About the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a military alliance of countries from Europe and North America promising collective defense. Currently numbering 29 nations, NATO was formed initially to counter the communist East and has searched for a new identity in the post-Cold War world. Background In the aftermath of the Second World War, with ideologically opposed Soviet armies occupying much of Eastern Europe and fears still high over German aggression, the nations of Western Europe searched for a new form of military alliance to protect themselves. In March 1948 the Brussels Pact was signed between France, Britain, Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg, creating a defence alliance called the Western European Union, but there was a feeling that any effective alliance would have to include the US and Canada. In the US there was widespread concern about both the spread of Communism in Europe – strong Communist parties had formed in France and Italy - and potential aggression from Soviet armies, leading the US to seek talks about an Atlantic alliance with the west of Europe. The perceived need for a new defensive unit to rival the Eastern bloc was exacerbated by the Berlin Blockade of 1949, leading to an agreement that same year with many nations from Europe. Some nations opposed membership and still do, e.g. Sweden, Ireland. Creation, Structure, and Collective Security NATO was created by the North Atlantic Treaty, also called the Washington Treaty, which was signed on April 5th 1949. There were twelve signatories, including the United States, Canada and Britain (full list below). The head of NATOs military operations is the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, a position always held by an American so their troops don’t come under foreign command, answering to the North Atlantic Council of ambassadors from member nations, which is led by the Secretary General of NATO, who is always European. The centrepiece of the NATO treaty is Article 5, promising collective security: an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all; and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area. The German Question The NATO treaty also allowed for the alliance’s expansion among European nations, and one of the earliest debates among NATO members was the German question: should West Germany (the East was under rival Soviet control) be re-armed and allowed to join NATO. There was opposition, invoking the recent German aggression which caused World War Two, but in May 1955 Germany was allowed to join, a move which caused upset in Russia and led to the formation of the rival Warsaw Pact alliance of Eastern communist nations. NATO and the Cold War NATO had, in many ways, been formed to secure West Europe against the threat of Soviet Russia, and the Cold War of 1945 to 1991 saw an often tense military standoff between NATO on one side and the Warsaw Pact nations on the other. However, there was never a direct military engagement, thanks in part to the threat of nuclear war; as part of NATO agreements nuclear weapons were stationed in Europe. There were tensions within NATO itself, and in 1966 France withdrew from the military command established in 1949. Nevertheless, there was never a Russian incursion into the western democracies, in large part due to the NATO alliance. Europe was very familiar with an aggressor taking one country after another thanks for the late 1930s and did not let it happen again. NATO After the Cold War The end of the Cold War in 1991 led to three major developments: the expansion of NATO to include new nations from the former Eastern bloc (full list below), the re-imagining of NATO as a ‘co-operative security’ alliance able to deal with European conflicts not involving member nations and the first use of NATO forces in combat. This first occurred during the Wars of the Former Yugoslavia, when NATO used air-strikes first against Bosnian-Serb positions in 1995, and again in 1999 against Serbia, plus the creation of a 60,000 peace keeping force in the region. NATO also created the Partnership for Peace initiative in 1994, aimed at engaging and building trust with ex-Warsaw Pact nations in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and later the nations from the Former Yugoslavia. Other 30 countries have so far joined, and ten have become full members of NATO. NATO and the War on Terror: The conflict in the former Yugoslavia had not involved a NATO member state, and the famous clause 5 was first – and unanimously - invoked in 2001 after terrorist attacks on the United States, leading to NATO forces running peace-keeping operations in Afghanistan. NATO has also created the Allied Rapid Reaction Force (ARRF) for faster responses. However, NATO has come under pressure in recent years from people arguing it should be scaled down, or left to Europe, despite the increase in Russian aggression in the same period. NATO might still be searching for a role, but it played a huge role in maintaining the status quo in the Cold War, and has potential in a world where Cold War aftershocks keep happening.   Member States 1949 Founder Members: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France (withdrew from military structure 1966), Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, United States1952: Greece (withdrew from military command 1974 – 80), Turkey1955: West Germany (With East Germany as reunified Germany from 1990)1982: Spain1999: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland2004: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia2009: Albania, Croatia2017: Montenegro

