Awesomenesia, it is.

Nelson Mandela’s Eventful Journey to Fame

2013-01-26T15:17:00.000-08:00

When speaking of freedom fighters, a famous personality that comes to mind is Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Widely known for his human rights activism, Mandela is a holder of the Nobel Peace Prize as well as 250 other honorary awards and accolades that he received for his commendable human rights achievements in South Africa. Born and raised in Transkei, Nelson Mandela mainly grew up in the times of apartheid.

Mandela can be chiefly credited with bringing about the apartheid’s end that took place in South Africa. Throughout his early life, Mandela actively participated in political organizations that opposed the white minority influence which had deprived black people of their social, economic and political rights. As a prominent member of the African National Congress whose aim was to fight for black people’s equality at that time and also a founder of his own Youth league, Mandela was at the center of this freedom movement. However, his human rights activism was not entirely without violence. He was also a guerrilla leader who was involved in an armed action at Sharpeville, shortly after which he was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Mandela is also the author of various books, one being his autobiography which he started writing while he was in prison. Even though he remained imprisoned for 26 years, he never ceased to motivate his followers with his immense devotion to his cause. As a result of which, his supporters vigorously rallied against his incarceration and promoted the slogan “Free Nelson Mandela” across the country. Even while in jail, Mandela continued to urge his disciples to “unite”, “mobilize” and “fight on” against the oppression of apartheid. The extent of his commitment to achieving equal rights for black people in South Africa was so great that he even provided free of cost legal counsel to those black Africans who could not otherwise hire an attorney to represent them.

He was also the first black president of South Africa where once such an idea could not have been imagined. While in office, Mandela received immense international respect for not only establishing democracy in South Africa and harmonizing the country’s domestic issues but also for reconciling relations with other countries. Apart from his efforts towards achieving peace and encouraging education in South Africa, Mandela also fought hard against the AIDS crisis in his country during his presidency. His biggest achievement is not only his chief contribution in ending the apartheid but also his prominent social and human rights accomplishments which make Mandela deserving of all the international honors that he received. Two of the famous awards that he received, other than the Nobel Peace prize, are the Order of St. John from Queen Elizabeth II and the Presidential Medal of Freedom that he received from George W. Bush.

Founded on Mandela’s vision and effort, the Nelson Mandela Foundation still successfully works today with the aim of upholding an egalitarian and democratic society. The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund is another leading organization in South Africa whose purpose is to transform the society’s ideas and encourage positive treatment towards the youth. As a tribute to his cause, there is a Nelson Mandela Museum near his abode in Qunu and a stadium founded on his name in Port Elizabeths which can seat up to 46,500 spectators.

Certainly, as a political activist, freedom fighter, lawyer and President, Nelson Mandela has contributed greatly to transforming not only South Africa but also inspired the whole world with his perception of egalitarianism. With so many awards and honorary degrees, he can rightly be called a famous and successful man who has benefited the world in numerous positive ways.

Is India a Great Power Yet?

2013-01-25T15:03:00.000-08:00

For over a decade, the world has noticed an increasing expansion in India’s economy and military which surely poses consequences not only for the region of South Asia but also for the rest of the world. India has been intent on climbing the ladder of Majors powers however there are many factors that legitimize the status of a Great Power for a state and for India; the first would be to attain domestic stability in its region.

Kenneth Waltz describes the criteria of a major power as a state that has the competence to influence other states to comply with it as well as be able to refuse to accept any undesirable influence of others. In the light of this definition, India does not fit the criteria of a Major power. For one, India is not capable of influencing others to comply with it. For example, despite being a Nuclear Weapon state, India has not been successful in pressurizing other states to isolate Pakistan, its biggest adversary in international politics as well as its bordering nuclear power neighbor. Nor has it acquired a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council which it has been aiming at for several years. It has also failed to single-handedly persuade the World Trade Organization in adopting its proposed trade terms.

On one hand, while comparing India with major powers such as China, France, and U.S. and so on, we notice that India’s relative diplomatic influence through soft power or hard power as well as its economic and military strength are far less influential than those states mentioned, which clearly illustrates how limited India’s diplomatic influence is in the face of other competent major powers. Although, in the region of South Asia, India holds much leverage, if not fully over its neighbor, Pakistan, then certainly on the rest of the five South Asian States.

On the other hand, India’s own military strength, its diplomatic influence, technological capacity, governance, and social structure are still strong enough to resist most demands imposed on it by other major power states. However, there are many domestic challenges faced by India that still deprive it of the status of a Great Power. For instance, India’s population is more diverse and larger than those of United States, France, Germany, the UK, Central America and South America combined. Yet, it is a democracy which faces inevitable socioeconomic development challenges as well as a constant threat to its internal peace which emanates from the conflicts of diverse interest groups.

India’s GDP was estimated to be $3,700 in 2011, which comparing to other major powers such as China, which is estimated at $8,400, is fairly less. A low GDP indicates practically less productivity and poor material welfare for a state’s citizens which can affect a state’s priorities regarding its domestic and international objectives. India’s ranking in Human Development Index, which measures citizens’ basic needs, is on 134th in the world whereas China is on 101st. Such factors also put states in a recipient position, for example for financial assistance from other states, rather than be a donor, which ultimately shapes their chances of achieving an influential status in global politics.

Another challenge that emerges from India’s large diverse population is its difficulty in organizing the entire Indian population towards a uniform domestic agenda, which is a must in acquiring domestic stability in order to move on to deciding the direction to take in the international politics. India’s state capacity and political cohesion allow the large democracy to pursue their own creative interests through, of course, regulated politics. However, the divisions in the population caused by the diversity of caste, religion, ideology, economic class and so on, in the form of, for example interest groups, inhibit the possibility of a united direction for the whole nation.

A significantly large segment of India’s population (60%) which comprises of the poor inhabits its rural areas that survive on agricultural production only. In addition to a lack of primary education in such areas as well as a limited rural infrastructure, India’s potential economic growth seems direly inhibited. However, much of any economic growth that India has received has been in regions that are already developed and where literacy rate is high. India’s fiscal deficit also affects its defense spending in addition to its socioeconomic demands.

In terms of its international trade, India only accounts for less than 1% of the world trade, which is relatively very low. However, India leads in many advanced technology sectors in the world such as the information and biotechnology sectors. Moreover, despite being one of the nine nuclear power states in the world, India cannot be considered free from the security challenges that it faces within country as well as from its western and Northern neighbors, Pakistan and China respectively. India spends 2.5% of its GDP (2006) but its security threats begin at home, including the Jammu and Kashmir issue it shares with Pakistan. Though it has one of the largest military in the world, its internal and political challenges have to be overcome before it can consider itself fully secure as a great power in the world.

However, military strength, socioeconomic development or nuclear power status may not be all to influence a state’s international standing. Its strategic diplomacy, especially through soft power can account for a lot. India’s leadership, its strategic vision and international diplomacy have shown quite a fluctuation but have been ambitious in moving their international diplomatic direction towards achieving a great power status. This, of course, will only be possible once India’s own internal problems have been overcome enough to clarify its international objectives and achieve their effectiveness.

How to Make a Laptop Sleeve/case.

2012-03-02T23:43:00.002-08:00

I know I have not written in here in so long! I know my review on a Prisoner of Birth is also pending even though I finished it weeks ago. I suppose I should just write it tonight in addition to a review on this very funny movie that I watched last week. For now, I will just post a picture of a laptop sleeve that I made a few weeks ago and I've been using it for quite some time. It took me only half an hour to make it, using the things I randomly stumbled across in my house. My creativity got the better of me and voila! Below is a picture of it with my old laptop sitting on it.

I padded it and lined it with a matching silk lining. I plan to pimp it up a little more with some flashy flowers or sequins soon. I'll try making a few more like these using different color combinations and post their pictures too. :) And perhaps if you want to know how I made them, I'll post a step by step guide too!

Man goes through 8 Life Stages .. according to Erikson.

