Functional Analysis of Behaviour Clinical and Ethical Issues

Functional Analysis of Behaviour Clinical and Ethical Issues Discuss the clinical and ethical issues involved in  conducting a Functional Analysis of behaviour when  working with a client with a learning disability. What  evidence is there that this is an effective approach? Word count: Contents (Jump to) Introduction A Holistic approach The case for employing the functional analysis of behaviour approach Difficulties with functional analysis Functional analysis in everyday clinical practice Case study using functional analysis Ethical issues relating to the functional analysis approach Combining different approaches Conclusion References Faced with challenging behaviours shown by people with learning disabilities, the psychologist must decide which analytical approach – behavioural, biophysical, ecological or psychodynamic – will best facilitate appropriate therapeutic interventions. A number of wide-ranging reviews of the available literature, together with meta-analyses of this area, indicate that interventions based on the behavioural approach offers the most effective way forward. The behavioural approach advocates that all behaviour is learned, and that behaviours are functions of the interplay between an individual and various factors within his/her environment In his meta-analysis, Didden (1996) concludes that there is â€Å"a convincing level of change in terms of reducing challenging behaviour through systematically applied behavioural approaches†, and that behavioural approaches are much more effective than, for example, medication. The behavioural approaches used to tackle difficult/challenging behaviour fall into three main categories: [RZ1]â€Å"Differential Reinforcement† involves what is essentially a reward system, whereby an individual is encouraged to exhibit appropriate, rather than challenging, behaviour. â€Å"Gentle Teaching† aims to minimise or eliminate problematic behaviour by creating an environment in which bonding, ; interdependence and mutual respect are paramount, thereby eliminating the need for challenging behaviour. The teaching of functionally equivalent responses involves firstly a â€Å"Functional Analysis† of a particular problematic behaviour, followed by the teaching of more appropriate behaviour, which serves the same function. When attempting to decide on an appropriate intervention strategy, there is a body of evidence to suggest that the last of these three approaches – the functional analysis – can, if conducted properly, provide an invaluable pointer as to what type of therapeutic intervention might be appropriate. This essay will explore the clinical advantages and disadvantages of using a functional analysis of behaviour when working with clients with learning disabilities, examining the research in this area (much of which indicates that this is a generally successful approach) and look at the ethical issues arising from this particular psychological approach. Definition: Learning Disability A report from the British Psychological Society (BPS 2004), on Clinical Practice Guidelines for interventions for people with learning disabilities and Severely Challenging Behaviour â€Å"states that  ,if an individual is to be reasonably regarded as having a â€Å"learning disability the individual’s intellectual and adaptive/social functions must both be significantly impaired; and the condition must have existed before the onset of adulthood. An extremely broad-ranging group of learning-disabled individuals fall within these parameters. Definition: Challenging Behaviour The following definition by Emerson et al (1988) is widely regarded as a sound working definition: â€Å"Severely challenging behaviour refers to behaviour of such an intensity, frequency or duration that the physical safety of the person or others is likely to be placed in serious jeopardy, or behaviour which is likely to seriously limit or delay access to and use of ordinary community facilities.† The nature of the â€Å"challenging behaviour† (the causes and functions of which can be many and diverse) itself has been described as â€Å"behaviour which: places the individual or others in physical danger; results in destruction of their immediate environment; causes at least an hour’s disruption; or behaviour which limits or delays access to ordinary community facilities† (Scottish Office, 1998). Challenging behaviours may involve verbal or physical aggression, self-harm behaviour, and other non-injurious (but nevertheless undesirable) behaviours. Challenging behaviour is generally understood to be triggered by the interaction between variables within individuals themselves (mood, health, etc.) and variables within their social and physical environment.[RZ2] Functional analysis are comprises various methods, all with the aim of establishing the link between antecedents, behaviour and its consequences. (Kazdin,1994) More specifically, functional analysis are is a tools to reveal reinforcing conditions[RZ4], I am translating from Norwegian)..established operations and triggers for problem behaviour. (Vold, 2005) This information is then used for customizing interventions and treatment for the person in question. This definition includes all systematic methods that examine the root cause(s) of a certain behaviour. These methods include interviews and standardised tools like MAS (Durand, 1990) and FAI (O’Neill et al, 1997), different methods of observations of the person in his/hers environment, likce â€Å"scatter plot† (Touchette et al, 1985) and ABC charts ( antecedent-behaviour-consequence ) charts. (Bijou et al, 1968) In addition, we there arehave the experimental methods, also called analogue conditions. These methods consists of the a systematiccally testing and manipulation of events (or other factors[RZ5]), which are thought to be associated with the occurrence of problem behavior. It is therefore a means of formally examining the relationship between specific events and the particular problematic/challenging behaviors of an individual in a specific environment. (Iawata, et al, ,1982) These methods complement each other, but by using one – or a combination of them the â€Å"functional analyst† aims to have a much clearer idea of the triggers of, and the purposes served by, a specific behaviour. It should also be pointed out that functional analysis can be used in either a clinical application or as a valuable research method (Vollmer and Smith, 1996). Furthermore, Vollmer and Smith concluded that functional analysis could be used to identify individuals with the specific behavioural functions[RZ6] required enabling psychologists to pursue specific avenues of research (while bearing in mind that functional analysis does not always yield conclusive results). Rather than simply looking at the functional analysis as a means of dealing with challenging behaviours, Groden and LeVasseur 111posit a more holistic approach, which takes into account â€Å"the dynamic relationship between the individual, his or her skills and the environment, including the stressors, in which the behaviour occurs.† A behavioural assessment method, which has stood the test of timeme, is detailed in Groden et al (1996).[RZ7] Using this method, the behavioural assessment data for each individual is obtained from a number of sources. The procedure not only involves including a functional analysis of the target behaviour, but also an ecological inventory, a Stress Survey Schedule, and reinforcement surveys. The information is then placed in an illustrated A-B-C format, with each illustration designed to match the individuals intellectual abilities and reinforcers. It depicts the preferred mode of behaviour, which the person with a learning disability can use in a specific problematic scenario. In the early years of the use of the functional analysis by psychologists working with people with learning disabilities who exhibited challenging behaviour, four key functions were identified: attentionattention- seeking, escape (task or social avoidance),; sensory reinforcement, and tangible events (Carr, 1994). Functional analysis can uncover new functional properties of problem behaviour, but it is also necessary to develop additional strategies to address the complexities of an individual’s normal (i.e. non-experimental) environment. One such approach is the hypothesis-driven model developed by Repp et al (1988), which is based on both direct observation and the analysis of antecedent and consequent events. In the seminal paper â€Å"Psychological interventions for severely challenging behaviours shown by people with learning disabilities – Clinical Practice Guidelines†, the British Psychological Society established step-by-step â€Å"gold standard† guidelines for those who wish to employ the functional analysis of behaviour approach. (BPS, 2004) Having gained the appropriate consent[RZ8], the process should commence with the Pre-assessment, (a term first employed by Toogood and Timlin (1996)), at which stage the psychologist engages in initial information gathering, with a view to honing the initial focus of the psychological assessment. At the Assessment stage, the assessor collects and then evaluates all appropriate information about the person with a learning disability, the environment (both social and physical) and the challenging behaviour exhibited by the individual. These steps should enable the psychologist to collect the information required to create a well-structured psychological assessment and an appropriate intervention strategy, and to establish a baseline, which will enable the psychologist to measure the success of any intervention. At the Formulation stage, the psychologist draws up a hypothesis about the nature of the specific behavioural problem(s), thereby providing a guide to subsequent clinical activity as well as establishing key evaluation criteria. It will also specify the target of any intervention. At the Intervention stage, the psychologist will endeavour to change the individual’s problematic behaviour in an appropriate manner, utilising both technical psychological expertise as well asnd the detailed information previously accumulated about the individual and his/her environment. At the Evaluation stage, the success/effectiveness of the intervention(s) will be weighed up and carefully considered. The process is finalised at the self-explanatory Feedback stage (from and to all interested parties, first and foremost the person with a learning disability). In the course of their study, Vollmer and Smith (1996) concluded that functional analysis has its limitations. Most importantly, some interventions derived from functional analysis can be difficult to carry out while still maintaining non-intrusive procedural integrity. Martin et al (1999) demonstrated that there can be problems in interpreting the data arising from functional analysis in an experimental context. For the purposes of their study, the validity of a functional analysis was investigated using three different data-interpretation methodologies (two previously utilised methods, and â€Å"criterion Z† created by the authors). They ultimately concluded that all three methods were equally unsatisfactory as a way of establishing the function of a particular behaviour. [RZ9] It should also be remembered (Freeman, Special Connections website). that challenging behaviour does not always have a specific function. It is possible,; instead, that â€Å"internal sensory feedback† is responsible for triggering an individual’s challenging behaviour. Such behaviours tend to occur when the person with a learning disability is alone, or arise in many quite different and contrasting social scenarios, and may be the result of internal, rather than external, reinforcers.