Multinational Corporations (MNC’s) Essay

Introduction What is a Multinational Corporation (MNC’s)? Multinational companies are firms with their home base in one country and operations in many other nations. Most of these very immense firms establish in third word countries or developing countries where they could manufacture the same identical product for very low costs compared to establishing the same firm in the western countries producing that product. Although transnational corporations (TNC’s) are commonly thought to be synonymous with MNC’s they are infact different in several regards. The primary defining factor is that they keep their financial headquarters offshore to protect them from taxes. Ideally MNC’s are one which are global operating across borders with no single national emphasis. The first multinational, appearing in 1602, was the Dutch East India Company. A key concern with regards to MNC’s is their mobile nature. Logically they establish subsidiaries in countries where conditions are most favorable to their business operations. Very large multinationals have budgets that exceed those of many countries. Countries often offer incentive to MNC, such as tax breaks or lax environmental standards, in order to attract MNC into their country. They can be seen as a power in global politics. MNC’s are important vehicle for the movement of direct foreign investment. With Direct foreign investment, a firm in the country creates or expands a subsidiary in another through the use of international capital flows. Companies such as Reebok, Nike, Mcdonalds, DeBeers, Enron, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Toyota, Colgate, Cadbury are some of the multinational companies. Text. Positive Aspects of Multinational Corporation in an Economy -Creating Competitive Environment – Competition is not destructive; it has compelled multinational corporations to provide the world with an immense diversity of high-quality and low-priced products. Competition, given free trade, delivers mutually beneficial gains from exchange and sparks the collaborative effort of all nations to produce commodities efficiently. As a consequence, competition improves world welfare while dampening the spirit of nationalism and, thus, promoting world peace. -Boasting the Economy – There is evidence, which was supplied by World Bank and United Nations that multinational corporations are a key factor in the large improvement in welfare that has occurred in developing countries over the last forty years. These firms rent buildings and land, or sometimes buy them thus generating higher incomes for the owners. In 1998, 75% of foreign direct investment went to developed countries. Besides, labor costs alone do not determine where multinational corporations base their affiliates; other variables-such as political stability, infrastructure, education levels, future market potential, taxes, and governmental regulations-are more decisive and a boaster in the economy. -Help to reduce poverty – They can bring money into a country through employment and investment. Three quarters of international investment in developing countries is from MNCs and private sources. They create jobs, raise labour standards as in their absence, the people would have had fewer or much lower paying jobs. For instance in Bangladesh, Mexico, Shanghai, Indonesia, Vietnam, and elsewhere figures show that multinationals actually pay what economists call a â€Å"wage premium,† that is, an average wage that exceeds the going rate in the area where they are located. Affiliates of some U.S. multinationals pay a premium over local wages that ranges from 40 to 100 percent. -Welfare Activities Carried Out – MNC also organizes charitable funds for the welfare of the people of the countries where they are located. For example after the tsunami Schlumberger a well know MNC agreed to support four  children’s activity centers that now are being administered by the two charitable trusts. Each will accommodate 50 to 100 children who will receive nutrition, counseling, and education. -Spillover – This is a very good effect on developing economies; this refers to the fact that domestic firms learn productivity-enhancing techniques from foreign corporations with better technology and management practices. Production workers often learn better techniques while employed by foreign firms. Managers may learn about better practices by observing, or by having previously worked at multinationals themselves. And increased competition pushes all companies in an area where multinationals are operating to become more productive. -Reliability & Awareness – When a product is associated with an MNC it is considered to be a good quality product and genuine as these firms follow the same standards and procedures to manufacture it wherever they are, which goes with their goodwill and reputation all over the world. For instance a burger at Mcdonalds will taste the same in Paris or India. This reliability helps the consumers to distinguish between the MNC product and local product thus creating awareness. -No contribution to external Debts for