Information Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Information Engineering - Essay Example cus, it was soon found out by the White brothers that they had a winning business formula and were able to expand their business through acquiring new premises at different locations in the United Kingdom. By the end of 2008, White & White Theatre Group became an established cinema group with five cinemas in London, two in Brighton, and one in Portsmouth. At present, White & White Theatre Group is one of the leading cinema groups in the United Kingdom. The time when the White brothers launched their first cinema at Great Portland Street, they did not feel any need of using information technology in their newly established business. As a result, all the management and operational tasks were carried out using manual systems. As the White brothers expanded their business by increasing the number of cinemas, they knew there was a need to improve reporting but considering the high profits in the eighties, they did not show enough enthusiasm to really address improvements. Each cinema was run as a separate small business, with the cinema site manager being responsible for all operations on their site. Tickets for each show were sold using ticket books. As a result of significant advancements in information technology and an increase in use of personal computers in the 1990’s, it became unavoidable for the White brothers to run their business using information technology. Electronic Cash Registers were launched in all cinemas in the nineties, and in the late nineties, personal computers were introduced for word processing and spreadsheets. The company also gained capability of internet presence but only for advertising purposes rather than tickets sales which were done through telephone or in person. With the rapid growth of competition from other cinema chains, especially from multiplex cinemas showing the similar types of films found in White & White Theater Group programmes, nowadays the profits are falling day by day. At present, the top management is deeply

Esterification of 4-methyl-2-pentanol and Acetic Acid

Esterification of 4-methyl-2-pentanol and Acetic Acid Joseph Nuernberg Esterification of 4-methyl-2-pentanol and Acetic Acid by Reflux and Distillation and Characterized by Infrared Spectroscopy Abstract: The objective of this lab was to successfully synthesize an ester from an alcohol and acetic acid. This experiment used 4-methyl-2-pentanol with excess acetic acid to produce (1,3-dimethylbutyl) acetate as seen in Figure 1. The mixture of acetic acid with 4-methyl-2-pentanol and sulfuric acid was refluxed, extracted, distilled and identified using IR spectroscopy. The ester had a fruity smell when obtained. The mass of the final product was 0.582g which gave a 34.6% yield. The results obtained indicated that the final product attained was the ester (1,3-dimethylbutyl) acetate due to the similar bond groups of C=O and sp3 C-H. The reason why the percent yield was low was because the nature of the reaction itself formed ether and ester and some product was lost through extraction. For future experiments, the process must be done a lot quicker in order to ensure the least amount of product evaporates. Introduction: Often in chemical labs, esters are artificially synthesized in order to produce an imitation of a flavor. An ester can be synthesized by the reaction of an alcohol with a carboxylic acid. In this experiment, (1, 3,-dimethylbutyl) acetate was formed through excess acetic acid and 4-methyl-2-pentanol as seen in Figure 1. The limiting reagent in this reaction is 4-methyl-2-pentanol so the theoretical yield of the ester product is dependent on 4-methyl-2-pentanol. Figure 1: Reaction of 4-methyl-2-pentanol with excess acetic acid For this reaction, the reflux will be utilized. Heat is applied with a boiling chip, to allow the reaction to occur. The vapor rises and escapes from the round bottom flask and is then cooled by the water condenser. The vapor turns back into a liquid and drips back into the bottom flask. In order to remove certain compounds, the synthesis involved extraction to isolate compounds. The denser layer or the aqueous layer will be at the bottom and can be removed with a pipette. The product of ether and ester was distilled to isolate the ester because esters have lower boiling points than the ether. In distillation, the substance with the lower boiling point evaporates and reaches the water condenser. The cool temperature allows the vapor to change states from gas to liquid which forces the liquid to drip back down the into the Hickman head due to gravity. In this reaction, the (1, 3,-dimethylbutyl) acetate was isolated from an unknown ether by distilling into the Hickman head. An IR spect rum of the final product is conducted to determine the desired product by comparing the bond groups of the given values. If the IR peaks and bonds are the same as the given, then the purified product would be the ester. A percent yield will be calculated to assess the amount of ester produced. Procedure: First, obtain an empty round bottom flask and find the mass. Add about 1.5mL of 4-methyl-2-pentanol in the flask and reweigh. With the 3mL of glacial acetic acid added, add sulfuric acid with a boiling chip. Conduct reflux with the apparatus conducted in previous labs with a water condenser attached to cool the reaction. Heat the apparatus for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool the reaction mixture and while stirring, add 2-3 mL of 5% aqueous sodium bicarbonate until carbon dioxide formation ceases. Transfer mixture and shake hard. Remove the aqueous layer and repeat the separation technique two more times. Remove as much water from the organic layer by adding small amounts of sodium sulfate and let the reaction stand for 10-15 minutes. After a week, transfer the reaction with the ether and ester into a vial and conduct distillation. Conduct distillation for 15 minutes at around 180 to 200 oC. Obtain and mass the final product. Conduct IR of starting reactants and products. Clean up stations and calculate the percent yield. Results and calculations: Table 1: Table of masses during experiment Theoretical yield for (1,3-dimethylbutyl) acetate = 1.68g of Percent yield: x 100% x 100%= 34.6% IR: Figure 2: IR before distillation Figure 3: IR after distillation Table 2: Values of IR for ester (1,3-dimethylbutly) acetate after distillation Discussion and Conclusion: For this experiment, the ester (1, 3-dimethylbutyl) acetate was synthesized from acetic acid and 4-methyl-2-pentanol. However, this is not a one reaction pathway because of the tetrahedral intermediate prevalent in esterification. The addition of the acetic acid leads to a more reactive electrophile. This causes a tetrahedral intermediate in which there are two equivalent hydroxyl groups. Then one of the hydroxyl groups is eliminated, a process known as tautomerism. This then gives water and ester as the final products. The reaction was successful produced from reflux but problems arose during the second component of this experiment, distillation. The ester also had a very distinct fruity smell. This reaction is refluxed because heat acts as a catalyst for the reaction. In the reaction pathway, the temperature is increased, allowing more geometrical collisions with the products and requires lower activation energy. This can be seen as an example of the Maxwell-Boltzmann curve. This was done uniformly by using the aluminum block at around 110 oC. After reflux occurred, a distillation apparatus was used in order to purify the ester from the ether. The boiling chip was added in reflux and distillation in order to ensure that the reaction did not overheat and burn the reaction. Boiling chips are often made from carborundum (carbon and silicon) which are chemically inert and allows sharp edges for bubbles to form which will not overheat the system. The substances in the reaction are allowed to boil more calmly rather than rapid boiling causing splatter and ruining the experiment. The water condenser was used for both in order to cool down the reaction in order to prevent burning of the reaction and ensuring that the product in the vapor state turned back into liquid state. The reason why anhydrous sodium bicarbonate was added was to ensure that any leftover water was absorbed and the remaining layer contained only the organic compounds. This was done a total of three times to ensure that minimal water was left, but some of the product leaked when shaken. The purpose of distillation is to separate compounds based on their boiling points. The reaction mixture that contained ester and ether was to be distilled in order to obtain the ester in the Hickman head. However, after letting the reaction stand for a week, most of the ether evaporated and the mixture was mostly ester. This explains why during distillation, the mixture in the conical vial disappeared as most or all went into the Hickman head. This can be seen in Figures 2 and 3. The IR of before and after distillation have similar values, peaks, and the exact functional groups which indicates that the mixture contained only the ester. The IR spectroscopy of after distillation shows that there is a C=O bond around 1735.27 cm-1, and a sp3 C-H bond around 2959.19 cm-1 which indicates that the compound shown is indeed an ester and that the objective was met since ester do have C=O bonds around 1750 cm-1 and sp3 C-H bonds around 2900 cm-1 . Ideally, the distillation process should be us eful in isolating the pure product, by allowing the ester molecules to be in a gaseous phase. Equilibrium will be established and allows the molecules to form back into a liquid phase in the Hickman head, but in this experiment distillation was not necessary. This just caused more chances of losing the ester by not fully attaining all the liquid from the Hickman head or by evaporating. The results yielded a 34.6% yield which suggested that there were errors within the reaction. One major reason as to why the yield was low was because of the nature of the reaction itself. The ether and ester in the conical vial was left to stand for a week. Because the ether had a lower boiling point than ester, most or all of the ether evaporated due to high volatility at room temperature. In addition, the ester also has a high volatility but lower than the ether because of the structure and the strength of the intermolecular forces. The ester has two oxygen atoms whereas the ether has one oxygen resulting in lower van der Waal forces. The ether was created as a byproduct which affected the maximum amount of yield of ester produced. Therefore, not all the reaction occurred to form an ester because during that time there were compounds that hindered the maximum amount of yield formed by forming a pathway for the ether. This was from the sulfuric acid reaction mechanism to produce an ether. The sulfuric acid dissociates into a proton and a bisulfate ion which forms with the OH group of the alcohol. The alcohol’s oxygen is protonated which forms an oxonium ion. The ion decomposes to carbocation and water and the carbocation reacts with another alcohol group to form another oxonium ion. The ion loses a proton to stabilize and forms an ether. If a stronger alcohol, perhaps 1-hexanol was used, a higher yield would be attained because the stronger intermolecular forces allows the reaction to have lower volatility and the ester and ether formed would also evaporate less. Because there are weaker van der Waal forces in the (1, 3-dimethylbutyl) acetate because of the lower carbon chains, more of the product was evaporated and lost. In order to ensure that a higher yield is attained, the reflux and distillation process must be done back to back or a lot quicker before the ester and ether evaporates at room temperature. Also an alcohol with a longer carbon chain s hould be used as stronger intermolecular forces allow more ester to form. While transporting the organic layers and further extraction, some of the product was lost. Even though this source of error is minimal, there were some product lost along the way by transporting through vials which affected the yield of the final product. Reflux is an effective technique that allowed Fischer esterification to occur. Distillation is a very useful technique, but should not be relevant when one of the substances evaporates due to high volatility. For future experiments, the reaction must be done much quicker in order to ensure that the least amount of ether and ester evaporates and is lost throughout the process and more precise instruments can be used to extract the organic layer. IR should still be used to discern the identity of the product. Because of the nature of the reaction itself, a yield close to the theoretical is very difficult to attain, a realistic approach would be around 60% yield. Work Cited: MSDS of (1,3-dimethyl butyl) acetate. http://www.chemicalbook.com/ChemicalProductProperty_EN_CB8373308.htm (accessed November 7, 2014). MSDS of 4-methyl-2-pentanol. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9926088 (accessed November 7, 2014). Padias, Anne.Making the Connections. Hayden McNeil, 2011.

Araby(loss Of Innocence) Essay -- essays research papers

Loss Of Innocence In James Joyce’s Araby the boys loss of innocence may be confusing and even painful but at the same time it is important . It begins his journey into adulthood . The boy in Araby is experiencing something all young men experience , the first crush . It is a time in his life where he is having new feelings, and trying to express those feelings to the object of his affection is next to impossible . Even the simple act of watching Mangan’s sister brings up emotions in the boy . To say the least the boy is overcome when Mangan’s sister actually speaks to him . He is in fact so overcome that he doesn’t even know how heanswered the girl . To think a girl he has secretly watched every day and shyly followed from a distance while he walked to school is actually showing him some attention .Unfortunately for the boy the attention is mistaken for something more than it is. As the boy waits for the day he can go to the bazaar , he thinks of nothing exceptMangan’s sister. The boy sees her when he is going to sleep , when he wakes , and in school in his papers. The boy wants nothing more than to see Mangan’s sister again , but ,in his mind for him to do that he needs to get her something from Araby. The boy is so charged from his encounter that he says he wishes to annihilate the days separating him from going to Araby and ultimately Mangan’s sister . Finally when the day has arrived that he can go to Araby he has to wait for Uncle to get home . To the boys dismay his ...

Corporate University Model Essay

From my readings and research I have learned about the corporate university model. I will be evaluating why many organizations today are emphasizing training as an employee development tool and focus on why utilizing the internal university structure has become very popular. I think that the corporate university model is a very effective model. It is an educational entity that is a strategic tool designed to assist its parent organization in achieving its goals by conducting activities that foster individual and organizational learning and knowledge. It is set up to bring common culture, loyalty, and belonging to the company. Our text states that â€Å"a corporate university model is a training model in which the client group includes not only company employees and managers but also stakeholders outside the company (Roe, pg. 551, 2010).† â€Å"It response to the rapid changes in information and technology that characterizes our society. A companion to the concept of life-long learning, the corporate university enables businesses, both for profit and not for profit, to maintain and expand the expertise of their workforces and, as a result, to secure their positions in the marketplace. The corporate university adds value to the business and, in some cases generates revenue (Gould, 2005).† â€Å"The top five organizational goals of corporate universities were to improve customer’s service and retention, improve productivity, reduce costs, retain talented employees, and increase revenue (Roe, pg. 84, 2010).† If revenue is generated, the chief learning officer develops and implements the appropriate business and marketing plans (Gould, 2005).† Training functions organized by the university model tend to offer a wider range of programs and courses (Roe, pg. 84, 2010). Culture and values tend to be emphasized more often in the training curriculum of corporate universities. It centralizes training to make sure that â€Å"best training practices† that may be used in one unit of the company are disseminated across the company (Roe, pg. 84, 2010). It also enables the company to control costs by developing consistent training practices and policies (Roe, pg. 83, 2010). â€Å"Companies  have found that investment in human capital in the form of training and development yields high returns. The ones that recognize the value of their employees and place a new emphasis on education and training are becoming more competitive, successful, and profitable as a result (Dutkowsky, 2014).† â€Å"Transferring knowledge leads to synergistic cost advantages, better implementation of organizational strategies, and competitive advantage. Organizations are implementing corporate universities to aid in knowledge transfer. This allows organizations to customize them to meet their training needs (Clinton, Merritt, & Murray, 2009). Knowledge is the primary ingredient in gaining a competitive advantage and knowledge is a firm’s main inimitable resource. Knowledge has to be effectively transferred within organizations in order to maximize the competitive advantage arising from knowledge (Clinton, Merritt, & Murray, 2009). Corporate universities are also vital to employees as well. In this day and age, responsibility and authority are pushed downward and all employees are expected to make decisions and to contribute to competitive advantage. This requires workers who can think and do for themselves (Clinton, Merritt, & Murray, 2009). Advanced education and continuous learning is crucial. â€Å"The key goal for an organization is to provide its workers with the ability to retool their skills and knowledge continually. Corporate universities allow employers to provide employees the opportunity to increase their knowledge, and in return, employees will take education from the corporate university and give bac k to the organization through innovation, efficiency, and productivity (Clinton, Merritt, & Murray, 2009).† Overall, corporate universities are built on a system that understands the chief concern for knowledge workers in nearly every industry and occupation is the shelf life of their knowledge, causing them to have a constantly retool their schools. Employees benefit from the corporate university movement in more ways than simply being able to perform their assigned jobs better. They also learn skills and possibly earn degrees that can be carried through their career, making they, themselves, more marketable to the workplace. Corporate universities are the â€Å"fast growing segment of the adult education market. Corporate universities strive to achieve their mission of developing programs that are clearly linked to business objectives and organizational strategy. These programs are designed to convey corporate culture and focus  on learning beyond on-the-job training. By doing so, many employees throughout the United States and abroad are offered educational opportunities that might not otherwise be available to them. In conclusion, the corporate university model is a very effective model. Organizations constantly need to adapt themselves to stay aligned with an ever-changing and increasingly complex environment. Corporate Universities puts â€Å"smart learning† at the forefront, with strategies to secure alignment between organization and environment, which need both speed of learning and learning in the right direction. Across the globe, corporate universities have emerged as vehicles of such strategy-driven learning. References Clinton, M., S., Merritt, K., L., & Murray, R., S. (2009). Using corporate universities to facilitate knowledge transfer and achieve competitive advantage: An exploratory model based on media richness and type of knowledge to be transferred. Retrieved from: http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/detail?vid=2&sid=4fbbc155-1ebe-4a53-b4b7-309ae9d4306c%40sessionmgr112&hid=115&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=psyh&AN=2009-19970-003 Dutkowsky, S. (2014). Trends in Training and Development – THE NEW ECONOMY, TRAINING IN U.S. COMPANIES, WHO DOES THE TRAINING IN CORPORATIONS? Retrieved from: StateUniversity.com http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/852/Trends-in-Training-Development.html#ixzz34jTinPJA Gould, E., K. (2005). The Corporate University. A Model for Sustaining an Expert Workforce in the Human Services. Retrieved from: http://bmo.sagepub.com.proxy library.ashford.edu/content/29/3/508.full.pdf+html Noe, R. (2010) Employee Training and Development (5th editi on). McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Ediment grain size and mineralogy distribution Essay