[RZ10] Lack of agreement about function across different methods After carrying out a thorough functional analysis, a psychologist (or other practitioner) should be in a position to identify the cause-effect relationship between an environmental â€Å"trigger† and a specific behaviour. However, different approaches to functional analysis appear to give conflicting results. Toogood and Timlin (1996) looked at the three approaches to functional analysis described above and found a low level of agreement between each of the different approaches in relation to their understanding of the target behaviours’ functions. The importance of identifying idiosyncratic variables A very wide range of stimuli can trigger challenging behaviour. Because a wide range of unanticipated variables can come into play, certain some of which may appear to be apparently insignificant, but which are in factin fact key, these variables can may be overlooked during the initial assessment, thereby giving rise to misleading results. An important study by Carr et al (1997) underlined the necessity of identifying specific â€Å"idiosyncratic† (or unanticipated) variables. In this particular study, each of the three clients was autistic (and regarded, broadly speaking, as learning disabled) and had exhibited problem behaviours such as aggression, self-harm and vandalism. Interviews and direct observations indicated that these challenging behaviours might serve the functions of attention gaininggaining attention or escape. On subsequent and closer examination using Carr’s ABC, narrative protocol, however, it became apparent that specific â€Å"idiosyncratic† stimulus variables (or the absence thereof) had a major influence on the results of the functional analysis. In the final stage of the study, the specific idiosyncratic stimulus variables which had been observed in a naturalistic environmental context (small hand-held objects, and the presence of puzzles/magazines in the room) were manipulated[RZ11] in an experimental context (a room with a two-way mirror that facilitated the video-taping of the proceedings) with a view to establishing their effect on the outcome of the functional analysis. While this study generally endorsed the usefulness of the functional analysis approach, it underlined the importance of meticulous attention to detail to ensure the accurate identification of behavioural-stimulus variables which that were not immediately obvious. Failure to do so would have significantly altered the outcomes of functional analyses. The authors concluded that that tailored guidelines should be in place when it is suspected (because there is a discrepancy between information arising from interviews and actual observed behaviours; when different results occur in different locations; or if the results differ from day to day) that idiosyncratic stimuli may be significant triggers for the behaviours being studied, e.g. .because there is a discrepancy between information arising from interviews and actual observed behaviours, or when different results occur in different locations, or if the results differ from day to day. Taking into account the above-described difficulties, together with the fact that a thorough functional analysis is time consuming,. pPsychologists in everyday clinical work are faced with a number of challenges. Some of these are of ethical nature and will be discussed later, whilst others are more practical issues. It follows from the initial definition of functional analysis used in this essay that the term is applied for different procedures, each presenting both the practitioner and the client with different challenges and benefits. In addressing the fact that time limitations can often compromise attempts to complete a thorough functional analysis in its more experimental design, Wallace and Iwata (1999) examined the extent to which variations in session duration (5,10five, ten, and 15 minutes) affected the outcome of a functional analysis. Their findings led to the conclusion that brief sessions did not give less clarity than longer sessions. An important study by Derby et al (1992) provided a analysis of the success of brief functional analysis. This study presents a summary of the results of 79 cases which used functional assessment procedures in order to determine how often the brief functional assessment successfully identified the triggers of aberrant behaviour, and whether the treatments based on the assessment were effective. Given that only 90 minutes were generally allocated to outpatient evaluations in the instructions of interest to the authors, Derby et al adapted the functional analysis procedures described by Carr and Durand (1985) accordingly. They went on to publish a report summarising the results of 79 cases in an effort to establish whether functional assessments correctly identified the â€Å"specific maintaining conditions of aberrant behaviour†,† and if subsequent treatments were effective. In each of the 79 studies, clients were, under pre-specified conditions, evaluated by direct observation of behaviour. Of the 63% of the cases studied in which functional analysis correctly identified the function of aberrant behaviour, 77% resulted in effective treatment. This finding suggests that the abbreviated 90-minute functional assessment can in many cases successfully lead to successful treatments. These â€Å"short-cuts† should not, however, entirely replace the full-scale, thoroughly researched, non time-limited functional analysis, but can be viewed as a viable â€Å"second best† alternative when available time is limited. It should be noted that tThe ecological validity of functional analysis methodology has been questioned (Martin et al, 1999) as the assessments take place outside the natural environment where the problematic behaviour usually takes place. When relying upon informant-based and/or descriptive methods, other problems arise, and psychologists need to ask themselves questions about the informants’ capacities to record observations without traces of interpretation. For example, tThe fact that clients are being observed may well influence their behaviour and invalidate results. In an inpatient setting, the mere presence of an observer may change the ecological environment, which will affect all the clients’ behaviour, and the antecedents and/or triggers for the target behaviour will be increased or decreased, and the data may be invalidated. Carr and Durand (1985) have provided evidence that the functional analysis approach can give rise to effective intervention strategies. They posit that, broadly speaking, â€Å"challenging behaviour fulfils four main functions : These are (a) a means of gaining attention (b) an ‘â€Å"escape from demands’† (c) a ‘â€Å"tangible reinforcement’† and (d) a means of obtaining â€Å"sensory stimulation†. A form foofr self injuring behaviour , for instance, head banging , may well fit into one or more of these functions.. But the head banging doesn’t fails to tell us whether the person is doing it because of frustration, hallucinations, anger or a middle ear infection.[RZ12] It is widely recognised that people with learning disabilities often have limited verbal communication ability. Many may therefore rely on non-verbal means of expressing themselves, especially in regards to communicating emotions. As a whole, people with learning disability are more prone to suffer from mental illness, personality disorders, anxiety and depression than the rest of the population. But whatever function the challenging behaviour fulfils, it can be seen as a form of learned communication that previously has fulfilled the needs of the person with a learning disability. A person with a learning disability who gains a caregiver’s undivided attention (even if the caregiverr is angry or irritated) more readily by shouting than by talking politely will tend to conclude that the most efficient and effective way to get the carer’s attention is to engage in the aforementioned challenging behaviour. A self-injury by a person with a learning disability may result in a show of gratifying concern from a carer. This â€Å"positive† outcome may lead to repetition of the self-injurious behaviour. One or more problem behaviours can, in certain circumstances, serve the same function, and can occur in a chain of escalating seriousness (e.g. minor fiddling with a small object leading on to the violent hurling of a larger object, minor complaints leading to vicious abuse). Awareness of this can enable a caregiverr to intervene early in the â€Å"chain,†, thus minimising negative consequences (i.e. events which come directly after an instanc e of problematic behaviour (Albin et al, 1995). Caregivers should be careful not to simply assume that a consequence is regarded as a â€Å"punishment†, and should consider whether the supposed punishment decreases or in fact increases the undesirable behaviour. For example, iIn a setting such as a hospital for people with learning disabilities detained under the Mental Health Act, for example, consequences such as restraint or even seclusion may actually be increaseing the incidence of challenging behaviour, as the behaviour in question can provide a means of gratification. The following case study shows how a functional analysis was useful to show the likely presence of these factors at play with a woman with a learning disability detained under the Mental Health Act in a medium secure unit. Case study: The 25 year old woman had a dual diagnosis of learning disability and a mental illness.[RZ13] She was admitted to a mixed gender ward with both male and female staff. She was a very big and strong lady and her challenging behaviour, which took the form of attacks for no apparent reason, posed a threat both to staff and fellow patients. Prior to herBy admission, a pre – assessment and initial risk assessment had been carried out. This was followed up by an initial assessment, carried out by nursing staff who recorded theing frequency and severity of her challenging behaviour in an ABC chart, as well as monitoreding activities and situations the patient she seemed to enjoy. Her mental health symptoms were treated with the recommended drugs. The data collected showed up to four weeks without challenging behaviour that wasn’t easily deflated. On At occasion (during a one-to-two week period)s she could, however, during a one to two weeks period, display behaviour that at least once a day lead to necessary restraint by staff. The intervention put in place  included allocation of a specific health care worker that would initiate activities that the patient she liked doing and instruction to staff to redirect  her when she was becoming restless. Due to her lack of communication skills, key staff was trained in specific ways of communicating with her. After approximately six6 months there was a marked increased frequency in the incidents of challenging behavior as well as in the duration and violence involved. . Although the patient’sher communication skills had improved and her daily activities had been refined to suit her strengths and interests, her attacks became so viciously that seclusion became an unfortunate necessity at least three times a month, usually within the same week. As no new antecedents were detected, a functional analysis was carried out , which included the three main methods, was carried out: Nursing staff continued to observe her the patient continuously and filled in ABC charts. Records were taken of her sleeping pattern, food and drink intake and menstrual cycle (informant-based method). Any changes in the ward were recorded, i.e. new admissions, staff leaving and new staff appointed. Assistant psychologists observed her on the ward and recorded behaviour on during 5 five-minute s intervals (direct observation). The clinical psychologist, who also had participated in observations, analysed the data and drew up a hypothesis about the nature of the increased challenging behaviour. On this basis of this, variables in the patient’s environment were, one at athe time, changed and tested (experimental method). The data collection demonstrated that the incidents of challenging behaviour peaked at a certain time in her menstrual period, indicating a hormonal factor. This factor alone was not conclusive enough on its own to account for her behaviour. It was treated as a setting factor that increased the probability of incidents, when short-term triggers were also present. The observations also carried out highlighted that when restraint was necessary, male staff carried it out, due to the patient’s size and strength, mainly did this. When there wereith only female staff working inon the ward, there was a significant reduction in her attacks, provided that she was being kept occupied by staff to avoid boredom. The policy and procedures for seclusion made it mandatory for staff to remove clothing that she might use to hurt herself with. Although female staff always carried out removal of clothing, she was still being placed in restraints by male staff. Direct observations and staff reports suggested that the presence of male staff during this process escalated her behaviour. Most importantly, however, was the correlation between her challenging behaviour and the presence of a specific male member of the staff. Nursing reports showed that when he was off duty, the client’s challenging behaviour never reached the level when seclusion was necessary. Furthermore, observations showed that she was always happy to greet this member of staffstaff member when he arrived for work, and she frequently sought him out for help or company.[RZ14]. The interventions implemented were to move  the male member of staffstaff member to another ward for a period of time and to  stop male staff participation intervention in the restraint processrestraints. Guidelines were implemented to ensure that the patient she was dressed in clothes she could safely wear if seclusion was necessary. The cA contraceptive pill was prescribed in order to keep her hormone level in balance, and a program with intermittent positive reinforcement was developed to re-introduce a certain interaction with male staff.[RZ15] The intervention was successful insofar that heras the patient’s challenging behaviour decreased. It demonstrates the effectiveness of a functional analysis as well as the danger of interventions become too intrusive. But it also, it highlights many of the ethical challenges a practitioner might face when working with people with learning disability and challenging behaviour.[RZ16] Given that the vast majority of individuals with learning disabilities are highly vulnerable to abuse, neglect and exploitation, it is vital that an â€Å"ethical framework† exists, within which practitioners can operate when using the functional analysis approach. The practitioner must also ensure the following: that he/she operates within the law of the land at all times; the practitioner must endeavour to operate within the parameters imposed by the relevant professional association’s’ Code of Practice; must adhere to local standards and policies (e.g. those set by a particular Trust); and must operate (as far as possible, given the previous strictures) within his/her own personal set of ethics and principles. Consent As with any other assessment or intervention, the client or service-user must give his or her consent. People with learning disabilities encompass a broad range of abilities. Some will understand the implications of assessments and interventions and will be able to give their consent, whilst others are unable to do so. The latter group may have guardians to provide consent on their behalf. But most lay people tend to accept without much questioning that â€Å"the professionals know best.† . It is the

