Complicated Attitudes Towards Female Characters Essay Example for Free

Complicated Attitudes Towards Female Characters Essay I agree with this statement, as the female characters are revealed to the reader as being powerful over men, seductive, suspicious, mysterious, bewitching and in the end, cause destruction. However, in the poems, males claim some possessiveness over the females. For example; in the poem La Belle Dame Sans Merci a beautiful woman tempts men/ knights with her faery beauty. The knight in the poem, falls in love with her through her seductive actions, but then she abandons him. I met a lady in the meads, Full beautiful a faerys child This quote shows how mysterious the female is by describing her as a faerys child which basically means a mystical fairy in human form, who is playful and has magical powers. In La Belle Dame Sans Merci the reader only gets one interpretation of the female through the knights direct speech, this reflects a complicated attitude to the reader as we have a biased opinion of the female. Also, not having direct speech from La Belle adds to the mysterious-ness of female characters in Keats poetry. A male contrast in this poem is quite important, as in many of Keats poetry. The knight claims possession over the female. He creates garlands and bracelets for which could be used to enclose and trap her. I made a garland for her head, And bracelets too, and fragrant zone I set her on my pacing steed These quote shows his possessiveness over the beautiful woman. In the same way, The Eve Of St Agnes portrays these attitudes towards females. The narrator focuses on a virgin named Madeline, describing her as pure, nieve, vague and blinded by superstition. This gives the reader the impression of her being easily led and expressing her as being quite innocent. In the poem Madeline is at a party and is oblivious to everything going on around her, she is only thinking of the legend St Agnes. St Agnes Eve is believed by virgins that on this night they will see their future husbands in the dreams. The poet describing Madeline as one of these believers, shows the theme of suspicion and witchcraft, as Madeline will perform the rites associated with St Agnes. Keats uses negative capability to contrast innocence with flirtatious, this happens when Madeline goes up to her bedchamber to undress for bed. Of all its wreathed pearls her hair she frees; Unclasps her warmed jewels one by one; Loosens her fragrant boddice; by degrees Her rich attire creeps rustling to her knees: Describing the way she undresses makes her seem like shes doing a striptease. A male in the poem named Porphyro, affects the readers attitude towards Madeline, as he comes across as being the seductive one. As Madeline undresses he watches as hes hiding in her closet. This could portray to the reader about the attitudes towards women, that Madeline purposely stipped like that, because she was thinking about and wishing to tease Porphyro. But as a coincidence, he was there watching every move, showing the powerfullness of women over men. Also, the quote: Sudden a thought came like a full blown rose flushing his brow, and in his pained heart Keatss could be referring to how cunning Porphyro might be, as he was told by the old belle dame that its St Agnes Eve and Madeline had gone up to her bedchamber to dream of her future lover, giving him a seductive idea. To conclude, Keats uses many different met hods, to have an impact on the reader about complicated attitudes towards females in his poetry. Using sympathy as a weapon for the males in his poetry. However, more indepth reading shows that there may be contrasts between men and women and that their roles can be switched over.

New Testament Essay Example for Free

New Testament Essay For all readers of the New Testament, the theme of the redemption of man through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is fascinating reading; in the case of the believer in the word of God, it is something else entirely. Believers and scholars alike agree that Paul’s letters to the Romans embody the theme of justification, or God’s gift of grace by which the truly repentant are forgiven of sins and accepted by God because of the price that Christ paid by dying on the cross. Implicit in the concept of justification is the identification of Jesus Christ as the Son of God (Cullmann). In this essay, the concept of justification will be more closely examined; within two specific chapters of Romans, 4 and 5, justification will be discussed and examined in order to better understand the concept as well as these pivotal chapters of the New Testament itself. In order to better understand the significance of Romans, one must first consider the historical context in which its ideas were shared by the faithful. Most people governed their actions, and defined their worth, through the laws of the day, which ruled all aspects of life. Within Romans, however, the concept of justification by faith alone, not the law (Perrin Duling) set the conventional order askew. This concept alone undoubtedly opened the eyes of many people to the refreshing possibility of redemption through the one true God. Those who read these words were introduced to the writings of the apostle Paul, who presented himself in the New Testament as â€Å"a slave of the Messiah, Jesus Christ† (Bryan), the word slave being used not Order#311114061 Justification Pg. 2 in the conventional sense of bondage and harsh servitude, but rather in a way that allowed those who sought God to come to Him without fear of punishment. The concept of coming to God for justification is personified in Romans through 2 specific verses, as follows: Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. ROMANS 4-4 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness ROMANS 4-5 What these verses tell the reader is that their submission to God, while it will benefit them, is not something that He considers to be optional; moreover, belief in God will lead to redemption because of justification. Beyond the explicit text of justification within Romans, there are also some key themes of justification within it that reinforce the overall concept. Specifically, when Romans calls the people to â€Å"lift up their hearts†, this is an outright plea for people to embrace justification (Knox). The bottom line in justification is peace with God and salvation through the Holy Spirit, and by the lifting up of the heart, one can attain inner peace and security in the warmth of God’s love. This peace and security is described as being â€Å"clothed in the righteousness of Christ† (Harink), and is further clarified by this passage: â€Å"therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God† ROMANS 5-1. While this brief essay can hardly scratch the surface of the promise of the New Testament and the gift of justification from God to the Pg. 3 human race because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, one thing is for certain. For the faithful, the redemption from sin by God is a priceless gift, and the New Testament is a rock upon which the hopes of Christians can be bolstered today, tomorrow, and forever. As long as humans walk the face of the earth and beyond, God will be there for them and His words are eternal. Works Cited Bryan, C. (2000). A Preface to Romans: Notes on the Epistle in Its Literary and Cultural Setting. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=96373444 Cullmann, O. (1963). The Christology of the New Testament (Guthrie, S. C. Hall, C. A. , Trans. ) (Revised ed. ). Philadelphia: Westminster Press. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=95085143 Harink, D. (2005, June 14). Setting It Right: Doing Justice to Justification. The Christian Century, 122, 20+. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5009653212 Knox, J. (1961). Life in Christ Jesus: Reflections on Romans, 5-8. Greenwich, CT: Seabury Press. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=13880819 Perrin, N. , Duling, D. C. (1982). The New Testament, an Introduction: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History (2nd ed. ). San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Retrieved June 22, 2006, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=59589847

Information systems for strategic advantage

Information systems for strategic advantage ABSTRACT Every organization has it strategic ways of managing the information of the company. The strategy used depends on the companys vision and mission. This paper is based on a research on how information systems are used strategically as a source of competitive advantage. The case study is mainly on Emirate Airline as the primary industries being compared to British Airways. The research involves using the porters four generic strategies, SWOT analysis and basic business strategies and formulas based on the research methodology. INTRODUCTION RESEACH METHODOLOGY COMPANIES BACKGROUND Emirate Airline: The airline industry is a subsidiary of the Emirate Group, which was founded in 1959 by Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum. Emirate Group is a public international owned business operating as a travel and tourism company based in Dubai. In 1985 the Emirate Airline industry was established by the investment Corporation Department of the Dubai Government, covered by an agreement with the Pakistan International Airlines as the management company. Before the establishment of Emirate Airline, Gulf Air was the only airline industry that was providing travel services to the Dubai population. During the period Gulf Air begins to reduce and lower it quality of services to the UAE population, which motivate the government to introduce their own Airline. Today emirate airline is the largest, biggest and fastest growing international airline industry in the Middle East. British Airways: British Airways is a public limited company operating as an international airline industry, based in London, United Kingdom. The company starting as a private airline industry, founded in 1935 operating mainly in Europe called Allied British Airways. The merger between imperial Airways and British Airways LTD formed the single name British Airways Corporation in 1939. Later in 1974 when the authority demands that the British Airways Corporation should merge with British European Airways, the name British Airways was returned. Also in 1987 the collaborative merger with British Caledonian made the company being privatized. British Airways is one of the largest and fast growing airline industry not only in United Kingdom but the world, till only these year. INFORMATION SYSTEM Information System: A piece of information always starts with a data, where a data is only knowledgeable and meaningful when it has been processed and transform into information. Every organization has its unique information and each information has it value to the overall success of the organization, Making it vital and important to manage the information strategically. The data, procedure, hardware, software, or even humans that are used to accumulate, collect or assemble to evaluate and analyzed information, is being referred to as information system. Specifically in terms of organization like emirate airline or British airways they are computer-based systems of hardware and software that the companies employees, clients, and customers used to collect, filter, process, create, and distribute or manage information.