The study was done in the Mpenjati estuary. It was found more briefly if sediment grain size and mineralogy distribution change across a beach profile changes and how it change. 4 zoneS of a beach profile were sampled. Quartz is the most stable sediment composition in the surface of the earth, compared to heavy minerals and feldspar (Marshak, 2008). INTRODUCTION The aim of the study was to find out how does the sediment grain size and mineralogy distribution change across a beach profile. Mineral is a homogenous, naturally occurring solid inorganic substance with a definable chemical composition (Marshak, 2005). The impacts of the depositional environment, transport and climate on the morphology of minerals oceans are the focus of discussion during the present study of grain morphology (Shaffer,2006). It goes without saying that morphology and texture as well as the intergrowths among ocean minerals are also of utmost importance for the and industrial use of placer minerals (Pipkin, 2007) and by this oceans profiles must not be protected from pollution and disasters. The Mpenjati Estuary has been subjected to extensive sand and stone mining for approximately 40 years and the mining operations affected sediment patterns (matthias et al,2012). Although geologists tend to classify estuaries according to their geomorphology, physiography, sedimentation or tidal patterns but an estuary is an enclosed coastal body of water which is periodically or permanently open to the sea (Whitfield, 2010). The study was done by the University Of KwaZulu-Natal students of BIOL 231 (Marine environments) together with their demonstrators and Lecturer. The study was done in the Mpenjati estuary on the third of August 2013 which is the winter season while the estuary was closed at the mouth. The Mpenjati estuary is an open/ closed estuary located at 30 Í ¦ 58’15† and approximately 165km southwest of Durban Kwazulu-Natal south coast FIGURE 1: Locality map showing Mpenjati estuary (Whitfied, 2003) FIGURE 2: beach profile showing different zones (Schwarts, 2008) MATERIALS AND METHODS Sampling was done when mouth of the estuary was closed. Four different zones of the beach profile were sampled which is Swash zone 1 which was closer to the sea followed by swash zone 2, and back beach 1 which is closer to the estuary followed by back beach 2. In each zone 2 clear plastic bags were filled with half way with sand using our own hands and were sealed with sell tape for later processing at the Lab. The plastic bags which had sand were named according to their zones collected from. The collected sediments were then taken to the soil laboratory at the Geological science Department (UKZN) for drying for 3 days. In the laboratory the sieve trays ware weighed using balanced scales after weighing. Sand which came out from drying was crushed and grinded and stirred on to the bowls using a thick pin as if cooking. Sieve trays were stacked together and then placed in a sieve machine where the dry grinded sand was stirred more on the machine for 2 minutes. After the 2 minutes the sand or sediments were poured on to the sieve trays which have different sizes of open holes measured in  µM, the top sieve tray had the biggest porosity and the bottom one had the smallest and was consisting of finest sand. When sieving was done the sieve trays were weighed again in order to obtain the mass of the sediment grains collected on the estuary. From the masses of the dishes the value of Phi (Ø) was calculated:Phi (Ø) = -log2 (d) d = Mass of a sieve /1000 The calculated phi was then used as a dependent variable in plotting graphs for distribution and the cumulative frequency that are displayed in the results. Phi ranged from -1 – 3.47 then the base.This was done for each zone I the four zones which were sampled. A small portion of sediments was collected In each zone of sampling was then placed into a petri dish and was examined by a light microscope for analyzing different types of minerals which were in each set of sediment zone by looking at their grain size, texture, and the mineral composition of the sand. This was done for each zone. The field observations are also confirmed by the graphs that in figure 4 the mass content, sediment mean size goes from high to low from swash zone 1 to back beach 1 showing that as one goes closer to the sea the sediment grain size of the sand and mass increases. Table 1 tells us that the back beach has more quarts e.g The back beach has the highest quarts. DISCUSSION It has been found out from figure 2 that the beach profile is divided into different zones, 4 zones were sampled at the mpenjati estuary namely swash zone 1, swash zone 2, back beach 1 and back beach 2. It was also found in figure 3, figure 4 and table 1 that the 4 zones have different mineralogical distributions and grain size. It was found that the soil colour and texture of the sand changed from zone to zone. The sand was damp with and had shells, little fragments, oysters afflicted by waves and washed to the sand by wave deposit. The ripples indicated wind direction and the wavelength of ripple was 6.5 cm. The deeper side of the ripples is gentle and shorter on the side of the ripples; this is due to north east blow of the wind (Marshak, 2005)) The swash zone is a zone of constant deposition from the beach characterised by moderately to poorly sorted sediments as sediments of first deposition are sub angular with a grain shape of low sphericity compared to other zones in the beac h (table 1). The long shore drift which passes across the beach water body creating wave action energy is insufficient to carry these types of sediments (Shaffer, 2006). The reason why small sediments in size are mostly found at the back beach (figure 3 and 4) is because the wave action slows down its energy in the swash zone so only small sediments in size can be carried towards the back beach leading to well sorted sediments with mature texture as high transportation of  sediments leads to re-deposition and re-transportation (Pipkin, 2007)). Closer to the sea were larger stones and burrows (figure 4) swash zone 1 had the highest mass content followed by swash zone 2 and the reason for this is because closer to the sea there is more wind action (Shaffer, 2006). Crabs adapted to the environment with burrows. Quartz is the most stable sediment composition in the surface of the earth, compared to heavy minerals and feldspar (Marshak, 2008). Quartz and feldspar are dominant in all beach zones (Table 1) this is because they are primary rock minerals, they are found in parent rock e.g. granite which contains these two minerals (Schwarts, 2005). Since so il is the deposited by the chemical weathering of rocks, the minerals also are as a result that deposition. Feldspar makes about 60% of the earth’s crust (Marshak, 2005). Mineral sands contain suites of minerals with high specific gravity known as ‘heavy minerals’. They were found mostly on the back beach 2 (Table 1) and the swash zone 2 because the wind current was not strong enough to transport them away. Those that are found on the back beach 2 are probably deposited by the river inflow and that on swash zone 2 is deposited by the ocean current and cannot be transported further because they are resistant to wave action (Pipkin, 2001). The swash zone was found to have more shells (Table 1) and some broken up and there were smooth, dishaped stones (cables) because of wave action on tide and also pedals. Lithic fragments were found mostly the back beach (Table 1) and only one on swash zone 1 because they are light and easily transported by wave and wind action. In conclusion as the profile is divided into zones it was found that mineralogical distribution and grain size change across the zones of a beach profile. As one go closer to the sea the gran size becomes larger and there was found to be more mineralogical diversity to zones closer to th e sea compare to zones closer to the estuary. Heavy minerals were found in zones closer to the sea and light minerals were found to zones far from the sea, this is all due to processes like wind and wave action. REFERENCES Marshak S.S., (2005). Earth: Portrait of the planet 2nd eds. W.W. Norton & Company, Incl., New York, London Marshak S.S, (2008). Earth: Portrait of the planet 3rd eds. W.W. Norton & Company, Incl., New York, London Matthias (2012) et al, KOTLIK School, AK 9960. P.O BOX 20129, 8 JUNE 2012, The Nushagak Estuary: Its Salmon resource, Potential Threat and proposed management plan. Pipkin B.W., et.al, 2001. Labaratory exercise in Oceanography, 3rd edition. USA Ron Uken 2011, UKZN WESTVILLE CAMPUS BIOL 231 PRACTICAL MANUAL (GEOLOGICAL COMPONENT) Schwartz M.L., 2005. Encyclopedia of coastal Sciences. Published by springer 16 June 2005 Shaffer,R., (2006). The Time of Sands: Quartz-rich Sand Deposits as a renewable Resource. Electronic Green Journal, 1(24):1-35 Whitfield A.K, J.L.B Smith institute of Ichyology, Private Bag 1015 Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa published online: 08 November 2010, 18: 1-2, 89-103, DOL Whitfield A.K Maps and Locations of South African Estuaries Index, Generated by resource quality service 2003-08-08, 14:25:28, S.A INDEX for aquatic Biodiversity.

