The Invasion Of Kuwait By Iraq Politics Essay

The Invasion Of Kuwait By Iraq Politics Essay There are many reasons behind Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Some of the most basic causes thought to be behind this invasion is: Iraq had always considered Kuwait as a natural part of Iraq which was carved out of it due to British imperialism. After signing the  Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913, the  United Kingdom  split Kuwait from the Ottoman territories into a separate  sheikhdom. Iraqi government also argued that the Kuwaiti Emir was very unpopular among the people of Kuwait. Hence they claimed themselves to be the liberators of the Kuwaiti people, providing them with greater economic and political freedom by overthrowing the Emir. After the Iran-Iraq War, the economy of Iraq  was struggling to recover. Civil and military debt of Iraq had crossed its state budget. Most of its ports had been destroyed in the war, oil fields had already been  mined, and traditional oil customers had been lost. In spite of having a total land area of just 1/25th of Iraq, Kuwaits coastline was twice as long as Iraqs and its ports were some of the busiest in the Persian Gulf region. The Iraqi government concluded that by seizing Kuwait, it would be able to solve most of its financial problems of Iraq consolidate its regional authority.   Also, it is thought that with Saddam Husseins attempted invasion of Iran defeated, he sought easier conquests against his weak southern neighbors. Kuwait because of its relatively small size was seen as an easy target by the Iraqi government. Kuwait had heavily funded the 8-year-long  Iraqi-Iran war. By the time the war had ended, Iraq was not in a financial position to repay the $14 billion it had borrowed from Kuwait to finance its war.  Iraqs point of view that the war had prevented the rise of  Iranian  influence in the  Arab World did not go down well with the Kuwait regime. Therefore Kuwait was reluctant to pardon the debt. It created strains in the relationship between the two Arab countries. During late 1989, several official meetings were held between the Kuwaiti and Iraqi leaders but they were unable to break the deadlock between the two and reach to a mutual agreement regarding the repaying of the debt by Iran. According to reports, Iraq tried to repay its debts by raising the prices of oil through  OPECs oil production cuts. However, Kuwait, a member of the OPEC, prevented a global increase in petroleum prices by increasing its own petroleum production, thus lowering the price and preventing recove ry of the war-crippled Iraqi economy.  This was seen by many in Iraq as an act of aggression, further distancing the countries. The collapse in oil prices had a catastrophic impact on the Iraqi economy. According to former Iraqi Foreign Minister  Tariq Aziz, every US$1 drop in the price of a barrel of oil caused a US$1 billion drop in Iraqs annual revenues triggering an acute financial crisis in Baghdad.  It has been estimated that Iraq lost around US$14 billion a year due to Kuwaits oil price strategy. It created a further ridge in the relations between the Iraqi and Kuwaiti governments. Iraq accused Kuwait of stealing Iraqi oil through  slant drilling, however some Iraqi sources indicated  Saddam Husseins decision to attack Kuwait was made only a few months before the actual invasion  suggesting that the regime was under feelings of severe time pressure. The  rich deposits of oil lined the ill-defined border of Iraq and Kuwait. Iraq constantly claimed that Kuwaiti oil rigs were illegally tapping into Iraqi oil fields. The problem was aggravated by the fact that the Middle Eastern deserts make border delineation difficult and this has caused many conflicts in the region. Kuwait and many other Arab nations had supported Iraq against the Islamic Revolutionary government of Iran during the Iran-Iraq war, fearing that Saddams defeat would inspire an Iranian revolution throughout the Arab world. Following the end of the war, relations between Iraq and Kuwait deteriorated; with a lack of gratitude shown from the Baghdad government towards the Arab nations for their help in the war. Options that could have been adopted to stop the war The conflict resolution approach attributes escalation primarily to the failure of communication between the U.S. and Iraqi governments. The U.S. should have made its own views clearer in the condition that Iraq declared war on Kuwait. Right up to the point of war America kept its stand unclear as to what action it would take in an event of war. Saddam was motivated by this fact and decided to invade Kuwait. The balance of power among the adversaries is also an important factor. Kuwait would have been empowered by improving its relations with potential ally Jordan. It would have helped Kuwait to defend itself better against Iraq and probably would have acted as a deterrent for the Iraqi attack on Kuwait. The Arab countries could have acted as intermediate and helped the two countries to reach a mutual decision. The disinterest shown by the Arabs in the earlier stages of the conflict encouraged Saddam to go ahead with the planned invasion. Even after the invasion of Kuwait there was a strong opinion in the intelligence community, as well as the Middle Eastern community, that the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam should be handled in an Arab context, not by Western powers. A proposal was quickly put forward by the Saudis that could have produced a peaceful withdrawal of Saddams forces from Kuwait. The proposal was for Kuwait to allow Iraq to remove two Kuwaiti islands that were blocking the entrance to Iraqs seaport. The islands were barren islands that were owned by Kuwait; they did nothing for Kuwait and they blocked the precious little access that Iraq had to the sea. The proposal was seen as a face saving measure for Saddam that would allow him to withdraw from Kuwait and still declare a victory. At the same time the action would have provided assistance to the Iraqi economy. But the American government rejected the proposal as it justifiably wanted Iraq to gain nothing from the conflict. The war and its consequences On August 2 Iraq went ahead with plan of invasion of Kuwait with four of its elite Iraqi Republican Guard Divisions. Commandos were deployed by helicopters and boats to attack the Kuwait City. In support of these divisions a squadron of   Mil Mi-25  helicopter gunships, several units of  Mi-8  and  Mi-17  transport helicopters, as well as a squadron of  Bell 412  helicopters were deployed. Kuwait was caught unaware by the invasion and did have its forces on alert. Kuwaiti forces tried to resist but they were vastly outnumbered. The Emir of Kuwait, Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-shahfled into the Saudi desert. After a decisive victory of his troops Saddam installed Alaa Hussein Ali as the Prime Minister of Kuwait. The Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait was unanimously condemned by all major  world powers. Even countries traditionally considered to be close Iraqi allies, such as  France  and  India, called for immediate withdrawal of all Iraqi forces from Kuwait. States had issued an ultimatum to Iraq to withdraw its forces from Kuwait by January 15, 1991 or face war. After series of failed negotiations between major world powers and Iraq, the  United States-led coalition  launched a massive  military assault  on Iraqi forces stationed in Kuwait in mid January 1991. By January 16, the Allied planes were targeting several Iraqi military sites and the Iraqi Air Force was said to be decimated.  Hostilities continued until late February and on February 25, Kuwait was officially liberated from Iraq.  On March 15, 1991, the Emir of Kuwait returned to the country after spending more than 8 months in exile.  During the Iraqi occupation, about 1,000 Kuwaiti civilians were kill ed and more than 300,000 residents fled the country.

