Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Bush Summary essays
Bush Summary essays In Bush Redux appearing in the January 22, 2001 issue of U.S. News and World Report, journalist Kenneth T Walsh points out the differences and similarities between George W. Bush and his father. Now that hes on the verge of power-in effect, taking over where his father left off- the big questions are how his leader ship will compare with his namesakes and how much the second Bush Presidency will amount to a restoration of the first. Both father and son are deeply committed to public service as a noble calling. The younger Bush recognized this mission much later in life than his father, but both share the conservative belief that governments role should be minimized in society. Both also insist on loyalty, good management, and good manners from those around them. There is no better evidence of the younger Bushs respect for his fathers approach than the fact that he is reassembling many of his fathers presidential advisers in his own administration. The son is a more engaging politician than the father, building on his natural gregariousness and the backslapping skills he honed as a Texas oilman. Perhaps most important, the son emphasizes domestic issues rather than the foreign policy concerns that absorbed Bush the elder. Anyone who doubts that the new president will consult regularly with his president will consult regularly with the predecessor doesnt understand the Bush way. Staying in touch with f amily and being humble enough to ask for help when its needed is part of the code. Above all Bush wants to accomplish the five goals he set forth in running for the White House: winning approval for a big across-the-board tax cut; improving education by requiring schools to regularly test student performance and offering vouchers to let parents remove their children from failing schools; bolstering Social Security by allowing pe ...
Friday, November 22, 2019
Airasia
Yield and profitability would decrease for AirAsia if fuel prices become too high. Overall, although such economic events are unavoidable, the opportunities outweigh the threats, presenting AirAsia opportunities to expand its business: during times of economic downturns, demand for affordable low fares would increase amongst budget-conscious travelers, especially from leisure and corporate travelers. 3. Political/Legal Globalization saw a trend of increased privatization and deregulation of governments across the world, which resulted in the ongoing consolidation of the airline industry.As governments were important drivers of airline success in Asia, most airlines in East and Southeast Asian countries had full or substantial state ownership, management, and control, often subsidized and protected by the governments from competition; with the pursuit of non-business goals, profits were often sacrificed for the sake of national objectives. Privatization and deregulation of governments presented opportunities for new routes and airport deals through open-skies agreements between countries, or the permission of the entry of private airlines, reducing the constraints for international airlines. For instance, in 1997, Malaysia signed an ââ¬Å"open-skiesâ⬠agreement with the United States; such deregulation present new airlines (i. e. AirAsia) with the opportunity to access domestic routes. Having access to domestic routes could lead to the trial of long haul flights to attain and penetrate an undeveloped market share (i. e. new routes to utilize its new aircraft). However, globalization can also result in global uncertainty (i. e. accidents, terrorist attacks, and disaster), which can affect customer confidence. Once customer confidence is affected, AirAsia would face the threat of losing its profitability, or even bankruptcy.Being a low-cost carrier, AirAsia is subjected to subjected to aviation regulations, government policy and government restraints (i. e. government protection in favor of full-service airlines), and dependent on the geography and infrastructure of Asia, and the travelling preferences of customers. 4. Sociocultural In recent years, rapid economic growth resulted in a burgeoning middle class within Asiaââ¬â¢s large population. Together with increased in trade and tourism within and into Asia, demand for air travel increased; more people were willing to compromise on food and other services in exchange for lower prices.The attractiveness of budget airlines is primarily their low ticket prices, which can be as low as 10-20% of those charged by full-service airlines. This presents AirAsia with opportunities to differentiate itself from competitors by adding customer services or operation as full service airline with low fare, giving it a competitive advantage (i. e. provision of in-flight food and drinks, and online sales of hotel, car, and holiday reservations, as well as travel insurance), and corporate travel services, with its own branded credit card; further increasing brand awareness and value for customers.However, if AirAsia is not careful in its implementation to differen tiate itself from competitors, it could incur an (unnecessary) increase in operation cost in producing value-added services. Overall, the social/cultural aspect presents AirAsia with more opportunities than threats, as long as it does not unnecessarily increase operation cost in producing value added services. 5. Technological Global By utilizing information technology, AirAsia was able to the first airline in Southeast Asia utilize e-ticketing and bypass traditional travel agents.This enabled the airline to save on the cost of issuing physical ticket (i. e. estimated at US$10 per ticket), and eliminated the need for large and expensive booking and reservation systems, and agentsââ¬â¢ commissions. If not handled properly (i. e. backup systems and maintenance), there would be risk of system disruption due to heavily reliance on online sales. Hence, the technology aspect would pose to be a threat if AirAsiaââ¬â¢s systems are not properly backed up and maintained (i. e. contingency plan in the event of a system disruption). 