Modern Political History of Israel and Iran - 1435 Words

Since World War II, religion has played a significant role in the modern political history of Israel and Iran. Both countries are self-defined theological states (Israel as a Jewish state, Iran as an Islamic state). Although the impact of religion changes across time and context, religion has largely defined political identity for both Israel and Iran. Yet, modern states are host to many paradoxes. Religion is important in defining these states, however the workings of each country are not always religious in practice. The State of Israel was founded in 1948 as a Jewish state. At the time of Israel’s founding, Jews made up only 32% of Palestine (Yiftachel, 58). In order to accomplish the goal of creating a Jewish state, it was imperative†¦show more content†¦The issues of marriage and military service exemplify how religion has and continues to affect Israeli political history. Yet like many modern states Israel exhibits many paradoxes. By definition Israel has succee ded in establishing itself as a Jewish state. Judaism has also permeated throughout aspects of culture and politics. However in practice, a large percentage of Israeli citizens are not religiously observant. According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2009, 42% of Jewish Israelis identified as secular. That is in comparison to 8% ultra-Orthodox, 12% religious and 13% religiously observant (Shtull-Trauring, 2010). While a significant portion of Israeli citizens view Judaism as being important to their lives, the 42% of Israelis that identified as being secular indicates that although in definition Israel is a Jewish state, in practice religion is not important for many Israelis. The other self-defined theological Middle-Eastern state is the Islamic Republic of Iran. Since 1979, religion has played a major role in Iranian political history. When the revolution succeeded in 1979, despite it being a combined effort between religious and secular democratic factions, it was widely recognized that Shia Islam had been necessary to the success of the revolution (Majd, 6). As Majd says, â€Å"When†¦countless Iranians†¦voted in the yes-or-no ballot following the Shah’s downfall, we overwhelmingly chose an Islamic Republic. IslamShow MoreRelatedReligion And Politics : The Middle East Essay1007 Words   |  5 Pagespolitics, in part because political struggles have for centuries been understood as religious conflicts and in part because of the intimate ties of the three Abrahamic faiths in the region. The middle east is the birthplace of the world’s three Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The fact that religion and politics have a long history in the Middle East does not mean that religion is always, or even most of the time, a crucial factor driving political conflicts. Most of the politicsRead MoreCauses of Unrest in the Middle East Essay1145 Words   |  5 PagesThe Causes of Unrest in the Middle East The causes of unrest in the Middle East are historical, religious, economic and geo-political. Ancient history and ancient civilizations can serve as a framework for understanding some of the existing enmity. For example, the Persians (Iranians) and the Babylonians (Iraqis) have been fighting for more than 3,000 years. However, the current unrest in the Middle East is the result of Western ethno-centrism and colonialism (covert and overt), combined withRead MoreThe Iranian Hostage Crisis Of 19791667 Words   |  7 Pageswith the seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran by Khomeini-supporting Islamist students, who took 66 Americans hostage. 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Through research, I was able to analyze history and diplomatic relationsRead MoreThe, The Party For God Essay1556 Words   |  7 PagesHezbollah To some Hezbollah, the â€Å"Party for God†, is a political group fighting for nationalism and to others, particularly western cultures; Hezbollah is a very dangerous terrorist organization. Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim group based in Iran and Southern Lebanon. They have an extensive network that crosses international borders and consists of everything from schools and hospitals to a television station. Hezbollah was formed following the 1979 Iranian Revolution. In the early ‘80s, there wereRead MoreThe Dual Legacies Of Discrimination Against Ethnic Minorities And The Country s Uneven Economic Development1301 Words   |  6 Pagesmovement. The dual legacies of discrimination against ethnic minorities and the country’s uneven economic development have created strong support in non-Persian areas for political reform. 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Many countries even today refuse to see legitimacy of the nation of IsraelRead MoreThe Oil Embargo of 1972-19731247 Words   |  5 Pagesthough both events have an unquestioned place within the regions politics and history, they will not be part of this papers analytic structure. In lieu of that, it will talk about the 1973-1974 oil embargo and determine which theory could provide an explanation to such a move. This paper will elaborate on the previous embargoes used in the regions recent history, before thoroughly examine the 1973 embargo. Regional history (1956-1973) 1956  : Suez crisis and Iranian oil nationalization 1956 markedRead MoreThe Middle East: A Brief Overview Essay1116 Words   |  5 Pagesnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Middle East is a region in Southwest Asia that includes the countries of Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, U.A.E., Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus, Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan. The aspects that make up all that is geography in the Middle East include physical geography, economic geography, religion, and human history. The Middle East is known for its physical geography, being the largest area of dry climate in the world. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Southwest AsiaRead MorePolitical Tensions Between The Islamic 30 Years War1637 Words   |  7 PagesAs they struggle to understand the different dimensions of the geo-political tensions between the Islamic republic of Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia- a rivalry that has some sectarian elements to it, western security experts often resort to use of such terms like â€Å"Islam’s ancient blood feud† and the â€Å"Islamic 30 years’ war†. Useful though those terms may be and understandable as they are when the Middle East is viewed with a western lense, they fail to accurately capture the ground reality. The shiat

