Global & International Business Contexts in India Assignment

Global & International Business Contexts in India - Assignment Example The paper throws light on India, the land of potential because of its growing population therefore it is economically beneficial to evaluate its national market. Porter’s National Diamond framework allows country specific analysis so that a firm may decide to expand into a suited country. The four pillars of the model are factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, firm structure, strategy and rivalry. Using these four factors PND model aims to evaluate national competitiveness and to study a firm’s ability to operate in a national market. It is therefore a very relevant tool for country specific analysis. Below each of the four factors of the model will be explained with respect to India. Factor conditions entail those factors in a country that can be of advantage to the firm. Basically all the conditions that a firm can exploit in an economy are included in factor conditions. India has an abundance of labor. Given the high population of th e country it can be safely assumed that the firm will not face any labor shortages. 42 percent of the population is living below the poverty line in India according World Bank. This points to the fact that labor is not only in abundance in the country but it is also very cheap. The labor force is both skilled and unskilled in the country so the firm can benefit a lot with regards to labor in their business. Another advantage of working in India is that there is not a language barrier like in China. Official language of India is Hindi but English is widely understood and used in the business (Kapur & Ramamurti, 2001). This is why the firm will find no language barrier to deal with. It is located near the Arabian Sea which will be beneficial when setting up business in the country. The country has a developed technological base with its software industry growing rapidly. This can also give the firms a huge boost when operating in India. Complicated technology will be at the disposal o f the firm in India. Demand Conditions The demand conditions factors in the local market conditions of a particular country. A strong and demanding domestic market can have a positive effect on technological growth and innovation in the market. The economy of India is mainly export oriented therefore international markets are also an important part of the country’s economy. Due to the sophistication of international markets, local industries have also developed in order to meet the demand of foreign buyers. This trend has brought many advantages to the local firms. They have enhanced their production and capabilities by innovating on a regular basis as a result of complex foreign markets. The effect of international markets has also impacted the local markets because they have also developed as a result. Domestic markets are now demanding higher quality of products and services. This is a sign

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

black holocaust :: essays research papers

â€Å"Black Holocaust for Beginners ‘Death Ships’† By Anderson S. Black Holocaust for Beginners â€Å"Death Ships†, is a realistic, and trapping article about the slave trade. Instead of the former stories on slavery and giving it a general description telling reader how slavery is bad and slavery is immoral, this article goes in and describes what it was like in a slave ship. It made the reader feel the pain of the middle passage in every page. There are three things in the article that is very compelling to me as a reader, the living conditions of the slaves in the ships, the rape the women faced, and the punishment styles the rebellious slaves had to endure. What they endured was almost like hell on earth, it was almost genocide, but without the intention of genocide. The living conditions were horrible, according to the article Black Holocaust for Beginngers â€Å"Death Ships†, â€Å"You see the vomit above you and alongside you and you come close to passing out. You can barely breathe. You are trapped. You can’t move a leg or arm without increasing someone else’s misery. The chains rattle as we try to shift out bodies to get away from the running yellow brown stream and odor from next to us, from above us. The flies and mosquitoes begin to swarm around you. But you can’t swipe at them without yanking your chained brethren or sisteren.† Such condition sound like how a pig lives, only the slaves did not want to live like that. The writer wrote it as if the reader was in it, I thought I was a slave. The rape of the female slaves, was described by the writer as an almost normal occurrence in the ship as the article Black Holocaust For Beginners â€Å"Death Ships† states â€Å"†¦we hear African screams and white men’s laughter. To the women, to the girl, we KNOW. Many of us have been in the Enemy’s presence now for four to six months and we know that rape is always a grab away†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Later in the article it put the reader in as the rape victim who, get raped by the first mate. The rape described in the article was more violent than the rape we now know.