How Strong Is Your Faith Religion Essay Example

How Strong Is Your Faith Religion Essay Example How Strong Is Your Faith Religion Essay How Strong Is Your Faith Religion Essay and God replied: aˆÂ ¦ Because I m God . That s was all the reply he needed.God can easy take back everything that he created at any clip, which causes adult male to fear God. Peoples of the purest religion realize this and refund God with a life-time of court and servitude. This is normally the key behind all faiths were there s a God. For illustration, in the Hindu religion they have a God in which goes by the name of Shiva, believed to be the refinisher and destroyer of universes , which gives Shiva the character of being one of the most temperamental Gods of any religion. Shiva has the power to destruct the universe on a simple caprice. To turn out his power, Shiva one time cut his ain boy s caput and replaced it with an Elephant s caput. Once there was a narrative of a adult male whom desired power more than anything in the universe. He had to obtain sacred arms fromCraig Peitz How strong is your religion? Page3which were created by Shiva. Through deep speculation that went on boulder clay he clouded the celestial spheres that finally angered Shiva. Shiva so challenged the adult male to a conflict, in which he was easy conquered. Shiva was still impressed by the will and finding of this adult male, so Shiva ended supplying him with the arms that he desired so much. Shiva requires the type of religion that is strong plenty that adult male would even dispute God himself, which would do him the ideal Hindu.Religion is a portion of everyone s life ; throughout history, in art, in music, and particularly in literature. It s something that could even be traced back to adult male s earliest presence in this universe. Some people s religion extends further than others, but does this truly affair? When comparing the narratives of Job and Jonah, religion seems to no do a difference to God. Job being person who had strong, pure, and unfaltering religion, and on the other manus, Jonah had such faltering religion. Yet Job was punished when God tested his reli gion, and at the same clip Jonah merely fled from God, and yet he was forgiven. Faith seems non to truly count to God in the long tally. Between these narratives it seems that the good adult male ends up acquiring screwed in the terminal, while the bad cat seems to be rewarded. With that being said, Department of Energy s one adult male who truly worships God and pure terminal up weighing more in the eyes of God than an apathetic Hindu?Man holding the demand to believe that there is something out at that place that might superior to him with some type of account for our presence on this universe. God holding such an impossible popularity to mankind makes him necessary to mankind, decidedly holding lasted this long. We want to believe and happen something that proves there is something more than merely a nothingness when it s all over. Subconsciously, we even realize there really was no God, and no hereafter, there would be no effects, and the basic goodness within adult male would come to a mistake which would take away from us keeping the small order we have, and would advance pandemonium all around.Craig Peitz How strong is your religion? Page4The astonishing portion of our universe is that everyone has alone gifts, accomplishments, and abilities. One adult male may stop up every bit smart as Albert Einstein with a organic structure like the Hulk, and his brother would hold the head of the Rain-Man and the organic structure of Moby Dick. God seems to honor us in a assortment of ways. Some of us are blessed spiritually, some physically, some mentally, when some are all rounded. Wagess could be relative to faith. A adult male with wealth may be a strong truster, while a adult male with nil may be a blasphemer. But there might be no connexion between the sum of religion you have and how you re rewarded. This would do it much easier to believe, when some of the wealthiest people out there are normally iniquitous or have their custodies something that is. People s who believe might non be any better off than people who do nt believe. But there s a inquiry that still remains ; is faith really good or bad? In Moby Dick, inquiries of religion, wages, and ground, floats about subliminally in the lives and destinies of all the participants.The Dais: At my first glance of the dais, it had non escaped methat nevertheless convenient for a ship, these articulations inthe present case seemed unneeded. For I was non preparedto see Father Mapple after deriving the tallness, easy bendabout, and crouching over the dais, intentionally drag up theladder measure by measure, till the whole was deposited within,go forthing him inviolable in his small Quebec. Thingss like isolation, and disaffection could stop up being the consequence of strong religion. This causes you to be set apart from the crowd, doing you an castaway. Father Mapple being one of the truest trusters in this novelCraig Peitz How strong is your religion? Page5sets himself up at a distant, hi gher, and more protected topographic point. Mapple believes he is a direct courier from God. In this chapter The Pulpit is built unlike any other. Harmonizing to Mapple s specifications, it was highly tall with a long rope ladder taking to his platform ; this apparatus was really similar to get oning a vas. Once Mapple backdowns the ladder, he goes to an stray universe of his ain, taking him off from the metropolis where he s an highly popular giant adult male. He feels to hold such a necessity of traveling off to an stray island off from the existent universe so so he can pass on with God. Bing on a about empty, stray ship seems to be all that s left of his faith. This can be taken to intend that while Mapple is entirely on his vas and silence is environing him, he must mount up the simple ladder toward heaven in order to get away the land of the evildoers so he can pass on God s word. He so pulls up the ladder to forestall any distractions, visitants, or encroachers. Normally a ex istent vas would be set off to sea, which spiritually Mapple has to make. He so stands up high, looking down on the fold, he feels he is superior. He has a picture at the pes of the Pulpit of this ship contending off a colossal storm, and through the clouds is an Angel that is making light to steer the alone vas place. The vas in the picture is besides the same as the vas represented by the Pulpit and Mapple is at the Helm. Now at the top of the Pulpit is a dais where Mapple reads his Bible. His Bible in which guides his ship through the storms of evil. Now the resemblance of all this is that faith represents this alone vas, which must interrupt through these storms of immorality before the universe can be holy, and Mapple is the lone crewmember on this vas, who represents world.Religion is being a alone vas, and adult male stays entirely on this vas. The narrative from Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner farther expresses this purdah. The seaman, who was a adult male that was cursed to walk the Earth, stating his narrative to those that he felt were fit.Craig Peitz How strong is your religion? Page6Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner: I pass, like dark, from land to land ;I have unusual power of addressthe minute that his face I seeI know the adult male that must hear me ;to him my narrative I teach It was narrative of a mariner whose crew had encountered some grilling times during their ocean trip. They discovered redemption in a particular Albatross that helped steer their way with fleet air current to unclutter their transition. Once they were out in the clear, they witnessed that there blest animal was killed by the seaman. In an instant the state of affairs deteriorated and all two-hundred crew members all of a sudden dropped dead, with the seaman left all entirely in the freeze, stormy conditions. Once repented, the vas was guided by all the shades of his crew members to an old anchorite who sent him on a lone pursuit. The quest he was sent on was for him to pass the remainder of his life going the universe, while stating his narrative to all he felt fit. This could really good be Elijah s quandary in ( Moby-Dick ) , person who appears to be an old insane rotter that wo nt halt draging Ishmael and Queequeg. It all started when the Pequod s documents were signed and that minute Ishmael and Queequeg have in consequence signed their souls off. He moved on speaking of a prognostication refering Ahab s destiny. Ishmael saw him as a doddering sap, but Elijah has a intent, he is a prophesier. He brought about a sense of pessimism before the journey of all time started. He was much like the Ancient Mariner in that he was damned to infinity of prognostication and warning. This is a warning that concerns a error which will lie in front on their Hunt. To the seaman, the Albatross is hunted despite the fact that it was their redemption sent by God. Elijah might be warning the deaf Ishmael that Moby Dick is really the Albatross that was sent from God. In any instance, Elijah s destiny was sealedCraig Peitz How strong is your religion? Page7coercing him into a life of purdah. He decidedly is a true truster, a prophesier, and possibly even some embodiment of God. Once once more person s faith leads them to solitude.Elijah s life may merely be the stoping to Jonah s narrative. After Jonah repented he was forgiven and reborn as a prophesier. As a prophesier or even a direct retainer of God, his journey will stop up being a lone 1 ; he will hold to fend for himself much like Elijah was. Everyone seems to look upon Elijah with intuition and ridicule, but this comes with the district. Although Jonah s narrative neer truly ended, his destiny was still written in rock, and Elijah s life is that destiny. Faith destines him to populate a life of purdah.Merely like Elijah and Jonah, Ishmael is besides left to a destiny of distributing his narratives to those he felt tantrum. He is the seaman, in which his ocean trip killed the mil lstone and he ended up paying the full monetary value left entirely in an empty ocean with nil but a casket as a life buoy. In all likelihood, God did non let Ishmael to merely agitate it off and travel on. This calamity will stop up devouring him for the remainder of his life, and this rhythm will neer stop because there will ever be another Ishmael and his Pequods.Starbuck on the other manus, is one of the most faithful Christians on the Pequod. He is really the voice of ground out of the whole crew and ever maintains his religion while the bulk of the crew ends up ignoring it. Like so many others, his spiritual religion ends up taking him to solitude. Now in The Quarter-deck , Ahab really describes his experiences with Moby Dick and so announces the end of his mission, and the full crew becomes genuinely excited in which they all end up traveling along on his insane pursuit. Through all of this, Starbuck ended up being the lone crew member to recognize that Ahab had really chang ed and became obsessional after this incident.Craig Peitz How strong is your religion? Page8The Quarter-deck: Vengeance on a dense beast! cried Starbuck, thatmerely smote thee from blindest inherent aptitude! Lunacy!To be enraged with a dense thing, Captain Ahab,seems profane. Even from the beginning, Starbucks faith isolated him from the remainder, he could hold easy decided to follow the crew, but that would waver his religion. He realizes he is wholly different from the remainder of the crew. He refused to imbibe sinfully with the remainder, due to the crazed and absurd pursuit of Ahab. Ishmael described the whole crew as being abhorrent, but Starbuck is really the ideal adult male ; possibly even God s design. Now this is rather a difference. Yet the lone factor that separates Starbuck from the whole crew is his religion, but his beliefs end up insulating him from the crew. His religion is truly pure but finally in ends up wavering. He shortly realizes that Ahab s compulsion h as been turning with each passing twenty-four hours and finally it will kill them all. At point Ahab really threatens Starbuck s life with a musket over a difference of sentiments. Starbuck ends up obtaining the musket and is forced to do a determination between his religion and justness. Starbuck being a adult male of faith knew that no affair the result, it will ever stop up being God s will.A difference of religions caused Queequeg to be alienated from the crew. Queequeg was a prince who came from the island of Kokovoko. Over clip he developed an involvement with Christianity and subsequently ended up happening himself onboard an English whaling vas. Although he did try to be assimilated into Christian society, but he finally lost involvement and ended up returning back to his ain religion. The lone thing genuinely learned were merely the accomplishments of whaling. Felling like Christianity had really made him less than pure he decided non return to his Island to claim his thron e. Even though he was greatly respected by the crew, they isolated him for his uniqueCraig Peitz How strong is your religion? Page9religion and civilization. During Queequeg s Ramadan, he was in a deep speculation did nt travel for a full twenty-four hours while idolizing his God. Ishmael had neer seen anyone do anything like this before, so to acquire Queequeg s attending he tried his hardest to strike hard down the door.Ishmael- The Ramadan: I so went on, get downing with the rise and advancementof the crude faiths and coming down to theassorted faiths of the present clip, during which clipI labored to demo Queequeg that all these Lententides, Ramadans,and prolonged ham-squatting s in cold, cheerless suites wereblunt bunk ; bad for the wellness ; useless for the psyche ;opposed, in short, to the obvious Torahs of Hygiene andcommon sense. I told him, excessively, that he being in otherthings such as an highly reasonable and perspicacious barbarian,it pained me, really severely pain ed me, to see him now solamentably foolish about this pathetic Ramadan of his. Ishmael being the sap tries his hardest to cover it by mocking Queequeg s God. He inquiries what sort of barbarian faith would necessitate your trueness and subject. In comparing to other faiths Ishmael s negative reaction indicates the deficiency of regard Christianity has for their God. Now Queequeg is decidedly non the inferior one in this instance. It seems that Ishmael s religion may be so weak and insecure that he feels he must change over and reprobate every barbarian he sees. Even though he says that Christianity has progressed, it seems he may reallyCraig Peitz How strong is your religion? Page10good may be utilizing a different lexicon than the remainder of the universe. Unless progressed really means to be declined to such an extent that a faithful Christian and a prophesier are considered monsters and are shunned and isolated from the universe. Ishmael s supplications to Yojo showed that he himself believes that Quequeg s religion is inferior to his. Ishmael and Queequeg underwent a heathen ritual, smoking to the doll, in order to corroborate their matrimony.Ishmael -A Bosom Friend: I was a good Christian ; born and bred in the bosomof the infallible Presbyterian Church. How so couldI unite with this wild idolizer in idolizing his pieceof wood? But what is worship? , thought I. Make you saynow, Ishmael, that the greathearted God of Edenand earth- heathens and all included-can be perchance bejealous of an undistinguished spot of black wood? Impossible! Ishmael is in denial and does nt recognize it. He has problems demuring that the Christian s God and Queequeg s God are the same being but in different signifiers. His religion is non strong plenty to see the graven image as nil more than merely a piece of wood. This is precisely where the relationship starts to hold jobs. Ishmael feels church is infallible and lacks any solid cogent evidence. He feels this was due to it being forced and installed into him his whole life. On the other manus, Queequeg has spent ample sum of clip idolizing his God to where he genuinely believes. Ishmael being so closed-minded, he refuses to accept that Queequeg s religion as anythingCraig Peitz How strong is your religion? Page11more than inferior, hence doing him more stray from Ishmael than a normal from what Christian criterions of friendly relationship are. In other words, Queequeg s religion makes Ishmael see him more as a pet than a friend.Queequeg is much like the character that goes by the name of John the barbarian from Huxley s Brave New World . John was raised off from new civilisation, hence he the chance to hold his ain sentiments, thoughts, and ideals. Now on the other manus, everybody that lives in this new society were encephalon washed from when they were kids in order to suit into their assigned categories. Just like Ishmael and the Christians, they were raised believed that everything th at they thought they knew was infallible. They believed in their haoma, a drug, as a agency to get away from their world, while John knows that the haoma were merely merely a recreation. They believed that the Feelies, a signifier of amusement, was the lone signifier of art, while toilet knew that was incorrect for a fact. He was good cognizant of literature, poesy, and Shakespeare. John was really open-minded because he was nt like everyone else, a brainwashed conformist. So do you believe if Ishmael would hold become more unfastened if he was nt raised by the church?Queequeg was discriminated against by everyone, because of his religion when he foremost boarded the ship. There is one standard for working aboard the Pequod, it was that you were a Christian. It did nt count if you were a Killer, thieve, or even an overall trash. All types were welcome with unfastened weaponries every bit long as you were Christian. On the other manus, Queequeg must turn out himself to everyone befor e he can work with them. It took a really dramatic experience for Queequeg in order to turn out his worth to the crew. This all occurred when a foolish adult male who ridiculed Queequeg was knocked overboard due to a loose station that knocked him into the ocean. Queequeg instantly dove into the icy H2O without any vacillation at all in order to salvage this adult male, and he succeeded. Since his beliefs differed from the others, he was required prove himself to his shipmates even though it was nt necessary for others, Christians, to make so. Unfortunately Queequeg s religion separated him fromCraig Peitz How strong is your religion? Page12his shipmates. In a manner it seems Christianity truly screwed Queequeg over. He was wholly rejected by the others, even though his involvements in Christianity lead him to go forth his people. He was driven away from Christianity from all the corruptness that came with it. Since his pureness was tainted by Christianity, it made him unworthy to b e able to return place and claim his throne.So far the strong religion that was in the lives of these mentioned trusters has non yet been a positive factor in their lives. We have Job who endured a demeaning trial by the God he loved. Then there s Mapple who felt that in order to pass on with God he had to be isolated upon a dais. Then we have Elijah, the seaman, who preach the word of God to everyone he saw even though they deemed him a baloney. Now we ca nt bury about Queequeg who was discriminated against by everyone, even his ain folk, merely because he was involved in two religions. These narratives make it seem like there is no advantage to holding any religion at all. In fact, in the long tally no affair whom they were and how strong their religion was, the full crew ended up holding the same destiny: a watery decease. All except for Ishmael, who was purportedly left to populate his life as prophesier distributing the word of God? The lone affect faith seemed to really hold o n these lives, was nil more than hurting and isolation. No 1 was rewarded nor did they receive any advantages merely for loving God. In which seemed to hold the opposite consequence for the non-believers, they had a clear advantage to non holding any faith at all.A life spent without faith is a life spent with leisure. The 2nd mate of the Pequod was Stubb, and he was the complete antonym of Starbuck. Starbuck started this ocean trip to gain a life, in which Stubb merely joined for the bang of the Hunt. Through this full ocean trip, Stubb truly enjoyed himself. His yearss are now disquieted free. His supper is one illustration of his impudence and unworried attitude. He and the black cook,Craig Peitz How strong is your religion? Page13Fleece, have a conversation that leads to inquiries about decease. Stubb asks Fleece where he plans on traveling after his decease, and Fleece merely subtly points up. Which was rather amusing since Stubb did nt understand this so he told Fleece that we decidedly do nt necessitate a cadaver merely hanging from their flag.Stubb -Stubb s Supper: You said up at that place, did nt you? And now lookat yourself, and see where your tongs areindicating. But, possibly you expect to acquire intoEden creeping through the lout s hole,cook ; but, no, no, cook, you do nt acquireat that place, except you go the regular manner, unit of ammunitionby the tackle. It s a delicate concern, but mustbe done, or else it s no spell. None of usare in heaven yet. He might hold some belief in Eden, but it s decidedly in a really distant corner of his head. He lives his life without concern of Eden at least until the last possible minute. He thinks religion is nil but useless, he s a non-believer. He asks Fleece how he intends to acquire into heaven since it seems the attempt is more problem than it is really deserving. On the other manus, the regular manner in Stubb s head involves a Starbuck-type trueness, which he does nt desire to give. When he says no ne of us are in heaven yet he is fundamentally stating: why bother? There is no cogent evidence and no unrecorded individual can be certain that heaven even exists until they die. Therefore, his life is full of enjoyment holding no faith, and yet he portions the same destiny of God s design. Starbuck does nt see orCraig Peitz How strong is your religion? Page14fear decease at all, and this is how he lives without any concerns, superstitious notions. One illustration Ishmael spring for Stubb s deficiency of faith and religion, is his pipe. It was described as a portion of his face, he thought of it to be some sort of bactericidal that would protect him from God s wrath. Ishmael does nt desire to believe that there will be no effects for your determinations in life. Yet some holding no spiritual strong belief at all easy lives his life freely, unlike most other Christians. I feel we all have the chance to do our ain Blue Prints of life regardless of our beliefs and or religion. The lone things that all worlds have in common is enduring, which brings us together, but yet we all are destined to the destiny of decease some merely sooner than others.These two massive figures from literary history lived two really similar lives despite their differences in religion and manners of get bying. Both were beset by great calamity, and endured in their ain was. Possibly there is something to be said of the captain s death when compared to Job s doggedness, but a religion in something greater is what bound them together.