Ph Scale Free Essays

The pH Scale is a scale made to show how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The pH of something is measured with pH paper which can vary from wide range paper, which covers all ph’s, but is not as accurate at some others. There are pH papers that get very specific that can have a range such as 2 or 3 and get much more precise. We will write a custom essay sample on Ph Scale or any similar topic only for you Order Now The neutral on the scale is 7. Anything that is below 7 is considered acidic and anything above 7 is considered alkaline. Acidic substances contain more H+ than OH-. H+ stands for a positively charged hydrogen ion and OH- stands means a negatively charged hydroxide ion. This means something with the pH level of 4 is more acidic than something with the pH level of 9. When an acidic substance is out into another substance the original substance turns more and more acidic. The acids will begin to break down the proteins. The opposite happens with an Alkaline substance. The Alkaline has a negative charge so when placed into a substance it pushes the substance away and then quickly blends in. The proteins do not get broken down, they all mix together and become paler. The reason why pH is important in biology is because the pH of a cells interior helps regulate the cell’s chemical reactions. The cells in the human body need to regulate the chemical reactions in order to grow and to survive. For example, urine has the pH level of 6, which is slightly acidic, and blood has the pH level of about 7. 4 which is slightly alkaline. When the pH of blood changes it is often caused from a failed kidney function. Humans are not the only thing with pH in them however. All living animals have pH inside of them, however our blood pH’s and theirs can vary greatly. Animals such as crabs and clams have a acidic blood pH. Others like dogs have a blood that has a pH level that is alkaline. Conclusion: After observing the effects of an Alkaline and acidic substance on a neutral substance I am able to conclude that the pH level changes. When an Alkaline substance is added to a neutral substance the pH level rises due to the amounts of OH-. Eventually the pH level did even out. When the alkaline substance is added it also causes the substance to loose color. The Acidic substance has quite the opposite effect. When added to the milk the milks pH level dropped and became acidic. The milk became a grayish color and began to chunk up. Eventually the milks pH level did level off and the milk became more like a liquid again. With this being said when an acidic or alkaline substance is added to something, they not only change the pH level, but also they change the appearance. How to cite Ph Scale, Papers

The book 1776 free essay sample

The book starts off with the battle of Bunker Hill, where the Americans are defeated by the British. The Americans recovered and attempted an attack on Boston. The British were caught by surprise, causing them to surrender and retreat back to England on their ships. The American spirit could not be any higher and Washington earned many great honors. After returning back from England, the British victory would no longer last. They had with them a substandard navy that would leave the America’s speechless. America’s then went to New York and lost Boston with no trouble. The British highly underestimated the Americans and thought they could defeat them without any problems. Americans were then forced to retreat to New Jersey, causing them to lose valuable territories. Many Americans contradicted themselves and went back to the British to show their loyalty towards the king. The British then had many more defeats and retreats by General Washington and his inexperienced army. We will write a custom essay sample on The book 1776 or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page While British had many navy based ports, Washington was suffering from his loss with other states. Washington’s army soon began to doubt him, but kept everyone all together. The turning point came when Washington demanded his army to cross the Delaware River and then began the Battle of Trenton. It was the first battle that gave the Americans hope for the cause after the British evacuation of Boston in 1775. Washington was beginning to become a mythical figure after he led the defeat of the British and pushed them back out of Trenton. 1776 focuses tightly on the events of one single year, one that saw 13 colonies of British North America break with the mother country and commence the long and bloody struggle to form a new nation. McCulloughs account brings us closer than ever to the familiar figures of the conflict, such as George Washington and King George III, while introducing us to a larger cast of characters whose lives history has nearly overlooked, the soldiers and citizens whose sacrifices made the new republic possible. On its publication in 2005, McCulloughs 1776 received glowing reviews and became an instant bestseller. David McCullough was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a student at Yale he met the author Thornton Wilder, and after considering careers in politics and in the arts, was inspired to become an author. After college McCullough moved to New York City and worked as an editorial assistant at Sports Illustrated. Swept up by the excitement of the Kennedy era, he moved to Washington and became an editor and writer at the United States Information Agency. In 1964, he became a full time editor and writer for American Heritage. He wrote his first book at night and on weekends while working full time. The Johnstown Flood, inspired by the great catastrophe that struck his native region in 1889, was an unexpected bestseller in 1968. Its success emboldened him to quit his job and commit to a full time writing career. Since then he has published a series of many different types of history and biography books, all of which have won a giant popularity with the reading public. The Great Bridge (1972) recounted the building of Brooklyn Bridge. The book has served as the basis of a memorable documentary film, which was nominated for an Academy Award. David McCulloughs own voice was heard as the narrator of this film, and of The Johnstown Flood. In Mornings on Horseback (1981), McCullough recounted the youth of President Theodore Roosevelt. The book won him a second National Book Award, this time for Biography. In the 20 years since McCullough has taken an interesting interest in the lives and character of Americas presidents. He was awarded his first Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for his biography of President Truman, and is often called upon to discuss the presidency in the news media. At the time of his interview with the Academy of Achievement, David McCullough had begun work on a biography of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. The second and third presidents were allies in the struggle for independence, but became unpleasant rivals in the early years of the republic. After their back-to-back presidencies, they resigned and carried on a warm and intriguing correspondence for the rest of their lives. By an unexpected coincidence, they died on the same day, July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of Americas independence. As his work on the book progressed, McCullough became increasingly intrigued with the character of John Adams. Convinced that Adams had not received his historic due, in comparison with the more celebrated Jefferson, McCullough decided to dedicate his entire book to Adams. The result topped The New York Times bestseller list from the week it went on sale, and won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Biography. McCullough continued to explore the events and personalities of the revolutionary era in 1776. In the process of writing the book, David McCullough was so interested in researching more on John Adams. He went back to the date of when John Adams had signed the Declaration of Independence and stopped researching on the date America had finally signed the Peace Treaty. All of the events that led up to then were all in chronological order and were in basic details. As he was researching, he came across General George Washington and decided to research him some more too. He had found out that due to his inexperienced self, the America’s had lost everything that they ever had. Eventually they gained it back, whenever they signed the Peace Treaty with Britain. While reading this book, I found out the basic history of the mid 1770’s and how America had gotten everything that they once owned back. David McCullough expressed the important dates very well. The way he started this book was marvelously outstanding. It actually allowed me to open and feel like I was there whenever I was reading it. Nothing else would have taught me so much more than this one. During the reading, I noticed how David McCullough kept mentioning General George Washington and his army. Seeing how he was not there whenever the wars and the Declaration of Independence was being signed, he managed to go back and research tons of information that allowed him to express his thoughts. It sort of inspired me to look further more into history about the United States.