Hensoldt Swot Analysis - 1688 Words

Hensoldt (previously named Airbus) is an international optronic engineering company (situated in Centurion, Pretoria) that specialises primarily in the design and manufacturing of sensors and optics for military use. There are three key focus areas in the company namely (i) land, (ii) air and (iii) sea. The company is in cooperation with Denel, however other external companies make use of the specialised engineering services offered by Hensoldt. Mechanical engineers at the company often design functional mechanisms, structural housings and mountings for optics that are attached to the military equipment. These engineers make use of ANSYS for Finite Element Modelling and Computational Fluid Dynamics and Creo (newer version of ProE) as†¦show more content†¦Gerhard Booysen, a former lecturer at the University of Pretoria. All new employees are also exposed to the health and safety rules of the company. The information is shown in an hour-long presentation where the evacuation procedures are discussed and the hazards associated with the company is noted. There were essentially three key hazards namely (i) acetone leakages may occur which is nearly undetectable, (ii) the lasers used by the company is detrimental to eyesight and lastly (iii) the assembly tower for the periscopes is extremely high and strict rules apply when in the vicinity of the tower. Task Description The engineering student was tasked at completing small tasks each of which are documented and reported to Mr. Booysen. During the two weeks of training three large tasks were assigned to the student namely (i) the shock loading analysis of a transport jig, (ii) the tolerance analysis of a clutch regulator and lastly (iii) the modelling of a tensioner and sleeve on Creo. The engineer was also trained on other aspects such as Finite Element Modelling. Shock Loading of a Transport Jig Problem Description A Single Degree of Freedom System is used to approximate the duration of a shock load on a Transport Jig when released from a certain height above ground. There are 6 flexible tubular elements that act as spring elements in the module. The analysis only

Early Intervention in Childrens Services free essay sample

Analyse why there is a policy emphasis on Early Intervention in childrens services. What are the implications of this for different types of services for children, young people and families? This essay will begin by explaining what social policy is, briefly identifying the history behind it. In order to demonstrate why there is a policy emphasis on Early Intervention, there will be a focus on the underpinning values and assumptions of the different political parties, whilst analysing factors that influence social policy such as media influence, social constructions of children, young people and families, government spending and evidence based research. The implications of this on different types of services will be examined by identifying the impact of early intervention on priority funding, restructuring and retraining workforces and stigmatisation. Also different government priorities and varying implications on the same service provisions across the UK will be considered, as well as the effects of labelling and exclusion resulting from early intervention. Finally the diversity of childrens experiences will be discussed. Social policy deals with social issues, through local and national government guidelines, principles and legislation. Therefore politics influences social policy, which determines the services of our welfare state. The post-war 1942 Beveridge Report was significant in developing social policy in the UK with the introduction of health reforms based on universality and the ideology of a social democratic welfare state. Fundamentally the state took responsibility for the welfare of children and families. Conservatives were in power from 1979-1997, during which they sought to change public reliance on the state through encouraging them to take more responsibility for their own welfare, by reducing the provision of state services. When Labour came in to power in 1997, they attempted to find a balance between state and market provision. At the end of power in 2010, New Labour left a legacy in a major development of social policy, that being Early Intervention in childrens services. There is a policy emphasis on early intervention in childrens services due to underpinning government values which affect how resources are distributed and who in society is deemed to need these resources. New Labours value in the child as citizen-worker-of-the-future (Lister,2003) influenced their social policies, which prioritised early intervention as a more preventative, long term solution to social problems such as crime, unemployment and poverty. For example, the introduction of the Green Paper, Every Child Matters(ECM), an initiative formed to improve childrens lives, shaping the EYFS curriculum to ensure every childs right to grow up safe; healthy; enjoying and achieving; making a positive contribution; and with