Biblical Worldview Essay Essay

Genesis 1 – 11 recounts the story of the Creation of the heavens, earth, and mankind, the fall of man into sin, and God’s original covenant with Moses. From these chapters in Genesis, many of the questions of life are answered for us. We learn whether there is a God, where we came from, how to tell right from wrong, and what our relationship with God should be. Genesis 1 – 11 sets down an early guide for us on how we should live our lives to honor God, how we can learn from past human errors, and how to deepen our relationship with God, all of which can help to shape our worldview. Right away in Genesis, we learn the story of creation and that God exists and created the heavens, earth, mankind, and all of the creatures that live on earth. Genesis 1:27 shows that life was created by God, stating â€Å"So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them† (NIV). This helps us learn right away the relationship to God that we have. God created us in His image and created us to be perfect. God also, however, gave us the ability to sin by giving us free will. Genesis 5:1-32 shows again that man was created by God and shows that man descended from Adam and Eve, even listing the descendants and how long they lived. By showing how God created life, man, and all the creatures on earth, Genesis helps us to understand how we should relate to Him and how we should view His creation. God created perfect humans and God created a perfect world. But He also left the ability for us to choose whether we remained perfect. One thing we definitely learn from the story of original sin in Genesis is that our God is a loving God. Once Adam and Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, God very easily could have struck them down and started mankind over again. Instead, God allowed Adam and Eve to live on, casting them out from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:23. Shortly after this, we also read the story of Cain and Able, with Cain killing his brother Able. God again does not strike down the sinner, but choses to again cast Cain out from the land in which he was living. And while God could have chosen to punish Cain by making it so that he could not have children, God was loving in allowing Cain to reproduce with his wife and also allowing Adam and Eve to reproduce again, giving them another son to replace Able. God showed love by not being too harsh on the sinners. This goes helps us to form our view of God. It shows us that God is not just a loving God, but He is also a forgiving God also. Allowing mankind to carry on even after such heinous acts instead of starting over again with a more perfect species shows us that our God is a great God and we should strive to live a life that will honor His love and forgiveness. As we read further along into Genesis, we see the lineage from the time of Adam until the time of Noah. We see that sin has started to run rampant in the world before Noah’s time. But we also learn in Genesis 6:9b that â€Å"Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God† (NIV). This is to say that Noah was following the pathway set down before him to live a life honoring God. Because Noah was living in this way, God spared Noah. God would send a great flood to earth to destroy all of mankind. God, however, made the first covenant with Noah, saying that because of how they lived their lives, He would spare them from the flood and allow them to continue mankind’s rule over the earth. This shows us not only that there are repercussions for our sins, but that God also will love and spare those who are living in a way that honors Him. Because Noah and his family were righteous, God made another covenant with them, showing them a rainbow after the flood and making the promise to never bring such destruction upon His people again. This shows us the relationship that God had with us as humans and the value that God put in promises. It also shows what God was willing to do to our civilization as a punishment for not living a righteous life that honored Him. Although God made the covenant to never bring this destruction upon us again, we need to know the power of God and what He could do to us if He wanted. After the great flood, we see the blood lines of Noah and his family. Genesis then turns its attention to the Tower of Babel. Mankind was building a tower, hoping that it would be able to reach to heaven. But when God saw this, He decided that His people would become too content and may try to  make things too easy for themselves. He therefore created different languages for all of His people to speak and spread His people all around the earth. God wanted civilization to have many different roots and many different stories. If we were to flourish as a people, we would need to be able to spread our wings. This was the start of many different civilizations that still exist in our world today. We learn that God doesn’t want us to have one story from which to learn, He wants us to have many stories from which we can learn different lessons. Genesis 1 – 11 gives us the first guidelines for what we can expect from God and how we should try to honor Him with our lives. We learn that our God is a loving and forgiving God, that we learn that God created us in His image, that God wants us to rule over the earth, that God will spare those whom He thinks are living a life to honor Him, and that God created many different civilizations from which we can learn many different lessons. Genesis 1 – 11 is a great start to learning more about ourselves, learning more about God, and learning more about how we should view this world with which God has blessed us.