Abraham Lincoln free essay sample

Improvement is like an angel that visits those in need. It knows no bounds in aiding people who begs its presence. In President Lincolns Second Inaugural Address, he summons this angel of improvement. With the final drops of blood having been spilled in the Civil War, Americans looked down the road, questioning that which lay ahead. Through his use of personification, parallelism, and biblical allusion, Lincoln swiftly and justly answered. Showing the poise of a man worthy of the title President, Lincoln demonstrates courage and forthrightness in the face of adversity. War can tear a country in two almost as fast as a bullet can hit a target. The Civil War did just that in the United States. Luckily, by the time Lincoln made his speech, the monster that was the American Civil War had speedily passed away. Lincoln refers to this war as a mighty scourge in order to allow the people to sink their teeth into just how bad it was. We will write a custom essay sample on Abraham Lincoln or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Hundreds of thousands laid dead, millions injured, and half of America in ruins. Lincoln saw the anguish the nation faced and felt the people deserved to see it as well. Lincoln also talked of the need to bind up the nations wounds. He had realized countries were almost humanlike; they were made up of many parts and all were necessary for proper function. In America, the citizens were these tissues and organs, and there was no better way for them to come to the aide of their country than with a strong sense of nationalism. In a blaze of glory, Abraham Lincoln, using strong personification, helped restore a nation that was once clasped tight in the hands of chaos and destruction. The War Between the States, though appearing riled up by anger and fury, was actually extinguished through faith and fear. Lincolns use of parallelism in lines 61 and 62 helps to stomp down the remaining embers of the hostilities. Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray conveys Lincolns notion that even in a time of war, America was still bound together. It took all Americans to start the war, and all Americans to end it as well. Such syntax was meant to heal the people of the US and remind them of the strong brotherly bond they all held. Parallelism can also be seen from lines 70-76. Lincoln pleads that the people bury the hatchet and let bygones be bygones, having malice toward none and charity for all. His repetition of infinitive verbs is the ideal ending for his address, giving people the hope they need to push on for a better future. Littered throughout President Lincolns Second Inaugural Address are several biblical allusions and references. When discussing both blacks and whites, Lincoln states Both read the same Bible, and both pray to the same God. Such powerful words were meant to breakdown the barrier between blacks and whites in order to catalyze the rebuilding of the country. Lincoln also reminds the countrymen that The Almighty has his own purposes and the war could easily have been strung out longer. By talking about faith and God, Lincoln forces Americans to feel protected, united, and to want to do more for their ailing country. His rhetorical appeal to ethos also grows, as Lincoln comes off not as a man riddled by war, but as a man held in place by religion. Through this, Lincoln allows his argument for uniting America to truly come full circle. To finalize the analysis, Honest Abe sprinkles personification, parallelism, and biblical reference onto his inaugural address to open the eyes of the American people. The war was over, and there was no turning back. Rebuilding had to happen, and Lincoln made sure it would. Long gone were the days of families being torn and whole cities being burned. Whether black or white, North or South, Abraham Lincoln had to fix the people before he could fix the country. With an inaugural address that had something for everyone, Lincoln instilled the patriotism he himself felt into his fellow Americans.

