Iran-Contra affair Essay Example for Free

Iran-Contra affair Essay The Iran-Contra affair was a US scandal that occurred in the mid 1980s under the leadership of President Ronald Reagan and vice president George bush. The scandal majorly involved two events. First, there was the sale of US arms to one of its main enemies, Iran and then the millions of dollars in profits derived from the arms deal were used to finance a clandestine operation rejected by congress, the financing of Nicaraguan guerrillas named the Contra. The Contra guerillas were opponents of the Nicaraguan’s Sandinista rebels who came to power after overthrowing Anastasio Somoza, the then leader of Nicaragua in the year 1979. The idea was to secure the release of American hostages held by the Hezbollah terrorists. This scandal prompted numerous investigations that led the indictment of US government officials. Indeed, many questions still linger on the minds of many concerning the role played by top US White House officials including President Reagan and the then vice president George Bush (TheFreeDictionary, 2009). This paper will discuss some of the dealings in the arms trade, stating their historical background, reasons behind the trade, the parties involved and its eventual outcome. The Contra Affair first received public attention in November 1986 after al-sharia, a Lebanese publication reported that the American government was involved in arms trade with Iran. Worse still, a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) supply plane was shot down by the Nicaraguan forces. The only survivor was the pilot and he was captured. The plane was carrying, over 50 000 rounds of ammunition, Russian rifles and boots (Tristam, 2009). The confession of the pilot shocked the public indicating that the US government was involved in arming the contra rebels and also confirmed the earlier reports in the Lebanese publication. The irony was that President Ronald Reagan was on record as having numerously associated the Iran government with terrorism (TheFreeDictionary, 2009). Why Reagan supported the Sandinistas To Reagan, the victory of the Sandinista in Nicaragua was a major US security threat since he thought that it had the potential of sparking off a revolution in Central America (BBC News Channel, 2004). The fear could be traced back to 1954 when Jacobo Arbenz won the elections to become president of Guatemala. What alarmed the US government was his oratory which indicated that the US government was on the verge of losing its control in Central America. In 1979, the Sandinistas overthrew the Arbenz government and initiated communist reforms. This was in spite of the fact that in actual sense they never really defined themselves as communists but as pluralists. They began to reallocate estates and to redistribute wealth and this was enough to alarm the United States which became uncomfortable with having a communist state right in its backyard. Violence also erupted spreading to other countries and this was seen as an indication that communism could end up spreading to other countries in Central America (BBC News Channel, 2004). Reagan was alarmed by these developments and felt that he had to do whatever it took to stop this. Fortunately for him, other groups within Nicaragua began arming themselves against the policies initiated by the Sandinistas. Reagan’s hope then lay in equipping the rebels in an attempt to overthrow the Sandinistas government. At first he allocated the funds openly and even gave additional funds to the CIA to carry out his mission. However, the allocation of funds to the contras was opposed within the United States throwing his plans to the gutter. Ronald Reagan involvement with Iran Ronald Reagan was known to have publicly referred to Iran as one of the nations that both supported and financed terrorism in the world. It therefore seemed to be a stab in the back for US citizens when the world heard reports that the US was trading arms with its worst enemy. The entire situation could be traced back to the 1980 US presidential elections. These pitted the then president Jimmy Carter against the implicated Ronald Reagan. The period between the 1970s and 1980 was one characterized by numerous incidences of hostage taking. In the year 1979, fifty two workers of the US embassy in Iran were captured by Iranian students and held hostage. The US at the time proclaimed a ‘no- negotiation’ policy when dealing with