[ Paul 2003] An information system is a work system whose business process is devoted to capturing, transmitting, storing, retrieving, manipulating, and displaying information, thereby supporting other work system[Steven Alter 2002] Emirates Airline information system: there are several tools, software and hardware used in the Airline industries, and they will be named and briefly discussed. The information systems are used strategically as a source of competitive advantage, how they are use strategically will discuss in dept in the strategy analysis column. Emirates Airlines has a call center, it a centre where customers call and get information regarding the flights, the booking and the offers. The call center provides all the information about the company and employees. The call center also calls customers whenever there is a new product, service or sales as a marketing procedure. The callers information is saved on a database for strategic benefits in the future. The companys website is another information system that is used strategically to manage its customer and client needs. The web-site consists of different databases and content in order to provide its user with information such as the flights details and companys basic details. Emirate Airline also uses the Customer Relationship Manager Information System (CRIS), which is a window-based web-site running as a client/server application. An oracle development tool was used in creating CRIS, requiring a separate development effort to upgrade. These leave the emirate Airline with unconnected application to manage, scale to support increment demand and cut management cost. But still the company doesnt use CRIS as its main customer relationship software instead Mercator software development supplement provide CRIS for sale to other airlines industries. Also requires offering those customers with a scalable solution, with the aim to minimize the cost and time of customizing the solution for e ach deployment. [Article on mercator] Media is another form of information system used by emirate airline as a source of competitive advantage. It is used in from of TV, Radio and billboard to advertise there product such as travel promotions, in order to attract customers. Those advertisements target new customers and help the company to keep old customers. One of the most important tool used by the industry which has play a vital role as a competitive advantage is the skyward program, also known as the frequent flyer program. The skyward is in a form of a credit card looking card which can be applied by any passenger whom has travel over a certain amount of miles with emirate airline. It comes in three different categories of blue, silver and gold, where gold the highest and blue is the lowest. The program was established in May 2000 by the organization so as to improve and tighten their competitive advantage. Skywards operate as a reward obtaining card, where a passenger is given an amount of travel miles depending and according to the distance he or she has travelled. As the miles accumulate and increase with amount of travels, the card is upgraded accordingly. These Miles can then be exchanged for free flights, upgrades and other rewards, also a passenger can transfer his miles to another skyward holding passenger. Using skywards pr ogram is free and customers just have to register online or by calling Emirates Airlines if they wish to become skywards members. It is used by over 5.72 million customers. Skyward is one of our most valuable source of information system tool that we use to attract client [Strategic Manager] Another program is skysurfers. It is a frequent flyer program for young children between the ages of 2-16years. It basically works same as skyward but in this case additional rewards are added to attract children. Exciting Rewards such as books, toys, free trips to Wild Wadi and Atlantis in Dubai or even a free ticket to anywhere in the world. Also children get the opportunity of choosing their travel seat. The information, communication and entertainment (ICE) system is an in-flight entertainment facility that provides passengers with variety of channels to choose from. The system includes movies, video games and music channels. ICE can be accessed in different languages such as English, Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Japanese, French and German. Passengers have the option of pausing, forwarding or rewinding any selected item they are watching. In addition a passenger in business or first class cabin has the privilege of ordering and choosing what they want to watch that is not available in the media list booklet. [journal on ICE] Electronic check in stand is a self check in machine available at the emirate terminal in Dubai airport. Passengers are able to check- in between 2 to 48 hours of their flight departure. Where a passenger get to do the all the processes of checking in his or her luggage by himself, saving the trouble of joining the long queue at the main manual check in counter. Staffs are also available at the Electronic check stand for assistance, for instance if a passenger is having difficulty in printing the boarding pass at the last final process of the procedure. [website link] Emirates airline provides exquisite lounges for first and business class passengers as well as skywards silver and gold member, having about 21 lounges in 18 different cities and are even planning on opening more. In cities and countries where the airline doesnt have a departure lounge, a lounge is provided for first and business class passengers. The lounge has comfortable chairs and television to entertain passengers before their departure. Some lounges have well equipped bathrooms with showers for passengers who want to take a shower after a long day. Food of different variety is also available to choose from. Breakfast, lunch and snacks are served to customer satisfaction. This is available because they have customers from different nationalities speaking different languages, so as to attract customers from every part of the country.[website link] EMIRATE AIRLINE STRATEGY ANALYSIS The strategies, structure and management of those strategies and structure is always a composite and complex process of every organization. Strategy can be defined as the direction, route, possibility or scope of a business over the long-term and short-time goals and vision, which achieves advantage for the organization from the begging to the end of its pattern, design, and management of resources within a challenging and competitive environment, by achieving market scope and to accomplish competitive strategy. [J. Thompson with F. Martin, 2005, p1] For an organization to achieve its goals and vision it need to come up with distinctive and well organized strategies which will include critical and comprehensive study as well as investigations into various areas that will produce information that will be advantageous to the accomplishment of the industry. This is the reason why emirate airline gives consideration in focusing into the overall and general position status of their rivals such as British Airways, also involving in their interior and exterior activities. By knowing their competitors status the organization of the company will be able to analyze the status of the companys approaches, capital, income, strategies and resources in general. Which will able the company to establish how they will be able to manage, and defeats British Airways in competitive advantage in future. This will also give the company the prospect to stature out their potency and how they will maximize their strength and eliminate their weaknesses. In every business there are times and periods of strength, weakness, success and failure. All of these periods apply to both British airways and Emirate airline. The corporate strategy used by emirate airline which involves examining the existing and anticipated factors related with passengers and competitors external situation and the organizations (emirate airline) internal environment itself. Envisioning a successful role for the organization, by creating strategy and aligning policies and resources, such as the use of Media to achieve the airlines goals and vision. Emirate airline is committed with the diversity of their clients; the diversification management approach of the applied by the company enables the firm to guarantee that passengers are given outstanding service provided by zealous and committed staffs and employees, unlike British Airways staff that recently undergo a three day strike against their management. The approach is carried out by adding new product and reso urces to an existing product, an example is the new and improved business class cabin introduce about a month ago by Emirate airline and the mile accelerator services added to the skyward facility. [Paul Finlay, 2000, page 473][] We the Staffs of Emirate Airline are always ready to assist and welcome ideas from passengers, either by Electronic survey or any form of technology that will get us a feedback from our client [strategic Manager] Another competitive strategy used by Emirate Airline is the focus-leadership strategy, which play a vital role in attributing to the success of the company, which is derived from the Generic strategy formula. The organizations business goals is to provide its customers with brilliant, reliable and most of all welcoming services to their esteemed clients, by dedicating to make each journey unforgettable and special. The wellbeing, comfort and convenience are important concerns as they provide value service for their passengers and client through dependable, extremely update technologies and the use of information