Justice Is The Legal Or Philosophical Theory Of Justice

Justice is the art which gives to each man what is good for his soul. Discuss. â€Å"Justice is the art which gives to each man what is good for his soul† and that is simply to say that justice is identical with, or inseparable with philosophy. (Cahn, Political Philosophy, 1-136) Justice is an order and duty of the parts of the soul; it is to the soul as medicine preserves the health of the body. In its current and cardinal definition is a just behavior or treatment; a concern for justice, peace, and genuine respect for people. (Oxford Dictionary, â€Å"Justice†) Justice is the legal or philosophical theory by which fairness is administered. However, justice is polymorphic; depending on eras and civilizations also differing in every culture. Although there some principles of justice that can be found to be almost universal. An early theory of justice was set out by the Ancient Greek philosopher Plato in his work The Republic. Plato was highly dissatisfied with the prevailing degenerating conditions in Athens. The Athenian democracy was on the ver ge of ruin and was ultimately responsible for Socrates’ death – his mentor. Plato saw in justice the only remedy of saving Athens from decay and ruin. Evidently, factors such as amateurishness, political selfishness and excessive individualism became main targets of Plato s attack which were rampant in the Greek world. Agitated in contemporary affairs, the attack came in the form of the construction of an ideal society in which justiceShow MoreRelatedExpository Essay : The Criminal Justice Department1081 Words   |  5 Pages101-I November 18 2015 Expository essay on college major Introduction The Criminal Justice Department provides educational opportunities to help gain skills and knowledge in the areas of criminal delinquent process, criminology, and corrections while evaluating moral and ethical issue of public servants. As a student at Chowan University my career path is law enforcement. I stride to obtain a Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Track, B.S degree, obtaining this degree will prepare me for my captivatingRead MorePhilosophy And International Relations With Yale University858 Words   |  4 Pageshis theories also line up with the theory of Hardt and Negri. Pogge’s philosophy concerning cosmopolitanism serves as both a methodological middle ground between Empire and Appiah’s cosmopolitanism and a philosophical synthesis between the different approaches to increased globalism. One way in which Pogge does this is to establish within his methodology several standards and parameters within which he sets his own philosophy. The first is a distin ction which he makes between moral and legal philosophy:Read MoreThe Theory Of Rehabilitating Fender Shifted Into Focus More1212 Words   |  5 Pagesrange of fields that study crime grew, the theory of rehabilitating the offender shifted into focus more prevalently. The aim of the theory of rehabilitation is to reform the offender, that is to say, rid them of their criminal ways. Cohen sees this task to be outside the capabilities of the justice system. The myriad of components that lead an individual to crime whether they are economic, psychological or otherwise, is too complex for the justice system to be able to grok fully. Cohen equatesRead MoreWomenS Rights And Economic Progress Are Highly Correlated.1212 Words   |  5 PagesWomen s rights and economic progress are highly correlated. In today s developed countries, by large, women hold the same legal rights as men. Two hundred years ago, in most parts of the world women were considered possessions of men and had no pr imary benefits of their own, thus living in Patriarchal societies. â€Å"Patriarchy is a social structure in which men are regarded as having a monopoly on power and women are expected to submit.†(Boundless, Par. 1) The sources of patriarchy are closely relatedRead More Abortion Must be Illegal Essay1721 Words   |  7 Pagesserved as associate justice in the US Supreme Court from 1905 to1982. He was a great political philosopher of his days and his ideas are still remembered. According to Holmes, â€Å"the nature of legal language can obscure and hide the social interests and social advantages to some that a law promotes.† Holmes view about legal language is that law promotes social goodness for people but the manner in which the language of law is interpreted can be a block to providing equal justice to all human beingsRead MoreReview of Aristotles Nichomachean Ethics1388 Words   |  6 Pageseach human characteristic is examined and dissected without the constraints of a rigorous rule book. His teleological view of human life originates from his Greek background. He strongly supported the theory that there is an end or fulfillment that should be pursued by each individual. His theories are not as prominent in today’s world, but they are still considered the capstone for the discipline of philosophy. He attempts to find the correlation between people’s propensity toward inherentRead MoreA Theory Of Justice By Rawls1317 Words   |  6 PagesIn his book ‘A Theory of Justice’, Rawls was dissatisfied with the traditional philosophical arguments about what makes a social institution just and about what justifies political or social actions and policies. The utilitarian argument holds that societies should pursue the greatest good for the greatest number. This argument has a number of problems, including, especially, that it seems to be consistent with the idea of the tyranny of majorities over minorities. The intuitionist argument holdsRead MoreThe Classical Theory Of Criminal Activity856 Words   |  4 Pages2012) Cesare Beccaria contributed to the classical theory greatly, and introduced several attributions to the justice system which advanced it immensely. â€Å"Views were consistent with Beccaria’s utilitarian beliefs that sought to maximize the public benefit by achieving the greatest amount of good for the most people†. (Newman, Freilich 133 1997; Newman Margongiu, 1997) The Classical Theory has resulted in positive advancements in the justice system for various reasons. Firstly, it is â€Å"forward-lookingRead MoreThe Concepts of Law, Authority and Justice Essays1187 Words   |  5 PagesThe Concepts of Law, Authority and Justice Laws in this sense mean prescriptive legal rules, as opposed to descriptive patterns of cause and effect in nature. They are the laws of society’s making, rather than the laws of science. There are certain characteristics of these laws; they are designed and implicated by society for society, they reflect the conventions of the society which generates them, they are prescriptive which means that their members of that societyRead MoreThe Obstacle Of Organizing Government920 Words   |  4 Pages218). The environment, or for Leopold the land, is not a global citizen in-it-of itself. Rather, the land is merely a tool for the continued economic growth. Since land has limited legal rights, Leopold sees that humans see no harm in exploiting the environment for capital gain. As such, granting the environment legal protection would, as Leopold saw it, be a better means of conservation efforts. Leopold described a system of ethics that, when applied appropriately, apply to both man and land. Despite

Aboriginal Land Rights in Australia - 1461 Words

Terra Nullius was once apparent in Australian society, but has now been nullified with the turn of the century and the changes of societal attitudes. With the political changes in our society, and the apology to Indigenous Australians, society is now witnessing an increase in aboriginals gaining a voice in today’s society. Kevin Rudd’s apology as described by Pat Dodson (2006) as a seminal moment in Australia’s history, expressed the true spirit of reconciliation opening a new chapter in the history of Australia. Although from this reconciliation, considerable debate has arisen within society as to whether Aboriginals have a right to land of cultural significance. Thus, causing concern for current land owners, as to whether they will be†¦show more content†¦This decision left pastoralists unsure of their right to land, however the National Indigenous Working Group (NIWG) accepted that existing rights of pastoralists to operate and develop their leases wi thout any need to negotiate with native title holders. This provides pastoralists with the ‘certainty’ that they had before the Wik decision. Recently, Indigenous land owners on May 23, 2011 had the Federal Court of Australia rule that over 26,000 square kilometres in Western Australia’s north Kimberley region was an indigenous protected area. This decision has allowed indigenous members of the community to progress forward and create benefits for themselves and their community. In making the decisions of such acts, many societal viewpoints would have been considered. In establishing an act, the stakeholder’s positions would need to be considered in order to ensure an equitable legislation for the majority of society. Stakeholders recognised by the law include: All registered native title bodies corporate in relation to land or waters in the area (Austlii: 1993). Pastoralists involved in relation to current land owners. Government bodies; influence the execution of laws and policies on members of society. Once a decision is passed, it can be used as precedent in future cases and therefore the decisions passed must have due consideration. An organisation that educates society on the issues of IndigenousShow MoreRelated Aboriginal Land Rights within Australia Essay1885 Words   |  8 Pagessociety is now witnessing an increase in aboriginals gaining a voice in today’s society. Described by Pat Dodson (2006) as a seminal moment in Australia’s history, Rudd’s apology was expressed in the true spirit of reconciliation open ing a new chapter in the history of Australia. Considerable debate has arisen within society as to whether aboriginals have a right to land that is of cultural significance and whether current land owners will be able to keep their land. An issue facing society is whetherRead MoreEssay Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders1586 Words   |  7 PagesAboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have faced disadvantages in various areas, particularly housing. The disadvantages these people face now are the result of policies introduced by the European settlers, then the government. The policies introduced were protection, assimilation, integration and self-determination. It is hard to understand the housing disadvantages faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people ifRead MoreMabo Decision : Queensland Government1414 Words   |  6 Pagesof the most significant legal case in Australia, which recognised the land rights and the original ownership of Murray islanders in the Torres Strait. It was acting by Murray islanders and the High Court upheld. Based on the successful legal case, there are some key issues in the process for Indigenous’ land rights, which were changed in Australia law and affect future rulings in Australia, such as the Native Title ruling of the Aboriginal people’s land rights after the High Court passed the Act inRead MoreIndigenous Australians1567 Words   |  7 PagesAboriginal Spirituality Aboriginal spirituality originally derives from the stories of the dreaming. The dreaming is the knowledge and a sense of belonging that the Aboriginals had of the beginning of life and the relationship to the land and sea (Australian Museum, 2011). The dreaming stories are passed on from one generation to the next orally. These stories teach the following generations how to behave towards the land and other people. The dreaming stories give them a sense of duty to protectRead MoreAboriginal Land Rights Essay1072 Words   |  5 Pages Aboriginal Land Rights Aboriginal Australians have always had an eternal bond with the land. For the 50,000 years or more, they have occupied the continent; the land provided not only the basic needs, but also the spiritual beliefs. In the Dreaming, the forms of the land, mountains, rivers, landscapes and animals took shape and the spirit of ancestors resided in places that became sacred sites to the Aboriginal people. The land to these people were their most preciousRead MoreAustralia s Indigenous People Of The World s Most Ancient Living Cultures1737 Words   |  7 PagesPeople who are not from Australia, may have never heard the word Indigenous or know the meaning behind it. If they have heard the word they might not know about Australia’s Indigenous people. Maybe when they think of Australia they automatically think of British convicts. Only the British convicts weren’t the first people to own the land in Australia, there come people way before them and they are still fighting for their rights and land today. It is said that humans have been on this continentRead MoreA History of Oppression: the Mistreatment of Australian Aboriginals1541 Words   |  7 PagesAustralian Aboriginals Cases of oppression are very much present within our world’s history, and even in most societies today. Being rich in history, Australia is a large example of oppression in our world. Not only can we find koala bears and kangaroos in the continent of Australia, but also the world’s oldest existing culture of aboriginal people (Aboriginal Australia - EmbraceAustralia.com). For nearly 50,000 years, Australia has served as home to these ancient indigenous people (Aboriginal AustraliaRead MoreEffectiveness Of The Campaigns For Indigenous1434 Words   |  6 PagesHISTORY ESSAY EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CAMPAIGNS FOR INDIGENOUS RIGHTS IN AUSTRALIA IN THE PERIOD 1965 – 2014 During the period between 1965 and 2014, many campaigns involving Indigenous Australians were held to support their rights. The effectiveness and results of the campaigns from earlier years lead up to how Aboriginal people are treated today. The Freedom Rides was one of the first campaigns to be held within the time period and consisted of a group of university students promotingRead MoreThe impacts of the Stolen Generation on Australian Life Essay1600 Words   |  7 PagesThe Stolen Generation has had a great effect on Aboriginal rights and freedoms as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders didn’t even have the rights to raise and look after their children and as a result 100,000 Aboriginal Australian’s were displaced and placed into white families. The lack of understanding and respect for Aboriginal culture also meant that many people who supported the removal of these children really thought they were doing â€Å"the right thing†. The impact on Australian li fe today isRead MoreMabo V Queensland : Significance And Impact Of The Courts On Australian Law And Legal History948 Words   |  4 PagesThe High Court of Australia in its decision in, Mabo v Queensland (No.2) 175 CRL1. Over turned the doctrine of terra nullius, discuss the significance and impact of the courts decisions on Australian law and legal history. The High Court’s Decision in 1992 has had a significance impact on our legal history. The Australian High Court made void to the concept that Australia was terra nullius which has altered our legal history in Australia dramatically in the way in which we see the British invasion