Chinas String of Pearls Strategy

Chinas String of Pearls Strategy CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION String of Pearls Chinas String of Pearls strategy is the name given to a geopolitical strategy adopted by China arising as foreign oil becomes a center of gravity critical to Chinas energy needs.[1] This policy on the face of it appears to be an attempt by China to have an increased access to various ports and airfields in the South Asian region and at the same time to developing special diplomatic relations with these countries. This seems to be a strategic move as China is establishing these pearls or a series of nodes[2] of military and economic power thus enhancing its overall influence in these regions. A question posed by the String of Pearls is the uncertainty of whether Chinas growing influence is in accordance with Beijings stated policy of peaceful development, or if China one day will make a bid for regional primacy[3]. China gives the impression that it is interested in having a more powerful role to play on the global stage and thus evoking concerns in its neighbours, especially India, as being threatening. However, Chinas development of these strategic geopolitical pearls has been non-confrontational[4], with no evidence of imperial or neocolonial ambition, whatsoever. Extension of the Pearls The pearls extend[5] from the coast of mainland China through the littorals of the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca, across the Indian Ocean, and on to the littorals of the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf. However, looking at the progress that China has made in the last couple of years it may not be too erroneous to say that it is now trying to extend these pearls by making a foray into the African continent and the Central Asian regions. In light of this, it is imperative to focus on the abovementioned issue and the concerned predicament in the minds of the other world power players as to the real design and intention of China and the consequence that this might have on the energy and economic security of these nations, particularly India and the US. Emergence of Strategic Players The rise of this strategy has not only shifted focus on China and its growing energy needs but also has brought to limelight those smaller nations in which China is trying to gain foothold and develop these pearls. Nations like Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand and recently, countries like Sudan, Egypt Nigeria etc which are rich in energy resources, have come to play a major role in the worlds energy needs. These nations are fast becoming the centre of the worlds energy playing field and are emerging as the strategic centres around which this game of energy security will be played out in the coming future. Hence, it becomes essential for fast developing countries like India and Brazil, who need their share of this energy market, to progress ahead in order to counter Chinas strategy at the earliest. These nations need to evolve their own strategy if they do not want to be left behind because not acting at this point in time may have a huge impact on their economies in the coming future. METHODOLOGY Statement of the Problem This paper seeks to study and analyse the impact of Chinas string of pearls policy on the energy security of the worlds major players in general and India in particular. Hypothesis Chinas String of Pearls policy does not have security implications for India militarily but will have definite implications on the energy security particularly that of India and US. Justification of the study China, in the past decade has influenced the behaviour of its neighbouring nation states to quite an extent. In continuing with its stated policy of economic reforms, it had to secure all the energy resources that it could in the available time frame. Although the name String of Pearls was a name coined by a minor pentagon analyst[6] but certainly it does indicate Chinas quest for securing its energy needs by occupying certain areas of influence in and around its neighbourhood. China, in recent past, has started making headway into the vast energy resources of Africa and Central Asian regions apart from the resources in Myanmar, Spratlys and Paracel islands. Hence, a detailed study is required to look into the effects that may be caused by Chinas incursions into these yet untouched and somewhat unexplored regions. The world took some time to wake up to the vast amount of energy resources that these countries had and China had a headstart in this regard over other nations in these regions. This study tries to bring out the effect that the existing pearls have on the energy security of India and other nations and examines the new pearls and their effects on the energy security of these nations. Scope This study concentrates on the specific issue of string of pearls policy and the impact of this policy on the energy security of India in particular. The study also tries to bring out the aspect of Chinas inroads into the African Countries and the Central Asian Regions as an extension of this policy. The aspects of Chinas military modernization as an offshoot of this policy have been kept out of this discussion. Operational definitions Methods of data collection Organisation of the dissertation Rising China: Implications for India by Major General (Retd) Dhruv Katoch SM, VSM, USI journal July September 2009. www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-string-of-pearls-strategy.htm www. U.S.-China Commission, 2005 Report to Congress. Rising China: Implications for India by Major General (Retd) Dhruv Katoch SM, VSM, USI journal July September 2009. www. M K Bhadrakumar, India and its troublesome Neighbours, The Hindu, 02 Nov 2009 CHAPTER II HISTORICAL BACKGROUND HOW CHINA TRANSFORMED IN THE LAST DECADE? Before we begin to discuss the String of Pearls policy in detail, lets take a look at how China has transformed itself economically in the last 10 years. China is the third largest economy in the world after the US and Japan. China has had the fastest-growing major economy for the past 30 years with an average annual GDP growth rate above 10%[7]. In 1978, after years of state control of all productive assets, the government of China embarked on a major program of economic reforms. In an effort to awaken a dormant economic giant, it encouraged the formation of rural enterprises and private businesses, liberalized foreign trade and investment, relaxed state control over some prices, and invested in industrial production and the education of its workforce. By nearly all accounts, the strategy has worked spectacularly. Chinas economy regained momentum in the early 1990s. In early 1992, China made a series of political pronouncements designed to give new impetus to and reinvigorate the process of economic reform. Along with cContinuity in the political system, but a bolder reform was announced in the economic system were announced as the a hallmarks of the 10-year development plan for the 1990s. Although capital accumulation, i.e., the growth in the countrys stock of capital assets, such as new factories, manufacturing machinery, and communications systems, was important, as so were the number of Chinese workers., a A sharp, sustained increase in productivity (that is, increased worker efficiency) was the driving force behind thise economic boom. China has really come very far in the last ten years. Chinas growth as an economy wont flow smoothly from the bottom-left to the upper-right side of the chart. But the fact remains that China will be the biggest, fastest-growing economy in the world in the twenty-first century[8]. In fact, it is interesting to note that when China began its reforms , Deng Xiaoping put military last on the list forro modernization[9]. Chinas economy is gathering momentum and gaining speed. After a period of a double -digit growth in the post-Tiananmen period of the early 1900s, the law of large numbers would have predicted that thisat kind of growth couldnt happen again. But China has defied conventional wisdom. Already one of the largest economies, China grew by at least 10 percent in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The country had $21 billion in foreign reserves in 1993; ten years later, in 2003, China was adding $200 billion or more of reserves into its coffers each year. By the end of 2006, China had more than $1 trillion in foreign currency reserves, an unprecedented amount that was growing by $50 billion each month. Chinas leaders are traveling the world negotiating long-term supply contracts with oil-producing countries. China doesnt have enough of its own energy reserves, and obtaining enough energy to fuel its economy is a very real concern. Quest for Energy South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore were dubbed Asian Tigers as they sustained rapid economic growth and industrialization from the 1960s through the 1990s. Chinas rise in the 21st century, the rise of the Asian Dragon, has the potential to surpass greatly the growth of the Asian Tigers. Since the beginning of economic reforms under Deng Xiaoping, China has averaged an annual gGross dDomestic pProduct (GDP) growth rate of 9.4 percent. Since 1978, foreign trade has grown from a fraction of a percent of the world economy, or $20.6 billion, to over 4 percent, or $851 billion in 2005. Chinas GDP is the worlds third largest at roughly 1/7th that of the United States, yet because of its population of 1.3 billion, on a per capita basis, China is ranked roughly 100th in the world and considered a low-income developing country. Many economists believe that with the latent potential of a rapidly emerging middle class, China has the potential to continue its impressive growt h for many years to come. An ever-increasing demand for energy fuels Chinas growth. Chinas Energy Needs The majority of Chinas energy requirement, 70 percent, is currently met by coal — China is the worlds largest producer and consumer of coal. Although coal will remain preeminent, oil consumption is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.8 percent for the next 10 years. In 1985, China was East Asias largest petroleum exporter; in 1993, China became a net oil importer; and in 2004, China leapfrogged Japan to become the worlds second largest oil importer. Roughly 40 percent of all new world oil demand is attributable to Chinas rising energy needs. Secure access to foreign oil resources will be necessary both for continued economic growth and, for the survival of the Chinese Communist regime because since growth is the cornerstone of Chinas domestic stability., for the survival of the Chinese Communist regime. http://en.wikipedia.org/Swiki/Economy_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China Jack Perkowski, Managing the Dragon Robyn Meredith, The Elephant and the Dragon CHAPTER III THE PEARLS AND THEIR STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE A few strategists in India and US have been using the term String of pearls to designate those areas where China is establishing its bases. These bases have been given the term pearls. Each pearl in the string is a nexus of Chinese geopolitical influence or military presence, which stretches from Hainan Island to Gwadar[10]. GWADAR, PAKISTAN Gwadar port is a small fishing village, 450 miles west of Karachi and 75 km east of Iran border , and was identified by Pakistan as a potential port location in 1964 but lacked the means to develop. It is a deep sea , warm water port situated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan at the apex of Arabian sea and entrance of Persian gulf. The port facility at Gwadar is a win-win prospect for both China and Pakistan. The port at Karachi currently handles 90 percent of Pakistans sea-borne trade, but because of its proximity to India, it is extremely vulnerable to blockade. This happened during the India-Pakistan War of 1971 and was threatened again during the Kargil conflict of 1999. The port is strategically located between three important regions Oil rich Middle East, heavily populated Pakistan and the Central Asian Region. A modern port at Gwadar would enhance Pakistans strategic depth along its coastline with respect to India. For China, the strategic value of Gwadar is its 240-mile distance from the Strait of Hormuz.