Its Time for States to Secede from the Union :: Politics Political Essays

It's Time for States to Secede from the Union There is clear evidence that Congress, the White House, as well as the Courts, have vastly exceeded powers delegated to them by our Constitution. To have an appreciation for the magnitude of the usurpation, one need only read Federalist Paper 45, where James Madison the acknowledged father of our Constitution explained, "The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the Federal Government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State Governments are numerous and indefinite. The former will be exercised principally on external objects, as war, peace, negotiation, and foreign commerce; with which last the power of taxation will for the most part be connected. The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects, which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties and properties of the people; and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State." Short of some kind of cataclysmic event liberties lost are seldom regained but there is an outside chance to regain them if enough liberty-minded Americans were to pursue Free State Project's proposal to set up New Hampshire as a free state. Free State Project (www.freestateproject.org) intends to get 20,000 or so Americans to become residents of New Hampshire. Through a peaceful political process they hope to assume leadership in the state's legislature and executive offices and reduce burdensome taxation and regulation, reform state and local law, end federal mandates that violate the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and restore constitutional federalism as envisioned by the nation's Founders. Since there is only a remote possibility of successful negotiation with Congress, the Courts and White House to obey the U.S. Constitution, it is my guess that liberty could only realized by a unilateral declaration of independence - namely, part company - in a word secede. While our Constitution is silent about secession, there is clear evidence that our Founders saw it as an option. On March 2, 1861, after seven states had seceded and two days before Abraham Lincoln's inauguration, Senator James R. Doolittle (WI) proposed a constitutional amendment that said, "No State or any part thereof, heretofore admitted or hereafter admitted into the Union, shall have the power to withdraw from the jurisdiction of the United States." Several months earlier Representatives Daniel E. Sickles (NY), Thomas B. Florence (PA) and Otis S.

The History of the African Women

70% of African women with disabilities get them from their husbands. In Africa, most women have little or no rights. This effects what they can do for work, how their family life is, and what future they have. Women throughout time, especially in African culture, have always been subservient to men. The status of women in Africa is second-rate. In countries like the United States, women have the same rights as men and are almost equal. But in Africa it†s totally different. Women have to know that they should be equal to men. It's important to understand that every race is discriminated at one point in time. This should not happen if we have a realization. This understanding would be realizing that everyone put on this planet was created equal. Women, unfortunately, have been very discriminated against, even in this century. Women are so cruelly thought of that now, women see nothing wrong with mental and physical cruelty towards them. Since the status of women in Africa, is so low, it has caused many men to overpower women†¦ physically. More and more women are being beaten and thinking that it is okay because the women think men are superior to them. A frightening fact is that 16 2/3 percent of women are battered by their partners and 46% of these cases the children are beaten too. â€Å"If you go to the police and complain that your husband is abusing you or hitting you the authorities would think, ‘Oh well she probably deserved it! â€Å"† Said Lindy Mieza. A woman named Geli wrote about her life in which she says, â€Å"My mother†¦ she constantly suffered terrible physical and mental abuse from him†¦ Fifty percent of women in Africa women will be raped in their life time. There were 23,806 rapes in the first six months of 1996. And what worse is that police estimate that for every rape reported another thirty-five takes place. South Africa, â€Å"Already confronting the worlds worst murder rate the country has a harrowing new fact to face: there is a rape every 25 seconds.. † Geli wrote, â€Å"Being raped doesn†t mean it†s by some you don†t know, I was raped by my husband and his friends†¦ † In conclusion, when men over power women, women feel less and less important and the status of women becomes worse. Poverty is a problem because most children who grow up in poverty, die there. They don†t necessary get shot or killed, they end up not being able to climb out poverty and get a decent job, especially women. Women in Africa are forced to be prostitutes because they need to support their family. When women do this they end up having a bigger family. Women live in poverty in a disproportionate number. â€Å"My mother lived and died in poverty and so did her mom, one day I will too because I have no food or money. † â€Å"Why have women become so much poorer? There is no one reason. In countries like Kenya and India, cut backs resulting from the International Monetary Fund†s and Structural adjustment policies (SAP†s) have affected women most because they are the main recipients of education and health. † There are more women than men in poverty. Out of the 4. 3 million displaced 80% of them are women. In a study carried out over 20 years the number of rural women in poverty has increased by 50% reaching an awesome 565 million. â€Å"Poverty has influenced women†s lives more than any factor over the last decade. † If women are in poverty they will not be able to help fight to gain their rights. For many many years, generations of girls would and will give up their education for their brother because he getting an education is more important than her getting one. Lindy Mieza once said, â€Å"If you look at our country, it is the women who are the first to dropped at school to give places to their brothers. † Girls in Africa get a second class education. Many girls have dropped out of school because they were raped and need to take care of their babies that have no fathers. â€Å"I once went to school, but then I was raped and had a baby. † A fourteen year old girl told a reporter. Women should be able to go to school just like men but, â€Å"Only the wealthiest girls are able to obtain an education. † , There are 52 million boys who do not go to primary school. But their are 77 million girls who don†t go to school where one learns the two most important things, reading and writing. Because women are that last ones in schools and the first ones out, obviously they are the ones who can†t read. If one took out nine hundred illiterate people, women would out number men two to one. In Africa, 68. 