6. Physical EnvironmentThe physical environment segment refer to potential and actual changes in the physical environment and business practice that are intended to positively respond to and deal with those changes. To sustaining the quality of the physical environment Industry Analysis 1. Threat from New Entrants: Low The airline industry requires high capital. The cost of setting up an office, purchasing or leasing aircrafts, hiring pilots and other staffs such as air stewardess and etc incurs a high start-up cost. Hence, the threat of new entrants is low for Air Asia. Strict government regulations.Every potential entrant is required to obtain license and permit before it is allowed to be operated. This is because the airline industry in Malaysia is already highly competitive. As a result, the government needs to protect the interest of its national airline, Malaysia Airlines (MAS), where MAS has been operating on losses a few years back. Apart from offering air transportation service, Air Asia also offers affordable tour packages. Air Asia has been establishing good relations with hotels and tourism companies around Asia, therefore, it is hard for new competitors to compete.Most of Air Asia customers have high brand loyalty towards Air Asia because of its widely known ? one of the low-cost airlines that continues to offer the lowest possible price?. 2. Bargaining Power of Supplier: High Overall, power of supplier is high as there are limited and just availability of suppliers, the switching cost is high (i. e. airplanes and their maintenance are costly), and there are few substitutes for airplanes (i. e. air travel covers longer distances in a shorter period of time). Limited number of aircrafts supplier.There are only two aircrafts supplier companies in the world, which are Air bus and Boeing. Compared to Boeing aircrafts, Airbus aircrafts is the most advanced in technology, hence, Air Asia must rely on the Airbus engineers to do maintenance on the aircrafts and seek advices. 3. Bargaining Power of Buyer: High The internet has allowed customers to have access in aviation market information, mainly, the price of air transportation ticket charged by different airline companies, where price comparison can be made. Low switching cost for customers.Customerââ¬â¢s priority is to look at price and flight schedule that suits them best when purchasing air transportation tickets. As mentioned earlier, customerââ¬â¢s main purpose of using the airline service is to get to their intended destination. Therefore, customers can switch to other airline easily. As there are almost no switching costs for customers switching from one budget airline to another, the bargaining power of buyer is moderately high. Moreover, customers are able to compare prices of budget airline via the Internet, giving them more choices 4. Threat from Substitutes Product/or Services: LowAlthough there are several substitutes (i. e. trains and ships), the geographical structure of Asia has made air travel an efficient, viable, and convenient mode of transportation. Hence, threat from substitutes is moderately low. Compared to other modes of transportation, the archipelago geographical structure of Asia made air transportation the most viable, convenient and efficient mode of transportation. However most of the low-cost airlines only fly domestic routes within the country of origin, while only a few operate international routes connecting nearby countries.Hence, customers will always look for alternatives. The prices of substitutes are about the same with Air Asia. Some of the airlines offers cheaper price to achieve profitable passenger loads. The price offered depends on the time gap between the booking date and flight date. The longer the date, the cheaper the price. If the air transportation tickets are purchased last minute, the price will be about the same with premium airlines such as MAS and Singapore Airlines (SIA). Therefore, in this situation customer would switch to the premium airlines. . Rivalry among Competing Firms: High Intensity of rivalry is moderately high due to the increased competition (with more competitors wanting a part of this growing lucrative market), and high exit cost. Exhibits 8 and 9 provide information on low-cost carries in Asia: from 1 budget airline (Cebu Pacific Air) in 1996 to 16 budget airlines by 2005, the entry of more low-cost airlines dramatically increased competition. AirAsia also faced competition from a broad range of airlines, ground transportation, and sea services.The airline industry offers similar service. Customerââ¬â¢s main purpose of using the airline service is to get to their intended destination. Though Air Asia offers additional services such as hotel booking and tour packages, it is subject to its customersââ¬â¢ choice. An industry with similar products and/or services offered is highly competitive. The airline industry incurs high fixed cost. In order to cover the fixed cost, the airline companies have to gain more market share.As such, constant price reduction is done to compete with others. Hence, the rivalry is strong. Low switching cost for customers. Customerââ¬â¢s priority is to look at price and flight schedule that suits them best when purchasing air transportation tickets. As mentioned earlier, customerââ¬â¢s main purpose of using the airline service is to get to their intended destination. Therefore, customers can switch to other airline easily, which makes the industry so competitive. The airline industry incurs high exit cost.In order for an airline company to exit the industry, it needs to pay its loans and staffs retrenchment as well as refund the flight cancellations, which all incurs high cost. Even making losses, the airline company has to get running to cope with fixed costs. There are approximately 45 low-cost airlines in Asia. Some of the airlines do not compete directly with Air Asia, but they compete indirectly in routes that Air Asia does not fly. Thus, the higher the number of competitors, the fiercer the competition.
