Saturday, January 25, 2020

Is It Possible to Reconstruct a State?

Is It Possible to Reconstruct a State? Definitions: According to Max Weber, â€Å"State is an entity which possesses a delegatable monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force within a given territory.† (Warner, 1991) When a state looses its monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force or looses its capacity to perform even the most basic functions within its territory, it comes under the category of failed/ dysfunctional states. Most of the times reasons for failure of a state are civil war, international conflict, corrpution, lack of resources etc. De jure state[1] State which exist by a fiat of the international community, which recognizes them as soveregin entities whether or not they have a government capable of effectively controlling or administering the territory. Example- Somalia De facto state- State which receives no international recognition and has weak institutions, but where power is exercised and enforced within its territory. Examples- Kurdistan, Puntland, Somaliland De facto de jure state- State which enjoys international recognition and excercises control over people and territory through formal and strong, preferably democratic instritutions. This is the modern state in all its legal- rational Weberian splendour. In other words, this is the model the international community tries to replicate in dysfunctional states. Reconstruction:- is a process of recreation of an entity by the intrnal or external forces. Externally-led-reconstruction Where International actors intervene into a state and try to reconstrct. This model demands transtition from dysfunctional de jure state to the Weberian de facto state. Examples- Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia etc. Internally-led-reconstruction- Where domestic actors inside a state try to bring change. A transition from dysfunctional de jure state to a de facto state that slowly develops institutions, though not necessarily democratic ones. Examples- Mozambique, Kurdistan etc. Historically failed states simply used to disappear, divided up or conquered by a more powerful neighbour but today’s conventional wisdom has it that collapsed states must be reconstructed immediately and comprehensively along the lines of democratic countries with free market economies, thanks to the intervention by international community.[2] International community has assumed that it is both possible and essential for all the dysfunctional state to be reconstructed within their old borders but this assumption is very recent one. In the 1990s intervention by international community in a dysfunctional state invariably entailed the organizing of multi-party elections within the shortest possible time. For example. The Lusaka agreement of 1999 required the warring parties of DRC[3] to engage in ‘national dialogue’ to reach agreement on a new democratic political syatem and to hold elections. The December 2001, Bonn agreement called for holding of a loya Jirga[4] in Afghanisatn to reach agreement on a new democratic political system, to be followed by elections. Historically, attempts to reconstruct a state can be categorized in two ways- Externally-led-reconstruction:- Donor approach[5] of reconstruction includes setting up of new democratic institutions, re-writing constitutions, new election laws, creating civil society organization, liberalization of the economy etc. Most of the times these organizations do not turn out to be significant and established-hence institutions because most of the time they do not provide solution to the real problems on the ground. But donors, however, think of institution building, less in terms of finding solutions to what local actors preceive to be problems, and more in terms of transpalnting â€Å"best practices† that have been successful elsewehere. In the end, this approach of international community makes difficult for organizations to become institutions because they do not solve the real time problems. International community also wants institutions to come into function within a short span of time which is impossible. Internally-led-reconstruction:- The domestic actors that reconstruct states are miliatry men and politicians, who are more prone to act than to write, meaning by creation of constitution and institutions (liked by international community) is usually not their first priority. Majority of the internally led reconstuction of states come from Africa. For example in Uganda, Eritrea, Ethiopia, first step towards reconstruction was military victory. Since there were no other means at the disposal of domestic actors to generate the authority needed to govern a state, the only path was recourse to the raw power generated by superior force. Once they had generated legitimacy through force, they tried to transfrom that raw power into authority by regularizing institutions and processes of governemnt. This led to the reconstruction of the state, but not to the emergence of democratic states. Major components, free choice and popular participation were missing. Thus International community doesnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t like this approach. Criticism of Externally-led-reconstruction- Best practices do not solve real problems. For example, in Afghanistan retributional justice, against the wishes of President Karzai, was adopted against Taliban which became reason for Taliban to re-emerge. But if we look at the South African trasition from Aprtiheid regime, it was very smooth because they practiced what