2012-02-12T22:15:00.000-08:00

There have been many theories about man's life cycle and all the stages he goes through at different ages in his life. One such model is that of Erik Erikson and it outlines eight stages very precisely with their conflicts, struggle and possible solutions. I wrote an entire article explaining each stage with examples. Check it out.

Eight Life Stages that Man goes Through in Life. (< Click here to read.)

Eight Life Stages Man goes Through.

I know the image doesn't show the last stage. But it's there!

A Prisoner of Birth.. & United States Most Wanted Criminal Jody Thompson's Prison Break.

2012-02-06T11:26:00.000-08:00

Today I borrowed a novel from the library called A Prisoner of Birth written by Jeffrey Archer. It looks like an interesting book. Also, a couple of friends recommended it to me so I believe it shouldn't disappoint me. I plan to finish it within this week and I will definitely write a review on it. This book reminds of this incredibly remarkable documentary I once watched on the National Geographic channel. It was about this successful prison escape attempted by one of the most wanted criminals in the United States in 2005, named Jody Thompson. Below, you can see a picture of the actual criminal. The documentary had an actor who I thought closely resembled Wentworth Miller from the show 'Prison Break' and for a long time I assumed perhaps the show was also inspired by this documentary. That is not so, though.

Anyway, the documentary narrates the entire story in first person, of his incredibly creative and meticulous planning, his hypersensitive senses and quick thinking that lead him to use a furniture delivery truck to escape the prison! His is one of the prison escape success stories that are definitely worth a watch! I was so impressed by his luckiness on so many incidents and also his calm and laid-back manner in dealing with stressful situations at hand. Especially, how whenever the police chased, he managed to surprise even the trained and experienced officers by outsmarting and outmanoeuvring their collective planning single-handedly! I, actually, inwardly felt joy every time he skilfully dodged the police. The guy had a personality!

When he was finally totally surrounded by the police and had absolutely no lucky chance of escaping any more, he was smart enough to surrender rather than risk getting shot. His surrender wasn't any less dramatic. He called 911 and told the operator that he was one of the United States' most wanted criminals who was ready to surrender. Imagine the surprise for the operator! :D The following video is a short trailer of the documentary. If you are interested in watching the entire documentary, leave a comment below and I will post that link for you too. If you are an adventure-lover, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one! :D

And by the way, today I was forced to sit in a Media class with friends where I attended a lecture on News reporting. I'm glad I did though because it was kind of informative. I found out how the word NEWS was coined.. I always thought it originated from the word "new"; meaning something new that needs to be told, hence News. However, to my surprise it's an abbreviation for North, East, West and South. :o I'm really surprised I didn't know that!

Anyway, if you have any comments about the novel 'A Prisoner of Birth' or the famous story of the prisoner, Jody Thompson, please feel free to use the form below! :)

And oh, if you like my blog, you're welcome to follow me on Google Connect friend or on my twitter account. (Links are given on the right side bar.) (:

Cat's Eye. Childhood Bullying and its Scars..

2012-02-04T07:57:00.000-08:00

Cat's Eye by Margaret
Awood

Cat's eye by Margaret Atwood is a great novel I once read back in High School because it was a part of my syllabus. This was one book in my syllabus that I actually finished and enjoyed reading so much. It's about this character named Elaine Risley and how she has a bully of a friend in her childhood named Cordelia who, being a subject of her father's criticism, victimizes Elaine and scars her for life. The novel continues describing Elaine recovery from all those scars caused by Cordelia through her catharsis in the form of her artwork, while also giving flashbacks of her childhood that led to them. It was an awesome novel that I'd love to read again but for the life of me I don't know where I've lost the book. Anyway, I would definitely recommend it to you if you are remotely interested in reading about psychology, psychosis, bullying, rain, nostalgia of the past and the feelings related to it. It's a beautifully written novel. Just do check it out! :D

If you've read this novel or plan to read it, do comment below to let me know. :)

Education: Is it merely about teaching skills?

2012-02-04T02:58:00.000-08:00

Following are a few insights into Education. Just what defines education? I wrote a few articles regarding it. Check them out :)

Is merely Teaching Skills Enough? (< Click here to read)

Is merely Teaching Skills Enough?

Why We Need a Value-Based Education System in Pakistan? (< Click here to read)

Why We Need a Value-Based Education System in Pakistan?

The Right to Primary Education in Pakistan: A Right or a Privilege? (< Click here to read)

The Right to Primary Education in Pakistan: A Right or a Privilege?

Please give your feedback. :)

Governance, Corruption, Democracy and the Image of Pakistan in the World.

2012-02-04T02:29:00.000-08:00

As a Social Science student, I had to study and write about the governance in Pakistan a lot. I wrote many such articles and published them on my other website; www.findingnew.com. Today I thought I would share these articles here as well in case someone's interested.

Poor Democracy and Bad Governance in Pakistan, Why? (< Click here to read)

Poor Democracy and Bad Governance in Pakistan, Why?

Governance in Pakistan (< Click here to read)

Governance in Pakistan

Steps that the Government of Pakistan has Taken to Fight Corruption. (< Click here to read)

Steps that the Government of Pakistan has Taken to Fight Corruption.

Types of Corruption and What has been done about it so far? (< Click here to read)

Types of Corruption and What has been done about it so far?

What is Corruption? What are the Drivers of Corruption in Pakistan? (< Click here to read)

What is Corruption? What are the Drivers of Corruption in Pakistan?

The Image of Pakistan in the International World. (< Click here to read)

The Image of Pakistan in the International World.

The Security Dilemma in International Politics. (< Click here to read)

The Security Dilemma in International Politics.

I would appreciate any feedback you want to give regarding these articles. You are welcome to comment below. :)

The Kashmir Issue

2012-02-04T02:09:00.000-08:00

The Kashmir Issue has been an unsolvable problem for Pakistan, India and the international community for a very long time. Apart from the pressing problem of Palestine and Israel that has reached no solution either, the Kashmir issue drags on, stalemated, begging for a solution. There have been numerous debates and articles suggesting solutions and roles of different countries. The following article is my attempt at the role of Pakistan. Your feedback is appreciated.

The Kashmir Issue & Role of Pakistan

Kashmir is an 86,000 square miles area surrounded by Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and India located in central Asia. It has an approximate population of 13 million Kashmiris and is larger than 87 sovereign countries. However, despite its size it has still been a dependent state ruled by others for centuries; firstly the Mauryas, then the Mughals, the Maharajahs and so on.

Unfortunately with the independence of two of its neighboring countries, Pakistan and India, from the British colonial rule, Kashmir became a disputed territory under the rule of its neighbors. Though the Kashmir Liberation Army overthrew its Hindu ruler shortly after the subcontinent’s partition; thereby setting a provisional government for Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian army did not let it enjoy their freedom for long. India invaded and occupied two-thirds of Kashmir, leaving one-third as Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The situation has been the same ever since. Except now it is worse.

Sadly, the plebiscite, given by the United Nations, allowing the people of Kashmir to choose which country to join was never held. The reason Kashmir issue still has not be resolved is the hostility between Pakistan and India; where India still considers Kashmir an integral part of its own territory and so refuses to give it up while Pakistan does not want India’s control and insists the dispute be determined on the basis of plebiscite. Moreover, Indian forces residing in Kashmir are constantly captivated in a continuous movement of extreme violence causing thousands of deaths each day.

Truly, no nation can survive in perpetual slavery for long and the people of Kashmir, sooner or later, will inevitably need to take an action to resolve their fate. However, for Kashmir to obtain complete independence is an unlikely idea because of its strategic position in the region which makes its independence a destabilizing factor. Nevertheless, clearly, both India and Pakistan do not favor the total independence of Kashmir anyway.

