Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice

Larry Diamond's presentation explores the question of why there are no Arab democracies in the Middle East and North Africa. He shows us the relatively stagnant levels of democratic freedoms that have been the norm in the region for the past several decades. Diamond gives us a multitude of potential explanations for the absence of a sustainable democracy.

Topic: U.S-Arab relations: Assessing the successes and failures of American policy towards the GCC since 2008.

Not many people can add the position of National Security Advisor to their list of achievements, especially if those people are women. Condoleezza Rice, however, can place the accomplishment right up there with being a previous member of President Bush’s foreign-policy team, and tenured professor and provost in the political science department of the prestigious Stanford University.

Amongst the turbid and dysfunction that is the Middle East lies the nation of Egypt. Egypt, a major country of the Middle East, is habitually considered stereotypical of Middle Eastern civilization, but further research guides one to the conclusion that Egypt is far from a generic Middle Eastern country. Egypt has a strong tradition of nationalism that has been formed during its history, giving it a national unity that is often non-existent in other Middle Eastern nations (1). This, as well as other advantages that Egypt has gained during its past, has allowed it to rise above the problems plaguing the rest of the Middle East and to form basically its

Who is Condoleezza Rice? In 1955, during a sensitive and memorable moment for Black Americans, a

Born on November 14, 1954 in a neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama, Condoleezza Rice is notable for becoming one of the most influential female politicians in history. Rice grew up during the Civil Right Movement. Thus, Rice encountered bigotry and prejudice because she is of African, European and Native American descent. However, Rice overlooked the discrimination and was able to pursue her dreams. In 1967, Rice and her family relocated to Denver, Colorado. She attended St. Mary's Academy in Colorado and graduated in the year of 1971. Rice originally majored in music. However, after attending an International Politics course, Rice began to become intrigued in the Soviet Union and international relations. Subsequently, she studied at the University of Denver and acquired her bachelor’s degree in political science in 1974. In 1975, she earned her master’s from the University of Notre Dame. In 1981, she obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Denver’s Graduate School

Any political decision in the United States eventually enters the oval office and it was here that Mr. Oren presents his first piece of evidence. Mr. Oren states that the showdown between ideologies began between Vice-President Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who disagreed as to what the proper response in Iran should be. Cheney had always maintained a hard line stance in foreign affairs and Iran was no different. Secretary Rice favored the use of diplomacy to achieve a resolution in Iran. Mr. Oren states that, “Cheney’s influence on policy, which was

With a rich history and culture dating back into the biblical ages, Egypt is a country that has witnessed the world grow into what it is today. With ancient age comes ancient problems and fierce feuds between neighboring countries that result in high tensions and often times violence. As an ally, the United States has observed Egypt 's plight and struggles in the Arab World and has attempted to, on numerous occasions, to quell the violence that stems from the region. Though America 's intentions are good, Egypt usually finds itself in deeper trouble due to intervention from the west. Subject to much change in both political and social policies, Egypt finds itself in the uncomfortable position of

The nation of Egypt happens to be a special case due to the extensive manner mentioned in the course of how imperialistic nations have shaped domestic and international conflicts in the country. As seen in the readings of Chapters 15 and 19 by William L. Cleveland and Martin Burton’s A History of the Modern Middle East, the future transitions of regime change that occurred in Egypt under Gamal Abd Al-Nasser and Anwar Sadat and their effects on the populace have been the result of previous potent imperialistic pressures. Foreign tensions tied to nationalization of resources, cultural impositions, and domestic attempts at modernization of mimicry have all set the format for future problems

The term “Arab Spring” has emerged in academic literature as well as in the general media from about early 2011. It refers to the “awakening” of some Arab nations and the movements to replace authoritarian regimes with democratic ones. The theme of “spring” and “awakening” seems to have been borrowed from the 1989 reform movements in the former Eastern-block nations, such as in the former German Democratic Republic or Hungary. However, this comparison has been criticised by some analysts since both the circumstances which have led to these movements as well as the outcome of these reform efforts seem to differ quite a lot. Yet, the Arab Spring term seems to be still widely used and even found an extension in the creation of the term Arab Winter which refers to events that happened in 2012 in some Arab countries during which these reform movements seemed to have “cooled-off” and particular nations, such as Egypt, attempted to go back to the status-quo of the pre-2011 era.

The citizens of the United States of America (U.S.A.) have trusted in the Electoral College for the selection of the President. This selection practice has a success rate that may be arguably effective for the majority of the global situations. Using the electoral process to select one individual to make a decision is not without its controversies. The War in the Gulf region beings one controversial process of a timeline strife with disagreement and afterthought. While the support for the president’s initiatives prior to and during the decisions that affected the Gulf region vary, there may be two key points to ponder. The actual level of support and the perceived levels of support that fluctuates depending upon who and where in the country

In recent months we have seen political unrest in Tunisia, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. In each of these countries the political leadership had amassed immense power and was using these powers to restrain and limit their countrymen from development. The ruling class clearly had formed a political structure with a clear agenda to inhibit the growth of their fellow citizens. In the past few decades, people from these countries have endured structural violence due to political hegemony. Exposure to western media has made the people realize the advantage of distributed power. Hence these countries are witnessing a surge of protest, with people fighting against the system. Parsons emphasizes on the distribution of political power and its effects throughout his

Although the people’s voice is being heard and changes are being made, blood flows down the streets as people are being killed violently everyday. Many people believe it would have been more beneficial if the Middle East had completely avoid the Arab Spring or at least have gone a more passive road. Through the history of the region, leaders of Arab countries have anchored their position to later become rich and

The Arab Spring has been a life changing phenomena, not only for the people who are attempting to overthrow their governments but for political scientists everywhere. The events originating in the North African country of Tunisia have led to the snowballing of several other Middle Eastern, predominantly Muslim, nation states. The figurative breaking point might have finally been reached as the oppressed peoples of the Middle East have risen up to overthrow long-standing dictatorial governments in hopes of revolutionary change; change that is subject to the will of the people.

Over the last century, the Middle East has been the location of ethnic rivalry, political and economic instability, religious conflict, territorial dispute and war. Much of this tension in the Middle East comes from the various interpretations of Islam and how the religion should be applied to politics and society. Over the last ten years, the United States and their allies have pushed to promote democracy in the Middle East. However, they too have many obstacles they must overcome. They face problems such as the compatibility of Islamic law and democracy, the issue of women’s rights, and there is always the problem of how to go about implementing a democratic reform in these countries. Many initially would assume that it is only the