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Report for Advance Software Engineering for Stage Two Essay
Report for Advance Software Engineering for Stage Two - Essay Example As discussed earlier in stage 1 reflection that all of us were working on pair level and it was not easy for us to conclude the best idea therefore we suffered a lot during project planning. Through mashwara, we felt better understanding because every one was only giving his opinion instead of dictating his strategy. Instead of working on the project in isolation we also experienced and enjoyed the pair programming strategy. It was really an amazing approach which reduced the development time errors quite significantly. The incremental approach also helped quite significantly as it enabled us to abstract the future details of the project and allowed us to focus on the issues at hand. Specifically speaking during the thread management and usage of patterns it was very much effective to keep concentrating on the local issues rather than thinking upon the 'unseen challenges of the later aspects of the project'. To me, planning the whole project and then breaking it down into modules cou ld be useful and beneficial approach for all experienced managers and for a team with a higher level of communication, support and trust within them. However, for groups like ours, I found it better to set some short terms goals, complete them and then proceed towards the later parts of the project. Indeed, I feel integration may be a problematic issue for very large projects but not of course for this project. From technical aspects, the most interesting parts of the project are thread management and usage of patterns. Understanding threads as a tool for concurrent programming within the application is an exciting experience. It took some time for me to get comfortable with thread programming because of its different nature as compared to other programming techniques. During the project it was not a big deal to apply threads; however, I think handling concurrency issues, race conditions and avoidance of deadlocks may wreak havoc in a heavily multithreaded application. To be honest, I still have to learn a true multi threaded environment and how to optimally use this powerful technique to improve the efficiency of the application. Improper usage of the threads may also cause unwanted delays and other vulnerabilities during the program. As compared to the agile programming approach I found 'Design Pattern' to be more complicated, interesting and powerful software design technique as a learner. A design pattern introduced by the gang of four is an incredible way to structure the application design for extensions, flexibility and more towards a generic design. INDIVIDUAL REPORT Threads Threads can be used for concurrent execution of the unit parts of the programs within the application execution environment. A program may be fragmented if no dependencies are found within each block and can be executed through threads concurrently. This concurrent execution speeds up the application and is very helpful for (some how) parallel processing tasks over a single process or. Fortunately, recent processors are significantly supporting the usage of threads and improving the program throughput quite noticeably. Furthermore the threads allow a programmer to accurately map the real world scenarios with the application as it was the case in our project too. There are several 'works' or 'processingââ¬â¢s' going on concurrently in the real world. Like, the
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
The Myths of Negotiating Dark Networks Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
The Myths of Negotiating Dark Networks - Article Example They clarify that ââ¬Å"in contrast to hierarchies, networks lack top-down command and authoritative dispute settlementâ⬠(2008: 11). While they acknowledge the commonly cited advantages of networked actors ââ¬â efficient communication and information processing, scalability, adaptability, resilience, and learning capacity ââ¬â they rightfully caution that all of these may not apply to every type of network. Eistrup-Sangiovanni and Jones identify three kinds of networks: the chain network, the wheel network, and the all-channel network. Illicit networks are primarily of the first two variants and many, if not most, suffer from ââ¬Å"inefficiencies and short life-cyclesâ⬠(2008: 17). The scholarship on networks, they claim, pays scant attention to historical evidence and extant studies of terrorism, insurgency, and organized crime. Dark networks suffer