Human resource management and Contemporary Issues †MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about the Human resource management and Contemporary Issues. Answer: Introduction: This article focuses on the problems that are experienced in companies when employees go on maternity leave. The article focuses on the outcomes of the move by Ottawa to increase maternity leave to 35 from the current ten. This effectively means that companies will be forced to hold in reserve the jobs for such employees. The article singles out one company, Monsanto Canada and its practice with regards to temporary filling in positions during pregnancies. The article appears on the Canadian Business, dated 8 September, 2011 and written by Jasmine Budak. It is titled "The dark side of maternity leave. Question two- Organization concerned At Monsanto Canada, the company does not temporarily fill in the position of senior managers when they go on maternity leave (Budak, 2011). Everyone is expected to take on more responsibility and this especially affects the managers. This breeds problems of morale at the company which can be spotted easily but are problematic in treating. Two concepts are being explained: employee benefits and management levels. Employee benefits which include maternity leave refer to the benefits which are non-wage and form part of remuneration. It also touches on the leadership pipeline concept that builds, develops and maintains a pool of skilled leaders within a company. The maternity leave benefit is helpful in building employee commitment to the company as their welfare is taken into consideration (Bratton Gold, 2007). While it is beneficial to the employee, it presents special challenges for the company. This is especially seen where the employee involved had higher levels of responsibility and training. Some jobs are so technical that they require employees to be trained every six months. Replacing such an employee is expensive since the temporary replacement will incur costs during training. Additional costs are also incurred when the employee returns and has to be retrained. Filling positions for senior managers therefore becomes untenable some times for most companies. The concept of management levels within the parameters of leadership pipelines is another human resources management principle (Armstrong, 2010). It states that companies should seek to develop and maintain a pool of managers internally as a long-term strategy. The pool of managers should be built in the different departments so as to fill temporary vacancies when they arise. This is based on the supposition that the option to hire external executives is temporary and for the short-term. This concept is helpful in the process of leadership development and planning for succession within companies. Question five- Suggestions about HRM practice What happens at Monsanto Canada is both good and problematic. It is a good human resources management approach with regards to making provision for maternity leave. This helps to build staff motivation, morale and commitment within the company. At the same time, the practice of not filling in the positions of senior managers is problematic. Bratton (2012), stats that tt shows that their HR management has gaps in management levels with poor leadership development and continuity. This practice breeds problems of low morale as well as overworking the remaining employees. This may affect the productivity of the company or result in some employees leaving the company. Several questions emerge as a future practitioner of human resources. The first issue is that of balancing the requirements of the law with company policy so as not to disturb the equilibrium of the company (Sims, 2007). When the law extends the maternity leave from 10 to 35, this should call for internal consultations with employees in order to come to a negotiated compromise that will not disrupt the operations at the company. Ideally the employee should be able to resume work while working at home within the 35 week window. This would pressure of work for the remaining employees. The other question is that of giving financial incentives for the remaining employees who are tasked with picking up the slack. The giving of financial incentives may reduce the problems of lack of morale when other employees are on maternity leave. This too should a negotiated matter and may be incorporated in as company policy. Sammer (2016), states that the other alternative is to temporary promote a junior staffer into the office with the full benefits of the office for the duration they will hold it. This can be done with anticipatory training for such an employee, since pregnancy is can be planned for. Such a policy when considered and employed can significantly reduce problems when senior staff goes on maternity leave. References Armstrong, M. (2010). Armstrong's essential human resource management practice: A guide to people management. London: Kogan Page. Bratton, J. (2012). Human Resource Management. Palgrave Macmillan. Bratton, J., Gold, J. (2007). Human resource management: Theory and practice. New York, N.Y: Palgrave. Budak, J. (2011). The Dark side of Maternity Leave. Retrieved from https://www.canadianbusiness.com/business-strategy/the-dark-side-of-maternity-leave/ Sammer, J. (2016). How to weigh the Value of Paid Parental Leave. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/benefits/pages/paid-parental-leave-value.aspx Sims, R. R. (2007). Human resource management: Contemporary issues, challenges, and opportunities. Charlotte, N.C: IAP-Information Age Pub.

Marco and Rodolpho Essay Example

Marco and Rodolpho Paper In what ways do the three main male characters in A View from the Bridge demonstrate differing kinds of Masculinity to the audience? Eddie Carbone is a longshoremen, he lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Beatrice and his niece Catherine, who he has brought up since her mother has died. Eddie loves Catherine more than a niece; he wants to keep her as a child forever so she will never leave him. Beatrices cousins (two Sicilian brothers) arrive at Eddies apartment, it has taken some time to get them into the country and they must not be known by the Immigration Bureau or they will be deported. At first Eddie likes Marco, the oldest of the brothers, because of his attitude to making money to send back to his family. Something that a real man should do, look after and protect their family, this is the same reason why he dislikes Rodolpho because he doesnt act the way a real man does and is unmarried (afraid that he might take away Catherine). We will write a custom essay sample on Marco and Rodolpho specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Marco and Rodolpho specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Marco and Rodolpho specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Things start to go wrong for Eddie after the arrival of Marco and Rodolpho, Catherine starts to go out late at night and Eddie disproves of this and when he knows that Catherine and Rodolpho are going out with each other he is furious and dislikes them together because he doesnt like the way Rodolpho acts. Because of the way he acts, he is being laughed at, at the piers where he sings, and because he lives in Eddies house, Eddie is finding it embarrassing too. After a long period of time, Eddie, desperate and afraid finally calls the immigration bureau and tells them the presence of Marco and Rodolpho; the two brothers are caught and taken to a cell. When Marco is bailed, he heads straight for Eddie and kills him because in a Sicilian community you never betray members of your community and if you do, the result is death. Masculinity is the actions and quality of a man; in the play all three characters are important because they are three very different types of man. Between them, they cause tension, fights and arguments. Marco is face to face with Eddie, a strained tension gripping his eyes and jaws, his neck stiff, the chair raised like a weapon over his head and he transforms what might appear like a glare of warning into a smile of triumph, and Eddies grin vanishes as he absorbs his look. If one of the characters didnt act the way they did, e. g. Rodolpho doesnt sing, cook, make dresses etc then Eddie and Rodolpho wouldnt have the conflict between them and Eddie couldnt say that he was gay for an excuse that Catherine cant marry him. The tension is reliant on all the characters, and if anyone of them change, then all the tension is lost. Eddie is stubborn, arrogant and is driven by his beliefs. He thinks that everything evolves around him. His belief is very traditional and believes that a womans place is in the kitchen and a man should work and look after their family, not sing, cook or make dresses. Eddie thinks that Rodolpho should be more like a real man and stop acting like a woman, since cooking is a womans job. He thinks that he should be more like his brother, Marco or a bit like himself because he finds it hard to believe that a man would do these kinds of things in the 50s. Eddie treats Catherine and Beatrice like any man would in the 50s, his respect is important to him in front of Catherine and Beatrice but more importantly the whole neighbourhood. Beatrice: Why! What do you want? Eddie: I want my respect. Didnt you ever hear of that? From my wife? Eddie demonstrates the type of man he is to the audience during the whiskey bottle scene.

Rape Shield Laws essays

Rape Shield Laws essays Should All Evidence Be Admissible in Court? Sex plays a major role in todays society. From television, radio, music, and advertisements, to video games, the Internet, and even art and pictures, all forms of media use sex to help sell their products. With the public being exposed to so many different types, the overuse and exploitation of sex is common. Nowadays, people just have sex with anyone and often times regret their actions afterwards. This makes it difficult for law officials to separate rape victims from promiscuous women who use the court system as an object of revenge to get back at their sex partners for whatever reason. (Blumner, Rape Shield Laws Have Outlived Their Usefulness). Many states have rape shield laws set up to protect the women in court from slanderous remarks, but the law violates the defendants sixth amendment right and should be reconsidered. Rape shield laws date back to the 1970s. Because of pressure from feminist activists, lawyers, and legislators, most states enacted the rape shield law to ease the emotional burden of rape victims. Rape shield laws are present in forty-nine states with the exception of Arizona. (Rape Shield Law-What You Need to Know, pars. 1-2). The law limits the use of a victims prior sexual history as an attempt to undermine the credibility of the victims testimony. In the years following the first rape shield law, Americas culture became more educated about the crime of rape. Therefore, the need for the laws lessened. In todays society, sexual activity among unmarried women is no longer morally shocking, yet it is accepted. Juries are no longer as narrow minded on the topic of sex as before, and they are less likely to blame the victim for a rape just because she engaged in sexual activities before marriage. At some point or another, the definition of rape broadened and now includes acquaintances, best frie...

Fireside Chats, Roosevelts Radio Appeals to Ordinary Americans

Fireside Chats, Roosevelt's Radio Appeals to Ordinary Americans The fireside chats were a series of 30 addresses by President Franklin D. Roosevelt broadcast nationwide on radio in the 1930s and 1940s. Roosevelt was not the first president to be heard on the radio, but the way he used the medium marked a significant change in the way presidents communicate with the American public. Key Takeaways: Fireside Chats Fireside chats were a series of 30 radio broadcasts by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, which he used to explain or promote a specific government action.Millions of Americans tuned in to the broadcasts, yet listeners could feel the president was talking directly to them.Roosevelts innovative use of radio influenced future presidents, who also embraced broadcasting. Direct communication with the public became a standard in American politics. Early Broadcasts The political rise of Franklin Roosevelt coincided with the growing popularity of radio. A speech Roosevelt delivered at the Democratic National Convention was broadcast in 1924. He also used the radio to speak to his constituents when he served as governor of New York. Roosevelt seemed to sense that radio had a special quality, as it could reach millions of listeners, yet for each individual listener the broadcast could be a personal experience. When Roosevelt became president in March 1933, America was in the depths of the Great Depression. Drastic action needed to be taken. Roosevelt quickly embarked on a program to rescue the nations banking system. His plan included instituting the Bank Holiday: closing all banks to prevent runs on cash reserves. To gain public support for this drastic measure, Roosevelt felt he needed to explain the problem and his solution. On the evening of Sunday, March 12, 1933, only a week after his inauguration, Roosevelt took to the airwaves. He began the broadcast by saying, I want to talk for a few minutes with the people of the United States about banking... In a concise speech of less than 15 minutes, Roosevelt explained his program for reforming the banking industry and asked for the publics cooperation. His approach was successful. When most of the countrys banks opened the following morning, the words heard in American living rooms from the White House helped restore confidence in the nations financial system. President Roosevelt delivering an early Fireside Chat. Getty Images   The Depression Broadcasts Eight weeks later, Roosevelt delivered another Sunday night address to the nation. The topic, again, was financial policy. The second speech was also considered a success, and it had a distinction: a radio executive, Harry M. Butcher of the CBS network, called it a Fireside Chat in a press release. The name stuck, and eventually Roosevelt began using it himself. Roosevelt continued to give fireside chats, usually from the Diplomatic Reception Room on the first floor of the White House, though they were not a common occurrence. He broadcast a third time in 1933, in October, but in later years the pace slowed down, sometimes to just one broadcast per year. (However, Roosevelt could still be heard regularly on the radio through broadcasts of his public speeches and events.) The fireside chats of the 1930s covered various aspects of domestic policy. By late 1937, the impact of the broadcasts seemed to decline. Arthur Krock, the influential political columnist of the New York Times, wrote following a fireside chat in October 1937 that the president didnt seem to have much new to say. After his June 24, 1938, broadcast, Roosevelt had delivered 13 fireside chats, all on domestic policies. More than a year went by without him giving another one. President Roosevelt during a wartime Fireside Chat. Getty Images Preparing the Nation for War With the fireside chat of September 3, 1939, Roosevelt brought back the familiar format, but with an important new topic: the war that had broken out in Europe. The remainder of his fireside chats dealt mainly with foreign policy or domestic conditions as they were impacted by Americas involvement in World War II. In his third wartime fireside chat, broadcast on December 29, 1940, Roosevelt coined the term Arsenal of Democracy. He advocated that Americans should provide weapons to help the British fight the Nazi threat. During a December 9, 1941 fireside chat, two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Roosevelt prepared the nation for war. The pace of the broadcasts accelerated: Roosevelt gave four fireside chats per year in 1942 and 1943, and three in 1944. The fireside chats came to an end in the summer of 1944, perhaps because news of the progress of the war already dominated the airwaves and Roosevelt had no need to advocate for new programs. Legacy of the Fireside Chats The fireside chat broadcasts between 1933 and 1944 were often politically important, delivered to advocate for or explain particular programs. Over time they became symbolic of an era when the United States navigated two monumental crises, the Great Depression and World War II. Roosevelts distinctive voice became very familiar to most Americans. And his willingness to speak directly to the American people became a feature of the presidency. Presidents following Roosevelt could not be remote figures whose words reached most people only in print. After Roosevelt, being an effective communicator over the airwaves became an essential presidential skill, and the concept of a president delivering a speech broadcast from the White House on important topics became standard in American politics. Of course, communication with voters continues to evolve. As a January 2019 article in The Atlantic put it, Instagram videos are the new fireside chat. Sources Levy, David W. Fireside Chats.  Encyclopedia of the Great Depression, edited by Robert S. McElvaine, vol. 1, Macmillan Reference USA, 2004, pp. 362-364.  Gale Virtual Reference Library.Krock, Arthur. In Washington: A Change In Tempo of Fireside Chats. New York Times, 14 October 1937, p 24.Roosevelt, Franklin D.  Great Depression and the New Deal Reference Library, edited by Allison McNeill, et al., vol. 3: Primary Sources, UXL, 2003, pp. 35-44.  Gale Virtual Reference Library.