3% of the women can not read. If women aren†t educated then they won†t get jobs and will have no way for a secure future. Women are taught in their tribes and cultures that it is all right for men to mistreat them. This is not helping women realize that they don†t have to be treated the way they are. Tribal women are brought up thinking it†s okay for them to be men†s slaves. Once an African woman said â€Å"I came to the conclusion that part of our problems with men†¦ is that we were brought up to see out lives incomplete without them. We were taught to consider man as our superiors, the absolute rulers not only of our home but of our lives too. † Geli said â€Å"Customs and tradition told us it was normal for men to lie and abuse to cheat and domineer†¦ Geli†s mom was abused by her husband as well as her Grandmother was abused and so was she. Geli grew up think it wasn†t wrong for men to hit women. She Grew up thinking it was all right for her husband to hit her. It wasn†t till American groups came and told her what her husband did was illegal, after that, she left him â€Å"Women were told we were duty-bound, to remain steadfast and faithful; to our husband no matter what they did do to us or how undeserving of our affections they were† If women keep growing up thinking that it is right for men to overpower then women will never be equal to men. Since men make up all of the laws and rules most laws proteins only to men. Laws are only fair to man. Black women of Africa have suffered the most because of discriminating laws. Up in till this century women couldn†t own property, vote. Get jobs, and sometimes even leave the house. â€Å"The women acknowledge that under apartheid, women†s issues were pushed to the back burner while black men and women fought together for liberation. But now women are devoting attention to old and pervasive obstacles. The whole system has placed women in a inferior position. Women were not involved in any environmental decisions or economical decisions. Woman had different jail sentences then men. If a woman killed any one she would be put to a torturous death. If a man he would get a life time sentence with a chance of parole. In Kangaroo courts, punishment for women can be rape by a government official(s). Nelson Mendela the Prime Minister of South Africa once said, â€Å"I pay tribute to the mothers and wives of our nation. You are the rockhard foundation of our struggle. Apartheid has inflicted more pain on you than anyone else. Women can†t be equal to men if laws don†t allow them to. â€Å"If you don†t get a chance to take part in you laws you don†t take part in the rules the govern you life† said Mrs. Shays. In African women are very prone to getting diseases. Women not only have to deal with having no rights but they also have to deal with disease. â€Å"At the hospitals we see women who are brought in wheel barrows who have had ten pregnancies and have ruptured uteruses. They die in those wheel barrows. In America you have 911. You call on a telephone and an ambulance comes. Here we can†t call on a phone because their are none and you can†t call for an ambulance because their are none. † Also malnutrition, starvation, AIDS, and even diarrhea are deadly in Africa. â€Å"29. 3 percent of pregnant women have AIDS. † Nelson Mendela once said â€Å"We must give health to the aged to the pregnant women and to the young children. † Doctors are rare and expensive in Africa. Many people who need them can†t afford them. Women are the main people who take care of the family, and because if they are busy fighting off disease they can†t fight for their rights. Being sick put a damper on a women†s attitudes. The attitudes of women's rights are very poor, women and men have bad attitudes about it. Forty women with the idea of them having the right to vote went to court to see what they could do. When the women brought up the idea the judge just sat and laughed. He told them to leave. â€Å"Men think nothing about us, we are slaves to them, and nothing more. When we asked for rights they wanted nothing to do with us. Sadly many women felt the same way. † A women's rights leader said. Men don†t want to let us share their power† Lindy Meiza tried to lift women attitudes in her speech, â€Å"We must think we can. Think you can and you can. Now lets win the rights we deserve!! † If women think they can they can. They will rise up against men. Just like in the story The Little Engine Who Could he thought he could and then he did it. South Africa has made a new constitution with a charter for women. The new constitution will eliminate all laws that discriminate whites and black, and males and females. The new constitution with the first charter for women will give women the rights the deserved. Some of the laws are: â€Å"Women shall have equal legal status and capacity in civil law including amongst others, full contractual rights, the right to acquire and hold in property, the right to equal in heritance and the right to secure credit† States the charter. â€Å"Every woman shall have the right to education and training at any stage of her life in order to realize her full potential. Women shall have special access to funds for education and training. Child care facilities shall be provided. Education to develop awareness of women†s status, to build women†s self confidence and able them to claim their constitutional and legal rights should be implemented. Ensure women†s full and equal participation in power structures and decision-making. Develop education and training to increase women†s capacity to participate in decision-making and leadership. The state shall establish appropriate institution to ensure the effective protection and promotion of equality for women. Women demand equality in the development, application, adjudication interpretation and enforcement of the law. Women shall have equality within the family and within marriages and intimate relationships. Women shall have equal rights during and it the dissolution of a marriage. Women married under customary law shall have the right to inherit from their spouses. All family types shall be recognized and treated equally. Women shall have the right to choose the partner of their choice. Women should have equal access to financial resources of the household. Women should have equal decision making powers and access to information in regard to the economic management of the household. Social services should be a right not a privilege. Women must be protected from sexual harassment and violence in all places where women are working. Violence in all it†s forms is endemic to South African society both sexual and domestic violence are pervasive and all women live under the threat of experience violence women experience secondary victimization at all stages of criminal justice system which shall include the right to be free from all forms of violence in the home in communities in the work pace and in public spaces. These are some of the important laws for women that will make drastic changes in Africa. Authorities have made some changes to protect women. Last year, marital rape became a crime and women can now more easily obtain restraining orders against their abusers. As a result, an older man who was convicted of raping a nine year old girl received a ten year sentence. Women are getting rights and the MALE government is realizing that they must make both genders equal. â€Å"We demand the rights we deserve. † The women of Africa demanded it and they got it. Women groups, like the ANC, have been helping women win their rights. â€Å"The ANC now regards the champing of women†s rights an integral part of its agenda. † â€Å"Already the ANC has enriched the women†s rights in the charter and constitutional guidelines. † They†ve made laws with government to become equal. The ANC has strongly advocated that that 33% of all political nominees be women. â€Å"Once the ANC was un-banned various groups united to form the Women†s Coalition to facilitate gender issues in neglected for the new government. † â€Å".. countless other women-the unsung heroines of black women liberation. If more women join these women†s groups, women will have some control over their own lives. Not only are women helping themselves but now other countries are trying to help African women too. Many countries like the United States have helped Africa