The American Experience

The American Experience Introduction The United States of America is a country that is faced by several social issues that are both positive and negative. The family institution is an example of an institution faced with many issues such as divorce.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The American Experience specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to court records, divorce is an act that has been practiced widely in the United States of America since the 1600s and by early 1880, one marriage ended up in divorce out of fourteen to sixteen married couples. According to Kreider and Fields (2001), out of 2.4 million marriages that are celebrated annually, 1.2 million divorces occur yearly in the United States of America. This has left sociologists asking themselves the reason behind the increasing rate of divorce in the American society. Divorce Divorce is defined as dissolution of marriage by the parties involved through a judgment by court of law or accepted customs. Divorce has been identified as a major problem in the United States based on the data obtained by research personnel, organizations, media centre’s and the cases filed and decided by the courts of law. According to Jennifer Baker, 50% of first marriages, 67 % of second marriages and 74% of third marriages end up in divorce in America. This shows how difficult it is to maintain one’s marriage in the United States due to the significance of marriage held by the Americans (Kreider Fields, 2001). According to Riley and Glenda (1991), divorce is most common in couples with three or more children, young married couples and couples with low economic status. Factors Influencing Divorce There are several factors that influence divorce among couples in the United States of America. Some of the factors include culture, age, and socioeconomic issues among others. Divorce has both its merits and demerits to the couples, the children and the society. Divorc e affects children as they may end up losing their communication ability with their opposite sex and it may affect their perception towards marriage (Kelly Emery, 2003). The problem of unrealistic expectations is one of the factors influencing divorce in the American society as many spouses do not rely on each other financially. They only rely on each other for sexual gratification, nurturance, affection and understanding for their happiness. In absence of these comforts, one or both of the couples will begin outsourcing the absent ingredients in the marriage thereby leading to divorce. Socioeconomic status of the spouses is another influencing factor in that marital success is facilitated by education and the income levels of the spouses. Education promotes the effectiveness of communication between couples with easy resolution of their differences. On the other hand, economic hardships generate stress and with increased hardships and disagreements over finances, emotional support between the spouses decreases thereby leading to divorce.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Life course variables are another factors influencing divorce. In a marriage, presence of children and the duration of marriage are incorporated by timing and duration of events. With respect to marriage age, young married couples tend to experience more problems than the couples who married at older ages and for this reason, they have higher chances of divorcing. Conclusion Many factors have been cited as the cause of divorce and they include culture, age, and socioeconomic issues among other factors. However, divorce as observed in the United States of America is promoted by the society as a whole and is highly welcomed and appreciated by the society despite the negative effects it has on the family both the couples and the children. Divorce has granted several couples their fr eedom and burdened others with added responsibilities of raising children on their own. References Kelly, J. B. Emery, R. E. (2003). Children’s adjustment following divorce: risk and resilience perspective. Family Relations, 52, 352-362. Kreider, R. M. Fields, J. M. (2001). Number, timing, and duration of marriages and divorces: Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau. Riley, Glenda. (1991). Divorce: an American tradition. New York, NY: Oxford UP.