terrorists. The then president Jimmy Carter failed to secure the release of these hostages (Absolute astronomy, 2009). During the elections, Jimmy Carter was slightly taking the lead and if only the US hostages held by the Hezbollah group had been released, it could have been a sure win for Carter. The release of the hostages then became the decisive factor on who would win the elections. This prompted the Reagan team to negotiate a release deal with Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran. This team met with the then prime minister of Iran Bani-sadr in Paris. The agreement reached was that the US hostages would remain captives until after the election and in extension of this favor, Iran would be supplied with weapons. At that time, Iran was at war with Iraq and the supply of weapons was absolutely welcomed. It therefore came to be that immediately after Reagan won the elections, the hostages were released (Angel Force, n. d). Arms transactions The US received special assistance from Israel to carry out the sale of arms to moderate Iranians opposed to Ayatollah Khomeni. Michael Ledeen and Robert McFarlane the then National Security Adviser managed to convince the Israeli government to ship arms to these politically influential Iranians in return for the same kind of weapons along with monetary benefits. Israel agreed but in the mean time Reagan was hospitalized for a colon cancer surgery. Later on, Israel tried to convince the United States to allow Israel to sell a few antitank missiles as an indication that the Iranian group had strong US ties. This offer was initially rejected but eventually Israel managed to convince Reagan that the group was an antiterrorist group. The group in return had promised to talk to the captor to release seven hostages, a proposal that Reagan readily consented to. The plan was later readjusted such that the arms were now to be sold directly to the Iranians at a marked up price of about 715 million dollars as suggested by North. This price was rejected but eventually over one thousand anti-tank missiles were shipped. The adjustments also included the financing of the contras contrary to the Boland Amendments that restricted the US administration and the CIA from financing the contras. (Absolute astronomy, 2009). The scandal blew up after Mehdi Hashemi a cleric with the Islamic revolutionary guards leaked information concerning the trade to Ash-Shiraa, a renowned Lebanese magazine. This together with the crashing of a CIA plane led to Reagan’s confession in the national television that the arms deal transactions had indeed taken place. His argument was that the trade had taken place in an attempt to forge better ties with Iran and to also to make Iran reconsider a negotiation for the release of held hostages (Absolute astronomy, 2009). Conclusion The Iran-Contra Scandal led to the sacking of numerous government officials including Oliver North who was sacked and also tried for the shredding of evidence (some say that the evidence was bulky enough to jam the government’s shredding machine. In his defense, North tried to link the case with the Vietnam War by arguing that the main issue in the affair was the actual financing of the contras (Isaacs, (1997). He also attempted to justify his action by saying that it fell within his powers. The president’s popularity ratings also dropped from a high of 67% to a low of 46%. Internationally, the scandal sent harmful signal to terror indicating that hostage taking could be used as a powerful means of coaxing political influence with the west (Absolute astronomy, 2009). References Absolute astronomy. (2009). Iran-Contra Affair. Retrieved on 28th March, 2009, from: http://www. absoluteastronomy. com/topics/Iran-Contra_Affair BBC News Channel. (2004). Reagan and the Iran-Contra affair. Retrieved on 30th March, 2009, from: http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/world/americas/269619. stm Isaacs, A. (1997) Vietnam Shadows. Baltimore London: John Hopkins University Press. TheFreeDictionary. (2009). Iran-Contra Affair . Retrieved on 30th March, 2009, from: http://www. acc. af. mil/news/story. asp? id=123080422 Tristam, P. (2009). What Was the Arms-for-Hostages Iran-Contra Affair? Retrieved on 30th March, 2009, from: http://middleeast. about. com/od/usmideastpolicy/f/me081109f. htm Angel Force. (n. d). Iran-Contra. Retrieved on 30th March, 2009, from: http://www. angelfire. com/ca3/jphuck/BOOK3Ch7. html