system. The generic strategy will be illustrated in detail through the Porters Four Generic Business Strategy. The organization expands their industry to attain more customers which enable them to be more advantageous and profitable. Making it possible even with the global economic crisis and the financial status of Dubai, Emirate Airlines are still making profits. While thei r rivals British Airways report a quite amount of loss in the market share price early this year, even though the organization is manage and maintained by a reasonable steady financial country. But both airline industries are strategically introducing new technologies to enhance and achieve both there long and short term goals and vision. So still with the financial crisis of British Airways they still have competitive advantage over Emirate Airline when it comes to handle crisis as they are much older in the aviation industry and have manage crisis in the past. [journal on profit] We are a much longer aviation industry than emirate airline and we have strategies we alone use in managing our crisis which we have implemented in previous crisis in the past. [BA, strategic manager] The Marketing strategy approach of Emirate airline industry I said to be a customer-oriented strategy method. The strategy focus on various different types of customers, by catering the needs of clients individually and uniquely. This is done through the use of technologies such as the skyward customer account and card, where details and specification of the account holder are saved. The industry has been able to apply routes to a variety of destination all over the world. Emirate Airline industrys strategy can be categorized as a powerful strategy and it enables the business to offer entire loyalty and commitment and maintain organizational operations so as achieve full competitive advantage. Through this strategy, Emirates Airlines surpass most of their competitors in the airline industry, and also gaining market share and enhanced the overall demand of their service. Being (Emirate) an international airline industry gives the management an opportunity to expand and develop their industry and services all over the world with no compromise to the importance and value, and level of services they give for their customers in every country. The company has office with customer service help desk and a call centre facility in mostly every constituency they operate to provide for their passengers and customers needs at all time needed. This is carried out through the diversification management strategy mentioned earlier, where by the need and demand of their passenger and client and handled globally. Nevertheless, the threat and fear of the industry upon British Airways is the survival and existence possess by their rival in the past for handle crisis and picking up to provide affordable and quality services just as the Emirate Airlines. Their weak point can also be drawn from their diversified markets. However, with the 24-hour customer service call cent re of the company, an immediate feedback is given to query of their client. The business model of the airline industry has led to their commercial success in the aviation and airline industry. They are able to have a lean workforce that can be compared to low-cost carriers rather than conventional flag-carriers. In addition, the company has also a simple organizational structure which permits the airline to maintain low overhead costs and enables them to pay no income taxes on wages. The organizations strategy model of emirate Airline is what has lead to their business success in the airline industry, giving them a successful business Model. This business model gives them a supportive workforce, making their services low-cost at the same time the successful and most profitable organization. Also the organization has a plain organizational composition which permits the company to sustain small overhead costs and enables them to pay no revenue duty on income and wages.[] Ethical decisions can be made and taken at managerial level in emirate airline industry, which makes the corporation expand capable and successful organizational behavior. The management of emirate airline believes that principles offer the primary basic for deciding whether a specific action or behavior is ethically or morally right or wrong, the organization are able to develop ethical, moral, perspectives, standards and principles. Where as in British Airways only basic ethical aspect are given consideration, for example a BA female cabin crew most not cover her hair while in Emirate she has to cover her hair. The human resources management approach strategy is used by the organization in recruiting and employing the best and required staffs that will suit their passenger and client needs. Generally Emirate airline strategy is a powerful strategy will be very difficult to be beaten. COMPETATITIVE ADVANTAGE Competitive advantage is the ability and manner by which companies, industries and organization manages to maintain its long and short term goals, mission, and vision also keep up its position against its rival or competitors. It is the state which enables a company to perform in a more effective and competent manner, leading the organization to act and operate in a higher-quality approach than its competitors. Competitive advantage could be a long-term or short-term condition and can be managed through various competitive strategies, such as: The Porters Four Generic Business Strategies SWOT Analysis PEST Analysis These strategies will be discussed and analyzed separately, using British Airways as a comparison and competitors against Emirate Airlines. SWOT ANALYSIS The tactical procedure implemented to evaluate an organizations strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threat is strategically known as SWOT analysis. The analysis method involves enumerating the goal and objective of the organization by determining the internal and external factors that are prosperous and non-amicable to achieving that goals and objective. The analysis can be integrated into the strategic business model of the company. Every organization has it strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, same applies to Emirate Airline. The strength weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the industry will be discussed individually using the SWOT analysis. STRENGTH Emirates Airline grew from successful effectiveness strength resulting from the accurate decisions, planning and the strategy set to its employees by the organization. The determined efforts and excellent services provided by its members of the staff to the passengers and client gave strength to the Airline. The Airline starting the operation with two leased aircrafts from the Pakistan International Airlines, and was able to strengthen its fleet of aircrafts by purchasing long haul aircrafts from the manufacturers of the Boeing Airbus aircrafts. The A380 and B777 were specifically purchased to provide contented and satisfying air travel for its valuable customers. Emirate Airline strength expanded more from when the Airline was selected as the best Airline for the in-flight services for number of years from leading organizations, such as British Airways. The successes and strength of the Emirate Airline leads to an increase in the growth and population the passengers using the Airline, also expands the income, profit and revenue of the organization in whole. On Achieving and winning the award the Airline was mainly recognized globally in the travel industry, where by Inaugurating the Skyward Club memberships for frequent fliers also strengthen the Airline. Its ability to incessantly modify and improve the services in the aviation sectors gave an advantage to the Airline to meet up the targets set by the Management, promoting the industry as the leader in the aviation industry.[paul, 2000] WEAKNESS In every successful strategy there are always weakness, the main weakness of Emirate Airline are Some of the strategies and information system technologies implemented, in order to expand the business approaches have not yet been victorious, which can be considered as weakness. The Airline has been accused for focusing on high-end achievement and diversification, even after knowing such decisions have uncertain and difficult effects on the Airline, making their flight quite unsafe. While British Airways has a History and full safety records established ages ago. OPPORTUNITIES Emirates Airline industry has a wide ranges of opportunities contributing to the competitiveness of the organization. These opportunities are derived from the strategic use of their information system technologies and services, allowing the industry to infiltrate into an untouched new market with no strong competitors like British Airways. The revenue generating profitable income for the organization is from their operating flights to various destination where no un-touched by their rivals, such as available flights from Middle East to India, South East Asia to Africa. Also being able to travel around the prospect to manage code sharing destinations where there are no local flag carriers. THREATS The external environment of the organization is said to be the main source of threat facing the industry. Nevertheless an internal environment issues such as the recent budget formed by the company contribute as a threat to the organization in whole. The fair of the budget increase from the logistic and cost of information system, being introduced and implement so as to achieve the goals and objectives of the company. Examples of these systems are cost management of strategies and technologies like the customer relation manager information system (CRIS). Strong competitive rivals from the European countries like BA leads to an amount of threat jeopardy for the industry in general. The global economic down fall of the Dubai Financial status lead to industry suffering from travel setbacks, making the fairs of Emirate Airline increase from their normal price. The airlines inability to keep up with the innovations or recognized its demand creates a threat for the airline and reduces the load of the passengers. All this is because the political and economical environment in the countries where the airlines operates could potentially affect the business negatively. Where by compliances could be use by their competitors to their advantage and take the industry by surprise and by the time they realize it will be too late that they are not the leaders of the airline industry anymore.