economic well-being'(DfES,2008). This portrays how social policy contributes to shaping childrens lives and why there is an emphasis on early intervention, for example, the need for children and families to understand the value of education in the wider world will be advantageous to their development and future. As highlighted in MP Graham Allens (2011) Early Intervention report discussed in Appendix 1, it was believed that such initiatives would establish a healthy social and emotional development in infancy and therefore would break the intergenerational cycle of dysfunction and under-achievement. Department for Work and Pensions,2009 in Appendix1) Therefore it could be said that early intervention policies do not take the wider social structural context into consideration. This indicates how the media is indirectly responsible for shaping social policy, through influencing thoughts about support and services affecting children, young people and families. For example, the introduction of ECM and the Children Act 2004, a legislative base for many reforms, focussed on improving professional support for vulnerable children and those in need. These initiated from the Laming Report (2003), the inquiry after the death of 8 year old Victoria Climbie in 2000, due to debates arising in media discourses.. focussed upon a general criticism of Social Services as a controlling body. (William-ThomasFound,undated in Appendix1) In addition, the media also contribute to the social constructions of children, young people and families by the type of language used, describing youths as hoodies for example, stereotyping and providing exaggerated discourses, such as what is classed as anti-social behaviour. Such ideas and assumptions influence society and governments social policies reflect this. The effects of the mass media is therefore an example of why there is an emphasis on early intervention policies. The importance of child-centred practice in Early Years, multi-agency working and parenting support are clear government values that underpin early intervention policies. Evidence of cross political party support is portrayed through the New Labour Sure Start initiative surviving a change of government. The Sure Start childrens entres programme is an example of effective multi-agency working and parent support, underpinned by the idea that childrens experiences at a young age affect their quality of life and also their future lives. This initiative was launched in 1999 in a belief that such early intervention would tackle inequalities and social exclusion, whilst lifting children out of poverty and promoting social mobility. This supports the theory that every social problem common in developed societies. has a single root cause: inequality. WilsonPickett,2009) For example, by offering core services such as childcare and before/after school clubs, more people could work, providing an income to improve child poverty and social mobility. This would also mean people would require less state benefits, freeing up government spending in this area to put into early intervention for example. Services offered through Sure Start are delivered using evidence-based interventions, for example the Family Nurse Partnership which originated from the U. S. Nurse Family Partnership with proven results in promoting child development and offering parenting support to new parents. (Department for Work and Pensions,2009 in Appendix1) Sure Start itself was evidence-based from the success of the U. S. Head Start programme, driving forward New Labours parenting agenda based on a principle from their 1997 election campaign that what matters is what works (Davies et al,2000). Therefore there is an emphasis on early intervention due to researched evidence that early intervention policies work and have been successful. However the parenting agenda could actually be responsible for contributing to the change in the state from a welfare state to a therapeutic state, therefore it could be said that this policy emphasis on early intervention has prioritised the future of children over their immediate welfare requirements. For example, funding for the universality of Child Trust Funds may have been better spent on more targeted and specialist services for children in need. There are many such implications on different types of services for children, young people and families. For example, some early intervention policies aim to move responsibility for childrens services to education, therefore childrens welfare, family and community issues have essentially become a focus for schools. (Department for Work and Pensions,2009 in Appendix1) However combining care and education involves being able â€Å"to recognise the difference between the world of the family and the world of the classroom† (Evans,2006), but not all educational practitioners are well enough trained to do this. Surely, if Social Services, dedicated to safeguarding and child protection failed on several occasions with cases such as Climbie, Holly and Jessica, and Baby P, then maybe combining care and education could be too complex and therefore less effective. This indicates there could be some disadvantages in the emphasis placed on these policy directions, as there is more pressure on childrens services to implement the new strategies, and follow additional policy guidance and frameworks, whilst undertaking workforce reforms to retrain educational practitioners to be skilled care practitioners too. Department for Work and Pensions,2009 in Appendix1) This inevitably also effects funding available for other services. For example, the Welsh Assembly Play Policy implemented under New Labour government in 2002 to provide a universal service for children to access a broad range of quality freely chosen play opportunities (Play Wales,undated), based on the value of play in childhood