Kashmir is a Muslim state like Pakistan and Kashmir’s association with the State of Pakistan seems more ideal than with India. This is due to the rampant activity of brutality Indian forces have engaged in Jammu and Kashmir that falls under their rule now. However, at the moment, Pakistan’s standing in the international world is poorer than that of India’s; the other option Kashmir has. Pakistan is faced with numberless problems of its own within its own territory as well as with the rest of the world. These include terrorism, religious extremism, political instability, unchecked corruption at all levels, poverty, unemployment and so on. Pakistan’s role in the Kashmir conflict is simply to improve itself in all aspects and become a stable country that can self-sufficiently stand on its own. Only in such a state of affairs will the people of Kashmir want to associate themselves with our country.

Kashmir, by and large constituting a population of Muslims, would more likely annex with the state of Pakistan provided the country can ensure its security. We have many examples from world history showing weak nations that joined stronger ones in search for security and dependence. Alaska, for instance, joined America in 1959 because of America’s more established and stable governance and security in economic and political aspects for its citizens. Pakistan needs to offer that to its citizens and rid itself of all its cultural, religious and even provincial differences. Unfortunately, on the other hand, Pakistan’s own province, Balochistan, which is the largest, wants to detach itself from the country. This uncertainty in Balochistan is clearly due to the negligence of the Pakistani government to the basic needs of the Balochis; their literacy problem, health issues, lack of infrastructure, jobs, law, order and security in such a vast undeveloped mountainous region. Similarly, Pakistan has been unable to resolve the depreciating situation of law and order in FATA and NWFP. Any country whose own provinces desire to separate from its sovereignty would only more repel any other nations that want to adjoin with it.

Owing to such a dilapidated image, Pakistan’s chances of getting more foreign investment like China and other investor-friendly countries, has suffered and this inability adds to the instability of Pakistan’s economic growth. Pakistan direly needs to end corruption within the nation and develop itself socially, politically and economically so Kashmir can find security and confidence in it. Pakistan, unfortunately, is considered the land of terrorist in the global media especially due to unfortunate events in the last decade. Despite holding some of the most beautiful and scenic areas in the world, its tourist industry is hardly attracting any foreigners because they are frightened to visit Pakistan. This adds to the poor economic situation of the country.

Another example is that of Soviet Union that collapsed in 1991 giving independence to five central Asian states namely; Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. This collapse was expected due to the repression of their local cultures, negligence to the increasing ethnic tensions and environment troubles of the minor states in the Soviet Union. Seeing this, Pakistan’s role in the Kashmir issue is to become the appealing option that Kashmir would readily want to opt for. Then the people of Kashmir would press for a plebiscite themselves. On the other hand, Kashmir, seeing Pakistan’s current conditions, rather wants to have nothing to do with it despite it being the ideal option. India, which comprises of mostly Hindu population and one which has practiced major violence in parts of Kashmir falling under their control, seems a more attractive option for Kashmir to associate with according to the rest of the world. This is due to India’s better standing in the global world and India’s more established political and economical state of affairs.

Pakistan’s recent crises not only involve extreme political upheaval, socio-economic issues, security threats, foreign drone attacks but also energy crises, food and electricity shortages, inflation, overpopulation etc which have very much weakened Pakistan’s position in the global world. Pakistan needs to become self-reliant by stabilizing its industry and economic institution in order to improve its image in the world. Pakistan is capable of it all as our land is naturally gifted with all that it takes to be developed; the people of Pakistan just need to vote for the right leaders that can lead the enthusiastic people of Pakistan in the right direction to develop this country economically and resolve its minor differences at all levels. Pakistan is rich in minerals and has a land capable of yielding better produce for the entire nation’s basic needs and this should be done in a sustainable way. Pakistan can easily develop itself faster because it holds resources and a lot of capacity. When comparing it to India, which has a huge population and as many problems to handle, Pakistan just needs to prioritize its economic growth to succeed in

the world as India has been doing. The people of Pakistan should focus less on the religious turmoil rising around the Muslim world and especially within Pakistan and realize what is best for them at this point to improve their position in the world to hold up a valued image. All this can be attained with more economic growth, self-sufficiency, technological advancement, improved education, and less time wastage on non-productive activities or maximizing differences. Pakistan needs to bring absolute literacy so social awareness will address the problem of wrong leadership, cultural conflicts, justice, corruption and sectarianism.

India is continually considered an enemy to Pakistan. If Pakistan and India enter into a friendly relationship like Canada and USA and help each other, Pakistan will not need to go on with its proxy war politics with India and be able to reduce its participation in the US war on terrorism. With a peaceful relationship with its neighbors, Pakistan can then use its resources to focus more on its own people’s welfare and work on more useful goals. Hence, Pakistan needs to address its dilemmas from within and establish itself well economically, socially and politically so that the people of Kashmir would want to join hands with it.

The Paradox of Choice: Do you really have a choice?

2012-02-03T10:59:00.000-08:00

The Paradox of choice is one bewildering concept that everyone of us has at least once definitely questioned. Have you ever wondered about it? Well, I published an article on it. Check it out and feel free to share your views!

The Paradox of Choice.. Ever Wondered?

Since the creation of mankind, about 65 million years ago, man has discovered the limitless diversity of choices he has been exposed to. The ability to choose has been learned quite proudly by man though only experience has taught him its rather bitter paradoxical nature. If paradox is defined as “a statement that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth” and choice, as “a mental process of judging merits of the possible options available and choosing one of them”, then paradox of choice is the right to choose that does not actually exist.

While, the right of choice is every individual's domain, it has proven to be a far more complex enigma. According to Kathleen hall, “one's life is a product of choices". Man seemingly possesses freewill but his choices are seen to be rather a product of the circumstances providence creates for him; the limitations of the options he is presented with make the concept of free choice absurd. Ever since the beginning of time, man's actions have been influenced by social pressures such as his familial background, caste, societal norms, beliefs, physical constraints etc. Such external limitations have shaped his perceptions and life choices.

Although freedom of choice is meant to facilitate the lives of men; suiting their individual requirements, today’s highly commercialized world of information age and technology has rather driven the minds of men dizzy with far too many options. Ever since the end of communism and the advent of capitalism, the miraculous possibilities in the lifestyles of people have greatly affected human priorities from humanity to materialism. Now, man not only has the choice amongst uncountable hair products but he can also alter his physical features with cosmetic surgery and even change the sex of his child before it is conceived! The latest fashion trends have to be followed by the public and those unaware are looked down upon.

Man is mostly a passive absorber in the face of persuasion of the dominant culture in his society. Seldom people venture to deviate from the general rule and prefer to fit in with the regular crowd. The capitalist world of today has inclined people's choices towards their projected products in order to favor their economic growth. Media has been an effective tool in brainwashing people and making the majority of the world's population conformists. This is how the right of choice has become non-personal and non-existent. Above all, the prevalent view of liberty of action and freedom of choice has been largely misunderstood. The numerous choices that the present world offers to man have crippled his decision making power and resulted in more dissatisfaction.

Although, in theory, commercialism presents more options to facilitate a better final decision; in practice, nonetheless, it has deprived man of his personal choice in the face of the dominant preference. Choice no longer remains personal and man subconsciously wishes he actually had his verdict in his choices. Therefore, the biggest paradox of choice is that we cannot choose what we want to choose.

Why You Shouldn't Stereotype.

2012-02-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

Stereotyping is a human tendency that we all share to some extent. Following is a short article I once wrote about it. Feel free to give your feedback. :D

Stereotyping? (< Click here to read)

Stereotyping?

Don't Underestimate Your Opponent.

2012-02-03T04:53:00.000-08:00

Aerobic listening is a great skill to acquire. It is due to our poor listening most of the times that we tend to underestimate our opponent. Not a good idea at all. Check out the article I wrote about it given below. It might be useful for you.

Learning Not to Underestimate Your Opponent. (< Click here to read)

Learning Not to Underestimate Your Opponent.

What Makes a Suicide Bomber?

2012-02-03T01:23:00.000-08:00

Sometime ago I was really interested in reading and writing about suicide bombers. That's when I wrote this post. It is different from other articles you may have read about terrorists, because this looks at the mindset of a suicide bomber.. Share your views if you read it. Will appreciate it.