How do Airplanes Fly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

How do Airplanes Fly - Essay Example According to the research findings air keeps speeding up as the pressure starts lowering which is the reason why a plane keeps going up as the air speed becomes stronger and faster over the top of the huge plane wings as a result of which a region of low pressure is created. As the air goes faster and a region of low pressure is created, the wings of an airplane generate lift and movement is made up through the thin air. It is no secret that humans have always remained interested in aerodynamics which is why two American men widely known as the Wright brothers managed in inventing the world’s first airplane after conducting their experiments at length using the aerodynamic principles. As mentioned before, control forms the most crucial factor when analyzing the flying process and though the Wright brothers were not the first to be involved in the experimental aircraft, still they have the honor to be the first people to invent control necessary for managing the aircraft balanc e. The concept of fixed-wing powered flight was totally impossible before the Wright brothers invented aircraft controls and made the first fully controlled, balanced, and powered flight, thus bringing a turning point in the history. The most important part of the invention undoubtedly was the three-axis control which helped immensely in lifting the airplane from the ground up into the air. The job of the three-axis control was to help the pilot in steering the jet in an appropriate manner and maintain its control in a way that the flight would remain successful and uninterrupted. Now the use of the three-axis control to steer the aircraft and maintain its equilibrium has become a standard and a firm principle in the flying process. Same goes for the fixed-wing aircraft of all other kinds where the tool of three-axis control is still used essentially. The concept of heavier-than-air human flight was totally unimaginable before the aerodynamic principles were applied practically. Mos t of the flight problems used to occur because there was no flight control in those days when engineers and researchers did not know much about exercising control over the aircraft balance. But, with explanation provided by the Wright brothers regarding the flight control options and methods, most of the flight problems got resolved as a very reliable way of pilot control was shown to the world through the three-axis control. Actually the main mistake made by earlier aeronautical engineers and flying enthusiasts was that the main emphasis was again and again laid on designing and

Research Methodological Approaches Applied In Academic Journal Essay

Research Methodological Approaches Applied In Academic Journal Articles - Essay Example This paper illustrates that researchers of all levels wrestle with the problem of developing an appropriate methodology for their studies. A research methodology is not the only critical component of academic development but a robust research practice that gives direction to every research done in any given field of study. To be certain, it is indeed a critical aspect of social sciences, more specifically in business and management that requires specific approaches in order to achieve implementable target objectives. This essay endeavors to analyze and compare the main research methodological approaches, which include quantitative, qualitative and multiple methods, applied in academic journal articles. First, these approaches are going to be discussed with regards to their underlying philosophies and paradigms, explaining their relationship between theory and research in terms of deductive and inductive approaches, focusing on research design and data collection. Secondly, the resear ch will analyze the application of quantitative and qualitative research approaches in academic journal articles, illustrating their main strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Finally, the essay will summarize by pointing out the finding of the entire research undertaken. An important feature of any academic research in itself, mapping out the literature involves articulate analysis of previous studies, subsequently using the same as a basis of pointing the knowledge gap in the given fields of study. Broadly, a literature search is but ‘a systemic process that aims at identifying and collating the existing body of knowledge on a particular topic’. The aim of a literature review, as Lings and Lee indicate, is to show acquaintance with existing work in the given field and provide insights into the work under study. Among other things, an effective literature review critically analyses the materials under study, synthesizes them with respect to relevance, into providi ng the reader with the useful insights.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Essay Example for Free

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Essay The book The Alchemist was originally written in Portuguese by Paulo Coelho in 1987. To date, it sold 35 million copies and is reigned as the most translated book in the world by a living author. The Alchemist was the second book of the now 67-year old Coelho following his first novel attempt entitled The Pilgrimage. It was Coelho’s second book that made him known worldwide, but amazingly, it just took him a course of one two-week spurt of creativity to complete the novel The Alchemist. The novel was about one Andalusian shepherd boy’s mystical trek towards realizing his recurring dream of finding his treasure located at the Egyptian Pyramids. Eventually, as he go on through his journey, he learns to speak the Language of the World and discovering the essence of alchemy. He meets different people along his way, starting with the fortune-teller whom he asks to interpret his recurring dream that night while sleeping near a sycamore tree in the sacristy of an abandoned church. The lady says he should pursue finding his treasure and when he does find it, he must give her a part of it as payment for her service. The second person he meets is a mysterious old man who seems to be able to read his mind. This man introduces himself as Melchizedek, or the King of Salem. He tells the boy about good and bad omens and says that it is the shepherds duty to pursue his Personal Legend. Melchizedek then gives him two stones, Urim and Thummim, for him to use when he needs help to interpret omens. The boy decides to follow what the man has said to him and sells his herd to purchase a ticket to Tangier, in northern Africa. But shortly after he arrives there, a thief steals all of his money, so he decides to look for a way to make enough money to return home. He finds work in the shop of a crystal merchant, where after a year he makes improvements that is gratified by financial rewards. He then leaves to proceed in the pursuit of his treasure. He joins a caravan traveling to Egypt. There, he meets an Englishman who wants to learn the secret of alchemy, or turning any metal into gold, from a famous alchemist who lives at an oasis on the way to the pyramids. While traveling, the boy begins listening to the desert and discovering the Soul of the World. The caravan reaches the oasis after some  time, and there he falls in love to an Arab girl named Fatima. The caravan leader tells them that tribal warfare prevents them from continuing their journey so they are staying at the oasis a little longer. One day, the boy wanders from the oasis into the desert and sees two hawks fighting in the sky with a vision of an army entering the oasis. Because attacking an oasis is a violation of the rules of the desert, he shares his vision with the oasiss tribal chieftain. Soon afterward, he is confronted by a black-garbed, veiled stranger with a sword, who sits atop a white horse. It is the alchemist. The tribal chieftain arms his men, and they are well-prepared when the oasis is indeed invaded. The alchemist offers to cross the desert with the boy. Soon the two men enter into an area of intense tribal warfare. Warriors hold the two men captive, but eventually allow them to continue their journey after the boy manages to demonstrate to them that he can be one with the wind. The alchemist tells the boy that he needs to return to the oasis, and that the rest of the trip is his to make alone so that he can claim his Personal Legend. The alchemist shows him how the Elixir of Life and the Philosophers’ Stone are made and he gave him the quarter of the gold before leaving the boy on his own. The boy arrives at the Egyptian pyramids and begins to dig. He finds nothing buried in the ground. Thieves come and see him, they beat him and rob him of his gold. After he tells them of his dream, though, one of the thieves recounts his own dream about a buried treasure in the sacristy of an abandoned church. He then realizes where his treasure can be found. Returning to Andalusia, he goes back to the church where he dreamed of the treasure near the pyramids. He digs where he slept, beneath a sycamore tree, and there it is, his treasure. He plans to return with it to Al-Fayoum, where he will reunite with Fatima, who awaits him. This story, for me, is really one of a kind. It’s not every time that I get to read novels like this which is simply a work of a truly passionate and creative mind. According to The Alchemist, Personal Legends serve as the only means by which an individual can live a satisfying life. In fact, the universe can only achieve perfection if all natural things continuously undergo a cycle of achieving their Personal Legend, evolving into a higher being with a new Personal Legend, and then pursuing that new goal. This  concept, that the individualistic pursuit of a Personal Legend exists as life’s dominant—perhaps only—spiritual demand, lies at the center of the unique theology of The Alchemist. I love how the alchemy was introduced and explored in the story. I know little about the science of turning metals into gold – though I have been hearing it – but this book is just so well-written that after I finished reading it, I have a certain feeling of understanding what it really is and what it is really meant for. The story also emphasizes that it is not the destination but the journey that shapes us. In the book, the boy’s destiny wanted him to learn many things beyond being a simple shepherd, so he was sent to a journey that he never thought he would ever experience in pursuit of a treasure in his dream, only to find out in the end that it was just located in the place where his dream occurred. Even with this, he did not regret that he went through that far because he knew that what he found along the way was the most precious treasure a man could ever have. Moreover, in The Alchemist, the spiritual unity represented by the Soul of the World binds together all of nature, from human beings to desert sand. This idea underlies the parallel we see in the novel between the alchemist purifying metal into gold and the shepherd boy purifying himself into someone capable of achieving his Personal Legend. According to the novel, the Soul of the World has created an ultimate desire, or Personal Legend, for everything, whether a man or a piece of iron. To accomplish its Personal Legend, each thing must learn to tap into the Soul of the World, which purifies it. That continual purification ultimately leads to perfection. This notion of humans, metals, and all other things sharing the same goal demonstrates that all elements in nature are essentially different forms of a single spirit. Recalling from the book, there also is the mentioning about the Language of the World, and that every heart knows and understands it if we will just learn how to listen to what it has to say, like how the boy learned to communicate to the nature through his heart. Another relevant thing in this novel is the presence of omens everywhere and at any given time. It was said there that we just have to learn how to read them, and that they are there to guide us towards achieving our destined Personal Legends. But just like what is implied in the story, fear prevents people from realizing their destinies, so we tend to ignore the omens, and their call to be recognized are eventually becoming  more and more silent. I also noticed the involvement of religions (Islam and Catholic). I have always thought that talking about religious beliefs and practices is as complicated as discussing the theories of origin of the universe. But in this case, I am relieved that none of the sectors is being favored nor left behind. Not that there is a competition of which is right and which is wrong, but if I would be asked, I’d rather not to answer. Lastly, and probably what really stole a good bit of me is the foreign phrase maktub that was mentioned how many times in the book. It means â€Å"it is written†, which pertains to the destiny we each has that’s written by a Superior Hand for us to fulfil. I always thought that everything that happens serves a purpose, maktub.

The Indian Policy Response :: India Trade Globalization Agriculture Essays

The Indian Policy Response Socio-economic implications of Globalization in India - What India wants from WTO - What is required of India by WTO - Analysis of policy response in two crucial areas Agriculture and Pharmaceuticals. An ethical framework covering the issues that are discussed and a common policy response is suggested. In the early nineties, India embarked full speed on a path of liberalization and globalization by reducing trade barriers and non-trade barriers alike, demolishing the existing quota-licensing regime. As a logical step in that process, it joined the WTO in 1994 at the end of Uruguay round of talks. Major changes in existing laws and enacting new laws had become imperative to comply with the WTO agreement. But substantial resistance to the acceptance of the WTO regime have erupted in areas of Agriculture, Pharmaceuticals. India as a founder of the ITA (Information technology Agreement) under the aegis of WTO has significant advantages as well as some critical obligations. This paper analyses the moral arguments of the policy response to these critical issues and attempts to synthesize a common position based on ethical perspectives. Agriculture Before we discuss the policy imperatives of the WTO response, a brief background on the nature and state Indian agriculture is necessary. Indian economy is agrarian in nature where nearly 70% of the population is dependent upon agricultural income. At the lower end of this strata are the vast majority of poor farm labourers who do not own the land but work in the fields and farms to earn their livelihood. In the middle layer, we have a large number of marginal land owners and small farmers who labour as well as employ other labourers to produce. In the higher end there a small number of large farmers and farm corporations who employ mechanised as well as very labour intensive farming. The politically powerful lobby of big farmers utilize power, irrigation and fertilizer subsidies of the government at the same level as the small farmers. The number of crops produced by this huge agricultural base is limited comparative to the other developed countries, because of various historical an d climatic conditions. Since the agriculture is labour intensive and most of the farming is done by small farmers owning small land tracts, the productivity is low and costs are high. While some states subsidize power and irrigation, the central government provides fertilizer subsidies and procures the farm products at minimum support prices to supply poor urban consumers to ensure food security through a Public Distribution System.

Drama at the Farm: A Canadian Survival Story Essay

Canadian Writer Margaret Atwood would argue that every country in the world has a single unifying and informing symbol, to act as a belief system that keeps everyone together and working for common ends. These unifying symbols manifest in the literature produce by authors and literary thinkers; whether or not it is done consciously or subconsciously. According to Atwood, in the United States â€Å"Frontier† is the unifying symbol, the exploration of new land, the west and independence from imperial powers. In the United Kingdom the â€Å"Island† is a distinct symbol of common national sentiments, the idea of the central island nation controlling its lands and wealth from behind the safety of its metaphorical walls; this symbol is perfectly represented by the medieval castles and fortresses of that nation. With these examples in mind Atwood states that the unifying symbol for Canadian Lifestyle, and consequently literature, is â€Å"Survival†. As a result of the Canada’s geographical shape, its vast landmass and bitter climate, as well as the nation’s origins as subordinate to imperial rule, Survival becomes the common thread which bonds the lives thought and experiences of all Canadians. It is more real to us than the frontier or the island. In her essay, † Survival : A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature†, Atwood goes into great detail about this idea of survival and victimization, she outlines her four victim positions with the intention of increasing understanding of Canadian literature, and how these guidelines apply to anyone, Canadian or otherwise. In â€Å"The Watcher†, by Guy Vanderhaeghe, Atwood’s concepts can be used to identify and understand the position of Vanderhaeghe’s main character, Charlie Bradley, as well as increase understanding of Vanderhaeghe’s work as a piece of distinctly Canadian fictional Literature. Atwood’s four victim positions can be used to understand characters from Canadian fiction from the distinctly Canadian point of view, survival. The hero of most Canadian fiction is the survivor, the main character or protagonist survives where the other characters do not, or they survive one ordeal only to succumb to something else, â€Å"The survivor has no triumph or victory but the fact of his survival; he has little after his ordeal that he  did not have before, except gratitude for having escaped with his life.†(Atwood 33). The Canadian protagonist or survivor doesn’t portray the myth that they can beat adversity to better themselves or their situation, rather they are no better of than before their ordeal, or maybe worse, by are fortunate to have escaped with their lives. The survivor is therefore inherently and unavoidably a victim in one form or another, and Atwood’s position can be use to identify and grasp a greater understanding of the survivo r character, his actions, thoughts, and decisions. To understand Charlie Bradley one must first understand the four basic victim positions. A person of the first victim position is in denial of the fact that they are the victim, usual their slightly elevated status above their peers makes them feel that anyone can succeed if they wanted to and those that don’t are just lazy. A person from the second victim position acknowledges their victimization but resigns to it because of feelings that it is the result of uncontrollable exterior forces such as fate, they feel their position as a victim is inevitable and cannot be changed. Individuals of the third position acknowledge their victimization but refuse to accept the role is inevitable as in position two. However a person in position three doesn’t use their frustration at their victimization in a creative manner, they don’t use their energy to change their position they just loath themselves and are jealous of those who are not victims. A person in position four is what Atwood calls â€Å"a creative non victim† (Atwood 38). For these individuals victimization is not a reality, they use their energy to rise above the existence of victimization and are positively creative with their situation. Vanderhaeghe’s main character from his short story, â€Å"The Watcher†, Charlie Bradley fits perfectly into Atwood’s definition of the second victim position. Charlie Acknowledges his victimization but feels there is nothing he can do about it. Evidence of Charlie’s position can be found numerous times throughout the text. From the very first sentence of Vanderhaeghe’s story one can cast type Charlie. He says, â€Å"I suppose it was having a bad chest that turned me into an observer, a watcher, at an early age.† (Vanderhaeghe 207). From this statement you already know that Charlie blames his situation as being an observer on his bad chest, an uncontrollable external for, he cannot control his sickness and so resigns to be a victim of it. The rest of the story centers around Charlie’s talent for observing events but never participating, the situation he deals with when he is shipped of to his grandmas farm and forced to deals with his mentally unstable aunt and her freeloading boyfriend Thompson. Charlie fancies himself a spy observing the details and doing nothing. More evidence of his position comes from thoughts on his aunt’s situation, Charlie says, â€Å"†¦ Evelyn, was evidence enough of how firmly bound we all are to the wretched wheel of life and its stumbling desires.† (Vanderhaeghe 221). Again resigning everything to the whims of fate. Charlie’s true position as the surviving victim comes at the end of the story when he is forced into the game, no longer a watcher, and must chose between taking the side of his Grandma or that of Thompson in identifying the assailants, who identity he does know to be the Ogden Brothers hired by his Grandma to beat up Thompson. â€Å"And now he is asking me to save him, to take a risk, when I was more completely in her clutches than he would ever be. He forgot I was a child. I depended on her.† (Vanderhaeghe 239). Charlie admits to withholding the truth to save himself, even if it meant hurting Thompson. Charlie is the survivor, he is the victim of circumstance be he has the foresight to save himself even if it isn’t the right thing to do. Canadian short stories are full of survivors, the characters created by Vanderhaeghe as well as those of many authors face different challenges than the characters of literature from other nations. Canada is a nation of survivors, if only just barely. Margaret Atwood is one Canadian writer who fully understands this survivor position and the levels of victimization that come along with it. Canadian heroes are the ones who face adversity to gain something, but those who are pounded by the outside world and are just able to have on to their lives. This situation, at least metaphorically, will be familiar to all Canadians and the great cross section of writers from various cultural backgrounds. Their diversity only reinforcing the notion that this country, the land changes you, give us all something in common, that unifying symbol that Atwood praises as the center of everything  Canadian. Survival. As Atwood aptly puts it, â€Å"A writer’s job is not to tell a society how it ought to live but how it does live.†(Atwood 42) Works Cited: Atwood, Margaret. â€Å"Survival.† Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature. Toronto: Anansi, 1972. 25-43. Vanderhaeghe, Guy. â€Å"The Watcher.† Man Descending. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1982.