Analyzing the value of crime mapping

Analyzing the value of crime mapping in the first case, it revolves around consolidating specific strategies for law enforcers to address the situation with ABC precinct. Here, consideration should be made in the value of providing a hotpoint and focused means of facilitating policing measures. Since specific crimes indeed occur in a specific time frame and a given day, increased police presence indeed could prove to be vital towards apprehending criminals and furthering opportunities to induce changes in the environment.In particular, specific programmes can be implemented to infuse better means of communication with the community and establish partnerships with specific venues that are prone for these crimes to happen. Crime mapping can happen if people would consider addressing a facilitative manner of intervention and determination of how these hotspots can be used as instruments for preventive measures. On the other hand, the second scenario may need a clustered and diffused mea ns of crime mapping.Since the escalation of crime is not focused primarily on a specific location and time-frame, considerable attention can be made if proper policing measures are scattered and administered in using demographic analyses. Here, programmes may cater to the need of elaborating specific processes that are congruent to the needs of the citizenry and exploring what probable avenues can result to better coverage and protection. Since this is the case, careful collaboration with the citizenry is then essential because the scope of application remains expansive and may cater to many internal factors and processes.

The school searches essays

The school searches essays Safety issues within schools were once thought to only be a problem in urban areas. Schools all over the United States and the world have issues with safety. The main concerns of every school administration should be the safety of its students, faculty and staff. You would think that searching suspicious students or any student would not be an issue, because it would be for the better meant of the whole school population. Even with some of the recent acts of violence and the safety of the students being jeopardized schools are still among the safest places for children to be. Schools provide, structure, supervision, and discipline for all, some students dont have any of that at home. Student Searches are one of the best ways to keep a school safe. The fourth amendment right: The right of people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures... This is the right that causes all the issues over the right to search students. The fourth amendment applies to all youth when they are out side of the school setting but while they are in the school environment this right is diminished. Prior to 1985, it was questioned as to whether or not this right applied to students. Many teachers and administrators argued that while these children were in the school system they, the teachers, were acting in the place of the parent and therefore have the right to search students at any time without probable cause. In 1985 (New Jersey vs. TLO) a teacher reported a student smoking in the bathroom, this justified a search of the students purse, they found cigarettes and a lighter but still continued to search where they found illegal substances, the student took the issue to court, with the charg e that her fourth amendment right had been violated. The search was legal up and to the point were they found the cigarettes they should have stopped them, the search became illegal when they c...