Mind of a Suicide Bomber..

From the mind of a suicide bomber, things are very much different than how we perceive them. To understand the state of his mind and motives, it is necessary to view things from his lens by putting ourselves in his shoes, his social life and culture.

One opinion held by many thinkers attributes a terrorist’s extreme behavior to the miseries, poverty and a lack of sense of belonging in his life. The feeling of a lack of identity automatically attracts an impoverished person towards groups that are willing to form close ties with him. Psychological evidence suggests that terrorists are usually ordinary young boys from unremarkable backgrounds who join the radical terrorist comrades in hope of finding an identity, social status and an opportunity for action after a lifetime of rejection and dissatisfaction. In such close-knit groups, they are not only given a sense of belonging but a sense of meaning, connectedness and affiliation which was previously lacking in their lives. These motivating factors subjugate them enough that they will willingly go to any length to abide by the group’s norms, even if the truth projected to them is false.

Take the example of a young gullible boy who is not only deprived of education, especially proper religious education but also lacks an exposure to the outside world, being stuck in some remote northern area of Pakistan for his entire life. With his youth at its prime and a desire for action, he would certainly become the most suitable tool for a suicide attack. When this young boy is taken out of his poverty-stricken home and shown around the big cities of Pakistan; the dazzling lights of advertisements, developed infrastructure and the westernized dressing of the other citizens will inexorably strike this young boy as secular. Suppose within his little comradeship, the prevailing indecency in our local media is used to manifest a blatant rejection of the Qur’anic teachings by the westernized citizens in our society, who are then termed as “Kafirs” in front of him. Moreover, verses from the Holy Qur’an are cited to him that ‘literally’ order the killing of infidels in return for Heaven. This mentally poisoned boy will inevitably jump at carrying out the “sacred task” in search of acquiring the reward of salvation in the life hereafter.

The stark contrast in these two extremes of living, despite being in the same country, is bound to frustrate the weak-minded youth with its injustice and reinforce the feeling of misery in him. In such a state, he is undoubtedly susceptible to being brainwashed at the hands of any opportunists that attempt to exploit this weakness for their interests. Another incentive used may be the funding for his family after his death. In such a traumatic mental state, he will be unhinged enough to want escape from this world and if that can benefit his family with a handsome cash, he will be more than willing to do it. Thus to him, these suicide attacks are justified and noble. His actions stem more from his loyalty to his own group, reward in the hereafter and the religious culture that he is told is threatened and requires protection, than any personal hatred towards us.

His emotional commitment to his cause and his comrades shows he is not psychologically deviant. Therefore I reckon that instead of simply antagonizing these groups, the state should arrange ways of educating these young boys of Pakistan living in such areas so that they are not easily picked by any terrorist group. The total neglect of the government towards the quality of life of these poor citizens and the insecurity in their area is only more conducive to the mission of the terrorist organizations. Pakistan is a dualistic state where the corrupted elite only focus on their own interests; the general public of Pakistan cannot be bothered for their lack of national character. Moreover, the growing propagation of secular ideologies in the capitalist media of today is creating an indifferent and shallow Pakistani youth that only seeks pleasure and leisure. Serious measures need to be taken to do away with their material deprivation in addition to at least a basic religious education from an authentic source. Moreover, being Muslims, every layman of Pakistan, irrespective of class or culture, should acquire a considerable knowledge about the real teachings of Qur’an, in its right context and learn about the life of the Holy Prophet (saw). This will not only help clear their doubts about their religion but also enable them to confront the global issue of “Islam being linked with terrorism”. A certain amount of communication maybe needed to acquaint these young boys with the innocent population of Pakistan that is usually targeted to create political upheaval.

The story of a young terrorist sent on a mission to Wah Cantt is great evidence that supports this argument. One of the three young terrorists, upon seeing the poor laborers of the factory realized he was falsely informed about his fellow citizens and gave up his mission. This is a tangible evidence of the fact that it is the socialization and the wrong information incorporated into their heads that arouses such an attitude in them. Instead of blowing up their innocent families to combat them, the state should not only cut down on the increasing indecency in our media and secularization in our society but also recruit and educate every individual of these areas. State’s attempt at conforming to religion will surely raise second thoughts in the minds of these young terrorists about the credibility of their exploiters.

Significance of Self-esteem, Self-Reliance and Integrity of Character.

2012-02-02T01:23:00.000-08:00

Self-esteem is an integral part of human psyche. If we lack in this department, survival becomes challenging. Closely linked to it are self-reliance and integrity of character that aid in developing and enhancing self-esteem. Read the articles below to gain an in-depth insight into these qualities. They are written by me. :)

Benefits of Having Integrity of Character. (< Click here to read)

Benefits of Having Integrity of Character.

Benefits of Becoming Self-Reliant in Life. / Why We Need Self-Reliance. (< Click here to read)

Benefits of Becoming Self-Reliant in Life.

Why Do We Need Self-Esteem for a Healthy Survival? (< Click here to read)

Why Do We Need Self-Esteem for a Healthy Survival?

How Your Level of Self-Esteem Can Affect Your Memory! (< Click here to read)

How Your Level of Self-Esteem Can Affect Your Memory!

If you found this post useful or would just like to comment, your feedback is welcome. :)

The Arabs & Israelis

2012-01-22T00:38:00.000-08:00

The Arabs and the Israelis had always been in conflict owing to their struggle between Zionist and Arab Nationalism in the Middle East. The State of Israel came into being in 1948 when the United Nations partitioned the British colony of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. The Arabs and the Jews have had clashes of interest over two main concerns since the late 19th century. Firstly, Jews wanted a state of their own within the Arab world, which they did achieve in 1948. Secondly, they wanted to hold their control over the Palestine territory as they believe it is a part of their historical homeland.

This clash has been the reason for the armed conflict that has occurred on and off between the Arab states and Israel in the form of 1948, 1956, 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars consecutively. In the Six Day war of 1967 between the Arab States and Israel, the latter not only managed to defeat the Arab world but also acquired control of Golan Heights from Syria, the West Bank from Jordan as well as Gaza and Sinai from Egypt. Following this war, United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 242 in which Israel was to pull out of all the occupied territories while a guarantee was given to secure borders to all nations. Hence, Israel was, for the first time, accepted as a sovereign country.

A little before the 1973 war, Anwar Sadat of Egypt showed a slight interest in making a peace deal with the Israelis provided they return the occupied territories. The opportunity was lost when the United States showed lack of interest. This culminated in Egypt and Syria preparing for a surprise attack on Israel in 1973. The 1973 Arab-Israel war also known as the Yom Kippur war clearly roused the two superpowers to find a permanent solution to the Arab-Israel conflict as it started tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. As a result, the United States and USSR agreed to call for meetings in Geneva where all the representatives of the Arab States were to decide a solution for the Arab-Israel conflict with Israel. However, Israel was more in favor of bilateral negotiations with an Arab country rather than the Geneva conference where the outnumbering Arab states would belittle Israel’s position. The Geneva Conference of 1973 did not prove fruitful towards resolving the Arab Israel conflict.

The Geneva conference that occurred in 1975 also failed because both the parties could not reach an agreement on the issue of Palestine’s representation and the fate of the occupied territories. In 1976, the president of the United States at the time, Jimmy Carter strategized another Geneva conference with the support of Soviet Union. However, this time both the Israelis and the Egyptians preferred bilateral negotiations and hence resisted the idea of another Geneva conference. It was these bilateral negotiations that both countries were interested in that paved the way for Camp David accords that happened on 17th September, 1978, almost a year later.