Developing Countries – If the investment does not do well, the multinational corporations may lose their investment and the developing country does not receive the aforementioned benefits, but the developing country owes no restitution. As a result, multinational corporation investments do not contribute to the external debt problems of developing countries. Negative Aspects of Multinational Corporation in an Economy. Incidents such as the improper use in the Third World of baby milk formula manufactured by Nestle, the gas leak from a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, and the alleged involvement of foreign firms in the overthrow of President Allende of Chile have been used to perpetuate the ugly image of MNCs. The fact that some MNCs command assets worth more than the national  income of their host countries also reinforces their fearful image. And indeed, there is evidence that some MNCs have paid bribes to government officials in order to get around obstacles erected against profitable operations of their enterprises. Here are some negative impacts on the economy: -Exploitation of Labor – This can be proved by examples like companies like Reebok, Nike have exploited the labor in Indonesia. Workers live in deteriorating, leaky, mosquito – infested apartments and only earn a mere 39$ a month for producing thousands of products worth well over 100$ each. They encourage child labor as in poor countries where population is rising poverty is everywhere and children cannot afford to study are employed by these big firms thus jeopardizing their health and future. For instance in India one of the gem cutting industries DeBeers employed six-year-old children at work on dangerous polishing wheels, people living and sleeping at their workplaces, and trash, human feces and industry waste clogging the open sewers that run between the warren of gemstone workshops. In one factory almost half the workers were under-age. As diamonds are ground, fine dust enters and infects the lungs. Diamond cutting is among the top 10 hazardous and the employment of children under 15 is banned. However, the number of children employed in recent years has been rapidly expanding. -Polluting the Environment – Some MNC’s are also responsible for polluting the environment like throwing industrial waste in rivers, polluting the air etc. We had a very serious case in India the Bhopal Gas Tragedy where in over 40 tons of deadly methyl isocyanate, hydrogen cyanide and other gases leaked from a hazardously designed pesticide factory in Bhopal owned by US based multinational Union Carbide Corporation. Over 500,000 men, women and children were exposed to the poison clouds and at least six thousand people died within the first week of the disaster. The current death toll is well over 16,000. Hundreds of thousands of survivors continue to suffer from multi-systemic injuries. -Harming Domestic Investment – By pumping in foreign investments it  discourages domestic investments it is like the big fish eats the small fish in the ocean. Local products suffers and this intern discourages domestic investments -Monopolistic Power – Due to a large share in the economy they can exploit the countries on the basis of this like causing problems in aspects of human rights, economic fragility, corruption etc. -Human Rights Violations – Due to having substantial amount of power it allows them to easily find cheap labor in large quantities as a result the workers are exposed to hazardous conditions, over exertion and overall are subject to abuse of capital -owners. -Corruption – MNC can easily get their work done like acquiring a licence for manufacturing products which may cause damages to the environment or people by Bribing the officials and also exploit the government due to their stake in the economy thus encouraging corruption. Like the Enron project raised controversy for a number of reasons: there was no competitive bidding for the project. The project costs and power tariffs were higher than other power projects and the cost of electricity from Enron would be higher than before. The Maharashtra Electricity Board promised to buy all the high priced power produced by Enron even if cheaper power was available. No environmental impact assessment has been done. Natural gas is 90% methane, which is 20 times more damaging to the global climate than CO2. Each well produces thousands of tons of toxic drilling mud that contains arsenic, lead, and radium that severely affects the health of people. Conclusion. Determining the positions (in favor or against) of nation-states towards MNCs is a bit complicated and not always logical. Generally developed countries usually favor MNCs as it allows firms to make more profit with cheaper labor. With developing countries the stance is not very clear usually they will favor this in order to boost the economy and infrastructure. Thus delegates  must consider many complex economic factors that would help explain whether it is in their favor to support or oppose multinational corporations based on whether that particular developing nation has comparative advantage or not.