Developmental Psychology Essay

Cognitive development involves developing concepts of thought, problem solving and memory (Green. 2002). Jean Piaget (1896-1980) and Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) were both psychologists, which focused on cognitive development and the way in which children’s thought and reasoning developed as they matured. This assignment shall begin by describing and evaluating the theories put forward by Piaget and Vygotsky referring to research evidence and providing a conclusion. Piaget (1896-1980) was one of the most influential researchers in the area of developmental psychology during the 20th century and a as biologist was interested in the way in which organisms adapt to their environment this was described by Piaget as intelligence. He viewed behaviour or the adaptation to the environment as being controlled through mental organisations known as schemes that the individual uses in order to represent the world. Piaget suggested that adaptation is driven by a biological drive to obtain balance between schemes and the environment, which is known as equilibrium (Huitt. 2003). Within Piaget’s research and writing’s on cognitive development he suggested that children’s thoughts are not only less sophisticated than adults but they are also qualitatively different and this is due to less knowledge (Jarvis. 2000).   It was considered by Piaget that the interaction between the child and their environment was the main factor of influence on their cognitive development. Piaget’s view of children is that they are scientists and that they should be left to explore their surroundings giving them the opportunity to interpret the world in their own way. The active involvement in their own learning is described as a series of schemas and that these schemas would change and develop through each stage through the process of assimilation or accommodation (Green. 2002). Piaget’s theory is based on stages of development in which he believed that all children develop at the same age. There are four stages to his development theory, which are sensorimotor (0-2 years) and the view that infants are developing their first schemas (Meggitt. 2000). Object permanence is the main focus within this stage and the assumption by Piaget that children aged five or six months old could not understand that an object, which was covered, still exists.  An experiment showed that a child of five or six months showed no interest once the toy was covered whereas a ten month old would reach out for the toy and seem to become agitated. Piaget’s interpretation of this was that the child of ten months had reached object permanence and now has a schema for the object. In contrast to this Tom Bower and Jennifer Wishart (1972) argued that objects do still exist in baby’s minds although they have been covered. To support their theory an experiment was undertaken using an infrared camera. An object was offered to the baby and as they reached out to grab it the lights were switched off. The results showed that the baby was still attempting to reach for the toy although they were unable to see it and so an explanation for Piaget’s theory was that by covering the object the baby was distracted and not necessarily that they had forgotten about it. The second stage is pre-operational stage (2-7 years). Egocentric thinking predominates the child (Huitt. 2003) within this stage and they do not have the ability to understand things from another person’s viewpoint according to Piaget. In order for this to be confirmed he set up an experiment. Three mountains were set in front of the child and a doll was placed in different seats around the table. Photographs, which had been taken, were then shown to the child and they were asked to point to the picture that the doll would see. As Piaget’s findings showed that most four or five year olds pointed to photographs which represented their view of the mountains he concluded that they were egocentric. Most children aged seven that was asked to do the same task correctly identified the photograph strengthening Piaget’s theory. Although it was then argued by Martin Hughes (1975) that the task was much too complicated for the child and therefore devised his own experiment, which would contradict Piaget’s findings. His experiment involved a model with two intersecting walls, two policeman figures and a figure of a boy. After having a trial using one police figure and the boy to ensure the child understood the task Hughes began his experiment. It was found that most children could successfully take account of two different viewpoints. Therefore it could be said that Piaget’s experiment may have been too difficult for the child to understand rather than the child being egocentric.

An Introduction to Erikson’s Stages of Development

An Introduction to Erikson’s Stages of Development Psychoanalyst Erik Eriksons stages of development articulated a psychosocial theory of human development made up of eight stages that cover the entirety of the human lifespan from birth to old age. Each stage is defined by a central crisis that the individual must grapple with in order to move on to the next stage. Erikson’s theory has been highly influential on scholars’ understanding of human development and identity formation. Key Takeaways: Erikson's Stages of Development Erik Eriksons stages of development consist of eight stages that cover the entire human lifespan. This structure makes the point that development does not end when an individual reaches adulthood; rather, it continues throughout the entire lifespan.Each stage of development revolves around a central crisis that the individual must contend with in order to move on to the next stage.The success at each stage is reliant upon success at previous stages. Individuals must go through the stages in the order laid out by Erikson. Stages of Psychosocial Development The stages of psychosocial development laid out by Erikson are as follows: 1.  Trust vs. Mistrust The first stage takes place in infancy and ends around age 1. Erikson said that infants first social achievement is to let their caretakers out of sight without becoming anxious. In other words, infants must develop a sense of trust in their caretakers and the people around them. When infants come into the world, they are vulnerable and dependent on others for survival. When a child’s caretakers successfully meet their needs- e.g. food, warmth, and safety- the child develops confidence that the world is a safe and secure place. If the child’s needs are not met, however, the child comes to believe the world is an inconsistent, untrustworthy place. This doesn’t mean that all mistrust is bad. According to Erikson, a certain amount of mistrust is necessary. Without some amount of mistrust, the child could become too trusting and consequently would not know when to be skeptical of people’s intentions. However, an individual should emerge from this stage with a greater sense of trust than mistrust. If the infant is successful in this endeavor, they will develop the virtue of hope: a belief that one’s desires are achievable despite the chaos of the world. 2.  Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt The second stage takes place when the child is around 2 or 3 years old. As children grow, they become more capable of doing things on their own. If children are supported in their bids at independence, they will learn to have confidence in their abilities. On the other hand, if children are too controlled or criticized, they will start to doubt their ability to take care of themselves. If the individual emerges from this stage with a greater sense of autonomy than shame or doubt, they will develop the virtue of will: the ability to make choices freely while also having self-control when appropriate. 3. Initiative vs. Guilt The third stage takes place between the ages of 3 and 6. Preschool age children start to take initiative in pursuing their own objectives. When they are successful, they develop a sense of competence in their ability to make and achieve goals. When those objectives meet resistance or become problematic in the social world, they will experience guilt. Too much guilt can lead to a lack of self-confidence. If the child emerges from this stage with more positive than negative experiences taking initiative, they will develop the virtue of purpose: the ability to determine what they want and go after it. 4. Industry vs. Inferiority The fourth stage takes place from 6 to 11 years old. This stage marks the child’s first forays into grade school and structured learning. It is therefore the first time the child must begin to understand and contend with the expectations of the wider culture. Children learn what it means to be a good member of society, both in terms of productivity and morality. If children come to believe they cannot function properly in society, they develop feelings of inferiority. Children who experience success at this stage will develop the virtue of competence. 5. Identity vs. Role Confusion The fifth stage takes place during adolescence and in some cases can extend into the 20s. With the onset of puberty, physical and cognitive changes cause adolescents to think about their futures for the first time. On the one hand, they are trying to determine who they are and what they want for their futures. On the other hand, they worry about making unwise commitments and are concerned about the way others, especially their peers, perceive them. While identity development is a lifelong process, the fifth stage a key time for identity, as adolescents start to choose and pursue the roles they wish to fulfill as adults. They also must begin to develop a worldview that gives them a sense of personal perspective. Success at this stage will result in a coherent sense of identity that leads to the virtue of fidelity: loyalty to one’s commitments. 6. Intimacy vs. Isolation The sixth stage takes place during young adulthood. Adolescents are often too preoccupied to truly be intimate with another person. However, during young adulthood, individuals who have established a sense of their own identity can achieve a genuine connection with someone else. At this stage, those whose relationships remain impersonal will experience isolation. People who achieve more intimacy than isolation at this stage will develop the virtue of mature love. 7. Generativity vs. Stagnation The seventh stage takes place during midlife. It is at this time that people turn their attention to what they can offer the next generation. Erikson called this â€Å"generativity.† While his focus was on raising children, adults who produce anything that contributes to the future, including creative works and ideas, are also being generative. Adults who are not successful at this stage become stagnant, self-absorbed, and bored. Generative adults who contribute to the next generation and avoid becoming overly self-indulgent develop the virtue of care. 8. Ego Integrity vs. Despair The eighth and final stage takes place during old age. At this point, people start to look back on their lives. If they can accept and find meaning in what they have done and accomplished throughout their lives, they will achieve integrity. If people look back and don’t like what they see, the realization that life is too short to try out alternatives and repair regrets will lead to despair. Finding meaning in one’s life in old age results in the virtue of wisdom. The Structure of the Stages Erikson was influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud, particularly Freuds stage theory of psychosexual development. Erikson expanded on the five stages outlined by Freud by assigning psychosocial tasks to each stage, then adding three additional stages for later periods of adulthood. Erikson’s stages rest on the epigenetic principle: the idea that each stage is dependent upon the previous stage and, therefore, individuals must go through the stages in a specific order. At each stage, the individual must wrestle with a central psychosocial conflict in order to progress to the next stage. Each stage has a particular conflict because, according to Erikson, individual growth and sociocultural context work together to bring that conflict to the individuals attention at a particular point in life. As individuals move through the psychosocial stages specified by Erikson, their success rests upon the outcomes of previous stages. For example, when infants develop more mistrust than trust in their caretakers during the first stage, they may experience role confusion during the fifth stage. Similarly, if an adolescent emerges from the fifth stage without having successfully developed a strong sense of identity, he or she may have difficulty developing intimacy during the sixth stage. As a result of these structural elements, Erikson’s theory communicates two key points: Development does not stop when one reaches adulthood. Rather, individuals continue to develop throughout their entire lifespan.Each stage of development hinges upon the individual’s interaction with the social world. Critiques Eriksons stage theory has faced some criticism for its limitations. Erikson was vague about the experiences an individual must undergo in order to successfully grapple with the conflict of each stage. He also wasn’t specific about how people move through the various stages. Erikson himself was aware that his work was unclear; he explained that he intended his theory to provide context and descriptive detail for development, not precise facts about developmental mechanisms. Nevertheless, Erikson’s theory can be credited with inspiring a great deal of research into human development, identity, and personality. Sources Crain, William. Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications. 5th ed., Pearson Prentice Hall. 2005.Dunkel, Curtis S., and Jon A. Sefcek. â€Å"Eriksonian Lifespan Theory and Life History Theory: An Integration Using the Example of Identity Formation.†Ã‚  Review of General Psychology, vol. 13, no. 1, 2009, pp. 13-23,  http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0013687Erikson, Erik H. Childhood and Society. W.W. Norton Company, 1963.Erikson, Erik H. Identity: Youth and Crisis. W.W. Norton Company, 1968.McAdams, Dan. The Person: An Introduction to the Science of Personality Psychology. 5th ed., Wiley, 2008.McLeod, Saul. â€Å"Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development.† Simply Psychology, 2013. https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