The calling of saul of tarsus Essays

The calling of saul of tarsus Essays The calling of saul of tarsus Paper The calling of saul of tarsus Paper A taking tormentor of Christians, Saul of Tarsus sought to destruct the Church ( 1 Cor. 15:9 ; Gal. 1:13, 23 ) . Except for Jesus, no 1 influenced the early church more than Saul, besides known as the apostle Paul. This paper will analyze the fortunes and events motivating a avid tormentor of the church to go the most influential leader for the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles. It will be shown that the naming of Saul was a true transition even though he was non traveling from one faith to another. His naming emphasized alteration but emphasized the strong belief that the concluding look and purpose of Judaism had been born. Paul was born a Jew, and was a citizen of Tarsus where he was a tentmaker by trade. He received his rabbinic preparation in Jerusalem, under the instruction of Gamaliel. Harmonizing to Paul s ain history, he was a rigorous disciple among Pharisees ( Gal. 1:14, Phil. 3:5-6 ) . Paul inherited Roman citizenship ( Acts 22:2528 ) , which was widely granted during the latter portion of the Roman democracy. Paul claims in Acts 22:28, that he had been born a Roman citizen. This would intend that he had inherited Roman citizenship from his male parent. Small is known of Pauls life prior to the events discussed in Acts. He is first mentioned in chapter 7 in connexion with the executing of Stephen. Harmonizing to Acts 7:58, the informants laid their apparels at the pess of a immature adult male named Saul. Paul was a Pharisee, a outstanding immature member of that religious order. Steeped in the monotheism of the Old Testament Scriptures, he could merely number as blasphemy the claims of Jesus adherents that their Maestro was the Son of God. He could merely roast the issue of a life that terminated, as he thought, on a despised cross and in a glooming burial chamber, instead than on a throne of glorification. With respect to Pauls pre-Christian attitude to the Gospel, one thing is certain ; he was opposed to it with his whole bosom. In his apostolic letters he speaks of his old hatred for the church ( Gal 1:13 ; Phil 3:6 ) . His persecution of Christians was to him a holy war. The lone account that can be given of his sudden reversal is that the risen Christ really appeared to him and by the sheer persuasion of His divinity, claimed the religion and commitment of the tormentor. Paul s conversion/calling to the Way took topographic point near the metropolis of Damascus. Four features stand out in the histories of this event. First, Paul was actively engaged in oppressing Christians and did non expect his transition ( Acts 9:19 ; 22:416 ; 26:917 ) . Second, the event that initiated the unexpected alteration of class was a disclosure of Jesus Christ made to Paul entirely. Third, Soon after this disclosure Paul had contact with a certain Christian ( Ananias ) in Damascus who recognized Paul as a truster in Christ by baptising him. Fourth, Paul was instantly called by Jesus to take the Gospel to the Gentiles ( 1 Cor. 9:1 ; 15:89 ; Gal. 1:1516 ; californium. Eph. 3:16 ) . Paul s Damascus experience becomes the most celebrated conversion/calling in history. Suddenly he is blinded by a visible radiation from heaven the visible radiation of the glorification of Christ. His resignation to Jesus was instantaneous and complete: What shall I make, Lord? ( Acts 22:10 ) . He could non see because of the glorification of that visible radiation ( Acts 22:11 ) , but he had already seen the visible radiation of the cognition of the glorification of God in the face of Jesus Christ ( 2 Corinthians 4:6 ) . The God of this universe could blind him no longer. At his conversion/calling, Paul was commanded to open the eyes and turn them from darkness to visible radiation ( Acts 26:18 ) . Although Paul was blinded after his brush with the Lord, Ananias laid custodies on Paul, something like graduated tables fell from his eyes ( Acts 9:18 ) , and he was able to see. He had first-hand cognition and experience of turning from darkness to visible radiation, and his bid from the Lord was every bit clear as his freshly regained sight. Content to touch to Paul s sightlessness and recovery as historical events, Luke wants by a sober narrative of carefully selected facts to do it clear that Paul s meeting with Christ is non to be classed with other visions, nevertheless supernatural, but is to be accepted on a par with the other visual aspects of the Risen Lord. So Paul goes from opposing God and oppressing Jesus to fall ining the persecuted side. After passing several yearss with the adherents at Damascus, Saul went into the temples and boldly proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God ( Acts 9:20 ) . Krister Stendahl argues that a proper reading of Romans 7 shows that Paul, as a loyal Jew, had experienced no battle or guilt feelings that would hold led him, through dissatisfaction with the jurisprudence, to turn to Christ .Neither did he endure from an introverted scruples ..Stendahl prefers to see him as person who did non abandon his Jewishness for a new faith but, instead, as a Jew who was given a new career in service of the Gentiles. The description, in Acts, of Paul s sudden transition on the route to Damascus is chiefly the creative activity of Luke ; Paul s biographer. Luke s description of Paul is non impartial life either, for it was intended to dramatise the early church s journey from Judea into the gentile universe. In some ways Luke downplays Paul s claims, but he uses Paul s life and mission to exemplify the fate of Christianity. Many of the inside informations of Paul s life semen from Luke since most biographical inside informations are losing from Paul s ain letters. Luke s description of Paul s transition draws on the Hebrew Bible for subjects of prophetic