Alexander the Great and Wellington Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alexander the Great and Wellington - Essay Example They are expected to deliver the outcome that is positive to the society, thus enduring a formidable character to mange troops of soldiers to ensure that the outcome is achieved. Alexander and Wellington are among the historical leaders that go down in the generalship of armies as men with distinct character and personalities, leadership qualities and distinctive military philosophies. Both Alexander and Wellington, possessed personal leadership skills, which was exhibited by their superior bravery, broader knowledge, faster initiative and a better readiness to acknowledge responsibility, within the battle field. It is because of their superior courage that they were able to overpower their nemeses relentlessly until they achieved victory in the battle field. Because of their extraordinary courage they inspired their soldiers immensely and led by example while in the battle field. Their immense courage was displayed in the war at Trye, located in contemporary Lebanon reducing the str ongest and influential port in the Mediterranean in a battle that lasted for seven months and witnessed a mass slaughter of natives of the port, in the case of Alexander and the war at waterloo in the case of Wellington (Keegan, 26). The two leaders were also had a commendable understanding with their soldiers. They were more of companions as witnessed when for instance; they shared meals together as pals. They had trusted friends, who were mostly private companions that they associated with, all their life, and rarely exhibited self doubt, even when faced with difficult challenges. The two leaders did not misuse or mistreat their soldiers. They understood that they were humans and treated them as such to accomplish cooperation, respect as well as inspire. This enabled them to attend to the wounded and compliment exemplary work. They understood and accepted the weaknesses of their soldiers, their fears and selfishness which inclined toward the easier way and strived to counter these difficulties and ensure that their troops were on track and ready to fight. Leadership qualities Through their courage, the two leaders led their soldiers through inspiring and placed themselves, in the forefront of the battle line. Alexander inspired and bound heroic ideal by situating initially frightfully close and eventually in the forefront of the battle line risking his life, comparatively Wellington also commanded his army from close at hand thus inspiring them. These exhibits how these generals were risk takers. Speaking to his army Alexander said â€Å"I have no part of my body in front at least that is left without scars; there is no weapon, used at close quarters, or hurled from afar, of which I do not carry the mark. I have been wounded by the sword, shot with arrows, struck from a catapult, smitten many times with stones and clubs — for you, for your glory, for your wealth (homepage.eircom.net, 1)." These indicate what he went through as a leader of the soldier s. The two generals exhibited their leadership qualities as they managed to unite their troops and successfully manage them during the war. They managed their army in a considerably practical and psychological sensitivity. They ensured that their armies were well fed, entertained, flattered, well rested, rewarded and punished when they had to punish them. This ensured that they maintained the command of the army as well as outlined

Definition Essay: Racism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Definition of Racism - Essay Example Racism was institutionalized and given support from all quarters of the government as well as parts of the society. The Blacks were denied their Civil Rights and opportunity to participate in any political, social and economic matters. Racism also accounts for heavy prejudice based on race that entails discrimination and segregation against the race that is inferior. Racism was a very powerful force to reckon with in American society and hence the Blacks were neither favored nor given any prominence for any of their talent, which includes their artistic or intellectual abilities. They were not given admission to good educational institutions nor were they allowed to enter theaters or Hotels. Racism could also be described as the hatred or intolerance of one race towards another. Before and during the wars the Whites felt it below their dignity to induct the Blacks into the army. It is only when all the vacancies had been filled by the Whites and they badly needed hands to help in the war, did they begin recruiting Blacks who bravely served the country all through the war- some of them were so heroic that they served until their last breath. Racism wears different masks – but basically, the psychological pre-condition for racism is nothing but anxiety or contempt towards another race in order to secure or reassure themselves of their own identity. On a Philosophical level, we could say that racism does not provide room either for the unknown or the strange. All the facets of racism are dependent on the socio-economic, cultural and religious condition of any given society which reflects the over-emphasis of the skin color of a particular race. Racism is of many kinds. For example, in European History we have what is called state – organized racism where thousands of Jews were persecuted in History’s worst holocaust.  Ã‚  

