Critique of Shindlers List essays

Critique of Shindlers List essays Schindler's List is one of the most powerful stories of all time. It tells the true story of the German businessman Oskar Schindler who comes to Poland looking for economic expansion with a new factory and leaves as a savior of more than 1,100 Jews. The Holocaust is truly one of the most devastating occurrences in history and is an incredibly hard topic to expand on. Thomas Keneally does an amazing job in writing what many wouldnt dare. The story starts out in the early stages of World War II. The German forces defeat the Polish with ease and within weeks the Jews are forced out of their homes to report to a train station, where their names are registered. People tease and yell at any Jew they see in the street. Oskar Schindler, a German businessman visits the ghetto. He wishes to see Itzhak Stern, a Jewish man is who good at accounting and used to own a pot-making factory. Jews are no longer allowed to own businesses, so Oskar makes a deal with Itzhak so he can work for Schindler. It is at this point where the reader cannot put the book down. All Jews are now forced to pack their things and move out of their homes by German soldiers. They are assigned new homes. The next morning, the people are gathered outside and information on their education and working experiences are reported. The way Keneally describes everything is truly haunting. Some of the Jews that can't be used for work are loaded into trucks and sent off to concentration camps. Oskar lives near the ghetto and he witnesses many of the pandemoniums and gets all teary eyed. It seems like under Sterns influence, I believe Schindler at this point truly shows signs of having a good heart and you can feel his sympathy for the Jews. Soon after this event thousands of Jews are shipped off on a train to a concentration camp. By mistake, Itzhak Stern is placed on a train because he forgot his working card. Oskar hears of this mistake and rushes down to the station and ...

Facts and History of North Korea

Facts and History of North Korea The Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, is one of the most talked-about yet least understood nations on Earth. It is a reclusive country, cut off even from its nearest neighbors by ideological differences and the paranoia of its top leadership. It developed  nuclear weapons  in 2006. Severed from the southern half of the peninsula more than six decades ago, North Korea has evolved into a strange Stalinist state. The ruling Kim family exercises control through fear and personality cults. Can the two halves of Korea ever be put back together again? Only time will tell. Capital and Major Cities Capital: Pyongyang, population 3,255,000Hamhung, population 769,000Chongjin, population 668,000Nampo, population 367,000Wonsan, population 363,000 North Koreas Government North Korea, or the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, is a highly centralized communist country under the leadership of Kim Jong-Un. His official title is Chairman of the National Defense Commission. The President of the Supreme Peoples Assembly Presidium is Kim Yong Nam. The 687-seat Supreme Peoples Assembly is the legislative branch. All members belong to the Korean Workers Party. The judicial branch consists of a Central Court, as well as provincial, county, city and military courts. All citizens are free to vote for the Korean Workers Party at the age of 17. The Population of North Korea North Korea has an estimated 24 million citizens as of the 2011 census. About 63% of North Koreans live in urban centers. Nearly all of the population is ethnically Korean, with very small minorities of ethnic Chinese and Japanese. Language The official language of North Korea is Korean. Written Korean has its own alphabet, called Hangul. Over the past several decades, the government of North Korea has attempted to purge borrowed vocabulary from the lexicon. Meanwhile, South Koreans have adopted words such as PC for personal computer, handufone for mobile phone, etc. While the northern and southern dialects are still mutually intelligible, they are diverging from one another after 60 years of separation. Religion in North Korea As a communist nation, North Korea is officially non-religious. Prior to the partition of Korea, however, Koreans in the north were Buddhist, Shamanist, Cheondogyo, Christian, and Confucianist. To what extent these belief systems persist today is difficult to judge from outside the country. North Korean Geography North Korea occupies the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. It shares a long north-western border with China, a short border with Russia, and a highly-fortified border with South Korea (the DMZ or demilitarized zone). The country covers an area of 120,538 km sq. North Korea is a mountainous