naming, paralleling the commissioning of Jeremiah ( Jer. 1:5-11 ) and Isaiah ( Isa. 6:1-9 ) . Paul s naming , and ultimate transition to Christianity, depicts the decisive alteration Paul experienced. Not merely was Paul s conversion/calling singular with regard to his position of Jesus, but in his attitude toward Gentiles. Hebraism is good known for its exclusivist attitude. It was improper for a Jew to hold fellowship with one who is uncircumcised. Along with his transition he received a prophetic committee to change over the heathens. It is unequal to talk merely in footings of Paul s conversionas if he were traveling from one faith to another ; and likewise merely in footings of his Callas if he were go oning in an unchanged religion. The conversion-call combination emphasizes both continuity and alteration. Stendahl challenges the rightness of transition linguistic communication because Paul has non changed faiths, that is, he neer turns from truenesss to the God with which he began. While the reply might look clear plenty, working with Stendahl s premises complicates the undertaking ; and moreover, Luke nowhere explicitly defines transition, nor provides a consistent form of entry into the church. When he does stipulate the agencies by which one joins the group, he is by and large rounding out narrative parts which demonstrate the overarching effects of sermon. He does, nevertheless, offer sufficient stuff for us at least to see the nature of a changed relationship with God, and inquire whether the alteration constitutes transition. Although we customarily label this experience Pauls transition, this can be done merely in retrospect, for at that clip Judaism and Christianity were non yet separate faiths. In world, Paul changed trade names of Judaism, exchanging from Pharisaic to Christ ian Judaism. One of the chief ways that Luke demonstrates Saul s changed relationship with God is to demo this alteration in group associations. That is, while non an terminal in itself, his new corporate individuality points to the ultimate world underpinning his alteration. What is apparent is the fact that the gospel message is get downing to widen beyond Jerusalem and Judea. Paul inhabits that universe of Christianity which he once tried to kill off through the violent death of Stephen. However, it was Stephen and his circle, non Paul, who launched a mission to Gentiles. Paul s missional endeavor is non framed in generalizations, as it is in Acts 1:8 ( to be my informants ) and Acts 9:15 ( to transport my name ) . In Acts 22 and 26, Paul is directed to attest specifically about what he has seen and heard on the route to Damascus. The missional charge to prophesy before male monarchs in Acts 9:15 is Luke s expectancy of the manner he closed Paul s public ministry by holding Paul preach before King Agrippa ( Acts 26:1-32 ) , and it is implicative of a Pauline visual aspect before Caesar ( californium. Acts 23:11, 25:10-12 and 27:23-24. ) Since Paul is the great missional to the Gentiles, it is appropriate that his conversion/call instantly precede the world-wide spread of the Gospel. Hence, Luke introduces it instantly before the motion of the Gospel into the Gentile universe, as the decision to the Palestinian mission. What were the effects of this event for Pauls divinity? The most hard inquiry to work out was, What impact does the Christian Gospel have on the construct and observation of the Law ( Torah ) ? This inquiry is still disputed today. The basic job is that Paul seems to be hovering between two constructs of jurisprudence, a Judaic construct and his ain Christian construct. Paul called his new construct the jurisprudence of Christ ( Gal. 6:2 ) . The jurisprudence summarized the Scriptures in another manner, by sing the love bid as the common denominator. For the whole jurisprudence is fulfilled in one word: you shall love your neighbour as yourself ( Gal. 5:14 ) . As Paul attempted to do sense of Christian divinity, the Damascus event provided an unexpected reply to an old Judaic inquiry: Is God the God of Jews merely? Is he non the God of heathens besides? Because Christ ordered Paul to prophesy the Gospel to the heathens, Paul could now reply boldly: Yes, of Gentiles besides Decision When reading Acts, one is struck by the immediateness of Paul s activity as an vindicator and theologist for the Christian community after his transition ( Acts 9:20-22, 28-29 ) . His theological positions were already so profound as to be incontrovertible by his first-century Judaic oppositions ( 9:22 ) . Neither the brevity of the Damascus event nor the three short yearss of sightlessness following it allowed for a new theological instruction. Therefore the brush with Jesus must non hold required the forsaking of his former acquisition, but informed and reoriented it toward a new apprehension of salvation-history around some cardinal theological point revealed to him in the event. It was Paul s strong belief that if one read the Torah narrative, stressing it as a narrative of God s plants of redemption and righteousness for antediluvian Israel, so one could non get away seeing that God had wrought another redemption, and committed another righteousness, in Christ merely like the 1s of old but an even greater one! Paul was so excited by his belief that God had committed a new, mighty act in Christ, that he merely could non understand why everybody did non see it the manner he did. For Paul, as for Jeremiah, it was a inquiry of how you think. The New Testament contains six sum-ups of Paul s transition experience ( Acts 9:1-30 ; 22:1-21 ; 26:1-23 ; Gal. 1:13-17 ; 1 Cor. 15:8-10 ; Phil. 3:4-11 ) . Paul besides alludes to the event on the route to Damascus several times ( Rom. 10:2-4 ; 1 Cor. 9:1, 16-17 ; 2 Cor. 3:4-4:6 ; 5:16 ; Eph. 3:1-13 ; Col. l:23-29 ) . Those mentions emphasis the significance Paul placed on his transition experience and for finding his ministry.