suited South Africa’s future the best. Donor supported institution building put an unbearable burdan on fragile states and in the end becomes self-defeating. For example , the strength of Afghan Army is 3,75,000. Annual budget of the Army and the annual income of the state are similar. Therefore, if there is no international committment then how will Afghan state fund the salaries of soldiers and what is their use if Taliban can come to negotiating terms. In most of the attempts of reconstruction, so-called institution building is not part of a sustained, open ended intrnational commitment to remain involved until the process is completed, but rather part of an exit strategy. Donors wants organizations in place so that they can go home but to my understanding that is a self-defeating strategy. Criticism of Internally-led-reconsturction- The actors wants to create a de facto state but usually they don’t have resources Even if they have the capacity to reconstruct the de facto state, they are likely to be reluctant to curb their newly acquired power and move from dictatorship or raw power to institutionalized politics and rule of law. In both types of state reconstruction, a major challenge lies in moving from â€Å"order imposed through power to the institutions† because institutions help in regularising authority in the long run. In internal reconstruction processes, second phase of state reconstruction[6] often fails to take place, because those who have consolidated power have little incentive to limit its exercise by developing institutions. In donor-directed processes, the international community rushes to develop institutions, but tends to withdraw the power that buttresses them far too soon, leading to failure. Some prescriptions to reconstruct a state:- When we think about the term reconstruction, we should give enough attention towards the possible outcome and resources at our disposal. Above all we need to know the short term and long term goals. Sometimes states are in need of means of survival but we are busy in creating democratic institutions and implementing best practices of governance for them. Thus we need to create and promote institutions according to the relevance and need of the hour but at the same time keeping in mind the long term goals. We need to recognize the potential candidates of statehood. For an example, Kurdistan Regional Government is a de facto state but it does not have international recognition. We are afraid of accepting the nationhood for Kurdistan. The same goes for Somaliland or Puntland. International community need to give heed to the de facto states. We need to know that institution building is a slow process and one size does not fit all- hence one type of system cannot fulfil the needs of every state. Every place is different on the earth and people have different approaches to the life. Thus we shouldn’t impose so-called â€Å"best practices† of governance in every corner of the world. Above all we shouldn’t create those institutions which can put unbearable burden on fragile states and become self defeating. For example- strong military apparatus in Afghanistan. If any state believes in the implementation of the â€Å"best practices† then that donor should set modest targets and should have long term commitment. We shouldn’t’ expect too much too soon. As saying goes, It takes 18 years for an infant to turn into an adult then how we can expect an institution to be functional within few years. Conclusion Reconstruction of states is a very difficult process. In 21st century, international community believes that there can not exist any failed states in the world and if there is any then we need to reconstruct it. But a lot of lessons needs to be learnt before we take up new assignments of reconstruction. Neither extrnal led, nor internal led approaches of reconstruction are perfect but with some improvements they can yield descent outcomes. International community always seems to be in hurry to build institutions but it requires a very long term commitment for organizations to turn into established institutions. Sometimes there is severe imbalance between the goals set by international community and the resources donors are willing to commit to attain the goals. It is possible to reconsturct a state if whatever organizations we set up, help in solving real probelms on the ground and thus become long lasting instutions. But if we just delpoy best practices without giving heed to the possible outcomes, it can lead to failure. Internally led reconstruction can also yield positive results if international community can provide long term commitment in building institutions. At the same time international community should bring de facto states into de jure states but there are always no easy choices to make. Bibliography:- Jackson, R. (1990) Quasi-states: Sovereignty, International Relations and the Third World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Daniel Warner (1991) An ethic of responsibility in International Relations. Lynne Rienner Publishers Chang, H. (2000) `Institutional Development in Developing Countries in a Historical Perspective: Lessons from Developed Countries in Earlier Times. Forman, S. and S. Patrick (2000) Good Intentions: Pledges of Aid for Post-Conflict Recovery. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers. Guiding Principles for Stabilization and Reconstruction (2009), United States Institute of Peace Press, Washington DC Marina Ottaway (2003), Rebuilding State Institutions in Collapsed States, EBSCO publishing house. Call Charles T. (2008). â€Å"Building States to Build Peace? A critical analysis†. Journal of Peacebuilding and Development Vol.4 n.2 p.60. De Weijer, F. (2013). ‘A Capable State in Afghanistan: A Building without a Foundation?’ WIDER Working Paper No. 2013/063. Helsinki: UNU-WIDER. [1] Definitions of de jure and de facto states have been borrowed from the work of Robert R Jackson. [2] International Community- in this paper this word means â€Å"the conglomerate of industrialized democracies and the multilateral agencies over which industrialized countries have preponderant influence.† [3] DRC- Democratic Republic of Congo [4] Loya Jirga- is a special type of grand assembly that is mainly organized to choose a new head of state in case of sudden death, to adopt new constitution or to settle serious issues such as war etc. [5] Donors- International community including international organizations [6] Second phase of reconstruction in internally led reconstruction is to transform raw power into authority by establishing institutions.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Comparison Essay on Fall of the Roman Empire

Comparative Essay – Step By Step STEP 1 – Diagnosis †¢ Read the Question and break it down in for what it is asking †¢ In the Margin, determine all of the information that you know about it o Start from broad to specific (time period, location, concepts, events, etc. . . ) STEP 2 – Organization and Planning †¢ Find three topics that you can group together into paragraphs †¢ Plan out your essay into a brief skeleton that you can draw upon as you write STEP 3 – Creation †¢ Write your essay following the point structure below and paying attention to the examples. POINT 1 – Thesis If you don’t have one you can’t gain this point or point #3 for supporting your thesis o Consider the thesis to be the essence of the paper, it is your essay in one or two sentences o Introduce each paragraph with a topic sentence linked to the thesis o The thesis MUST address Similarities AND Differences in either the introduction or the conclusion to get full credit †¢ The thesis can only be counted as the thesis and not also as a direct comparison †¢ You don’t need to write an introduction, so don’t. Leave blank space to come back and write one if you have extra time.POINT 4 – Direct Comparisons †¢ 1st Sentence for each body paragraph should be a comparative (a direct comparison sentence) o Remember you must make Direct Comparisons, (apples to apples) so make it very clear to the reader your comparing in your sentence ? Use linking comparative words such as â€Å"whereas† to help set up direct comparisons ? For Example: â€Å"Both the Haitian and Russian revolutions drew considerable strength from the subjugation of the under classes into oppressive conditions, slaves and serfs repectiveley. POINT 5 – Analysis for Direct Comparisons †¢ 2nd sentence then explains/analyzes the direct comparison in the first sentence. ? For Example: â€Å"The Haitian Slaves we re worked in the demanding sugar market in a foreign continent without a demographic representation that allowed for stable familial ties that had been a strong part of their culture, without the widespread allowances to have families the choice was clear, â€Å"rebel now and maybe die, or be worked to death slowly†.While Russian Serfs were allowed few more rights than a slave, they were bound to the land the worked for their elite Boyar ‘Little-Princes’ while the influences of the enlightenment and liberalization of Western Europe had long since freed their equals to the west. As the wars of their absolutist Czars brought Russians into contact with western ideas it was only a matter of time that the lower classes would demand a change. Thus the regimes dominating these two classes created a ‘powder keg’ in their much larger in population under classes. POINT 3 – Historical Evidence Then subsequent sentences in the paragraph should provide at least 2 prior knowledge statements/evidence in each paragraph. o You will do this for each of the body paragraphs in the paper so at least six will be written o This content should be from your coursework and can POINT 2 – Addresses all parts of the question †¢ Must address similarities AND differences for a full 2 points †¢ Address Comparisons, Chronology, Causation, Connections, Themes, Interactions, and Content EXTENDED CORE †¢ You have already written yourself into the extended core if you have followed the step by step!!! If in the comparative question there is a parenthetical qualifier such as (political, economic, cultural), it is not required that evidence is given for each. This parenthetical qualifier helps students think about what to write. AP World History Comparative Essay Generic Rubric Overview |Basic Core |Expanded Core | |Historical skills and knowledge required to show competence. |Historical skills and knowledge required to show excellence. |1. Has acceptable thesis. 1 Point |Expands beyond basic core of | |(addresses comparison of the |1-7 Points. The basic core of a 0-2 Points | |issues or themes specified) |score of 7 must be achieved | | |before a student can earn expanded | |2. Addresses all parts of the 2 Points |core points. |of the question, though not | | |necessarily evenly or thoroughly. |Examples: | | |Has a clear, analytical, and comprehensive thesis | |(Addresses most parts of the (1) |Addresses all parts of the question (as relevant): comparisons, | |question: for example, deals with |chronology, causation, connections, themes, interactions, content. |differences but not similarities) |Provides ample historical evidence to substantiate thesis. | | |Relates comparisons to larger global context. | |3. Substantiates thesis with 2 Points |Makes several direct comparisons consistently between or among | |appropriate evidence. |societies. | | |Consistently analyzes the causes and effects of relevant | |(Part ially substantiates thesis with (1) |similarities and differences. |appropriate evidence. ) | | | | | |4. Makes at least three relevant, 1 Point | | |direct comparisons between or | | |among societies. | | | | |5. Analyzes at least three reasons 1 Point | | |for a similarity or difference | | |identified in a direct comparison. | | | | |Subtotal 7 |Subtotal 2 Points | |Points | | TOTAL 9 Points