land; about 80% of the country is made up of steep mountains and narrow valleys. The remainder is arable plains, but these are small in size and distributed across the country. The highest point is Baektusan, at 2,744 meters. The lowest point is sea level. The Climate of North Korea North Koreas climate is influenced both by the monsoon cycle and by continental air masses from Siberia. Thus, it was extremely cold with dry winters and hot, rainy summers. North Korea suffers from frequent droughts and massive summer flooding, as well as the occasional typhoon. Economy North Koreas GDP (PPP) for 2014 is estimated at $40 billion US. The GDP (official exchange rate) is $28 billion (2013 estimate). The per capita GDP is $1,800. Official exports include military products, minerals, clothing, wood products, vegetables, and metals. Suspected unofficial exports include missiles, narcotics, and trafficked persons. North Korea imports minerals, petroleum, machinery, food, chemicals, and plastics. History of North Korea When Japan lost World War II in 1945, it also lost Korea, annexed to the Japanese Empire in 1910. The U.N. divided administration of the peninsula between two of the victorious Allied powers. Above the 38th parallel, the USSR took control, while the US moved in to administer the southern half. The USSR fostered a pro-Soviet communist government based in Pyongyang, then withdrew in 1948. North Koreas military leader, Kim Il-sung, wanted to invade South Korea at that point and unite the country under a communist banner, but Joseph Stalin refused to support the idea. By 1950, the regional situation had changed. Chinas civil war had ended with a victory for Mao Zedongs Red Army, and Mao agreed to send military support to North Korea if it invaded the capitalist South. The Soviets gave Kim Il-sung a green light for invasion. The Korean War On June 25, 1950, North Korea launched a ferocious artillery barrage across the border into South Korea, followed hours later by some 230,000 troops. The North Koreans quickly took the southern capital at Seoul and began to push southwards. Two days after the war began, US President Truman ordered American armed forces to come to the aid of the South Korean military. The U.N. Security Council approved member-state assistance to the South over the objection of the Soviet representative; in the end, twelve more nations joined the US and South Korea in the U.N. coalition. Despite this aid to the South, the war went very well for the North at first. In fact, the communist forces captured nearly the entire peninsula within the first two months of fighting; by August, the defenders were hemmed in at the city of Busan, on the southeastern tip of South Korea. The North Korean army was not able to break through the Busan Perimeter, however, even after a solid month of battle. Slowly, the tide began to turn against the North. In September and October of 1950, South Korean and U.N. forces pushed the North Koreans all of the way back across the 38th Parallel, and north to the Chinese border. This was too much for Mao, who ordered his troops into battle on North Koreas side. After three years of bitter fighting, and some 4 million soldiers and civilians killed, the Korean War ended in a stalemate with the July 27, 1953, cease-fire agreement. The two sides have never signed a peace treaty; they remain separated by a 2.5-mile wide demilitarized zone (DMZ). The Post-War North After the war, North Koreas government focused on industrialization as it rebuilt the battle-torn country. As president, Kim Il-sung preached the idea of Juche, or self-reliance. North Korea would become strong by producing all of its own food, technology, and domestic needs, rather than importing goods from abroad. During the 1960s, North Korea was caught in the middle of the Sino-Soviet split. Although Kim Il-sung hoped to remain neutral and play the two larger powers off of one another, the Soviets concluded that he favored the Chinese. They cut off help to North Korea. During the 1970s, North Koreas economy began to fail. It has no oil reserves, and the spiking price of oil left it massively in debt. North Korea defaulted on its debt in 1980. Kim Il-sung died in 1994 and was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il. Between 1996 and 1999, the country suffered from a famine that killed between 600,000 and 900,000 people. Today, North Korea relied on international food aid through 2009, even as it poured scarce resources into the military. The agricultural output has improved since 2009 but malnutrition and poor living conditions continue. North Korea evidently tested its first nuclear weapon on October 9, 2006. It continues to develop its nuclear arsenal and conducted tests in 2013 and 2016.   On December 17, 2011, Kim Jong-il died and was succeeded by his third son, Kim Jong-un.