The Bedroom inThe Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman :: Yellow Wallpaper essays

The Yellow Wallpaper - The Bedroom As the story progresses in, The Yellow Wallpaper, it is as if the space of the bedroom turns in on itself, folding in on the body as the walls take hold of it, epitomizing the narrator's growing intimacy with control. Because the narrator experiences the bedroom in terms of John's draconian organization, she relies on her prior experiences of home in an attempt to allay the alienation and isolation the bedroom creates. Recalling her childhood bedroom, she writes, "I remember what a kindly wink the knobs of our big, old bureau used to have, and there was one chair that always seemed like a strong friend . . . I could always hop into that chair and feel safe" (Gilman 17). Ironically, Gilman's narrator cannot retire to the otherwise "personal haven" of the bedroom because she is always already there, enclosed within the attic room of John's desires, bereft of her own voice and personal history. The narrator's imagination is altogether problematic for John, who would prohibit his wife fr om further fancifulness: "[John] says that with my imaginative power and habit of story-making, a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies, and that I ought to use my will and good sense to check the tendency. So I try" (Gilman 15-16). For Gaston Bachelard, who devotes himself to a phenomenological exploration of the home in The Poetics of Space, "imaginative power" is the nucleus of the home, if not the home itself. Memories of prior dwellings are for Bachelard a fundamental aspect of creating new homes based on a continuity with the past and past spaces. "[B]y approaching the house images with care not to break up the solidarity of memory and imagination," writes Bachelard, "we may hope to make others feel all the psychological elasticity of an image that moves us at an unimaginable depth" (6). Bachelard's "elasticity" infers that spatial depth and expansion are contingent upon a psychological flexibility of imagination. Gilman's narrator is nota bly denied this elasticity when her physician/husband attempts to prevent her from writing. "I did write for a while in spite of them," the narrator explains, "but it does exhaust me a good deal--having to be so sly about it, or else meet with heavy opposition" (Gilman 10).

12 Angry Men and To Kill A Mockingbird

Brain Storming†¦ Compare and contrast the two trials of Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird and Twelve Angry Men. * Similarities: * In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus defends Tom Robinson even though there was little chance he could win the trial. He did all he could to help Tom, and put 100% effort into the trial. In Twelve Angry Men, juror number 8 defends the boy, even though everyone else believes he’s guilty. They both did not give up and in it till the end. * They are dealing with prejudice in both.In To Kill a Mockingbird, the prejudice is seen because Tom is a black man going against a white man’s word, and the jury is all white and prejudice. In Twelve Angry Men, prejudice is seen because the boy in trial is from the slums; he is criticized because of where he lives. * Juror # 8 and Atticus both use evidence and facts to prove their point. They use logos. * In both the book and the play, a life is at stake. The defendant would be put in the chair if prove n guilty. * You never find out if the defendant is truly innocent or guilty. You only find out what the jury decides. The words of witnesses are doubtful. * Differences: * Atticus lost the trial, but juror # 8 convinced the rest of the jury to vote â€Å"not guilty†. * Atticus is a lawyer, so he was defending Tom in court. Juror # 8 was part of the jury and was defending the boy against the rest of the jury, trying to get them to vote â€Å"not guilty† * Tom is accused of rape; the boy is accused of murder. * In Twelve Angry Men, there is more physical evidence of the crime then in To Kill a Mockingbird. In To Kill a Mockingbird there is mostly just the word of witnesses for evidence.

Participation

There are many reasons supporting me to participate In JENNETS 2. 0. First of all, this opens me a great opportunity to exchange my linguistic capacity as well as soft skills (communication skill, team work skill†¦ ) to engage In my future Job. Moreover, as working in international environment, I might gain more practical experiences from differences In culture, working styles From that, my thinking will develop In positive and comprehensive way.Secondly, Japan Is one of my favorite countries and also the promising land for future career. Therefore, Joggling this program enables me to understand more about Japan In many aspects (economy, culture, society†¦ ). Traveling to a new country, getting to know new friends†¦ Are the most precious things for youth particularly for me. Another reason Is the meaningful alma of the journey: maintain long term friendship between two countries through exciting activities.Thanks to this, Vietnamese and Japanese youth can easily explo re the good values of both countries then discuss helpful ideas for national improvement. Personally, I will contribute a small part for Vietnam development by participating in JENNETS 2. 0. 2. What will you be able to contribute to it ? During the program, I will attempt to introduce about Vietnam – a country is overcoming the war tragedy to integrate with the world.Furthermore, joining all activities enthusiastically is another way to make Vietnamese impression on Japanese friends. In addition, I shall take advantage opportunities studying wonderful innovations of Japanese so that we could apply to Vietnamese situation. Hopefully, I might have more Japanese and also Vietnamese friend because there is nothing to strengthen solidarity but friendship. In conclusion, if I have chance to become a participant, I will try my best to perfect the Jounce.