Dialectics in Oryx and Crake Essay

Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake, is about an anti-utopian society that chronicles the collapse of civilization and corrupt medical practice. The town’s morals are highly questionable, in that the majority of the citizens approve of gene splicing, transgenic animals, like mixing a dog’s genetic code with a wolf, and transplanting animal organs in human beings. The book poses a question of what is truly ethical in medical practice? This story has an immediate correlation to the island of Dr.  Moreau, by H. G. Wells, in which a mad scientist creates a dysfunctional society of genetically spliced transgenic animals as well. Like The Island of Dr. Moreau, Margaret Atwood relies on dialectical elements. Dialectic is a classical philosophy originated by the Greeks that depended on the furthering of society through thesis and antithesis. In modern day it has developed between most scholastics as a fine art of persuasion. It is ever present in Oryx and Crake through the dialectics produced through Crake’s insanity. His main dialectical argument is that society has become morally bankrupt and is due for a change and Crake claims intellectual right over all of man kind. His views are presented as deliriously radical, but there is irony in the fact that the University that Crake attends is named Asperger’s U. A term used to describe people who are usually extremely intelligent and often very eccentric, it be could argued that Atwood hints to imply Crake may be the correct one after all, and that the rest of society is wrong. This virtually tyrannical takeover of both the world and the lives of Oryx and Snowman are done entirely through aggressive persuasion. In the formation of Crake, Atwood creates an insanely ranting lunatic, with whom in the end the reader has no choice but to sympathize. The dialectic argument that is posed here is that the dye is cast. Atwood, acknowledges that our society’s morals tread a fine line from damnation, and she writes a novel that puts us one step over that line. The reader has no choice but to sympathize with Crakes’ actions because he is a product of an unbearable world, not too distant from our own. The novel itself, poses a persuasive argument to the reader, in that all of the occurrences in the plot are rationally plausible. There are scenes in the novel where the two men, Crake and Snowman, are attending college together and enjoying their favorite pastimes. These hobbies include, watching nudie news, live executions, and child pornography. In the beginning moments of the lives of the two main characters, the reader views a demoralized world, in which it appears even the plot’s hero is desensitized to the plight of his society. The ironic and reasonable argument posed is that all of these things they are doing, we can do today in our society. At the same time, child pornography, nude news, and live executions online are all either frowned upon and remotely new to our society. Atwood presents the enjoyment of these practices like they are common occurrences. The same goes for gene splicing. It is widely debated as an immoral and illegal act, but it is reasonable enough to think that with the passing of time eventually a law can be passed to legalize both gene splicing and child pornography. This would inadvertently make the use and distribution of these practice more heavily abundant in society and change the moral makeup of the people as a whole. A third persuasive argument the novel poses, and this is more from a perspective of female empowerment, is the idea of polyandry. It is historically a man’s fantasy and an empowering element for the man, while degrading to the woman, for a man to have two wives. Atwood poses the exact opposing scenario in this novel. On one end the idea of polyandry is implied through the relationships both Snowman and Crake have with Oryx. It is directly inferred to in that the Crakers only breed when they are polyandrous. This like most of the novel is a play on societal norms. Underlying in the dialectic argument of the novel are societal implications. For example, by Atwood calling Crakes’ creations the Crakers, she creates an implied connection on words to the Quakers, who are known for starting their own Christian new world. Crake also embodies the values of real time corporations, in that he creates a medical demand for his products through unleashing a virus. His behavior can only be expected by his inherent capabilities and by him being the product of a moral-less society. Atwood’s novel is also fueled by human nature, the horrific experiences the characters go through and their apathetic reactions actually seem believable because they are so human. An example of this is shown in the scene where Crake has just destroyed society as we know it and snowman watches the devastation on the internet, The whole thing seemed like a movie†¦The worst of it was that those people out there – the fear, the suffering, the wholesale death – did not really touch him (Atwood, 2004). It is ironic that Atwood makes a reference to the end of society being like a movie; this exposes snowman’s adolescent and distant nature, as well as makes him appear more human. This also connects back to the live executions witnessed online earlier in the novel. These are examples of Atwood using real time human tendencies to show her characters’ disenfranchisement from society. The actions following this scene consist of snowman leading the Crakers out into the new world in which they find glow-in-the-dark bunnies running rampant. This is another societal implication in that this was the actual result of transgenic Dr. Eduardo Kac, who spliced rabbit and jellyfish DNA in the year 2000. In sum, the dialectic philosophy is present in Margaret Atwood’s novel, Oryx and Crake in that it poses multiple arguments. It supports these arguments through real-time societal implications, believable characters, and a radical thesis carried out by Crake. Atwood’s literary genius is revealed in the fact that, all three of these elements draw sympathy from the reader, and in effect persuade the reader to believe the rationale behind the destruction of their own society.