Personal goal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Personal goal - Essay Example They are a great way to grant your life a meaning and boost your activities to enhance all the things that surround you   (Johnson, 65). After a clear understanding of all these aspects, it becomes easier to set career goals and make aware decisions regarding personal and professional developments. Through acquiring a business management degree, my career interest is to select and attain an International Institute of Business Analyst (IIBA) certification to further excel my career. I will work as a project manager to gain practical exposure. After few years of working in the same field, I will achieve a Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) certification along with Six Sigma (Lunenburg, 95-100). With the advent of globalization, the human resource has observed a significant trend in many organizations. Being a project manager, I would envision myself being assigned in different countries to carry out various projects. It is not astounding that related to the emerging interes t in an implementation of project management, I would be working in diversified projects with much more challenging jobs in comparison to today’s market. The effectiveness of globalization lies in the persistence and certain delivery of work and projects. After a basic planning has been elaborated and directed, functional aspects including managing implementation, projects and collaboration between offshore and on-site groups attain higher importance. Managers continue to expand experimental learning’s, specifically when it comes to interpretation planning into practical programs. Implementation of the Body of Knowledge will be supplemented by an approval of globalization, which is also my goal to achieve. One year from now, I would be acquiring specialized project management knowledge in a global context and within five years of time, I would be excelling with practical implementation of what I have learned and practice those theories in the international scenario. Af ter 10 years, I aim to be in the top managerial positions working with diversified backgrounds which will continue till I get the destined status in my field of operations (Morisano and Hirsh, 255–264). Globalization generally relates to various dynamics that can impact career or personal goal development process. Since I am looking forward to excel in the project management field, it will be drastically altered through globalization trends. Globalization has directed to multi-faceted, multi-cultured project groups that works across boundaries, across time zones, and in multiple dialects. It is now quite familiar to witness project groups utilizing internet-based tools for communication, instead of conventional group calls. Through globalization, I would be facing currency fluctuations all around the world that could raise the cost of material, data transfer between different nations can be extensively complex, and generating backup plans should any of the staff face difficul ties in other states is becoming more crucial  (Johnson, 65). Globalization is a conceptual phenomenon. It does not relate to a rigid thing. It is a societal procedure. Hence the conceptual framework of globalization is not easy to determine. To make precise, it is necessary to elaborate the entire theory in which our idea about globalization is integrated. Conceptualization requires drawing theories from reality. There are numerous dynamics of globalization that creates direct influence on personal and

The PROS and CONS ofImplantingInformation Chips in Humans Essay

The PROS and CONS ofImplantingInformation Chips in Humans - Essay Example Due to reason, several eras has come in healthcare practice to improve the medical record system of patients to the highest logical point. As the debate rages on how medical record system can be improved, scientists have been swift in incorporating technology into the whole system. With something that started with the need to switch from paper records of patients to computer database software in keeping records of patients, we today have proposals on implanting chips in people to keep their medical records. The device is known as the implantable medical ID. Stein (2004) explains that the device is â€Å"a microchip that can be implanted under the skin to give doctors instant access to a patient's records.† Already, the proposal to implement the implantable medical records has won government approval. For now, the best thing to do is to continue detain on the pros and cons of the device and technology to come to a logical conclusion on whether or not the system would be helpful in the discharge of medical duties. Pros Already, there are health gurus who have approved of the use of the implantable medical ID and have started using them already. ... Therefore if there is the need to switch hospital at any point in time or travel inter-state, the records of the user will be ready as and when they are needed. The second point has to do with the safety of the system. Clearly, papers get burn or soaked with water and computer software gets corrupted or crashed. Any of these situations temper with the safety of records. With the implantable medical ID however, the records remain intact as long as the patient is alive. Yet again, the implantable medical ID is very reliable in emergency situations. Indeed medical emergencies come unannounced and therefore make the need to going to get a person’s records in times of medical emergencies very difficult. With the implantable medical ID however, a patient does not have to worry about emergencies because the device caters for that. It is always available and reliable. These points are supported by Merrill (2009) who states that the implantable medical ID â€Å"was designed to provide his identification and immediate access to his medical history in the event of an emergency.