Human Resource Management & Information Management (MBA) pro 5 Essay

Human Resource Management & Information Management (MBA) pro 5 - Essay Example Strategic human resourcing decisions with ethical dimensions help exploit the potential of workforce for higher creative output. An effective human resources strategy therefore helps to bring together diverse ideologies and interests of the workforce to promote common goals. The increasing pluralistic format of societies demand ethically delivered HR goals and objectives so as to ensure that people from diverse background enjoy equal opportunity at workplace. Tailor (2008) believes that cultural competencies of diverse workforce need to be exploited ethically for improving performance and gaining competitive advantage. Strategic HR decisions help to create cohesive workforce that highlights cross-cultural understanding, mutual respect and shared goals. Indeed, HR decisions are redefined in terms of shared vision and collective actions that rely on fair and non-discriminatory practices so as to meet new challenges successfully. Moreover, ethical considerations within recruitment, performance evaluation and promotion, training development etc. become pertinent issues for motivating workforce for higher productive outcome. They not only generate job security but also help inculcate higher sense of self-worth (Beardwell & Claydon, 2007). Thus, strategic HR decisions with ethical dimension have wider societal

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 13

Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example She jumps to the stage and starts singing and dancing, and along with her, everybody dances. The dwarfed dancers sing and dance aside the eatables over the tables as the astonished and overwhelmed real-size guests watch them. In the end, one of the female guests passes a compliment for the girl, appreciating her energy and performance. The commercial ends with the girl’s wink to the audience. The main idea of the whole commercial is that Pepsi is the answer to all the thirst and tiredness, and the effect is equally strong upon people of all ages and all ethnicities. Pepsi instills all the freshness and energy in the person who drinks it that he/she needs to rock. The performers have been purposely dwarfed in the commercial. This variation in size not only adds a lot of drama in the commercial, but also suggests that those who drink Pepsi are taken by its joy into an imaginary world of happiness and joy where they can sing and dance and party wherever they want. Nothing could be more appropriate to end the commercial with than the wink of the girl that has been the center of attention throughout the commercial. Ever since the conception of Pepsi around the start of the 20th century, one of its primary goals has been outselling Coca-Cola because it is Pepsi’s main competitor. Pepsi has been using commercials to promote its product for decades. Pepsi has run numerous campaigns, including famous celebrities in many of them to make a claim. The fundamental ideology behind this has been that ordinary people should drink Pepsi because stars and celebrities drink it. For instance, the â€Å"Joy of Cola† campaign of Pepsi run in the late 90’s, Pepsi used a combination of factors including catchy jingles, humor, and celebrities to sell itself. The pathos, logos, and ethos used in â€Å"Joy of Cola† have helped Pepsi bring its consumers in the new millennium. The Pepsi jingle for this campaign was a very suitable jingle for Pepsi because it had the tendency

Soft Powers Relationship With Hard Power

Soft Powers Relationship With Hard Power The decline of U.S. Hard Power perturbed the rabid US nationalists. Hence in response to US declining Hard Power came the concept of Soft Power. Joseph S. Nye first developed the concept of Soft Power in Bound to Lead, a book in reply to Paul Kennedys book The Rise and Fall of great powers In this book Paul Kennedy had announced the decline of US Power. Mr. Nye disputed Kennedys claim that US was in decline. At that time he pointed out that the United States was not only the strongest nation in military and economic terms, but also in a third dimension which he called soft power. He defined Soft Power as the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than through coercion or payments. It arises from the attractiveness of a countrys culture, political ideals and policies. When our policies are seen as legitimate in the eyes of others, our soft power is enhanced.  [i]  The greatest source of power in international affairs today, says Joseph S Nye, Dean of Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and the leading proponent of Soft power, may lie in persuading other nations to see your interests as their interests. Underlying this assertion persuading others that our respective interests are aligned is the fact that we live in a world where countries can no longer live in splendid isolation. Globalization has been the juggernaut propelling interconnectedness and global media the glue that binds people across continents.  [ii]   He went on to say that this power could be cultivated through relations with allies, economic assistance and cultural exchanges. He argued that this would result in a more favourable Public opinion and credibility abroad. Later Joseph S. Nye authored two more books titled Soft Power: The means to success in world politics and Paradox of American power: Why the worlds only super power cant go it alone. Hans Morgenthau has defined power as, Ability of a nation to persuade, influence, force or otherwise induce another nation to take an action or change an objective that the latter would otherwise not prefer to of its own.  [iii]  Power is an ability of an actor to impose its will on others. In this sense three basic conditions are required so that Power can come into existence. First, an actor must have the possibilities/ assets to influence other actors. Quantifiable elements like military and economic possibilities and unquantifiable elements like culture, value system and mode of life constitute the first dimension of Power. Second, the actor having these power elements must be conscious of having them. In other words, the actor must have the will to capitalize on these assets. Thirdly, the other actors in the system must recognize and acknowledge that power. For power to exist, other actors must change their policies in line with the interests of the party that has power. In this sense, power is relational. 5. Historically, actors have been using military and economic Power to force other actors to fall in line with the preferences of power holders. In other words, it forced the other actors to undertake a cost-benefit analysis. It is this cost-benefit analysis which determined the preferences of other actors. An actor preferring to use hard power will frighten, buy or coax the adversary.  [iv]   6. Contrary to Hard Power Soft Power  [v]  is the Power of culture, value system, mode of life. The distinction between Hard and Soft power is made on the basis of the instrument used. But Tarik Oguzlu disputes this basis of categorizing Hard and Soft Power. According to him what makes power Soft is not the nature of means employed but the way those means are employed. Military power is not Hard Power and civilian power is not Soft Power. Military and civilian aspects of power refer to the kinds of means utilized. Hard and Soft dimensions of power refer to the ways military and civilian elements of power are used.  [vi]   7. Joseph S Nye also points out in his article Think Again: Soft Power, that the term Soft Power has been stretched and twisted.  [vii]  The popular understandings of the concept encompass a narrower sense and broader sense. In the narrower sense, soft power is similar to cultural influence. Prominent examples of this view include those of British historian Niall Ferguson and German publicist Josef Joffe. The majority school of thought on soft power in China also subscribes to this narrower sense. In the broader sense, soft power is synonymous with non-military power and includes both cultural power and economic strength. While these popular understandings are misunderstandings, Scholars have argued that much of the confusion and misunderstanding of the concept of soft power is due to its being under-theorized, lack of academic refinement, and analytical fuzziness. 8. Power always depends on context. To describe the context of power in the 21st century, Joseph S. Nye uses the metaphor of a three dimensional chess game: on the top board of the three-dimensional game, the United States is the worlds only superpower, and one is unlikely to see a balance in military power for the next decade or two or perhaps even more. But on the middle board of economic relations between states, there is already a balance of power. The United States can not get a trade agreement or an anti trust solution if the European Union acts collectively, and without that balance and agreement, one cant achieve the desired outcomes. It is a bit anomalous to call international economic relations American Hegemony or empire. But if one goes to the bottom board of transnational relations, problems across borders outside the control of governments, whether its infectious diseases or drug smuggling or terrorism, no one is in charge. Power is chaotically organized or distributed. The only ways to deal with these issues is by cooperation among governments. To call that again American empire or American hegemony or unipolarity makes no sense at all. One is taking a metaphor from the top board and applying it to the bottom board, where it doesnt fit.  [viii]  New Threats are arising from the bottom board of transnational relations. While military power can be of some use occasionally on the bottom board, more often some other forms of power, particularly Soft Power is required. What makes Soft Power? 9. Since soft power is the power to attract, the question, what constitutes soft power? becomes, What generates attraction? To answer this question, we must look for the power currencies that cause attraction. According to Alexander L. Vuving , Associate Professor, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, there are at least three generic power currencies from which both power and its softness are derived. He calls them beauty, brilliance, and benignity. 10. Benignity is an aspect of the agents relations with others, especially with the client of soft power. It refers to the positive attitudes that you express when you treat people, especially when you treat the client. Benignity as a power currency works on the tendency of reciprocal altruism that exists in most, if not all, organisms. Among humans, it generates soft power through the production of gratitude and sympathy. 11. Brilliance is an aspect of the agents relations with its work. It refers to the high performance that you accomplish when you do things. In international relations, brilliance manifests itself in various forms, for example, a strong and awesome military, a wealthy and vibrant economy, a rich and radiant culture, or a peaceful and well-run society. Brilliance as a power currency works on the tendency of human beings to learn from the successes of others. It generates soft power through the production of admiration, which can lead to imitation, or emulation, and respect, or fear, or reverence. 