and the importance of children in our society. (Welsh Assembly Play Policy, 2002) However in 2010 the Coalition government has frozen grants to 132 councils (Richardson,BBC2010), which indicates that there are other priorities in government spending. Similarly there are also current proposals to close down some Sure Start childrens centres, (BBC,2011) whilst also decreasing the provision of different types of services they offer, more specifically universal services, as Coalition government values suggest that Sure Start services should be more targeted and specialist, therefore available to those that really need them. (The Conservative Party,2010). New Labour failed to do this by wanting it to be non-stigmatising through its universality (Clarke,2006), hence the socially excluded and lone parent families it was aimed at didnt get as involved as they wouldve liked. Therefore an implication of government emphasis on early intervention is the fact that New Labour didnt hit their core constituency, as middle class families took advantage of its universality. However under Coalition government it may now become stigmatised, hence services becoming more prone to not being used, thus ineffective. The implications on the governments emphasis on early intervention is evidently effecting targeted services for youth offenders in Wales. Due to a lack of money to accommodate youth offenders in institutions n Wales, they are isolated by being housed in secure units based in England, for example Ashfield, in Gloucestershire. The Welsh Childrens Commissioner believes this separation from their families adds to the pressure. This suggests that other services, such as Youth Justice, are seen as less worthy than early intervention. For example, Wales was the first country in the UK to appoint a Childrens Commissioner in 2001, with the first one not being appointed in England until Professor Al-Aynsley Green in 2005. Childrens Commissioner for England,2010) Therefore Welsh children and young people have benefited from this universal service of a childrens commissioner, acting in their best interests from the influence of the UNCRC, four years before English children and young people, which also portrays the priorities of government spending in early intervention in different areas of the UK. There is therefore an indication that implications on the same childrens services varies across the UK. For example Parenting Orders, a New Labour initiative introduced in 1998, targeted at youth offenders and their parents to offer support by first attending court. However in Scotland this never materialised, as local authorities found it to be punishing, therefore ill-suited to welfare reform. Other implications on targeted services such as Parenting Orders, resulted in parents feeling labelled as a bad parent, having poor parenting skills and therefore it made little impact on their relationships with their families, nor on their childs level of offending. Targeted services also tend to include and exclude certain members of society. For example, Parenting Orders tend to be issued to mothers, lone parents and those most socially and economically disadvantaged. Just as Sure Start initiatives provide services more tailored around mothers, for example breast-feeding sessions and therefore fathers feel excluded as the childrens centres are womens places (NESS,undated). Therefore government emphasis on early interventions, although proposed to be advantageous, are not always beneficial to those children, young people and families that they are aimed at and doesnt always reach all children either. It is therefore important to consider the diversity of childrens experiences too, as not all children experience services the same. For example, early intervention was thought as a solution to give all children a good start in life, but there are children in society who through disability, ethnicity or culture for example may experience early intervention differently. Such as gypsies and travellers, whose culture fears outsiders of their own communities, hence there is a resistance to accessing the early intervention services available to them. Therefore early intervention policies are not always meeting aims to access those who need it most and maybe concerns of discrimination and awareness of diversity should be more significantly addressed within social policies, in order to make them more effective, thus services more accessible to all. However, on the other hand the government has recognised this and proposes to do more. For example, there are plans to improve outcomes for disabled children through three priority areas; empowerment, responsive services and timely support, and improving quality and capacity. Department for Education,2010 in Appendix1) Not only will more specialist services such as the Transition Support Programme be implemented, but the government also want disabled children to be able to benefit from universal services, by improving the benchmarking of early intervention practices. Therefore the implications of government emphasis on early intervention is increasingly considering the diversity of childrens experiences and therefore a more effective and efficient provision of policy, practice and services to address inequalities and promote childrens rights. Department for Education,2010 in Appendix1) In light of this analysis, it is evident that government emphasis on early intervention is underpinned by ideas and values that are shaped by various influences in society, the discourses of which are portrayed in social policy. Although political parties share some of the same values, their manifestos are produced with differing ideas on how best to implement early intervention and often with conflicting priorities surrounding the types of services which should most benefit children, young people and families.