The Extended Use of the Verb Suru

The Extended Use of the Verb Suru The verb suru (to do) has many extended uses, which occur quite often.   (1) To Make (a) Adverb form of I-adjective suruTo change the I-adjective to the adverb form, replace the final ~i with ~ku. (e.g. ookii - ookiku) Terebi no oto o ookiku shita. ãÆ'†ãÆ' ¬Ã£Æ'“㠁 ®Ã©Å¸ ³Ã£â€šâ€™Ã¥ ¤ §Ã£  Ã£  Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿ- I turned up the volume of the TV.Tsugi no tesuto wa mou sukoshi muzukashiku suru tsumori da. æ ¬ ¡Ã£  ®Ã£Æ'†ã‚ ¹Ã£Æ'ˆã  ¯Ã£â€šâ€šÃ£ â€ Ã¥ °â€˜Ã£ â€"é› £Ã£ â€"㠁 Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£  ¤Ã£â€šâ€šÃ£â€šÅ Ã£   Ã£â‚¬â€š- I am going to make the next exam a little more difficult. (b) Adverb form of Na-adjective suruTo change the Na-adjective to the adverb form, replace the final ~na with ~ni. (e.g. kireina - kireini) Heya o kireini suru. éÆ' ¨Ã¥ ±â€¹Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£  Ã£â€šÅ'㠁„㠁 «Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹- Im cleaning the room.Kana wa darenidemo shinsetsu ni suru. é ¦â„¢Ã¥ ¥Ë†Ã£  ¯Ã¨ ª °Ã£  «Ã£  §Ã£â€šâ€šÃ¨ ¦ ªÃ¥Ë†â€¡Ã£  «Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£â‚¬â€š - Kana is kind to everybody. (2) ToDecide Suru should be used when you are choosing from several available alternatives: Koohii ni shimasu. ã‚ ³Ã£Æ' ¼Ã£Æ'’ãÆ' ¼Ã£  «Ã£ â€"㠁 ¾Ã£ â„¢- Ill have coffee.Kono tokei ni shimasu. 㠁“㠁 ®Ã¦â„¢â€šÃ¨ ¨Ë†Ã£  «Ã£ â€"㠁 ¾Ã£ â„¢- Ill take this watch.Pikunikku wa raishuu ni shimashou. ãÆ'”ã‚ ¯Ã£Æ'‹ãÆ'Æ'ã‚ ¯Ã£  ¯Ã¦  ¥Ã©â‚¬ ±Ã£  «Ã£ â€"㠁 ¾Ã£ â€"ょ㠁†ã€‚- Let’s agree that the picnic will be next week. (3) The Cost, Duration of Time When accompanied by phrases indicating price, it means cost. When used with a verb that indicates duration of time, it means, lapse. Kono kaban wa gosen en shimashita. 㠁“㠁 ®Ã£ â€¹Ã£  °Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£  ¯Ã¤ ºâ€Ã¥ Æ'円㠁â€"㠁 ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿ- This bag cost 5,000 yen.Sono tokei wa dono gurai shimashita ka. 㠁 Ã£  ®Ã¦â„¢â€šÃ¨ ¨Ë†Ã£  ¯Ã£  ©Ã£  ®Ã£  Ã£â€šâ€°Ã£ â€žÃ£ â€"㠁 ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã â€¹- About how much did that watch cost?Ato ichinen shitara Nihon ni ikimasu. Ã¥ ¾Å'ä ¸â‚¬Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã‚‰æâ€" ¥Ã¦Å" ¬Ã£  «Ã¨ ¡Å'㠁 Ã£  ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š - I am going to Japan in another year. When suru is used to mean duration of time, it is only be used in a subordinate clause. In a main clause, the verb tatsu is used instead. Gonen tachimashita. ä ºâ€Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã£ Å¸Ã£  ¡Ã£  ¾Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã€‚- Five years passed. (4) To Feel, to Smell, or to Hear When suru is combined with phrases associated with appearance, it means, to appear. Kono hana wa ii nioi ga suru. 㠁“㠁 ®Ã¨Å  ±Ã£  ¯Ã£ â€žÃ£ â€žÃ¥Å'‚㠁„㠁Å'㠁™ã‚‹- This flower smells good.Nami no oto ga suru. æ ³ ¢Ã£  ®Ã©Å¸ ³Ã£ Å'㠁™ã‚‹- I hear the sound of the waves.Kore wa henna aji ga shimasu. 㠁“ã‚Å'㠁 ¯Ã¥ ¤â€°Ã£  ªÃ¥â€˜ ³Ã£ Å'㠁â€"㠁 ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š- This tastes funny.Samuke ga shimasu. Ã¥ ¯â€™Ã¦ °â€"㠁Å'㠁â€"㠁 ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š- I feel a chill. (5) To Appear When suru is combined with phrases associated with appearance, it means, to appear. Kanojo wa samishisouna me o shite ita. Ã¥ ½ ¼Ã¥ ¥ ³Ã£  ¯Ã£ â€¢Ã£  ¿Ã£ â€"㠁 Ã£ â€ Ã£  ªÃ§â€º ®Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã£ â€žÃ£ Å¸Ã£â‚¬â€š- She had sad eyes. (Her eyes looked sad.)Kare wa aoi kao o shite iru. Ã¥ ½ ¼Ã£  ¯Ã© â€™Ã£ â€žÃ© ¡â€Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ â€"㠁 ¦Ã£ â€žÃ£â€šâ€¹Ã£â‚¬â€š- His face looks pale. (6) Loan Word + Suru Loan words are often combined with suru to change the word into a verb. Most loan words are taken from English verbs. Here are some examples: doraibu suru ãÆ'‰ãÆ' ©Ã£â€š ¤Ã£Æ'â€"㠁™ã‚‹ - to drivetaipu suru ã‚ ¿Ã£â€š ¤Ã£Æ'â€"㠁™ã‚‹ - to typekisu suru ã‚ ­Ã£â€š ¹Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to kissnokku suru ãÆ'ŽãÆ'Æ'ã‚ ¯Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to knockpasu suru ãÆ'‘ã‚ ¹Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to passhitto suru ãÆ'’ãÆ'Æ'ãÆ'ˆã â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to hit (7) Noun (of Chinese Origin) + Suru Suru is combined with nouns of Chinese origin to change them into a verb. benkyou suru 勉å ¼ ·Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to studysentaku suru æ ´â€"æ ¿ ¯Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to do the washingryokou suru æâ€"…è ¡Å'㠁™ã‚‹ - to travelshitsumon suru è ³ ªÃ¥â€¢ Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to ask questionsdenwa suru é› »Ã¨ © ±Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to telephoneyakusoku suru ç ´â€žÃ¦ Å¸Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to promisesanpo suru æ• £Ã¦ ­ ©Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to take a walkyoyaku suru ä ºË†Ã§ ´â€žÃ£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to reserveshokuji suru é £Å¸Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to have a mealsouji suru æŽÆ'é™ ¤Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to cleankekkon suru ç µ Ã¥ ©Å¡Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to get marriedkaimono suru è ² ·Ã£ â€žÃ§â€° ©Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to shopsetsumei suru è ª ¬Ã¦ËœÅ½Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to explainjunbi suru æ ºâ€"備㠁™ã‚‹ - to prepare The particle o can be used as an object particle after a noun. (e.g. benkyou o suru, denwa o suru) There is no difference in meaning with or without o. (8) Adverb or Onomatopoetic Expressions + Suru Adverbs or onomatopoeic expressions can be combined with suru to change them into verbs. yukkuri suru ゆ㠁 £Ã£  Ã£â€šÅ Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to stay longkatto suru 㠁‹ã  £Ã£  ¨Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to flare upzotto suru 㠁žã  £Ã£  ¨Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to shiverbonyari suru 㠁 ¼Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£â€šâ€žÃ£â€šÅ Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to be absent mindedniko niko suru ãÆ'‹ã‚ ³Ã£Æ'‹ã‚ ³Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to smilewaku waku suru ãÆ' ¯Ã£â€š ¯Ã£Æ' ¯Ã£â€š ¯Ã£ â„¢Ã£â€šâ€¹ - to be excited