Free Essays on María Concepción

The protagonist in Katherine Anne Porter’s story â€Å"Marà ­a Concepcià ³n† is Marà ­a Concepcià ³n, herself. She is a young woman, around eighteen years of age, who is married to a man named, Juan Villegas. She finds herself in a situation, in which, she doesn’t know how to handle. The story follows Marà ­a Concepcià ³n through each step of her emotional breakdown after finding her husband cheating on her with another woman and then losing her newly born baby. In the end, Porter shows how her friends loved her and came to her side and rescued her from the situation in which she placed herself. The reputation of Marà ­a Concepcià ³n is mentioned several times throughout the story, although not always directly. She is described as having a â€Å"good reputation with the neighbors as an energetic religious woman who could drive a bargain to the end.† (210). She seemed to be a proud young woman who kept her head high and did what was expected of her. She is described in the eyes of Juan’s chief, Givens, in saying â€Å"Her grand manner sometimes reminded him of royalty in exile.† (213). She didn’t seem to have many enemies before her breakdown. Afterward, she seemed to be a completely different person. She goes through several different stages throughout her breakdown. At first she was angry. She didn’t make her feelings obvious but everyone seemed to know about the affair. The neighbors went around saying that â€Å"Marà ­a Rosa was safer in the army than she would be in the same village with Marà ­a Concepcià ³n.† (214). Marà ­a Concepcià ³n then seemed to go numb, as if nothing had ever happened. â€Å"Marà ­a Concepcià ³n did not weep when Juan left her; and when the baby was born, and died within four days, she did not weep. ‘She is mere stone,’† (215). After this, she went back to being angry, but stayed to herself and kept herself busy. She â€Å"[†¦] lived alone. She was gaunt, as if something were gnawing her away inside, her e... Free Essays on Marà ­a Concepcià ³n Free Essays on Marà ­a Concepcià ³n The protagonist in Katherine Anne Porter’s story â€Å"Marà ­a Concepcià ³n† is Marà ­a Concepcià ³n, herself. She is a young woman, around eighteen years of age, who is married to a man named, Juan Villegas. She finds herself in a situation, in which, she doesn’t know how to handle. The story follows Marà ­a Concepcià ³n through each step of her emotional breakdown after finding her husband cheating on her with another woman and then losing her newly born baby. In the end, Porter shows how her friends loved her and came to her side and rescued her from the situation in which she placed herself. The reputation of Marà ­a Concepcià ³n is mentioned several times throughout the story, although not always directly. She is described as having a â€Å"good reputation with the neighbors as an energetic religious woman who could drive a bargain to the end.† (210). She seemed to be a proud young woman who kept her head high and did what was expected of her. She is described in the eyes of Juan’s chief, Givens, in saying â€Å"Her grand manner sometimes reminded him of royalty in exile.† (213). She didn’t seem to have many enemies before her breakdown. Afterward, she seemed to be a completely different person. She goes through several different stages throughout her breakdown. At first she was angry. She didn’t make her feelings obvious but everyone seemed to know about the affair. The neighbors went around saying that â€Å"Marà ­a Rosa was safer in the army than she would be in the same village with Marà ­a Concepcià ³n.† (214). Marà ­a Concepcià ³n then seemed to go numb, as if nothing had ever happened. â€Å"Marà ­a Concepcià ³n did not weep when Juan left her; and when the baby was born, and died within four days, she did not weep. ‘She is mere stone,’† (215). After this, she went back to being angry, but stayed to herself and kept herself busy. She â€Å"[†¦] lived alone. She was gaunt, as if something were gnawing her away inside, her e... Free Essays on Marà ­a Concepcià ³n The protagonist in Katherine Anne Porter’s story â€Å"Marà ­a Concepcià ³n† is Marà ­a Concepcià ³n, herself. She is a young woman, around eighteen years of age, who is married to a man named, Juan Villegas. She finds herself in a situation, in which, she doesn’t know how to handle. The story follows Marà ­a Concepcià ³n through each step of her emotional breakdown after finding her husband cheating on her with another woman and then losing her newly born baby. In the end, Porter shows how her friends loved her and came to her side and rescued her from the situation in which she placed herself. The reputation of Marà ­a Concepcià ³n is mentioned several times throughout the story, although not always directly. She is described as having a â€Å"good reputation with the neighbors as an energetic religious woman who could drive a bargain to the end.† (210). She seemed to be a proud young woman who kept her head high and did what was expected of her. She is described in the eyes of Juan’s chief, Givens, in saying â€Å"Her grand manner sometimes reminded him of royalty in exile.† (213). She didn’t seem to have many enemies before her breakdown. Afterward, she seemed to be a completely different person. She goes through several different stages throughout her breakdown. At first she was angry. She didn’t make her feelings obvious but everyone seemed to know about the affair. The neighbors went around saying that â€Å"Marà ­a Rosa was safer in the army than she would be in the same village with Marà ­a Concepcià ³n.† (214). Marà ­a Concepcià ³n then seemed to go numb, as if nothing had ever happened. â€Å"Marà ­a Concepcià ³n did not weep when Juan left her; and when the baby was born, and died within four days, she did not weep. ‘She is mere stone,’† (215). After this, she went back to being angry, but stayed to herself and kept herself busy. She â€Å"[†¦] lived alone. She was gaunt, as if something were gnawing her away inside, her e...

Issues vs. Problems

Issues vs. Problems Issues vs. Problems Issues vs. Problems By Maeve Maddox The word issue has been used with various meanings since the Middle Ages. For most of that time, English speakers have talked about issues, but rarely have they had issues. Issue derives from classical Latin exitus: â€Å"to go out.† The noun issue can refer to the action of flowing out, as in the medical sense of â€Å"a discharge of blood or other matter from the body†: Three days afterward there was an  issue of pus  through this opening. An issue can be an exit, a place where something comes out: The identity of its waters is shown by the re-appearance of light bodies at  its issue  that have  been thrown into it above the place where it enters the mountains. As a verb, issue means, â€Å"to exit† or â€Å"come out of†: How to explain these expressions of frustration, contempt and downright hatred heard from audiences  issuing from the theatre? When Theseus was most enraged by his conviction that his wife had betrayed him, a deep, subliminal rumble would  issue from  beneath the auditorium, making the whole  theatre  shake. As a noun, issue can mean children: This amendment proved academic, as the abdicated  King  Edward VIII  died without issue  in 1972. Some matter or question that is under discussion or in question is an issue: The issue under discussion was not about victims or about pity, but rather about challenging oppression and discrimination. The public is concerned with issues of all kinds: The Five Main Issues Facing Modern Feminism Juvenile Delinquency: Current Issues, Best Practices, and Promising Approaches The issue of bullying in schools Why Campaign Finance Reform Is the First Issue That We Must Address Issues are topics that are viewed differently by different people. Problems are major and minor difficulties that must be overcome. Problems are not controversial in the way that issues are. For example, the adoption of the Common Core Standards is an issue. Poor television reception is a problem. Since the mid-1980s, the noun issue has been co-opted by many speakers as a word for what used to be referred to as a problem. problem: a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome, harmful, or wrong and needing to be overcome; a difficulty. Here are some examples that use issue where the word problem would be sufficient: What Should I Do If My Child Has Learning Issues? Treating Foster Children for Psychological Issues I can sympathize with people who have an  issue with dogs.   If you suspect that you need more help with your reception issues, just have a chat with your local antenna specialist. Hairballs are a common  issue with cats. Is your Apple computer having issues playing sound from the built-in speakers? Ive noticed that people with contacts dont have as much of an  issue with onions. Perhaps some speakers feel that issue sounds grander or more scientific than problem. To be sure, there is some overlap between issues and problems. Climate change, for example, is both an issue and a problem. But when it comes to controlling hairballs and peeling onions, problem will suffice. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should KnowTime Words: Era, Epoch, and Eon25 Idioms About Bread and Dessert

Betrayal of Public Trust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Betrayal of Public Trust - Essay Example Due process was observed. Blagojevich's removal from office was therefore legal. The impeachment proceeding was the only way to oust Blagojevich from office based on the United States constitution. Also, the evidences presented were more than substantial to declare his removal and prohibit him to serve any public position in Illinois. Responsibilities of Public Administrators In public service, there is delineation between personal and public interest. This goes to say that if one is a public servant, he or she should make sure that his or her public dealings are not tainted with his or her personal interest. When he or she serves the public, he or she should always uphold values that would best promote the interest of his or her constituents. This is actually the foundation of individual ethics and office ethics. There are certain matters that are to be limited to as to avoid conflict of interest while in public office. As a person, one has practiced certain values. Some of these va lues are relevant in public office and some are not. Sometimes, these ethical frameworks overlap. This means that the public servant has considered one value more than the other. An instance of corruption is a good example. It may happen that the person thinks more of his personal interest than the welfare of the public. Nevertheless, there are also times when individual and office ethics diverge. This happens when the public servant considers his or her personal interest in relation to all his or her constituents. Such situation implies that the public administrator never forgets his or her bounden duty to the public. It also means that he or she recognizes the fact that he or she can be made accountable to his or her acts as a public official. Relevance of the Case Blagojevich's... In public service, there is the delineation between personal and public interest. This goes to say that if one is a public servant, he or she should make sure that his or her public dealings are not tainted with his or her personal interest. When he or she serves the public, he or she should always uphold values that would best promote the interest of his or her constituents. This is actually the foundation of individual ethics and office ethics. There are certain matters that are to be limited to as to avoid conflict of interest while in public office. As a person, one has practiced certain values. Some of these values are relevant in public office and some are not. Sometimes, these ethical frameworks overlap. An instance of corruption is a good example. It may happen that the person thinks more of his personal interest than the welfare of the public. Nevertheless, there are also times when individual and office ethics diverge. This happens when the public servant considers his or her personal interest in relation to all his or her constituents. Such situation implies that the public administrator never forgets his or her bounden duty to the public. It also means that he or she recognizes the fact that he or she can be made accountable for his or her acts as a public official. Blagojevich's case should be a lesson to all American public administrators. They should always be mindful that they are to be made accountable by their constituents as to their performance of public duty.

Dance and Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Dance and Identity - Essay Example This essay focuses on discussing dance as a form of performing art where your body posture plays a really crucial role because this performing art needs to have amazing elegance and grace in your body. The performer expresses him or her through the medium of his own body. According to the theory of performativity, gender should not be considered as a noun that acts but it is always a doing. This statement is very true in the context of dance or any other performing art where the actor is a performer in spite of his gender identity. The researcher uses Kathak dance to provide an example for better understanding of the issue. Kathak is one of the oldest classical dance forms which originated in North India. Dance is performed by both male and female. The masculine dance is always vigorous and aggressive while the feminine dance form is very delicate and more graceful. Basically in Kathak, the artist has to have the knowledge of both of these patterns. To conclude, the researcher states that sex has been an obligatory injunction for the body to become a cultural sign. Since ancient time dance has many stereotypical approaches in all around the world. Basically dance is an elegant art which needs to be enjoyed by an artistic vision. Objective should be taken into consideration while assessing the dance performance and not the gender identity of the artist. Gender issue should not be included and this art should not be kept constrained in the certain framework of gender identity.

O'Brien v. Ohio State University Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

O'Brien v. Ohio State University - Assignment Example The researcher states that to be absolved in the eyes of the law, University had to prove that OBriens actions, which were in violation of the contract, in fact, caused severe damage to the reputation of the University. The court found that OBriens act of lending a sum of $6000 to a recruit did not do material damage the university’s reputation. Jim O’Brien won the case and received about $2.5 million in damages. If the judge had interpreted that OBriens actions caused serious harm to the good name of the Ohio State University then they would most certainly have rejected the plaintiff’s claim. For instance, if they had discovered that Jim O’Brien had a history of breaching the University contract, then the court’s decision might have gone the other way. Ohio State had to prove that Jim O’Brien’s actions have caused their name significant bad reputation. However, the Ohio Court of Claims concluded that O’Brien’s actions an d his breach were not material to cause his termination. The weakening aspect of Ohio States case was they relied too much on specific contractual language. They put too much stress on the wording of the contract that OBrien would be breaking the terms of the contract if he breaks NCAA rules. Moreover, he was also supposed to report any breach that could have happened which he was aware of, and he had reasonable cause that a violation, in fact, had occurred. Jim all Brian failed to report this loan for almost five years. The NCAA rules clearly state that the staff member or the institution itself cannot give financial aid or any such benefit to recruits. This decision is a wake-up call for other colleges. It would be wise for the parties to such future agreement to be extra careful in adequately detailing the terms of the agreement, however, the analysis of materiality is a complicated task that hugely depends on the circumstances.

Endangered Species Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Endangered Species - Research Paper Example Scholars have even suggested that the world may be in the verge of experiencing its sixth massive species die off (Darling 14). Extinction may be defined as the death of a particular species and thus, disappearing completely. In the past there have been about five events of historical mass extinction acknowledged by scientist: the Cretaceous, the Ordovician, the Triassic, the Permian, and the Devonian. Scientists are of the opinion that the world is actually experiencing the Holocene, which is the sixth massive species die off. Even though the past historical mass extinction episodes were induced by natural phenomenon, the current extinction event (the Holocene) is the directly cause by human activities. Discussion The current extinction event unlike the past ones is directly cause by human activities the earlier events were caused by events such as natural climate shifts, volcanic eruptions, and asteroid strikes. It is a proven fact that about 99 % of the currently endangers plants and animals in our planet , are at risk from the activities of human beings particularly those activities that leads to loss of habitat, global warming, as well as introduction of exotic species (Sheehan 33). It is worth mentioning that for every species that faces extinction, there is a very high possibility that other species that are bound to that particular species in the complex web of the ecology may also be at a risk of extinction following the interruption of the complex ecological web. Consequently, a number of species may be directly or indirectly at risk of extinction once a particular species disappears from the face of the earth following its extinction. One of the many species that are at risk of extinction is the Komodo dragon found in the natural habitats of Indonesian Islands. The Komodo dragons are found in Lesser Sunda islands, Komodo Islands, Rinca Islands, as well as Islands of Montang, Gili, and Padar found in indonasia. It is estimated that the remaining popul ation of the Komodo dragons is approximately 4,000 to 5,000 and as such, they are listed as the endangered species in the Red List of the IUCN. The komodo dragons are commonly reffered by the name of buaja, Ora, and darat which basically means terra firma crocodile. The scientific name of the Komodo dragon is Varanus Komodoensis. They weigh about 300 pounds and grow to a length of up to 29 inches, making it the largest and heaviest lizard in the world. The creature also has an incredible sense of smell (Sahtouris 32). The Komodo dragon has a very flexible skull for purposes of enabling it to swallow huge lumps of prey. The dragons’ bit is extremely dangerous as it has very deadly venom that is capable of killing the prey within a very short time. These fascinating creatures have a life span of about 20 to 40 years. They also have a freckled skin with various colors such as slate black, earthen red, and slate gray in the adult dragons, while on the younger ones they have numer ous colors ranging from green, brown, gray, and sometimes yellow (Miller 45). The major factors that poses a great risk of possible extinction of the komodo dragons is decrease in the prey base of the creature, volcanic activities, as well as forest fire. In addition, it is pertinent to mention that the loss of the creature prey based is largely as a result of human activities such as poaching these prey species, and forest fires caused by human activities