from information limitations and communication failures, poor decision-making and excessive risk-taking, restrictions on scope and structural adaptability, collective action problems due to (lack of) coordination, frequent security breaches, and learning disabilities (2008: 19-33). Using these limitations as an analytical framework, Eistrup-Sangiovanni and Jones examine the organizational structure of the al-Qaida, which appears to be a robust network-based threat in the 21st century. The al-Qaidaââ¬â¢s potency draws a lot from a hierarchical organization, which has been increasingly difficult to maintain as the group comes under sustained international pressure. Its capacity to undertake major operations ââ¬â like the ââ¬Å"9/11â⬠attacks ââ¬â dwindles as it more closely resembles a loosely structured network of actors; indeed, there have been more failed attempts than successful attacks since 2001 (2008: 35-40).
Saturday, November 16, 2019
The Indian laying Essay Example for Free
The Indian laying Essay This story introduces the theme of masculinity. Hemingway turns a typically female act, set in a female space into a male-dominated situation. Although this story is about childbirth, it focuses on the experience of the doctor rather than the woman. After the birth, Uncle George and Nicks father have a playful, exuberant camaraderie over the job well done. Another theme introduced is racism or sexism, Uncle George says damn squaw bitch to the Indian woman. Depending on how your interpret this remark, it could be racist or sexist, with the fact being we arent told. Another emphasis to racism is from Nicks father saying, I dont hear them (screams from woman) because they are not important. This remark could be argued is racist. Simply by adding these themes, Hemmingway has included a true-life prospective life and enhanced the interest of the story; otherwise without some themes this story could have been uninteresting. The language in the statements is quite abusive and downgrading. Although it could be argued they were not racist comments and just aggravated words from Uncle George perspective as he was bitten! In Nicks fathers view, we cant really tell if or not he is racist, as his words are not as downgrading as Uncle Georges. We can interpret his words to mean anything, for example it could mean he concentrates on the job, instead of being put off by the screams or it could mean, as she is a poor woman he doesnt simple care. After Nicks dad had finished his small operation he conversed a lot, using a simile He was feeling talkative as football players are in the dressing room after a game. . Then came Nicks interrogations of his experience he has had, Do ladies always have such a hard time having babies Why did he kill himself, daddy Do many men kill themselves, daddy Do many women where did uncle George go the father responds back minimally not many Nick Hardly ever Hell turn up alright. Childish language is present from Nick. The father could be uninterested in what Nick has to say or simply unable to answer Nicks questions and just tries to evade them, hence the short answers. The only violent situation in this story shows quite a gruesome image. The Indian laying with his face towards the wall. His throat had been cut from ear to ear. The blood had flowed down into a pool where his body sagged the bunk. His head rested on his left arm. The open razor lay, edge up, in the blankets. . The language and style is fairly simple, there is nothing complicated to read, the language is more like everyday words. It creates a bloody mental image with the paragraphs sharp words Throat Cut Blood Pool Razor, to mind it looks like a story for a movie. There was no build up to the situation; it is just the way that Uncle George found the Indian. The paragraph read out, is fast paced due to the varied action words above, lacking descriptive adjectives that could slow it down. The ending of the Indian Camp is a strange ending, In the early morning on the lake sitting in the stern of the boat with his father rowing, he felt quite sure that he would never die. Ernest Hemmingway creates a simple effect. I feel the ending has an element of ambiguity like this, to make the reader ponder and think about what Nick is trying to say. It leaves the reader pondering several interpretations in their mind. He could suggest he will never die, because his Father is with him who is a safe surgeon, or after viewing of what he saw of the operation, he felt safe if he had to go for an operation. The fact is we would never know, which keeps the beauty in the simple