by donating money, sending representatives to help villages become better place for women and even given countries food. â€Å"†¦ other countries are making giant leaps to show Africa the way. † The United States aid is providing 65 million or 80% of it†s basic education assistance to Africa, so every child will have access education. The United States also provided 4 million for the African women abuse. If other countries help Africa it will become a better place for women. Women†s thoughts on the future are strong and hopeful. â€Å"The fight will go on forever. Women will never be equal to men. One day men will be equal to women. † Many leaders even thought even though, being beaten and jailed still are positive. Just like Thandi. She was an ANC leader. She protested against women have to where passes that stated information like birth, place of birth, town and reacords. At that protest, was arrested and put into jail for eight years. She says, â€Å"One is still doughtful about the future. † Felicia Mabuza, another ANC member, says, â€Å"South Africa is going to have to get used to seeing women in the board room as well as the bedroom. † She also said, â€Å"In the coming years black South African women will continue to stand and assume their roles in a fast changing society that is filled with hope and optimism. † Women in Africa are gaining hope about their future. The more this happens the more confidence they will get and they will soon be able to face men as equals. To help women in Africa my organization, S. O. F. A. W. , Shout Out For African Women, will show women how to build homes, coaxes the governments to change some laws and most important give all women an education. S. O. F. A. W. will be collecting money from private and public distributors. This money will used for sending our representatives to places of poverty to show women how to build a house. We will teach them the basic skill. They women we teach will show their neighbor and then the neighbor would teach their neighbor and so on. If we do this more and more women will get out of poverty, less and less women will live in poverty and finally we are teaching women a skill that that will be able to use. The S. O. F. A. W. is going to set up meetings with counties all over Africa. In our meetings we will try to coax the government to change laws so men and women are equal. Then we would help them enforce the laws. If the laws are equal then the women will soon be equal. Finally and most importantly the S. O. F. A. W will build 200 schools. We will build 100 primary schools because that is where reading and writing are taught, the two most important things in the world. We would build 50 high schools and 50 middle schools. Of course all of these schools will be for girls only. If women are educated the more money would know their laws and how to do something about is. â€Å"If women are free from violence, if they are healthy and educated, if they can live and work as full and equal partners in any society their families will flourish and when they do, communities and nations will thrive. † Bill Clinton. I personal think that Africa will not remain odd man out. I think this because If organizations like mine help problems like status of women, hunger, over population, health, wildlife, rainforest and black liberation problems like these will be non existancet. Women are humans, they shouldn†t be treated like animals. Like I said before women need education, and jobs. But women also need better health facilities and better shelters. You can help by donating money to organizations like mine. I care because people are being hurt when they shouldn†t be. Please if you can call 1-888-WOMEN-AF.

Polticaal situation of nepal Essay

Introduction The mass movement of April 2006 in Nepal sought to restore parliament for the democratic process to continue and to initiate a peace process for the end of a ten-year long armed conflict. This required the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) to join democratic competition which in turn necessitated the devising of a constitution to manage root causes of conflicts afflicting the nation. Hence, a Constituent Assembly (CA) election, that would pave the way for an inclusive state responsive of social diversity and sustainable peace, was seen as the compromise solution among all the political forces. A train of processes and events was thus set off resulting in the advent of current Nepalese politics. A Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed between an alliance of the seven political parties (six after the merger of Nepali Congress and Nepali Congress-Democratic) and the CPN (Maoist) on November 21, 2006. An Interim Constitution drafted and the restored parliament dissolved to pave the way for an interim legislature and interim government that included the CPN (Maoist) in 2007. The ruling seven-party alliance (SPA) announced substantive structural reforms, such as declaration of the country secular, federal and republican. Civilian control of Nepal Army (NA), nationalization of royal property, empowerment of the Premier as head of state, abolition of the national unification day and substitution of the national anthem were announced as time went by. There were also reform measures such as greater inclusiveness regarding marginalized people in the CA, the bureaucracy and police. However, all these measures have allowed a neo-patrimonial regime to incubate, sapping the political will necessary to alter the policy and strategic development vital to transform the â€Å"structural causes of conflicts†. This has hindered efforts for cultural, social, economic and political transformation needed to establish a well-organized virtuous state capable of instituting sound democratic governance. The political transition has remained highly turbulent due to the open-ended nature of the conflict system. It is, therefore, hard to say whether Nepal has actually entered a post-conflict phase. The continuation of high political dynamics in the country now indicates a steady erosion of the writ of state and the low level of constitutional and government’s stability. This has resulted in a new bargaining environment for armed non-state actors and movement-oriented ethno- regional forces thus further  limiting the scope for complex reforms, both involving long-term institutional restructuring and short-term policy interventions. The weakness of state institutions has further spoiled efforts to promote relief to vulnerable sections of the population and address conflict residues. Social movements of marginalized groups– women, Dalits (untouchable underclass), Janajatis (ethnic groups), Aadibasis (indigenous groups) and Madhesis (people living in the southern plains) â €” for identity, proportional representation, federalism and self-determination and insurrectionary activities of two-dozen non-state armed actors have upset the coherence of state-society relations in an unprecedented manner. While the mainstream parties have interest in restructuring the state, the social forces favor restructuring political parties to expand the social base of politics. As a result, the SPA has missed three deadlines (June 14 and 20 and November 22) for the CA elections to draft a new constitution. It was forced to amend the Interim Constitution three times in eight months-(May 9, June 14 and December 18) to give in to rising demands that the political process was exacting and to give in to the voice of various agitating groups. Among the provisions included in the amendments the more significant ones empower the parliament to abolish the monarchy, if found plotting against the CA elections, and declare the country a federal democratic republic, subject to