[11] China has funded a majority of the $1.2 billion project and provided the technical expertise of hundreds of engineers. Since construction began in 2002, China has invested four times more than Pakistan and contributed an additional $200 million towards the building of a highway to connect Gwadar with Karachi. This port accrues the following advantages for China :- It can serve as a potential Chinese Naval Anchor. It serves as an energy transport hub to carry oil from Gwadar to its western region of Xinjiang by an oil pipeline. It helps insulate the Chinese imports from interdiction in case of any major war. It benefits by having access to international trade routes. Use of rail network is also a major advantage although the access in this case may be hampered due to the difference in gauge between China , Pakistan and CAR nations. Shanghai port is approximately 16000 kms from Chinese industrial areas and sea travel adds another 2-3 months whereas Gwadar is only 2500 Kms and will work throughout the year. It also provides Beijing with a listening post from where it can monitor US, India and US-India Maritime cooperation. As Admiral (retd) Sureesh Mehta[12] said It has a serious strategic implication for India, being only 180 Nm from the exits of Strait of Hormuz, would enable Pak to take control over the world energy jugular interdiction of Indian tankers. Hambantota, SriLanka Hambantota is a rural town in the SE coast of Srilanka. As per the 2007 agreement, development of Hambantota included[13]:- Developing a container port Developing a bunkering system Establishing an oil refinery Setting up an airport and other facilities The approximate expenditure in setting up Hambantota was $1 Bn of which 85% will be financed by China over the next fifteen years. A question that comes to mind is that although there seems to be not much economic significance of this pearl to China, then why is it investing so heavily here. Possibly the following answers come to mind:- There is a potential for Navy as a Port of Call. The port can be used for refueling purposes. The port will act as a Listening post and watch tower on Indias nuclear, space and naval establishments in South India. At present, there is no military component here but Chinas involvement here would make much more sense from a military perspective. Chittagong, Bangladesh Chittagong is the largest seaport in Bangladesh. China is developing a container port facility a Chittagong[14]. However, it is important to note here that there has been no further word on this development probably because of the regime change in Bangladesh which is India friendly. Sittwe, Myanmar Among the many ventures of China in Myanmar, the following two are the most crucial:- The gas pipeline from Myanmars West Arakan state to Yunnan province. Using Sittwe Port as a sea gateway. According to the 1992 agreement, China was ready to modernize Myanmars naval facilities in return for the permission to use the Coco Islands. China undertook building a deep sea port (Kyaukpyu)[15]; road construction from Kunmig to Sittwe for which a feasibility study was done in 2005 and is also funding the road construction from Rangoon to Akyab. From 2013, Chinese oil tankers from the Middle East and Africa will be able to cross the Bay of Bengal to dock at Myanmars Sittwe and Kyaukphyu ports from where their cargo will be transported through pipelines to Yunnan. The transport time of fuel that bypasses the Malacca Strait in this way will be cut by a week. A recent article in the Outlook[16] explained the significance of Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinpings Dec 09 visit to Myanmar, one of the key reasons being Chinas determination to go ahead with the construction of the parallel oil and gas pipelines from the Arakan area of Myanmar to Yunnan. He accorded a greater priority to the A rakan-Yunnan pipeline as compared to the Gwadar-Xinjiang pipeline proposed by the Pakistan Government citing the reason that the Chinese Government was more confident about the Myanmar Army taking care of the security of parallel pipelines passing through Myanmar than about the Pakistan Government for security of a pipeline passing through Pakistan. Moreover, the first stage of the pipeline connecting Xinjiang with the Central Asian Republics has been recently commissioned, thereby reducing the urgency of a Gwadar-Xinjiang pipeline. There is another added advantage of the Arakan-Yunnan pipelines over the pipeline from Gwadar. The former has a two-fold benefit it will help carrying oil brought by Chinese tankers from West Asia and Africa thereby reducing present Chinese dependence on Malacca Strait transporting the gas procured locally in Arakan by Chinese companies The pipeline from Gwadar can only be used to carry oil/gas from West Asia. Pakistan does not have any oil or gas to sell to China . As per the Indian analysts, Chinese presence may allow it to interdict regional SLOCs. On this account, Myanmar is emerging as the single largest threat to Indian strategic interests in SE Asia. Coco Islands Coco islands are a pair of strategically important islands located in the East Indian oceanOcean politically administered by Burma under Yangon division. The Great Coco Islands (102) and Small Coco Islands (51) are separated from each other by Alexandra Channel. They are separated from the Andaman by Coco Channel; Myanmar 300 km N Historically, these islands were a part of India under British rule but due to lack of close supervision, they were transferred to Myanmar. These islands were supposedly leased to the Peoples Republic of China since 1994, according to various amateur sources[17]. The government of Burma and that of the Peoples Republic of China do not comment on such manner. China has helped in carrying out the following activities here:- Establishing a SIGINT and ELINT int gathering station (supposedly 92) Oon the Great Coco Island. Building a maritime base on the little Coco Island. Development of airfield, radar dish, ae, jetty and a number of buildings. However, there are no signs of a large base here. Strategic importance of this pearl for China:- Monitoring Indian Naval activity Monitoring movement of other navies and ships esp between Bay of Bengal and Malacca Strait. May be used to monitor the activities at the launch site of ISRO at Sriharikota and DRDO at Chandipur on sea. According to Indian analysts, this may pose a threat to Indian tri-service command at Port Blair (190 Nm away). If seen in toto, this completes the maritime encirclement of India. Strait of Malacca Strait of Malacca is a narrow 805km stretch of water between Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesian island of Sumatra. At the Philips Channel, this Strait narrows down to 2.8 km, thus becoming one of the worlds most significant choke points. Straits of Malacca and Hormuz have become crucial waterways for China. Close cooperation with Myanmar and Pakistan thus also becomes a crucial issue[18]. From economic and strategic perspectives, Strait of Malacca is one of the most important shipping lanes of the world. This Strait is economically significant for China in that 50,000 vessels pass through it each year and almost 80% of Chinas oil passes through this Strait. In essence, whoever controls Malacca threatens Chinas oil supply route. China gave a statement indicating that it would use its naval might to ensure that these sea lanes remain open. In President Hu Jintaos own words[19], Malacca dilemma is the key to Chinas energy security. Hu also hinted that various powers (including US) had tried to enlarge their scope of influence in the Straits of Malacca by either controlling or trying to control navigation in the Straits of Malacca. It is interesting to note here that Indias naval base in the Andaman and Nicobar islands puts India in an advantageous position. Kra Canal Kra Canal or the Thai Canal is actually a plan for a large canal that would cut through Southern Thailand to enable improved transportation in the region. China had planned to construct this over ten years employing 30,000 workers with an estimated cost of $20-25 Bn. However, initially the plan seemed to have been dropped owing to environmental concerns but recently there have been signs of revival of this plan since there are economic benefits for China and a threat of piracy in the Strait of Malacca. The plan was tentatively approved in 2007 but Singapore and US showed their dissent for obvious reasons. Another alternative to this plan is to build a pipeline across the Isthmus to carry oil to ships waiting on the other side. South China Sea South China Sea is located south of China and Taiwan, west of Philippines, North West of Malaysia, North of Indonesia and East of Vietnam. The region has proven oil reserves 7.7 billion barrels (28 bn estimated) and its natural gas reserves are estimated at 7500 km3. A significant part of this region is the Spratly Islands where oil was discovered in 1968. It has been estimated by the Geology and Mineral Resources Ministry[20] of Peoples Republic of China that Spratly islands may have oil reserves to make them the fourth largest reserve bed in the world. Hence, there is intensification by PRC to claim these islands. Woody Islands Woody Islands are a part of the Paracel Islands occupied by PRC. This node acts as a Chinese Emergency Rescue Centre served by an artificial harbour and an airfield with a 2350m runway. The centre was occupied in 1956 and also has oil tanks, gun emplacements and ammunition storage bunkers. The islands may be used as a staging point to sp offn ops in the Spratlys. There are also reports of the existence of Silkworm anti-ship cruise missile installations on the Woody Islands. In mid 95, a new SIGINT station was established on the Rocky Island, north to Woody Island. Since it is the highest point, there is good signal interception is obviously good. Hainan Islands These 200 islands form the smallest province of PRC and are home to the PLAN strategic nuclear submarine naval harbour that is capable of hiding upto 20 nuclear submarines from spy satellites. The harbour houses nuclear ballistic missile subs and is large enough to accommodate aircraft carriers. PLAN has developed Sanya Naval Base (Yulin) in Southern part to op Jin class subs (SSBNs) and Shang class subs (SSNs) (replaced Han Class). Rising China : Implications for India by Major General (Retd) Dhruv Katoch SM,VSM ,USI journal July September 2009. Source: http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2008/01/gwadar-port-has-strategic-implications.html Source: http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2008/01/gwadar-port-has-strategic-implications.html Source: http://www.marinebuzz.com/2007/11/02/china-funds-sri-lanka-hambantota-port-development-project/ Dilip Ghosh,Chinas String of Pearls encircling India , Asia Defence News Vol IV , Issue 12 , 15 Dec 2009. Dilip Ghosh,Chinas String of Pearls encircling India , Asia Defence News Vol IV , Issue 12 , 15 Dec 2009. Source: http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?263531 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_Islands Amardeep Athwal, China India relations contemporary Dynamics Source: The Straits of Malacca: the Rise of China, America s Intentions and the Dilemma of the Littoral States by Mokhzani Zubir, Researcher, Centre for Maritime Security Diplomacy Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spratly_Islands CHAPTER IV POSSIBLE MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS BEHIND THIS STRATEGY Chinas development during the past decade, from its expanding economy and increased global influence to its growing military might and demand for energy, presented tremendous challenges to their leaders as they managed the turmoil of massive structural, technological, and social changes. The governing three key worries of the Chinese government have been:-elites of China had three overarching concerns:- Regime survival. Territorial integrity. Domestic stability. In the succeeding paragraphs these three concerns and their impact on the economy have been highlighted. The relation between the economy and the string of pearls strategy has also been shown. Regime Survival Regime survival was has always been and will shall remain the foremost concern of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The party leadership is It is aware that their survival depends upon the satisfaction of the Chinese people and their ability how