effect. Comparing the stories, they are two very different stories in terms of language, sentence structure, beginnings and endings. The language is completely different in terms of complexity with To Build a Fire far more complex than Indian Camp. The Sentence structure is far longer in To Build a Fire than The Indian Camp, the beginning and endings to say the least is different in its own way and the tone is different with the Indian Camp, being fast dues to its simple words and To Build a Fire, slower due to more complex words. Londons language contains similes and metaphors richer in description of places, people and events. Hemmingway pushes the action story to its limit. He takes it as far as he can by allowing the action to drive the story. Hence the ambiguity, as he cant explain the thoughts, feelings or beliefs, when he hasnt allowed himself that option from the start. In conclusion, the storywriters have completely different styles in terms of writing a story. The feature, similar in both books are both sets of characters enter a strange world, with the characters trying to adjust to their location, using any means possible. Desperation from the man to survive and desperation to keep Nick away from the shocking observations, loneliness in a place not many foreigners go to, inquisition to himself (the man) and from Nick and reservations from the man about not having a partner with him and reservations on Nick coming. The mere fact is, if this were not a foreign place, the individuals would not be as circumspect as they were then. Actions are the key features of both stories. Moreover the authors describe to us vividly a world that we will never experience. If the man thought of his action and went with a partner, would he be dead? If Nicks father did not bring Nick along, would Nick have been introduced to poverty, operations or suicide? This just proves that if you think hard before you act, all will be successful in which neither responsible characters did. The most comparable factor is the language, of the weather is mentioned. Indian Camp is dark and gloomy and To Build a Fire is exceedingly cold and grey. This truly outlines the writers intentions, to build a lonely approach on the basis of descriptive words.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Sir Gawain and Green Knight Essays: Plot Elements :: Sir Gawain Green Knight Essays
Plot Elements in Sir Gawain and the Green Knightà à The most striking feature of the organisation of plot elements in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the fact that the meaning of the poem is enacted by the shape of the narrative itself. The three major elements of the plot of this narrative: the Beheading Game, the Temptation, and the Exchange of Winnings are linked in a way which helps convey the meaning of the poem. The reader quickly realises the interdependence of the Temptation plot and the Exchange of Winnings plot. The bedroom scenes correlate with the hunting scenes - therefore each one must be understood in reference to the other. On each of the three days the behaviour of Sir Gawain corresponds to that of the animal, which had been killed on that day. On the first day he is cautious - like a deer; on the second he is more like a boar; and on the third he is cunning - like a fox. These are not the only similarities between the two plot elements . Hunting is generally used in literature as a metaphor for the pursuit of love - that is for courting. This metaphor had most probably already been known in the Middle Ages and was used by the Gawain Poet. The most important device used to make readers aware of the interdependence of these two plot elements is the technique of narration. Great care is taken to make sure the reader understands that the bedroom scenes and the hunt scenes happen at the same time. The narration jumps from the castle to the forest ââ¬Å"Pursuing the wild swine till the sunlight slanted./All day with this deed they drive forth the time/While our lone knight so lovesome lies in his bedâ⬠.(l 1467-1469). Each bedroom scene is ââ¬Å"insertedâ⬠into a hunting scene - which emphasises their simultaneity. The Beheading Game is also linked to the other two plot elements - but in a way which only becomes visible to the reader after having read the entire text of the poem. At first, the castle episode seems to be an interlude between the two parts of the Beheading Game. The reader awaits the climax - that is the second part of the Beheading Game. Finally it turns out that the real test has already taken place and the Game itself proves to be an anticlimax.