Themes of The Good Earth :: Pearl Buck Good Earth Essays

Themes of The Good Earth    The theme of this novel is not a complicated one. The author is trying to show how a family can rise from poverty to a position of wealth. However, the rise in itself is not the crucial element; the background against which this rise takes place is more important. Wang Lung lives in an era of change. China has been a backward country in many respects. Her principal fault, however, was the existence of two distinct classes of people - the rich and the poor. The rich led a pseudo-cultural existence unconcerned with the realities of the country. The poor in between fighting plagues, floods and famines, were taxed as well. On the fringe of these two groups were the robbers bands who plundered wherever they could.    The old aristocracy of China was rotting away as the result of its own greed. Waiting for their chance was a group of young intellectuals who claimed that they were going to bring about many reforms. However, since the time that The Good Earth was written in 1931, history has shown that these revolutionaries only intended to replace the old aristocracy with a new one. They had little intention of doing anything constructive for the poor people. As a result, when the Communists came after World War II, they were able to take over China very easily.    Where does Wang Lung fit into this picture? He is a poor man who knows nothing besides the value of land. Therefore, he spends his entire life building up a large estate. However, he builds according to the old system. As he becomes richer, he separates himself from his own people and he allows himself and his family to fall into the same faults that the other rich had. Then he allows his sons to separate themselves from the land - that which had given them their wealth. Although the author does not carry the story through, the reader knows that this family is destined to fall.    The earth-theme is predominant throughout. As a man pours his energies into his land he reaps great benefits-survival and self-respect. Miss Buck appears to be saying that the only thing that can truly save China is the honest toil of her people who must be allowed to claim the rewards of their

In 1957 the Common Essay -- Economics

In 1957 the Common In 1957 the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was outlined by the then six member states. The main reason for the Common Agricultural policy was to make Agriculture a self sufficient entity in The European Union. The six member states of the European Union proposed to do this by creating a stable market for agricultural produce and at the same time keeping prices at an affordable level for consumers. The heads of the European Union (E.U) believed that Agriculture was one of the most significant industries within the E.U; .and as a result agreed that special attention needed to be focused on this area of European policy. â€Å"When the nations of Europe got together in the late 1950’s, agriculture was important to their economies and even more important to their culture and societies† (Wyn, G. 1997 pg6) The common Agricultural policy which was finally agreed upon in 1962 and fully implemented in 1967 is to date the most fully integrated area in European policy. â€Å"Agricultural policy is the E.U’s most elaborate policy area and has always been the focus of interest† (Molle, Willem. T. M. 2001 pg 222) In summary the Common Agricultural policy had five main aims these were to * Increase Agricultural productivity * Ensure a fair standard of living for Farmers. * Stabilise agricultural markets. * Guarantee regular supplies of food. * Ensure reasonable prices for consumers. (Dinan, Desmond 1994 pg 326) The Common Agricultural policy replaced the systems in each of the nation states and the â€Å"guiding principals were (and are) * A single market-agricultural produce should be able to move freely throughout the community. * Community preference- priority should be given t... ...must be to further modernise the Common Agricultural Policy and avoid using dated solutions to fix modern agricultural problems. Bibliography Dinan, D. (1999) Ever closer Union: An Introduction to European Integration (2nd edition) Houndmills: Macmillan Press Ltd. El-Agraa, Ali M, (2001) The European Union Economics and Policies, (6th edition) Harlow: Pearson. George, S & Bache, I (2001) Politics in the European Union. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Nugent, N. (2003) The Government and Politics of the European Union (5th edition) Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan. Jones, Robert, (2001) The politics and Economics of the European union (2nd edition) Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Wallace, H & Wallace W. (eds) (2000)Policy making in the European Oxford: Oxford University Press Wyn, G. (1997) The Common Agricultural Policy Houndmills: Macmillan. In 1957 the Common Essay -- Economics In 1957 the Common In 1957 the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was outlined by the then six member states. The main reason for the Common Agricultural policy was to make Agriculture a self sufficient entity in The European Union. The six member states of the European Union proposed to do this by creating a stable market for agricultural produce and at the same time keeping prices at an affordable level for consumers. The heads of the European Union (E.U) believed that Agriculture was one of the most significant industries within the E.U; .and as a result agreed that special attention needed to be focused on this area of European policy. â€Å"When the nations of Europe got together in the late 1950’s, agriculture was important to their economies and even more important to their culture and societies† (Wyn, G. 1997 pg6) The common Agricultural policy which was finally agreed upon in 1962 and fully implemented in 1967 is to date the most fully integrated area in European policy. â€Å"Agricultural policy is the E.U’s most elaborate policy area and has always been the focus of interest† (Molle, Willem. T. M. 2001 pg 222) In summary the Common Agricultural policy had five main aims these were to * Increase Agricultural productivity * Ensure a fair standard of living for Farmers. * Stabilise agricultural markets. * Guarantee regular supplies of food. * Ensure reasonable prices for consumers. (Dinan, Desmond 1994 pg 326) The Common Agricultural policy replaced the systems in each of the nation states and the â€Å"guiding principals were (and are) * A single market-agricultural produce should be able to move freely throughout the community. * Community preference- priority should be given t... ...must be to further modernise the Common Agricultural Policy and avoid using dated solutions to fix modern agricultural problems. Bibliography Dinan, D. (1999) Ever closer Union: An Introduction to European Integration (2nd edition) Houndmills: Macmillan Press Ltd. El-Agraa, Ali M, (2001) The European Union Economics and Policies, (6th edition) Harlow: Pearson. George, S & Bache, I (2001) Politics in the European Union. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Nugent, N. (2003) The Government and Politics of the European Union (5th edition) Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan. Jones, Robert, (2001) The politics and Economics of the European union (2nd edition) Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. Wallace, H & Wallace W. (eds) (2000)Policy making in the European Oxford: Oxford University Press Wyn, G. (1997) The Common Agricultural Policy Houndmills: Macmillan.