How Can Teachers Use Rewards And Praise - 1435 Words

When we think of our children at school, we think of a well-managed classroom and an organized teacher who is providing ample opportunities for learning. For the most part classrooms are orderly and well behaved. Teachers recognize the importance of classroom management and a positive relationship with all students to ensure their learning. Although this is easier said than done, one of the most difficult challenges as a teacher is managing student’s behaviors. If one or a number of students demonstrate negative behavior, it can cause an environment of chaos and disrupt learning for all students. How can teachers use rewards and praise in the classroom to help motivate and control student’s behaviors? What tools or strategies can†¦show more content†¦(Cherry, 2005) Watson was a famous psychologist that believed people’s behaviors are developed through conditioning and that our responses to environmental stimuli determine our actions. Other famous behaviorists are B.F. Skinner, known for operant conditioning; and Ivan Pavlov, a Russian Psychologist known for classical conditioning. There are several assumptions associated with behaviorism. These assumptions are the perspectives of a behaviorist. The first assumption is that the person’s environment influences their behavior. Specialists believe that people can be conditioned to behave based on praises and rewards. Another assumption is that learning has not occurred unless you can witness a change in behavior. An important key to behaviorism is that the stimulus and the response from the learner must happen at the same time. It is proven that humans and animals learn in ways that are very similar to each other. Many behaviorists use animals for their experiments believing that the results can help explain learning behavior in humans as well. The behaviors in the classroom are one of the most important aspects of the learning environment. It is important as a t eacher to always remember the main goal in the classroom, academic success. In order to achieve academic success as a teacher has to manage her classroom effectively. If a teacher loses control of the class and has to use instructional time to correct misbehavior, it results

A critical analysis of the sonnet by Sir Thomas Wyatt...

The Renaissance period brought a revival to all forms of the arts, including that of literature. Poetry became a way for writers to display their skill with language as they artistically sculpted the words and lines of their poems. Poetry at this time followed strict forms that gave the structure within which the poet can operate. One such form that became very popular throughout the Renaissance period was the sonnet. This form was very widely used, and two poets who became popular partially for their sonnets are Sir Thomas Wyatt, and Samuel Daniel. Thomas Wyatt was one of the first from England to use the sonnet form. Because of this his sonnets follow the form that was first developed in Italy by the poet Petrarch. Wyatts fourteenth†¦show more content†¦In the second half of the octet Wyatt furthers the metaphor of the ship, as well as builds up the danger and torture of his position. He states that every oar, a thought in readiness. This image produces the idea that his thoughts are coming steadily and readily with the repetitive, constant motion of the oars. Also, as the tone built up to this point is one of agitation and affliction, it can be seen that the oars or the thoughts controlling the direction of the ship (mind) are taking him deeper into these emotions. The next line first brings in the idea of death which helps to add tension to the poem, especially as death is emphasized through the alliteration of the /th/ sound in the phrase As though that death. In this line death is described as being light in this case. This could either connote that death were light as in it is a light matter, not something of big importance, or it could imply the meaning of light as it is used as the opposite of darkness where darkness is used as something bad, and light as something good. The idea of light verses darkness was very popular during this period, and was utilized in all manners of artistic endeavors. In this section of the poem, it is the endless wind found in the ensuing line that is treating death as light in this case as it tears his sail apart. The reference to endless shows just how there is no reprieve from his situation, and by the sail being torn it makes it almost impossible for him to make any