Monday, November 11, 2019
North Korea as a Nuclear power
It is now known that North Korea, continuing on the path of defying the international community, became a nuclear nation, or is close to becoming one within a short period of time, depending on a variety of factors.The latest declaration of the North Korean government regarding conducting a nuclear test is bringing the chapter of this country in what concerns its relations with the rest of the world to its final phases.According to Abramowitz and Lynch (2006), the White House wants the various members of the United Nations, especially those with permanent seats in the Security Council, to agree on immediate measures that can be considered as punitive actions against the government in Pyongyang. The two authors state that there are still doubts and questions concerning the ââ¬Å"the strength and success of the reported North Korean explosion, but there was little doubt among White House officials, lawmakers and outside experts that the action added a volatile new ingredient to an alr eady dangerous world environmentâ⬠.The doubts concerning the test are caused by two factors: First, that the United States and other countries do not trust what the regime of North Korea says, and the second is what was stated by Naughton and Knight (2006) when they reported that the test was done through the detenation of bomb underground, and that the explosion caused an earthquake measuring about 3.6 on the Richter scale. This gives us an idea that the explosive device was of some size around 500 tonnes, which makes its power reach the equivalent of one-thirtieth of the power of the bomb deployed against the city of Hiroshima at the end of the World War II.Even though there is total agreement between the permanent members of the Security Council to condemn this action, there are still certain doubts about the next steps to be taken. As it is widely known, North Korea is practically suffering from a regime of sanctions imposed on it by many countries (including the United Sta tes), but there are other elements to take into consideration. As Nichols (2006) reports, ââ¬Å"despite the hard-edged rhetoric, foreign policy analysts and nuclear experts pointed out the obvious: World powers have tried to bully, threaten, cajole, entice, sanction and sweet talk North Korea into the community of nations for 50 years, without success.â⬠This is a difficult reality to deal with, especially when we know that countries like China (and maybe Russia) are always reluctant whenever the discussions reach the point of severe sanctions. According to Jim Walsh, a North Korea expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the United States and Japan do not really have many options if China refuses to pass a strong resolution against North Korea (Nichols, 2006)The image that we have about North Korea, according to Harrison (2006), is not a correct one. The country is politically stable and is growing economically. ââ¬Å"North Korea is stable and there is more econom ic activity in Pyongyang than I have ever seenââ¬âmore cars and bicycles, better-dressed people, more restaurants, more small mom and pop stores, and above all more interest in making money.â⬠From this angle, we can understand why sanctions did not work in the past, and why it is possible that it would not work in the future; in addition to the fact that North Korean officials have already declared that ââ¬Å"sanctions imposed by the US were a declaration of war, and had forced it [the government of North Korea] to go ahead with plans for testing.â⬠The worrying factor here is the impact that is expected on the countries in the region: ââ¬Å"There are fears that a North Korean nuclear test could trigger a regional arms race. Japan could seek its own nuclear deterrent in a move that could aggravate historical tensions between Japan on one hand and China and South Korea on the otherâ⬠(The Guardian).The government in North Korea is a dictatorship that has a terrib le record in what concerns human rights and the persecution of political opposition and with subjects related to public freedoms. When a regime like that is allowed (or not completely opposed) to possessing nuclear weapons, this would create a grave threat to the world and it should be taken seriously.The duty of the international community is to responsibly deal with this responsibly, and to go through all the options that should stop the threat of a nuclear North Korea.REFERENCESAbramowitz, M. &à Lynch, C. (2006, October 10). U.S. Urges Sanctions on North Korea. à à à à à à à Washington Post. Retrieved October 10, 2006Naughton, P., & Knight, S. (2006, october 9). World searches for response to North Korea nuclear à à à à à ââ¬Ëtestââ¬â¢. Times Online. Retrieved October 11, 2006 from:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2395600,00.htmlNichols, B. (2006, October 19). Condemnation swift, but options are limited. USA Today. à à à à à à à Retrieved October 11, 2006, from:http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-10-09-nuke-test-reaction_x.htmHarrison, S. (2005, September 19). North Korea: A Nuclear Threat. Newsweek International. à à à Retrieved October 10, 2006Pyongyang defiant over nuclear test. (2006, October 4). The Guardian. Retrieved October 10, 2006, from:à http://www.guardian.co.uk/korea/article/0,,1887353,00.html North Korea as a nuclear power It is now known that North Korea, continuing on the path of defying the international community, became