What catalyzed the peace treaty that Egypt and Israel finally signed was Anwar Sadat’s significant trip to Jerusalem on November 19th to November 21st, 1977 where he spoke before the Knesset. This was significant because it was a move on the part of Egypt to show that it finally recognized Israel as a sovereign country, a move no other Arab State had taken. Historians suggest many reasons why Anwar Sadat took this step and one is that Sadat wanted Egypt to regain its power in the Arab World which he thought was diminishing as the leader of the Arab world. Also, apart from not wanting to deal with the Soviets by having a Geneva Conference, he also feared that Egypt would otherwise not be able to regain its control of Sinai. On the other hand, Israel was also not interested in a multilateral Geneva conference for several reasons. Firstly, they feared the possibility of America inviting PLO to the conference and hence leading to the establishment of a sovereign Palestine state. Secondly, just like the Egyptians, they did not want the involvement of the Soviets and thirdly, like before, they resented the idea of being outnumbered by the Arab states at the conference table.

Following Sadat’s visit to Jerusalem, Menachem Begin, the presidents of Israel, agreed to withdraw Israeli troops from the disputed territory of Sinai and hence return Egyptian sovereignty over that region. It was easy to do as this region was not as significant to Israel as was the obstructing of the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank. The agreement to withdraw from the territory of Sinai was a diplomatic act on the part of Begin to distract the international world from the issue of Palestine and hence also gain the favor of the United States for making concessions geared towards achieve a peace treaty with the Arab world. For the next half year, both Egypt and Israel continued bilateral negotiations. However, little was achieved. Dreading a conclusion was not being reached, Jimmy Carter invited Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin to the United States to hold secret talks in Camp David in the month of September, 1978.

The Camp David Accords were to deal with four basic issues. Firstly, these talks would work at reaching a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel and normalize their relations. Secondly, these would deal with the matter of Israel’s demilitarization and withdrawal of its troops from Sinai. Thirdly, these would discuss the future of the West Bank and Gaza and lastly, these would discuss the withdrawal of Israeli troops from all occupied territories and the right of Palestinians to self-determination.

Factors that increased Sadat’s interest in the invitation to Camp David Accords by the United States, at that time, were mainly to regain Arab support by ensuring Israel’s withdrawal from all the occupied territories, establishing a sovereign state for the Palestinians while signing a peace treaty with Israel which would reduce the Israel threat and allow him to lower the defense budget for Egypt. Also, the involvement of the United States increased the hope of the realization of Sadat’s strategy at Camp David.

On the other hand, although, Israel had defeated the Arab world singlehandedly with its trained military, Begin still wanted regional security among all Arab states in the Middle East region. Hence, Israel wanted a peace deal with Egypt, which was the largest member state of the Arab coalition. This way Israel would afford to reduce its defense expenditure and reduce the threat of any attack from any other Arab state as it would be on peaceful terms with Egypt. However, Israel was not ready to discuss the issue of Palestine or commit anything regarding the self-determination of the Palestinians. The involvement of the United States, for Begin too, was seen as a catalyst to such a deal.

Jimmy Carter, then again, wanted to succeed in reaching any agreement at all between Egypt and Israel in order to save his presidency as the next presidential elections were nearing and there had been no fruitful results with regards to Egypt-Israel peace process.

The Camp David Accords lasted for thirteen days where the talks between Begin and Sadat, mediated by the U.S president Jimmy Carter were held secret from the press or the outside world at all.

Soon in the Israeli-Egyptian negotiations, personality conflicts of Sadat and Begin became very obvious where according to Telhami, the meetings even turned into shouting matches between Begin and Sadat showing that the leaders “could not interact constructively on a personal level”. In the aftermath, Begin and Sadat had to be kept apart where Jimmy Carter and his assistants used a kind of “shuttle diplomacy” where Carter played the role of a real mediator. He went to each delegation to talk to them separately and then move to the other cabin to discuss the matter.

Progress appeared in a couple of days where the U.S delegation managed to come up with a draft proposal concerning the major issues to be resolved. Every version of the draft proposal written by the United States was criticized and rewritten to improve in the light of their critique which ended up resulting in deadlock in a few more days.

The deadlock was mainly due to Begin and Sadat’s differing demands regarding the issue of Sinai and the settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. After ten days, when the Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan was unable to come to a resolution, Carter felt sure the Camp David talks were going to fail.

However, Carter did not give up at this point for the sake of presidency. He strategized a way to solve the issue by going to its root. The reason the Sinai issue was not coming to a conclusion was because Begin did not abandon the Israeli settlements and air basis there for which Carter offered a solution. He offered to guarantee Israel’s continued access to oil supplies as well as to build two new air bases in the Negev Desert to make Israel agree to the peace treaty. As this issue was settled, the deal was finalized on 17th September, 1978, the thirteenth day of the Camp David Accords and signed by all three parties.

The first issue dealt in the Camp David Accords was the future of the Sinai and a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt to be concluded within three months. Israel, in the Camp David accords, agreed to withdraw from Sinai within three years while also consented to demilitarize it by destroying its air bases near the Gulf of Aqaba and Yamit. In return, Egypt offered full diplomatic relations with Israel and allowing Israel to pass through the Suez Cana, the Strait of Tiran as well as the Gulf of Aqaba. Though peace treaty between the two countries was very clear in addition to the demilitarization of Sinai and withdrawal of the Israelis from there, the issue of the future of Palestinians’ right to sovereignty was not clear. The language used in the Camp David Accords for this issue was, “a self-governing authority (administrative council) in the West Bank and Gaza” which seemed to favor both parties.

This play of diplomacy at the Camp David Accords greatly revealed the personality differences between Sadat and Begin where Sadat was proving to be too accommodating and trusting than Begin was. In fact, Sadat, during the meetings, offered Carter a written document explicitly outlining Egypt's position which only one other member of the Egyptian delegation was aware of at the time. Shortly following this, Carter had been willing to reveal the Egypt’s position to Begin as he really wanted to reach an agreement between Israel and Egypt in order to sustain his presidency. On the other hand, the Israeli delegation was very cautious and hesitant in trusting the United States delegation with their position, motives or any possibility of a compromise on their part. Furthermore, Begin was also very good at embellishing the only accommodation that Israel did make regarding Sinai which proved him to be more diplomatic in dealing with Egypt and the United States than Sadat was and thus Israel had an advantage in the Camp David agreement.

The impact of this agreement mainly was that the result of this bargaining fairly went in favor of Begin. Begin accomplished his goal of signing a peace treaty with the most important of the Arab countries, which was Egypt, by only demilitarizing Sinai while also skillfully diverting the international attention from his bigger concern; the issue of Palestine. On the other hand, all Sadat achieved was a peace treaty with Israel and some other minor concessions but could not settle the Palestine issue. It was also after the Camp David Accords that the Egyptian-Israeli Peace treaty was signed on 26th March, 1979 a year later. According to some historians, it was perhaps the security and confidence that Israel gained from this agreement that led to the Israel attack on Lebanon in 1982. After this agreement, Egypt, not only regained its control of Sinai but also held prestige among the Arab countries for enjoying closer diplomatic relations with the United States.

The Life of John Fitzgerald Kennedy

2011-11-21T02:41:00.000-08:00

I did a project on John F. Kennedy at University a month ago. Thought I would share it on my blog. I hope you find it informative. :)
Born on the 29th of May, 1917, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the first president of the United States to have been born in the 20th century. Born to Rose Fitzgerald and Joseph Patrick Kennedy in Brookline, Massachusetts, he was a descendent of Irish Catholics who had immigrated to United States in the 19th century. His father, Joseph P. Kennedy, was a highly successful businessman who became a multimillionaire, remained the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission and later served as ambassador to Great Britain from 1937 to 1940. His great grandfather, Patrick Kennedy, had emigrated from Ireland in 1849 while his grandfathers, John Francis Fitzgerald and Patrick Joseph Kennedy, were chief political figures in Boston.

His parents were very ambitious about their nine children, of whom John was the second. Most of his education was obtained from private institutions, including Choate Prep School in Wallingford, Princeton University and lastly Harvard University in 1936. He majored in Political Science at Harvard where he wrote an honors thesis on British foreign policies in the 1930’s and graduated from there in 1940. Soon after, he published his thesis under the title ‘Why England Slept’ which was his first published book.