New York Times v. Sullivan Essay

Introduction Communication refers to the exchange of ideas or information between two or more people. Information composes of voice (e.g. telephone, handy talky etc), data (short message services/SMS, facsimile etc), and video (video streaming, video conference etc). Although the types of information are still the same, their importance always gets stronger eventually. Information is the root of actions and becomes more important in this information age. This is because its importance has even doubled, tripled, or even infinite as people in this age understand the necessities to learn about incidences in other part of the world and become more knowledgeable to use appropriate information for their advantages. As the sense of knowing give reasons and confidence to act towards issues, information, if delivered truthfully, can be the instruments of great deeds. In contrast if the information is manipulated it will lead people to disastrous wrongful acts. Televisions, newspapers, magazines, radios and the internet are now becoming main sources of public information where we can find out what happened in the world. The media, therefore, have been noteworthy sources of information although it faces great challenges since readers now seriously question about the truth of information presented in the media. Readers think that most of media tend to create public opinion that the sources want, driven by their political concerns. This is true since politic, in its nature, is capable to influence and control everyone’s life and lifestyles, and has always in the spotlight. As society gets wiser, attention on politics has never been this scrutiny. With very powerful people or party played their hands in it, politics has been one of the strongest reasons why the role of media as a trustworthy messenger is questioned. In line with the idea, Lynden Johnson says†reporters are puppet, they simply respond to the pull of the most powerful strings.† In this paper, we will discuss the role of media in setting the political agenda. We take into account the 1964’s case â€Å"New York Times vs. Sullivan† in describing the topic. Prior to the discussion, we will develop the idea of media power, and the framing, priming, and agenda setting. New York Times vs. Sullivan Fact Back to the 1964 where the feud between New York Times and Sullivan existed, we witnessed that the case has gradually changed the maneuver of U.S. newspapers. Nowadays, we witness that U.S. media are paying a great attention on Paris Hilton than on Capitol Hill. The reason is that today’s media are less concerned to expose the misdeeds and motivations of powerful people or public officials. According to Goldman (2004), the case of New York Times v. Sullivan begun when New York Times published a full-page ad that suspected the arrest of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. for perjury in Alabama was part of a concerted effort to tear down King’s efforts to integrate public facilities and encourage blacks to vote. The ad soon arouses the ire of a public official named L. B. Sullivan, the Montgomery city commissioner. The commissioner then filed a libel action against the Times and brought four black ministers who supported the ad into the court for claiming that the allegations against the Montgomery police defamed him personally (Goldman). Under the auspices of the Alabama law, Sullivan finally won the case and received $500,000. This was happened since under the state’s law Sullivan did not even have to prove that he had been harmed. In contrast, Times’ defense saying the ad was invalid since the ad contained factual errors (Goldman). 2.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Learning from the case of New York Times v. Sullivan The decision of the Court that favored Sullivan was based on the First Amendment, which â€Å"protects the publication of all statements, even false ones, about the conduct of public officials except when statements are made with actual malice with knowledge that they are false or in reckless disregard of their truth or falsity† (Goldman). Furthermore, Goldman explains the new ruling, in effect to this day, says â€Å"it is not enough for a plaintiff to show that a printed or televised account is false and defamatory. Under such circumstances, the plaintiff needs to show that the media has reported erroneous and recklessly ignoring facts. The actual malice rule at a minimum encourages newspapers to take risks defaming people they otherwise would not take. The new ruling makes media to have the best defense when dealing with sue by a public figure. He adds that such defense would make it very difficult to sue newspapers and television stations even if they got an entire story wrong. Unfortunately, the case of Times vs. Sullivan have driven the press a little more arrogant than it needs to be when covering politicians or public figures. III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How Powerful Is Media? Mc Combs and Shaw in their book the Emergence of American Political Issue, state that today’s media have the powerful function to organize how the world looks for us. They might not successfully control our minds, but they are undeniably capable to â€Å"direct† our everyday thoughts. In similar tone, Shanto Iyengar and Donald Kinder in his book News That Matters, says that by paying attention to one issue and neglecting others, television is able to decide what American believed to be the most important issue to think about. For instance, Israel – Palestinian lifetime conflict has been America’s most important concerns in 2003, and judging from the nature of the issue (e.g. atrocities, suicide bombing, etc), it is newsworthy, but as the media turn their focus to the Iraq war, Schwarzenegger’s governor election and the California Wildfires, the Israel-Palestinian issue is somehow diminished, although the debacle is not even approaching a win-win solution (â€Å"Anti Propaganda Watch†). Framing, Priming and Agenda Setting Framing is the process of making a â€Å"meaning† out of incidents or stories. In the effort of building a line of comprehension between journalists and the readers, the frames are often drawn from. It is said to often chosen unintentionally. As an example, when a journalist is making a story about the high rising rate of poverty in a state, he or she will have to do what is called thematic framing, which means that eventually, a connection will have to be made between the increasing rate of poverty and the state government’s policies. While in periodic framing, the routine nature of the story derive journalists to put the blame on individual   actors, preventing audience from making a generalization of the stories (London). Priming is done when a journalist gives an extra weight onto an issue or an opinion, allowing people’s mind to have a change in their opinion. This is usually done by giving extra amount of coverage, making an issue salient while others not. Agenda Setting is even more conspicuous than the two terms we have mentioned before. It is a process of giving a certain theme over incidents that happens in a coverage area. By using materials that are sensitive to society, journalist can properly â€Å"put in ideas on people’s head†. For example, research shows that a single exposure on a violent crime-related news can heightened people’s fear of being victimized, which then gave the idea that violent crime is a very important issue (â€Å"Media Effects†). One of the most attractive issue on priming and agenda setting is the LA Times anti-Israel Propaganda. In the join the boycott website, there are enough reasons to make visitors of the site hate the LA Times. According to the website, the boycott is due the intolerable bias on news coverage relating Israel-Palestinian ‘endless’ debacle. Furthermore, it shows that LA times has done all of the three forbidden acts of journalism we have addressed before. This situation also applies to the case of New York Times v. Sullivan in which the Times has set up a political agenda about Black community to vote. Conclusion The role of media in our society is unbelievably important. Truthful coverage is always a worthy achievement. Politics does not come in the form of campaigns, elections, and the affairs of big government, but also the press as mind setters of the society. Furthermore, the new ruling, in effect since the case of New York Times v. Sullivan to this day, favors media to expose the misdeeds conducted by politicians or public figures in which the new ruling enables media to cover politicians aggressively without fear of lawsuits. However, the audiences still have absolute control to choose what they want or do not want to value what journalists distinguish as important. Nevertheless, the psychological implications of framing, priming and agenda setting are less significant. The existence of a picture and the atmosphere of the language can be a gentle but powerful way to alter opinions to the preferred direction. Bibliography Goldman, Jerry. â€Å"New York Times v. Sullivan.† OYEZ. 2004. Retrieved April 2, 2005   Ã¢â‚¬Å"How Public Is the NPR?† Retrieved March 19, 2005 from Iyengar, Shanto. â€Å"Media Effects.† 1998. Retrieved April 2, 2005 from â€Å"LA Times Israel anti-propaganda Watch.† 2004. Retrieved April 2, 2005 from London, Scott. â€Å"How Media Frames Political Issues.† 1993. Retrieved April 2, 2005 from Pulle, Matt. â€Å"Don’t Kill the Messenger.† Nashville Scene. 2005. Retrieved April 2, 2005 from U.S. Supreme Court. â€Å"New York Times v. Sullivan.† Retrieved April 2, 2005 from