well they are able to protect Chinese national interests. The collapse of the When Soviet Union collapsed and the end of the Cold War ended, Communism was exposed deduced as a communism as a bankrupt ideology with a flawed economic system[21]. To avoid the same fate as had befallen the erstwhile USSR, the Chinese adopted a socialist market economy. Although a lot of economic and social reforms have taken place but , in the middle of it the CCP has maintained a strict authoritarian control. The CCP is aware of the fact that as long as the economy is thriving the populace willl be satisfied and hence there would not be a serious threat to the current regime. Territorial Integrity China has in the recent past adopted a strategy of befriending its neighbours with the notable exceptions being India and Taiwan and in the process has met with considerable success too. Although certain contentious issues still remain with the countries such as Japan over some disputed islands but more or less China has successfully demilitarized its land borders in the nNorthern and the cCentral aAsia. On the central Central asian Asian front, China has become more influential under the support of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), whose member states consist of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, along with the observer members of India, Pakistan, Iran, and Mongolia. It is slowly but surely laying to rest the dispute over Tibet although in a more subtle way. The only spanner in the wheel that remains is its relations and territorial disputes with India which are not showing any signs of fast progress. However, the relations with India have been more of a sine curve with statements against one another coming from both sides. India has more or less recognized Chinas claims to Tibet and China has reciprocated by recognizing Indias claim to the Himalayan state of Sikkim. Even with respect to Taiwan, Chinese policy attempts to balance the stick of diplomatic and military pressure with the carrot of mutually beneficial cross-strait economic ties. With the last elections in Taiwan throwing some startling results in favour of cChina, the day is not far off when it will come into some sort of agreement with Taiwan also. What has made China want to have good relations with its immediate neighbours . neighbours. The one thing that comes to mind is economy. It seems that the ever increasing demands of increased economic development are the driving forces behind Chinas improved relations with her neighbors. Domestic Stability Again successful economic development is perceived as key to Chinas third area of strategic concern, domestic stability. CCP is focused inward, and primarily domestic politics drive Chinas foreign and economic policies. Changes to the economic system and the decision to embrace globalization are causing major shifts in Chinese society[22]. The Chinese government is aware that although it is moving towards becoming an economically prosperous nation but everything is not in order inside their house. ThHere are large disparities between the economy of the people who are living in the coastal cities such as Shanghai and the people who are living in the interior less developed regions which have not seen the effects of the information revolution. Due to this class distinction due as a result of theto economic stratification, the government is wary and knows that if there are anti government demonstrations they cannot be repressed as was done earlier, the famous example being of the Tianan men Square crackdown of June 1989. Thus to address this issue the regime is aware that it needs to bring economic parity to its provinces such as Yunnan and Xinjiang. In meeting this challenge, the government must foster economic prosperity to satisfy the demands and expectations of the Chinese people. Link with Energy All these three abovementioned factors, as have been shown in the preceding paragraphs, are inescapably linked with the economic prosperity of China. The government iof China is aware that the greatest strength of cChina as also its greatest vulnerability is the its economy and hence it has based its national policy and strategy on economyaround this key factor. For its economy to continue thriving, as is with the case of all nations, China knows that it has to rely upon continued and sustained import of energy. Since energy provides the foundation of the economy, Chinas economic policy depends on the success of its energy policy. As the energy resources available within the country are quite limited and cannot ascribe to the full economy; hence it China, therefore, has to rely in a big way on the external sources of energy and raw materials. To import these energy resources and raw materials, it has to have a good and effective transportation system both on land and at sea is required. The three major problems that were faced by China in importing energy via land based routes were that firstly, most of the energy rich nations are either not connected by land; secondly, it would take a major effort and would not be cost effective to connect them with land and thirdly, even if these nations were connected, their links pass through other natio ns which may be a risk keeping in mind the fluid world order and changing equations. Hence, it was important that the Sea Lines Of Communications , which were importing the major chunk of energy be secured . Securing Sea Lines of Communications for energy and raw materials supports Chinas energy policy and is the principal motivation behind the String of Pearls. This is how and why the String of Pearls relates to Chinas Grand National Strategy. Protection of SLOCs The question that arises here is that from whowhom is the protection is required, if at all.? Whom does China fear? Over 70 percent of the total oil imports of China come from either the Middle East or the African countries majority of which is transported through sea and this will remain so for the foreseeable future. Hence, China has a long-term commitment to these supply sources due to which it has been trying to build up better relations with these countries whether that comes as monetary help or in some other form. For eg, Saudi Arabia is Chinas largest crude oil supplier, and the Saudi national oil company, Aramco, is a 25 percent investor in Chinas String of Pearls Strategy Chinas String of Pearls Strategy CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION String of Pearls Chinas String of Pearls strategy is the name given to a geopolitical strategy adopted by China arising as foreign oil becomes a center of gravity critical to Chinas energy needs.[1] This policy on the face of it appears to be an attempt by China to have an increased access to various ports and airfields in the South Asian region and at the same time to developing special diplomatic relations with these countries. This seems to be a strategic move as China is establishing these pearls or a series of nodes[2] of military and economic power thus enhancing its overall influence in these regions. A question posed by the String of Pearls is the uncertainty of whether Chinas growing influence is in accordance with Beijings stated policy of peaceful development, or if China one day will make a bid for regional primacy[3]. China gives the impression that it is interested in having a more powerful role to play on the global stage and thus evoking concerns in its neighbours, especially India, as being threatening. However, Chinas development of these strategic geopolitical pearls has been non-confrontational[4], with no evidence of imperial or neocolonial ambition, whatsoever. Extension of the Pearls The pearls extend[5] from the coast of mainland China through the littorals of the South China Sea, the Strait of Malacca, across the Indian Ocean, and on to the littorals of the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf. However, looking at the progress that China has made in the last couple of years it may not be too erroneous to say that it is now trying to extend these pearls by making a foray into the African continent and the Central Asian regions. In light of this, it is imperative to focus on the abovementioned issue and the concerned predicament in the minds of the other world power players as to the real design and intention of China and the consequence that this might have on the energy and economic security of these nations, particularly India and the US. Emergence of Strategic Players The rise of this strategy has not only shifted focus on China and its growing energy needs but also has brought to limelight those smaller nations in which China is trying to gain foothold and develop these pearls. Nations like Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand and recently, countries like Sudan, Egypt Nigeria etc which are rich in energy resources, have come to play a major role in the worlds energy needs. These nations are fast becoming the centre of the worlds energy playing field and are emerging as the strategic centres around which this game of energy security will be played out in the coming future. Hence, it becomes essential for fast developing countries like India and Brazil, who need their share of this energy market, to progress ahead in order to counter Chinas strategy at the earliest. These nations need to evolve their own strategy if they do not want to be left behind because not acting at this point in time may have a huge impact on their economies in the coming future. METHODOLOGY Statement of the Problem This paper seeks to study and analyse the impact of Chinas string of pearls policy on the energy security of the worlds major players in general and India in particular. Hypothesis Chinas String of Pearls policy does not have security implications for India militarily but will have definite implications on the energy security particularly that of India and US. Justification of the study China, in the past decade has influenced the behaviour of its neighbouring nation states to quite an extent. In continuing with its stated policy of economic reforms, it had to secure all the energy resources that it could in the available time frame. Although the name String of Pearls was a name coined by a minor pentagon analyst[6] but certainly it does indicate Chinas quest for securing its energy needs by occupying certain areas of influence in and around its neighbourhood. China, in recent past, has started making headway into the vast energy resources of Africa and Central Asian regions apart from the resources in Myanmar, Spratlys and Paracel islands. Hence, a detailed study is required to look into the effects that may be caused by Chinas incursions into these yet untouched and somewhat unexplored regions. The world took some time to wake up to the vast amount of energy resources that these countries had and China had a headstart in this regard over other nations in these regions. This study tries to bring out the effect that the existing pearls have on the energy security of India and other nations and examines the new pearls and their effects on the energy security of these nations. Scope This study concentrates on the specific issue of string of pearls policy and the impact of this policy on the energy security of India in particular. The study also tries to bring out the aspect of Chinas inroads into the African Countries and the Central Asian Regions as an extension of this policy. The aspects of Chinas military modernization as an offshoot of this policy have been kept out of this discussion. Operational definitions Methods of data collection Organisation of the dissertation Rising China: Implications for India by Major General (Retd) Dhruv Katoch SM, VSM, USI journal July September 2009. www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-string-of-pearls-strategy.htm www. U.S.