A year later in 1941, right when America entered World War II, Kennedy joined the United States Navy and became an intelligence officer. He was given command of PT-109. His heroic performance in rescuing his crew that was sunk by the Japanese in 1943 in the Pacific did strengthen his position but it worsened an old back injury he had, also causing him to have malaria. He received the Purple Heart and Navy and Marine Corps Medal and was hailed for his heroism. After he recovered, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant where he became a PT instructor in Florida. However, his back injury caused him to return to civilian life and he was discharged in early 1945 where he started working for the next one year as a journalist covering the UN conference in San Francisco and the 1945 General Election in Britain.

John F. Kennedy was a member of the Democratic Party. In 1946, he ran successfully for a seat in the House of Representatives where for the next two years, Kennedy remained a loyal supporter of Harry S. Truman’s foreign policies. Though he condemned what he thought was the administration’s weak stand against the Communist Chinese. Kennedy maintained a strong anti-communist foreign policy throughout his career. He challenged Republican Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. in 1952. Although it was Dwight D. Eisenhower, also a republican, who won in Massachusetts and the entire country as a whole, Kennedy managed to defeat Lodge in their votes.

In 1951, Kennedy visited Middle East, Pakistan, India, Indochina, Malaya and Korea. As a democrat, he was against colonial empires and he even urged France to give up on Algeria. He also advocated increased financial aid to underdeveloped countries. Kennedy was elected to the Senate in 1952. Shortly in the following year, he married Jacqueline Bouvier, the daughter of a New York City financier.

He continued to have back problems and even underwent two operations in 1954 and 1955. It was mainly due to his back ailments that he was unable to play an important role in the government at that time. During his recovery time in the hospital in 1956, he wrote a book based on biographical studies of American political heroes titled ‘Profiles in Courage’ that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1957. Both of his books revealed his admiration for dynamic political figures. He had four children with Jacqueline out of whom, only two survived infancy; Caroline and John F. Kennedy, Jr.

Being a congressman, he supported social legislation that favored the working class and was a firm advocate of social welfare and civil rights legislation in the Senate. Additionally, he sponsored bills for providing Federal Financial aid to education and relaxing United States immigration laws as well as a way that needed complete disclosure of all employee pension and welfare funds.

By 1960, Kennedy was an aspirant for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. As a result of his highly organized and well-financed campaigns, he won democratic primaries in Wisconsin, Indiana, Oregon, Ohio, Maryland, Hampshire, Nebraska and West Virginia. Having been a northerner and a Roman Catholic, Kennedy knew his strength was little in the South and hence chose Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas as his running mate. At the national convention in July 1960, he was nominated on his first ballot; defeating Lyndon B. Johnson. Kennedy also participated in a series of debates on television with his Republican rival, Vice President Richard M. Nixon where he performed well; assuring better defense policies and progressive welfare and civil rights programs.

At the age of 43, Kennedy was the second youngest president of the United States, where Theodore Roosevelt beat him to it by being one year younger in 1901. Kennedy won the election by a very narrow margin as he was short of majorities in Congress. His candidacy, though, was controversial because United States had not had a Roman Catholic President before. It was reckoned that the defeat of Al Smith against a Republican candidate in 1928 had been for his religious orientation and now Kennedy was a Roman Catholic candidate, too. Although, Richard Nixon had served for eight years as Vice President under Dwight Eisenhower and he belonged to a Republican Party, Kennedy still won by 34,226,925 votes to 34,108,662 despite being lesser in experience as compared to Richard Nixon (Helms, 2003). He successfully tackled the issue of religious bigotry in the US government in his speech in Houston on September 11, 1960 where speaking against religious intolerance, he also emphasized the importance of distinction between the Church and State.

While campaigning for the elections, Kennedy often used Cuba, a clear threat of communism at the time, as an example of the Republicans’ weakness against communism stating how Cuba was only ninety miles away from USA (Mahoney). Kennedy seemed to be clearly competing with the Republicans by challenging them to take the strongest action against the new Cuban government when he called for the United States to strengthen the non-Batista democratic anti-Castro forces in exile as well as Cuba to totally overthrow Castro’s government. He emphasized how these anti-Castro forces were still not yet backed by the United States Government as they should be (Wofford).

It is interesting to note that the leadership of Central Intelligence Agency under Allen Dulles slightly preferred Kennedy over Richard Nixon in his 1960 presidential campaign where the possibility arises that the CIA director could have been leaking information to Kennedy through a man named Stuart Symington. As a result of which the Democrats had a reason to blame the Eisenhower Government for causing the ‘missile gap’ between the Soviets and the United States.

John F. Kennedy’s speeches during his presidential campaign proposed new vigor and expectations in the citizens of the United States. During his inaugural address on the 20th of January, 1961, Kennedy challenged the Americans through his famous statement, “Ask not what your country can do for you - - ask what you can do for your country”. Though this statement was inspiring, it held connotations of United States’ possible confrontations with the USSR. In the same speech, he exhorted the American youth to assist the underdeveloped countries of the world. He declared the establishment of a scheme called the Peace Corps that intended to help Africa, Asia and Latin America by the help of 10,000 young Americans. He believed such a person to person program would help build trust, good will and self-help in the undeveloped world.

In the same speech, Kennedy clearly showed his support for Eisenhower’s policy of holding up the South Vietnamese Government of Ngo Dinh Diem stating his famous Domino Theory. He stressed that if South Vietnam became a communist state, the rest of the non-communist world would be in danger of communism as Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Philippines, New Zealand and Australia would follow in its footsteps by also falling prey to communism. Thus, it is important that communism is brought to an end in Vietnam. He encouraged America to be willing to “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty”. His inspiring rhetoric left a substantial impact on the American youth where many were inspired to join the US Marines as they claimed Kennedy had awakened the missionary idealism in them against communism.

After Kennedy replaced Dwight Eisenhower as the President of the United States, he was informed of the CIA plan to exercise an amphibious assault on Cuba. Kennedy acted on his anti-communism regime by agreeing to the Bay of Pigs invasion as he did not want to seem soft on communism if he refused permission to continue the invasion plan. Also, he was assured by his advisors that since Fidel Castro did not enjoy so much popularity in Cuba and once Cuba got invaded, the Cuban people would rather support the CIA’s trained forces. Though the Bay of Pigs attack, on April 14, 1961 was a total failure, where B-26 planes bombed some of Cuba’s airfields, but were ultimately shot down, the troops captured or killed; Kennedy readily took the entire blame for its failure. It is said that Kennedy secretly vowed to himself after the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion to overthrow Fidel Castro by all means. Soon, Kennedy recruited Edward Lansdale, a well-known cold war disciplinarian to devise a strategy to crush the government of Castro in Cuba.

After the failure of the Bay of Pigs, Kennedy became distrustful of the CIA. It was not that he thought the invasion was immoral but that it was an “amateur operation”. Kennedy really wanted to be seen as a “Cold War Warrior” who was not soft on communism at all. As a result, he and his brother, Robert Kennedy, got involved in covert action and increased military effort to remove Castro’s government in Cuba and make sure to win in Vietnam.

Kennedy is well known in the international history due to the famous Cuban Missile Crisis which started in September 1962, when USA’s U-2 spy planes discovered surface-to-air missile (SAM) launch sites built by the Soviet Union in Cuba. Added to the suspicions of the US government was the increased number of Soviet ships arriving in Cuba which posed a threat of possible existence of offensive weapons also kept in Cuba by the Soviets. At this point, President Kennedy expressed concern to the Soviet Union about these developments and emphasized that United States would not tolerate the keeping of any offensive weapons in Cuba by the Soviets.