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US and China Negotiations with Oil Producing Countries Abstract The start of the twenty first century signaled a new beginning for the United States and China in their quest for oil diplomacy with African oil producing countries. One of the characteristics of this venture is the difference in approach both countries follow to attain this natural resource. This research work, therefore, examines the diplomatic measures of the US and China in their negotiations with oil producing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, hereafter referred to as (SSA). In particular, the results they expect or the preferences over outcomes are analyzed. It is not the intention of the study to present a comparative analysis of US and Chinese import figures or to look at their reciprocal relationship. The question is what strategic choices do the US and China make in their interaction with oil producing countries and in what way does such interaction shape oil diplomacy? An important finding is that the US and China develop different strategic paths and policy frameworks whic h strengthen the assumption that the two countries compete for SSA oil. Along these lines, the study investigates the oil diplomacy of the US and China in SSA using the strategic-choice approach as an analytical framework. Introduction In the last decade, the US and China has moved their search for oil security to the African continent. The US and China arrive on the SSA oil scene with their own motives and interests. Their single most important interest is to engage in oil diplomacy with petroleum producing states and secure the safe import of oil from the region. African states traditionally were influenced by colonial powers. However, with the rise of China and its increasing involvement in Africa, the situation is changing. The US focuses on humanitarianism, good governance and democratization of petroleum producing states in their oil diplomacy approach. China, the worlds fastest growing economy, views SSA as a welcome offloading ground for its products in exchange for oil. An economic approach focusing on enlarging its commercial interests is the driving factor for Chinas engagement with petroleum producing states. China needs more raw materials to supply in its increasing domestic demand. Instability in the Middle East, oil dependency and securing its energy interests drives the US to SSA. Keeping a watchful eye on Chinas involvement and monitoring its influence with petroleum producing states is another reason the US is devoting much of its time to this part of Africa. The US interest in the region focuses on the procurement of oil and gas, but with the establishment of the US African Command (AFRICOM), US involvement in SSA shifted in a large degree to the fight against terrorism and safeguarding of American oil operations. Analytical Framework Lake Powell (1999) formulated an approach that makes it easier for students of international relations to explain the choices actors make, whether these actors are states, parties, ethnic groups, companies, leaders or individuals. This approach is used in the paper to explain the strategic interaction of the US and China with oil producing countries and not the strategic interaction between the US and China. The argument is that both countries have independent influencing power and exercise an asymmetric relationship with oil producing countries. In SSA the preferences and beliefs of the US and China in conjunction with the strategic environment are the core attributes on which the strategic-choice approach is based. In the SSA oil environment, there are many beliefs and preferences which have an effect on interaction and the formulation of policy frameworks. What are the oil security preferences of the US and China in SSA, and how is it influenced by the environment? Changes in the behavior of actors are often difficult to perceive in the strategic-choice approach (Lake Powell, 1999). Whenever changes in the behavior of actors do take place, it is primarily done through learning, through changes in the actors environment or by analyzing the actors as more basic actors Lake Powell, 1999). In this study, the methodological bet would disaggregate the actors into more basic actors, such as the individual beliefs of the energy departments, national leaders, multinational oil corporations, bureaucrats and individuals. Frieden (1999: 50) mentions the concept of actors preferences over choices, and how the outcomes affect strategic interaction between actors in the same setting. The preference in a particular setting leads the agent to devise a strategy. Analysts of international relations have long debated how preferences and the strategic environment affect outcomes, jointly and separately. Many debates in the field have to do with whether outcomes are primarily the result of the constraints of the international system or of differences among national preferences (Frieden, 1999:50). A strong variant of realism, for example, implies that state preferences are so overwhelmed by the pressures of interstate competition that all states must pursue essentially identical strategies. A strong domestic, dominance perspective might, on the other hand, argue that different state strategies flow primarily from different national characteristics and preferences. Due to the continuous rise of new issues in SSA oil politics, the argument is that preferences are shaped by environmental factors and thus not static. It will be difficult, therefore, to separate the preferences of the actors from the strategic environment. The assumption is that a cycle of interaction is proposed deriving from the interplay of preferences and strategies. In the SSA oil setting, the US and China in deciding what preferences over outcomes they desire, have to take political environmental constraints into consideration, because the oil-induced political environment is constantly changing. Instability of oil producing countries, corruption, the negative consequences of having oil reserves, bad governance and terrorism are contributing factors to this changing environment. In more stable, homogenous oil environments, the actors preferences are more constant. The environment in North Africa is a region with a more or less stable oil infrastructure, where actors formulate clear, definable goals, separate from such environmental influence. The North African oil producing states of Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt have a strong unifying Muslim culture, and they can shape their preferences around a common goal. In SSA, the environment and the choices actors make are separated, because of ethnic division, religious differences, corruption, instability, bad governance and the gross mismanagement of oil revenues. These factors then make it difficult for leaders to shape preferences without interference of political constraints. In reality, leaders of oil states will base individual preferences on self-enrichment and state goals on the dynamics of interplay between actors in the strategic setting. The main energy security debate for the American and Chinese government in the twenty first century focuses on the concept of oil dependence. Diversification of import channels, safe delivery of imports and establishing reasonable prices are factors that influence the decision-making of policymakers. US-Sino oil diplomacy in SSA thus follows different paths. Because both countries arrived relatively late on the oil scene in this part of Africa, were not previous colonial masters, and had limited strategic ties with petroleum producing states, SSA now presents new challenges to the US and Chinese governments in their quest for oil. Engaging in diplomatic talks broaden oil horizons and establish measures along which oil security is negotiated. From the perspective of increasing oil imports and acquiring new exploration and drilling licenses, oil diplomacy is vital for sustaining negotiations on a continuous basis. However, for diplomacy to be an effective tool, the US and China need to formulate preferences or policy beliefs. The next section presents a brief overview of US and Chinese expansion into the SSA oil fields in the last couple of years. The aim is to identify the major oil producing countries with whom the US and China have signed deals and not to present import and expo rt figures. Looking at the allocation of exploration contracts to the US and China by SSA oil producers, it becomes clear that these countries are siding with either the US or China. The point is that diplomacy and strategic interaction are deciding factors influencing the relationship. For example, Nigeria and Angola as two of SSAs major oil producing countries have strong relationships with both powers, but their interaction differ. US and Chinese Expansion into Sub-Saharan Africa Oil Fields The growing expansion of Chinese national oil companies into Africas oil markets is perhaps the aspect of Sino-African relations that most concerns the international community (Taylor, 2009: 37). Chinese firms are actively seeking resources of every kind: copper, bauxite, uranium, aluminum, manganese, iron ore, and more. However, the issues surrounding oil are of particular interest to Western policymakers studying Chinas rise (Lyman, 2006). Indeed, although China and the US do not rely on one another for energy supplies, the possibility that oil will be the subject of future disagreements between them is arguably high and thus has a bearing on much of the commentary on Sino-African energy policies (Zha, 1999: 69). Certainly, there is concern that Beijings procurement of energy supplies will pose a challenge to the global dominance of Washington at a time when levels of cooperation between the two governments on matters of energy are at best weak (Dreyer, 2007: 461). In contrast to t he days of Maoist solidarity, contemporary Chinas economic dealings with Africa are, in the main, based on an unfriendly evaluation of commercial potential. Indeed, to reiterate, Chinas rapidly developing oil requirements have helped propel Sin-African trade at the turn of the millennium (Taylor, 2009: 44). A select listing of recent contracts signed by Chinas national oil companies gives a flavor of the geographical extent of Chinese interest in SSA oil. In 2004, Total Gabon signed a contract with Sinopec for exporting Gabonese crude oil into China. Angola received a US$ billion loan in 2005 in exchange for oil deals with China, which added another US$1 billion to the loan in March 2006. Also in 2005, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation signed a US$800 million deal with PetroChina to supply 30,000 barrels of crude per day to China. In 2006, CNOOC agreed to pay US$2.3 billion for a stake in a Nigerian oil and gas field (Taylor, 2009: 45). Chinese oil companies also reportedl y signed contracts to begin offshore oil exploration and production in Congo-Brazzaville and began oil exploration in northern Namibia with the intent to establish an oil refinery. In addition, Nigeria announced that that it would give the first right of refusal on four oil exploration blocks to CNPC in exchange for a commitment to invest US$4 billion in infrastructure (Taylor, 2009: 46). Clearly, Chinas energy interests in Africa are growing exponentially. Indeed, in 2006, China imported 920,000 barrels a day of crude oil, or 31 percent of its total crude imports, from Africa. Moreover, Chinese national oil companies are still relatively small players on the continent. â€Å"The commercial value of the oil investments in Africa of Chinas NOCs is just 8 percent of the combined commercial value of the (international oil companies) investments in African oil and 3 percent of all companies invested in African oil† (Downs, 2007: 42). A central criticism of these contracts revolve s around the tactics and strategies by which Chinese corporations enter into them. For instance, on February 16, 2006, Chinaafrica, an official Chinese publication, quoted Wang Yingping of the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), as asserting that â€Å"Chinese businesses pay greater attention to protecting the environment when building factories and exploring for Africas rich reserves in oil†; two months later, it cited, without comment, the assertion by Sierra Leones ambassador to China that â€Å"the Chinese just come and do it. They dont hold meetings about environmental impact assessments, human rights, bad governance and good governance. Im not saying its right, just that Chinese investment is succeeding because they dont set high benchmarks† (Taylor, 2009: 47).  Ã‚  Ã‚   The US is obsessed with oil imports from the Middle East and pays little or no attention to SSA. This region supplies as much black gold to the US as the Persian Gulf States. According to (Donelson, 2008) the region also lend itself to just as much (if not more) danger of unexpected supply disruption. For this reason AFRICOM, the new US military administrative headquarters [one of six regional headquarters (HQs) worldwide] was established. The military demand center is devoted to relations with 53 countries (Donelson, 2008). At the end of 2007, SSA accounted for nearly 16% of US daily imports, versus just over 18% for the Persian Gulf States and just over 18% for Canada. The country in seventh place is Angola with 507,000 barrels a day, just behind Algeria. Chad, Gabon, Congo (Brazzaville), and Equatorial Guinea are petroleum suppliers to the US as well, along with minor players including South Africa, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa . One country with strong oil reserves is Nigeria, but unfortunately the region is vulnerable to disruption. The destroying of oil pumping stations, pipelines, and other distribution facilities are at the order of the day by rebel groups, opposing the rule of President Umaru YarAdua. According to Donelson (2008), The Bold Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has sent militants in boats through heavy seas to attack the Bonga oil fields more than 65 miles from land, temporarily shutting down production of more than 200,000 barrels a day. But there are also other groups, such as white-collar oil workers threatening the supply of oil if their negotiation demands are not met. But the main issue the US faces is competition from other countries, especially from China. Donelson (2008) points out that the Angola supplied almost as much oil (465,000 barrels daily) to China as they did to the US in 2007 and that number will almost certainly go up as a report by the Council of Forei gn Relations states: â€Å"Beijing secured a major stake in future oil production in 2004 with a $2 billion package of loans and aid that includes funds for Chinese companies to build railroads, schools, roads, hospitals, bridges, and offices; lay a fiber-optic network; and train Angolan telecommunications workers† (Donelson, 2008: 2). The President of Angola, Jose Eduardo dos Santos served as his partys, (MPLA) representative to China, after receiving his degree from the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute in the old USSR. This was shortly before he became president. The relationship between dos Santos and the US is not build on a solid foundation and is to say the least very unreliable. There is no guarantee that the country will live up to its promise of providing the US with a continuous supply of oil, after such a long time of instability and civil war. With two of the top seven U.S. oil suppliers vulnerable to supply disruptions at any moment; is it any wonder that the American military presence in Africa is slated for the major expansion (Donelson, 2008). In a nutshell, before moving on to the strategic-choice analysis, what are the motivations for the US and China to enter the SSA oil market? Trade and economical intentions are high on Chinas African business agenda, offloading Chinese products in the host countries in exchange for oil and other resources. Traditionally, African states relied on western colonial powers for economic aid and influence. However, the situation is slowly changing with the rise of China and its increasing involvement in Africa. The supply of oil in return for investments and other economical incentives are the driving force for petroleum producing states to establish relations with China. SSA is a source of growing importance in the supply of oil. The region is likely to become as important a source of US energy imports as the Middle East. The US is in competition for access to oil, not only to China but also with India and Europe. Therefore, the US interest in SSA includes promoting democracy, good govern ance and transparency in economies of petroleum producing states, along with establishing a strong military command to protect its oil interests and monitor the actions of militant groups.  Ã‚   However, diplomacy is an effective tool if preferences and policy beliefs are formulated around certain goals. This is what the next chapter is going to achieve, investigating the policy beliefs of the US and China and the way it contributes to effective oil diplomatic measures.   US-Sino Oil Diplomacy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Strategic-Choice Analysis During the twentieth century, US and Chinas preference thinking regarding Africa was greatly influenced by ideological thinking. The contest between establishing democracy or communism in Africa was evident of US-Chinese intervention on the African continent. The US followed liberalization policies to free oppressing regimes from authoritarian, communist rule, while China viewed Africa as an open domain to introduce communism. A result of these opposing preferences by the US and China was that African countries were introduced to different ideological doctrines, which laid the foundation for African countries to establish their own state goals. Hostility of certain petroleum producing states toward cooperation with either the US or China, favoring one state over the other because of ideological and economical preferences, domestic conflict in Nigeria, violations of human rights in Sudan, the war on terror in conjunction with Muslim extremism and the general poor living and health con ditions in SSA, are factors that limit the American and Chinese governments to implement successful strategies. On the other hand, the US and China can certainly benefit from the individual preferences of state leaders and actors in the oil industry. For example, the goals of multinational oil corporations and the individual beliefs of business leaders contribute to the formulation of a national grand strategy for SSA.   In analyzing the strategic interest of the US in the SSA oil setting, the ideological preference of the US to promote democracy and good governance in African countries is a condition when strategies based on democratic principles are to be devised. â€Å"Oil is where you find it. Oil companies cannot always invest in democratically governed countries. It would be ideal if it could be guaranteed that the head of an African country where a US oil company invested was, in fact, an advocate of democracy and always respected human rights. Unfortunately, that is not a realistic expectation in todays Africa or in most other oil producing regions of the world. It is important to urge and cajole and to nudge the leaders of the oil producing countries towards establishing inclusive democracies and good governance† (Wihbey, Schutz, 2002: 4). This is the task of US diplomacy. In Sudan, the US government is supporting the initiatives of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative ( EITI) (The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, 2007). Countries that underwrite the initiatives and programs of the EITI have preferences toward establishing good governance principles in countries that depend on the extraction of natural resources, and to eradicate the exploitation of these resources. Initiatives that seek to promote good governance principles can only be successful if the supporting countries maintain these same good government principles at home. The SSA oil strategic setting allows for many actors, whether they are governmental institutions, non-governmental institutions, non-state actors or individuals, such as the residents of the Niger delta and Southern Sudan and the multitude of multinational oil corporations (MNCs), to formulate their own goals and pursue unique strategies. However, environmental constrains, such as transportation difficulties and inaccessibility of areas in the Niger Delta, further accentuates the problem actors experience to reach solutions on common grounds. Then there are also religious divisions between Muslims and Christians, ethnic conflicts between the different tribes living in the Niger Delta, the self-interested or ambitious goals of MNCs in the central government. These factors are all having an immoralizing effect on the negotiation process. Rebel groups operating from the Niger Delta, some of which pursue their own agendas and others, which are in unison with the goals of religious and ethnic groups, are at the moment taking the main stage in setting preferences for Niger Delta peace talks. The movement for the emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)can be cited as a group that has extremely hostile feelings toward the presence of foreign and in particular western oil companies (The movement for the emancipation of the Nige r Delta, 2011). In a January 2006, MEND warned the oil industry: It must be clear that the Nigerian government cannot protect your workers or assets. Leave our land while you can or die in it. Our aim is to totally destroy the capacity of the Nigerian government to export oil† (Hanson, 2007: 2). One can assume from this statement, that MEND has a preference for the protection of their land from foreign invasion. They voice strong, emotional concern over foreign oil workers occupying their land and will take extreme measures expelling these oil workers from their land. Whether, they really are interested in finding solutions to the ongoing delta conflict is an open question. Their findings are that anti-government groups, supporting the goals of Muslim extremists and anti-western lobbyists are greatly responsible for the chaos and anarchy characterizing the situation in the delta. Accusations that western oil companies are destroying the natural habitat of certain fish populations and are responsible for the ethnic conflict are treated with contempt by oil companies, such as Shell and ExconMobil, (Howden, 2006) both which invested heavily in the Nigerian oil industry. Oil operations of these companies are conducted in harmony with the natural environment, and that one of their missions is to protect the Niger Delta from over-exploitation and unnecessary pollution. It is all a question of respecting the rights of citizens living in the area and caring about the natural environment, which is an aspect that is neglected by foreign oil companies operating in the Delta. In making a final analysis regarding the preferences of the actors in the Nigerian conflic t, it is necessary that common ground has to be found between the actors. An environment where actors pursue harmonious interests will be beneficial to all. As long as the local residents view foreign oil workers as intruders on their land, pursuing ambitious, and self-interested goals and not returning revenue into local community development programs, the chances that a final solution to the conflict be reached, are small. If one or both of these powers can accept the role of mediator, laying down guidelines for further negotiations, the negotiation process will enjoy a substantial boost. This mediating role will not only help the conflicting parties, but will in effect put the concept of energy security on the negotiating table. On the other hand, for parties to commence a mediating role, they should have an unbiased attitude toward the conflicting parties. Both these countries have strong and clear intentions to use oil diplomacy to their own benefit and manipulate the results in the SSA oil strategic setting. In SSA, AFRICOM is set out to achieve military dominance on the African continent and establish military strategic partnerships with petroleum producing countries. Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe and Angola along the west coast of Africa are the main hotspots for US and Chinese oil interests. Nigeria is the biggest exporter of oil in the region, and in the last five years had allocated valuable oil drilling licenses to US and Chinese oil companies. Nigeria already supplies the oil needs of these two giants, especially to the US. Sao Tome and Principe and Nigeria (Sao Tome, Nigeria sign oil deal with US-led consortium, 2005) signed a milestone contract to give a consortium led by the US based oil company, ChevronTexaco, rights to drill in the two countries shared Gulf of Guinea oil exploration zone. China has secured four oil-drilling licenses from Nigeria in the last three years. In exchange, China will invest US$4bn in oil and infrastructure projects in Nigeria (BBC News, 2006). Nigeria, Africas top oil exporter, has long been viewed by China as a partner. From the recent contracts allocated by the governments of Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe to US and Chinese based oil companies, it becomes clear that US-Sino oil diplomacy in SSA focus on establishing long-lasting relationships (BBC News, 2006). The giant Chinese state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation, CNOOC, has reached a deal to buy a 45 percent stake in a Nigerian oil field for more than US$2 billion. The purchase, if approved by both governments, would be Chinas first major venture into oil-rich Nigeria. Analysts say the Nigerian bid will not be easy for CNOOC, which has no experience in dealing with Nigeria, a country rated as a difficult place to do business. The international anti-corruption group Transparency International ranks the country as the sixth most corrupt nation in the world. The American oil company Chevron did not bid on this block, and that would imply they did not believe the values were there. So this is certainly a hurdle which CNOOC will have to overcome. Chinese and Nigerian governments will sign two important agreements: one on economic and technology cooperation and a memorandum of understanding on developing a strategic partnership. China is offering assistance in the form of building new tanker terminals, refineries and possible pipelines to export the oil from remote regions to the coast for easy loading (Ramirez, 2006). China is streamlining the oil infrastructure in SSA, according to their specific needs. This is an infrastructure that on the one hand satisfies their oil demands, but on the other hand leaves the host country no choice but to become dependent on the Chinese oil expertise.The result is that petroleum producing countries in the long run will be more dependent on Chinese investments to sustain their economies, rather than China being dependent on their oil imports. This interaction clearly indicates that Chinas preferences are shaped on establishing some sort of economic superiority over their oil strategic partners and forcing petroleum producing states to be dependent on Chinese intervention. If China has more control over the oil affairs of host countries, it will give them a stronger bargaining base and increase their strategic advantage. The longterm goal of countries that seek to control the economies of its trading partners is to transform economic gains into security gains, so that in the long run, economics and security are inseparable (Snidal, 1993: 73). When China can control the economies of petroleum producing states, it will have strong incentives to move one step further and create military strategic partnerships. The supply of military equipment, providing of nuclear technology, and perhaps positioning of Chinese troops in petroleum producing states, as overseers of its oil operations, cannot be excluded from its African engagement strategy. By successfully negotiating with petroleum producing states and gaining diplomatic prestige, the other state will immediately be in a less favorable situation. In doing so, the preferences will have a stronger strategic value and gives stronger bargaining power. Strategic values or interests are valued not for themselves, but for their contribution to the protection or promotion of other interests in the future. They are â€Å"interests defined in terms of power†, to recall Morgenthaus memorable phrase (Snyder, 1997: 23). The motivation for the US and China is to try and establish alignments with petroleum producing states. In this way, they their strategic values will be more clearly defined and they can implement strategies to control certain oil fields, offshore oil rigs, pipelines and sea passages. The indication is that the sea around the west coast of Africa, stretching from Nigeria in the north to Angola in the south, is expected to raise problems concerning the transpo rtation of future oil supplies. Because the US and China both have to use these sealanes to transport crude oil and gas, it might become a point of conflict. Determining Preferences Preference determination is typically specified in one of three ways: by assumption, by observation and by deduction (Frieden, 1999, p. 53). The objective with this section is to explore these ways and determine their analytical value in the context of the actors preferences in the SSA oil strategic setting, with the main emphasis being on the US and China. Because the US and China both have energy security interests, they have formulated energy security policies at the national level, and these policies are based on assumptions of realism or liberalism. Determining the preferences of the US and China by deducing preferences from these assumptions will offer one of the most analytically satisfying routes to see what specific preferences they hold in the SSA oil strategic setting. It is easiest to assume preferences. In the principal application in international relations to the preferences of nation-states, the simplest assumption might be that states attempt to maximize national wel fare, or assume that states maximize national resources (Frieden, 1999: 53). A comparison between the preferences of economics and the preferences of international politics shows that there are distinctions with regards to the actors involved and the goals they pursue. In economics, there is limited variation in the cast of characters, particularly firms and individuals. Firms prefer profit maximization and individuals prefer wealth maximization (Niou, Ordeshook. Rose, 1999: 54). However, international politics involves individuals, firms, groups, nation-states, international organizations and transnational actors. The preferences of ChevronTexaco and Chinas Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), may in general terms be homogenous, they are engaged in every aspect of the oil and natural gas industry in the SSA oil industry, including exploration and production, refining, marketing and transportation, chemicals, manufacturing and sales (The leadership functions of Chevron Texaco , 2007). However, the reality is that American and Chinese oil companies operating in SSA are in effect not only serving the interests of the oil industry and acting as channels for the procurement of oil imports for their local economies, but they also serve as useful instruments in the hands of politicians to control and manipulate the oil industries of the agent states. Expansion of US and Chinese oil operations in SSA since the start of the twenty first century are providing them with more power on the continent. The direct result of gaining more power in the oil industry is that the petroleum producing states are getting entangled in a web of either American or Chinese influence. This influence is leading to a state of dependency of petroleum producing states on US and Chinese involvement in their oil industries. In terms of economic considerations, the US and China prefer different outcomes in their oil diplomacy with petroleum producing states. The US regards the pursuing of economical interests a US and China Negotiations with Oil Producing Countries US and China Negotiations with Oil Producing Countries Abstract The start of the twenty first century signaled a new beginning for the United States and China in their quest for oil diplomacy with African oil producing countries. One of the characteristics of this venture is the difference in approach both countries follow to attain this natural resource. This research work, therefore, examines the diplomatic measures of the US and China in their negotiations with oil producing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, hereafter referred to as (SSA). In particular, the results they expect or the preferences over outcomes are analyzed. It is not the intention of the study to present a comparative analysis of US and Chinese import figures or to look at their reciprocal relationship. The question is what strategic choices do the US and China make in their interaction with oil producing countries and in what way does such interaction shape oil diplomacy? An important finding is that the US and China develop different strategic paths and policy frameworks whic h strengthen the assumption that the two countries compete for SSA oil. Along these lines, the study investigates the oil diplomacy of the US and China in SSA using the strategic-choice approach as an analytical framework. Introduction In the last decade, the US and China has moved their search for oil security to the African continent. The US and China arrive on the SSA oil scene with their own motives and interests. Their single most important interest is to engage in oil diplomacy with petroleum producing states and secure the safe import of oil from the region. African states traditionally were influenced by colonial powers. However, with the rise of China and its increasing involvement in Africa, the situation is changing. The US focuses on humanitarianism, good governance and democratization of petroleum producing states in their oil diplomacy approach. China, the worlds fastest growing economy, views SSA as a welcome offloading ground for its products in exchange for oil. An economic approach focusing on enlarging its commercial interests is the driving factor for Chinas engagement with petroleum producing states. China needs more raw materials to supply in its increasing domestic demand. Instability in the Middle East, oil dependency and securing its energy interests drives the US to SSA. Keeping a watchful eye on Chinas involvement and monitoring its influence with petroleum producing states is another reason the US is devoting much of its time to this part of Africa. The US interest in the region focuses on the procurement of oil and gas, but with the establishment of the US African Command (AFRICOM), US involvement in SSA shifted in a large degree to the fight against terrorism and safeguarding of American oil operations. Analytical Framework Lake Powell (1999) formulated an approach that makes it easier for students of international relations to explain the choices actors make, whether these actors are states, parties, ethnic groups, companies, leaders or individuals. This approach is used in the paper to explain the strategic interaction of the US and China with oil producing countries and not the strategic interaction between the US and China. The argument is that both countries have independent influencing power and exercise an asymmetric relationship with oil producing countries. In SSA the preferences and beliefs of the US and China in conjunction with the strategic environment are the core attributes on which the strategic-choice approach is based. In the SSA oil environment, there are many beliefs and preferences which have an effect on interaction and the formulation of policy frameworks. What are the oil security preferences of the US and China in SSA, and how is it influenced by the environment? Changes in the behavior of actors are often difficult to perceive in the strategic-choice approach (Lake Powell, 1999). Whenever changes in the behavior of actors do take place, it is primarily done through learning, through changes in the actors environment or by analyzing the actors as more basic actors Lake Powell, 1999). In this study, the methodological bet would disaggregate the actors into more basic actors, such as the individual beliefs of the energy departments, national leaders, multinational oil corporations, bureaucrats and individuals. Frieden (1999: 50) mentions the concept of actors preferences over choices, and how the outcomes affect strategic interaction between actors in the same setting. The preference in a particular setting leads the agent to devise a strategy. Analysts of international relations have long debated how preferences and the strategic environment affect outcomes, jointly and separately. Many debates in the field have to do with whether outcomes are primarily the result of the constraints of the international system or of differences among national preferences (Frieden, 1999:50). A strong variant of realism, for example, implies that state preferences are so overwhelmed by the pressures of interstate competition that all states must pursue essentially identical strategies. A strong domestic, dominance perspective might, on the other hand, argue that different state strategies flow primarily from different national characteristics and preferences. Due to the continuous rise of new issues in SSA oil politics, the argument is that preferences are shaped by environmental factors and thus not static. It will be difficult, therefore, to separate the preferences of the actors from the strategic environment. The assumption is that a cycle of interaction is proposed deriving from the interplay of preferences and strategies. In the SSA oil setting, the US and China in deciding what preferences over outcomes they desire, have to take political environmental constraints into consideration, because the oil-induced political environment is constantly changing. Instability of oil producing countries, corruption, the negative consequences of having oil reserves, bad governance and terrorism are contributing factors to this changing environment. In more stable, homogenous oil environments, the actors preferences are more constant. The environment in North Africa is a region with a more or less stable oil infrastructure, where actors formulate clear, definable goals, separate from such environmental influence. The North African oil producing states of Libya, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt have a strong unifying Muslim culture, and they can shape their preferences around a common goal. In SSA, the environment and the choices actors make are separated, because of ethnic division, religious differences, corruption, instability, bad governance and the gross mismanagement of oil revenues. These factors then make it difficult for leaders to shape preferences without interference of political constraints. In reality, leaders of oil states will base individual preferences on self-enrichment and state goals on the dynamics of interplay between actors in the strategic setting. The main energy security debate for the American and Chinese government in the twenty first century focuses on the concept of oil dependence. Diversification of import channels, safe delivery of imports and establishing reasonable prices are factors that influence the decision-making of policymakers. US-Sino oil diplomacy in SSA thus follows different paths. Because both countries arrived relatively late on the oil scene in this part of Africa, were not previous colonial masters, and had limited strategic ties with petroleum producing states, SSA now presents new challenges to the US and Chinese governments in their quest for oil. Engaging in diplomatic talks broaden oil horizons and establish measures along which oil security is negotiated. From the perspective of increasing oil imports and acquiring new exploration and drilling licenses, oil diplomacy is vital for sustaining negotiations on a continuous basis. However, for diplomacy to be an effective tool, the US and China need to formulate preferences or policy beliefs. The next section presents a brief overview of US and Chinese expansion into the SSA oil fields in the last couple of years. The aim is to identify the major oil producing countries with whom the US and China have signed deals and not to present import and expo rt figures. Looking at the allocation of exploration contracts to the US and China by SSA oil producers, it becomes clear that these countries are siding with either the US or China. The point is that diplomacy and strategic interaction are deciding factors influencing the relationship. For example, Nigeria and Angola as two of SSAs major oil producing countries have strong relationships with both powers, but their interaction differ. US and Chinese Expansion into Sub-Saharan Africa Oil Fields The growing expansion of Chinese national oil companies into Africas oil markets is perhaps the aspect of Sino-African relations that most concerns the international community (Taylor, 2009: 37). Chinese firms are actively seeking resources of every kind: copper, bauxite, uranium, aluminum, manganese, iron ore, and more. However, the issues surrounding oil are of particular interest to Western policymakers studying Chinas rise (Lyman, 2006). Indeed, although China and the US do not rely on one another for energy supplies, the possibility that oil will be the subject of future disagreements between them is arguably high and thus has a bearing on much of the commentary on Sino-African energy policies (Zha, 1999: 69). Certainly, there is concern that Beijings procurement of energy supplies will pose a challenge to the global dominance of Washington at a time when levels of cooperation between the two governments on matters of energy are at best weak (Dreyer, 2007: 461). In contrast to t he days of Maoist solidarity, contemporary Chinas economic dealings with Africa are, in the main, based on an unfriendly evaluation of commercial potential. Indeed, to reiterate, Chinas rapidly developing oil requirements have helped propel Sin-African trade at the turn of the millennium (Taylor, 2009: 44). A select listing of recent contracts signed by Chinas national oil companies gives a flavor of the geographical extent of Chinese interest in SSA oil. In 2004, Total Gabon signed a contract with Sinopec for exporting Gabonese crude oil into China. Angola received a US$ billion loan in 2005 in exchange for oil deals with China, which added another US$1 billion to the loan in March 2006. Also in 2005, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation signed a US$800 million deal with PetroChina to supply 30,000 barrels of crude per day to China. In 2006, CNOOC agreed to pay US$2.3 billion for a stake in a Nigerian oil and gas field (Taylor, 2009: 45). Chinese oil companies also reportedl y signed contracts to begin offshore oil exploration and production in Congo-Brazzaville and began oil exploration in northern Namibia with the intent to establish an oil refinery. In addition, Nigeria announced that that it would give the first right of refusal on four oil exploration blocks to CNPC in exchange for a commitment to invest US$4 billion in infrastructure (Taylor, 2009: 46). Clearly, Chinas energy interests in Africa are growing exponentially. Indeed, in 2006, China imported 920,000 barrels a day of crude oil, or 31 percent of its total crude imports, from Africa. Moreover, Chinese national oil companies are still relatively small players on the continent. â€Å"The commercial value of the oil investments in Africa of Chinas NOCs is just 8 percent of the combined commercial value of the (international oil companies) investments in African oil and 3 percent of all companies invested in African oil† (Downs, 2007: 42). A central criticism of these contracts revolve s around the tactics and strategies by which Chinese corporations enter into them. For instance, on February 16, 2006, Chinaafrica, an official Chinese publication, quoted Wang Yingping of the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), as asserting that â€Å"Chinese businesses pay greater attention to protecting the environment when building factories and exploring for Africas rich reserves in oil†; two months later, it cited, without comment, the assertion by Sierra Leones ambassador to China that â€Å"the Chinese just come and do it. They dont hold meetings about environmental impact assessments, human rights, bad governance and good governance. Im not saying its right, just that Chinese investment is succeeding because they dont set high benchmarks† (Taylor, 2009: 47).  