The Adoration of Jenna Fox free essay sample

In order to have your very own family, you have to be married. Jenna may not have that option, due to her new body. She has a relationship with Ethan, and they are in love with each other. So there is a chance where she could find someone who can love her. When Jenna and Ethan kiss, â€Å"everything that is curious and odd and funny and wrong about me disappears† (105). She has a love interest, and Ethan loves her for her. Even if he doesn’t know who she really is, he will still love her. Which is important because if Jenna ever wanted to have a family, eventually she would want to have a child. However, during the accident, only 10% of her brain was saved as well as the rest of her body was destroyed, even the reproductive parts. So when Jenna’s parents told her that when she has a child, she’d understand the sacrifices needed. We will write a custom essay sample on The Adoration of Jenna Fox or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Jenna got mad because she â€Å"can never have a child† (137). In the moment, Jenna get’s angry because she can’t naturally give birth, but she does not even know if she wants to have a baby in her future, never mind finding a proper husband/father to start a family with. If she even wants a family, she has to be able to deal with the one she has now. Jenna and Lily are talking about when Jenna and Ethan kissed and Jenna wants to just â€Å"pound on her chest and say, Please love me† (107). She wants Lily to love her, but she naturally should, because that’s what family should always to: love each other. Lily does not love Jenna because the Jenna she knew died, and does not really care about the new Jenna. She thinks because of the new body, Lily does not love her anymore and wonders if anyone else actually loves her, even in this new body. Jenna’s accident makes her question if she can have a stable social life. Jenna meets Mr. Bender and looks at some of his art, and he treats her like he would treat any other person. Jenna realizes that, â€Å"He may not be the normal sort of friend for a seventeen-year-old, but I am not normal either† (25). Jenna walks different, acts different, and sometimes even talks different, and yet after her accident, she manages to find a friend in the world who will treat her like a normal human being. Even if Mr. Bender is older than Jenna, he can see the normal side of Jenna, instead of the abnormalities. In school, when Jenna and Rae go through Jenna’s questionnaire, She is asked about her weaknesses, and a lot of thoughts run through her head, like â€Å"I’m afraid. I’m lost. I have no friends. It keeps coming back to that. Why does it bother me so? †(71). Besides Mr. Bender, Jenna has no friends at this point. She knows people, like Ethan, Allys, Gabriel, and Dane, but aren’t completely friends with them. However, later in the book, Jenna starts to grow a stronger bond between Allys and Ethan. As lunch starts, Jenna learns how things work and how everyone splits up. As she prepares for lunch, she sees Ethan and the others start to get ready to go to a cafe and hears an unexpected question: Want to come? (73). Although Jenna was still new and barely knew Ethan And Allys, they still invited Jenna anyway. No one asks someone to join unless they want to become closer to each other and bond better. Jennas accident makes her question whether she can be like everyone else instead of an illegal lab experiment.. Jenna always goes to her room when she is told to. However, she is told that she used to never go to her room whereas pre-accident, she would just storm out of the house. When Claire told Jenna to go to her room after knocking over plates on purpose, instead she stood in place and repeated to herself Dont go Jenna. Dont go. Dont go (152). The fact that Jenna stopped herself from obeying is interesting, because her biochips gave her subliminal messages that told her to go to her room. If she could overpower that, then she still has free will. Free will is a strong characteristic for any living being, and if Jenna can do that, then she can behave like a normal human. Another strong characteristic is curiosity. It has a few definitions, which are to be inquisitive and to be odd. When Jenna is first asked if she was curious, so she responded in an interesting way. Ive been in a coma for over a year. I guess that makes me highly unusual; odd; strange. Yes, Lily. I am curious (11). Even though she just woke up from a coma, she still has some of her personality. She questions and critically thinks about troubles in her life, and most people act the same way. Not only that, but people need their independence as well. After battling herself to decide what she needs in life, she finally comes to a decision: I need to own my life (254). A person can not always be controlled by something else, or else they do not develop their own personality. Controlling your own life gives you the power to do what you want, to find what makes you happy. Jenna, although mostly make up of Bio Gel and lab skin, is a completely normal girl. She walks, talks, thinks, and breathes like everybody else. Everybody has a social life, and enjoy them too. People make friends, talk to each other, and hang out together. Jenna has a family, and other people have families as well. Also, they think about their future family as well, like who to marry, how many kids they want, etc.. Jenna has her own personality that she eventually develops, and has her own way of doing things. She is not the only one. Everyone has a personality, need it be unique or very bland. Jenna used to be 100% human, and used to have a different personality, a different life. Even after the accident, she still has a personality, even though it’s different from her old one. She still has a social life, a family, and is a normal person all around. Jenna may not be normal, but she still has a normal life.