-China Commission, 2005 Report to Congress. Rising China: Implications for India by Major General (Retd) Dhruv Katoch SM, VSM, USI journal July September 2009. www. M K Bhadrakumar, India and its troublesome Neighbours, The Hindu, 02 Nov 2009 CHAPTER II HISTORICAL BACKGROUND HOW CHINA TRANSFORMED IN THE LAST DECADE? Before we begin to discuss the String of Pearls policy in detail, lets take a look at how China has transformed itself economically in the last 10 years. China is the third largest economy in the world after the US and Japan. China has had the fastest-growing major economy for the past 30 years with an average annual GDP growth rate above 10%[7]. In 1978, after years of state control of all productive assets, the government of China embarked on a major program of economic reforms. In an effort to awaken a dormant economic giant, it encouraged the formation of rural enterprises and private businesses, liberalized foreign trade and investment, relaxed state control over some prices, and invested in industrial production and the education of its workforce. By nearly all accounts, the strategy has worked spectacularly. Chinas economy regained momentum in the early 1990s. In early 1992, China made a series of political pronouncements designed to give new impetus to and reinvigorate the process of economic reform. Along with cContinuity in the political system, but a bolder reform was announced in the economic system were announced as the a hallmarks of the 10-year development plan for the 1990s. Although capital accumulation, i.e., the growth in the countrys stock of capital assets, such as new factories, manufacturing machinery, and communications systems, was important, as so were the number of Chinese workers., a A sharp, sustained increase in productivity (that is, increased worker efficiency) was the driving force behind thise economic boom. China has really come very far in the last ten years. Chinas growth as an economy wont flow smoothly from the bottom-left to the upper-right side of the chart. But the fact remains that China will be the biggest, fastest-growing economy in the world in the twenty-first century[8]. In fact, it is interesting to note that when China began its reforms , Deng Xiaoping put military last on the list forro modernization[9]. Chinas economy is gathering momentum and gaining speed. After a period of a double -digit growth in the post-Tiananmen period of the early 1900s, the law of large numbers would have predicted that thisat kind of growth couldnt happen again. But China has defied conventional wisdom. Already one of the largest economies, China grew by at least 10 percent in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. The country had $21 billion in foreign reserves in 1993; ten years later, in 2003, China was adding $200 billion or more of reserves into its coffers each year. By the end of 2006, China had more than $1 trillion in foreign currency reserves, an unprecedented amount that was growing by $50 billion each month. Chinas leaders are traveling the world negotiating long-term supply contracts with oil-producing countries. China doesnt have enough of its own energy reserves, and obtaining enough energy to fuel its economy is a very real concern. Quest for Energy South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Singapore were dubbed Asian Tigers as they sustained rapid economic growth and industrialization from the 1960s through the 1990s. Chinas rise in the 21st century, the rise of the Asian Dragon, has the potential to surpass greatly the growth of the Asian Tigers. Since the beginning of economic reforms under Deng Xiaoping, China has averaged an annual gGross dDomestic pProduct (GDP) growth rate of 9.4 percent. Since 1978, foreign trade has grown from a fraction of a percent of the world economy, or $20.6 billion, to over 4 percent, or $851 billion in 2005. Chinas GDP is the worlds third largest at roughly 1/7th that of the United States, yet because of its population of 1.3 billion, on a per capita basis, China is ranked roughly 100th in the world and considered a low-income developing country. Many economists believe that with the latent potential of a rapidly emerging middle class, China has the potential to continue its impressive growt h for many years to come. An ever-increasing demand for energy fuels Chinas growth. Chinas Energy Needs The majority of Chinas energy requirement, 70 percent, is currently met by coal — China is the worlds largest producer and consumer of coal. Although coal will remain preeminent, oil consumption is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.8 percent for the next 10 years. In 1985, China was East Asias largest petroleum exporter; in 1993, China became a net oil importer; and in 2004, China leapfrogged Japan to become the worlds second largest oil importer. Roughly 40 percent of all new world oil demand is attributable to Chinas rising energy needs. Secure access to foreign oil resources will be necessary both for continued economic growth and, for the survival of the Chinese Communist regime because since growth is the cornerstone of Chinas domestic stability., for the survival of the Chinese Communist regime. http://en.wikipedia.org/Swiki/Economy_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China Jack Perkowski, Managing the Dragon Robyn Meredith, The Elephant and the Dragon CHAPTER III THE PEARLS AND THEIR STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE A few strategists in India and US have been using the term String of pearls to designate those areas where China is establishing its bases. These bases have been given the term pearls. Each pearl in the string is a nexus of Chinese geopolitical influence or military presence, which stretches from Hainan Island to Gwadar[10]. GWADAR, PAKISTAN Gwadar port is a small fishing village, 450 miles west of Karachi and 75 km east of Iran border , and was identified by Pakistan as a potential port location in 1964 but lacked the means to develop. It is a deep sea , warm water port situated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan at the apex of Arabian sea and entrance of Persian gulf. The port facility at Gwadar is a win-win prospect for both China and Pakistan. The port at Karachi currently handles 90 percent of Pakistans sea-borne trade, but because of its proximity to India, it is extremely vulnerable to blockade. This happened during the India-Pakistan War of 1971 and was threatened again during the Kargil conflict of 1999. The port is strategically located between three important regions Oil rich Middle East, heavily populated Pakistan and the Central Asian Region. A modern port at Gwadar would enhance Pakistans strategic depth along its coastline with respect to India. For China, the strategic value of Gwadar is its 240-mile distance from the Strait of Hormuz.[11] China has funded a majority of the $1.2 billion project and provided the technical expertise of hundreds of engineers. Since construction began in 2002, China has invested four times more than Pakistan and contributed an additional $200 million towards the building of a highway to connect Gwadar with Karachi. This port accrues the following advantages for China :- It can serve as a potential Chinese Naval Anchor. It serves as an energy transport hub to carry oil from Gwadar to its western region of Xinjiang by an oil pipeline. It helps insulate the Chinese imports from interdiction in case of any major war. It benefits by having access to international trade routes. Use of rail network is also a major advantage although the access in this case may be hampered due to the difference in gauge between China , Pakistan and CAR nations. Shanghai port is approximately 16000 kms from Chinese industrial areas and sea travel adds another 2-3 months whereas Gwadar is only 2500 Kms and will work throughout the year. It also provides Beijing with a listening post from where it can monitor US, India and US-India Maritime cooperation. As Admiral (retd) Sureesh Mehta[12] said It has a serious strategic implication for India, being only 180 Nm from the exits of Strait of Hormuz, would enable Pak to take control over the world energy jugular interdiction of Indian tankers. Hambantota, SriLanka Hambantota is a rural town in the SE coast of Srilanka. As per the 2007 agreement, development of Hambantota included[13]:- Developing a container port Developing a bunkering system Establishing an oil refinery Setting up an airport and other facilities The approximate expenditure in setting up Hambantota was $1 Bn of which 85% will be financed by China over the next fifteen years. A question that comes to mind is that although there seems to be not much economic significance of this pearl to China, then why is it investing so heavily here. Possibly the following answers come to mind:- There is a potential for Navy as a Port of Call. The port can be used for refueling purposes. The port will act as a Listening post and watch tower on Indias nuclear, space and naval establishments in South India. At present, there is no military component here but Chinas involvement here would make much more sense from a military perspective. Chittagong, Bangladesh Chittagong is the largest seaport in Bangladesh. China is developing a container port facility a Chittagong[14]. However, it is important to note here that there has been no further word on this development probably because of the regime change in Bangladesh which is India friendly. Sittwe, Myanmar Among the many ventures of China in Myanmar, the following two are the most crucial:- The gas pipeline from Myanmars West Arakan state to Yunnan province. Using Sittwe Port as a sea gateway. According to the 1992 agreement, China was ready to modernize Myanmars naval facilities in return for the permission to use the Coco Islands. China undertook building a deep sea port (Kyaukpyu)[15]; road construction from Kunmig to Sittwe for which a feasibility study was done in 2005 and is also funding the road construction from Rangoon to Akyab. From 2013, Chinese oil tankers from the Middle East and Africa will be able to cross the Bay of Bengal to dock at Myanmars Sittwe and Kyaukphyu ports from where their cargo will be transported through pipelines to Yunnan. The transport time of fuel that bypasses the Malacca Strait in this way will be cut by a week. A recent article in the Outlook[16] explained the significance of Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinpings Dec 09 visit to Myanmar, one of the key reasons being Chinas determination to go ahead with the construction of the parallel oil and gas pipelines from the Arakan area of Myanmar to Yunnan. He accorded a greater priority to the A rakan-Yunnan pipeline as compared to the Gwadar-Xinjiang pipeline proposed by the Pakistan Government citing the reason that the Chinese Government was more confident about the Myanmar Army taking care of the security of parallel pipelines passing through Myanmar than about the Pakistan Government for security of a pipeline passing through Pakistan. Moreover, the first stage of the pipeline connecting Xinjiang with the Central Asian Republics has been recently commissioned, thereby reducing the urgency of a Gwadar-Xinjiang pipeline. There is another added advantage of the Arakan-Yunnan pipelines over the pipeline from Gwadar. The former has a two-fold benefit it will help carrying oil brought by Chinese tankers from West Asia and Africa thereby reducing present Chinese dependence on Malacca Strait transporting the gas procured locally in Arakan by Chinese companies The pipeline from Gwadar can only be used to carry oil/gas from West Asia. Pakistan does not have any oil or gas to sell to China . As per the Indian analysts, Chinese presence may allow it to interdict regional SLOCs. On this account, Myanmar is emerging as the single largest threat to Indian strategic interests in SE Asia. Coco Islands Coco islands are a pair of strategically important islands located in the East Indian oceanOcean politically administered by Burma under Yangon division. The Great Coco Islands (102) and Small Coco Islands (51) are separated from each other by Alexandra Channel. They are separated from the Andaman by Coco Channel; Myanmar 300 km N Historically, these islands were a part of India under British rule but due to lack of close supervision, they were transferred to Myanmar. These islands were supposedly leased to the Peoples Republic of China since 1994, according to various amateur sources[17]. The government of Burma and that of the Peoples Republic of China do not comment on such manner. China has helped in carrying out the following activities here:- Establishing a SIGINT and ELINT int gathering station (supposedly 92) Oon the Great Coco Island. Building a maritime base on the little Coco Island. Development of airfield, radar dish, ae, jetty and a number of buildings. However, there are no signs of a large base here. Strategic importance of this pearl for China:- Monitoring Indian Naval activity Monitoring movement of other navies and ships esp between Bay of Bengal and Malacca Strait. May be used to monitor the activities at the launch site of ISRO at Sriharikota and DRDO at Chandipur on sea. According to Indian analysts, this may pose a threat to Indian tri-service command at Port Blair (190 Nm away). If seen in toto, this completes the maritime encirclement of India. Strait of Malacca Strait of Malacca is a narrow 805km stretch of water between Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesian island of Sumatra. At the Philips Channel, this Strait narrows down to 2.8 km, thus becoming one of the worlds most significant choke points. Straits of Malacca and Hormuz have become crucial waterways for China. Close cooperation with Myanmar and Pakistan thus also becomes a crucial issue[18]. From economic and strategic perspectives, Strait of Malacca is one of the most important shipping lanes of the world. This Strait is economically significant for China in that 50,000 vessels pass through it each year and almost 80% of Chinas oil passes through this Strait. In essence, whoever controls Malacca threatens Chinas oil supply route. China gave a statement indicating that it would use its naval might to ensure that these sea lanes remain open. In President Hu Jintaos own words[19], Malacca dilemma is the key to Chinas energy security. Hu