Ã‚  Ã‚   The US is obsessed with oil imports from the Middle East and pays little or no attention to SSA. This region supplies as much black gold to the US as the Persian Gulf States. According to (Donelson, 2008) the region also lend itself to just as much (if not more) danger of unexpected supply disruption. For this reason AFRICOM, the new US military administrative headquarters [one of six regional headquarters (HQs) worldwide] was established. The military demand center is devoted to relations with 53 countries (Donelson, 2008). At the end of 2007, SSA accounted for nearly 16% of US daily imports, versus just over 18% for the Persian Gulf States and just over 18% for Canada. The country in seventh place is Angola with 507,000 barrels a day, just behind Algeria. Chad, Gabon, Congo (Brazzaville), and Equatorial Guinea are petroleum suppliers to the US as well, along with minor players including South Africa, Mauritania, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa . One country with strong oil reserves is Nigeria, but unfortunately the region is vulnerable to disruption. The destroying of oil pumping stations, pipelines, and other distribution facilities are at the order of the day by rebel groups, opposing the rule of President Umaru YarAdua. According to Donelson (2008), The Bold Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta has sent militants in boats through heavy seas to attack the Bonga oil fields more than 65 miles from land, temporarily shutting down production of more than 200,000 barrels a day. But there are also other groups, such as white-collar oil workers threatening the supply of oil if their negotiation demands are not met. But the main issue the US faces is competition from other countries, especially from China. Donelson (2008) points out that the Angola supplied almost as much oil (465,000 barrels daily) to China as they did to the US in 2007 and that number will almost certainly go up as a report by the Council of Forei gn Relations states: â€Å"Beijing secured a major stake in future oil production in 2004 with a $2 billion package of loans and aid that includes funds for Chinese companies to build railroads, schools, roads, hospitals, bridges, and offices; lay a fiber-optic network; and train Angolan telecommunications workers† (Donelson, 2008: 2). The President of Angola, Jose Eduardo dos Santos served as his partys, (MPLA) representative to China, after receiving his degree from the Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute in the old USSR. This was shortly before he became president. The relationship between dos Santos and the US is not build on a solid foundation and is to say the least very unreliable. There is no guarantee that the country will live up to its promise of providing the US with a continuous supply of oil, after such a long time of instability and civil war. With two of the top seven U.S. oil suppliers vulnerable to supply disruptions at any moment; is it any wonder that the American military presence in Africa is slated for the major expansion (Donelson, 2008). In a nutshell, before moving on to the strategic-choice analysis, what are the motivations for the US and China to enter the SSA oil market? Trade and economical intentions are high on Chinas African business agenda, offloading Chinese products in the host countries in exchange for oil and other resources. Traditionally, African states relied on western colonial powers for economic aid and influence. However, the situation is slowly changing with the rise of China and its increasing involvement in Africa. The supply of oil in return for investments and other economical incentives are the driving force for petroleum producing states to establish relations with China. SSA is a source of growing importance in the supply of oil. The region is likely to become as important a source of US energy imports as the Middle East. The US is in competition for access to oil, not only to China but also with India and Europe. Therefore, the US interest in SSA includes promoting democracy, good govern ance and transparency in economies of petroleum producing states, along with establishing a strong military command to protect its oil interests and monitor the actions of militant groups.  Ã‚   However, diplomacy is an effective tool if preferences and policy beliefs are formulated around certain goals. This is what the next chapter is going to achieve, investigating the policy beliefs of the US and China and the way it contributes to effective oil diplomatic measures.   US-Sino Oil Diplomacy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Strategic-Choice Analysis During the twentieth century, US and Chinas preference thinking regarding Africa was greatly influenced by ideological thinking. The contest between establishing democracy or communism in Africa was evident of US-Chinese intervention on the African continent. The US followed liberalization policies to free oppressing regimes from authoritarian, communist rule, while China viewed Africa as an open domain to introduce communism. A result of these opposing preferences by the US and China was that African countries were introduced to different ideological doctrines, which laid the foundation for African countries to establish their own state goals. Hostility of certain petroleum producing states toward cooperation with either the US or China, favoring one state over the other because of ideological and economical preferences, domestic conflict in Nigeria, violations of human rights in Sudan, the war on terror in conjunction with Muslim extremism and the general poor living and health con ditions in SSA, are factors that limit the American and Chinese governments to implement successful strategies. On the other hand, the US and China can certainly benefit from the individual preferences of state leaders and actors in the oil industry. For example, the goals of multinational oil corporations and the individual beliefs of business leaders contribute to the formulation of a national grand strategy for SSA.   In analyzing the strategic interest of the US in the SSA oil setting, the ideological preference of the US to promote democracy and good governance in African countries is a condition when strategies based on democratic principles are to be devised. â€Å"Oil is where you find it. Oil companies cannot always invest in democratically governed countries. It would be ideal if it could be guaranteed that the head of an African country where a US oil company invested was, in fact, an advocate of democracy and always respected human rights. Unfortunately, that is not a realistic expectation in todays Africa or in most other oil producing regions of the world. It is important to urge and cajole and to nudge the leaders of the oil producing countries towards establishing inclusive democracies and good governance† (Wihbey, Schutz, 2002: 4). This is the task of US diplomacy. In Sudan, the US government is supporting the initiatives of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative ( EITI) (The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, 2007). Countries that underwrite the initiatives and programs of the EITI have preferences toward establishing good governance principles in countries that depend on the extraction of natural resources, and to eradicate the exploitation of these resources. Initiatives that seek to promote good governance principles can only be successful if the supporting countries maintain these same good government principles at home. The SSA oil strategic setting allows for many actors, whether they are governmental institutions, non-governmental institutions, non-state actors or individuals, such as the residents of the Niger delta and Southern Sudan and the multitude of multinational oil corporations (MNCs), to formulate their own goals and pursue unique strategies. However, environmental constrains, such as transportation difficulties and inaccessibility of areas in the Niger Delta, further accentuates the problem actors experience to reach solutions on common grounds. Then there are also religious divisions between Muslims and Christians, ethnic conflicts between the different tribes living in the Niger Delta, the self-interested or ambitious goals of MNCs in the central government. These factors are all having an immoralizing effect on the negotiation process. Rebel groups operating from the Niger Delta, some of which pursue their own agendas and others, which are in unison with the goals of religious and ethnic groups, are at the moment taking the main stage in setting preferences for Niger Delta peace talks. The movement for the emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND)can be cited as a group that has extremely hostile feelings toward the presence of foreign and in particular western oil companies (The movement for the emancipation of the Nige r Delta, 2011). In a January 2006, MEND warned the oil industry: It must be clear that the Nigerian government cannot protect your workers or assets. Leave our land while you can or die in it. Our aim is to totally destroy the capacity of the Nigerian government to export oil† (Hanson, 2007: 2). One can assume from this statement, that MEND has a preference for the protection of their land from foreign invasion. They voice strong, emotional concern over foreign oil workers occupying their land and will take extreme measures expelling these oil workers from their land. Whether, they really are interested in finding solutions to the ongoing delta conflict is an open question. Their findings are that anti-government groups, supporting the goals of Muslim extremists and anti-western lobbyists are greatly responsible for the chaos and anarchy characterizing the situation in the delta. Accusations that western oil companies are destroying the natural habitat of certain fish populations and are responsible for the ethnic conflict are treated with contempt by oil companies, such as Shell and ExconMobil, (Howden, 2006) both which invested heavily in the Nigerian oil industry. Oil operations of these companies are conducted in harmony with the natural environment, and that one of their missions is to protect the Niger Delta from over-exploitation and unnecessary pollution. It is all a question of respecting the rights of citizens living in the area and caring about the natural environment, which is an aspect that is neglected by foreign oil companies operating in the Delta. In making a final analysis regarding the preferences of the actors in the Nigerian conflic t, it is necessary that common ground has to be found between the actors. An environment where actors pursue harmonious interests will be beneficial to all. As long as the local residents view foreign oil workers as intruders on their land, pursuing ambitious, and self-interested goals and not returning revenue into local community development programs, the chances that a final solution to the conflict be reached, are small. If one or both of these powers can accept the role of mediator, laying down guidelines for further negotiations, the negotiation process will enjoy a substantial boost. This mediating role will not only help the conflicting parties, but will in effect put the concept of energy security on the negotiating table. On the other hand, for parties to commence a mediating role, they should have an unbiased attitude toward the conflicting parties. Both these countries have strong and clear intentions to use oil diplomacy to their own benefit and manipulate the results in the SSA oil strategic setting. In SSA, AFRICOM is set out to achieve military dominance on the African continent and establish military strategic partnerships with petroleum producing countries. Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe and Angola along the west coast of Africa are the main hotspots for US and Chinese oil interests. Nigeria is the biggest exporter of oil in the region, and in the last five years had allocated valuable oil drilling licenses to US and Chinese oil companies. Nigeria already supplies the oil needs of these two giants, especially to the US. Sao Tome and Principe and Nigeria (Sao Tome, Nigeria sign oil deal with US-led consortium, 2005) signed a milestone contract to give a consortium led by the US based oil company, ChevronTexaco, rights to drill in the two countries shared Gulf of Guinea oil exploration zone. China has secured four oil-drilling licenses from Nigeria in the last three years. In exchange, China will invest US$4bn in oil and infrastructure projects in Nigeria (BBC News, 2006). Nigeria, Africas top oil exporter, has long been viewed by China as a partner. From the recent contracts allocated by the governments of Nigeria and Sao Tome and Principe to US and Chinese based oil companies, it becomes clear that US-Sino oil diplomacy in SSA focus on establishing long-lasting relationships (BBC News, 2006). The giant Chinese state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation, CNOOC, has reached a deal to buy a 45 percent stake in a Nigerian oil field for more than US$2 billion. The purchase, if approved by both governments, would be Chinas first major venture into oil-rich Nigeria. Analysts say the Nigerian bid will not be easy for CNOOC, which has no experience in dealing with Nigeria, a country rated as a difficult place to do business. The international anti-corruption group Transparency International ranks the country as the sixth most corrupt nation in the world. The American oil company Chevron did not bid on this block, and that would imply they did not believe the values were there. So this is certainly a hurdle which CNOOC will have to overcome. Chinese and Nigerian governments will sign two important agreements: one on economic and technology cooperation and a memorandum of understanding on developing a strategic partnership. China is offering assistance in the form of building new tanker terminals, refineries and possible pipelines to export the oil from remote regions to the coast for easy loading (Ramirez, 2006). China is streamlining the oil infrastructure in SSA, according to their specific needs. This is an infrastructure that on the one hand satisfies their oil demands, but on the other hand leaves the host country no choice but to become dependent on the Chinese oil expertise.The result is that petroleum producing countries in the long run will be more dependent on Chinese investments to sustain their economies, rather than China being dependent on their oil imports. This interaction clearly indicates that Chinas preferences are shaped on establishing some sort of economic superiority over their oil strategic partners and forcing petroleum producing states to be dependent on Chinese intervention. If China has more control over the oil affairs of host countries, it will give them a stronger bargaining base and increase their strategic advantage. The longterm goal of countries that seek to control the economies of its trading partners is to transform economic gains into security gains, so that in the long run, economics and security are inseparable (Snidal, 1993: 73). When China can control the economies of petroleum producing states, it will have strong incentives to move one step further and create military strategic partnerships. The supply of military equipment, providing of nuclear technology, and perhaps positioning of Chinese troops in petroleum producing states, as overseers of its oil operations, cannot be excluded from its African engagement strategy. By successfully negotiating with petroleum producing states and gaining diplomatic prestige, the other state will immediately be in a less favorable situation. In doing so, the preferences will have a stronger strategic value and gives stronger bargaining power. Strategic values or interests are valued not for themselves, but for their contribution to the protection or promotion of other interests in the future. They are â€Å"interests defined in terms of power†, to recall Morgenthaus memorable phrase (Snyder, 1997: 23). The motivation for the US and China is to try and establish alignments with petroleum producing states. In this way, they their strategic values will be more clearly defined and they can implement strategies to control certain oil fields, offshore oil rigs, pipelines and sea passages. The indication is that the sea around the west coast of Africa, stretching from Nigeria in the north to Angola in the south, is expected to raise problems concerning the transpo rtation of future oil supplies. Because the US and China both have to use these sealanes to transport crude oil and gas, it might become a point of conflict. Determining Preferences Preference determination is typically specified in one of three ways: by assumption, by observation and by deduction (Frieden, 1999, p. 53). The objective with this section is to explore these ways and determine their analytical value in the context of the actors preferences in the SSA oil strategic setting, with the main emphasis being on the US and China. Because the US and China both have energy security interests, they have formulated energy security policies at the national level, and these policies are based on assumptions of realism or liberalism. Determining the preferences of the US and China by deducing preferences from these assumptions will offer one of the most analytically satisfying routes to see what specific preferences they hold in the SSA oil strategic setting. It is easiest to assume preferences. In the principal application in international relations to the preferences of nation-states, the simplest assumption might be that states attempt to maximize national wel fare, or assume that states maximize national resources (Frieden, 1999: 53). A comparison between the preferences of economics and the preferences of international politics shows that there are distinctions with regards to the actors involved and the goals they pursue. In economics, there is limited variation in the cast of characters, particularly firms and individuals. Firms prefer profit maximization and individuals prefer wealth maximization (Niou, Ordeshook. Rose, 1999: 54). However, international politics involves individuals, firms, groups, nation-states, international organizations and transnational actors. The preferences of ChevronTexaco and Chinas Petroleum and Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), may in general terms be homogenous, they are engaged in every aspect of the oil and natural gas industry in the SSA oil industry, including exploration and production, refining, marketing and transportation, chemicals, manufacturing and sales (The leadership functions of Chevron Texaco , 2007). However, the reality is that American and Chinese oil companies operating in SSA are in effect not only serving the interests of the oil industry and acting as channels for the procurement of oil imports for their local economies, but they also serve as useful instruments in the hands of politicians to control and manipulate the oil industries of the agent states. Expansion of US and Chinese oil operations in SSA since the start of the twenty first century are providing them with more power on the continent. The direct result of gaining more power in the oil industry is that the petroleum producing states are getting entangled in a web of either American or Chinese influence. This influence is leading to a state of dependency of petroleum producing states on US and Chinese involvement in their oil industries. In terms of economic considerations, the US and China prefer different outcomes in their oil diplomacy with petroleum producing states. The US regards the pursuing of economical interests a