Revenge In Hamlet Essays - Characters In Hamlet,

Revenge In Hamlet Revenge. Revenge causes one to act blindly through anger, rather than through reason. It is based on the principle of an eye for an eye, but this principle is not always an intelligent theory to live by. Young Fortinbras, Laertes, and Hamlet were all looking to avenge the deaths of their fathers. They all acted on emotion, and this led to the downfall of two, and the rise to power of one. Since the Heads of the three major families were each murdered, the eldest sons of these families swore vengeance, and two of the three sons died while exacting their acts of vengeance, revenge is a major theme in the Tragedy of Hamlet. There were three major families in the Tragedy of Hamlet. These were the family of King Fortinbras, the family of Polonius, and the family of King Hamlet. The heads of each of these families are all slaughtered within the play. Fortinbras, King of Norway, was killed by King Hamlet; slain by sword during a man to man battle. "?our valiant Hamlet-for so this side of our known world esteem'd him-did slay this Fortinbras." This entitled King Hamlet to the land that was possessed by Fortinbras because it was written in a seal'd compact. Polonius was an advisor to the King, and father to Laertes and Ophelia. He was nosy and arrogant, and he did not trust his children. He was killed by Young Hamlet while he was eves dropping on a conversation between Hamlet and his mother. "How now! A rat? Dead, for a ducat, dead!" King Hamlet was the King of Denmark, and Hamlet's father. He had killed King Fortinbras, only to be killed by his brother, Claudius. "?My offense is rank, it smells to heaven; A brother's murder?" Each of these events effected the sons of the deceased in the same way, it enraged them. Every one of the three eldest sons had one thing in common, they all wanted revenge for a slaughtered father. In the time in which this play is set, avenging the murder of a father was part of one's honor, and had to be done. All of the three sons swore vengeance, and then acted towards getting revenge for the deaths of their fathers. Young Fortinbras was deeply enraged by the death of his father, and he wanted revenge against Denmark because of this occurrence. Fortinbras wanted to, by force, regain the lands that had been lost by his father to Denmark. "?Now sir, young Fortinbras?as it doth well appear unto our state-but to recover of us, by strong hand and terms compulsative, those foresaid lands so by his father lost?" Claudius sends messengers to talk to Fortinbras' uncle, the new King of Norway. He forbid Fortinbras to attack Denmark, and instead convinced him to attack the Poles to vent his anger. "?His nephew's levies, which to him appear'd to be a preparation 'gainst the Polack; But better look'd into, he truly found it was against your highness?On Fortinbras; which he, in brief, obeys, receives rebuke from Norway, and, in fine, makes vow before his uncle never more to give the assay of arms against your majesty." Laertes found out about his father's death, and immediately returned home. He confronted the King and accused him of the murder of his father. Claudius told Laertes that Hamlet was responsible for his father's death. He then decides to kill Hamlet to avenge the death of his father. He and Claudius concoct a plot to kill Hamlet. Hamlet dies of wounds from the poisoned tipped sword Laertes used. "?Hamlet, thou art slain?The treacherous instrument is in thy, unbated and envenom'd?" Hamlet was deeply sorrowed by his father's death. He spoke to a ghost, and this ghost stated that his father's death was a murder, by the hand of his uncle, Claudius. "The serpent that did sting thy father's life now wears his crown." Hamlet was astonished, and then swore vengeance for his father's death. He then proceeded to try and prove his uncle's guilt, and then finally kills him while he himself is dying of poisoned wounds inflicted by Laertes during their duel. "The point envenomed too! Then venom, to thy work?Here, thou incestuous, murderous,