Human Resource of Google Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resource of Google Inc - Research Paper Example Google Inc. is a technology company focused on improving the way people connect with information. Google Inc. was founded in 1998 by two students from Stanford University, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin. They turned Google Inc. into a global technology leader, overruling its international competitors in providing search engines like Yahoo, Gmail, Baidu, and Microsoft. The Organization mission is, â€Å"To organize the world`s information and make it universally accessible and useful†. Several goals have been setup to help in the company`s growth; the company plans to advance infrastructure so as to make their engineers more productive, to be the best search company in the world, to make sure that their tools are running everywhere and to focus on innovation. The company`s culture is entirely made by the people in it. They focus on hiring smart, determined people with experience. However, googlers share acceptable goals and mission for the organization and speak multiple languages, this reflects the kind of audience they serve. The organization strives to maintain an open-culture, but there are establishments associated with this culture, in which everyone is a contributor and there is freedom of opinion, and idea sharing. Researchers have the liberty to directly ask the founders, Larry &Sergey, questions about any company issues. The offices are setup to encourage interaction among the googlers and others. Google`s plan for the environment is to invest in a clean energy corporation, which uses kites to trap wind power., and they plan to invest largely on renewable sources that generate more electricity. Google Inc. operates enormous data centers around the world that uses a great deal of power, their primary concern is to search data fast, which means a lot of energy burns. Google infrastructure sends data from data that answers fast, nevertheless the system minimizes delays that raise energy consumption. If a Google employee dies his/her spouse gets half of his/her salaries for the next 10 years, new policies have been introduced to cater for widowers of Google employees. No administration is required to receive this benefit, and everyone is eligible to receive these benefits, regardless of how long they have worked in Google. Other than the half salary, the spouse receives stock benefits and the children receive $1,000 per month until they turn 19(Love, Business Insider, 2012). These benefits also apply to same sex couples. These benefits show that the Human Resource is concerned, not only about its employee, but also about the employees’ family. Expectant mothers and husbands also have benefits like: 18weeks maternity leave and 6 weeks paternity

Leading Virtual Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leading Virtual Teams - Essay Example According to Fisher & Fisher (2000), leaders of virtual teams should be able to exemplify five (5) best known practicers, to wit: (1) being accessible, (2) elimination of blaming, (3) creation of a learning environment, (4) creation of opportunities for personal development, and (5) managing work – life balance issues. Moreover, the leader of a virtual team should be cognizant of assuming the following roles: that of a results catalyst, facilitator, barrier buster, business analyzer, coach, and as a role model or living example (Fisher & Fisher, 2000). These styles and competencies enable the leaders to create a conducive environment which facilitates regular interaction between and among members. In addition, despite working in remote environments, the application of these practices provide opportunities for open communication to guide members towards accomplishments of delegated tasks. Both micro and macro-oriented perspectives are taken into consideration by virtual leaders to help resolve urgent concerns, conflicts among members, and correct weaknesses, as required. As such, performance monitorign is facilitated which ensures that team efforts are directed towards goal accomplishment. The most important strategies that a leader can employ when working with virtual groups is using technology and its applications to communicate as regularly as possible. At the onset, it should be clear to all the members the mission, boundary conditions, core values, operating guidelines, as well as the respective roles and responsibilities of members (Fisher & Fisher, 2000). Through open communication, urgent concerns are immediate communicated and addressed. Likewise, through regular communication, a cohesive team is created.

Human Resource of Google Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resource of Google Inc - Research Paper Example Google Inc. is a technology company focused on improving the way people connect with information. Google Inc. was founded in 1998 by two students from Stanford University, Larry Page, and Sergey Brin. They turned Google Inc. into a global technology leader, overruling its international competitors in providing search engines like Yahoo, Gmail, Baidu, and Microsoft. The Organization mission is, â€Å"To organize the world`s information and make it universally accessible and useful†. Several goals have been setup to help in the company`s growth; the company plans to advance infrastructure so as to make their engineers more productive, to be the best search company in the world, to make sure that their tools are running everywhere and to focus on innovation. The company`s culture is entirely made by the people in it. They focus on hiring smart, determined people with experience. However, googlers share acceptable goals and mission for the organization and speak multiple languages, this reflects the kind of audience they serve. The organization strives to maintain an open-culture, but there are establishments associated with this culture, in which everyone is a contributor and there is freedom of opinion, and idea sharing. Researchers have the liberty to directly ask the founders, Larry &Sergey, questions about any company issues. The offices are setup to encourage interaction among the googlers and others. Google`s plan for the environment is to invest in a clean energy corporation, which uses kites to trap wind power., and they plan to invest largely on renewable sources that generate more electricity. Google Inc. operates enormous data centers around the world that uses a great deal of power, their primary concern is to search data fast, which means a lot of energy burns. Google infrastructure sends data from data that answers fast, nevertheless the system minimizes delays that raise energy consumption. If a Google employee dies his/her spouse gets half of his/her salaries for the next 10 years, new policies have been introduced to cater for widowers of Google employees. No administration is required to receive this benefit, and everyone is eligible to receive these benefits, regardless of how long they have worked in Google. Other than the half salary, the spouse receives stock benefits and the children receive $1,000 per month until they turn 19(Love, Business Insider, 2012). These benefits also apply to same sex couples. These benefits show that the Human Resource is concerned, not only about its employee, but also about the employees’ family. Expectant mothers and husbands also have benefits like: 18weeks maternity leave and 6 weeks paternity

The Law on Recovery for Psychiatric Injury Caused by Negligence is Essay

The Law on Recovery for Psychiatric Injury Caused by Negligence is Strongly in Need of Reform - Essay Example This is because there must be actual psychiatric injury that is easy to prove which makes sorrow, grief and fear not sufficient to win a case. For a defendant to be established as negligent, the claimant must be able to prove three things.2 First aspect, the claimant must prove that the defendant owed the claimant a duty of care which is a responsibility to avoid sloppy actions that could cause damage to one or more persons. The duty of care is further explained as the responsibility of ensuring that you do not do any harm or fail to do something that may likely injure your neighbor. The law however does not give details on who the neighbor is supposed to be. This is one of the reasons that the law should be amended since it does not give a clear definition of who our neighbor is, if it is a person one closely relates to, people defined by property proximity or people you relate with everyday. The next factor considered in duty of care, the claimant must provide evidence that the def endant failed to grant the appropriate standard of care that a sensible person would have provided in similar circumstances.3 The standard of care is explained as a way of measuring how well and much care a reasonable person owes another. There are rules that come with this duty, whether the defendant is a learner, child or a professional because standards differ from one person to another. Some people’s standards of care are higher than others depending on your call of duty or even your line of work. Drivers and doctors, for example, have a higher standard of care toward other people than the reasonable human being because there are responsible to other people’s lives than themselves. It does not matter whether they are learners of profession since there standards of duty are set much higher than other professions. This law is determined by so many factors which makes it ambiguous to prove ones guilt or innocence. Example for people with the skill to do something that any reasonable person would not be able to do is charged with negligence for lack of standard to care of duty. There is also the situation where a child commits a deed with intention of harming others are judged as adults yet there are other rules applied to the same misconduct if the person is of a certain age group. There should be many factors when deciding reasonable standards of duty and care for reasonable people. Example, if there could have been prevention from both parties to avoid more harm and what cautions could be taken by reasonable persons. All the risks involved and the degree of the same by the claimant to reasonable person. Extent of the harm will also be well thought-out in court. The damage to the claimant will be taken into account as there may be two similar damages but of different magnitude which will be unfair to rule equally yet the extent of damage to one was more than the other. It is important to ensure that all the three consideration are taken into ac count so that all the claimants affected by psychiatric disorder caused by negligence are given a fair trial. The claimant must also verify that the events of the defendant were the reason of the plaintiff’s injuries or breakdown. Influencing the cause, known as getting facts, is time and again done by applying but for experiment. Damage would not have happened but for the defendant’s measures. If a driver takes a group of people on a road trip and fails to install seat belts in the car and they