a nuclear nation, or is close to becoming one within a short period of time, depending on a variety of factors.The latest declaration of the North Korean government regarding conducting a nuclear test is bringing the chapter of this country in what concerns its relations with the rest of the world to its final phases.According to Abramowitz and Lynch (2006), the White House wants the various members of the United Nations, especially those with permanent seats in the Security Council, to agree on immediate measures that can be considered as punitive actions against the government in Pyongyang. The two authors state that there are still doubts and questions concerning the ââ¬Å"the strength and success of the reported North Korean explosion, but there was little doubt among White House officials, lawmakers and outside experts that the action added a volatile new ingredient to an alr eady dangerous world environmentâ⬠.The doubts concerning the test are caused by two factors: First, that the United States and other countries do not trust what the regime of North Korea says, and the second is what was stated by Naughton and Knight (2006) when they reported that the test was done through the detenation of bomb underground, and that the explosion caused an earthquake measuring about 3.6 on the Richter scale. This gives us an idea that the explosive device was of some size around 500 tonnes, which makes its power reach the equivalent of one-thirtieth of the power of the bomb deployed against the city of Hiroshima at the end of the World War II.Even though there is total agreement between the permanent members of the Security Council to condemn this action, there are still certain doubts about the next steps to be taken. As it is widely known, North Korea is practically suffering from a regime of sanctions imposed on it by many countries (including the United Sta tes), but there are other elements to take into consideration. As Nichols (2006) reports, ââ¬Å"despite the hard-edged rhetoric, foreign policy analysts and nuclear experts pointed out the obvious: World powers have tried to bully, threaten, cajole, entice, sanction and sweet talk North Korea into the community of nations for 50 years, without success.â⬠This is a difficult reality to deal with, especially when we know that countries like China (and maybe Russia) are always reluctant whenever the discussions reach the point of severe sanctions. According to Jim Walsh, a North Korea expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the United States and Japan do not really have many options if China refuses to pass a strong resolution against North Korea (Nichols, 2006)The image that we have about North Korea, according to Harrison (2006), is not a correct one. The country is politically stable and is growing economically. ââ¬Å"North Korea is stable and there is more econom ic activity in Pyongyang than I have ever seenââ¬âmore cars and bicycles, better-dressed people, more restaurants, more small mom and pop stores, and above all more interest in making money.â⬠From this angle, we can understand why sanctions did not work in the past, and why it is possible that it would not work in the future; in addition to the fact that North Korean officials have already declared that ââ¬Å"sanctions imposed by the US were a declaration of war, and had forced it [the government of North Korea] to go ahead with plans for testing.â⬠The worrying factor here is the impact that is expected on the countries in the region: ââ¬Å"There are fears that a North Korean nuclear test could trigger a regional arms race. Japan could seek its own nuclear deterrent in a move that could aggravate historical tensions between Japan on one hand and China and South Korea on the otherâ⬠(The Guardian).The government in North Korea is a dictatorship that has a terrib le record in what concerns human rights and the persecution of political opposition and with subjects related to public freedoms. When a regime like that is allowed (or not completely opposed) to possessing nuclear weapons, this would create a grave threat to the world and it should be taken seriously.The duty of the international community is to responsibly deal with this responsibly, and to go through all the options that should stop the threat of a nuclear North Korea.REFERENCESAbramowitz, M. &à Lynch, C. (2006, October 10). U.S. Urges Sanctions on North Korea. à Washington Post. Retrieved October 10, 2006,à from:à http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-à à dyn/content/article/2006/10/09/AR2006100900419_pf.htmlNaughton, P., & Knight, S. (2006, october 9). World searches for response to North Korea nuclear à à à à à à à à à à à ââ¬Ëtestââ¬â¢. Times Online. Retrieved October 11, 2006 from:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2395600,00.htm lNichols, B. (2006, October 19). Condemnation swift, but options are limited. USA Today. à à Retrieved October 11, 2006, from:à http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-10-09-nuke-test-reaction_x.htmHarrison, S. (2005, September 19). North Korea: A Nuclear Threat. Newsweek International. à à à à à à Retrieved October 10, 2006, from:à http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15175633/site/newsweek/Pyongyang defiant over nuclear test. (2006, October 4). The Guardian. Retrieved October 10, à à à à à à à 2006, from:à http://www.guardian.co.uk/korea/article/0,,1887353,00.html
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