“Why We Crave Horror Movies” by Stephen King Essays

â€Å"Why We Crave Horror Movies† by Stephen King Essays â€Å"Why We Crave Horror Movies† by Stephen King Paper â€Å"Why We Crave Horror Movies† by Stephen King Paper In the essay â€Å"Why We Crave Horror Movies†, Stephen King provided reasons why people want to watch horror movies. He said that some people go to horror movies to re-establish some sense of normality; some people watch them because they like to have fun and some just simply to prove to others that they can (1). I agree with his view that going to movies re-establishes some sense of normality in some people. In everyday living, people encounter certain problems and situations which would lead them to believe that they are separated from the norms of reality and that they needed to reconnect, they needed some sense of validation that they are still normal. Horror movies provide that validation. Clearly, everybody knows that horror movies are nothing but a figment of one’s imagination which came to life in the screen. Upon seeing the bizarre scenes which wreck havoc to the actors, the viewers may think and feel that the particular story is so ‘abnormal’ and by feeling so they themselves feel normal. King, on the other hand, finds it somewhat unusual for other people to crave horror movies because they think that it is fun. He finds it odd that a person can have fun by seeing someone being killed by a serial killer or a monster, even if it is inside the screen. I disagree with the author. Fun is relative. What may be fun and exciting to one person might not be to another and besides, wanting to see horror movies does not make the person as twisted as the onscreen killer. Some people are just looking for ways to satisfy a certain monstrous feeling inside and some are merely craving for excitement in their lives; they might just be looking for a reason to scream from the top of their lungs and that does not make them odd, if anything it even makes them even more normal, they are humans. It is King’s position that all people are mentally ill and that those people outside the asylum only hide it much better and maybe not much better after all (1). I also agree with the author in this statement. The standards of what normal is have been defined by numerous people claiming that they are normal. In a topsy-turvy world, if countless of people from mental institutions say that they are normal would that reverse the standards of normality? Insanity and sanity is just a hairline way, anybody can crossover anytime. In some ways people are mentally ill and those who are not are exposed to the danger of being a mentally-ill person himself. Horror movies allow people to release that insanity in people because by watching, they experience certain things beyond the norms that can only be experienced in horror movies and they can feel what they want to feel without any repercussions reflecting in their real life.   In order to release certain amount of inhibitions and maybe perhaps that little bit of insanity in people, the gators must always be fed otherwise it is going to get out. King in his essay compared feeding the gators to watching horror movies. People watch horror movies to maintain the norms of reality outside the screen thus leaving the insanity inside together with the movie. The author said that horror movies, like the sick joke, appeals to all that is worst in us and I agree to that as well (2). A horror movie in a way releases our fears and allows us to experience the extreme. I think that one of the reasons why some individuals want to watch horror movies is that no matter what danger, fear and excitement they experience, they have the element of control unlike the poor victim dumped inside the alley. They can stop whenever they want and that is the beauty of it. Horror movies will not bother them outside the screen. The horror stops when they want it to stop. King, Stephen. â€Å"Why We Crave Horror Movies†. 10 April 2009. http://iws.ccccd.edu/jdoleh/English%201301/Why%20We%20Crave%20Horror%20Movies.pdf