† Cons The beautiful advantages discussed above notwithstanding, the implantable medical ID come with a number of cons or disadvantages. There are commentators who argue as to whether or not the implantation and its removal themselves do not pose health risks and threats. There are many critics who are of the view that even though it is easier implanting the chip, removing it can be very complicated. John Halamka, MD, CIO at Harvard Medical School and CareGroup in Massachusetts, for instance laments that â€Å"it’s easy to insert but challenging to remove. I have no plan to have mine removed† (Merrill, 2009). The second demerit has to do with the cost involved in

The Normal Distribution and Probability Research Paper

The Normal Distribution and Probability - Research Paper Example The variable of interest, as with any other ratio variable, has a true zero point. That is, it is possible for a participant to not type any word in one minute but may not be able to type any lower than that value. This true zero point is what separates interval level variables from ratio level variables (Agresti & Finlay, 2009, p. 107). Ratio level of measurement is considered the highest level of measurement because many descriptive statistics computations and inferential statistics techniques may be performed on such measures (Cohen, 1988, p. 53). Specifically, it is possible to find the mode (though not applicable on this particular example), median, mean, range, maximum, minimum, and standard deviation for ratio level measures. This variable is normally distributed because the values that it takes may be scattered on a plot, approximating a symmetric bell-shaped curve (Kazmier, 2004). That is, the graph is more concentrated on the central values and symmetrically decreases on both side of the bell-shaped graph. This is possible because more people can type the â€Å"average† range of values for words per minute and as these values go to the extremes (whether extreme high or extreme low), fewer people fall into those values. In terms of central tendencies, it is to be expected that the mean, median, and modal value for number of words typed per minute would be most likely the same value (Agresti & Finlay, 2009). Furthermore, since the sample size is quite large, normal distribution of data points almost always follows (Rubin, 2009). In a normal distribution, the probability value of a particular score is the likelihood of that score occurring in the sample data (which may be carried over to the population). In this particular example, it is the percentage of participants that typed a particular number of words per minute. Moreover, a

Human history Essay Example for Free

Human history Essay Human history has witnessed numerous examples of wars. Our history has taught us that wars are unique by nature. Different philosophers at different times were trying to generate solid philosophical understandings of what war and strategy were. As a result, we possess sufficient theoretical basis for discussing the philosophical foundations of war, yet we have not been able to predict our military failures. After the end of WWII the world has finally taken a deep breath, and people were confident that violence would never enter their lives again. However, we are still surrounded by constant risks of war, and continue witnessing the acts of violence, and murders. Certainly, contemporary wars are completely different from those at the beginning of the 20th century: the development of the new weaponry types and communication technologies, have turned the simplest military actions into highly sophisticated acts. The war in Iraq has critically impacted the military balance in the world, and it is interesting to see, how Iraqi war would be explained through the prism of various philosophic works. Clausewitz: On War Carl von Clausewitz has written a well grounded research on the philosophy of war. His theoretical assumptions make it possible to distinguish philosophic implications of military actions. Having evaluated what war is, Clausewitz was able to create a general structure of war, and I think that his ideas are easily applied to the issues of the war in Iraq. â€Å"War is nothing but a duel on an extreme scale. If we would conceive as a unit the countless number of duels which make up a war, we shall do so best by supposing to ourselves two wrestlers. Each strives by physical force to compel the other to submit his will to his will: each endeavours to throw his adversary, and thus render him incapable of further resistance† (Clausewitz 1989, p. 4). Although, this Clausewitz’ definition is very objective, grounded, and universally applicable (any war implies the fight of several opponents for power), there are some amendments which should be made in terms of war in Iraq. It is difficult to admit, but it is true, that the war in Iraq is nothing more than the fight for power: Clausewitz does not distinguish whether this might be economic, social, or military power, or some other different aspect of political superiority. Clausewitz risks applying limited perspectives to discussing what war is. In the fight between the two wrestlers, only one of them initially seeks superiority. As a result, at the initial stage of war, only one of the opponents fights for power and superiority. Clausewitz supports this line stating that â€Å"two motives lead men to war: instinctive hostility