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Importance of Good Communication in a Relationship Essay

A major components of a relationship requires positive communication between couples who are involved in the bond. If communication lacks in the relationship, it could make the connection weak and could cause it to crumble. It seems that today, most married couples have replaced face to face conversations with the convenience of electronics. This has made hearing words a cloudy issue, especially with the introduction of technology. Instead of sitting down and having a conversation, couples are now relying on texting, emails or Skype to communicate. Growing up in the 1960’s, communication was very much different than it is today. People had the choice of talking on the phone or use a method of speech that would include a personal touch†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Remembering things that I wanted to remember and forgetting the things that I would have rather forget†. (Beebe, Beebe and Redmond 65) This was one of the things that I was starting to excel at, and it w as keeping others out of my conversations. My communication structure was starting to crack and I needed to change things. It would take a special person to help me challenge this hurdle of interpersonal communication. Then along came someone who would change my outlook on communication and help me return to not just being a listener, but return to a talented speaker again. Prior to meeting Debbie, I would just smile and listen to other people communicate. When it came time for me to give any input to the subject of communication, I would clam up, due to the fear of not being on the same level of education as others. My self-esteem was on the low end of the spectrum and I chose to remain silent. Debbie helped me realize that I was on an even level of education, if not on a higher level compared to those I was speaking to. I started to open up, look people in the eye when speaking to them and the fear of public speaking was eliminated. Along with becoming a respectable speaker, my li stening skills also improved. The one way street of communication, was now replaced with an expressway of two-way open communication and an improvement with my listening skills. With an improvement of communication skills, on occasion the unnoticed smallerShow MoreRelatedManaging Director Of An Innovative Publishing Business1542 Words   |  7 PagesEffective communication is a vital and proven element essential to a functioning workplace irrespective of industry or profession. Within the realm of communication there are certain factors that must be taken into account if an organisation is going to build successful and strong relationships with its employees, clients and patients. The following essay will focus on the ‘4Rs of Reflection’ that has been used to develop a reflective analysis. 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Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Your College Major Doesn’T Guarantee A Job....

Your College Major Doesn’t Guarantee A Job It’s not easy being a college student these days . The cost of tuition keeps rising, and for many, student loan payments are looming . CNBC did an article on this topic and found out that while the overall economy maybe is in a decent shape, college graduates are still facing an uphill battle in the job market. Some 8.5 percent of young college graduates, ages 21 and 24 are unemployed and 16.5 percent are underemployed , according to the Economic Policy Institute. A student deciding on a major may or may not even graduate on time (4 years). So students ages 17 or 18 are basically making a long-term†¦show more content†¦Many are put off by the fact that candidates are clueless about how to navigate an office setting, according to an analysis by Time. So this shows that even though students that graduate college, still might not be as ready for the workforce as to someone that already has work experience. For instance a survey by the Workforce Solutions Group at St. Louis Community College found that more than 60 percent of students lack â€Å"communication and interpersonal skills† So students are lacking the key opponents in surviving and succeeding in the workforce. You’re declared major has absolutely nothing to do with your success in life. According to a study in 2015, 82% of graduates in 2015 researched their field of choice before determining what major to peruse in college, According to Forbes Magazine. So it comes to no surprise that students want to peruse into a career that will hopefully pay off their hefty debt. But yes there are certain jobs that do require degrees such as engineering, architecture, and computer science as well as any medical field. But besides going to college to obtain a degree in those specific fields it still doesn’t determined if you’re going to be successful in them as