Friday, January 24, 2020

Chechnya Essay -- essays research papers

Chechnya The Continuing Conflict Chechnya is situated in the Caucasus Mountains, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. It is surrounded by Dagestan to the east, Georgia and South Ossetia to the south, Russia to the north and North Ossetia in the west. Chechnya is rich in mineral oil and produced twenty million tons per year before the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 created the opportunity for the Russian provinces to declare their independence. The Russian government managed to keep its control of all states apart from Chechnya, which, under the new president Dzhokhar Dudayev, declared independence in October 1991. The Russian Government did not approve this and President Yeltsin declared war against the newborn regime in 1994. Yeltsin feared that if they had not declared war the other Caucasus states may have followed suit, to prevent this they preferred to curb it at the out set. The second Chechen war, which began in September 1999, was a result of the actions taken by Russia in the first war and was a product of the same policies. The fight for independence for Chechnya has been ongoing since the Bolshevik Revolution and is one that will be fought well into the future if something is not done about it now. The Russo-Chechen war that ended in 1996 should have given the Russian government a feel of things to come when they decided to attack in late September of last year. Triggered by security challenges to the State, Russia decided that the democracy would be in danger if they didn’t act. Russia was in a politically unstable situation right now with the resignation of Yeltsin, and the current Presidential elections looming. Also looming on the political horizon was the concern over rampant corruption in the government. If they had done nothing Yeltsin’s party would have stood to lose, yet Putin, (Yeltsin’s successor) succeeded in focusing the medias attention on the war rather that the domestic corruption. This war has given rise to a huge influx of racial hatred that has again helped Putin. Because the majority of the Chechen’s are Muslim, and not of the same ethnic background as Russians, racial discrimination has helped to boost the wars popularity and subsequently Putins. The security of oil in the southern Caucasus states and its transportation routes are the main influential factors in the... ...the task of the US and their European allies to bring the case to the European Court of Human Rights; the charge, a violation of its international treaty rights. Russia should also be required to conduct peace negotiations with the Chechens under the guidance of the various European Groups with a vested interest in the preservation of the borders of the surrounding countries. Threats of this can be conveyed to Russia, but this action, and anything that may come of it will not necessarily by abided by Russia. Russia has already shown that it will do what it wants concerning this issue. The US and its European allies are in apposition where threatening Russia with action is the only thing that they can do. Russia will not respond to these threats and will best only give them lip service. That this conflict be resolved in a manner favourable to Russia is essential. Russia cannot permit the secession of any part of its territory because it will lead to actions by other regions and th e access to Caucasus oil fields cannot be lost. Any other action taken by a third party will only result in destabilization of Russia and termination of diplomatic relations between Russia and the west.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Biyaheng Edsa Essay

In February 23, 1986, 2 million of Filipinos gathered 4 days along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue, more popularly known as EDSA, but in 1959 it is called as Highway 54. 25 years later, the multitude still converges on EDSA every day, comprising a vibrant complex entity of society. In 2006, Howie Severino and his I-Witness team walked along the length of EDSA to see what they might learn about how Filipinos have fared in the 20 years since the People Power I. Bago pa nagging rebolusyon, Highway lamang ang EDSAâ€Å", thus Howie Severino’s voice over on his documentary about the former Highway 54, although I watched many episodes of I-Witness and it create a chord that strikes me. I prefer Howie Severino’s â€Å"Biyaheng EDSA†, not only because of its storytelling and technical aspect, but also the significance of our own culture by presenting the People’s Power I and how Filipinos succeed. The documentary starts with Howie at Monumento Circle in Caloocan ask ing different people how to go to EDSA by walking, without mode of transportation. And at Balintawak, where the Katipunan’s Cry of Revolt in 1896, is historically remembered, he sarcastically pointed our concept of freedom by connecting it to our â€Å"Freedom†, he pointed to his documentary on how we erroneously view our freedom, by doing unscrupulous deeds like taking drugs and hurting (each) others and he seriously pointed or tell to the audience, on whether the 1986 People Power is a revolution or just a revolt. Along the way, Howie meet different characters of people including the group of rugby boys, a poet and former political detainee, and a Muslim, whose unsure if EDSA was inclusive of all the Filipino, because the Muslim woman pointed out that in the word Filipino there’s a letter missing which is I so, she say that how we proved the we are Filipino if the word Filipino was not completed. And when Howie arrived at Munoz, he zooms in, the SM City North EDSA, which is the first mall of its kind in the Philippines and touches the prevailing mall culture in our country. And one thing should never forget as they feature on EDSA, because it would not be complete without a take on the MRT, the documentary shows each story that state of their live, as a reflection of the Philippines 20 years after EDSA I. And relay to this documentary from one of the topic on social dimension which is the Chapter III, Intercultural communication, because the documentary â€Å"Biyaheng EDSA† shows the significance of our culture especially in communication because as Howie Severino discussed on how People Power I succeed, I’d notice that even in past, communication is the way or instrument of 2 million Filipinos to won the revolution without (being) blood flowed and weapons that might hurt other because they communicate clearly and they show their wants for the freedom of Philippines even though we have a different beliefs and cultural background still the aim is there we will be successfully won. And as long as we have communication there is no misunderstanding, rivalry and breakdowns. So as our generation pass, we will continuously passing the right communication, because the holistic part of being communicated is to avoid misunderstanding and breakdowns.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Ancient Celtic Mythology a Vision of Gods and Goddesses

Upon investigating the supernatural reality that the Celts endured, it is necessary to somewhat overlook the myths to see what lies behind them. It is essential to find when and from where the myths originated and how true the storytellers, or narrators, really are. The Celtic gods and goddesses, in such an early mythological time defined as ‘a period when beings lived or events happened such as one no longer sees in our days (Sjoestedt 1994: 2), require much analysis. A diverse collection of documents, literature and archaeology pave the way to our understanding of the ancient mythology of the Celts. However, these traces lack a sense of closure, leaving the investigation into the nature of these gods and goddesses raw and†¦show more content†¦Although these sacred tales may be misleading or vague, the Irish and Welsh did have one advantage: the work was composed by a Celtic heritage Ââ€" those of Irish and Welsh decent. Therefore, this category of evidence can be co nsidered more ‘direct compared with other resources that are completely second-hand. br brThe other major body of literature that falls under the category of second-hand evidence is contemporary literature written by Graeco-Romans. The Celts Mediterranean neighbours passed on many sources of evidence in writing.6 These classical authors were very explicit in their descriptions of gods and goddesses. Some major Graeco-Roman authors include Caesar, Strabo, Pomporius Mela, Pliny, Athenaeus, Tacitus, Dio Cassius, Diodorus Siculus, Ammianus Marcellinus and Lucan.7 Although this evidence carries more weight with its detailed inscriptions and manuscripts, these classical writers could have held biases spurred by personal beliefs. We have to take into account that these works are not necessarily factual recordings; they were not designed as proofs for the reader. We should recognise that the authors themselves probably acknowledged culturalShow MoreRelatedEssay Ancient Roman Religion3532 Words   |  15 Pagesalmost every aspect of the life of the Roman citizen. It was common for each house to have its own patron god/gods and ,on special occasions, the head of the house would make a sacrifice to the personal gods of the family. Also, great festivals were usually held in honor of certain gods and would include spectacles like chariot races and Gladiatorial fights. The religious practices of the ancient Romans are best remembered with grand temples, great festivals and Christian persecution to the final acceptanceRead MoreMorgan Le Fay5287 Words   |  22 Pagesbased on her novel. Celtic Story Morgan was a Celtic Queen. One of the definitions of the name Morgan is â€Å"Great Queen† (Mohr Righan), which may have been an ancient royal title. The early Celts were matriarchal, and during the transition from matriarch to patriarchy, they went by Druidic tanist law, meaning the kingship was inherited by the King’s eldest sister’s son (according to Evangeline Walton’s version of the Mabinogian). Mordred was the true heir to the throne by ancient law, not because heRead MoreKhasak14018 Words   |  57 PagesDark Vault, studies the aspects of psychoanalytic theory which can be used in the analysis of the novel. It deals mainly with Freudian theories which explore the dark vaults of the psyche of the characters in the novel. The third chapter, titled Ancient Moulds, studies Mythological or Archetypal criticism and analyses the novel for recurring mythical and archetypal patterns. The concluding chapter studies how psychoanalytic theory and mythological studies can account for the universal appeal of the