ratification by the elected CA, or even before that by a two-thirds legislators if the King poses a threat to the elections. Despite voices emerging for a space for monarchy and efforts of CPN (Maoist), NC and CPN-UML to woo its suppo rters, King Gynendra remains aloof from the power struggle. All this has not changed the political dynamics for the better. The Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF), a group which organized violent protests in the Tarai where scores of people were killed last year, is demanding a fourth revision of the constitution to address the grievances of the Madhesis. The peace process kept in limbo by the political events appears to have been finally taken up with the 23-point accord reached among the SPA constituents on 23 December. It finally decided that it would establish a high level Peace Council and the six basic pillars of peace within a month. Accordingly, the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal has been assigned to probe into rights violations during past emergency rule, managing cantonments and providing remuneration to Maoist  combatants, return of illegally seized public property, end to forced donation by Maoists, etc. It vows to hold the CA elections by April 10, 2008, has increased the number of seats for CA from 497 to 6 01 and began a common process of electoral socialization through joint mass meetings. The process is marred by mutual accusations. On January 16, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction R. C. Paudel, made a public call on all the agitating groups for dialogue and facilitate CA elections. He has to be more strategic with the ability to strike a balance between achieving the human rights protection objective and responding to changing narratives of discourse, contexts, actors, issues, rules and political priorities. Constituent Assembly Elections The Election Commission (EC) has already published the CA election schedule and enforced the election code of conduct from January 16. The parties contesting it will have to submit their closed list of candidates for proportional representation system by February 22, registration of candidature for direct voting will be opened from February 22 to 25 and the candidates will be given election symbols on March 2. The Interim Constitution recognizes the SPA but says that anyone else willing to register a new political party must submit 10,000 signatures to EC. Many opposition parties – MPRF (Yadav), MPRF (Bishwas), Rastriy Prajatantra Party (RPP)-Nepal, Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP), RPP, Nepal Sadbhava Party and Tarai-Madhesh Loktantrik Party (TMLP) have depicted the SPA as undemocratic in spirit and attitude and argued that setting the date for elections without creating a proper security and political environment is meaningless. The MPRF and TMLP blaming the deployment of Special Task Force â€Å"for creating terror in Tarai and helping the Maoist-affiliated Young Communist League (YCL), have threatened to stage a decisive agitation if their demands are not addressed by January 18. Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), a coalition of 54 ethnic groups, has put its dilemma this way: if it wages its movement, the SPA will be demolished; if not, the SPA refuses to implement the 20-pint accord it signed with the government. The meeting of the high level seven-party coordinating committee, a SPA coordination mechanis m, is currently discussing the possibility of conducting elections in two phases, keeping in mind the security situation in the Tarai. It  decided to request the EC to postpone the implementation of the code of conduct for 15 days so that local bodies can be constituted. Finance Minister R. S. Mahat has requested Nepal’s international development partners to extend an additional assistance of $4.76 million to implement the 23-point accord among the SPA and to hold the elections. At the same time, an influential section of NC has warned of â€Å"Tarai disintegration† if election takes place in two phases. The decision of the government to distribute $15,870 to each legislator for the development of their constituency also stoked the fire of protest in the civil society. The pre-election perk out of the government coffer does not make the election competitive process. It is such controversies that overturned the election apple-cart in the past. A badly designed election can easily foment social divisions, fragment the political sphere, institutionalize sub-national conflicts and embroil the nation into the centrifugal pressure of regional geopolitics. Tarai’s Geopolitics Twenty-two districts in Nepal’s southern plains bordering India constitute the Terai or Madhesh. It is fertile area and is linked to Nepal’s major supply routes to hills. After the declaration of secular state and talk about redistributive land reforms, the glue that bind hill and Tarai communities got lost. The Madhesi movement spearheaded by the MPRF wants the declaration of the Madhesh as an autonomous region, talks with armed Madhesi groups, balanced distribution of state revenue and income to Madhesh, proportional representation in all the governance institutions including the NA, appointment of chief administrators in Madhesh from the Madhesi communities, return weapons captured by Maoists to the concerned people and declaration of those killed during the Madhesh movement as martyrs including compensation for their families. The TMLP has expressed its desire to have its own state organs for the plains. The two radical components of Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha ( JTMM) demand international mediators like the UN to resolve their issues and a separate independent state. India’s assertion that â€Å"Tarai’s demands should be addressed,† has provoked a prickly reaction from various political forces. Premier Koirala who had earlier assertion that the â€Å"Tarai problem can be resolved within a minute with India’s cooperation† has led to suspicions about an ‘Indian hand’ in the  unrest. India’s main opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, criticizes the Indian government for remaining silent on the collusion of Indian and Nepali communists for creating turmoil in both countries and quashing of the symbols of Nepal’s stability and unity-Hindu state and monarchy. An open border with India, existence of co-ethnics across the border and affiliation of each group and political party with like-minded ones in India create a context in which resolution of conflict requires confidence-building measures from both sides. The violent conflict in the Tarai has forced the hill people to migrate to safe places and create their own mechanisms in the area, like the Chure Bhavar Unity Society (CBUS) that positions itself in the foothills border ing the Terai and the mountains, for autonomy and self-defense. The autonomy movement in the Madhesh has snowballed into ethnic Tharus, Rais, Limbus, Tamangs, Gurungs, Magars, Dalits and Newars also demanding autonomous federal states based on the right to self-determination. But, there is no unity among Madhesi groups due to their multiple caste, language, religious and ethnic identities. For example, TMLP leadership is dominated by high caste groups, MPRF by intermediary caste groups and JTMM by lower caste groups. The government’s Special Task Force (STF), deployed in Kathmandu and eight Terai districts, has failed to penetrate, divide and destroy criminal networks and create public security for local governance to operate. Nepal’s problems cannot be tackled without taking this regionalism into account and identifying ways to address it. No matter how one looks at this problem, it seems obvious that there is no military solution. The