Correct Spelling Is Profitable for Online Businesses

Correct Spelling Is Profitable for Online Businesses In his book on the history of English spelling, Oxford English professor Simon Horobin offers this economic argument for the value of correct spelling: Charles Duncombe, an entrepreneur with various online business interests, has suggested that spelling errors on a website can lead directly to a loss of custom, potentially causing online businesses huge losses in revenue (BBC News , 11 July 2011). This is because spelling mistakes are seen by consumers as a warning sign that a website might be fraudulent, leading shoppers to switch to a rival website in preference. Duncombe measured the revenue per visitor to one of his websites, discovering that it doubled once a spelling mistake had been corrected.Responding to these claims, Professor William Dutton, director of the Internet Institute at Oxford University, endorsed these conclusions, noting that, while there is greater tolerance of spelling errors in certain areas of the Internet, such as in email or on Facebook, commercial sites with spelling errors raise concerns over credibility. Online consumers concerns about spelling mistakes on websites are understandable, given that poor s pelling is specifically highlighted in advice on detecting potentially fraudulent email, so called phishing. . . .So the message is clear: good spelling is vital if you want to run a profitable online retail company, or be a successful email spammer.( Does Spelling Matter? Oxford University Press, 2013) To make sure that your writing isnt littered with spelling errors, follow our Top 10 Proofreading Tips. Dont depend on your spellchecker to handle all the work. Many so-called spelling errors are actually mistakes in word choice- such as the use of  your for youre  or role  for ​roll. A good number of the words in our Glossary of Commonly Confused Words are homophones like these, and your spellchecker simply isnt clever enough to keep their meanings straight. As Horobin states in his introduction, hes not out to reform English spelling (a futile exercise in any case) but to argue for the importance of retaining it as a testimony to the richness of our linguistic heritage and a connection with our literary past. I recommend Horobins book to anyone interested in learning more about the origins of English spelling and its often eccentric conventions. More About English Spelling Writers on English SpellingFour Spelling RulesTop 20 Spelling MnemonicsThe Futility of Spelling Reform

Economics and management Quantity Surveying Essay

Economics and management Quantity Surveying - Essay Example onstruction industry worldwide employs huge numbers of workers as this industry is labour driven; if there is lack of labour the construction industry encounters huge challenge. The attrition in this industry is higher compared to others as wage becomes the problem (Wong, 2003). The labours do not get the motivation to work in this sector as they cannot find ways to improve their standard of living by employing their skills. Construction companies concentrate on planning, leading, organizing and controlling the operation in order to excel in the present competitive world. Managers focus on these aspects before executing the project. There have been a number of researches pertaining to construction industry, which have highlighted the fact unambiguously that the project managers are the most important success factor of the projects. Herbert et al. (1970 cited in Goetsch and Davis, 2006) has identified that little attention has been given to the leadership issue that arises in the construction industry on a regular basis. In spite of this situation, there are several researches pertaining to this issue and the authors have provided their views accordingly. Although the researches failed to address the main issues in the industry instead, they highlighted the general problems that are encountered by all the industries worldwide. The reason behind the inefficiency to provide the exact reason pertaining to e ffectiveness of leadership in construction industry is the lack of understanding. Therefore, the present essay lays emphasis on the importance of leadership in the construction industry (Hotho and Dowling, 2010). Leadership is defined as the behaviour of an individual by virtue of which one aims at directing or controlling a group of team members. It is a reciprocal process that encourages individuals to concentrate on values, political and economic resources so as to achieve an ascertained goal. The leaders should posses the ability to direct their subordinates