FATA and NWFP Taliban India Security

FATA and NWFP Taliban India Security CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION â€Å"A host of wandering Talib-ul-ilums, who correspond with the theological students in Turkey and live free at the expense of the people.† Winston Churchill, 1898[1] 1. The present ongoing conflict in Pakistans tribal belt and in Afghanistan has serious security implications for India. The Mehsuds, Wazirs and Afridis were the tribals used by the Pakistan Army in 1947-48 to attack the state of Jammu and Kashmir, leading to occupation of what is now called the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). The Pakistan Army again used them before and during the war of 1965. Zia-ul-Haq used them for suppressing a Shia revolt in Gilgit in 1988[2]. The same elements were again used to infiltrate into Kargil, leading to Kargil War. 2. If the US and other NATO forces fail to prevail over these Terrorist Tribesmen in the Pakistan-Afghanistan tribal belt, these tribesmen, fresh from their victories in that region, would move over to Kashmir to resume their aggression against India. What we are now seeing in Kashmir is the beginning of the end of one phase of the aggression involving Terrorists of the 1980s vintage. We might see the beginning of a new phase involving better-trained and better-motivated Terrorists of the latest stock. 3. The tribal belt of Pakistan and Afghanistan was the chess board of the ‘Big Game played between colonial powers. The British established ‘Durand Line† demarcating the tribal areas which could not be governed. The British encouraged raising and maintenance of militia in FATA and NWFP, so as to thwart the Russian designs in South Asia, especially India[3]. The area was kept as a buffer to the Russian empire which had reached up to modern Uzbekistan. 4. The militia tribesmen of FATA and NWFP, after the departure of British from the subcontinent, were utilised operationally for the first time by Pakistan in 1947 against India. This strategy highlighted the advantage of utilising non state actors as means of aggression. The tribal invasion of 1947 resulted in occupation of approximately 35% of J K by Pakistan.[4] 5. Approximately 70,000 tribesmen attacked India in 1947 and were driven back up to LOC till ceasefire agreement in 1948[5]. These tribesmen after the attack dispersed back into tribal areas of FATA and NWFP. The tribal populace thereafter supported and participated in the resistance movement confronting the Soviets in Afghanistan. The Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1988, and full attention of these insurgent tribes was shifted to India. The existence of these elements in the FATA and NWFP was not given due consideration by India till late 1980s when insurgency erupted in J K. In past, the tribal militia had no name, but now to keep pace with the media and generate support, the tribesmen have assigned names/nomenclature to their organisations; the most prominent nomenclature amongst all of them being the Taliban[6]. 6. The Taliban is an ideology which majority of insurgent groups find easy to imbibe. The various warring tribes in FATA and NWFP have come under a common umbrella of Taliban ideology in recent years. The main cause for this mass acceptance of Taliban ideology is due to large influx of Al-Qaida operatives post US led â€Å"War on Terror.[7] 7. The resurgence of the Taliban and ongoing CI operations by Pakistan army, along with deteriorating situation in FATA and NWFP has major security implications for India. The proximity of North Indian frontiers to the conflict zone coupled with the current insurgency in JK, the need of the hour is to redefine security policy and take speedy initiatives to put effective deterrent in place. METHODOLOGY 8. Statement of Problem. Considering the continued aggressive attitude of the tribesmen from FATA and NWFP in the past towards India, their reorganisation under Taliban leading to current conflict in Pakistan may result in renewed and increased threat to the North Indian frontiers. The paper seeks to highlight that the Taliban are a threat in being for Indias security. 9. Hypothesis. There is an urgent need to identify the critical vulnerabilities of the Taliban and identify additional security initiatives that need to be undertaken by India. Justification of the Study 10. The threat of Taliban from FATA and NWFP to North Indian frontiers has been underestimated. The tribes in FATA and NWFP have existed as militia and mercenaries for over 100 years; however they have been given nomenclature/name like Taliban only recently. The first organised offensive of these tribesmen into India was in 1947 to annexe the state of J K. Thereafter, since 1990 these tribesmen have infiltrated into J K state as foreign mercenaries / terrorists fuelling insurgency. 11. Considering the continued aggression and threat from the tribesmen from FATA and NWFP since independence of India, there exists a knowledge gap with regard to their origins. Relatively little research has been directed towards exploring their transformation into an umbrella organisation the Taliban, probably because of the obvious difficulties with studying a covert organisation. The absence of a logical explanation for the existence of these aggressive tribesmen as mercenaries and militia has complicated the threat evaluation process. This study describes the Taliban phenomenon, elaborates upon their strengths and weaknesses. The study endeavours to predict the Talibans future strategic course of action and recommends measures to counter their strengths and exploit their weaknesses in order to design a formidable CI/CT effort. The Taliban have emerged as front runner terrorist outfit in the troubled FATA and NWFP. The study of their ideology will also provide inputs towards the ir grand strategy and objectives. All these inputs will enable correct assessment of security threat to India and aid in development of strategy to counter this menace. The thesis may also be of interest to field operatives, helping them to understand their adversary. 12. Scope. The history bears the testimony to the vulnerability of Indian sub continent to invasions from North Western Frontiers. The rise of Taliban in FATA and NWFP of Pakistan, their reorganisation and rejuvenation is of grave concern to India, which cannot be ignored. The paper focuses on the history, ideology and overall grand strategy of Taliban highlighting the impending threat to India and way ahead. Method of Data Collection 13. The data for this paper has been collected primarily through secondary sources, the books available in the library. Some material has also been garnered from various college lectures. Periodicals and papers written by famous socialists and historians have also been referred to. Bibliography is placed at appendix A. 14. Tertiary sources include various articles compiled and published from time to time by renowned authors in various reference books and articles available from the internet. Organisation of dissertation 15. It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner:- (a) Chapter I: Introduction. This chapter describes the purpose of the thesis and the statement of problem. It argues the need for developing a broader understanding of the Taliban in order to develop a better approach to deal with counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism efforts in the North Western frontiers. (b) Chapter II: The Problem Genesis. This chapter covers the historical perspective of the problem. The chapter brings out the circumstances leading to the genesis of the Taliban phenomenon. (c) Chapter III: The Taliban Organisation. Chapter III focuses on the structure of the Taliban. The chapter analyses their formal and informal layout and operational mechanisms. The leadership and decision-making processes of Taliban will also be highlighted to assess the motivation and beliefs of Taliban operatives to give a better understanding of their recruitment and human resource processes. (d) Chapter IV: Analysis of Taliban. Chapter IV analyses the strengths and weaknesses of Taliban utilising the Commanders Estimate of Situation method. The Strategic and Operational Objectives are derived from research. These are analysed to determine strategic and operational Centres of Gravity. Finally critical vulnerabilities are determined, which will be utilised to develop Indian Course of Action to tackle the Taliban menace. (e) Chapter V: Taliban Threat An Indian Perspective. This chapter brings out the national opinion on the existence of Taliban threat. The chapter highlights the vulnerabilities of India and its borders and the threat in being. (f) Chapter VI: Recommendations and Way Out. The final chapter gives a way out for overcoming the emerging Taliban threat. The chapter will suggest recommendations for planning effective CI/CT strategies to counter the Taliban strengths and exploit their weaknesses. CHAPTER II THE PROBLEM GENESIS â€Å"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.† Sun Tzu[8] 1. Introduction. The study of background leading to genesis of Taliban will help in identifying the patterns of past actions of Taliban and aid in analysing current behaviour. This chapter will cover various aspects of Taliban history, highlighting the influence of ancient tribal warrior culture, the invasion by USSR leading to rise of Mujahideen[9], relevance of Madrassas[10] and their religious ideology, civil war following withdrawal of USSR forces, Rise of Taliban, the downfall of Taliban and current insurgency in the Afpak region. [11] History 2. Throughout the history invaders have tried in vain to overpower the Pashtun dominated region of Afpak. The first recorded invasion of this region was by Alexander in 326 BC, thereafter a number of armies appeared on the scene including those of Persian Empire, Huns, Turks, Mongols, British, Russians and recent ones being the US troops[12]. The conquerors were either defeated or absorbed into the tribal culture of the Pashtuns thereby maintaining the independence of the region. Despite the apparent ease in conquering the Pashtun areas, no outside power has ever been able to completely subdue it. The tribal and military orientation has shaped the culture and outlook of the area. As Johnson writes, â€Å"A Pashtun is never at peace, except when he is at war.†[13] The people of this region have therefore for centuries been inclined to reject any form of strict authority even at the cost of discord and insecurity.[14] 3. The â€Å"Great Game† in nineteenth century shaped the current political landscape of the region. The Pashtuns had their first encounter with modern military power through three Anglo- Afghan Wars in 1839, 1878 and 1919[15]. Both Russia and Britain desperately tried to get a foothold in Afghanistan, but were unable to gain headway. Finally both parties agreed to create a buffer in shape of Afghanistan between their zones of influence. The international boundary known as Durand Line was drawn between British India and Afghanistan in 1893[16]. The Pashtuns continued to maintain strong ethnic and family connections across the international boundary. The British accorded the tribes on other side of border a semi autonomous status that was maintained after creation of Pakistan in 1947 in the form of FATA[17]. 4. The Pashtun areas on both sides of Durand Line continued to exist peacefully till 1973, when Zahir Shahs four decade rule ended. The instability after his departure resulted in emergence of Communist ideological Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan and it finally overthrew government in 1978. The Communist reform package, which included drastic changes in land ownership, new taxes, compulsory education for women, and participation of women in non-traditional roles in society, was resisted by traditional and orthodox religious elements of Afghanistan, led by the Mujahedeen of Afghanistan. As Larry P Goodson commented â€Å"These reforms struck at the very heart of the socio-economic structure of Afghanistans rural society; indeed, their sudden nationwide introduction, with no preliminary pilot programs, suggest that this was their real purpose.†[18]Finally, Soviet Union deployed troops in Afghanistan in December 1979 to aid their communist ally against the Islamic militia s and to counter the threat of radical Islamist power along its soft underbelly of the Muslim majority Central Asian republics. The Soviet involvement led to increased Mujahedeen resistance and calls for jihad.[19] 5. The ten year occupation resulted in Soviet 40th army loosing 13,883 personnel, plus 650 more in affiliated units. Despite heavy investments in men and material the Soviets were not able to gain unopposed access. Therefore after a long and costly counter insurgency effort the Soviet Union withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in Feb 1989, leaving a Communist Government headed by Najibullah.[20] 6. The exit of Soviet forces was followed by a civil war which resulted in overthrow of Najibullahs government in April 1992. The defeat of the communist government revealed the differences in the fractured alliances of Mujahedeen parties[21]. Each faction had its leader or warlord in a geographical region of the country with aspirations for power. In fighting broke out among the warlords leading to widespread looting and rapine. This strife between the warlords and a war weary population set the stage for the radical ideas of the Taliban to so easily take hold in Afghanistan. â€Å"The Taliban mythology cites their creation as a reaction to the injustices that were perpetrated during the mujahedin era of Afghan politics.†[22] 7. The cadre of the Taliban emerged from the Pashtun refugee camps. It was there, in some of the Madrassas, that a selectively interpreted version of Islam, Wahabism[23], influenced students (talib) to adopt an ultraconservative approach to social issues and politics[24]. Despite differences with the fundamentalist religion espoused by the Taliban, the people gathered behind them because of promises to deliver peace by eliminating the menace of the warlords and narcotics. This tradition and the aura of a righteous religious student on the quest for peace gave students immense rapport with the Pashtun people. The popularity of the Taliban rapidly spread and they experienced continued success in consolidating power. 8. On 10 Nov 1994 Taliban seized Kandahar, the organisation gained religious legitimacy among the Pashtuns when their leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, wore the sacred cloak of Prophet Mohammad in public and declared himself Amir Al-Muminin (leader of the Faithful)[25]. This event can be considered turning point in the Taliban movement for providing it a charismatic leader, who could thereafter take advantage of the tribal religious sentiments of Pashtuns. 9. After the control of Kandahar, the Taliban progressed in quick succession and by 1997 controlled 95% of Afghanistan. The Taliban established order in Afghanistan, but it was of a fearsome medieval kind. The Talibans government policy had become well known. Women were rendered anonymous, refused work or education. Justice was implemented by Islamic law. Television, music and photographs were banned. Gradually, the Taliban led by Mullah Muhammad Omar lost support of international community and afghan populace due to very strict enforcement of its version of Islamic law. Mullah Omar during his reign in Afghanistan interacted with Osama bin Laden and Taliban hosted Al Qaeda training camps. 10. The attack on United States of America on 11 Sep 01 by Al Qaeda operatives and the Talibans refusal to extradite bin Laden led to launch of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). The operation resulted in rapid fall of Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. The majority of Taliban fighters dispersed back into Afghan society, while its leadership went underground. [26] 11. In the Pakistani border areas with Afghanistan, the FATA and areas of NWFP, the tribal populace had supported the Taliban movement since its inception. The populace in these areas has been at odds with the Pakistani security forces since its independence. 12. The current problem of insurgency in Pakistan has roots in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, when FATA was used as launch pad for Mujahedeen sponsored by Pakistan and U.S. These areas turned into hotbed of terrorism, which was further fuelled by Madrassas, continued supply of modern weapons from U.S and heavy influx of Afghan refugees. Once the Soviets were ousted from Afghanistan, majority of foreign Mujahideen settled in FATA and NWFP. The radical elements in FATA and NWFP supported the Taliban after commencement of Operation Enduring Freedom. Therefore Pakistani government became a target for its crucial support to OEF. Pakistani troops are heavily committed to FATA and NWFP, currently over 1, 00,000 troops are deployed to counter pro Taliban terrorists[27]. On 14 Dec 07, the Taliban â€Å"movement† in Pakistan coalesced under the leadership of Baitullah Mehsud to form an umbrella organization called Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)[28], having allegiance to Mullah Om ar. Environment 13. The Taliban is an organisation and therefore dependent on environment. The environment in which they operate places constraints and also provides for opportunities. The major components of environment are discussed below. 14. Physical Environment. The most important environmental factor is the physical terrain in which the Taliban operate. The terrain in Afghanistan, FATA and NWFP is very harsh and mountainous covering an approximate area of 270,000 sq miles. The harsh and inaccessible mountainous terrain is conducive for insurgent activities. The area also has inaccessible spaces which are governed by tribes that allow terrorists freedom of manoeuvre[29], while it makes organised conventional military operations ineffective and expensive in terms of troops and resources. The rugged geography has embodied the regions culture, which has remained unaffected by time. 15. Culture. The culture is most important factor concerning the situation. The culture of area depends greatly on Pashtunwali code of honour that predates Islam and is specific to the Pashtun tribes.[31] The Pashtunwali is the traditional norm by which people of Pashtun tribes are expected to conduct themselves. A Pashtun must adhere to the code to maintain his honour and to retain his identity. If one violates this code they are subject to the verdict of Jirga.[32] 16. Religion. The religion is another pillar of the Taliban, Afghanistanis are 99 % Muslim, consisting of 80 % Sunni and 19 % Shia[33]. In Afghanistan, Islam has been mixed with pre-Islamic beliefs and tribal customs of Pashtunwali[34]. The Taliban transformed the tradition to ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam. The basics of this ideology stem from Madrassas founded during the Soviet Afghan war. The increased influence of Saudi Arabia lead to Madrassas shift to orthodox Islam which looks to â€Å"follow Salafist model and thoughts†[35]. The attraction of Salafi movement is rooted in its ability to provide a domain in which a resistance identity is created through discourses, symbols and everyday practices. Within this the members are required to organise themselves into small tight-knit communities that stand distinctly apart from open society. To some extent it can be identified as a sect, demanding complete loyalty, unwavering belief and rigid adherence to a distinctive lifestyl e.[36] However as written by Rashid â€Å"The Taliban represented nobody but themselves and they recognised no Islam except their own.† The majority of Afghanistans populace did not traditionally follow this interpretation of the religion but had to contend with its enforcement during the Taliban reign.[37] 17. Ethnicity. The ethnic breakdown of Afghanistan and Tribal areas of Pakistan is as follows[38]:- Ser No Tribe Percentage (a) Pashtun 42 (b) Aimak 4 (c) Tajik 27 (d) Turkmen 3 (e) Hazara 9 (f) Balochi 2 (g) Uzbek 9 (h) Others 4 Table 1 18. The Pashtuns have a majority in the Taliban Organisation, with minimal participation of other tribes. As a result during the Taliban rule and ensuing insurgency other tribes were targets of attacks. The coalition of northern tribes (Turkman, Tajik and Uzbek) made up bulk of the northern alliance troops that allied with US troops to overthrow Taliban in 2001. 19. Pashtun Tribal Breakdown. The Pashtuns are further sub-divided into several tribes and sub-tribes spread throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Pashtuns in Pakistan are larger in number than those of Afghanistan and are mostly concentrated in FATA and NWFP. These tribes are interconnected in a complex interplay of obscure genealogies, mythical folklore, historical alliances and conflicts, which makes it very difficult to differentiate and draw lines between the groups. However, there are five major tribal groups of Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan. These are the Durranis, Ghilzai, Karlanri, Sarbani and Ghurghusht, with Durrani and Ghilzai as the most influential (Figure 3).