political package must create a situation favorable to all groups where they see they have more t o gain through peace than violence. An election in a security and authority vacuum will neither have legitimacy nor ability to institutionalize democratic polity. Law and Order The Nepalese army has expressed its commitment to democracy and a nationally-owned security sector reforms. But, Chief of Army Staff, Gen. R. Katawal clearly said â€Å"No† to integrate the CPN (Maoist) combatants. The UN has verified 19,602 politically indoctrinated People’s Liberation Army (PLA) out of its total force of over 32,000. Premier G. P Koirala agrees with the army’s viewpoint and has given options to Maoists- to integrate the PLA into  industrial security groups or give them priority in foreign employment. Nepal’s total strength of security forces stands at 165,000– NA (92,000), the civilian police (48,000) and Armed Police Force (25,000). The NA is holed up inside barracks as per the peace accord. The existence of these two adversarial structures does not provide any incentive for confidence building and to pursue a viable peace process for the future. Similarly, without disarming all autonomous armed groups and improving civil-milit ary relations, the chances of free and fair elections remain fragile. Erosion of state monopoly on power, taxation and loyalty of citizens, growth of competitive violence and failure of statehood in governance have confiscated the state’s capacity to provide security in the country. As a result the ability of the political system to maintain balance of power between different governance organs is severely undermined which is telling on its capacity to enforce rule of law, provide service delivery and resolve the multi-layered conflict. SPA’s control over the legislature, the executive control over the judiciary and a lack of legitimate opposition have established monopoly rule. There is an absence of institutions protecting property rights and promotion of collective goods. Nepal has a very weak middle class and poor mediating agencies to protect the rights and welfare of the poor. Tax contributes 12 percent to GDP and the contribution of public sector output to GDP is only about 7 percent. Foreign aid constitutes 70 percent of developmen t outlays. Domestic revenue raising capacity is very poor. Easy borrowing from international institutions has established the government’s autonomy from their tax paying citizens. As a result, the government is less concerned with institutional capacity of the state to deliver governance goals. The substantial contribution of remittance to GDP (17 percent) too has detrimental effect on the accountability of government. GDP growth rate of 2.3 percent hardly balances out the population growth of 2.2 percent. The daily per capita income of $ 1 puts Nepal’s human security condition at the bottom of world development statistics. Feudalism, caste hierarchy and patriarchy have suppressed social mobility of the underclass. This lack of social and economic security has made Nepal’s politics highly inflammable amidst radical appeals and growing frustration. Nepal’s bureaucracy, police and public institutions are highly politicized along partisan lines, de-motivated, show poor esprit de corps and weak to enforce  rule of law and deliver essential public services. â€Å"The rulers have no trust in the constitution, leading to its failure,† Ch airman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, Laxman Aryal said on January 15. To him, the constitution emerged as a compromise among SPA constituents for the transition politics until the CA election is conducted. It, therefore, does not hold the principles of constitutionalism. He added, â€Å"We saw nothing during its first year, but chaos and deterioration of law and order.† This condition has made national integrity system ineffective in controlling crime, corruption and impunity. Public institutions and enterprises are still monopolized by ruling parties. Sense of public trust in the authority, assuming that the government is trustworthy and acting in the public interest, is sharply declining. Lack of a boundary between leaders’ personal and institutional interests has given birth to a political culture of clientalism although new social movements of women, youth, Dalits, indigenous people and ethnic groups are increasingly challenging the position of authority fixed at birth, lineage and patronage. They are seeking to remold the pre-modern political culture of mutual distrust, betrayal and revenge and into post-conflict modern culture of a shared future based on social justice, democracy and peace. Voice and Participation of Marginalized The struggle for human rights in Nepal for liberation, entitlements and social opportunities still remains unfinished. Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal (NHRC) K. N. Upadhaya stresses the need for joint efforts among the human rights organizations and individuals to mitigate human rights violations in an effective manner. The government’s presence is felt to some extent only in Kathmandu and some urban nodes. Killing, kidnapping, extortion, strikes, food shortages, rocketing prices, shrinking job opportunities and growing fear have deteriorated human rights conditions in the periphery. Last year, 130 civilians got killed by various forces. Seventy-two political parties have applied in the EC for registration. This number represents asymmetry and diversity in Nepalese social life. A number of social groups are struggling for social, gender and inter-generational justice in the party structure of mainstream parties. Internal party democracy is essential t o make political power proportional  to its representativeness and end the fissiparous tendencies that have sapped their social integration potential. The country has 102 ethnic groups and more than 82 languages. No single group claims more than 18 percent of the population. This means it is a country of minorities and there is no institutional mechanism to prevent the minority from becoming a majority. Civil society groups are columnized along partisan lines. This condition has marred the possibilities for cooperative action for public service. Despite the legislation of the Right to Information Act, the media is unevenly distributed just like the per capita income and, therefore, people of backward and remote areas have no access to the public sphere in shaping the agenda. In contrast, the apex body of media persons, Nepal Federation of Journalists, revealed the condition of media freedom this way: Between April 24, 2006 to December 1, 2007 one journalist was killed, one disappeared, 74 detained and 128 threatened. There were 203 attacks on media houses, 129 journalists lost their jobs and 55 media houses were shut down. Engageme nt of the International Community For an international community caught in a fluid political climate, it will be hard to enlarge the development space as agreed in the Basic Operating Guidelines (BOG), other than relief and humanitarian supplies. The presence of the international community in Nepal acts as a deterrence against excessive use of violence and abuse of human rights. Japan has put Nepal in the category of a â€Å"fragile state.† By definition, a fragile state creates a situation for humanitarian intervention owing to anarchy of free wills, poor governance and failure to enforce rule of law. India has often insisted that elections to the CA must take place on time at any cost, but remained silent when the SPA failed to create a favorable security and law and order situation. The European Union and the US are insisting that the security situation in Nepal must improve for a credible, free and fair election. On January 18, the US Ambassador to Nepal, Nancy J. Powell suggesting the government and political parties to fulfill earlier commitments made in the peace accord said, â€Å"The CA polls will not guarantee sustainable peace in Nepal. What is necessary for the sustainable peace is loyalty to the nation.