Using Replacement Behavior to Lessen Problem Behaviors

Using Replacement Behavior to Lessen Problem Behaviors A replacement behavior is a behavior you want to replace an unwanted target behavior. Focusing on the problem behavior may just reinforce the behavior, especially if the consequence (reinforcer) is attention. It also helps you teach the behavior that you want to see in the target behaviors place. Target behaviors might be aggression, destructive behavior, self-injury, or tantrums. Functions It is important to identify the function of the behavior, in other words, Why does Johnny smack himself in the head? If Johnny is smacking himself in the head in order to deal with tooth pain, obviously the replacement behavior is to help Johnny learn how to tell you his mouth hurts, so you can deal with the tooth pain. If Johnny hits the teacher when its time to leave a preferred activity,  the replacement behavior will be to transition within a certain time to the next activity. Reinforcing approximations of those new behaviors is replacing the target or undesirable behavior to help Johnny be more successful in an academic setting.   Effectiveness An effective replacement behavior will also have a similar  consequence that provides the same function. If you determine that the consequence is attention, you need to find an appropriate way to give the attention the child needs, while at the same time reinforcing a behavior that is acceptable. It is especially helpful if the replacement behavior is incompatible with the target behavior. In other words, if a child engages in the replacement behavior, he or she is unable to engage in the problem behavior at the same time. If the target behavior is the student leaving his seat during instruction, the replacement behavior might be keeping his knees under his desk. Besides praise (attention) the teacher might also put tally marks on a desktop â€Å"ticket† which the student can exchange for a preferred activity. Extinction, ignoring a behavior rather than reinforcing it, has proven to be the most effective way to get rid of problem behavior, but it may be unsafe or incompatible with supporting student success. At the same time punishment often reinforces the problem behavior by focusing on the problem behavior. When choosing and reinforcing a replacement behavior, you draw attention to the behavior you want, rather than the behavior you dont want.   Examples Target Behavior: Albert does not like to wear a dirty shirt. He will rip his shirt if he doesnt get a clean shirt after lunch or a messy art project.Replacement Behavior: Albert will ask for a clean shirt, or he will ask for a paint shirt to put over his shirt.Target Behavior: Maggie will hit herself in the head when she wants the teachers attention since she suffers from aphasia and cannot use her voice to get the teacher or aides attention.Replacement Behavior: Maggie has a red flag that she can fix on the tray of her wheelchair if she needs the teachers attention. The teacher and classroom aides give Maggie lots of positive reinforcement for asking for their attention with her flag.

System Safety Engineering in the aviation industry Essay

System Safety Engineering in the aviation industry - Essay Example Nevertheless, it is arguably true that the modern forms of transport are more expensive and definitely more risky than the traditional forms of transport. The aviation industry falls under the modern transport systems and its contribution to the creation of a global economy is unquestionable. Statistically, over 2000 airlines in the world operate about 23,000 aircrafts in over 3700 airports. The US aviation industry registers about 11 million flight departures per year via its 100 plus certified passenger airlines thus becoming the most dominant airline industry in the world (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012). The aviation industry facilitates the movement of goods, people, and information across the globe. In fact, its impact ranges from its own operations and its influence on aircraft manufacturing and other fields. At the same time, the aviation industry is more significant in ensuring world security where almost all nations use airplanes and helicopters to enhance secu rity and attack enemies. More so, the aviation industry is significant in world surveillance and tourism where it ensures the safe and fast movement of tourists from one site to another. In addition, the aviation industry has been relevant in many rescue operations as well as staging different entertainment extravaganzas. As such, the importance of the aviation industry is evident in many aspects. Nevertheless, for the aviation industry to prosper, abject security measures must be in place. Security in the aviation industry may relate to safety of goods and people from accidents, hijackings, criminal attacks, engine failure, and possible natural calamities. Indeed, a lapse of security in the aviation industry is fatal, can cause serious injuries, attracts distractions of operations and accruals of huge costs, affects tourism, and destruction of properties. On the other hand, security in the aviation industry guarantees fewer accidents and injuries, improved maintenance scheduling an d productivity, reduced material losses, a marketable safety record, high employee morale, resource utilization, and smooth running of the industry (Bayuk, 2012). This being the case, security in the aviation industry is very essential and the world through individual governments and organizations has initiated different mechanisms to ensure safety in the aviation industry. This paper will look into the system safety engineering in the aviation industry through various topics that include safety analysis in engineering, safety management, hazard analysis, process safety analysis, fault tree analysis, FMECA, human factors, and software safety, data sources and training, accident reporting and investigation, and risk evaluation. System safety refers to engineering and management principles, criteria that guarantee security. However, to ensure overall safety in the aviation industry, the need for a systems approach to safety management is inevitable. Nevertheless, the success of the ad option and effectiveness of a given safety management system highly depends on the organization’s safety culture and other related factors. As such, safety in the aviation industry will require the input of every department and all parties involved with an aim of engaging in measures and practices that reduces safety risk. Ideally, the more the number of people handling safety issues, the less the