The situation had become very difficult for Kennedy as the elections were nearing and the SAM installations in Cuba by the Soviets meant that they could easily shoot down USA’s U-2 spy planes which would weaken Kennedy’s position as a President. Also, since his election in the government two years ago, the Republicans and southern Democrats in congress were constantly bent on creating hurdles for Kennedy in his proposed legislation which demonstrated how little support he had in Congress. His ratings had fallen considerably low ever since he was appointed as the president as over 62% of the population was unhappy with his policies regarding Cuba. As a result, Kennedy feared that any occurrence of trouble in the Cuba’s situation now would cost his Democratic Party to lose more votes since the Bay of Pigs failure had just recently happened at his hands. Not surprisingly, the Republicans were highlighting the issue of Cuba more in their campaign to weaken Kennedy’s position.

When photographs taken by USA’s U-2 spy planes revealed in October, 1962, that the Soviet Union was indeed placing long range missiles in Cuba, President Kennedy’s first response was to call a meeting to discuss what can be done. The group that attended the meetings over the next few days came to be known as the Executive Committee of the National Security Council. The general advice by the CIA and other military advisors in the Ex-Comm seemed to be in favor of an air-attack on the missile sites in Cuba. However, Kennedy wanted to wait as CIA’s poor advice in the Bay of Pigs invasion had led to a failure.

The committee was not able to agree on a single solution for a few days until a naval blockade, which Kennedy would propose to the world as “quarantine”, posed as a suitable solution to avoid any nuclear war with the USSR. Kennedy was prudent enough to tell the air-force to prepare for attacks on Cuba and the Soviet Union, in case the need arose whereby the army positioned 125,000 men in Florida waiting for his orders to invade Cuba. The world knew a nuclear war was to be expected if the Soviets’ ships did not comply with Kennedy’s demand to turn back if they contained nuclear weapons or if they refuse to be searched. Kennedy also assured the military advisors that in case an American U-2 spy plane is attacked, he would order for an attack on the Cuban missile sites right away.

On October 24, 1962, President Kennedy was notified that the Soviet ships had just stopped and turned back before they reached the United States ships that were blockading Cuba. Shortly, Kennedy received an angry letter from Nikita Khrushchev accusing him of to have created this crisis to favor his Democratic Party in the upcoming elections. Soon, Khrushchev proposed that Soviet Union would remove the missiles in Cuba in exchange for a guarantee that USA would not invade Cuba and also remove their nuclear bases in Turkey. Shortly, an American U-2 plane was shot down whereby the military Advisors in Ex-Comm started reminding Kennedy of his promise to invade Cuba in case of such a scenario. To avoid a nuclear confrontation, Kennedy instead sent a letter to Khrushchev agreeing to refrain from invading Cuba if Soviets remove their missiles from Cuba. He also agreed to remove the US missiles from Turkey within six months but the deal was not to be publically announced. Khrushchev obliged and soon the elections were held where Kennedy’s supporters increased in Congress due to his success in avoiding a nuclear confrontation in the Cuban Missile crisis.

This was the only time in history that the United States and the Soviet Union had come so close to a nuclear war. After this, both the sides tried to improve their relations. However, Kennedy was still bent on supporting the South Vietnam’s government to prevent it from becoming a communist state. Although, President Charles De Gaulle of France admonished him that involvement in the Vietnam War would trap the United States in “bottomless military and political swamp”, Kennedy still delivered the leader of the South Vietnamese government, Ngo Dinh Diem, money needed to increase his army from 150,000 to 170,000. This was because Kennedy had to show himself as being firm on communism and his Domino theory, that the Hawks in the Congress were fully supporting, stated communism needed to be contained as soon as possible. His military advisors also assured him that United States was militarily equipped enough to prevent National Liberation Front’s victory in South Vietnam.

Another reason was that Kennedy had to prove he meant it when he claimed that: “No other challenge is more deserving of our effort and energy. Our security may be lost piece by piece, country by country.” A hundred military advisors, later increased to 12,000, were sent to Vietnam to help train the South Vietnamese Army; though this was kept secret from the American public as it violated the terms of the Geneva Agreement.

During his time in 1962, the Strategic Hamlet programme was introduced. This ended up increasing NLF’s supporters and increased the peasants’ hostility towards the Ngo Dinh Diem’s government as the South Vietnamese Army had to apply force to move the peasants into new villages that were under the control of the South Vietnamese Army. Many of the peasants did not want to move due to their ancestral and religious affiliations with where they lived and the way things were going, Kennedy was getting worried. Despite the Strategic Hamlet programme, the membership of National Liberation Front had grown to over 17,000 members, controlling 1/5th of the villages in South Vietnam. Using this, South Vietnamese government pressurized Kennedy to supply more military help.

Also at the time, Kennedy was receiving little support for his bill regarding provision of health coverage for individuals over 65 of age called Medicare. In his presidential election campaign in 1960, Kennedy had fought for a new Civil Rights act that earned him 70% of the African American votes. His civil rights bill was presented in Congress in 1963, following which he gave a speech on television in June of 1963. In his speech, Kennedy stated that, “the Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the nation in which he is born, has about one-half as much chance of completing college; one third as much chance of becoming a professional man; twice as much chance of becoming unemployed; about one-seventh as much chance of earning &10,000 a year; a life expectancy which is seven years shorter’ and the prospects of earning only half as much.”

Several civil rights violations and similar events including some Buddhist monks’ suicides, Diem’s government’s indifference to them and mass arrest of the monks led Kennedy to the belief that Ngo Ding Diem hardly seemed to be capable of uniting the South Vietnamese against communism. Soon in the events that followed in Vietnam, Kennedy started to have serious doubts about his Vietnam policy and wished to withdraw.

Shortly thereafter, in June 1963, Kennedy gave a speech at the American University where he emphasized peace keeping as far as the Cold war was concerned, stating, “Today the expenditure of billions of dollars every year on weapons acquired for the purpose of making sure we never need them is essential to the keeping of peace. But surely the acquisition of such idle stockpiles - which can only destroy and never create - is not the only, much less the most efficient, means of assuring peace”. He went on to say, “Some say that it is useless to speak of peace or world law or world disarmament, and that it will be useless until the leaders of the Soviet Union adopt a more enlightened attitude. I hope they do. I believe we can help them do it. But I also believe that we must reexamine our own attitudes, as individuals and as a Nation, for our attitude is as essential as theirs.” This does not mean the Cold war was over. In fact, in many ways, Kennedy remained a Cold Warrior where his policy of sabotage against Cuba was concerned which clearly was against the vision he had been talking about in his American University address (Douglass).

Kennedy and his advisors were already preparing for the next presidential campaign by Fall of 1963. Although, he had not yet formally announced his candidacy, it was obvious he was going to run for elections and his chances for re-election seemed good. Five months later on 22nd November, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was to arrive in Dallas accompanied by his party, wife, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Governor John Connally and Senator Ralph Yarborough in a procession of cars. There were several others including guards in the cars and motorcycles that surrounded the procession for security. Despite all this security, at about 12:30 P.M the President’s limousine was hit with bullets causing Kennedy injuries in the head and left shoulder. Though, the limousine accelerated right after the shots to Parkland Memorial Hospital where Connally who had also received a bullet in the back was admitted along with the President, the President’s injuries turned out to be more serious causing his death within half an hour.

John F. Kennedy was declared dead at 1 P.M due to a massive wound to the head. The suspect was arrested within two hours of the killing whose name was Lee Harvey Oswald. Although, throughout the time he was in custody, Oswald insisted he was not involved in the assassination, he was shot dead by Jack Ruby after two days. These conclusions were at first supported by the American public but soon public polls revealed that majority of Americans thought it could have been a conspiracy and it was definitely a plot to cover up the real culprits in the assassination.

Male Domination & Violence Against Women from the Eyes of a Female

2011-10-10T07:31:00.000-07:00

Violence against women is a violation of their right to life, security, happiness and freedom. It is an exploitation of a woman’s weakness to defend herself as a consequence of her physical incompetence or her economic dependence on men. It is a bitter reminder for females to forego their delusions of an egalitarian world based on liberty, independence and equality. Men are superior and women will remain inferior. Their attempts at independence will be dissolved by physical or verbal violence if they dare. Violence against females is the men’s assertion that the former’s destiny lies in their subordination to men.