† On January 11, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon submitted his report to the UN Security Council proposing a six-month extension of UNMIN’s  mandate to support Nepal’s peace process through CA elections. He has advised against downscaling the UN’s presence, emphasizing that it could imperil prospects for a successful election, except in the cases of technical assistance which has already been provided. The UN too favors a credible CA election with improved security, government’s engagement in a dialogue with disgrunt led groups and abolition of the culture of impunity. Unlike the EU, however, India, the US and China have geopolitical priorities. India’s role in bringing the SPA together against the ‘monarchy’ in November 2005 and their joint struggle forced King Gyanendra to hand over power to the political parties. As the SPA established their monopoly over power and resources but failed to maintain security and rule of law, it evoked the security concern of neighbors. China has voiced against â€Å"any foreign intervention in Nepal,† showed interest to actively involve itself in Nepal’s peace process, expressed anxiety about the events taking place in the Tarai and asked the Nepalese leaders to take independent decisions depending less on outside forces. Aid coordination and coordination of government-donor practices have become particularly important in Nepal, especially to engage both sides in abolishing the historical practice of clientalism and paternalism, building trust on each other’s role and engaging in multi-dimensional aspects of the peace-process, such as state-building, support to constitution-making, transport, communication, energy development, education, agriculture, rural development, water supply, finance, health and sanitation and sustainable development. Conflict mitigation projects should involve rehabilitation of the damaged infrastructure and internally displaced people, rural reconstruction and eradication of the root causes of mal-development which, in the first place, triggered the cycle of conflict. Expectation of People at the Grassroots Level The media and the political leaders have generated unrealistic expectations among the population that the CA is the panacea that will fulfill all their needs and desires. It was important to cast the message that CA is meant to frame a draft of the constitution and the necessary laws for governance. People at the grassroots level are expecting informed and reason-based knowledge about the constitution-making process, the suitability of the  election system, improvement in security and are concerned about political stability, cooperation from outside, avoidance of unnecessary foreign intervention, knowledge about the modern state, functions of political systems, government, political parties and leadership, enfranchisement of citizens and their stake-holding in public institutions, social cohesion, support in education, health and economic activities and social justice. Minorities are increasingly questioning about their human rights in a majority dominated federal state. They want to know about their role in the multi-staged negotiation with the CA, suitability of federalism, concept of a republic and the vision of a New Nepal. Ordinary people also ask about the mixed election system that has been adopted and which presents a new challenge- what with the twin-ballot paper for voters and administration. FES training series on civic education has created a synergy as demands for such activities from various quarters have increased, advocacy documents have been utilized by all sides, resource persons interviewed by the media and published in the local papers. They were even involved in non-partners’ activities with the same advocacy resources. In general, our programs have strengthened the civic competence of citizens as they can debate on equal terms with their leaders and contest their view points. In many conflict-hit places, our activities provided space for dialogue among heterogeneous participants and directly contributed to building public opinion, democratic will-formation and reconciliation. We also tried to encourage participants to speak up and share their views rather than just receiving top-down dissemination of knowledge and information. In many places, they suggested to us to provide training to central level leadership and demanded more seminars in the districts and villages so that dialogues across diverse communities can build trust between conflict-torn societal groups and improve their relations with the state. Road Ahead A credible, free and fair election depends on the ability of the political parties to create a secure environment for political actors and voters, cross-party consensus on security plans in the Tarai, engagement of movement-oriented and armed non-state actors opposed to the elections in constructive dialogues to address their outstanding grievances, dispelling the threat of pro-monarchy forces through inclusive measures and a common  process of socialization and goal-orientation towards democratic peace. What happens if elections do not take place on April 10? In case the CA election does not take place as scheduled, then this constitution, parliament and government will suffer from legitimacy deficit. The first scenario is well articulated by Minister without Portfolio Sujata Korala, â€Å"The constitution of 1991 will return.† This will satisfy the traditional forces and its resistance to change. But, there will be a dangerous polarization between the radical and the conservative forces. The second scenario is the creation of a civilian government with the backing of NA. A CPN (Maoist) ideologue calls it a â€Å"democratic coup,† because civilian politicians, not the King, will be utilized. A lot of things depend on the move of the international community because Nepal is an aid-dependent country and its policy, power and legitimacy flow from it. Similarly, it requires to win the confidence of India, the US and China as they are geo-strategically enmeshed in Nepal’s internal developments. A group of civil society and opposition parties are opting for a broad-based national government to hold elections. The third scenario seems optimally satisfactory if the major insurgent groups are engaged in dialogue and national consensus. Civil society groups should serve as a mediating ground for all pol itical perspectives and mobilize national and global

Week Two Team Doc