and hostile intention. In our definition of war, we have chosen as its characteristic the latter of these elements, because it is the most general†. Has the U. S. started the war in Iraq with hostile intentions? Probably, it has. Many of us argue the fact that the U. S. military actions in Iraq were primarily aimed at promoting democracy in the country. To be objective, hardly any democracy can survive in the whirl of blood, murders, terrorist acts and violence caused by military actions. However, in the fight between Iraq and the U. S. Clausewitz seems to have neglected one essential stage of developing military actions: the first stage is the military intervention, and it hardly looks as the fight of the two wrestlers. On the contrary, its image is similar to unexpected blow on the side of the opponent to which another wrestler cannot stand and falls. The situation described by Clausewitz is actually the next stage of war. Iraq required certain period of time to gather it strength and to enter the war as an equal. At the stage when we started to receive the reports on murders and terrorist acts against American soldiers, one could suggest that the war has turned into the discussed fight. However, in this fight one of the opponents was trying to prove his superiority, while the other tried his best to defend the integrity of his physical territory and peace in the country. We cannot but agree with Clausewitz that war is never an isolated act, and it is never a separated single military blow. â€Å"War does not spring up suddenly, it does not spread to the full in a moment; each of the two opponents can, therefore, form an opinion of the other, in a great measure, from what he is and what he does, instead of judging of him according to what he, strictly speaking, should be or should do† (Clausewitz 1989, 5) The war in Iraq had long prehistory. The United States were continuously trying to defend their position in this military conflict. It was evident that the war was inevitable. As a result it is difficult to argue the position of Clausewitz. Actually, the work of Clausewitz seems to be very close to what we currently witness in Iraq. Of course, we do not know much as none of us has fortunately participated in this campaign. All we have at our disposal are news reports and other secondary information, but this secondary information allows analyzing the events in Iraq from the viewpoints of several philosophers. Clausewitz creates a philosophic picture of war. He implies that war does not change its face, and the structure of military actions and interactions remains unchanged, no matter at what historical period of our development a war may occur. This does not really matter, whether we use nuclear weapons or fight in the open sea – the war is always the utmost use of force, which does not break out of sudden, and which is the means of proving one’s superiority. Jablonski: Roots of Strategy In his work, David Jablonski has evaluated the works of the four theorists, as applied to military actions and military strategies. It is surprising, that Jablonski was able to avoid bias in his discussion. It is even more surprising, that the works of philosophers written at the beginning of the 20th century seem to have predicted the exact course of events during the war in Iraq. This, on the one hand, continues the line found in the work of Clausewitz: the essence of military actions remains unchanged through the centuries. On the other hand, Jablonski’s selection helps us understand WHY the U. S. was involved into the war in Iraq, and has actually initiated it. â€Å"In the United States our people have been slow to realize the changed conditions. Isolated as we have been from possible enemies, the people could see little chance for aggression by others. Separated as we are from Europe by the Atlantic, and from Asia by the Pacific which form most certain and tremendously strong defensive barriers, we seemed to be protected by the design of the Almighty. [†¦] The vulnerability of the whole country to aircraft as distinguished from the old conditions that obtained when the frontiers or the coast had to be penetrated before an invasion of the country could be made, has greatly interested the people of the nation† (Jablonski 1999, 452) What facts do we have in the war against Iraq? First, the U. S. has for long been isolated from others’ aggression. Even during WWII the U. S. was not directly involved into military actions. The terrorist acts of 2001 have been a tremendous shocking therapy to the whole American nation. The continuous isolation from the direct aggression has made the U. S. senseless towards possible military and terrorist threats. The image of the almighty nation was rather exaggerated, and the events of 9/11 have proved this assumption. The terrorist attacks had to attract the attention of the U. S. to its vulnerability and to eliminate the discussed senselessness, but the country has misinterpreted these events. The senselessness has turned into aggression against the states which were suspected in promoting terrorism (Iraq is in the top list of such ‘promoters’). As far as the United States has not experienced any acts of continuous aggression, which it could not stand, it has not fully realized the continuous effects of military actions brought into Iraqi land. In the introduction to his book, David Jablonski puts emphases on the most critical elements of war. â€Å"Modern military forces normally work in an environment in which the major dilemma is that of properly matching continuity and change. [†¦] the core attribute to such thinking is to imagine the future as it may be when it becomes the past – a thing of complex continuity. † Thus, planning continuity and looking at military actions through the prism of the past is the crucial element in making this strategy reasonable and justified. What are continuous impacts that the U. S. has caused onto the Iraqi population? These are economic defeat, and the need to restore all social and political structures of the country. It is still unclear whether the U. S. was able to promote democratic ideals in Iraq, but it is evident that it has failed to apply the principles of â€Å"continuity through the past† to planning the Iraqi military strategy. Jablonski states that the significance of the theoretical works he discussed in his book is in that they are presented in a structured manner, and can be easily understood and applied in practice. It seems that both the U. S. in its war in Iraq, and the terrorists in their 9/11 attacks have applied the principles discussed by Jablonski: â€Å"sometimes implicitly, more often explicitly, they created images of how aerial destruction of ‘vital centers’, could bring a nation to its knees. After all, there were the examples of mass panic on the home fronts and mutiny in the trenches during the recent war. † Similar to Clausewitz, who creates parallels between military actions and wrestling, Jablonski also underlines the importance of the sudden effect. Consequentially, we come to understanding an interesting military controversy: military campaigns cannot be sudden, but the â€Å"sudden effect† of aerial or other destruction often determines the success of the planned military campaign. These two elements are integral to the U. S. intervention to Iraq, too. Liddell-Hart: Strategy There are the two crucial elements which make Liddell-Hart’s view applicable to the war in Iraq: first, the author extensively researches the historical implications of specific military actions, and second, he does not expand his research to broader notions, but is rather concentrated on the ‘cause-effect’ research. His book is in many instances similar to that of Clausewitz. This is why the author is initially biased. In both works the reader meets identical philosophical parallels: â€Å"To move along the line of natural expectation consolidates the opponent’s balance and thus increases his resisting power. In war, as in wrestling, the attempt to throw the opponent without loosening his foothold and upsetting the balance results in self-exhaustion, increasing in disproportionate ration to the effective strain upon him. Success by such method only becomes possible through an immense margin of superior strength in some form – and, even so, tends to lose decisiveness. † (Liddell-Hart 1991, 5) In this citation, we find many elements which have already been found in other philosophical works: loosening foothold may be paralleled to the sudden aerial attacks, while moving along the line of natural expectation is similar to complying with the principles of continuity and thorough planning. Simultaneously, it is difficult to apply this statement to the military actions in Iraq. If the U. S. used Liddell-Hart’s philosophical implications in developing its strategy in Iraq, it would never apply the means of sudden attack against the Iraqi nation. People in Iraq would not know what means being bombed. As a result, the U. S. would risk losing its powerful positions. The philosophic perspective created by Liddell-Hart is hardly applicable to the war in Iraq or to any other military campaign in contemporary world. In addition, when Liddell-Hart speaks about morale in war, he represents its too idealistic image: the violence of American soldiers against Iraqi people eliminates any possibility to link morale to the war in Iraq. Niccolo Machiavelli: The Prince â€Å"A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank. † This is another aspect of the war in Iraq, described in the terms of Niccolo Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Prince†. As Hitler used the war to prove his superiority and to create the nation of Aryans, the U. S. seems to be in constant need to prove its superiority to other nations. Several recent decades have turned into the years of constant fight, in which the U. S. always positioned itself as the leading and powerful nation: Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Yugoslavia, and finally, Iraq; who is going to be the next? Machiavelli makes special emphasis on the importance for the prince to understand and to possess the art of war: â€Å"a prince who does not understand the art of war, over and above other misfortunes already mentioned, cannot be respected by his soldiers, nor can he rely on them. † (Machiavelli, 2006) The best information and intelligence resources have been employed to develop a sound military strategy towards Iraq, yet the U. S. was not able to display a skilful approach towards Iraqi intervention. Numerous deaths of the American soldiers and their inability to find common language with the native population, whom they had to protect, suggest that the United States did not possess any sound military skills. Expectation of easy victory usually leads to easy failure. The war in Iraq has displayed the U. S. inability to analyze the world military history, about which Machiavelli speaks. The author refers to the importance for the prince to study the actions of illustrious men and to see how they behaved themselves during war. Being powerful does not mean being non-educated; being powerful means being skillful, reasonable, and objective. Military failures in