Gillian Rafi Analysis

For over 2 centuries, Afghanistan has known virtually no time without war. Beginning around 326 B.C. with the conquests of Alexander the Great, to the Persians, British, Russians and most recently, America and our NATO allies, Afghanistan has been cultivated into the country that it is today through a trial by fire. Regardless of this relentless onslaught of foreign military power, the Afghan people have tirelessly defended their homeland with no outside power ever being able to subdue them completely. Following the withdrawal of the Soviet Union in 1989, the country fell into civil war, torn even further apart by fiercely dedicated tribal warlords. This power vacuum led to the rise of a group called the Taliban. Led by a one eyed man

Within the past 50 years, there has been an increasing amount of women in the government. Whether these women hold powerful positions such as Secretary of State, or hold minor positions such as PTA President, a political revolution is brewing. The United States of America is lacking substantially with regards to females in office, in fact if one were to look statistically at the amount of women in the government, the United States is failing tremendously. Although the United States likes to claim that they are the land of opportunities, it seems as if the only ones reaping those benefits are cis white males. But, there are women who choose to break the glass ceiling and attempt to explore the opportunities that are in front of them, and one

Afghanistan has been for years a country struggling with authority issues. These struggles date back to the 16th century of the Mughal Empire and continues with the Taliban today. These historic struggles are responsible of the changing nature of political authority in this volatile region of our world. There have been many attempts from other groups to try and “conquer” the land but

It seems that War has found a home in Afghanistan. The people of Afghanistan have

Laura Ruede is the librarian expert in the subject of dance. She works in the TCU Library on the third floor in the Music Media Center, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Ms. Ruede shared during her presentation the myriad of resources available to students at the library. First off, Ms. Ruede is a wonderful resource for dance majors to consult. She is available for individual appointments and group appointments to help assist in research projects or to help students find resources related to dance.

“We lost the war in southern Afghanistan and it broke my heart.” This statement used by Graeme Smith in the introduction to his book, The Dogs are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan, sets the tone for the rest of the book. Although foreign forces had, arguably, the best of intentions going into the war, the Taliban always regrouped and reappeared, often larger and harder to defeat than before, no matter how tremendous their losses were in previous battles. International forces did what they thought was essential for rebuilding of Afghanistan, including the elimination of the Taliban through air strikes and poppy eradication, even though they did not truly understand the needs and priorities of Afghan citizens and were constantly perceived negatively by the Afghan civilians. In an accessible method, Smith provides general knowledge about how the intervention on the behalf of the international community impacted the country and its people. This book also leaves me with reflections on the dynamic between insurgents and villagers and how the international forces could have helped to prevent a power vacuum from occurring during the years where most foreign forces pulled out of Afghanistan.

With the Taliban beginning its reigns on Afghanistan, darkness took over the nation. Terror became a more common installment into the minds of the citizens. Hearing the rumble of the jeeps, the bangs of the AK-47s, and the bombs setting off can send a shiver down anyone’s back. Families are torn apart, children forget what play time is, schools are destroyed. The injustice that the Taliban brought is defined through the cruelest of actions. “There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood.” (Hosseini, 1) With their regime, the Taliban established radical rules that limited the country to all but making the essential function of speaking, barely legal. The effect of the Taliban begin to spread specifically towards Amir and his family. With the beginning the war, Amir sees his

1. I believe he means that children have a life like us adults, with good and bad events, which affect our performance at work or in any place. So are children and we need to consider that, when we engage with them.

It is my belief that the war in Afghanistan has been worth the steep cost. There is no doubt that this cost has been steep with the over 2, 300 casualties of American soldiers, but the importance of assurance of safety from continued attacks by Al Qaeda cannot be overstated. Al Qaeda has been all but destroyed. The leaders that remain have fled to hiding and pose no threat to the United States or any other country. The United States’ goal in Afghanistan has been fulfilled, but it can do much more to fight terrorism from there as

Despite being from different countries, time periods, and social statuses, poets Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Natasha Trethewey seem to have similar social views as seen in Browning’s The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point and Trethewey’s Enlightenment. An examination of A Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point by Elizabeth Barret Browning and Enlightenment by Natasha Trethewey demonstrate that Trethewey and Browning used poetry to express their dislike of racial prejudice and slavery relevant to their time.

Completing her final musical at NorthWood High School just a few weeks ago, Sara Bowling finds herself at an interesting crossroads in terms of her performance career. While she possesses a lifelong history with musical performance, beginning in her earliest memories, she is coming to terms with an understanding of the fleeting nature of the opportunities provided to her throughout her early life. A senior at NorthWood High School, Sara’s eyes are fixed on the murky but exciting adventure that is her future. She intends to pursue her post-secondary education at Ball State University, starting next fall, and aspires to complete all four years there as a member of their honors college. That said, she is clear that while her enjoyment of music remains, her future pursuit of performance is entirely uncertain.

However, another perspective should be looked at when discussing mental illness that is outside of the technical, medical and textbook definitions. Emotion and aesthetic are another important parts to consider when mentioning a subject that has little clear-cut or definite answers. One analysis by Laura Brandon, a Historian of Art and War at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario, shows the depiction of soldiers by four war painters, three Canadian and one British, of how shell shock and PTSD was and is represented in the 20th and 21st century. Not only is there a visual analysis of what the paintings symbolize, Brandon also includes some back story of what or who inspired the works and how the pieces were perceived by the public, if they

The ethical issue that I have chosen to discuss is war. This issue has been a common thing all around the world, since the first ever war in 2334 BCE (History, 2008). War can be started for a number of reasons, such as; Economic gain, territorial gain, religion, nationalism or revenge (Owlcation, 2015). Wars can be fought in all different ways and has the potential to shape and influence the future dramatically. War and civil wars can have severe effects and outcomes, they can be detrimental to the people, buildings, religion and living conditions of countries and states that are part of the war, whether by choice or not.

The Counter Insurgency operations in Vietnam have taught the U.S. a lot that can be applied to Afghanistan. According to Phillips (2015) “Although our understanding and steadfast support can make a significant difference, ultimate success depends on

The first tenet of COIN aligns with the first two statements of COMISAF’s Counterinsurgency Guidance. The primary focus is on the people and earning their trust. The people function as the internal intelligence for the government and support the goal of eliminating, harboring and providing safe havens for the enemy. This effort is supported by the United States Soldiers and its allies taking up residence in the community with the Afghanistan people. This also reinforces President Obama core element of a civilian surge to reinforce positive action. It is imperative to get the people out in the public view and not living in fear. Constant and daily interaction is essential in gathering local intelligence on what is going in the government in hopes of understanding how the people feel and think about their leadership. Communication is helpful but being a good listener is an invaluable asset to information gathering. Secondly, the United States military goal is to support the fostering of renewed trust of the Afghanistan people in their government and security forces. The ultimate goal is that the Afghanistan people reject the insurgents and stop them from infiltrating their infrastructure. This approach was taught by