The hegemonic decline of the United States and the eastward shift in the global capitalist economy

Abstract The Great Recession of 2007-8 has exposed the inherent weakness of the Western economies, whose growth had been fuelled on heavy indebtedness. This dissertation intends to broach the implications of the Great Recession of 2007-8 by applying the theoretical concepts related to the notion of hegemony in order to determine to what extent there is a geopolitical shift in favour of China, pursuant to the decline of the United States. The dissertation also utilizes the theory of economic crisis in order to ascertain the implications of the Great Recession and corroborate the idea of a hegemonic shift to the East. Objectives The dissertation seeks to intervene in a central debate of our times in the field of Political Economy of International Relations: the possible decline of United States’ â€Å"hegemony† and a possible shift of hegemony towards East Asia, especially China, given East Asia’s growing role in the world economy. This trend has exacerbated since the onset of the Great Recession of 2007-8. Using the theoretical framework of hegemony, I intend to find out to which extent the universalisation of the economic superstructure renders the notion of American hegemony obsolete. A Marxian model of interpretation can potentially shed light into the reasons which China, with competitive advantages that vastly exceed those of the United States will continue to accumulate power and establish itself as the new hegemon. Research questions What is the best way to conceptualise hegemony at the international level in the context of the Great Recession of 2007-8? What elements have to be analysed in order to assess hegemony shifts in Capitalist Global Political EconomyHow does this apply to the crisis 2007-2008? What are the signs that American power decliningWhat are the potential implications of that decline? Did the Great Recession of 2007-8 create an irretrievable hegemonic shift towards the Pacific? Theoretical framework The dissertation is divided into two parts. The first is theoretical and discusses the notion of hegemony at the international level. The second part elaborates on the theory of crises. The way in which hegemony has been conceptualised by influential authors such as Arrighi, Cox, Organski and Kindleberger is critically examined. In particular, the dissertation proposes a re-reading of Gramsci stressing the role of nation states and both elements, coercion and consensus, in the exercise of hegemony. Concerning crises, the dissertation seeks to elaborate an integral and organic theory of economic crises based on Marx, contrasting the latter with recently developed neo-Marxist perspectives, such as the ones espoused by David Harvey and Ernest Mandel. Methodology The method for tackling this dissertation will involve a theoretical treatment of hegemony and the causes of economic crisis. Within that particular methodological framework, I intend to analyse the Great Recession of 2007-8 and its implications for the shift taking place, with the transfer of hegemonic power from the United States to China. Chapter one will be a treatment of the theoretical sources dealing with the notion of ‘hegemony’, as applied to shifts in the international political system. Chapter two deals with the nature of economic crises and long economic cycles, as applied to the hegemonic shift taking place. Chapter three will examine the hegemonic shift taking place as a result of the Great Recession of 2007-8 and how the next long cycle could favour the transition from a US-dominated system to a Chinese-dominated one. I intend to use primary sources which will corroborate the economic and political decline of the United States as well as the rise of China, and analyse my findings through the prism of the Great Recession of 2007-8. I will also utilise theoretical material (as outlined above) in order to examine to what extent there is a hegemonic shift taking place within the context of the ongoing economic crisis of the United States and the West. Literature review Robert Cox uses the Gramscian notion of hegemony in order to expose the structures which arise from shifts in the organisation of the international economy. These structures are kept through consensual and coercive power relations. These power relations are marked by ideological practices which give it an aura of normality, therefore establishing a particular cultural hegemony. Significantly, Cox argued that although specific states may be the bearers of hegemony, at its most fundamental level the term relates to the rooting of a set of elites in different countries that acknowledge certain essential principle on the international economy (Cox in Gill, S. (Ed.), 1993: 42). According to Arrighi, hegemony becomes the added power that a dominant class has as a result of being able to universalise the issues which are capable of leading to conflict (Arrighi in Gill, S. (Ed.), 1993: 148). A state capable of exercising hegemony if it is able to lead the international political system in a particular direction and it is perceived by other states as pursuing the interests of the international community. However, the dominant state could also be interested in leading other countries into their own way of economic development (Arrighi, 1990: 367). Arrighi argues that the competition for resources that promoted the capitalist expansion of the European economy into the wider world is structural rather than conjunctural. Its strength resides in the ability to provoke creative destructions motivated by economic crises, giving rise to the technological breakthroughs that have sustained the process of globalisation (Arrighi, 1998: 128). Organski describes the rise of a hegemonic order in a situation in which powerful nations as well as middle and minor powers accept the given distribution of power and wealth and adhere to the same guidelines when it comes to diplomacy and commerce (Organski, 1969: 354). The international order that arises achieves its legitimacy through the ideology which underpins the ‘power differentials’ between the different states. When a power shift occurs, it may be accompanied by conflict amongst the great powers. This would very much depend on whether the challenger seeks to overhaul the rules of the game in the international political system (Organski, 1969: 354). Gilpin operates with a more deterministic notion of hegemonic cycles, positing that the resolution of a hegemonic war represents the start of another period of growth and eventual decline of a great power (Gilpin, 1981: 210). Kindleberger argues that the need to have a hegemon stems from the idea that only a domina nt power can provide collective goods. He maintains that the main danger that the international political faces is not the existence of too much power accumulated in one single hegemon but the presence of too many free riding states unwilling to exercise authority (Kindleberger, 1981: 253). Gramsci re-examines the Marxian model by positing that the cultural and political ‘base’ of a particular society is necessarily informed by the economic superstructure. The base includes categories such as the legal system, the prevailing ideology, the political make-up of the state and the cultural values of society. These categories are not involved in the production of goods but legitimate the ways in which the productive forces shape society: through surplus value extraction. Gramsci finds that the power of the dominant class goes far beyond the competencies of the state as it extends to the civil society, via institutions like schools, the press and cultural practices. The dominant class maintains hegemony by coopting the civil society, which is imbued with a particular ideology which ensures that the political status quo remains anchored in society and that it legitimates the way the productive forces operate (Holub, 1992: 103). Marx attributed the emergence of economic crises to the tendency of the rate of profit to fall (Marx, 1863). The requirement to provide the workforce with survival wages put limits on the exchange value of the labour capacity. This limits the surplus labour time and surplus value needed for the accumulation of profits. There is a requirement that capital be transformed in consumption, therefore placing another burden on the process of production. Limitations on the production of use value by the requirement to create exchange value and the requisite of private profit before the satisfaction of social needs means that there will be overproduction. Capitalism attempts to create the conditions to resolve the inner contradictions