[40] 20. Since 1747, the Durrani tribal confederation has provided the leadership within the Southern Pashtun areas. The trend started with Ahmad Shah Durrani, when he founded the monarchy. Ahmad Shah is considered the founder of modern Afghanistan because he was able to unite the factional tribes. The present President of Afghanistan is also from Durrani tribe. The traditional folklore connects the Durranis with the Sarbani tribal group.[41] 21. The Ghilzai tribal group, which is concentrated in the eastern Afghanistan, has historically been an arch-rival of the Durranis. Some of the important leaders of Taliban today, including Mullah Omar belong to this tribal group.[42] 22. The Karlanris are the third largest group of the Pashtun tribes and are referred to as the hill tribes. They occupy the border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Waziristan, Kurram and Peshawar.[43] 23. The Sarbani are divided into two major geographically separated groups. The larger group is located north of Peshawar, while the smaller one is scattered in northern Balochistan. This group because of their links with the Durranis are considered part of the traditional aristocracy of Pashtun tribes.[44] 24. The last major group is Ghurghusht. These are settled throughout northern Balochistan.[45] Some factions of this tribe can also be found in NWFP. Resources 25. The primary sources and assets available to Taliban are religious militant outfits, human terrain[46] or manpower and opium trade. The analysis of Taliban resources can be carried out by determining the availability and quality. The religious militant outfits include Al Qaida and similar sectarian organisations. The Al Qaida provides vital support to the Taliban organisation. The support of Al Qaeda provided the Taliban cause legitimacy in a multitude of intercontinental terrorist organisations. The Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden pledged his support to Mullah Omar, the leader of Taliban. Al Qaeda provides Taliban with assistance in form of financial support, manpower, technology (high end weapons) and training.[47] 26. The other strong supporters of Taliban include Tehreek-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi (TNSM), which is active in the FATA and Swat regions of NWFP. [48] There are other supporting insurgent groups from central Asia like Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM). 27. Few of the Madrassas in the Pashtun belt propagate radical version of Islamic ideology and therefore are convenient recruiting grounds for Taliban. The Leadership of Islamic movement has fallen in the hands of Pashtuns as they were able to oust Soviets. Since the Madrassas had played important role in Anti-Soviet Jihad, these institutions acquired reputation of both as recruiting grounds for Mujahidin and centres of learning.[49] 28. Human terrain. The human terrain [50] is most important asset for the survival of Taliban. There are approximately 28 million Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This large pool of Pashtuns provides recruits, support personnel, money, weapons and an intelligence network to aid in waging insurgency. 29. The Pashtuns have been amenable to Taliban, as they do not dominate the Kabul administration. The Pashtun mistrust of the government was further heightened by inability of Afghan Transitional Administration, as it could not protect Pashtuns from human rights abuses from the warlords and insurgents since fall of the Taliban government. 30. The people and recruits of Taliban after the fall of Kabul remerged with the local populace, providing outstanding and real time intelligence. With more than two generations of war-hardened inhabitants to select from, the Taliban recruited experienced fighters who know the terrain and can survive harsh environment. In addition a large amount of ordnance, weapons and ammunition, which were stored by Mujahedeen during Afghan -Soviet war; have fallen into the hands of Taliban. The human resource factor cannot be a permanent asset for Taliban due to the power struggle between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IROA) and Taliban. 31. Drug Trade. As per the western accounts, the revenue from drug trafficking and Opium trade in Afghanistan can be considered as an asset for Taliban organisation. The Afghanistan with its increased dependence on revenue from Opium trade has turned into a narco-state.[51] The record of 2006 Opium harvest was estimated at over $ 3 billion.[52] The following years estimates are even higher. Afghanistan currently produces 93 percent of the worlds Opium trade and half of Afghanistans GDP depends on the Opium trade.[53] The share of Taliban from the flourishing opium trade is not available. However, it is established that Taliban capitalise on the drug trade by taxing the farmers, landowners and drug traffickers. 32. Historically, on assuming control of Afghanistan, the Taliban agenda was to eliminate Opium trade[54], but now it has become essential for their survival[55]. The Opium serves three main purposes for Taliban:- (a) It provides the populace an illegal economy to operate outside the umbrella of government, to the detriment of Kabul. The drug traffickers and the Taliban mutually support each other with weapons, personnel and funding in a concerted effort to destabilise the current legitimate Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IROA) government. (b) It provides necessary funding for the insurgency.[56] (c) It is primarily exported to the west (affects the western society), especially Europe, where 90 % of heroin supply comes from Afghanistan. Other Environmental Factors 33. The other environmental factors that affect Taliban are the regional players in the South Asia, NGOs and Humanitarian agencies and presence of Coalition forces, which include Pakistani and Afghani soldiers. 34. Regional Players. The regional players directly influence the Taliban as they have direct bearing on the overall political scenario affecting the movement. The area of influence of Taliban stretches across Central Asia to the Indian Subcontinent. This area is of immense strategic importance, its components share historical roots, affinities and enmities having overbearing influence on interrelationships and domestic issues. Most of the Afghanistans issues considered as domestic are more likely regional in character.[57] 35. Pakistan. The direct involvement of Pakistan in Soviet-Afghan war, in support of Mujahidin, along with United States of America and Saudi Arabia has created a complex legacy that is affecting Pakistan even today because of continuous turmoil and violence linked to the issue. Pakistan has critical interests in Afghanistans stability because of close economic and cultural links. The stable Afghanistan provides for economic opportunities for Pakistan, as it ensures access to resource rich Central Asian region. The stability will also ensure stability in Pashtun dominated western Pakistan, where at present Taliban presence is destabilising the entire FATA and NWFP. 36. Months after the official beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, Al Qaeda and Taliban militants poured over Afghanistans border into Pakistan and found refuge in FATA. The region home to more than 3 million Pashtuns was an ideal sanctuary. The tribes native to FATA adhere to the pre-Islamic tribal code of Pashtunwali, which by custom extends assistance to strangers who request protection. By spring 2002, less than a year after the initial invasion of Afghanistan, that sanctuary became even safer after President Bush decided to pull most of Americas Special Operations Forces and CIA paramilitary operatives off the hunt for Osama bin Laden, so they could be redeployed for a possible war in Iraq.[58] All of these factors greatly alleviated pressure on the remaining Taliban and Al Qaeda forces. Between spring 2002 and spring 2008, militants were able to consolidate their holdover north-western Pakistan. Baluchistans capital, Quetta, is home of the Talibans main Shura or council.[59 ] The Talibans overall leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar has found refuge in the city.[60] The support of Pakistan to Taliban is considered essential till they gain strong foothold in Afghanistan. However few western writers contend that the Taliban have already taken control of 10% to 20 % of area in Afghanistan, and therefore no longer require sanctuary in Pakistan. The ISI has already drawn distinction between extremist groups focused on destabilising Pakistan and those primarily concerned with war in Afghanistan. On ground, the Taliban based in Pakistan (TTP) have taken allegiance to Mullah Omar, the supreme Commander of Taliban. Also Pakistan being a strategic partner of coalition forces, the pressure to cleanse the Taliban sanctuaries is mounting.[61] 37. Iran[62]. The proximity of Iran with Afghanistan has not resulted in cultural affinities, except in Herat area. Iran never gave importance to Afghanistan until Soviet invasion. Irans primary focus was on the Persian Gulf region. Afghanistan is today strategically important due to concern that other powers might take advantage of weak state to menace Iran. The Iranian belligerence with Taliban is resulting from their Sunni outlook and prosecution of Shia minorities. At present Iran is interested in expanding its economic role in Afghanistan. A stable afghan state is beneficial to Iran in long run, so it opposes a Taliban led insurgency. However, there have been reports of Iran supporting the Taliban covertly.[63] Iranian actions may be due to close relations of IROA with United States of America. Because of US-Iranian incompatibility, the Iranian long-term strategic interests are in jeopardy due to sustained US presence in Afghanistan. Therefore, Iran may manipulate Taliban insurgency to its ow n advantage.[64] If this situation materialises, the Taliban may be able to overcome some key shortfalls (like advanced anti-air weaponry, guided missiles) and gain inroads into Shia groups in Afghanistan (mainly Hazara tribe). 38. Soviet Central Asian Republics. The former Soviet Central Asian Republics also influence the current situation. Their ethnic ties with the non-Pashtun northern Afghanistan minorities have made them oppose the Taliban due its pro FATA and NWFP Taliban India Security FATA and NWFP Taliban India Security CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION â€Å"A host of wandering Talib-ul-ilums, who correspond with the theological students in Turkey and live free at the expense of the people.† Winston Churchill, 1898[1] 1. The present ongoing conflict in Pakistans tribal belt and in Afghanistan has serious security implications for India. The Mehsuds, Wazirs and Afridis were the tribals used by the Pakistan Army in 1947-48 to attack the state of Jammu and Kashmir, leading to occupation of what is now called the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). The Pakistan Army again used them before and during the war of 1965. Zia-ul-Haq used them for suppressing a Shia revolt in Gilgit in 1988[2]. The same elements were again used to infiltrate into Kargil, leading to Kargil War. 2. If the US and other NATO forces fail to prevail over these Terrorist Tribesmen in the Pakistan-Afghanistan tribal belt, these tribesmen, fresh from their victories in that region, would move over to Kashmir to resume their aggression against India. What we are now seeing in Kashmir is the beginning of the end of one phase of the aggression involving Terrorists of the 1980s vintage. We might see the beginning of a new phase involving better-trained and better-motivated Terrorists of the latest stock. 3. The tribal belt of Pakistan and Afghanistan was the chess board of the ‘Big Game played between colonial powers. The British established ‘Durand Line† demarcating the tribal areas which could not be governed. The British encouraged raising and maintenance of militia in FATA and NWFP, so as to thwart the Russian designs in South Asia, especially India[3]. The area was kept as a buffer to the Russian empire which had reached up to modern Uzbekistan. 4. The militia tribesmen of FATA and NWFP, after the departure of British from the subcontinent, were utilised operationally for the first time by Pakistan in 1947 against India. This strategy highlighted the advantage of utilising non state actors as means of aggression. The tribal invasion of 1947 resulted in occupation of approximately 35% of J K by Pakistan.[4] 5. Approximately 70,000 tribesmen attacked India in 1947 and were driven back up to LOC till ceasefire agreement in 1948[5]. These tribesmen after the attack dispersed back into tribal areas of FATA and NWFP. The tribal populace thereafter supported and participated in the resistance movement confronting the Soviets in Afghanistan. The Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1988, and full attention of these insurgent tribes was shifted to India. The existence of these elements in the FATA and NWFP was not given due consideration by India till late 1980s when insurgency erupted in J K. In past, the tribal militia had no name, but now to keep pace with the media and generate support, the tribesmen have assigned names/nomenclature to their organisations; the most prominent nomenclature amongst all of them being the Taliban[6]. 6. The Taliban is an ideology which majority of insurgent groups find easy to imbibe. The various warring tribes in FATA and NWFP have come under a common umbrella of Taliban ideology in recent years. The main cause for this mass acceptance of Taliban ideology is due to large influx of Al-Qaida operatives post US led â€Å"War on Terror.[7] 7. The resurgence of the Taliban and ongoing CI operations by Pakistan army, along with deteriorating situation in FATA and NWFP has major security implications for India. The proximity of North Indian frontiers to the conflict zone coupled with the current insurgency in JK, the need of the hour is to redefine security policy and take speedy initiatives to put effective deterrent in place. METHODOLOGY 8. Statement of Problem. Considering the continued aggressive attitude of the tribesmen from FATA and NWFP in the past towards India, their reorganisation under Taliban leading to current conflict in Pakistan may result in renewed and increased threat to the North Indian frontiers. The paper seeks to highlight that the Taliban are a threat in being for Indias security. 9. Hypothesis. There is an urgent need to identify the critical vulnerabilities of the Taliban and identify additional security initiatives that need to be undertaken by India. Justification of the Study 10. The threat of Taliban from FATA and NWFP to North Indian frontiers has been underestimated. The tribes in FATA and NWFP have existed as militia and mercenaries for over 100 years; however they have been given nomenclature/name like Taliban only recently. The first organised offensive of these tribesmen into India was in 1947 to annexe the state of J K. Thereafter, since 1990 these tribesmen have infiltrated into J K state as foreign mercenaries / terrorists fuelling insurgency. 11. Considering the continued aggression and threat from the tribesmen from FATA and NWFP since independence of India, there exists a knowledge gap with regard to their origins. Relatively little research has been directed towards exploring their transformation into an umbrella organisation the Taliban, probably because of the obvious difficulties with studying a covert organisation. The absence of a logical explanation for the existence of these aggressive tribesmen as mercenaries and militia has complicated the threat evaluation process. This study describes the Taliban phenomenon, elaborates upon their strengths and weaknesses. The study endeavours to predict the Talibans future strategic course of action and recommends measures to counter their strengths and exploit their weaknesses in order to design a formidable CI/CT effort. The Taliban have emerged as front runner terrorist outfit in the troubled FATA and NWFP. The study of their ideology will also provide inputs towards the ir grand strategy and objectives. All these inputs will enable correct assessment of security threat to India and aid in development of strategy to counter this menace. The thesis may also be of interest to field operatives, helping them to understand their adversary. 12. Scope. The history bears the testimony to the vulnerability of Indian sub continent to invasions from North Western Frontiers. The rise of Taliban in FATA and NWFP of Pakistan, their reorganisation and rejuvenation is of grave concern to India, which cannot be ignored. The paper focuses on the history, ideology and overall grand strategy of Taliban highlighting the impending threat to India and way ahead. Method of Data Collection 13. The data for this paper has been collected primarily through secondary sources, the books available in the library. Some material has also been garnered from various college lectures. Periodicals and papers written by famous socialists and historians have also been referred to. Bibliography is placed at appendix A. 14. Tertiary sources include various articles compiled and published from time to time by renowned authors in various reference books and articles available from the internet. Organisation of dissertation 15. It is proposed to study the subject in the following manner:- (a) Chapter I: Introduction. This chapter describes the purpose of the thesis and the statement of problem. It argues the need for developing a broader understanding of the Taliban in order to develop a better approach to deal with counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism efforts in the North Western frontiers. (b) Chapter II: The Problem Genesis. This chapter covers the historical perspective of the problem. The chapter brings out the circumstances leading to the genesis of the Taliban phenomenon. (c) Chapter III: The Taliban Organisation. Chapter III focuses on the structure of the Taliban. The chapter analyses their formal and informal layout and operational mechanisms. The leadership and decision-making processes of Taliban will also be highlighted to assess the motivation and beliefs of Taliban operatives to give a better understanding of their recruitment and human resource processes. (d) Chapter IV: Analysis of Taliban. Chapter IV analyses the strengths and weaknesses of Taliban utilising the Commanders Estimate of Situation method. The Strategic and Operational Objectives are derived from research. These are analysed to determine strategic and operational Centres of Gravity. Finally critical vulnerabilities are determined, which will be utilised to develop Indian Course of Action to tackle the Taliban menace. (e) Chapter V: Taliban Threat An Indian Perspective. This chapter brings out the national opinion on the existence of Taliban threat. The chapter highlights the vulnerabilities of India and its borders and the threat in being. (f) Chapter VI: Recommendations and Way Out. The final chapter gives a way out for overcoming the emerging Taliban threat. The chapter will suggest recommendations for planning effective CI/CT strategies to counter the Taliban strengths and exploit their weaknesses. CHAPTER II THE PROBLEM GENESIS â€Å"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.† Sun Tzu[8] 1. Introduction. The study of background leading to genesis of Taliban will help in identifying the patterns of past actions of Taliban and aid in analysing current behaviour. This chapter will cover various aspects of Taliban history, highlighting the influence of ancient tribal warrior culture, the invasion by USSR leading to rise of Mujahideen[9], relevance of Madrassas[10] and their religious ideology, civil war following withdrawal of USSR forces, Rise of Taliban, the downfall of Taliban and current insurgency in the Afpak region. [11] History 2. Throughout the history invaders have tried in vain to overpower the Pashtun dominated region of Afpak. The first recorded invasion of this region was by Alexander in 326 BC, thereafter a number of armies appeared on the scene including those of Persian Empire, Huns, Turks, Mongols, British, Russians and recent ones being the US troops[12]. The conquerors were either defeated or absorbed into the tribal culture of the Pashtuns thereby maintaining the independence of the region. Despite the apparent ease in conquering the Pashtun areas, no outside power has ever been able to completely subdue it. The tribal and military orientation has shaped the culture and outlook of the area. As Johnson writes, â€Å"A Pashtun is never at peace, except when he is at war.†[13] The people of this region have therefore for centuries been inclined to reject any form of strict authority even at the cost of discord and insecurity.