12. Beauty in world politics is about the resonance that draws actors closer to each other through shared ideals, values, causes, or visions. Opposite values and causes provide a firm ground for regimes to see each other as ugly; and shared values and causes provide a push toward the perception that the other regime is beautiful, which in turn will encourage confidence, friendship, and cooperation. If others perceive you in this role, they will adhere to you and look at you for guidance, example, encouragement, and inspiration. Beauty generates soft power through the production of inspiration.  [ix]   Dialectics of Hard and Soft power 13. Prima facie, there is no direct correlation between Hard Power and soft power. A country may be strong in hard power but yet may be weak in soft power and vice-versa. But nonetheless on closer examination it is found that a country strong in Hard Power is not totally impotent in soft power. Any country strong in Hard Power is always a role model for aspiring power. Hence aspiring powers are attracted to emulate the Soft power of Hard Power holder. This has been the case since antiquity. Since the Roman times till today every aspiring power imitates Romans.  [x]   14. There is a close relationship between the degree of securitization of issues and mode of power used. If the issues of concern were securitised, the tendency to use hard power would increase. The main difference between hard and soft power stems from the kind of Logic of action which governs the behaviour of actors, and not the kind of instruments employed. If the logic of action is instrumental, i.e. if the goal were to force others to make a cost-benefit analysis through coercing or coaxing strategies, then Hard Power occupies the centre-stage. On the other hand, if the goal were to ensure that other actors in the system would automatically follow the lead due to power of attraction, then one could refer to the existence of Soft Power. Whereas the concept of Hard Power assumes a strong emphasis on the agent/actor, the concept of Soft power underlines the significance of perceptions others hold vis-à  -vis the agent / actor.  [xi]   15. Hard and Soft Power sometimes reinforces and sometimes interferes with each other. A country that courts popularity may be reluctant to exercise its hard power as and when the situation demands. But a country that throws its weight around without regard to the effect on its soft power may find others placing obstacles in the way of its hard power. But rarely can a state totally replace one by the other.  [xii]   16. A countrys soft power can affect its hard power. During the Iraq war, the United States wanted to persuade the Turkish Government to send the fourth Infantry Division across Turkey to enter Iraq from the North. But the Turkish government said no, because the United States had by then become so unpopular. Its policies were perceived as so illegitimate that they were not willing to allow this transfer of troops across the country. The net effect was that the Fourth Infantry division had to go down through the canal, up through the Gulf, and arrived late to the war, which made a difference in the number of troops on the ground. Neglect of Soft Power made definite negative effect on hard Power.  [xiii]   17. It has been historically observed that state weak in Hard Power has exercised strong influence on others by its soft power. This has been the case with disintegrated Italys music. Hobsbawm writes  [xiv]   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..Cultural hegemony is not an indicator of imperial power, nor does it depend much on it. If it did, Italy, disunited, powerless and poor, would not have dominated International musical life and art from the fifteenth through the eighteenth centuries. Moreover, where cultural power survives the decline of the power and prestige of the states that one propagated it the Roman Empire, or the French absolute monarchy Advent of Smart Power 18. The term hard power refers to guns and bombs, the military force of a country. Soft power is used to describe other forms of persuasion a country can employ: trade deals, foreign aid, diplomacy, cultural influence and more. Joseph S Nye argues, however, that the most effective leaders are actually those who combine Hard and Soft Power skills in proportions that vary with different situations. He calls this Smart Power.  [xv]   19. Smart power is a term in international relations defined by Joseph Nye as the ability to combine hard and soft power into a winning strategy. According to Chester A. Crocker, Fen Osler Hampson, and Pamela R. Aall, smart power involves the strategic use of diplomacy, persuasion, capacity building, and the projection of power and influence in ways that are cost-effective and have political and social legitimacy essentially the engagement of both military force and all forms of diplomacy.  [xvi]   Myths about Soft Power 20. Soft Power Is Cultural Power According to Joseph S Nye Soft Power is partly Cultural Power. Power is the ability to alter the behavior of others to get what you want. British historian Niall Ferguson described soft power as non-traditional forces such as cultural and commercial good sand. Of course, the fact that a foreigner drinks Coca-Cola or wears a Michael Jordan T-shirt does not in itself mean that America has power over him. This view confuses resources with behavior. Whether power resources produce a favorable outcome depends upon the context. Consider Iran. Western music and videos are anathema to the ruling mullahs, but attractive to many of the younger generation to whom they transmit ideas of freedom and choice. American culture produces soft power among some Iranians, but not others.  [xvii]   21. Economic Strength is Soft Power. Peter Brookes in a recent article refers to soft power options such as economic sanctions. However, he argues that there is nothing soft about sanctions and they are clearly intended to coerce and are thus a form of hard power. Economic strength can be converted into hard or soft power: You can coerce countries with sanctions or woo them with wealth. As Walter Russell Mead has argued, economic power is sticky power; it seduces as much as it compels.  [xviii]  Theres no doubt that a successful economy is an important source of attraction. Sometimes in real-world situations, it is difficult to distinguish what part of an economic relationship is comprised of hard and soft power. European leaders describe other countries desire to accede to the European Union (EU) as a sign of Europes soft power. Turkey today is making changes in its human rights policies and domestic law to adjust to EU standards. 22. Soft Power is Better than Hard Power. Not necessarily. Because soft power has been hyped as an alternative to raw power politics, it is often embraced by ethically minded scholars and policymakers. But soft power is a description, not an ethical prescription. Like any form of power, it can be wielded for good or ill. Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, after all, possessed a great deal of soft power in the eyes of their acolytes. It is not necessarily better to twist minds than to twist arms. 23. Although soft power in the wrong hands can have horrible consequences, it can in some cases offer morally superior means to certain goals. Contrast the consequences of Mohandas Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jrs choice of soft power with Yasir Arafats choice of the gun. Gandhi and King were able to attract moderate majorities over time, and the consequences were impressive both in effectiveness and in ethical terms. Arafats strategy of hard power, by contrast, killed innocent Israelis and drove Israeli moderates into the arms of the hard right. 24. Hard Power can be Measured and Soft Power Cannot. False. In fact, its quite possible to quantify sources of soft power. One can, for example, measure and compare the cultural, communications, and diplomatic resources that might produce soft power for a country. Public opinion polls can quantify changes in a countrys attractiveness over time. Nor is hard power as easy to quantify. The apparent precision of the measurement of hard power resources is often spurious and might be called the concrete fallacy. Some people act as though the only resources that can change behavior are those that can be dropped on your foot or on a city. But that is a mistake. The United States had far more measurable military resources than North Vietnam, but it nonetheless lost the Vietnam War. Whether soft power produces behavior that we want will depend on the context and the skills with which the resources are converted into outcomes.  [xix]   25. Some Goals can only be Achieved by Hard Power. Soft Power is not the solution to all problems. For example, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Ils penchant for Hollywood movies is unlikely to affect his decision on developing nuclear weapons. Hard power just might dissuade him, particularly if China agreed to economic sanctions. Nor will soft power be sufficient to stop the Iranian nuclear program, though the legitimacy of the administrations current multilateral approach may help to recruit other countries to a coalition that isolates Iran. And soft power got nowhere in attracting the Taliban government away from its support for Al Qaeda in the 1990s.It took American military might to do that. But other goals, such as the promotion of democracy and human rights are better achieved by soft power. Coercive democratization has its limits as the United State found out in Iraq. 26. Military Resources Produce Only Hard Power. Military force appears to be a defining resource for hard Power, but the same resource can sometimes contribute to Soft Power. Dictators like Hitler and Stalin cultivated myths of invincibility and inevitability to structure expectations and attract others to join their bandwagon. As Osama bin Laden has said, people are attracted to a strong horse rather than a weak horse. A well run military can be a source of attraction, and military to military cooperation and training programs, for example, can establish transnational networks that enhance a countrys Soft Power. Of course, misuse of military resources can also undercut Soft Power. Brutality and indifference to just war principles of discrimination and proportionality can also destroy legitimacy. The efficiency of the initial American military invasion of Iraq in 2003 created admiration in the eyes of some foreigners, but that Soft Power was undercut by the subsequent inefficiency of the occupation and the scenes of mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib.  [xx]   27. Soft Power Is Difficult to Use. Governments can control and change foreign policies. They can spend money on public diplomacy, broadcasting and exchange programs. They can promote, but not control popular culture. In that sense, one of the key resources that produce soft power is produced by civil society largely independent of government control. from Hollywood to Harvard.  [xxi]   28. Soft Power is irrelevant to the current terrorist threat. False. There is very little likelihood that we can ever attract people like Mohammed Atta or Osama bin Laden. We need hard power to deal with such hard cases. But the current terrorist threat is not Samuel Huntingtons clash of civilizations. It is a civil war between a majority of moderates and a small minority who want to coerce others into their simplified and ideologized version of their religion. We cannot win unless the moderates win. We cannot win unless the number of people the extremists are recruiting is lower than the number we are killing and deterring. That equation is hard to balance without Soft power. We cannot win hearts and minds without it. Soft power is more relevant than ever.