of capitalism, such as the creation of a credit system. However, according to Marxist theory, crises are temporarily resolved until a higher level of economic crisis is attained (McCarthy, 1990: 240). One of the ideas which Harvey puts forward in relation to the rise of neoliberal forms of globalisation is the policy of ‘accumulation by dispossession’, resulting in the centralisation of economic wealth and political power in the hands of a very reduced number of people through policies of dispossession. These policies imply stripping the publics of access to wealth. More precisely, ‘accumulation by dispossession’ entails the practice of financialisation, privatisation, upward state redistribution and the manipulation of crises. Harvey’s work is notably linked in an indirect manner to the ideas postulated by prominent public intellectuals of the Left such as Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky, who also highlight the symbiosis between accumulation (upwards) and dispossession (downwards). These ideas seem to hark back to the classical Marxian template of a dialectic between the owners of the means of production and those who sell their labour at a fraction of its cost, living permanently in the ‘realm of necessity’ (Harvey, 2005). Mandel maintains the base/superstructure Gramscian symbiosis in its analysis of hegemonic relations in the post-World War Two era, claiming that it ushered in a ‘long-wave’ economic cycle of growth. The working class had been weakened by the effects of Fascism, which focused on the cooperation of the different social classes, and World War Two. Technology had increased the rate of profit, which produced impressive economic growth and accumulation of capital. Drawing on Gramsci, Mandel claims that it is impossible for the working class to capture civil society from a ‘war of position’ as this would lead to reformism instead of creating true change. Any attempt to seize the control of society must be done using a ‘war of maneouvre’. The working class, as a subject of social change, is not capable to capture society in a hegemonic way, as it has always been economically and culturally disenfranchised. Any revolutionary process of change must be dec isively quick. A drawn-out conflict would inevitably lead to an accommodation with the bourgeoisie (Mandel, 1995: 28). The theory of economic crisis is linked to the notion of ‘hegemony’ in its political aspects. Transformations taking place in the international economy, particularly those of the magnitude of the Great Recession of 2007-8, have the potential to create a fracture in the hegemonic order constituted after the end of the Cold War. To be sure, there is a process of political and economic convergence which arises out of the increased level of interconnectedness amongst states. This process of harmonisation has been marshalled by the marriage between democracy and the free market orientation typical of the American political personality which emerged amidst the triumphalist furore of the early 1990s (Fukuyama, 1992: 338). This emerging geostrategic situation steered the hegemonic path taken by the United States towards an expansion of its political personality to the wider world. The Great Recession of 2007-8 created a situation in which the tenets which sustained that hegemon y have been broken. China and the ‘Rest’ (i.e., the non-Western world) have been growing at a healthy rate whilst the West is still mired in an economic crisis which does not seem to have an end. This dissertation will endeavour to united both theoretical frameworks in order to determine to what extent the economic crisis will induce a change of hegemonic order. The most crucial aspect to be analysed is whether China will be able to rework the notion of ‘hegemony’ (which is a Western concept) in order to emerge as a potential challenger to the American dominion over the international order. The Great Recession of 2007-8 will potentially undermine the American military capabilities, which is the main element to be considered in the analysis of a putative hegemonic shift in favour of China. In addition, China seems to be interested in propping up its military capabilities. However, its geopolitical emphasis seems to be on forging commercial links with the Res t, rather than launching a frontal hegemonic challenge against the United States (Jacques, 2009: 22). Case study – The Great Recession of 2007-8 One of my research questions explores the possibility that the Great Recession of 2008 created a hegemonic shift towards the Pacific, specifically China. In some respects, the first stage of globalisation (1990-2008) was successful in creating an extensive network of international governance. The end of bipolarity gave rise to the ability to interconnect mankind by electronic means (personal computers, internet, fast processing of data). Globalisation has also created a uniformity of ideology amongst the nations, such as the concept of liberal democracy and free markets (Dilly, 1992: 59) Although some countries deviated from the norm of untrammelled capitalism after the localised financial crises of the 1990s (Russia, Argentina, etc), by and large there has been a trend towards ideological harmonisation, which also includes a growing concern for human rights. This is true for many countries, notably first world ones. The first stage of globalisation created an interdependence that in ternationalised production and consumption. Whilst the outsourcing of production created benefits for consumers, it also rendered nations incapable of protecting their resources, which are now shared with the rest of the world through its management by transnational economic interests, and managed their economy for the benefit of its populations. As Bobbitt argues, the market-state ushered in by globalisation has as its main purpose the maximisation of opportunities for its citizens instead of protecting their welfare (Bobbitt, 2002: 347). Since economic considerations have overtaken political ones, the increase rate of capitalist profit in the East means that China will continue to accumulate power due to its strategic competitive advantages, lower wages, a young labour force and a huge internal market. The challenges posed by the Great Recession exceed the capacity of individual states to be able to defend themselves. There is no nation, in the incipient stage of globalisation, which can act as steward and caretaker of the system. For example, the total flow of capital in the derivative industries vastly exceeds the size of the major economies of the world like the United States, the European Union and China ($531 tn as of September 2008). In addition, the first state of globalisation was chaotic, horizontal and disorderly. Globalisation brought in many positive elements for the world population, but also created many negative offshoots, which territorial states cannot possibly tackle on their own. The effects of global warming and natural resources degradation, the spread of disease, nuclear proliferation, humanitarian catastrophes and the threat of terrorism has one the one hand exposed the vulnerability of nation-states and created the need for common global action by supranati onal institutions that significantly erode their political sovereignty (Basch, L. et al, 1993: 67) The imperial overstrech that the United States suffers from has resulted in the accumulation of massive debts, which now total more than 100% of its GDP. In addition, its economy is about to be overtaken by China, which is still growing at very high rates (Jacques, 2009: 139). The second stage of globalisation will result in the erosion of hegemonic power of the United States. The Great Recession of 2008 provides an opportunity to recreate the global financial and economic structure as well as create more centralised supranational governance, as seen in the rise of the G20. One of the ways in which the crisis keeps melting down the political sovereignty of the nation-states is seen in the depreciation of the US dollar (the international reserve currency) due to the indiscriminate printing of money (Jansson, 2001: 44). One of the ways in which the second stage of globalisation could bring in a world-state is through the creation of currency harmonisation, possibly based on special drawing rights. The increased indebtedness of nations also harmonises the system towards a world-state, since the nation-state has to rely on a debt-based economy. The socialisation of banking losses through taxpayers’ dollars is also another variable to be reckoned with. The increased fragility of the system at local level creates greater opportunity for extra-national and supranational intervention. To be sure, the role of the nation-state has not gone away. However, their role is subordinated to the requirements of this increasingly emerging extraterritorial financial and economic structure. The reaction to this emerging harmonisation towards a world-state is already being seen in the different arrangements made between BRICS nations and commodity-rich countries seeking to replace the dollar as a medium of exchange (Suominen, 2012: 