also hinted that various powers (including US) had tried to enlarge their scope of influence in the Straits of Malacca by either controlling or trying to control navigation in the Straits of Malacca. It is interesting to note here that Indias naval base in the Andaman and Nicobar islands puts India in an advantageous position. Kra Canal Kra Canal or the Thai Canal is actually a plan for a large canal that would cut through Southern Thailand to enable improved transportation in the region. China had planned to construct this over ten years employing 30,000 workers with an estimated cost of $20-25 Bn. However, initially the plan seemed to have been dropped owing to environmental concerns but recently there have been signs of revival of this plan since there are economic benefits for China and a threat of piracy in the Strait of Malacca. The plan was tentatively approved in 2007 but Singapore and US showed their dissent for obvious reasons. Another alternative to this plan is to build a pipeline across the Isthmus to carry oil to ships waiting on the other side. South China Sea South China Sea is located south of China and Taiwan, west of Philippines, North West of Malaysia, North of Indonesia and East of Vietnam. The region has proven oil reserves 7.7 billion barrels (28 bn estimated) and its natural gas reserves are estimated at 7500 km3. A significant part of this region is the Spratly Islands where oil was discovered in 1968. It has been estimated by the Geology and Mineral Resources Ministry[20] of Peoples Republic of China that Spratly islands may have oil reserves to make them the fourth largest reserve bed in the world. Hence, there is intensification by PRC to claim these islands. Woody Islands Woody Islands are a part of the Paracel Islands occupied by PRC. This node acts as a Chinese Emergency Rescue Centre served by an artificial harbour and an airfield with a 2350m runway. The centre was occupied in 1956 and also has oil tanks, gun emplacements and ammunition storage bunkers. The islands may be used as a staging point to sp offn ops in the Spratlys. There are also reports of the existence of Silkworm anti-ship cruise missile installations on the Woody Islands. In mid 95, a new SIGINT station was established on the Rocky Island, north to Woody Island. Since it is the highest point, there is good signal interception is obviously good. Hainan Islands These 200 islands form the smallest province of PRC and are home to the PLAN strategic nuclear submarine naval harbour that is capable of hiding upto 20 nuclear submarines from spy satellites. The harbour houses nuclear ballistic missile subs and is large enough to accommodate aircraft carriers. PLAN has developed Sanya Naval Base (Yulin) in Southern part to op Jin class subs (SSBNs) and Shang class subs (SSNs) (replaced Han Class). Rising China : Implications for India by Major General (Retd) Dhruv Katoch SM,VSM ,USI journal July September 2009. Source: http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2008/01/gwadar-port-has-strategic-implications.html Source: http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2008/01/gwadar-port-has-strategic-implications.html Source: http://www.marinebuzz.com/2007/11/02/china-funds-sri-lanka-hambantota-port-development-project/ Dilip Ghosh,Chinas String of Pearls encircling India , Asia Defence News Vol IV , Issue 12 , 15 Dec 2009. Dilip Ghosh,Chinas String of Pearls encircling India , Asia Defence News Vol IV , Issue 12 , 15 Dec 2009. Source: http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?263531 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_Islands Amardeep Athwal, China India relations contemporary Dynamics Source: The Straits of Malacca: the Rise of China, America s Intentions and the Dilemma of the Littoral States by Mokhzani Zubir, Researcher, Centre for Maritime Security Diplomacy Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spratly_Islands CHAPTER IV POSSIBLE MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS BEHIND THIS STRATEGY Chinas development during the past decade, from its expanding economy and increased global influence to its growing military might and demand for energy, presented tremendous challenges to their leaders as they managed the turmoil of massive structural, technological, and social changes. The governing three key worries of the Chinese government have been:-elites of China had three overarching concerns:- Regime survival. Territorial integrity. Domestic stability. In the succeeding paragraphs these three concerns and their impact on the economy have been highlighted. The relation between the economy and the string of pearls strategy has also been shown. Regime Survival Regime survival was has always been and will shall remain the foremost concern of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The party leadership is It is aware that their survival depends upon the satisfaction of the Chinese people and their ability how well they are able to protect Chinese national interests. The collapse of the When Soviet Union collapsed and the end of the Cold War ended, Communism was exposed deduced as a communism as a bankrupt ideology with a flawed economic system[21]. To avoid the same fate as had befallen the erstwhile USSR, the Chinese adopted a socialist market economy. Although a lot of economic and social reforms have taken place but , in the middle of it the CCP has maintained a strict authoritarian control. The CCP is aware of the fact that as long as the economy is thriving the populace willl be satisfied and hence there would not be a serious threat to the current regime. Territorial Integrity China has in the recent past adopted a strategy of befriending its neighbours with the notable exceptions being India and Taiwan and in the process has met with considerable success too. Although certain contentious issues still remain with the countries such as Japan over some disputed islands but more or less China has successfully demilitarized its land borders in the nNorthern and the cCentral aAsia. On the central Central asian Asian front, China has become more influential under the support of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), whose member states consist of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, along with the observer members of India, Pakistan, Iran, and Mongolia. It is slowly but surely laying to rest the dispute over Tibet although in a more subtle way. The only spanner in the wheel that remains is its relations and territorial disputes with India which are not showing any signs of fast progress. However, the relations with India have been more of a sine curve with statements against one another coming from both sides. India has more or less recognized Chinas claims to Tibet and China has reciprocated by recognizing Indias claim to the Himalayan state of Sikkim. Even with respect to Taiwan, Chinese policy attempts to balance the stick of diplomatic and military pressure with the carrot of mutually beneficial cross-strait economic ties. With the last elections in Taiwan throwing some startling results in favour of cChina, the day is not far off when it will come into some sort of agreement with Taiwan also. What has made China want to have good relations with its immediate neighbours . neighbours. The one thing that comes to mind is economy. It seems that the ever increasing demands of increased economic development are the driving forces behind Chinas improved relations with her neighbors. Domestic Stability Again successful economic development is perceived as key to Chinas third area of strategic concern, domestic stability. CCP is focused inward, and primarily domestic politics drive Chinas foreign and economic policies. Changes to the economic system and the decision to embrace globalization are causing major shifts in Chinese society[22]. The Chinese government is aware that although it is moving towards becoming an economically prosperous nation but everything is not in order inside their house. ThHere are large disparities between the economy of the people who are living in the coastal cities such as Shanghai and the people who are living in the interior less developed regions which have not seen the effects of the information revolution. Due to this class distinction due as a result of theto economic stratification, the government is wary and knows that if there are anti government demonstrations they cannot be repressed as was done earlier, the famous example being of the Tianan men Square crackdown of June 1989. Thus to address this issue the regime is aware that it needs to bring economic parity to its provinces such as Yunnan and Xinjiang. In meeting this challenge, the government must foster economic prosperity to satisfy the demands and expectations of the Chinese people. Link with Energy All these three abovementioned factors, as have been shown in the preceding paragraphs, are inescapably linked with the economic prosperity of China. The government iof China is aware that the greatest strength of cChina as also its greatest vulnerability is the its economy and hence it has based its national policy and strategy on economyaround this key factor. For its economy to continue thriving, as is with the case of all nations, China knows that it has to rely upon continued and sustained import of energy. Since energy provides the foundation of the economy, Chinas economic policy depends on the success of its energy policy. As the energy resources available within the country are quite limited and cannot ascribe to the full economy; hence it China, therefore, has to rely in a big way on the external sources of energy and raw materials. To import these energy resources and raw materials, it has to have a good and effective transportation system both on land and at sea is required. The three major problems that were faced by China in importing energy via land based routes were that firstly, most of the energy rich nations are either not connected by land; secondly, it would take a major effort and would not be cost effective to connect them with land and thirdly, even if these nations were connected, their links pass through other natio ns which may be a risk keeping in mind the fluid world order and changing equations. Hence, it was important that the Sea Lines Of Communications , which were importing the major chunk of energy be secured . Securing Sea Lines of Communications for energy and raw materials supports Chinas energy policy and is the principal motivation behind the String of Pearls. This is how and why the String of Pearls relates to Chinas Grand National Strategy. Protection of SLOCs The question that arises here is that from whowhom is the protection is required, if at all.? Whom does China fear? Over 70 percent of the total oil imports of China come from either the Middle East or the African countries majority of which is transported through sea and this will remain so for the foreseeable future. Hence, China has a long-term commitment to these supply sources due to which it has been trying to build up better relations with these countries whether that comes as monetary help or in some other form. For eg, Saudi Arabia is Chinas largest crude oil supplier, and the Saudi national oil company, Aramco, is a 25 percent investor in

Abortion from an Ethical Point of View Essay -- Papers Birth Pregnancy

Abortion from an Ethical Point of View It is widely accepted that the fact of abortion has been a subject of conversation and controversy for many decades. Since the proportion of people who accept abortion as a ?normal? procedure is equal to the proportion of those who think of abortion as a ?crime?, through time a lot of measurements have been taken against abortion but concerning it?s defense as well. Although the fact of abortion has been examined through it?s scientific and religious side, in this assignment we will try and examine abortion from an ethical point of view. The best way for someone to refer to abortion on an ethical basis would probably be through the description and evaluation of the subject based on two of the most known theoretical approaches: those of Kant?s and of Utilitarianism (Act and Rule). Beginning with the approach of Utilitarianism, we must say that Utilitarianism, is concerned basically with pleasure and with pain. Therefore someone should be concerned with the amounts of pleasure and pain in situations where abortion is permitted as contrasted with the amounts of pleasure and pain where abortion is forbidden. It might be suggested that the main consideration would be the interests of the fetus: not only can its future life be expectedly happy (or at least having a balance of happiness over suffering) it might also be the case that the abortion itself is painful, particularly if it occurs later in the pregnancy. However this focus on the fetus is unwarranted since any suffering involved in the abortion itself can be avoided by simply aborting the pregnancy sooner (before the fetus has even developed the capability of suffering), or with painless techniques. The direct suffering of the fetus c... ...e next nine months and beyond. These factors carry at least some weight. Other potentially overriding factors complicate the rights of the fetus, such as whether the pregnancy resulted from rape, or contraception failure. Whatever the decision of a woman will be, it is a fact that she should be aware of all the elements mentioned above. I personally believe what John Locke implies in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690) that ?it is part of the worship of God, not to kill another man, not to procure abortion, not to expose their children, not" Bibliography BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Sterba, J.P.(ed) (1998) ? Ethics: The Big Questions Blackwell 2. Singer P. (ed) (1991) ? Ethics Blackwell REFERENCES: 1. Almond P. (ed) (1995) ? Introducing Applied Ethics Blackwell 2. Smart J.J.C & Williams B. (1973) ? Utilitarianism: For and Against Cambridge