Review the impact of Belbin's team roles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Review the impact of Belbin's team roles - Essay Example In the healthcare setup, teams have various functions and they play a pivotal role in the success of that given organisation. As such, this essay seeks to critically analyse the impact of Belbin’s team roles on the following areas: conflict management, leadership styles and decision making with reference to the attached case study. The essay will start by explaining the meaning of teamwork as well as outlining Belbin’s team roles and how they can be applied to the given case study in relation to different areas mentioned above. Different approaches to team roles Basically, a team is a group of people that has been formed to work together in common, cooperative action towards the achievement of an outcome and for the benefit of the group rather than for individual benefit (Schultz, 2005). The goal of teamwork is synergy whereby the sum of the individual efforts in the team is greater than the sum of the individual inputs. Thus, teams have different needs, and members sho uld be selected for a team on the basis of their personalities, skills and preferences (Robbins, 2003). Effective teams match people to various roles and these refer to patterns of behaviour attributed to a team member in a specific position in the team. Roles play a part in task building and relationship building towards the attainment of the set organisational goals. Dr R Meredith Belbin, a world renowned guru on team building identified eight distinct roles that people in teams play and it can be noted that people can and often do assume more than one of these roles (Henry & Stevens, 1990). Different roles that people play in teams include the following: chairman, plant, resource investigator, shaper, monitor/evaluator, company worker, team worker and completer/finisher. These different roles are going to be used in relation to the given case study in the discussion below. Situation analysis In the given case study, it can be noted that it involves inter professional working and focuses on the potential difficulties in achieving effective working relationships between practitioners from different professions with regards to a family that is negatively impacted by the abuse of drugs. Mary Brown has a habit of abusing drugs as well as alcohol and George Smith, the boyfriend is also a drug addict. The children, Joe, Lucy and Tom also have very bad behaviour as a result of their background as well as abuse of the drugs. In other words, this calls for concerted efforts by practitioners from different professions in order to meaningfully assist this family. The professionals involved in this case are Mark, the drug counselor, Ann, the social worker, Iva, the police, Iknowa the teacher and Imean the welfare officer. However, it appears that there is no mutual understanding among these professionals about the appropriate action that can be taken in order to effectively assist this family given that communication is not very effective. As such, this discussion is go ing to focus on the impact of Belbin’s team roles with regards to the case involving health and social care. Conflict management In any given organisation, it can be noted that conflict is regarded as a natural phenomenon, which is inevitable though it can be solved depending on the

Anecdote Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Anecdote - Essay Example This is precisely the reason why beauty of art and literature does not affect as anymore. In the meanwhile, art is also transforming humbly, digressing from its earlier norms and requiring more skills to analyze it and understand it. At the same time, no matter how obese Americans are, no matter how indifferent they have become towards political and economic issues around them, a desire of human contact and affection remains there. However, it is hard to identify if this need is sufficient enough to provoke one to notice beauty of life once again. Tuma mentioned that there are rays of hope still available by mentioning a dying lady who is more than willing to take care of nature and protect it. Hence, life has evolved, people even art has shown evolution. It’s just a matter of time when this change becomes acceptable and becomes part of our lives without making us socially ignorant. Part B In my view, anecdote is an interesting way of telling a story and creating main theme by using abstract ideas and symbolization. Detailed analysis of Tuma’s mannerism of telling an anecdote helped me in understanding that in order to tell a story, one does not need to be straight forward. One has to leave an element of surprise and let the reader think and get indulge in the story. Similarly, events defined should be interwoven effectively and whole fabrication must follow a logical pattern. However, the element of surprise must not be aggressive that readers find it hard to relate to anything that they are aware of. Simple example can be Tuma’s anecdote called ‘Shooting the Air’. When he began, the readers had no clue what he is about to talk about and this was... Anecdote is an interesting way of telling a story and creating main theme by using abstract ideas and symbolization. Detailed analysis of Tuma’s mannerism of telling an anecdote helped me in understanding that in order to tell a story, one does not need to be straight forward. One has to leave an element of surprise and let the reader think and get indulge in the story. Similarly, events defined should be interwoven effectively and whole fabrication must follow a logical pattern. However, the element of surprise must not be aggressive that readers find it hard to relate to anything that they are aware of. Simple example can be Tuma’s anecdote called ‘Shooting the Air’. When he began, the readers had no clue what he is about to talk about and this was precisely the gist of his writing, ignorance towards society and art. He began with simple cluster of unrelated event and went onto explanation of a dead man followed by Iraq war and Americans’ indiffere nce attitude towards government policies. By explaining series of unrelated events, he continued to demonstrate how art has evolved over the period of time; it is abstract with a certain degree of humility. Hence, reader continues to ponder what element he will discuss in the next paragraph. An anecdote has to have a degree of spontaneity and surprise in it which is what Tuma’s writing is all about.