In our patriarchal society, it is considered a man’s sole prerogative, even fallaciously perceived as a decree of the Divine Law, to exercise unchecked economic and political tyranny over his female subordinates. Such belief systems have perpetuated gender disparities in all spheres of our society where the central relationship between man and woman essentially bases on the male’s exploitation of the female’s physical vulnerabilities. With the growth of globalization in recent decades, even though Pakistan has significantly transformed in political, social, economic and technological spheres, the appalling practice of violence against women has not deterred. As women have ventured out of their homes to acquire education, employment, and other needs, they are exposed to greater forms of oppression and brutality than just domestic violence, stalking, cyber bullying or emotional abuse. They have become prime subjects to human trafficking, workplace violence, sexual assaults, and most importantly, acid attacks and defacing. And for what crime?

The only effective way violence can be precluded from our society is by devising an appropriate public policy that ensures women’s equal empowerment through education, self-defense training and employment as well as through men’s legal accountability. There needs to be a proper law enforcement infrastructure, such as a network of governmental agencies in collaboration with the local police and lawyers in all communities, which undertakes the implementation of such laws at the grassroots level. As part of their compulsory education, all females should be taught techniques of self-defense, not only as a preventive measure for prospective assailants but also to equip women with independent security.

Additionally, through sustained communication via mobile phones and regular meetings, women can report any incidence of blackmailing, domestic or workplace violence to these agencies which will then execute the suitable course of action and penalize the perpetrators. Not just prevention, agencies should also mobilize and educate men through community programs as well as public messages in the local media and the internet to restrain themselves and others from physical and verbal violence against women. These public messages should also inculcate upon both sexes the positive consequences of gender solidarity with mutual understanding, humanity, and peace. Only then can we stop the reiteration of violence and hope for a peaceful society.

Surely, widespread violence against women has been a centuries-old way of men’s unilateral hegemony over women, which requires extensive measures, such as mentioned above, to fully eliminate. Moreover, this gruesome practice must be curbed if Pakistan is to prosper as a peaceful and democratic state whose female citizens fully benefit from its socio-politico-economic privileges.

Is Academia Research A Scam?

2011-09-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

Most of us that surf the internet a lot have definitely come across sites that offer freelance writers an opportunity to write and get paid. One thinks what could be better than sitting at home, typing away at the computer and getting a handsome amount of cash within a month? No boss to boss you around 24/7, no stringent routine to follow. Just sit back and take orders at your will. Especially for those who like to blog or write in their journals, this is the best opportunity. Such would be a dream job which would not only expand one's knowledge on various topics but also hone one's writing skills, not to mention the money and that added edge in your CV. What's the harm in giving it a shot? Sadly, most of us have rather bumped into scam sites and not the genuine ones that offer real writing jobs and pay, thus, losing hope in online writing jobs altogether.

I, too, never thought online writing jobs were real. I registered on various such sites as a kid just for the heck of it. Never really getting a positive response, I realized they were all scams. Most of them asked me to pay a small fee for registration on their site and I wondered what kind of a job would it be where you have to pay rather than the other way around. Academia-research was one of those sites that I had signed up for. I saw their ad on some random writing site. They, however, replied to my application giving me an essay topic to write on to pass the test for their membership. Now, I am not promoting this site, I am merely sharing my experience. Doubting the authenticity of this site, I, nevertheless, took the test. What's the harm in writing another nice essay? To my surprise, shortly thereafter, they sent me a confirmation of my membership as a writer on their site.

Not trusting it still, I casually placed bids on a couple of orders and signed out without a backward glance. After a few days, I started to receive weird emails telling me to finish order #blabla within 5 hours, saying I was late. Haha, I have to say I was surprised. I still thought this was some trick to make me visit their scam site. I didn't pay any attention. I was caught off guard when I got a phone call that night from a really weird number. I googled the country code right after the call and it turned out that the caller was from Russia. I don't know how Academia Research claims to be based in USA when their customer service is in Russia. Oh well. Have to say that was slightly scary!

Anywho, I burnt the midnight oil and quite efficiently wrote a great research proposal on something related to "Education for Dyslexic Students". That is also when I learned about different writing styles such as APA, MLA, Harvard in addition to how to write bibliography according to these different formats. It's always a great feeling when you have successfully completed a task that once looked so hard and I felt ecstatic when my first assignment finished at 3 in the morning while everyone else was sleeping. The funny thing was this wasn't my assignment and I had sacrificed my sleep for someone who was probably snoring in their bed. I laughed to myself, "their loss"! I was happier about completing such a high level assignment on my own more than I was concerned about getting paid, which I doubted anyway. Within a week, I found $20 in my Paypal account though. Haha.

So, I wrote for them for a year. I wrote many assignments, learned different writing formats, researched and put together dissertations on topics ranging from Disaster Management Research Proposals to weird Ecological Studies. I learned a great deal. It felt glad to be employed somewhere while I was still going to school. Funniest moments were always when I would finally upload the assignment with a note to my client, "Dear customer, I have uploaded the assignment. If there are any changes you want in it, let me know. I have done bla bla bla and also covered the bla bla bla. Kind Regards." Even funnier was that, I, who had hardly finished A'levels then and had no clue about these technical subjects, was being assigned high level Masters dissertations and research proposals for clients who were undergraduate, graduate and probably post graduate students! Height of hilarity. It made me sure I would never take help from Masterpapers.com.

Okay, before this post gets too long, I will tell you a little about the company Academia-Research itself and how I got kicked out of their membership. In short, they terminated my account one random day when I had just submitted around 5 projects simultaneously and kind of botched up the bibliography in one while wrote little less than requested for another. I got a list of consecutive warnings in my email the next morning and an email immediately after them stating the termination of my account. Quite honestly, two of the warnings were not even related to my orders! Those were someone else's. I was not to contact them back, they stated, as I was in their block list now. So that was the end of me and Academia-Research.

I should also tell you why I was not SO let down when they did not pay me for those last 5 orders that I had successfully completed. As much as I liked writing such high level dissertations for my customers on so many different challenging topics, a part of me always pricked my conscience for being party to a cheating business. After all, the customers that ask you to write for them are students who pretend in front of their professors to have written the assignments on their own that in fact you have written for them in exchange for money. I don't regret the assignments I wrote, I regretted helping someone cheat. Most people disagree with me on this. But then again everyone has their own morals. At that time, I thought this was religiously wrong.

Anyway, Academia-Research, as their terms and conditions state, should have requested me to revise my assignments and fined me rather than terminated my account altogether. That is the only bitter experience I have had with this site unlike many other people who complain about their dishonesty in payment of orders. Now, a little about this site. To my knowledge and experience, Academia-research is definitely not one of those scam sites that ask you for money to register so you can bid on orders and get paid. It is totally free. Although, it is not quite trustworthy where payment for completed orders is concerned as I have heard from some writers and lastly it can terminate your account anytime while it hasn't paid for your completed orders. Also, there are a lot of English grammatical mistakes on the website, which makes me wonder if it is based in the USA as they claim or some non-English speaking country. I have also come to find that they are affiliated with Masterpapers.com though they don't want to reveal that to their writers. Masterpapers is where customers place their orders. They take a lot more money from the customers than they pay the writers but that should not be a problem because they still pay a heavy amount to their writers as compared to many other writing sites I've come across. That makes me think they really loot a customer for an assignment. And for what quality!

The other bitter experience I had with Academia Research was when I became a content writer for them. I will write another post for that. This was just a personal experience I wanted to share about my freelance writing experience online. If you have any similar experiences or any views whatsoever to share, comment below. Will be appreciated. :)

Adieu.

2011-08-21T04:44:00.001-07:00

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