Free Essays on Indonesia

General Profile Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago. Archipelago is any water space scattered with many islands. This group of islands is located in Southeastern Asia and acts as a dividing line between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. To find Indonesia on a map, the geographic coordinates of 5 00 south, 120 00 east are given to aid in the search. With its total area being 1,919,440 sq. km., 1,826,440 sq. km. of that being land and 93,000 sq. km. being water, Indonesia is said to be slightly less than three times the size of Texas. Although Indonesia is a group of islands, it contains 2,602 km. in land boundaries. These land boundaries are divided between Indonesia’s two border countries of Malaysia, which has a boundary of 1,782 km., and Papua New Guinea, whose land boundary with Indonesia is much less than that of Malaysia with a total of 820 km. Due to the numerous islands that make up the country of Indonesia, its total coastline is extremely high with a total of 54,716 ! km. The geographic coordinates and total coastline of Indonesia has a huge impact on the climate. This country’s climate is described as tropical, hot, and humid with the more moderate temperatures in highlands. The highlands are found on the larger islands but the majority of Indonesia’s terrain is coastal lowlands. The highest elevation point is at Puncak Jaya with the height of 5,030 m. and the lowest point is the Indian Ocean with a measurement of 0 m. Indonesia’s location makes it very vulnerable to natural hazards. These hazards include occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes. With Indonesia’s variety in land elevation and climate, the actual land usage is mainly woodlands and forests (62%). The remaining percentage of the land is divided fairly evenly between arable land, permanent crops, and permanent pastures. Indonesia does, however, have a wide variety of natural resourc... Free Essays on Indonesia Free Essays on Indonesia General Profile Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago. Archipelago is any water space scattered with many islands. This group of islands is located in Southeastern Asia and acts as a dividing line between the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. To find Indonesia on a map, the geographic coordinates of 5 00 south, 120 00 east are given to aid in the search. With its total area being 1,919,440 sq. km., 1,826,440 sq. km. of that being land and 93,000 sq. km. being water, Indonesia is said to be slightly less than three times the size of Texas. Although Indonesia is a group of islands, it contains 2,602 km. in land boundaries. These land boundaries are divided between Indonesia’s two border countries of Malaysia, which has a boundary of 1,782 km., and Papua New Guinea, whose land boundary with Indonesia is much less than that of Malaysia with a total of 820 km. Due to the numerous islands that make up the country of Indonesia, its total coastline is extremely high with a total of 54,716 ! km. The geographic coordinates and total coastline of Indonesia has a huge impact on the climate. This country’s climate is described as tropical, hot, and humid with the more moderate temperatures in highlands. The highlands are found on the larger islands but the majority of Indonesia’s terrain is coastal lowlands. The highest elevation point is at Puncak Jaya with the height of 5,030 m. and the lowest point is the Indian Ocean with a measurement of 0 m. Indonesia’s location makes it very vulnerable to natural hazards. These hazards include occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes. With Indonesia’s variety in land elevation and climate, the actual land usage is mainly woodlands and forests (62%). The remaining percentage of the land is divided fairly evenly between arable land, permanent crops, and permanent pastures. Indonesia does, however, have a wide variety of natural resourc...

What does the Ionian revolt tell us of the nature of Persian imperial Essay

What does the Ionian revolt tell us of the nature of Persian imperial rule - Essay Example At first sight, Ionian revolt was caused by the reasons, which can’t be called occasional. Ionian cities were first of all trade centers. The capture of Hellespont and Bosporus by Persians was fatal for the trade and the competition from the side of Phoenician merchants was becoming more and more threatening. Besides the economic damage, Ionian cities suffered from political pressure: in all the cities, ruled by Persians there were tyrants appointed. The failure of The Scythian Campaign of Darius disrupted the prestigious of his army. At last, the fewness of Persian troops located in the western part of Asia Minor made Greeks confident of the fast victory. The history of V century BC deserves special attention. It was an excellent example of how the mistakes in the organization can spoil the results. By the end of VI century Persia was the most important player on the arena of the Middle East. This country gained much power and influence during the government of Achaemenid dyn asty. It conquered such powerful east-Mediterranean states as Midia, Lidia, Babylonia and Egypt. After the last Lidia’s ruler Kreza was defeated, Persians had conquered the Greek colonies that were located at the west coast of Asia Minor. Now it is the territory of the modern Turkey. Most of the colonies had been established by Ionians. Till this time people who lived there considered themselves to be Greek and were engaged in trade. They had to pay contribution to Lidia who controlled their land. In return Lidia provided Greek with autonomy and right to act without obstacles. Ionians has good relations with their strong neighbor. They were dependent, but had peaceful and satisfied life. However, everything changed when the Persian Empire took control over the lands. The situation changed for Greeks completely. They appeared under control of a very strong and strict conqueror, who dictated his own, unbeneficial rules. Thus, it seems rather understandable that Greeks refused t o keep their previous status under new rule and this resulted in rebellion in the 499 BC that played a very important role in Greek history. It is not very easy to judge what happened in reality and what the main reasons for such rebellion were, because the only source of information is work of Herodotus â€Å"The History†. He was known as the father of history and at the same time as the father of stories, some of which are considered to be the product of his own imagination. So, the credibility of information found inhis work is pretty disputable. Herodotus was Greek, he was born in Halicarnassus. He was exiled from his native town and had to leave for Athens. There he worked on the description of the conflict between Greeks and Persians. Historian annals were not created during that period of time, thus Herodotus is deservingly considered to be the pioneer in this field and genre. The trouble is that in the most cases he did not care much about the credibility of facts and preferred to present his own opinion than the real facts. Moreover, he depicted history from the position of Greeks and also had prejudices towards Ionians. So his depiction of Ionian rebellion should be considered from a critical point of view. The rebellion failed. And in this case the actions of Herodotus were predictable. He tried to find a scapegoat. He did not reveal the real reasons of defeat and the easiest way that he found was to accuse Aristagoras, the leader of Miletus, in failure. So it is very difficult to

Imperialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Imperialism - Essay Example A positive outcome is seen in one document entitled "Modern Progressive nations,† this file shows what larger nations gave to smaller colonies. The nations constructed roads, canals, and railways for them. Exposed telegraph and the newspaper to them, established educational facilities for them, shared with them the sanctification of their civilization, and generally made them economized. After this happened, they belonged to modern culture. Another affirmative effect is realized in document three known as "Colonial Governments and Missionaries.† It expresses the way in which the colonial governments presented improved medical precaution and better techniques of sanitation. Then new crops were introduced; tools and farming skills, which boasted the rise of food production. Such changes meant few mortality rates were experienced and also an overall improvement on the state of living was seen in those smaller colonies. They could now live longer and experience better sanitat ion related to former imperialism. The Great War for equality just as how Hitler viewed and referred it as the Great War for fascism, is being battled out in Africa as viciously as anywhere else. This is not only a problem of strategy. The opposing imperialism's need Africa, just for the sake of the continent, a point in which the Democratic propagandists discount with the Olympian sublimity of complete hypocrisy or complete ignorance. Hitler says plainly that he desires his living spaced. But allow that to pass. What we need to do is to state some few facts concerning Africa, its role in imperialist frugality, then its future in a socialist domain. One major issue is the world market in which capitalism has by far created that we shall forcefully find ourselves tackling fundamental problems of the current society and the answer of the permanent calamity not just in Africa but the entire world. Until the year 1914, the British bourgeoisie did not have any slight idea of the revolutionary ferocity which capitalism was harboring in its bosom, especially in the colonies. One obscure Russian radical exile named Lenin inscribed confidently the issues about the inevitable occurrence of the proletariat who were in India and also China, as some of the leaders in theemerging nationalist revolutions. In contrast, neither world publicist nor British politician worried about that. It is practically valuable to re-read what some of these wise people of thirty years ago always

Seed predation in exotic and native legumes Lab Report

Seed predation in exotic and native legumes - Lab Report Example This way the exotic species reproduce fast and form dense populations thereby eliminating the native species that had initially thrived in the ecosystem freely. These are referred to as invasive exotic species. Exotic species are also referred to as non-indigenous species in many books. According to Keane and Crawley 2012, the most straightforward and appealing explanation for the rapid establishment and proliferation of non-indigenous species is that they are produced from the effects of their common foes and pathogens. The enemy release hypothesis explains that the abundance or impact of some non-indigenous species is related to the scarcity of natural enemies in the introduced range compared with the native range. This experiment is aimed at evaluating the effect of invasive exotic species in the ecosystem. Pods of A. lebbeck and L. latisiquum will be used to show the damage by our predator which in our case is the Bruchid beetles. The frequency of the holes made in the pods of the two different species will help us to generate our hypothesis with the two variables being used to generate the hypothesis being the origin of the species and the damage caused. The Chi-square test which will be done at the end of the practical session will be used to determine whether or not the damage caused on the seed pods was independent of the origin of the species. Our chi-square results will provide evidence of the dependence of damage on the origin of the species that we used. According to Siemann and Rogers 2003, the existence of exotic species could be enhanced by better adaptation methods and faster growth rate in the prevailing conditions. Further with time the native species could have generated many enemies and so its survival is further limited, Blossey & NÃ ¶tzold 1995. If the exotic species has developed a resistance to the Bruchid beetles then it

Us Involvement in the Vietnam War

Us Involvement in the Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1965-1973) was a conflict fought in South Vietnam between the government forces, aided by the United States, and the guerrilla forces, backed by the predominantly communist North Vietnam. The conflict escalated from a Vietnamese civil war into an international conflict in which the United States played a dominant role. Despite peace agreements of 1973 between the two factions, the conflict did not end! In fact, peace only emerged when North Vietnams successful offensive in 1975 resulted in South Vietnams collapse and the subsequent unification of Vietnam under the Communist government in the North. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The Vietnam War (1965-1973) was one of the longest wars the United States was ever engaged in. It is distinctive as it gave rise to the largest and the most successful antiwar movement in the United States history. In fact, the war in Vietnam can be described as a war that was fought on two fronts: a war in Vietnam: being waged with tanks, guns and bullets, and a war in the United States: fought through demonstrations on the streets and college campuses across the US. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed) Along with the Civil Rights campaigns of the 1960s, the antiwar movement was one of the most divisive forces in twentieth-century U.S. history. It attracted members from college campuses, middle-class suburbs, labour unions and government institutions. The movement gained national prominence in 1965, peaked in 1968, and remained potent through the conflict. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The American movement against the Vietnam War was the most triumphant antiwar movement in U.S. history. During the Johnson administration, it helped constrain the war and was a major factor in the administrations policy reversal in 1968. During the Nixon years, it hastened U.S. troop withdrawals, fed the deterioration in U.S. troop morale and discipline, and promoted legislation that severed U.S. funding for the war. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The discussion of the Vietnamese antiwar movement is extremely relevant today. This was the first time in history that the military might of the United States was successfully blocked, that too by the guerrilla movement of a virtually unarmed section of the Vietnamese people. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) This triumph of the human spirit is a significant chapter in history. It made the American people question the almost dogmatic anti-communist focus of the American government. This movement went beyond ideology, encompassing nationalist fervour and ingraining in the American people a national fear of whether every war they participated in would spiral into another Vietnam. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) CHAPTER ONE A ZEALOUS FORCE TO RECKON WITH : THE IRATE AMERICAN PUBLIC In 1965, a majority of Americans supported U.S. policies in Vietnam; by the fall of 1967, only 35 percent did so. For the first time, more people thought U.S. intervention in Vietnam had been a mistake than did not. They questioned how the U.S. could be fighting for the freedom of the Vietnamese people if it had to indiscriminately bomb, burn, and imprison the Vietnamese people themselves for fear that any one of them could be an enemy? The Vietnam war protests, or Anti-war movement, initiated by the American college students, was instrumental in questioning the policies surrounding Americas involvement in Vietnams bloody affairs. The countrys youth, the ones dying in the line fire, began demanding answers to Americas high profile presence in Vietnam. They wanted to know what they were fighting for. Through it all, the bombings continued and more and more of Americas young GIs came home in body bags. Aspects Leading to Anti War Protests Why did the Americans react adversely to the senseless War? During the four years following passage of the Tonkin Gulf resolution (Aug., 1964), which authorized U.S. military action in Southeast Asia, the American air war intensified and troop levels climbed to over 500,000. Opposition to the war grew as television and press coverage graphically showed the suffering of both civilians and conscripts. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Extensive media coverage brought the violent and bloody guerrilla war home each night to every American living room. People realised that the glowing reviews of the war effort their government had been releasing were sanitised and far from the truth. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Americans wanted to know why peace talks were organized and continually failed. Alongwith, they objected to the military draft policy. North Vietnams bloody TET Offensive of 1968 and the resultant horrendous casualties the Americans suffered eroded the situation in America even further. The assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy also sparked racial tension and unrest. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The length of the war, the high number of U.S. casualties, and the exposure of U.S. involvement in war crimes such as the massacre at My Lai helped to turn many in the United States against the war. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) One of the most controversial aspects of the of the U.S. military effort in South East Asia was the wide-spread use of herbicides between 1961 and 1971. They were used to defoliate large parts of the countryside. These chemicals continue to change the landscape, cause diseases and birth defects, and poison the food chain. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Early in the American military effort it was decided that, since PAVN/NLF were hiding their activities under triple-canopy jungle, a useful first step might be to defoliate certain areas. This was known as Operation Ranch Hand. Corporations like Dow Chemical and Monsanto were given the task of developing herbicides for this purpose. When the Americans realized this, they were disgusted. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Richard Nixons number one campaign promise to Americans was that hed end the war with Vietnamization, or systematic troop withdrawals. Yet the American presence in Vietnam remained high and casualties mounted, as did the cost of running the war effort. Taxpayers were paying 25 billion dollars per year to finance a conflict no one believed in anymore. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Nixons plan to attack communist supply locations in Cambodia in 1970 failed and set off another round of protests. The Kent State student protest in May of 1970 turned deadly when National Guardsman fired into crowds, killing 4 students and injuring dozens more. Students all across the country became enraged and over the next few days campuses all over the US came to a virtual standstill. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) As the year drew to a close Nixons plans to end the Vietnam war had not been realized. American citizens were not impressed. However, after Kent State Anti-war activism seemed to wane. Yet the people still demanded to know why their country was involved in a war where a resolution seemed impossible. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) 1971 also saw the Mylai massacre come to light, an atrocity committed by American soldiers that shocked the world and gained huge media attention. Another round of peace talks were organized on the heels of this controversy but again all attempts to end the fighting in Vietnam failed. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) When the New York Times published the first installment of the Pentagon Papers on 13 June 1971, Americans became aware of the true nature of the war. Stories of drug trafficking, political assassinations, and indiscriminate bombings led many to believe that military and intelligence services had lost all accountability. The top-secret history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam, commissioned by the Department of Defense, detailed a long series of public deceptions. The Supreme Court ruled that its publication was legal. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Bombings raids on North Vietnam were re-escalated in the spring of 1972, after peace talks headed by Henry Kissinger once again collapsed. The cities of Hanoi and Haiphong were subjected to night raids by American B-52 bombers that was unprecedented and that left the world in shock. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Antiwar sentiment, previously tainted with an air of anti-Americanism, became instead a normal reaction against zealous excess. Dissent dominated America; the antiwar cause had become institutionalized. By January 1973, when Nixon announced the effective end of U.S. involvement, he did so in response to a mandate unequaled in modern times. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Peace talks resumed in Paris and by the end of January, 1973, a pact had been signed by the United States, South and North Vietnam and the Viet Cong. By March, all American troops were pulled out of the country and systematic release of prisoners of war on both sides was initiated. Yet by the time the Watergate scandal came to light, and ruined Nixons presidency at the close of 1974, Communist forces had overrun Saigon. Within a few short months most of Indochina fell into Communist hands. The Anti-war movements mantra of what are we fighting for seemed eerily prophetic. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) U.S. casualties in Vietnam during the era of direct U.S. involvement (1961-72) were more than 50,000 dead; South Vietnamese dead were estimated at more than 400,000, and Viet Cong and North Vietnamese at over 900,000. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The U.S. war against Vietnam was over, although the destruction continued. Large parts of Cambodia were devastated, populations were dislocated, and famine and war brought on by the U.S. war against Vietnam led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands there, and the Vietnamese had to cope with thousands of injured, with destroyed industrial facilities, and with burned and poisoned land. But the war was over, and the anti-war movement was over(Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) A Series of Protests: The Anti War Movement Once the draft was introduced, young people on college and university campuses all around America began to organise protests against the war. Teach-ins and student organizations like the SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) held rallies and marches, the first of which happened in Washington in April of 1965. Over the next 2 years the anti-war movement snow balled. Activists, celebrities and musicians like Abbie Hoffmann, Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, Jane Fonda, Jefferson Airplane, and countless others took up the Anti-war cause and waved Anti-war banners. Their speeches and their music reflected the anger and hopelessness that Americans felt over the Vietnam war. Even the GIs stationed overseas began supporting the Anti-war movement in whatever capacity they could, from wearing peace symbols to refusing to obey orders. As the American public realized the intensity of its involvement in the Vietnam War, civil unrest fomented. 100,000 Anti-war protesters gathered in New York and thousands more in San Francisco. There were urban riots in Detroit. Johnsons support fell drastically on all fronts. Anti-war rallies, speeches, demonstrations and concerts continued being organized all over the country. There was a backlash against all that was military. Soldiers returning home from the war were no longer regarded as heroes but as baby killers. Young men sought to evade the draft by being conscientous objectors or leaving for Canada. The Woodstock concert brought 500,000 together from across North America in a non-violent protest against the war. The most famous campus protest of the early 1960s was the Free Speech Movement (FSM) at University of California, Berkeley. In 1965, demonstrations in New York City attracted 25,000 marchers; within two years similar demonstrations drew several hundred thousand participants in Washington, D.C., London, and other European capitals. Most of the demonstrations were peaceful, though acts of civil disobedience-intended to provoke arrest-were common. Much of the impetus for the antiwar protests came from college students. Objections to the military draft led some protesters to burn their draft cards and to refuse to obey induction notices. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) In October, 1967, a large anti-war demonstration was held on the steps of the Pentagon. Some protesters were heard to chant, Hey, hey, LBJ (Lyndon Baines Johnson)! How many kids did you kill today? One reason for the increase in the opposition to the Vietnam War was larger draft. By 1967 the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) invoked the language of revolution in its denunciations of the war in Vietnam as an inevitable consequence of American imperialism. There was also a more moderate opposition to the war from clergy, elected politicians, and people such as Dr. Benjamin Spock. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Perhaps the most significant development of the period between 1965 and 1968 was the emergence of Civil Rights leaders as active proponents of peace in Vietnam. In a January 1967 article written for the Chicago Defender, Martin Luther King, Jr. openly expressed support for the antiwar movement on moral grounds. Reverend King expanded on his views in April at the Riverside Church in New York, asserting that the war was draining much-needed resources from domestic programs. He also voiced concern about the percentage of African American casualties in relation to the total population. Kings statements rallied African American activists to the antiwar cause and established a new dimension to the moral objections of the movement. The peaceful phase of the antiwar movement had reached maturity as the entire nation was now aware that the foundations of administration foreign policy were being widely questioned. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The antiwar movement became both more powerful and, at the same time, less cohesive between 1969 and 1973. Most Americans pragmatically opposed escalating the U.S. role in Vietnam, believing the economic cost too high; in November of 1969 a second march on Washington drew an estimated 500,000 participants. The invasion of Cambodia sparked nationwide U.S. protests. On 4th May, 1970, four students were killed by the National Guard at Kent State University during a protest in Ohio, which provoked public outrage in the United States. The reaction to the incident by the Nixon administration was seen as callous and indifferent, providing additional impetus for the anti-war movement. Nixon was taken to Camp David for his own safety. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) Waning Support From Within the Government As the Anti War movements ideals spread beyond college campuses, doubts about the wisdom of war escalation also began to appear within the Johnson administration itself. As early as the summer of 1965, Undersecretary of State George Ball counseled President Johnson against further military involvement in Vietnam. In 1967, Johnson fired Defense Secretary McNamara after the secretary expressed concern about the moral justifications for war. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) After the news of My Lai massacre became public in February 1970, new groups-Nobel science laureates, State Department officers, the American Civil Liberties Union-all openly called for withdrawal. Congress began threatening the Nixon administration with challenges to presidential authority. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) As the number of troops in Vietnam increased, the financial burden of the war grew. One of the rarely mentioned consequences of the war were the budget cuts to President Johnsons Great Society programs. As defense spending and inflation grew, Johnson was forced to raise taxes. The Republicans, however, refused to vote for the increases, unless a $6 billion cut was made to the administrations social programs. The Vietnam War claimed more than just victims overseas at home it claimed reforms aimed at lifting millions of people out of poverty. (Columbia Encyclopedia,6th Ed) The Americans were no longer going to accept the ongoing nature of American involvement in the Vietnam War. The entire nation was questioning the administrations foundation of foreign policy. The Anti-War Counter Culture Alongside the antiwar protest movement, a counter culture arose that most Americans disapproved of. The clean-cut, well-dressed SDS members were being subordinated as movement leaders. Their replacements deservedly gained less public respect, were tagged with the label hippie, and faced much mainstream opposition from middle-class Americans uncomfortable with the youth culture of the period-long hair, casual drug use, promiscuity. Words like counter culture, establishment, non-violence, pacification, draft-dodger, free love, Kent State, and Woodstock were added to the American vocabulary. It was the beginning of the hippie generation, the sexual revolution and the drug culture. Protest music, typified by Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, contributed to the gulf between young and old. A Cultural and political protest had become inextricably intertwined within the movements vanguard. The new leaders became increasingly strident, greeting returning soldiers with jeers and taunts, spitting on tro ops in airports and on public streets. unique situation arose in which most Americans supported the cause but opposed the leaders, methods, and culture of protest. CHAPTER TWO CONTAINING THE COMMUNIST EXPANSION:THE AMERICAN POLICY OBSESSION The Domino theory is the notion that if one country embraces Communism, other nations in the region will probably follow. This can be likened to dominoes falling in a line. This absurd argument simply assumed nations to be dominos in a row, to be knocked down or picked up by the worlds two largest powers: US and the Soviet Union. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007) The Domino Theory The cornerstone of U.S. policy was the Domino Theory. The theory argued that if South Vietnam fell to communist forces, then all of South East Asia would follow suit. This theory was popularized by President Dwight Eisenhowers administration. A section of individuals believed that if communism spread unchecked, it would follow them home by first reaching Hawaii and then emerging in the West Coast of the United States. They were thus of the opinion that it was prudent to contain communism in Asia itself. Thus, the Domino Theory provided a powerful impetus for the American involvement in southern Vietnam. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2007) Policy of Containment In a bid to stop this communist expansion, the United States pursued a policy of containment.  [1]  This policy of containment was first suggested by George F. Kennan in the 1947 X article, published anonymously in Foreign Affairs. It remained the U.S. policy for the next quarter of a century. (Columbia Encyclopedia,2007) The policy of Containment adopted the approach of not fighting an all out war with the communist Soviet Union. Rather, it propounded confining communism and the Soviet Union to their existing boundaries. This doctrine led directly to the Vietnam war. Containment was based on several arguments: (Chomsky,2003) That the Soviet Union was always expansionistthe Soviet Union, driven by its dogmatic faith in communism was determined to impose its absolute authority on the worlds nations. Containment was necessary for maintaining the worldwide balance of power between the US and the Soviet Union. (Chomsky, 2003)   2. That any newly established communist governments would inevitably be part of Soviet empire. The Doctrine of Containment believed that there could be no such thing as a nonaligned nation. No nation could be neutral: it must either align itself with the Soviet block or the democratic American block. (Chomsky,2003) 3. That communist and Soviet expansion must be limited. The Doctrine of Containment advocated that a conventional war should be avoided. However, the US should pledge itself to stopping the formation of any new communist governments and preventing existing communist governments from growing. (Chomsky, 2003)   4. Most importantly, it was based on a belief in the special mission and destiny of America. Kennedys advisor McGeorge Bundy believed that the United States was the locomotive at the helm of mankind, and the remaining world was dependent on this mighty nation. They seemed to believe that it was their destiny to protect the world from the evils of communism. (Chomsky,2003) Thus, we can conclude that the American policy makers believed in a simplistic American vs. Communism stand. The general premise of Containment was that every communist government, the world over, was an implement of Moscow and it was the duty of the American government to safeguard the nations of the world from communism. (Chomsky,2003) Was the Soviet Threat A Realistic Assessment? The threat of an expanding communism was indeed a realistic assessment. The Soviet Union had certainly acted in an expansionist way in the recent past. More worryingly, the Soviet Union was officially committed to the worldwide spread of communism. A newly acquired nuclear capability and a vast army positioned the Soviet Union as a perilous potential enemy of the United States. In fact, in 1959, Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev, while debating with Richard Nixon in Moscow, threatened we will bury you!. It would indeed have been wrong, as also foolish, to underestimate the force of the Soviet Union as an enemy. (Chomsky,2003) Subsequently, however, the Domino theory was disprovedcommunist governments in Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and China do not act collectively. After a period of great turmoil, most have abandoned communism. Vietnam, surprisingly, is now enthusiastically pro-capitalist, and an inviting place of investment for the United States of America. (Chomsky,2003)   Americans will, sometimes citing a dozen reasons, argue that we could have won if. Example: Ronald Reagan frequently asserted that the US would have won if the government had made a wholesale commitment instead of a limited war.  (Chomsky,2003) However, one could argue, won what? Can a victory be defined as one that leaves the nation with a devastated landscape, millions of dead civilians and a crippled economy? A victory, by means of which, the US would have ruled repressively over a country whose citizens despised it? It would certainly have been a hollow victory. (Chomsky, 2003) A Misguided Attempt The Vietnam War was misguided from its inception. A large number of major architects of the Containment policy George Kennan, McGeorge Bundy, Robert MacNamara have unequivocally acknowledged they were mistaken about the Vietnam War. They admit that Containment was a flawed policy. It was flawed due to its indifference to the history of Southeast Asia. The American obsession with Communism led them deeper and deeper into a tragedy. They believed in Americas mission, and in the undisputable superiority of Americas endeavours. They were erroneous, and consequently, so was the war! (Chomsky,2003) CHAPTER THREE PARALLELS OF IRAQ WITH THE VIETNAM WAR The Iraq war has evoked memories of the Vietnam war, the most significant political experience of an entire American generation. American involvement in both the wars was inspired to contain the expansion of a principle that it rejected: one was expansion of communism and the other is expansion of Islam radicalism. Vietnam was an event that emerged in the backdrop of the Cold War, a combination of geopolitical and ideological conflict with the expansion of communism. Iraq is part of an ideological struggle between radical Islam and the rest of the world in which the jihadists reject the established order, challenge the structure of the international system based on the nation state. (Kissinger,2007) 1. Was the US unilateral withdrawal from Vietnam an option in 1969 when Nixon took office? In Vietnam, unilateral withdrawal was not practically feasible. To dispatch over half a million troops, from Vietnam to the US, would have been a logistical nightmare, even under peacetime conditions. But in Vietnam, the US troops were countering over 600,000 armed North Vietnamese Communist forces on the ground, who were being bolstered by guerrilla forces. If the US troops even hinted at withdrawal, these troops may well have been joined by a large section of the 700,000 strong South Vietnamese army as they may have felt betrayed by their allies and tried to work their way back into the good graces of the Communists. The U.S. forces tried to withdraw, they would have become hostages and the ordinary Vietnamese people victims. (Kissinger,2007) A diplomatic alternative did not exist. Nixon correctly summed up the choices before him when he rejected unilateral withdrawal: Shall we leave Vietnam in a way that by our own actions consciously turns the country over to the Communists? Or shall we leave in a way that gives the South Vietnamese a reasonable choice to survive as a free people? When negotiations stalemated, the Nixon administration moved to implement what could be done unilaterally without undermining the political structure of South Vietnam. Between 1969 and 1972, it withdrew 515,000 American troops, ended American ground combat in 1971 and reduced American casualties by nearly 90 percent. (Kissinger,2007) In the same vein, unilateral withdrawal is not practically feasible even in Iraq. Whenever gradual withdrawal from Iraq is implemented, it should be done in a way that it prevents a takeover by radical Islam in Iraq. Given that a democratic government has been installed, after much struggle, the US should try to do everything possible to ensure its continuance. The following issues should be kept in mind before implementing a graduated withdrawal: In Iraq, the military forces of the adversary are less powerful than they were in Vietnam, but the international political framework is more complex. This fragile situation should be handled with caution. Before withdrawal, a political settlement has to be distilled from the partially conflicting, partially overlapping views of the Iraqi parties, Iraqs neighbors and other affected states. It should be based on a shared conviction that the cauldron of Iraq would otherwise overflow and engulf all surrounding countries and then spread internationally. 2. Did the American domestic debate and American publics protest movement doom the effort in Vietnam? During the Vietnam war, a point was reached when the domestic debate over American involvement in the War, became so bitter as to preclude rational discussion of hard choices. For a decade and a half, successive administrations of both political parties perceived the survival of South Vietnam as a significant national interest. Starting with the Johnson administration, they were opposed by a protest movement. This impasse doomed the American effort in Vietnam! The American public should learn to contain their outrage so that it does not lead to an impasse or due consideration to available choices as and when the time is right. The American public must not repeat the massive show of angst over Iraq.(Kissenger,2007). It is creditable that American officials have gone to great lengths to make sure the American people understand that the American military cannot possibly be defeated in Iraq (PINR,2003). The strategy of Vietnamese and Iraqi guerrillas was/is to sap the political will of the U.S. public. Is their political will being sapped? The attacks launched against U.S. forces in Iraq are not the type required or intended to defeat the United States militarily. But the fact is that Washington is not operating in a military vacuum. The strength of the U.S. military means little when faced with an increasingly skeptical U.S. public who has the potential to force Washington to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq. In addition, while Washington cannot be overwhelmed by sheer force, there is no evidence that the guerrilla fighters in Iraq can be defeated that way either. In Vietnam, Washington faced a similar predicament. There was an increasingly organized and brash guerrilla force preventing the U.S. from bringing stability to South Vietnam. Due to the massive technology gap, Vietnamese guerrillas and the North Vietnamese Army stood little chance of defeating the U.S. militarily. Just the same, however, Washington stood little chance of defeating the Vietnamese guerrilla movement militarily. The effective guerrilla tactics of the North Vietnamese Army were a military strategy aimed at sapping the political will from the U.S. public. This was well known at the time and was often articulated in the speeches of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. Always aware of U.S. public opinion, North and South Vietnamese military and guerrilla leaders worked to undermine Washington. When they launched the massive Tet Offensive in over 100 different cities of South Vietnam on January 31, 1968 successfully storming and occupying the U.S. Embassy in Saigon the attack was orchestrated shortly after U.S. military leaders and politicians claimed that the war in Vietnam was almost over. The strategy of Vietnamese resistance fighters was successful, and it looks as if resistance fighters in Iraq are following a similar one; Iraqi guerrillas are most likely aware that they will not be able to crush the U.S. military occupation in Iraq. They do know, however, that if they continue to kill and maim U.S. soldiers, it will only be a matter of time until the American public demands a return of U.S. troops and applies political pressure to the Bush administration. General Abizaid admitted as much, recently warning, The goal of the enemy is not to defeat us militarily. The goal of the enemy is to break