Jean Watson’s Theory

As a nurse establishing a caring relationship with a client is not easy. Jean Watson was the developer of a theory, which emphasizes how nurses express care to their patients. In this paper the author will discuss Jean Watson’s theory, background, descriptions of her four concepts; environment, human being, nursing, and health, also describe of an actual nurse-client relationship which includes the description of the caring moment between a nurse and her 10 year old patient, which includes the caring moment and use of four of Watson’s carative factors. Jean Watson was born in a small town Appalachia Mountains of West Virginia on 1940. In 1961 she graduated from The Lewis Gale School of nursing. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1964, and her master’s degree in psychiatric and mental health nursing in 1966. Later in 1973 she obtained her PhD in educational psychology and counseling (Nursing Theory, 2012). Watson’s theory is grounded by ten processes known as the â€Å"Caritas Processes† these 10 statements helped to provide and ethic or philosophy from, which we practice. Caritas represent charity, compassion, and generosity of spirit (Arslam & Azkan, 2012). It connotes something very fine, indeed, something precious that needs to be cultivated and sustained. The original theory developed in 1979 was organized around ten carative factors (Arslam & Azkan, 2012). Jean Watson’s carative factors were a combination of interventions that were related to the human care process with full participation of the nurses with the patient. Watson’s philosophy and sciences of caring addresses how nurses express care to their patients. According to her theory, caring can be demonstrated and practiced by nurses. Caring for patients promotes growth; a caring environment accepts a person as he or she is and looks to what she or he may become (Watson Caring Science Institute, 2012). Watsons’s theory of caring has for major factors; human being, health, environment, and nursing (Nursing Theory, 2012). To Watson a human being was not only a body, but we should view a human as a whole, including their emotions (Arslam & Azkan, 2012). Watson believed a person should be understood, respected, and assisted by a nurse (Arslam & Azkan, 2012). She described health as the unity of the body, mind, and soul (Watson Caring Science Institute, 2012). Watson described environment as the things that make the client feel comfortable that provides safety, reduces stress, and a clean place (Nursing Theory, 2012). This can include the work setting and how nurses present themselves to the client. She views nursing as a human science where we can combine art ethics of human to human process. Nurses are to promote health, prevent illness, caring of the sick and returned health (Arslam & Azkan, 2012). According to Watson, the nurse’s role is to establish a caring relationship with the patient; this is achieved by the nurse going beyond an objective assessment (Watson Caring Science Institute, 2012). During the relationship there is a moment when the nurse and the patient come together in such a way that an occasion for human caring is created, Watson called this occasion the â€Å"Caring Moment† (Arslam & Azkan, 2012). Working as a mental health nurse I have been able to develop a nurse-client relationship with my patients. However, there is a specific case that I will never forget the interaction with this patient makes me relate to Watson’s theory and the caring moment she describes in her theory. One evening working as a charge nurse in the children’s unit, â€Å"Sarah† a 10 year-old African American girl arrived to the unit via ambulance; she was coming directly from school where she was put on a 72- hour involuntary psychiatric hold because of her cutting her wrist with a blade and saying she wanted to die. That day, her two years older sister had reported to her physical education teacher in school that her and her sister were both been sexually abused by their biological father at home. Immediately child services were notified and many school counselors attempted to talk to Sarah while still in school to get her side of the story but Sarah refused to share any information with anyone, instead she showed the school staff herself inflicted cuts on her both wrists saying â€Å"This helps my pain. † At this moment the school called the department of mental health to evaluate Sarah. When she arrived to the unit, she looked confused, scared, and tearful at times. She was still refusing to talk to anyone when asked about the situation stating â€Å"I just want to die. I introduced myself to Sarah with a smile, I explained to her she was put on a psychiatric hold and let her know what was coming next during the admission process to reduce her anxiety level (Townsend, 2008). The caring moment begins while doing Sarah’s nursing assessment and the question of her been sexually abuse had to come, when I asked her she states, â€Å"You are so pretty and nice can I stay and live here with you? In that moment my heart comes to my stomach and my eyes become watery, I stayed quite not knowing what to answer. Few seconds of silence came and suddenly she starts sharing information and even giving details of her sexual abuse from her father’s part. The information she gives me is very explicit and shocking coming from an innocent ten year old girl. Then she sta nds up and hugs me saying â€Å"I want to stay her with you please. † I hugged her back and began crying inconsolable with Sarah, unforgettable, and priceless moment has marked my nursing career in a way that I know a nurse has to be sensitive to herself and to others. During nurse- client interaction with Sarah I used four of Jean Watson’s carative factors. The fist carative factor I used was the installation of faith-hope, which means been authentically present, and enabling and sustaining the deep belief system (Arslam & Azkan, 2012). I tried to make Sarah feel comfortable by providing a quiet and calm place to perform her nursing assessment. I also tried to provide hope to her by making her feel cared for, I asked her if she was hungry and offered her some juice and some snacks, and I admired the beautiful hair and smile. I asked her about her