Geopolitics and International Affairs

Geopolitics and International Affairs Geopolitics and International Affairs â€Å"What are the key factors in contemporary redistributions of Geopolitical Power?† The Encyclopaedia Britannica describes Geopolitics as â€Å"analysis of the geographic influences on power relationships in international relations† (2010); therefore Geopolitical Power is the power certain nations have over other nations, based upon Geographic influences and advantages. Across the world the geographies of power shift from nation to nation over time (such as the shift in power from Britain to the USA after WWII) and the hegemonic structure has a huge effect on world dynamics such economy, politics, society and culture. The nation with the most power tends to have the greatest influence over these and other factors. Currently, and in recent years there has been a notable rise in power from nations in the geographic east (most notably China) simultaneous to the apparent decline in power by the worlds current top geopolitical power (the USA). This is raising serious questions as to the future of the current hegemonic structure. There are a number of key factors which are driving this shift in power and here I aim to address and analyse these so that I may answer the question â€Å"What are the key factors in contemporary redistributions of Geopolitical Power?† The USA is currently the worlds dominant geopolitical power and has been since World War II. According to Fareed Zakaria (2008) â€Å"the United States [unrivalled economic status] has lasted more than 120 years† and that â€Å"The US economy has been the worlds largest since the middle of the 1880s†. As of 2008, The CIA World Fact book ranks the USA as having the highest GDP/PPP of any individual nation (The EU is ranked higher than the USA but is technically a united group of countries) which stands at $14,440,000,000,000; around double that of the next country on the list, China (CIA, 2008). In 2004 James F. Hoge, author of ‘A Global Power Shift in the Making (2004) explained that â€Å"Chinas economy is growing at more than nine percent annually† and that â€Å"Chinas economy is expected to be double the size of Germanys by 2010 and to overtake Japans, currently the worlds second largest, by 2020†. To put Chinas rapid growth into perspective in 2 010, its GDP has already overtaken that of Germanys, with economic spectators forecasting Chinas economy to outstrip Japans this year- 10 years prior to Hoges 2004 prediction. However, the economy of a nation may be an important indicator of world power, but is by no means the sole factor in determining hegemonic status; the USA is still dominant for other reasons. Military strength is- and always has been- one of the key ways of determining the power of a nation. The ‘Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) cited the USA as having a military expenditure in 2008 which amounted to $607,263,000,000, accounting for 41.5% of the worlds total military spending (SIPRI, 2009). Military strength provides a nation with the means of physically exercising its geopolitical power over other nations, and the USA currently dominates land, sea and air with its military presence. China may be a growing militant power and have a larger army in terms of personnel, however its military expenditure is a fraction of the USAs; and one must also take into account the sheer size of the population in China which explains the high numbers of active servicemen in the country. Both countries currently have a nuclear capability, which during the Cold War was â€Å"widely seen as a necessary qualification for a seat at the top table†. This is no longer the case and now the possession or development of nuclear weapons is deemed unacceptable behaviour (Hurrell, 2006). This is an example of how the factors of determining Geopolitical power change over time. The demographics of a nation are also of vital importance to its development and changes in population structure can have dramatic effects within both developing and developed nations. As of the 13th Jan 2010, the population of the USA is around 308,478,201, (United States official population clock, 2010) whilst the population of China is around 1,335,035,010 (Chinese official population clock, 2010) over 1 billion more than the USA. This is a vital factor in explaining why China has been experiencing such rapid growth in the past decade. Firstly, a large population means more people spending money, which raises the countrys GDP- China is currently the worlds second largest consumer behind the USA (Zakaria, 2008 [2]). In the current economic climate with recession still looming over many nations, it is important for the general population to keep spending in order to stimulate the economy; in China, this is no issue due to the huge numbers of people. This is why China, and Asia in general, has not been so greatly affected by the ‘global recession as the USA and Europe. A population of this size also provides China with a huge number of people of working age to power the worlds largest manufacturing industry, as well as other important areas of industry from banking (to lead China through this economic shift) to farming (to feed the vast numbers of people living in the country). China is so competitive on the international scene due to its vast labour force. However, it is the structure of a population which is really vital in determining the future power of a nation. An ageing population can put a strain on the relatively smaller working age population due to the cost of providing health care, pensions, housing, etc. A youthful population puts strain on education and health services, food supplies; and can result in too a lack of jobs in the future. Both have their issues, but both also have benefits. Japan for example has the worlds largest ageing population with 12.1% aged 65 and over in 2000, with a predicted rise to 26.2% by 2020 (Anderson, Hussey. 