CoC has over two thousand registered churches in the world. By 1979, the roots of the CoC were firmly in place. It was then that Chuck Lucas, a pastor at the Gainesville Church of Christ (mainline), met a young college student, Kip McKean, and began discipling him. Kip was a bright student and showed great potential for leadership in the church. However, something in the discipling process went wrong. Kip was expelled from the Gainesville church later that year for reasons dealing with departure from the CoC doctrine, manipulative attitude, unclear motivation, and controlling of other's lives. Kip and his wife Elena moved to Boston and started a small church that grew rapidly from thirty to over three hundred disciples in two months. Kip (who, by this time, proclaimed himself as "God's man for God's mission") then declared in his Evangelism Proclamation speech in 1981 that disciples of his Boston church would be sent out to start sister churches in London, Chicago, New York, Toronto, Providence, Johannesburg, Paris, Stockholm, Mexico City, Hong Kong, Bombay, Cairo, and throughout the United States by the year of 1985. His success with this goal led him to present another Evangelism Proclamation in 1990 that said that every city in the world with a population of over 75,000 will have a sister church by the year 2000. Today the ICC is in over seventy two countries, with a recorded attendance (as of January 1997) of 920,000 people. It is important to note that the ICC's current "fall-away (members who leave the church) rate" is