Definitely, culture plays a big role when interacting with people from other countries. As you said, each country has their own values and norms, the way they deal with different situations or even with conflicts. In addition, Boroditsky (2010) in her Wall Street Journal article argues that the language we speak shapes our thought process. She points out that “When bilingual people switch from one language to another, they start thinking differently.” [2] Oil and other natural resources are an important source of wealth. States and their leaders are eager to get access to the highly-valued resources, perhaps gain control over them. However, lack of democracy in the oil-rich countries could be explained by the European colonization in the region,
“There is, then, an economic basis for the absence of democracy in the Arab world. But it is structural. It has to do with the ways in which oil distorts the state, the market, the class structure, and the entire incentive structure. Particularly in an era of high global oil prices, the effects of the oil curse are relentless: Not a single one of the 23 countries that derive most of their export earnings from oil and gas is a democracy today.”
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America...and to the republic for which it stands...one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.” (“Is the United States a Democracy?”) The United States’ pledge is taught to children of all ages, plays an active role in the patriotism of the people, and it symbolizes the citizen’s promise to never violate the Republic of the United States of America. The founding fathers built the foundation of America on their ideological belief that the country should be a republic and that all mankind are created equally. However, over the years, America has gained the title as a democratic nation and the status quo of America being considered “the majority rule.” The present state of affairs of the American government proves to be incorrect because the United States is not a democracy. The United States has limited citizens to participate equally on various occasions, due to the emphasis the government has placed on non-democratic practices, inconsistencies, and discrimination regarding race, gender, and ethnicity.
Have you thought of someone’s culture as weird? Have you thought that you are completely different from them? If so, what prompts us to make that assumption. Culture is a very good reason for this. So, to what extent does one’s culture inform the way one views others and the world? Culture informs a person on the way others are and the world.
The two most important resources in this region are oil and water. The huge oil “deposits there and in the neighboring countries around the Persian Gulf (the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain) established these countries as some of the richest in the world” (Document F). Nevertheless, the countries who do not have as much access to oil are weak economically. Oil is the biggest export in the Middle East, and in a way, the amount of oil a country has determines how wealthy that country will be. Another component of oil is that countries and ethnic groups are disputing for the control of prices of this economic resource. It has gone to the far extent of foreign countries attempting to control the oil price and also the use of weapons for this (Document E). In addition, it is impossible for each country to have equal access to water due to the unbalanced distribution of these essential resources. As a result of this, these countries are fighting for as much control of water sources they can get. Radically, there are many countries in the Middle East that are striving to obtain as many natural resources to strengthen their economy and lifestyle, and it seems most obvious that the scarcity of these resources is a significant problem in the region
Oil has often been referred to as any economy’s lifeblood. Although this is an overemphasis, oil has been the key, nonhuman resource of the economy throughout the largest part of the 20th century. In the book “The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, And Power” by Daniel Yergin, the author illustrates the political, societal, economic, and geo-strategic importance of this product.
Despite being one of the oldest and most consistently stable democracies in the Western world, the American government, and American democracy as a whole, has frequently come under fire in recent years. Whether it is political parties, pundits, bloggers or citizens, Americans and non-Americans are all lining up to take shots at what they diagnose as a storied democracy crumbling before their eyes. Two of Robert Dahl’s criteria for a healthy democracy are enlightened understanding: are citizens able to acquire the political information necessary to participate in their own democracy, and control of the agenda: do the American senators and members of congress have exclusive and
In our world, there are many social issues to discuss about that affect the way we live our lives. One particular issue that’s significant is the voter turnout of young people during the 2014 mid-term election. So my question is why do young people not vote as much as the old? Well I checked my sources and I discovered some intriguing facts. During the mid-term election, voter turnout was the worst ever since World War 2. It was rather disappointing and pathetic for the youth of America. People between the ages of 18-29 represented only 13 percent of the votes. On the other hand, the old were much better as people between 45-64 represented about 43 percent. Another interesting statistic is that
George Bush rightfully won the 2000 presidential election. He never thought he lost he was always victorious. The entire conflict started when countless elderly folks punched in their ballot for Buchanan when they intended to vote for Gore. The ballot was designed by a Democrat therefore they did not have a leg to stand on. Thereafter, Gore requested a recount in the four most liberal counties in the state of Florida. “Al Gore isn’t interested in counting all the votes he is only interested in counting Al Gore votes”. Moreover, the votes were counted and recounted and Bush still came out on top. Hand recounts are chaotic, unreliable, and leads to mischief that is why they can’t be trusted. If hand recounts where so trust worthy why did we move on to machines?