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Final - Essay Example For various American Tribes and other indigenous group, the key point is coping with changing environment conditions. The main objective of all various forms tribal American Indian leaders is â€Å"to encounter the contest head-on, probing for plans to manage rising seas, melting ice and unstable populations of plants, animals and fish. Another key fact associated with their adaptation process is tackling changing social and economic culture. The job patter and living style is changing constantly in the USA. The people of America, especially American Indian are facing challenges associated with â€Å"With better health and longevity, lower birth rates, and the ageing of baby boomers, the world is seeing a major change in demographic trends. The process of adaptation can be more elaborately discuss in light of Abbott (1999) article- Alcohol and the Anishinaabeg of Minnesota in the Early Twentieth Century. The article discuss about the changing pattern of the drinking style of the In dian American in the country from Nineteenth century till date. In the seventeenth century, well before the discovery of alcohol pathology, Indian American was passionately attached to drinking. In the Nineteenth century the pattern changed slightly as they get addicted to strong drinks rather than regular and large volume of drinking (Abbott, 1999, pp. 25-26).In the earlier stage the trade of Alcohol was carried out against food and other important staff which slowly started to change. Slowly the pattern started to change as the American Indian started to use this as a gift in occasion and often resemble the same with the mother milk. In the areas such as Anishinaabe, drinking was a major incident among the people but soon they forced the pattern that they used to follow. There was a distinct difference in the pattern of drinking of the people in that area, those who used to live near the border or trading

Violent Video Games are Harmful on Teenagers Research Paper

Violent Video Games are Harmful on Teenagers - Research Paper Example Before, parents worried about the presence of danger in their surroundings. Nowadays, their problems have come home. There are now the dangers of the vast availability of violent news, movies and the current highly debated violent video games. Video games are not only available to adults but to children and teenagers as well. They are easily sold and bought online and for parents whose only dream is to provide for their children’s needs, who work hard and not spend enough time with their children; such situation becomes a threat to their family. One might ask why this should become a concern to parents and the community as a whole. As human beings, it is the responsibility of every individual to ensure a safe environment. Although one could not indeed eliminate all the dangers in the society, minimizing them is the most feasible remedy for a safe and peaceful world. One means of doing this is to ban all violent video games not only among children but also among teenagers becau se exposure to violence in something they enjoy encourages them to be violent. Violent video games are harmful on teenagers. There area a lot of arguments on whether video games are harmful on teenagers or not and this paper aims to prove that they are indeed harmful. What are violent video games in the first place? According to Liptak, the law defines them as those â€Å"in which the range of options available to a player includes killing, maiming, dismembering or sexually assaulting an image of a human being† in a way that is â€Å"patently offensive,† appeals to minors’ â€Å"deviant or morbid interests† and lacks â€Å"serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value† (nytimes.com). Justice Antonin Scalia seems to ridicule such definition with his statements, â€Å"What’s a deviant violent video game? As opposed to what? A normal violent video game? Some of the Grimm’s fairy tales are quite grim, are you going to ban the m, too?† (Liptak). Sure, the justice has a point however there are still a lot to consider about video games as compared to fairy tales and movies. Looking at the problem as it is can indeed seem to be simple but careful consideration will prove that this issue is not just a question about reading or seeing violence. First, as Justice Stephen G. Breyer said, â€Å"Common sense should allow the government to help parents protect children from games that include depictions of ‘gratuitous, painful, excruciating, torturing violence upon small children and women’† (Laptik). Before computers and video games, arguments have been about children’s exposure to violent television. Some researchers believe that a steady diet of violent television may change a child’s standards about violence- the child comes to see violence as more acceptable, more appropriate, and more prevalent in daily life (Bootzin, Bower, Zajone & Hall, 442). Observational learning h as such a great effect on children that the violence seen expressed by people, compounded by the violence seen on television, makes violence seem like a normal, daily affair. A person’s perception can be distorted by what he sees. â€Å"The significance of observational learning is highlighted by studies of the effects of televised violence. For example, the amount of violent content watched on television by eight-year-olds predicts aggressiveness in these children even fifteen years later† (Bernstein, Penner, Stewart, & Roy, 697). These are very significant in the study of the effects of violent video gam