2000). Japan is now experiencing deep demographic issues with the working age population being too small to support the large elderly population, and the birth rate continually falling; having implications to the development of the country which has experienced declining power over the past 2 decades. There is a well known phrase that ‘children are the future and this wisdom is heeded particularly well in the USA. Whilst China may have a huge workforce, they are relatively uneducated. The USA prides itself upon the fact that its education system is so highly regarded, having a high output of skilled workers graduating from its prestigious universities every year. According to Zakaria (2008 [2]) â€Å"America trains more high-quality 4 year engineering graduates per capita than any other country† with â€Å"Eight of the top 10 universities in the worldin the United States†. This is why when visiting many US (and European) higher education facilities it is easy to notice the high proportion of Asian (particularly Chinese) students, as these institutions offer a far higher standard of education than would be available in Asia. These Asian students typically stay in America after they have completed their education due to more job prospects with a better rate of pa y than available back home, so are a vital resource to the country. Americas acquisition and prolonged control of power can largely be thanked to the younger generations who have been educated by US education facilities and gone on to create a huge pool of skilled and talented workers. These workers drive the economic industries of the US, whilst their high expenditure on commodities and consumer goods helps fuel growth of its GDP. Many people believe that China is the sole competitor to the USA for hegemonic status, believing that eventually China will overtake America as the sole dominant world power in terms of economy, military, culture, etc. However, others such as Fareed Zakaria (2008 [2]) believe that â€Å"the rise of rest† is far more likely; meaning that power will become dispersed amongst a number of powerful nations under America so that global decisions will no longer be made from one side of the globe. The countries believed to be the main competitors to this state of uni-multipolarity are those referred to as BRIC countries: Brazil, Russia, India and China. Uni-multipolarity will be the resulting situation whereby the US is still the superpower, but with these BRIC countries having much more participation in world affairs than they have done in the current uni-polar (US dominant) geopolitical structure. This shift in power may come as a shock to America and there is likely to be resistance of some sort from the west, although it is very unlikely that the US will lose its dominance so it should look to facilitate the transition of geopolitical power to make this inevitability happen as smoothly as possible. BIBLIOGRAPHY Anderson, GF; Hussey, P (2000) Population aging: a comparison among industrialized countries. Health Affairs. [Online] Vol 19. No. 3. Sections 191 203. Available from: http://healthaff.highwire.org/cgi/reprint/19/3/191.pdf (Last accessed 13th Jan 2010) CIA (2010). The World Fact Book: Country Comparison GDP. Available from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2001rank.html?countryName=United%20StatescountryCode=usregionCode=narank=2#us (Last accessed 11th Jan 2010) CPIRC (2010). Chinese official population clock. http://www.cpirc.org.cn/index.asp (Last accessed 13th Jan 2010) Encyclopaedia Britannica Online (2010). Geopolitics [Online] Available from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/229932/geopolitics (Last accessed 11th Jan 2010) Hoge, J (2004). A Global Power Shift in the Making. Foreign Affairs. [Online] Vol. 83, No. 4. Pg 2-7. Available from: http://asr2.myweb.uga.edu/Fall%202004/Readings/Global%20power%20shift%20in%20the%20making.pdf (Last accessed 13th Jan 2010) Hurrell, A (2006). Hegemony, Liberalism and Global Order: What space for would-be great powers? International Affairs. [Online] Vol 82, No. 1. Pg 1-19. Available from: http://www.giga-hamburg.de/dl/download.php?d=/english/content/rpn/pdf/international_affairs_2006.pdf (Last accessed 13th Jan 2010) SIPRI (2009).The SIPRI Military Expenditure Database: USA. Available from: http://milexdata.sipri.org/result.php4 (Last accessed 11th Jan 2010) U.S Census Bureau (2010). United States official population clock. http://www.census.gov/population/www/popclockus.html (Last accessed 13th Jan 2010) Zakaria, F (2008). The Future of American Power: How America can survive the rise of the rest. Foreign Affairs. Available from: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/63394/fareed-zakaria/the-future-of-american-power (Last accessed 11th Jan 2010) Zakaria, F (2008) [2]. The Post American World. [Online] Available from: http://www.cnl.com/documents/Post-American%20World.pdf (last accessed 13th Jan 2010)