America's democracy is in danger due to the fact that politicians have a high price at which they can be legally bought/bribed by multimillion dollar industries and corporations. Today, corporations are legally able to bribe people in political power both directly and indirectly to allow less regulations on the way they do business. Through this, they can make as much money as possible, even at the expense of their workers, the ecosystem, and competition. Corporations basically have the same exact rights as a living, breathing person even although they are constructed to get as much money as possible. Corporations are given the ability to slowly unweave this democracy without the average American having the opportunity to say anything against
I know that our country is split in two this is largely due to the change between past and current administrations. I have just a few comments that I ask you to consider before jumping to the conclusion that I am a liberal or anti whatever.
We live in this country for the land, and the for the free as Americans we rely on many attributes in this world in order for us to live our lives. Our government has supplied us with many great things for us to be proud of. Our government is “the institutions and processes though which public policies are made for society.” (Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry, p. 7). With all these institutions which includes the President, Congress, the courts and all the federal administrative agencies. These are the institutions that make up public policies for us, and to shape the way we live as Americans. The way this system has been operating through all the years has been
I have evaluated Democratic failures in my posts and through my own research. I am well aware that the Democrats are influenced by corporations and affluent billionaires like George Soros. I am also cognizant of the Republican party being in bed with the Koch brothers, the big banks, financial institutions, and several others. I will remind you once again, the battle is not a horizontal one (i.e. left and right), but rather, a vertical one -- between rich and poor.
Oil has been used by domestic and foreign governments in the development of the Middle East both domestically and in foreign policy since 1940 by using it as a bartering item because it is such a valid and precious resource that can fuel homes, towns, and countries. The Middle East has had many ups and downs throughout its development as a country, but its abundant supply of oil made it a country that outsiders wanted to either friend or control. The D’Arcy Concession in the early 1900’s were rights created for the people of the D’Arcy, to search and dig for oil within Iran. When given this opportunity they found
The ambition of the often autocratic leaders to acquire more land, which may bring them access to oil, water or arable land. The problem according to Sørli et. al is “scarcity” and “abundance” (147). Water is scarce, and oil is in abundance, but the access to both is limited. According to our text, the new “water wars” have emerged as a major source of conflict, in addition to the “oil wars” (Anderson et. al, 226). Water is scarce in the Middle East, and will continue to dwindle as the population rises. Not every country has the same access to the water sources, which will naturally cause problems. For example, Israel has control of the Golan, and Egypt of the Nile, and Kuwait of the Persian Gulf. Oil is in abundance, but only to a limited number of countries in the Middle East causing great economic disparity between those who have, and those who do not. Kuwait, having access to the Persian Gulf, produces a large supply of oil to international players. Given its high value internationally, and its worth, oil is much sought after.
Oil has repeatedly been referred to as any economy’s lifeblood. Whereas this is an overemphasis, oil has been the utmost key, nonhuman resource of economy throughout the largest part of the 20th century. In the book “The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, And Power” by Daniel Yergin, the author illustrates the political, societal, economic, and geo-strategic prominence of this product. The book was published by Simon and Schuster in 2011 in New York, and contains 928 pages, as its ISBN is 1439134839. This research paper aims to provide a book review on Daniel Yergin’s “The Prize.”