[14] 3. The â€Å"Great Game† in nineteenth century shaped the current political landscape of the region. The Pashtuns had their first encounter with modern military power through three Anglo- Afghan Wars in 1839, 1878 and 1919[15]. Both Russia and Britain desperately tried to get a foothold in Afghanistan, but were unable to gain headway. Finally both parties agreed to create a buffer in shape of Afghanistan between their zones of influence. The international boundary known as Durand Line was drawn between British India and Afghanistan in 1893[16]. The Pashtuns continued to maintain strong ethnic and family connections across the international boundary. The British accorded the tribes on other side of border a semi autonomous status that was maintained after creation of Pakistan in 1947 in the form of FATA[17]. 4. The Pashtun areas on both sides of Durand Line continued to exist peacefully till 1973, when Zahir Shahs four decade rule ended. The instability after his departure resulted in emergence of Communist ideological Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan and it finally overthrew government in 1978. The Communist reform package, which included drastic changes in land ownership, new taxes, compulsory education for women, and participation of women in non-traditional roles in society, was resisted by traditional and orthodox religious elements of Afghanistan, led by the Mujahedeen of Afghanistan. As Larry P Goodson commented â€Å"These reforms struck at the very heart of the socio-economic structure of Afghanistans rural society; indeed, their sudden nationwide introduction, with no preliminary pilot programs, suggest that this was their real purpose.†[18]Finally, Soviet Union deployed troops in Afghanistan in December 1979 to aid their communist ally against the Islamic militia s and to counter the threat of radical Islamist power along its soft underbelly of the Muslim majority Central Asian republics. The Soviet involvement led to increased Mujahedeen resistance and calls for jihad.[19] 5. The ten year occupation resulted in Soviet 40th army loosing 13,883 personnel, plus 650 more in affiliated units. Despite heavy investments in men and material the Soviets were not able to gain unopposed access. Therefore after a long and costly counter insurgency effort the Soviet Union withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in Feb 1989, leaving a Communist Government headed by Najibullah.[20] 6. The exit of Soviet forces was followed by a civil war which resulted in overthrow of Najibullahs government in April 1992. The defeat of the communist government revealed the differences in the fractured alliances of Mujahedeen parties[21]. Each faction had its leader or warlord in a geographical region of the country with aspirations for power. In fighting broke out among the warlords leading to widespread looting and rapine. This strife between the warlords and a war weary population set the stage for the radical ideas of the Taliban to so easily take hold in Afghanistan. â€Å"The Taliban mythology cites their creation as a reaction to the injustices that were perpetrated during the mujahedin era of Afghan politics.†[22] 7. The cadre of the Taliban emerged from the Pashtun refugee camps. It was there, in some of the Madrassas, that a selectively interpreted version of Islam, Wahabism[23], influenced students (talib) to adopt an ultraconservative approach to social issues and politics[24]. Despite differences with the fundamentalist religion espoused by the Taliban, the people gathered behind them because of promises to deliver peace by eliminating the menace of the warlords and narcotics. This tradition and the aura of a righteous religious student on the quest for peace gave students immense rapport with the Pashtun people. The popularity of the Taliban rapidly spread and they experienced continued success in consolidating power. 8. On 10 Nov 1994 Taliban seized Kandahar, the organisation gained religious legitimacy among the Pashtuns when their leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, wore the sacred cloak of Prophet Mohammad in public and declared himself Amir Al-Muminin (leader of the Faithful)[25]. This event can be considered turning point in the Taliban movement for providing it a charismatic leader, who could thereafter take advantage of the tribal religious sentiments of Pashtuns. 9. After the control of Kandahar, the Taliban progressed in quick succession and by 1997 controlled 95% of Afghanistan. The Taliban established order in Afghanistan, but it was of a fearsome medieval kind. The Talibans government policy had become well known. Women were rendered anonymous, refused work or education. Justice was implemented by Islamic law. Television, music and photographs were banned. Gradually, the Taliban led by Mullah Muhammad Omar lost support of international community and afghan populace due to very strict enforcement of its version of Islamic law. Mullah Omar during his reign in Afghanistan interacted with Osama bin Laden and Taliban hosted Al Qaeda training camps. 10. The attack on United States of America on 11 Sep 01 by Al Qaeda operatives and the Talibans refusal to extradite bin Laden led to launch of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). The operation resulted in rapid fall of Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. The majority of Taliban fighters dispersed back into Afghan society, while its leadership went underground. [26] 11. In the Pakistani border areas with Afghanistan, the FATA and areas of NWFP, the tribal populace had supported the Taliban movement since its inception. The populace in these areas has been at odds with the Pakistani security forces since its independence. 12. The current problem of insurgency in Pakistan has roots in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, when FATA was used as launch pad for Mujahedeen sponsored by Pakistan and U.S. These areas turned into hotbed of terrorism, which was further fuelled by Madrassas, continued supply of modern weapons from U.S and heavy influx of Afghan refugees. Once the Soviets were ousted from Afghanistan, majority of foreign Mujahideen settled in FATA and NWFP. The radical elements in FATA and NWFP supported the Taliban after commencement of Operation Enduring Freedom. Therefore Pakistani government became a target for its crucial support to OEF. Pakistani troops are heavily committed to FATA and NWFP, currently over 1, 00,000 troops are deployed to counter pro Taliban terrorists[27]. On 14 Dec 07, the Taliban â€Å"movement† in Pakistan coalesced under the leadership of Baitullah Mehsud to form an umbrella organization called Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)[28], having allegiance to Mullah Om ar. Environment 13. The Taliban is an organisation and therefore dependent on environment. The environment in which they operate places constraints and also provides for opportunities. The major components of environment are discussed below. 14. Physical Environment. The most important environmental factor is the physical terrain in which the Taliban operate. The terrain in Afghanistan, FATA and NWFP is very harsh and mountainous covering an approximate area of 270,000 sq miles. The harsh and inaccessible mountainous terrain is conducive for insurgent activities. The area also has inaccessible spaces which are governed by tribes that allow terrorists freedom of manoeuvre[29], while it makes organised conventional military operations ineffective and expensive in terms of troops and resources. The rugged geography has embodied the regions culture, which has remained unaffected by time. 15. Culture. The culture is most important factor concerning the situation. The culture of area depends greatly on Pashtunwali code of honour that predates Islam and is specific to the Pashtun tribes.[31] The Pashtunwali is the traditional norm by which people of Pashtun tribes are expected to conduct themselves. A Pashtun must adhere to the code to maintain his honour and to retain his identity. If one violates this code they are subject to the verdict of Jirga.[32] 16. Religion. The religion is another pillar of the Taliban, Afghanistanis are 99 % Muslim, consisting of 80 % Sunni and 19 % Shia[33]. In Afghanistan, Islam has been mixed with pre-Islamic beliefs and tribal customs of Pashtunwali[34]. The Taliban transformed the tradition to ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam. The basics of this ideology stem from Madrassas founded during the Soviet Afghan war. The increased influence of Saudi Arabia lead to Madrassas shift to orthodox Islam which looks to â€Å"follow Salafist model and thoughts†[35]. The attraction of Salafi movement is rooted in its ability to provide a domain in which a resistance identity is created through discourses, symbols and everyday practices. Within this the members are required to organise themselves into small tight-knit communities that stand distinctly apart from open society. To some extent it can be identified as a sect, demanding complete loyalty, unwavering belief and rigid adherence to a distinctive lifestyl e.[36] However as written by Rashid â€Å"The Taliban represented nobody but themselves and they recognised no Islam except their own.† The majority of Afghanistans populace did not traditionally follow this interpretation of the religion but had to contend with its enforcement during the Taliban reign.[37] 17. Ethnicity. The ethnic breakdown of Afghanistan and Tribal areas of Pakistan is as follows[38]:- Ser No Tribe Percentage (a) Pashtun 42 (b) Aimak 4 (c) Tajik 27 (d) Turkmen 3 (e) Hazara 9 (f) Balochi 2 (g) Uzbek 9 (h) Others 4 Table 1 18. The Pashtuns have a majority in the Taliban Organisation, with minimal participation of other tribes. As a result during the Taliban rule and ensuing insurgency other tribes were targets of attacks. The coalition of northern tribes (Turkman, Tajik and Uzbek) made up bulk of the northern alliance troops that allied with US troops to overthrow Taliban in 2001. 19. Pashtun Tribal Breakdown. The Pashtuns are further sub-divided into several tribes and sub-tribes spread throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Pashtuns in Pakistan are larger in number than those of Afghanistan and are mostly concentrated in FATA and NWFP. These tribes are interconnected in a complex interplay of obscure genealogies, mythical folklore, historical alliances and conflicts, which makes it very difficult to differentiate and draw lines between the groups. However, there are five major tribal groups of Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan. These are the Durranis, Ghilzai, Karlanri, Sarbani and Ghurghusht, with Durrani and Ghilzai as the most influential (Figure 3).[40] 20. Since 1747, the Durrani tribal confederation has provided the leadership within the Southern Pashtun areas. The trend started with Ahmad Shah Durrani, when he founded the monarchy. Ahmad Shah is considered the founder of modern Afghanistan because he was able to unite the factional tribes. The present President of Afghanistan is also from Durrani tribe. The traditional folklore connects the Durranis with the Sarbani tribal group.[41] 21. The Ghilzai tribal group, which is concentrated in the eastern Afghanistan, has historically been an arch-rival of the Durranis. Some of the important leaders of Taliban today, including Mullah Omar belong to this tribal group.[42] 22. The Karlanris are the third largest group of the Pashtun tribes and are referred to as the hill tribes. They occupy the border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Waziristan, Kurram and Peshawar.[43] 23. The Sarbani are divided into two major geographically separated groups. The larger group is located north of Peshawar, while the smaller one is scattered in northern Balochistan. This group because of their links with the Durranis are considered part of the traditional aristocracy of Pashtun tribes.[44] 24. The last major group is Ghurghusht. These are settled throughout northern Balochistan.[45] Some factions of this tribe can also be found in NWFP. Resources 25. The primary sources and assets available to Taliban are religious militant outfits, human terrain[46] or manpower and opium trade. The analysis of Taliban resources can be carried out by determining the availability and quality. The religious militant outfits include Al Qaida and similar sectarian organisations. The Al Qaida provides vital support to the Taliban organisation. The support of Al Qaeda provided the Taliban cause legitimacy in a multitude of intercontinental terrorist organisations. The Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden pledged his support to Mullah Omar, the leader of Taliban. Al Qaeda provides Taliban with assistance in form of financial support, manpower, technology (high end weapons) and training.[47] 26. The other strong supporters of Taliban include Tehreek-i-Nifaz-i-Shariat-i-Muhammadi (TNSM), which is active in the FATA and Swat regions of NWFP. [48] There are other supporting insurgent groups from central Asia like Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM). 27. Few of the Madrassas in the Pashtun belt propagate radical version of Islamic ideology and therefore are convenient recruiting grounds for Taliban. The Leadership of Islamic movement has fallen in the hands of Pashtuns as they were able to oust Soviets. Since the Madrassas had played important role in Anti-Soviet Jihad, these institutions acquired reputation of both as recruiting grounds for Mujahidin and centres of learning.[49] 28. Human terrain. The human terrain [50] is most important asset for the survival of Taliban. There are approximately 28 million Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This large pool of Pashtuns provides recruits, support personnel, money, weapons and an intelligence network to aid in waging insurgency. 29. The Pashtuns have been amenable to Taliban, as they do not dominate the Kabul administration. The Pashtun mistrust of the government was further heightened by inability of Afghan Transitional Administration, as it could not protect Pashtuns from human rights abuses from the warlords and insurgents since fall of the Taliban government. 30. The people and recruits of Taliban after the fall of Kabul remerged with the local populace, providing outstanding and real time intelligence. With more than two generations of war-hardened inhabitants to select from, the Taliban recruited experienced fighters who know the terrain and can survive harsh environment. In addition a large amount of ordnance, weapons and ammunition, which were stored by Mujahedeen during Afghan -Soviet war; have fallen into the hands of Taliban. The human resource factor cannot be a permanent asset for Taliban due to the power struggle between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IROA) and Taliban. 31. Drug Trade. As per the western accounts, the revenue from drug trafficking and Opium trade in Afghanistan can be considered as an asset for Taliban organisation. The Afghanistan with its increased dependence on revenue from Opium trade has turned into a narco-state.[51] The record of 2006 Opium harvest was estimated at over $ 3 billion.[52] The following years estimates are even higher. Afghanistan currently produces 93 percent of the worlds Opium trade and half of Afghanistans GDP depends on the Opium trade.[53] The share of Taliban from the flourishing opium trade is not available. However, it is established that Taliban capitalise on the drug trade by taxing the farmers, landowners and drug traffickers. 32. Historically, on assuming control of Afghanistan, the Taliban agenda was to eliminate Opium trade[54], but now it has become essential for their survival[55]. The Opium serves three main purposes for Taliban:- (a) It provides the populace an illegal economy to operate outside the umbrella of government, to the detriment of Kabul. The drug traffickers and the Taliban mutually support each other with weapons, personnel and funding in a concerted effort to destabilise the current legitimate Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IROA) government. (b) It provides necessary funding for the insurgency.[56] (c) It is primarily exported to the west (affects the western society), especially Europe, where 90 % of heroin supply comes from Afghanistan. Other Environmental Factors 33. The other environmental factors that affect Taliban are the regional players in the South Asia, NGOs and Humanitarian agencies and presence of Coalition forces, which include Pakistani and Afghani soldiers. 34. Regional Players. The regional players directly influence the Taliban as they have direct bearing on the overall political scenario affecting the movement. The area of influence of Taliban stretches across Central Asia to the Indian Subcontinent. This area is of immense strategic importance, its components share historical roots, affinities and enmities having overbearing influence on interrelationships and domestic issues. Most of the Afghanistans issues considered as domestic are more likely regional in character.[57] 35. Pakistan. The direct involvement of Pakistan in Soviet-Afghan war, in support of Mujahidin, along with United States of America and Saudi Arabia has created a complex legacy that is affecting Pakistan even today because of continuous turmoil and violence linked to the issue. Pakistan has critical interests in Afghanistans stability because of close economic and cultural links. The stable Afghanistan provides for economic opportunities for Pakistan, as it ensures access to resource rich Central Asian region. The stability will also ensure stability in Pashtun dominated western Pakistan, where at present Taliban presence is destabilising the entire FATA and NWFP. 36. Months after the official beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, Al Qaeda and Taliban militants poured over Afghanistans border into Pakistan and found refuge in FATA. The region home to more than 3 million Pashtuns was an ideal sanctuary. The tribes native to FATA adhere to the pre-Islamic tribal code of Pashtunwali, which by custom extends assistance to strangers who request protection. By spring 2002, less than a year after the initial invasion of Afghanistan, that sanctuary became even safer after President Bush decided to pull most of Americas Special Operations Forces and CIA paramilitary operatives off the hunt for Osama bin Laden, so they could be redeployed for a possible war in Iraq.[58] All of these factors greatly alleviated pressure on the remaining Taliban and Al Qaeda forces. Between spring 2002 and spring 2008, militants were able to consolidate their holdover north-western Pakistan. Baluchistans capital, Quetta, is home of the Talibans main Shura or council.[59 ] The Talibans overall leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar has found refuge in the city.[60] The support of Pakistan to Taliban is considered essential till they gain strong foothold in Afghanistan. However few western writers contend that the Taliban have already taken control of 10% to 20 % of area in Afghanistan, and therefore no longer require sanctuary in Pakistan. The ISI has already drawn distinction between extremist groups focused on destabilising Pakistan and those primarily concerned with war in Afghanistan. On ground, the Taliban based in Pakistan (TTP) have taken allegiance to Mullah Omar, the supreme Commander of Taliban. Also Pakistan being a strategic partner of coalition forces, the pressure to cleanse the Taliban sanctuaries is mounting.[61] 37. Iran[62]. The proximity of Iran with Afghanistan has not resulted in cultural affinities, except in Herat area. Iran never gave importance to Afghanistan until Soviet invasion. Irans primary focus was on the Persian Gulf region. Afghanistan is today strategically important due to concern that other powers might take advantage of weak state to menace Iran. The Iranian belligerence with Taliban is resulting from their Sunni outlook and prosecution of Shia minorities. At present Iran is interested in expanding its economic role in Afghanistan. A stable afghan state is beneficial to Iran in long run, so it opposes a Taliban led insurgency. However, there have been reports of Iran supporting the Taliban covertly.[63] Iranian actions may be due to close relations of IROA with United States of America. Because of US-Iranian incompatibility, the Iranian long-term strategic interests are in jeopardy due to sustained US presence in Afghanistan. Therefore, Iran may manipulate Taliban insurgency to its ow n advantage.[64] If this situation materialises, the Taliban may be able to overcome some key shortfalls (like advanced anti-air weaponry, guided missiles) and gain inroads into Shia groups in Afghanistan (mainly Hazara tribe). 38. Soviet Central Asian Republics. The former Soviet Central Asian Republics also influence the current situation. Their ethnic ties with the non-Pashtun northern Afghanistan minorities have made them oppose the Taliban due its pro