33) In turn, this will end up hurting the most powerful sovereign nation, which will find it increasingly difficult to maintain military hegemony without the ability to print out as many dollars as it needs. The erosion of political sovereignty as a result of the Great Recession of 2008 and the reaction to it by the ‘Second World’ goes hand in hand with the idea of privatisation of economic power, managed at supranational and extraterritorial level by powerful private concerns (Khanna, 2008: 41). These supranational concerns are in the process of setting up their own regulatory schemes, imposed on individual territorial states, which are finding it increasingly difficult to resist them. My preliminary findings show that the realignment of economic international systems is the main conduit by which harmonisation leading to an hegemonic shift in favour of China will be activated. In addition, there is a definite reaction by what I would call the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation bloc (notably China and Russia, but also the likes of India and Iran). The harmonisation process is proceeding apace in the West. This reaction in the Second World is generating its own kind of harmonisation. The political sovereignty of nations could also be further impaired by the conflict that will arise as a result of it. Trying to eliminate the logic of anarchy brings with it the possibility of conflict. A s Schmitt put it, the political cannot exist outside the realm of conflict. It is expected that the United States will not let China accumulate the necessary military capabilities in order to establish itself as the new hegemon. Preliminary findings There are several factors which enables us to think that a hegemonic transition is taking place. A massive, imposing display of Chinese-constructed fighter aircraft and other military equipment was used to commemorate the 60th anniversary of communist China’s founding, on 1 October, 2009. At the same time, China’s space industry was rapidly burgeoning and continuing to develop. Along with the fact that the Chinese economy continued to expand during a global recession and a rising position on the world political stage, these technological advances indicate China’s movement towards the status of a world superpower. While the rest of the world struggled in 2009, the Chinese economy exemplified a remarkable flexibility in returning to significant growth. The Chinese government attributes this economic resilience to China’s blend of communism with capitalism, in contrast to the laissez-faire approach taken by the West (Guthrie, 1999: 122). In early 2009, a migration of millions of workers from urban areas to rural locales resulted from the closure of factories that produced exports on the east coast and south coast of China. The steep price of fuel and food had put pressure on household budgets in 2008, and in order to halt inflation, stringent financial and credit policies were set in place. These policies caused the construction industry to dip, as well as a slump in the property market. In response, the Chinese government created a stimulus package in November 2008 that was worth 4 trillion yuan (about $586 billion). Approximately 50% of the stimulus package was set aside for improving infrastructure, such as railways and airports, primarily in rural regions, while a further 25% was designated for the Sichuan province, which had been severely affected by a May 2008 earthquake and was in need of rebuilding. Banks were ordered to increase lending, and the result was a 164% upsurge of loans in the first three quarters of 2009. This facilitated a rebound of the economy, which occurred far more quickly than in other countries. (Wright, 2010: 221). Additionally, the latter part of the year saw the recovery of exports, which set China up to overtake Germany as the top exporter world-wide. As a result, speculation grew as to whether China could reclaim the dominant position that it once held prior to the early 1800s, at which time it provided roughly one third of manufacturing in the world, compared to just 25% of manufacturing in the West. This outcome was rendered more probably by a trade deal with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that transpired at the end of the year. As the world’s largest creditor, China had a symbiotic and mutually beneficial relationship with the U.S., the globe’s biggest debtor, that had become vital in the effort to rebalance the global economy. Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) issued a statement on 23 March 2009 th at called for an international currency that would replace the U.S. dollar as the primary global currency and would remain unattached to individual countries; he argued that this currency would have increased stability over time. The People’s Bank of China also proposed that Special Drawing Rights, which were designed in 1969 by the IMF for utilisation between international institutions and governments, might be employed on a wider scale and used as payment in international finance and trade transactions. This would reduce fluctuations in price and the risks associated with these fluctuations. The initiative was made again at the yearly Group of Eight (G-8) summit that took place in Italy in July 2009. Delegates from China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa (also known as the â€Å"Group of Five) were also invited to the summit, where China, along with India and Russia (a G-8 member) called for an overhaul of the global financial system and a halt to dollar domination. In the latter part of September 2009, the president of the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, cautioned that the U.S. dollar faced an increasing threat due to the rising force of both the euro and the Chinese yuan. At this juncture China had surpassed Japan as the main creditor of the U.S.; there were concerns coming from Beijing that the $800.5 billion value of U.S. Treasury securities, along with other assets that constituted 60% of China’s foreign-exchange reserves and 30% of foreign-exchange reserves globally, would be attenuated by American debt and decreasing confidence in the U.S. dollar. China presented a temporary solution, which was to resist purchasing U.S. Treasury stock and, more significantly, to advocate the utilisation of the yuan as a world currency. (Kim, 2010: 49). Bibliography Arrighi, G., Capitalism and the Modern World-System: Rethinking the Non-debates of the 1970’s Review (Fernand Braudel Center), Vol. 21, No. 1 (1998), pp. 113-129 Arrighi, G. The Three Hegemonies of Historical Capitalism, Review (Fernand Braudel Center), Volume 13, Number 3 (Summer, 1990), pp. 365-408 Basch, L. et al (1993) Nations Unbound: Transnational Projects, Postcolonial Predicaments, and Deterritorialized Nation-States, Gordon and Breach, London Bobbitt, Philip (2002) The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace and the Course of History. New York, Alfred Knopf Bryson, J. Nick, H., Keebie, D. and Martin, R. (1999) The Economic Geography Reader: Producing and Consuming Global Capitalism, Wiley, New York Dilly, R. (1992) Contesting Markets: Analyses of Ideology, Discourse and Practice, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh Fukuyama, F. (1992) The Last Man and the End of History, Free Press. New York Gill, S. (Ed.) (1993) Gramsci, Historical Materialism and International Relations, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Gilpin, R. (1981) War and Change in World Politics, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Guthrie, D. (1999) Dragon in a Three-Piece Suit: The Emergence of Capitalism in China, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ Harvey, D. (2005) The New Imperialism, Oxford University Press, Oxford Holub, R. (1992) Antonio Gramsci: Beyond Marxism and Postmodernism, Routledge, New York Jacques, M. (2009) When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order, Penguin Press, New York Jansson, B. (2001) The Sixteen-Trillion-Dollar Mistake: How the U.S. Bungled Its National Priorities from the New Deal to the Present, Columbia University Press, New York Khanna, P. (2008) The Second World, Penguin Books, London Kim, Yong-Ki, The Rise of G20 and Korea’s Response , SERI Quarterly. Volume: 3. Issue: 4 October 2010, pp. 49-66 Kindleberger, C. Dominance and Leadership in the International Economy, International Studies Quarterly 25(2) (1981), pp. 242-54 Mandel, E. (1995) Long Waves of Capitalist Development, Verso, London Marx, K. (1863) The Capital, Volume III, http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1894-c3/index.htm MCCarthy, G. (1990) Marx and the Ancients: Classical Ethics, Social Justice, and Nineteenth-Century Political Economy, Rowman and Littlefield, Savage, MD Organski, A.F.K. (1969) World Politics, Knopf, New York Suominen, K. (2012) Peerless and Periled: The Paradox of American Leadership in the World Economic Order, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA Wright, T. (2010) Accepting Authoritarianism: State-Society Relations in China’s Reform Era, Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA