Israel And Palestinians example essay topic

AFTER THE WORLD CRIED In years after the conclusion of World War II the worlds economy had to build itself up and get itself back on its feet. Through destruction and financial stress the world as a hole would eventually build itself back up and thrive through hard work and a steady sense of nationalism to be the very best. The second World War wiped out Europe's economic base as well as their self confidence in their ability to defend themselves effectively. Right after the war was over there were different avenues of cooperation by the putting together of different organizations such as the OEEC (Organization for European Economic Cooperation) in 1948 to distribute Marshal Aid; and in 1960 the OEEC was redefined as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In the late 50's and the early 60's there was rapid growth in the economy. (War, Economy and Society: 1939-1945, ALAN S. MILWARD p. 258) The EEC was proving to be quite successful.

Until their was a mild setback when President De Gaulle came into power for wanting European integration to be conducted with a confederate structure. From 1970 to 1990, Eastern European nations realized they needed a change in their governments as well as economies. Politically, reformers wanted to end party-state dictatorships and move towards a democracy. Economically, centrally planned economies were unsuccessful due to increased bureaucracy, excessive centralization, and debt obligation. Revolutions in Eastern Europe changed countries towards market-oriented economies and democracies. Countries of the Eastern European had a similar goal in the 1970's and 1980's: to end party-state dictatorships.

Under party-state dictatorships, one political party dominated the government and citizens had little participation in the government. Reformers wanted opposition parties and multiparty elections. Eastern Europe's repressive governments suppressed any and all anti-Communist rebellions and criticisms of the government. In 1985, Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev introduced his reform of glasnost, or openness. This allowed citizens of Eastern Europe to voice their opinions on the party and government. (MILWARD p. 162) Eastern Europe suffered from many economic problems.

Many countries owed debt to Western nations. Central planned economies were inefficient and slowed economic growth. New industries could not be formed due to lack of capital. Productivity halted under bureaucratic control. Many reformers wanted more competition between industries and incentives for workers. Gorbachev introduced his reform of perestroika, or economic liberalization, in 1985, but reformers still were not happy.

Citizens of Eastern Europe responded to economic and political problems by acting against the Communist dictatorships. In Poland, an independent trade union was formed, named Solidarity. Solidarity and its leader, Lech Walesa, demanded free elections and a role in government. In 1989, Solidarity won in an open election and Communist rule ended in Poland. This peaceful, or "velvet", revolution influenced other countries to act against the government.

In Hungary, reform movements such as forming opposition parties turned into revolution. Peaceful demonstrations calling for the Communist dictatorships in East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria led to revolution. Romania was the only country that had a violent revolution. (The Ordeal of Total War: 1939-1945, GORDON WRIGHT p. 45) The relationship between Japan and Europe has changed dramatically over the last 50 years. The relationship between Japan and Europe are at what could be described as the single biggest turning point in post war history.

In the past the relationship has been solely an economic one, characterized by trade frictions and discord. The concept of the US-Europe-Japan three-way relationship being linked, with the Europe-Japan link being much weaker than the other two is seen to be a useful and realistic one. However, in spite of the economic and cultural obstacles in the way of collaboration, contacts at the political level are multiplying steadily as it is recognized that the two regions have many common values and problems. The general trend is towards an improving relationship in the future, but on a different level to that established previously. (WRIGHT p. 110) Now Japan over the past 45 years has experienced some economic difficulties such as rebuilding of the war torn developed country, their oil crises, and the sharp appreciation against the U. S dollar. In the late 70s'Japan started to focus on trade and to begin to bring their economy from under expectation to today being the second strongest in the world The Japanese economy is one of the strongest in the world.

Only the USA has a higher GNP. The Japanese currency is the Yen. Exports: Japan's main export goods are cars, electronic devices and computers. Most important single trade partner is the USA which imports more than one quarter of all Japanese exports. Other major export countries are Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, China and Singapore. Imports: Japan has a large surplus in its export / import balance.

The most important import goods are raw materials such as oil, foodstuffs, and wood. Major suppliers are the USA, China, Indonesia, South Korea, and Australia. Industries: Manufacturing, construction, distribution, real estate, services, and communication are Japan's major industries today. Agriculture makes up only about 2% of the GNP.

Most important agricultural product is rice. Resources of raw materials are very limited and the mining industry rather small. (Wright p. 234) Communism in the USSR was doomed from the onset looking less to be desired as well as the Japanese economy but for different reasons. Communism was condemned due to lack of support from other nations, condemned due to corruption within its leadership, condemned due to the moral weakness of humanity, making what is perfect on paper, ineffective in the real world.

The end of this system was very violent. It left one of the two most powerful nations in the world fearful of what was to come. Communism can either be called a concept or system of society. In a society that follows the communist beliefs groups own the major resources and means of production, rather than a certain individual. In theory, Communism is to provide equal work, and benefits to all in a specific society.

Communism is derived from many ancient resources, including Plato's Republic and early Christian communities. In 1917, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in their Communist Manifesto finalized the philosophy of Communism. (Broken Empire: After the Fall of the USSR, GERD LUDWIG 85) The people of Russia were so accustom to the way of life under Communism; they were left with little democratic tradition. Russia was faced with one of the toughest tasks, economic democratization. But freedom did not take hold in Russia after the break-up. Instead of forging ahead with property rights and free markets, Russians devolved into a collection of turf wars, with ethnic groups, former rulers, organized crime and various other groups competing to survive.

Out of the former Soviet-controlled states, the one that proceeded fastest and furthest with free-market reform instead of controlled business -- the Czech Republic -- has done the best economically by far. The ones that at least moved closer to free markets, including Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland, are doing all right but still struggle. Russia, who moved least to free markets, whose economy continued to be based on payoffs, bribes and tribute, has done the worst economically and culturally. Yet this catastrophe is often blamed on moving too fast with economic reforms. (Ludwig p. 312) Today Russia's economy is in disorder. The standard of living for most people in incredibly low.

It may be even lower now then during the Communist rule due to the long-term effects of the break up of the Soviet Union. One of the major factors for the fall of Communism is the government did not live up to it's promise of a better life for all, and the failure of government to deal properly with social and foreign affairs. Russia is now faced with a task that may seem impractical, and a journey that may take many years, but it is believed one-day Russia may regain a well-balanced government. Arab-Israeli Conflicts Since the United Nations partition of PALESTINE in 1947 and the establishment of the modern state of ISRAEL in 1948, there have been four major Arab-Israeli wars (1947-49, 1956, 1967, and 1973) and numerous intermittent battles. Although Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1979, hostility between Israel and the rest of its Arab neighbors, complicated by the demands of Palestinian Arabs, continued into the 1980's. THE FIRST PALESTINE WAR (1947-49) The first war began as a civil conflict between Palestinian Jews and Arabs following the United Nations recommendation of Nov. 29, 1947, to partition Palestine, then still under British mandate, into an Arab state and a Jewish state.

(A History of Middle East Economies in the 20th Century ROGER OWEN p. 17) Fighting quickly spread as Arab guerrillas attacked Jewish settlements and communication links to prevent implementation of the UN plan. Jewish forces prevented seizure of most settlements, but Arab guerrillas, supported by the Trans jordanian Arab Legion under the command of British officers, besieged Jerusalem. Britain should have left Israel and Palestine alone after all of the Jews trying to escape persecution flooded the lands. I'm afraid that these lands will be battle ridden until the end of time unless someone intercedes and makes a compromise that both parties agree upon. A brief outlook on some Middle East history.

Concise Overview of Recent Israeli-Palestinian History (pp. 134-135) Nov 2, 1917 British issued the Balfour Declaration, viewed by Jews and Arabs as promising a "National Home" for the Jews in Palestine. 1936-1939 Arab Revolt led by Haj Amin Al-Husseini. Over 5,000 Arabs were killed according to some sources, mostly by British. Several hundred Jews were killed by Arabs.

Husseini fled to Iraq and then to Nazi Germany. May 15, 1948 Israel War of Independence (1948 War). Declaration of Israel as the Jewish State; British leave Palestine; Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia declared war on Israel. Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian invasion began. April 3, 1949 Armistice - Israel and Arab states agree to armistice.

Israel gained about 50% more territory than was originally allotted to it by the UN Partition Plan. The war created over 780,000 Palestinian refugees who fled or were evicted from Jewish held areas. Gaza fell under the jurisdiction of Egypt. The West Bank of the Jordan was occupied by Jordan and later annexed, consistent with secret agreements made with the Zionist leadership prior to the initiation of hostilities.

Oct. 29, 1956 Suez Campaign. In retaliation for a series of escalating border raids as well as the closure of the straits of Tiran and Suez canal to Israeli shipping, and to prevent Egyptian use of newly acquired Soviet arms in a war, Israel invades the Sinai peninsula and occupies it for several months, with French and British collaboration. Israel withdraws after a UN peace keeping force is placed in Sinai, and US guarantees right of passage for Israeli shipping through the Straits of Tiran. May, 1964 PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) founded with the aim of destroying Israel. The Palestinian National Charter (1968) officially called for liquidation of Israel. May, 1967 Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser closes the straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping and dismisses UN peacekeeping force.

Negotiations with US to reopen the Straits of Tiran fail. June 5-11, 1967 6-day war. Israel destroys the Egyptian air force on the ground, conquers and occupies Sinai and Gaza, then conquers the West Bank from Jordan, and Golan Heights from Syria. UN resolution 242 called for Israeli withdrawal, establishment of peace Oct. 6, 1973 Yom Kippur War (October War). In a surprise attack on the Jewish day of atonement, Egypt retook the Suez canal and a narrow zone on the other side. Syria reconquered the Golan Heights.

Following massive US and Soviet resupplying of the sides, Israel succeeded in pushing back the Syrians and threatening Damascus. Ariel Sharon crossed the Suez Canal and cut off the Egyptian Third Army. March 26, 1979 Peace treaty signed between Egypt and Israel. June 6, 1982 Massive Israeli invasion of Lebanon to fight PLO. UN Security Council Resolution 509 demands that Israel withdraw all its military forces forthwith, but Israel advances rapidly to Beirut, surrounding the capital by 13 Jun. Israeli cabinet is split on the sudden expansion of the war, beyond the 40 KM limit originally declared by Sharon. Sept.

13, 1993 Oslo Declaration of Principles - Israel and PLO agree to mutual recognition, Yasser Arafat and PLO will be allowed to return to Gaza. PLO and Palestinian leadership renounce violence and use of terrorism, and agree to revise the PLO charter to remove chapters referring to destruction of Israel. Over the next, years, Israel withdraws from a small area (Area A) that is given to Palestinian sovereignty, a larger area (Area B) is given to Palestinian civil control only, while a third area of the West Bank and Gaza strip remains under total Israeli control. Israel did not dismantle any settlements, and the number of settlers and new settlements increased considerably. Palestinian groups did not remove their charter goals of destroying Israel; the PNA continued to finance, organize and encourage terror activities.

Sept. 28, 2000 Palestinians initiated riots after Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount, which is also the location of the Haram as Sharif holy to Muslims. Violence was apparently encouraged by Fatah Tanz im, as admitted by Marwan Barghouti. Violence escalated rapidly from rock throwing to machine gun and mortar fire, suicide bombings and lethal road ambushes, including some incidents instigated by settlers against Palestinians. Israelis killed 15 Israeli Arabs in riots in September / October 2000, and over 2,000 Palestinians in retaliatory raids thereafter. Palestinians kill over 700 Israelis.

Violence continues for over a year [to present - March 2003]. Sept. 11, 2001 Terror attacks on World Trade Center in NYC and the Pentagon carried out by fanatic Islamic Al-Qaida group headed by Osama Bin Laden initiate US war on terror. Israel and Palestinians agree to a cease fire, but it is not implemented. March-April 2002 Israel conducts operation Defensive Wall in the West Bank, following a large number of Palestinian suicide attacks on civilian targets. Saudi peace initiative adopted at Beirut summit.

Gold is not just another commodity but a traditional currency that can not be devalued by expanding supply, except over a very long period. Thus it is possible to argue that currencies and other commodities will devalue relative to gold and force the price up. It is the ultimate hedge against inflation. Current geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East, terrorism and the printing of money to finance the US trade and budget deficits also strengthen the allure of gold. So too does that fact that a billion Chinese will shortly be allowed to buy the stuff. How do you hold it?

Bullion looks pretty impressive but is very heavy and a security risk. Gold funds and gold mining companies are an alternative. Pick the biggest like Newmont Mining and you should not go too wrong. Wartime technology made it's way into the civilian consumer world in the years immediately following the war.

These technologies would end up laying the groundwork for the computer; a thing that fifty years later would totally transform the world. This second Technological Revolution would create many new jobs in several new industries; as well create new inventions at a rapid pace. (Technology and War: From 2000 B.C. to the Present, Martin Van Creveld) All of that would help to transform the way we live, and it would change the way that people worked, more and more people would have to be educated to enter this workforce, which meant colleges would experience growth, just like the rest of the economy. The computer was becoming a device that would start to enter homes within several years, and silicone "chips" would start to replace big, bulky vacuum tubes used in older computers.

This invention made the home computer possible. Even know the computer had a small effect of the economy of postwar America, it did have a major effect on the economy within the end of the century. One of the largest events of the postwar era in the UNITED STATES, and one that had a major effect of the economy was the move away from the cities. People were flocking to the suburbs once again, and this time the move was on a much larger scale. This movement was held back by one thing, a lack of housing.

This would have to be dealt with in a fast manner, but the homes still had to be high quality. This posed a relatively major problem. The solution came from a developer named William J. Levitt. He thought that communities should be built like cars; just bring the assembly line to the work site. Buyers were offered very few options, just color for the most part, so all the homes looked similar.

This was revolutionary idea; it allowed more houses to be built it less time, which increases profits that the builder received. This also increased the number of jobs available in the construction industry, because of the number of people required to build these homes. This is how the move to the suburbs affected the growth of the postwar economy. (A History of Our Time: Readings on Postwar America-5th Edition, William Chafe p. 322) The final major event that affected the growth of the economy was the baby boom. The birthrate was skyrocketing, up about 20% from before the war.

With more children running around the country came more bills. You have to spend money to pay bills, and that means that along the line someone is profiting. (Chafe p. 277) Thus profit helps the economy grow. That means the more babies there are the more bills that have to be paid. That is how the economy positively benefits from a baby boom, because more money gets spent. That is the baby boom's contribution towards the growth of the economy in the postwar years.

The economy did grow tremendously during the years following World War II. Those years had a huge impact on the future of the world. Some of those impacts were nuclear power, computers, and even an assembly line process for building homes. The economy grew with huge leaps and bounds, instead of tiny steps like in the past. The Gross National Product increased by nearly 150 percent from the en of the war a 1960. People were earning more money, and they had a lot saved up from during the war years.

All of that factored together caused the greatest period of economic expansion in America history (U. S POLICY. COM Richard J Carroll). Once there was a time when "shares in business corporations were rarely bought and sold because few companies were considered promising financial profits" That is hard to believe considering almost everybody has invested in some stock today. The stock market went through some distinct changes since its inception, and has evolved into a shaping force in the world today. There is one idea that sparked the fire which produced the stock market: capitalism.

Everything the stock market is, and was, rooted in the basic idea of capitalism. Without that idea, stocks and bonds would never have come to be. Capitalism is an "economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market" The world as a whole I can very much see going in either direction depending on what kind of effort the governments of our planet put together. We have the potential to make our lives happy and in unity by using each others resources to keep our economies strong. In the next few years there will need to be a tremendous push on how and when we can replace our depleting fuel problems so that when petrol depletes that we will have other ways of transportation. Will solar powered vehicles become our salvation?

Perhaps even flying cars which use other forms of fuel to get around. WORKS CITE Do War, Economy and Society: 1939-1945, ALAN S. MILWARD. University of Califor nai Press. / October 1979 o The Ordeal of Total War: 1939-1945, GORDON WRIGHT. Waveland Press / September 1997 o Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of WWII, JOHN W DOVER. North and Company 1st Edition / March 1999 o A History of Middle East Economies in the 20th Century, ROGER OWEN, SEV KET PAMUK.I. B Taurus and company / October 1998 o Broken Empire: After the Fall of the USSR, GERD LUDWIG.

National Geographic / November 2001 o Technology and War: From 2000 B.C. to the Present, Martin Van Creveld. Touchstone Rep edition / September 1991 o U. S POLICY. COM: Wartime changes in the economy, Post war economical Order, Major Events 1945 to Present, Richard J. Carroll A History of Our Time: Readings on Postwar America-5th Edition William Chafe. Oxford University Press, New York / 1999.