Impact of Technology Essay

The unprecedented advancement in materialistic technology is setting consistently a wall of high mental affluence-which is inhibiting the parameters to show up in road to development.The rapid advancement in technology is directly proportional to the proliferating population of our very planet.People taking assistance of modern technology is significantly increasing at the moment.Now,we have already entered the era where electricity is indispensible.To live a normal life in modern days,the fuel-electricity and the machine-technology should be present simultaneously daily. Core reasons behind prioritizing modern education are too obvious to belabor-when it comes to development of a nation.Education is the ultimate wall of a nation building heavenward.The use of different technology in schools is now on the brink of becoming a fundamental necessity when starting a school anywhere.The vitality of technology in education is becoming more vivid in society contributing to the technology en terprises that are minting colossal deal of money through education.The new millennium has provided the medium where the technology and education have intersected and synthesized the now popular â€Å"modern education†. The technology giants of the world are enlarging their establishments here in India knowing the fact that India holds the supremacy in the field of future of technology.Moreover,according to a recent article in Forbes India,it has stated that one third of Indian population is under the tender age of 14.We might wonder now,how much pressure do the inquisitive young minds are exerting on education that is still limited to only a certain part of the population.The government is trying to reach as much of population possible but there are still millions of children who aren’t able to avail the facility of schools and proper education.The central government allocated about 42,036crores for both schools and higher education sectors in the year 2010 which grew to 52,057crores last year according to Wikipedia. Pro-education culture is grasping the minds of people everywhere in such a significant fashion due to development.But The World Bank in 2o11 stated that,32.7% of Indian populati on still falls below the global poverty line that is 1.25 dollars income per day.what about them? The enormous sum of money spent in education still is scanty due to the large population of mother India.As per the CBSE,India still has a shortfall of about 200,000 schools.So,we can analyze that,due to the scanty economic capital,the no. of schools dramatically lag the actual demand.Not only economy is affecting the status quo of education but also the number of human resources who are educating the young citizens. Now talking about the existing schools,all of them are doing a marvelous job in imparting knowledge in young minds but I think that there are still many limitations of the classroom education.Architectural infrastructure of classrooms isn’t a big deal but what really matters is the education provided in classrooms.The biggest drawback of the classroom education is that,the students involved in learning are only exposed to the knowledge and ideas of limited faculty wh ereas in world,there are millions of brilliant minds.Second drawback is that,so as to set up a basic school,materialistic facility and human resource are must-present fundamental requirements.This makes education unavailable in rural areas spread across the vast geographical diversity in nation such as India. Now,what is the best way to tackle the problems hovering the present,regarding education?I strongly feel that internet is the ultimate medium through which education should be made possible so as to reach far and beyond.Internet is a bottomless reservoir of information and this invention of mankind has made the physical barriers and distances so small.What is most extraordinary about the internetIt is constantly updated within short span of time.This leads to exposure of our mind to the latest information on topics of our own interest.As internet effortlessly seems to make our information obsolete every now and then,we also can access the information on web without difficulties. The telecommunication technology is rising everywhere.In India,according to Joshua Kim’s recent article featured in Forbes India,he has said that there are over 850million mobile subscribers in India and the number of subscribers is growing at the amazing rate of 10 million per month.From the particula r growth in mobile phone users,we can naturally scrutinize the future of internet accessibility.The increase in mobile phones naturally accelerates the growth of telecommunication technology.As the mobile phones will be easily available,there surely will be a time where the internet connection will be among the default features of the phones.As the access to internet will get better and easier in times to come,they would become an indispensible part of our future lives. Using internet,we can connect with the world without difficulties.The effects of telecommunication technology on education system are best to be said limitless.Till now,collaboration of different universities from different parts of the world hasn’t been a widespread approach for sharing knowledge.This was due to the fact of great physical distances and also due to being unaware about each other’s existence. Collaboration is the only way to complete each other’s deficiency and make education whol esome. Bringing Harvard,MIT and all other top universities to India is only through internet.If not internationally,collaboration can be done within our nation itself.If we try to amass all the knowledge of the contemporary human resources and make it digitally available,then surely,we can check the lack of human resources at a large extend.A live lecture on diseases in Delhi broadcasted in seven rural towns in Maharashtra†¦imagine the benefits! Now the prob