the will of the United States of America, to make us leave. It is evident that the Iraqi guerrillas have been somewhat successful in this goal. According to a CBS News poll released on November 13, 2006 only 50 percent of the American public now believe that removing Saddam Hussein was worth the loss of American lives and other costs of attacking Iraq. If the losses of U.S. troops continue to mount, this number can be expected to drop further. Therefore, the strategy of anti-U.S. guerrillas in Iraq will be to launch high profile attacks on U.S. and also coalition troops. Yet, at the same time, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) released a report, titled appraisal of situation, written by the CIA station chief in Baghdad, which contradicted Abizaids Whether or not Washington is able to bring stability to Iraq before the U.S. public becomes disenchanted with U.S. objectives there, largely depends on the size and capacity of the guerrilla movement. (Kissinger,2007) Furthermore, the CIA report concluded that more and more ordinary Iraqis were siding with the insurgency due to their disillusionment with the U.S. occupation and because of the instability plaguing the country since the fall of Saddam Husseins hold on power. These assessments indicate that the U.S. occupation in Iraq is becoming increasingly precarious, and it is not yet clear how the U.S. public will respond to deadlier and bolder attacks launched on U.S. forces. (Kissinger,2007) Lessons for the Americans to Apply to the Conflict in Iraq Two lessons emerge from the American experience in Vietnam. A strategic design cannot be achieved on a fixed, arbitrary deadline; it must reflect conditions on the ground. But, at the same time, it must also not test the endura

1996: A Turbulent Year For Israel :: essays research papers

1996: A Turbulent Year for Israel 1996 has been a very turbulent year for Israel. This lies in the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995. Rabin's great work in the peace process with it's Arab neighbors has been nearly reversed by Israel's newly elected Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who actively opposed the peace process in the election. Netanyahu's term of service has not only affected Israel politically but also socially, intellectually, religiously, and economically. In dealing with Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians Netanyahu was originally quoted saying that he would only meet with Arafat under special circumstances and that, "the era of one-sided giving was over." Warren Christopher, Secretary of State for the U.S., was able to arrange a peace conference with Arafat on the Gaza border. One article called it a , "Psychological breakthrough" (Netanyahu meets with Clinton). The issues at hand were Israel fulfilling it's pledge to the Palestinians to redeploy it's troops stationed in the West Bank town of Hebron so that they will only guard the 440 Jews who live there, from the tens of thousands of Palestinians. Also at issue were the exit permits given to Palestinians allowing them to go from there jobs in Israel to there homes in Gaza and the and the West Bank. That leads to another issue over whether or not a rail link between Gaza and the West Bank should be formed. The major problem with that would be the cost. In the next round of Israeli-PLO peace talks, both sides could not reach a compromise and after four hours talks failed. To complicate matters further 3,000 houses were approved to be built in the West Bank by the Israeli government. "Peace Now spokesman", Alon Arnon, called the housing, "A final burial of the hope of peace." (West Bank Settlement Approved) Netanyahu also ended the month by opening a tunnel to Muslim and Jewish Holy sites that resulted in bloody riots that killed 76 people. The month of October cooled down a bit with an ice breaking summit in Washington. Netanyahu returned with a change in attitude calling Arafat a person whom he could resolve problems with. But aside from his change in demeanor no substantial agreements were made. In November Israel went on high alert in fear of an attack planned to disrupt the peace process, possibly on the one year anniversary of the Jihad's leader Fathi Shakaki. Again the peace effort was thrown back when the Israeli government announced plans to double the number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. At one point Netanyahu asked the U. 1996: A Turbulent Year For Israel :: essays research papers 1996: A Turbulent Year for Israel 1996 has been a very turbulent year for Israel. This lies in the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995. Rabin's great work in the peace process with it's Arab neighbors has been nearly reversed by Israel's newly elected Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who actively opposed the peace process in the election. Netanyahu's term of service has not only affected Israel politically but also socially, intellectually, religiously, and economically. In dealing with Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians Netanyahu was originally quoted saying that he would only meet with Arafat under special circumstances and that, "the era of one-sided giving was over." Warren Christopher, Secretary of State for the U.S., was able to arrange a peace conference with Arafat on the Gaza border. One article called it a , "Psychological breakthrough" (Netanyahu meets with Clinton). The issues at hand were Israel fulfilling it's pledge to the Palestinians to redeploy it's troops stationed in the West Bank town of Hebron so that they will only guard the 440 Jews who live there, from the tens of thousands of Palestinians. Also at issue were the exit permits given to Palestinians allowing them to go from there jobs in Israel to there homes in Gaza and the and the West Bank. That leads to another issue over whether or not a rail link between Gaza and the West Bank should be formed. The major problem with that would be the cost. In the next round of Israeli-PLO peace talks, both sides could not reach a compromise and after four hours talks failed. To complicate matters further 3,000 houses were approved to be built in the West Bank by the Israeli government. "Peace Now spokesman", Alon Arnon, called the housing, "A final burial of the hope of peace." (West Bank Settlement Approved) Netanyahu also ended the month by opening a tunnel to Muslim and Jewish Holy sites that resulted in bloody riots that killed 76 people. The month of October cooled down a bit with an ice breaking summit in Washington. Netanyahu returned with a change in attitude calling Arafat a person whom he could resolve problems with. But aside from his change in demeanor no substantial agreements were made. In November Israel went on high alert in fear of an attack planned to disrupt the peace process, possibly on the one year anniversary of the Jihad's leader Fathi Shakaki. Again the peace effort was thrown back when the Israeli government announced plans to double the number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. At one point Netanyahu asked the U.