Vietnam and Yugoslavia have not taught the U. S. any meaningful lessons. In distinction from Clausewitz, Liddell-Hart, and Jablonski, Machiavelli did not apply any historical perspectives to evaluating military strategies, but he was wise enough to emphasize the importance of historical lessons, and of the ability to properly evaluate these lessons. Peter Paret: Makers of Modern Strategy While Clausewitz applied the painting parallels to researching war, Paret has performed a profound research of several philosophic writings related to the topic of war. All authors he discussed in his book sought to answer several crucial questions: whether it was possible to evaluate war, whether it was a viable tool of foreign policy, and how ethical war was. Paret’s views are directly connected with the understanding of nuclear threats as applied to military strategies. Paret’s book is actually the selection of the major philosophic works and their evaluation. It seems that modern philosophers try to distance themselves from creating their own ideas about war, but prefer analyzing the ideas of others as applied to contemporary political and military environment. In the introduction to his book, Paret writes that â€Å"strategy is the use of armed force to achieve the military objectives and, by extension, the political purpose of the war. To those engaged in the direction and conduct of war, strategy has often appeared more simply, in Moltke’s phrase, as a system of expedients† Thus, war is initially the conjunction of political and military ideas. The war in Iraq is also the combination of political and military aims, but which of them prevails? In his book, Paret often cannot make a case. He states that Machiavelli lived during the time when warfare was unregulated and thus the relevance of his assumptions could decrease. However, who says that our warfare is regulated? Paret suggests that while Clausewitz supported the idea of war to be limited in time, goals, and strategies, there was no place to global military campaigns. Does this mean that local military conflicts similar to those in Iraq cannot expand beyond the geographical borders of the Iraqi nation? They can, and the conflict in Iraq has already stretched itself across the world. The war in Iraq has already turned into the political fight between the two opposing political camps, and the perspective of the global war has never been so close since the end of WWII. This is why it is difficult to understand the aim of Paret’s analysis. For the aims of objective military research, one should rather read the original works of philosophers, than their subjective interpretations made by contemporary authors. Sun Tzu: The Art of War â€Å"Whoever is first in the field and awaits the coming of the enemy, will be fresh for the fight; whoever is second in the field and has to hasten to battle will arrive exhausted. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him. [†¦] If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy from engaging us even though the lines of our encampment be merely traced out on the ground. All we need do is to throw something odd and unaccountable in his way† (Sun Tzu 1971, 24) The ideas of war produced by Sun Tzu, partially seem as odd as the instruments he offers to use if one does not want to fight. On the one hand, being first to the field also implies using ‘sudden’ tactics. On the other hand, what odd instruments could Iraqi people use to openly claim their desire not to start war with the U. S.? One should not repeat its tactics which had been successful earlier, but it should be regulated according to the constantly changing military environments. Moreover, using the tactics which has already proved to be a failure is a guaranteed double failure. The U. S. has not taken into account numerous important elements of an effective military strategy: being sudden does not always mean being successful. Aerial attacks make people fall to their knees, but do not break them completely. The U. S. develops a sound strategy of removing its military from the Iraqi territory. The aim is to turn retreat into a victory, which is virtually impossible. Until the U. S. is able to re-evaluate its defeats and tactics in previous military campaigns, it will have to be prepared to new military failures. Conclusion I think that each of the analyzed philosophers has something to say about the war in Iraq. Each of them discussed interesting elements of military strategy which could be applied to Iraqi military campaigns. Although certain views are limited, some risk being biased, and some cannot make the case at all, all of them deserve attention at least for having researched the question which we will hardly ever answer: What is War? It is never stable, it is always changeable, it always has a different face, and sometimes we even fail to recognize it from the start. One thing is evident: no matter how difficult a war can be, no excuses can justify our inability to fight well. BIBLIOGRAPHY Clausewitz, C. On War. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1989. Jablonski, D. Roots of Strategy. Book 4. Merchanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 1999. Liddel-Hart, Basil H. Strategy: Second Revised Edition. New York: Meridian Books, 1991. Machiavelli, N. The Prince. The Project Gutenberg, 2006. Available from http://www. gutenberg. org/files/1232/1232-h/1232-h. htm Paret, P. , G. A. Craig F. Gilbert. Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986. Sun Tzu. The Art of War. Translated by Samueal B. Griffith. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.