The purpose of this comprehensive analysis is to discuss the region and country of Brazil along with our proposed global business venture in the country. Regional Analysis Brazil has worldwide allies but is recognized as one of the few nations in the world that does not currently have a regional alliance (but as you point out the country is member of NUMEROUS). However, (former) Brazilian President Luis dad Silva in 2008 has looked to change that with his proposal of a full region alliance of all of South America, called the Latin Alliance (Washington Times, 2008).Currently Brazil operates ender the Numerous, a form of economic integration that promotes trade, especially free trade, such as the exchange of goods, services and currency among its members. The members include Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Bola (Wisped, 2013). The Brazilian physical environment Is lush with vegetation, color, territory, natural resources, and available aquatic resources. All environments w hich positively facilitate trade potential for Brazil and the Region as a whole.South America Is regarded a place where political Instability holds true for most of the nations within the region, Brazil Included (Heritage, 2013). As a result of the political instability economic conditions have also resulted in fluctuation in success, where financing and other financial relief can be hard to come by or even relied upon in general for the region. However, the social conditions have looked up in the region for some nations as some nations have seen reductions In corruption with the increase in commerce, health care, and environmental acknowledgment (Heritage, 2013).Terrorism is not considered a factor (Internationals, 2013). You should update your understanding of Brazilian politics and the country global Image. Project finance has not been a recent problem. ) Country Analysis Brazil is one of the largest countries on the continent of South America. Over the years Brazil has had growt h in the oil, natural gas, and electricity markets. The country is also one of the largest consumers of energy in South America. Brazil is most popularly known for having largest rainforest's out of all of the destinations on the globe.Because of all of the plant life that belongs to the rain forest, Brazil produces the most Carbon Dioxide (? ). Brazil has been having a large amount of 1 OFF in the rainforest's. The deforestation has had an effect on the environment because of the plant and animal species that are becoming endangered. It also has an effect on the water and air quality in surrounding cities because of pollution. Brazil has a military but it is not used very often because the country does not have any enemies or threats to be concerned with.The country has a stable democratic political system, and has no cultural or ethnic conflicts. Political leaders like Lull De Silva implemented an economic plan and social reforms that helped them rank high on the UN Human Developm ent Index. Brazil has the 10th largest economy on a global call and has been effective in debt management, balancing trade, inflation control, and the country has also always kept their currency stable and has been consistent on the exporting of goods. Over the years Brazil has been able to avoid a U. S. Like recession (? ).Though some cities in Brazil like, ROI De Jeanine have a higher crime rate than other cities in Brazil it is still seen as a peaceful place. Some believe the reason for some crime is the 15% poverty rate. Political leaders are working to increase the employment rate and improve conditions in the poorer areas of Brazil. Organization ND Product Analysis Team B winery was incorporated in Florida in January of 2005 with the idea to create high-end wines for the most particular wine enthusiast. The winery was formed by four friends out of necessity because the selection of fine wines at a fair price is scarce.The winery covers a total of six acres with four acres devo ted to making grapes for Cabernet Sauvignon, and the remainder is used to make Merlot. Originally the group made wine as a hobby for personal consumption for themselves and their friends. It became popular among family and friends so they decided to pursue a business. Then in 2005 the company produced 85 cases of wine with 12 bottles per case at a retail price of $40 US per bottle. Since then the production numbers have been 250 cases per year consistently with the ability to make 500 cases if there was a demand.To create demand Team B decided to pursue sales in Brazil where the wine industry in comparison to the rest of the world is still in its infancy. There is a big wine market in Brazilian weddings. The people of Brazil have extravagant weddings with gourmet wine, food and live music. The weddings themselves are an extravaganza that consists of a wedding party and a separate Rooney that both involve wine. Team B Winery wants to position themselves (itself) to gain a market shar e of the wine sales.Weddings are not the only festivities the people of Brazil celebrate with the accompaniment of wine. Brazilian enjoy celebrating every milestone in life not Just weddings such as births, anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, deaths, and of course Carnival. Family time and celebrations consist of dancing, dressing up, enjoying a delicious meal with a bottle of wine. The consumption of wine is a ritual that is part of every aspect of Brazilian life. There are any holidays in which Brazilian celebrate, but one of the best known across the globe is Carnival, which lasts five days.Each day is spent dancing, conga music, and drinking high-end luxurious wine. The food staples of Brazil are sausage, pigs feet, ears and tails, beef and black beans. The winery will offer the 2007 Merlot to pair with the meats. The Merlot is Black Ripe Raspberry wine that boasts a small taste of spice to bring out the taste in the meat. If a more mellow wine is desired the 2008 hiring locals to manage and work the new bottling plant. To help with shipping costs ND to keep quality high, the wine will be shipped in oak barrels from the U. S. Winery and bottled in Brazil.

Oil in the market

The demand for oil will be present a perfect example of this would have to be, the Chinese economy, with a surge in the demand for crude oil in china, their economy has risen tremendously. Since oil is limited. People must look for other alternatives like solar power, hydro power, even alternatives like ethanol where it is used faintly as a source of energy to power vehicles. When it comes to the market speculation there is a lot of investment being poured into the oil trade, due to this surge of investments, fluctuations in the market go from high to low on a daily basis.Risk will be present when it comes to business, but in the case of the investors depending on how the market trends are they may lose profit rather then make profit. When it comes to the supply of oil there are long and short-term factors that affect the international markets. The short-term factors include: -Profit motive -Spare capacity -Stock External shocks Profit making factors rely solely on OPEC operating nat ions. OPEC is put in place as a cartel to regulate price fixtures on crude oil and gas that are supplied by world's oil producers.Ex: Saudi Arabia Oil refinery's have stocks in place to be released in the market when the demand for oil fluctuates, in the case of an oil company in peril with low profits, the effects of production shocks may be devastating to the companies growth, examples of these issues. Taking a longer-term perspective, the long run world oil supply is linked to 1 . Reserves: Depletion of proven oil reserves – the faster that demand grows, the quicker the expected rate of depletion 2.Exploration: Investment spending on exploring, identifying and then exploiting new oil reserves. When oil prices are rising and are expected to stay strong for the foreseeable future, it makes financial sense to invest more resources in exploring for new reserves, even though these may not come on stream for some years. 3. Technology: Technological change in oil extraction (whic h affects the costs of extraction and the profitability of extracting and then refining the oil) Long-term effects include: Reserves Exploration Technology

Literary Analysis of Schindler’s List Essay