Things You Wont Like About A Dolls House Essay Topics and Things You Will

Things You Won't Like About A Doll's House Essay Topics and Things You Will The ideal aspect of this sort of assignment is its plasticity in conditions of different essay styles. A seasoned professional will make an error-free assignment right away and can help you boost your grades. In other words, until he mentions he's an interpreter, not simply a tour guide. There's, naturally, a limit on the range of pages even our finest writers can produce with a pressing deadline, but generally, we can satisfy all the clients seeking urgent assistance. When prior brainstorming is finished, you can begin drafting your essay. It doesn't make a difference to us, whether you're too busy on the job concentrating on a passion undertaking, or simply tired of a seemingly infinite stream of assignments. As you pay for homework, we provide those options at no cost. Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for a Doll's House Essay Topics She objects the concept of being treated like a doll and chose to move from the family she has lived for the previous eight decades. In addition, it demonstrates he loves her as his possession rather than a human being. When an individual is independent and safe on her own, she can love and deal with her true love and loved ones. A prime case of this is when she stops along the path to see the oleanders. The Upside to a Doll's Ho use Essay Topics This was innovation with regard to content. Obviously, you're welcome to interpret and change our topics the way you would like to create titles more ideal for your requirements. The multiple topics could possibly be found, for instance, in the dissertation abstracts international database. In most instances, authors want to share their views about several facets of the society through writings. His intent is to preserve the overall look of respectability and make certain his continued acceptance in society. Each person's economic and societal conditions undermine their relations with other people. It has thrown several questions in the surface of the so-called values which were traditionally supposed to create the family happy and the society civilized. Consequently, the masculine perspective measures feminine conduct throughout that period. Torvald is a good example of today's stereotypical man, who's only interested in his physical appearance and the quantity of control he has over someone, and doesn't care about the feelings of others. If an excellent topic isn't sufficient to inspire you to academic heroism, it's no huge deal. At this point in the novel, there appears to be a little reconciliation. Now tension is high. In the start, all seems well. Nora Makes the proper choice to free herself from the social and conventional commitments and obligations and become an unaffiliated individual. Ruthless Doll's House Essay Topics Strategies Exploited The very first part of Eleanor's character that we're introduced to is her big imagination. By the conclusion of Act Two, it appears that Torvald is bound to discover the reality. These short stories are attempting to show several things that influence the society. A Doll's House reveals the problem of the gender inequality. What You Should Do to Find Out About a Doll's House Essay Topics Before You're Left Behind Over the length of the play, but the growth of Nora's character indicates the audience that her ways are just a cover for the emptiness she feels each day. Torvald's love is extremely conditional. A story of what occurred in the past is described via the use of flashback. At the close of the play, the doll symbolism becomes quite power ful. a Doll's House Essay Topics - Dead or Alive? For effective vision achievement they have to achieve their objectives. It's almost inevitable that she is made to discover that strength within herself. Nora returns, in perhaps one of the strongest lines of the play, that lots of women have completed the exact same. a Doll's House Essay Topics: the Ultimate Convenience! Nora seems completely delighted. She wishes to gain the respect she desires. She says that she will not allow Helmer to take the blame upon himself. She spent her life as a child.

The Myth And Narrative I Am Living - 2086 Words

The Myth/Narrative I Am Living I enthusiastically embrace the sentiments of Socrates, â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living.† Upon reflection, and asking myself, what exactly does this mean, I feel as if my life has evolved full circle. I finally understand the meaning and purpose of my life – the myth I believe and know I should be living. This course has put a lot of things into perspective for me by encouraging self-introspection of my thoughts, examination of my experiences and feelings, by directing my concentration to authors, texts, readings, words, and statements that prior to this course, I was not able to fully articulate. I now have awareness – this presence around me – that has opened a door that has me thirsting for more knowledge. I am convinced that my inherited narrative is my tradition of faith. My faith gives me purpose and allows me to connect to life as I write my mythology and personally extract the significance of tradition th at measures my completeness to prove that my â€Å"living is not in vain.† From my youth, I have always been on a quest to find my place in this world – curious and seeking answers – but having this overwhelming feeling of loving God and having a purpose. Questioning always, what is the reason and meaning of my life? Never mind those around me, but what am I here for. Why am I am special? Over the years, my nickname became â€Å"Sunshine,† I am told because my energy is so high, that it makes people happy. I remember when I was threeShow MoreRelated The Myth of Exodus Essay1180 Words   |  5 PagesThe Myth of Exodus There are many themes running through the Old Testament myth of Exodus – slavery, rescue and redemption, guidance, commandments on how to live, the creation of a nation, and God’s power over other gods. 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