relationship with her mother and sister and asked her if she believed they loved her. I asked her these questions so she can reflect and realized there was people that loved and cared for her (Townsend, 2008). The second carative factor I implemented was the development of a helping-trusting human caring relationship that implies developing and sustaining a helping-trusting authentic relationship (Watson Caring Science Institute, 2012). I implemented this factor by obtaining Sarah’s trust so she can express her feelings of her living situation at home which was extremely important to understand her situation and provide quality care and an individualized treatment. I maintain intermittent eye contact so she would feel acknowledge but not intimidated and I maintained myself at her height level at all times so she would not feel powerless (Townsend, 2008). I explained to her the admission process at her age level letting her know as much as possible what to expect from the hospitalization and explain the program guidelines to her. I reassured her many times she was in a safe environment. The third carative factor I used was the promotion and acceptance of the expression of positive and negative feelings, to Watson this means being present to, and supportive of the expression of positive and negative feelings as a connection with deeper spirit of self and the one being cared for (Watson Caring Science Institute, 2012). Sarah’s case was a very sensitive case which required the nurse to be very cautious in not making Sarah feel blame or judge for the situation, taking into consideration this a 10 year old with multiple self inflicted cuts in her wrist, she is feeling suicidal and there was a possibility of emotional and physical trauma. Even though it was extremely important to ask Sarah about her cuts and possible abused from her father I decided to focus on her positive feelings asking her about her siblings for example. Per hospital protocol within the first 15 minutes of arrival patients are required to go through a body search to check for any contraband, signs of abuse or self harm. During this physical assessment I saw Sarah’s cuts, I had to ask her if she had cut herself and looking down she shake her head up and down. I stayed calm paying attention to my body language and gestures, a negative facial expression or gesture toward her behavior of cutting herself could have had a negative effect on the nurse-client relationship affecting her trust toward myself (Townsend, 2008). In that moment I decided not to focus on finding out the reason she had to cut herself. I was there for Sarah listening to her, attentive in a calm environment, where she felt protected and cared for. I did not want her to feel pressured or judge. Later during the assessment she began speaking of her cuts and expressing her feelings. The fourth carative factor I used in Sarah’s care, which is the cultivation of sensitivity to oneself and to others. To Watson this meant the cultivation of one’s spiritual practices and transpersonal self, going beyond ego self (Watson Caring Science Institute, 2012). I personally been a mother of a seven-year old at that time I immediately felt that need to protect her and make her feel safe. During the nursing assessment there was a moment where I became tearful when she was sharing details about the sexual abuse describing how sometimes she would rather urinate in her bed to avoid making noise so her father would not wake up and abused her that particular night. I became sensitive to her story, it was impossible not to show any emotions. In personal reflection the nurse-client relationship with Sarah taught me that a nurse needs to cared for her patient and have compassion, which to me is what nursing is about compassion, and empathy. I was able to obtain Sarah’s trust which is extremely important not only in nursing over all but when dealing with trauma patients. Sarah was able to express her feelings and share crucial information with me. Personally I discovered I was meant to be a mental health nurse I felt rewarded when Sarah hugged me and cried with me. I believed I made a difference in her life in that moment she felt safe and cared for. The author in this paper has described the four concepts of Jean Watson’s theory human being, environment, health, and nursing. Watson’s educational background and caritas model were briefly described. The author included an actual nurse-client relationship between a mental health nurse and a ten year old, including the caring moment and describing the implementation of four of the ten carative factors Jean Watson developed. References Arslam, A., & Azkan, A. (2012, March). A model Where Caring and Healing Meets:Watson's theory of Human Caring. Turkish Journal of Researcher and development in nursing, 14(2), 61-72. Nursing Theory. (2012). Jean Watson. Retrieved from http://www.nursing-theory.org Townsend, M. (2008). Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing (6th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A Davi. Watson Caring Science Institute. (2012). Jean Watson's Theory. Retrieved from http://www.watsoncaringscience.org

The Caretaker View Of Children s Rights - 2733 Words

This essay will seek to explain what is meant by the ‘caretaker’ view of children’s rights, after which it’s strengths and weaknesses will be discussed. At first, the ‘caretaker’ thesis will be described and its specific characteristics, such as ‘delayed consent’, will be highlighted. The paper will then move on to discuss the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), which will reveal that despite children being granted the right to participate, under Article 3 of the Convention all of their decisions are still subject to parental determination. Afterwards, the weaknesses of the ‘caretaker’ approach to children’s rights will be contrasted against the framework of the child liberation movement. Most importantly, it will be argued that the protectionist view displays a misinterpretation of biological factors and their correlation with maturity and competency (Godwin, 2011). The new sociology of childhood will be referenced to outline further wrongdoing of the ‘caretaker view’. 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