The Holocaust was a colossal extermination of about six million Jews in Eastern Europe under the criminal hands of Nazis and SS troops during World War II. It started in 1933 and ended in 1945 when the war in Europe finally ended. The whole genocide was organized methodically Germany’s leader, Adolf Hitler. At first Jews are persecuted, then robbed of their citizenship, then moved into ghettos, and quickly into concentration camps. The evil plot developed and grew and what started out as hatred turned into a scheme of mass murder. Steven Spielberg uses color, shadows, and juxtaposition of scenes to display the inhumanity of the Nazi Germans and the hopelessness of the Jewish people during the Holocaust of World War II. Spielberg uses shadows to symbolize the archetype of good and evil in Oskar Schindler. The shadow on Schindler’s face is used to represent the evil and the selfishness in him. The shadow on Schindler’s face in the beginning is dark and prominent. T he dark shadow becomes less and less prevalent as Schindler’s point of view of the Jews begins to change. As the film goes on and Schindler’s emotions change Spielberg uses less shadow, and eventually ends up using none at all. Schindler begins to care about the well-being of the Jews. When Schindler gives his speech to the Jews before they all leave the camp, no shadow is seen on his face, displaying his true emotions and his complete empathy for the Jews. Spielberg uses shadows for Schindler as he makes the transformation from a selfish Nazi to the savior of hundreds of Jews. Spielberg’s use of color indicates hope in the film. In the beginning, the film’s color changes from all color to black and white, except for one candle. The switch to black and white gives the film a more realistic feel by relating to film from World War II. The color of the candles both at the beginning and at the end of the movie represent the loss and redemption of hope for the Jews. While the Germans are clearing out the slums where the Jews are being held, Schindler is seen looking at an apparently lost girl wearing a spot-lit red coat. The girl is confused about where to go and what to do. After seeing this girl Schindler begins to feel  the same, he’s confused about how the Germans can be so cruel to the Jews and he begins to wonder what he can do to help. The little girl pushes against the crowd, and Schindler, when he sees this, begins to do the same by pushing against the German attacks to help the Jews be free once again. Spielberg uses black-and-white and spot color to display the theme of hope throughout the film. Juxtaposition from scenes places a Nazi party, a Jewish wedding celebration, and a servant being brutally beaten parallel to each other to contrast the differences between them. In the first scene, a party is shown filled with many Nazi soldiers and officials. Schindler is seen at this extravagant party drinking, laughing, and kissing many women. He is happy and shows no kind of remorse for his action or any of the actions going on at the concentration camp. As Schindler’s scene closes, the camera goes to the Jewish barracks where a sec ret wedding is taking place. The barrack is filled with singing and happiness as the couple is united. This symbolizes the Jews’ choice to be happy even as the world around them is so harsh and brutal to them. The scene once again circulates to show Amon Goeth in the basement intimidating, yelling at, and eventually beating his Jewish servant Helen. The entirety of Goeth’s hate and wrath are taken out on Helen. Spielberg’s use of parallel editing helps display the effects of the Holocaust between three different groups of people at the same time. In the film Schindler’s List, Schindler stands up for the Jews by buying their freedom and shipping them to his own factory where they are treated well with good food, water, and the company of what family still remained. The Nazi party wanted the extinction of the Jews, so they made a valiant effort to do so. In 1933 approximately nine million Jews lived in the 21 countries of Europe. By 1945 two out of every three European Jews had been killed. The Holocaust was one of the darkest periods of history, filled with madness and murder, and Spielberg displays the effects of the Holocaust by using color, shadows, and juxtaposition in his film, Schindler’s List.

Diversity Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diversity Management - Essay Example As argued by scholars, workforce diversity is an issue among people, which focuses mainly on the similarities and differences brought by people in the organization. Therefore, success of organization and workforce diversity are inseparable. Despite the role played by affirmative action policies and equal rights legislations in assisting marginalized groups to access various employment opportunities previously closed to them, the exclusion of such employees from influential work organization circles hinders them from fully benefiting and contributing to the overall objective of the organization. Diversity management programs and policies create an embracing environment for these groups that lacked access to employment, and particularly to jobs that are more lucrative (Thomas, 2004:20). One of the multinational corporations that value diversity is International Business Machines (IBM) and Google. Workforce diversity at IBM has been in existence even before the equal employment opportun ity and affirmative action policies became legal. Implementation of this has seen IBM record a notable positive progress for many years (Young, 2003:43). In support to this argument, the provision of information technology during this time when technology is ever evolving has challenged many and big organizations. Therefore, it is arguable that IBM’s ability to understand and implement workforce diversity is the core factor behind the large market share won by the company over competitors (Young, 2003:21). For instance, the organization employed its first female worker in 1899, long before women suffrage movements in the US. Moreover, the organization also hired a disabled employee in 1914, some 76 years before enactment of the disabilities act in the US (Thomas, 2004:20). Moreover, the organization had black employees nearly two decades even before the Civil Right Act came into play. Currently, IBM administration and design of benefit plans comply with all local, state, and federal laws on equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, as well as accommodating reasonable religious observances. Managers and executives in the company are responsible for ensuring that the working environment is free from harassment and discrimination of all forms. The company also carries out outreach and human resource programs to ensure opportunity and compensation for development and growth. Moreover, it adheres to the amended 1974 Veterans Readjustment Act (Thomas, 2004:20). IBM ranks workforce diversity among the top strategic objectives of the company. The current diversity policies were set rolling by Tom Watson Jr. during his tenure at the company. He sought to lead the company by his personal values and beliefs, acknowledging that an organization has to change all things except the basic beliefs in the corporate world if it seeks to meet and overcome the challenges of the changing business environment. He identified three basic beliefs that remain as the pi llars of the company’s business and diversity management approaches, which include respect for individuals, service to customer, and excellence as a way of life. Today, these values form the three tenets of diversity at IBM: equal employment, affirmative action, and work/life. The most prominent among the three is equal opportunity, which offers access to the harassment-free workplace that provides the tools for eliminating disadvantages and that appreciates the work/ life balance, enabling employees to be productive (Thomas, 2004:20). The current policies of IMB on diversity management were the result of eight tasks forces commissioned by CEO Sam Palmisano to understand the different groups