Poverty and Crime in America Essay -- poverty essay

Crime in this country is an everyday thing. Some people believe that crime is unnecessary. That people do it out of ignorance and that it really can be prevented. Honestly, since we live in a country where there is poverty, people living in the streets, or with people barely getting by, there will always be crime. Whether the crime is robbing food, money, or even hurting the people you love, your family. You will soon read about how being a criminal starts or even stops, where it begins, with whom it begins with and why crime seems to be the only way out sometimes for the poor. The exact amount of poverty that exits in the United States are difficult to ascertain, since the manner in which poverty is measured determines the amount of poverty reported. The U.S. Bureau of the Census reported that there were about 33,100,00 persons classified as officially below the poverty level in 1985. Small children that live in low-income households, are vulnerable to a wide variety of problems, including poor nutrition, inadequate housing, substandard medical attention, lack of proper nutrition, and physical or emotional abuse. Adolescents from these backgrounds become part of cycle of low-income or unemployment. Black and Hispanic teenagers have particularly acute problems obtaining employment. The President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice recognized the role of poverty in producing delinquency and noted that the most serious forms of juvenile delinquencies are more prevalent between youths at the lowest socioeconomic levels. The fact that poverty is self-perpetuating is a documented fact. Criminal and delinquent activity may also be an accepted part of the total picture for deprived kids. It's h... ...lewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Laub, J, & Sampson, R. (2003). Shared beginnings, divergent lives: delinquent boys to age 70. The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Marcus, R. (2007). Agression and violence in adolescence. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Peterson, R, Krivo, L, & Hagan, J. (2006). The many colors of crime. NY: New York University Press. Raphael, J. (2000). Saving bernice. Ann Arbor, MI: Edwards Brothers, Inc. Shover, N, & Hochstetler, A. (2006). Choosing white-collar crime. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Smith, M. (2001). Sex without consent. NY: New York University Press. Thompson, W, & Bynum, J. (1991). Juvenile delinquency. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Wilson, H. (2007). Guns, gun control, and elections. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

The Tempest :: essays research papers

The Tempest was one of William Shakespeare’s last plays. Into it, he put his heart and his soul. The epilogue in itself carries enough emotional weight to fill an entire play. The scene where Ariel says that she would feel bad for the men trapped on the island if she were human (V. i. 20), if performed right, can be one of the most moving lines in the history of theater. The emotions in the play make the play extremely hard to perform. It is one of the most difficult stage plays for the audience as well as the cast to interpret, but isn’t impossible with a good director, cast, and crew. If a play is not staged well, the audience may have a hard time understanding it. In The Tempest there are many scenes that are extremely difficult to stage. For example, in Act III Scene 3, there is the stage direction, "Enter several strange Shapes, bringing in a banquet; and dance about it with gentle actions of salutations." (Shakespeare, 57) Then, after the men decide to eat, "Enter Ariel, like a harpy; claps his wings upon the table; and with a quaint device the banquet vanishes." (Shakespeare, 58) How does one bring an entire banquet onto the stage and then in the blink of an eye, make it disappear? It is one of the greatest obstacles in known theater. The appearance of Caliban is something to be argued over. In some performances, he has been portrayed as a fish, in others a dog, in some a hunchback, but his appearance is an important part of the play. It is imperative that the audience hate him, be disgusted by him, for the emotions to work right. He has t o be depicted as abhorrent and lewd. This is another dilemma for the director, and the actor who plays Caliban has to be notably gifted. The spirit, Ariel, is of undefined gender, and this is also quite a difficult thing to portray on the stage, as one must choose, to a degree, the sex of the spirit. Also, the language, late sixteenth century English, is rather hard for the modern ear to understand without scrupulous study. Many words strange to those of the twentieth century were common, ever day words in Shakespeare’s time. The line, "You have often/Begun to tell me what I am, but stopped/And left me to a bootless inquisition/Concluding, ‘Stay! Not yet.

Titanic

One of the best known films of all time, in my opinion, is â€Å"Titanicâ€Å". Directed by James Cameron in 1997, this film captured both my attention and my heart with the plot of a tragic event hand in hand with a love story with everything but a happy ending. He managed to combine TragedyThe real story behind this film is that of the ship of dreams also believed to be the unsinkable ship and its tragic journey to the ocean floor. The love story that caught all of our hearts is that of Jack Dawson and Rose. They’ve been brought together by this majesty boat from opposite ends of the spectrum in an era where status is everything.Timing was also against them with the pressure of Rose’s engagement to Cal Hockley. Rose’s snobby mother Ruth Dewitt was also a major obstacle to their relationship from the beginning and insists on the marriage of Rose and Cal Hockley because of his inheritance. The story is narrated by aged Rose to a group of explorers who wanted to know more details about the wreck of the Titanic. The movie begins with the exploration of the sunken Titanic by treasure hunter Brock Lovett and his team. They are searching for a necklace called the â€Å"Heart of the Oceanâ€Å".They believe the necklace is in Cal’s safe, which they recover. Instead of finding the priceless diamond, they find a drawing of a nude woman wearing the necklace, dated the same night the Titanic hit the iceberg, April 14, 1912. Rose Dawson sees the painting on TV and immediately contacts the explorers and tells them she is the woman in the drawing. Brock Lovett, being very interested in her story, brings Rose and her granddaughter Lizzy to the ship. When asked if she knows the whereabouts of the necklace, Rose recalls her memories in a flashback and brought us aboard the Titanic.The story begins with Jack and his best friend, Fabrizio, betting everything they have on a game of poker for life changing tickets to board the Titanic, minutes befor e its departure. They win the tickets and head for America on what was believed to be at the time, mans greatest creation, the Titanic. Rose and Jack were part of opposite social classes on the ship. Rose being the part of the wealthy stayed in first class quarters while Jack being part of the third class passengers belonged in the bowels of the ship.It wasn’t until one night that Rose was just fed up by the distress by the engagement and the pressure from her mother, that she come out to the dock and considers suicide. Seconds aways from reaching the point of no return and jumping, Jack comes from behind and talks her out of jumping. From that night on Jack and Rose develop a relationship of friendship with undeniable potential to be soul mates. Jack soon discovers the not so pleasant people of â€Å"high society,† and sees clearly why Rose is so desperate to break away from that world.Jack was looked down upon by Cal, Ruth, and most of Rose’s acquaintances. It was long before Cal and Ruth forbid that Rose see Jack. Weighing out her options, Rose decides to defy her mothers orders and meet with Jack. She soon realizes that Jack’s world and Jack himself is an escape from her marriage to Cal. This leads to one of the best scenes, where Rose takes Jack back to her room and asks him to draw a portrait of her wearing nothing but the heart of the ocean necklace, an engagement present from Cal.The same portrait that was found years later in Cal’s safe in place of the necklace itself. Afterwards, the two find their way to the ship's cargo hold, where, for the first time, they make love. Perhaps one of the most steaming, lust filled scenes in movie history. After that scene Jack and Rose go up to the deck and experience what is going to change everyone’s life on that ship. The ship collides with an iceberg that the ships crew weren’t in time to prevent. They also overhear the crew speaking of the seriousness, so they ge t a heads up. They then rush to inform Cal and her mother.But before Rose reaches her mother and Cal to warn them about the collision with the iceberg, Cal confronts her. He has found the sketch that Jack had painted of her. He then plots against Jack by dropping the necklace into his coat pocket and frames him for being a thief. Jack is then arrested, taken to a room, and handcuffed to a pipe. Rose, being lied to about Jacks action, is then left with no choice but to leave with Cal. Cal, Ruth, and Rose then rush to one of the few life boats on the ship to try and escape what they already know will be a deadly end.As the minutes pass and the ship stands still on the icy cold sea water, panic on the ship grows immensely. As Rose takes her place in the lifeboat, she decides to leave Cal, he mother along with her safety and rejoin Jack on this shipwreck to be. Rose is racing frantically against the panicking crowds in an effort to fin and save Jack. She soon realizes that the deck she has to go thru is already a couple of feet underwater. Without hesitation, she continues and goes on to find the room where Jack is handcuffed.The room quickly begins to flood; and without a key to set Jack free, Rose goes back into the hallways and finds an axe. After only a couple practice hits, she swings the axe down and cuts thru the cuffs. By the time they get back to the deck the ship is halfway underwater. They make their way to the lifeboats but they were only letting the woman and children board. Rose of course didn’t leave him the first and doesn’t leave him this time either. Moments later everyone including Jack and Rose are racing to the front of the boat and it rises higher and higher into the sky.The ship now being in a 90 degree angle, Jack and Rose hold their breath as the boat finally goes underwater. After a few seconds of being separated they find each other in the icy cold water surrounded by fifteen hundred others shouting for help. They are hopin g for the lifeboats to return for them. Meanwhile they come across this floating wooden board, buts it’s only big enough to sustain one of them. Rose lies on the wooden board and holds jacks hands and wait. Wait to die, wait for rescue, just wait. It gets quieter and quieter as the minutes pass, and finally one boat comes back.When Rose realizes that there’s a boat, she tries to wake up Jack only find him lifeless still holding on tight to her hand. Definitely the saddest moment of the movie, this scene brings me to tears. Rose then blows a whistle she had taken from one of the already dead officers floating next to them. With nothing but just a memory of Jack Dawson, Rose survives that’s horrific night to grow old and live life like Jack said she would. Rose finishes her remarkable story, and that same night she reveals that she had this diamond all along and returns it to where she always thought that it belonged.In my opinion of the most memorable scenes was the image of the thousands of people struggling in the ice cold dark waters when Rose came out of the water without Jack. I can picture it so vividly. Another scene that I remembered is where an old couple embraces each other in bed knowing that they were going to drown. The love scene in the car where the windows of the car are fogged up show the passion that Rose and Jack had for each other. Titanic is filled with the most impressive camera movements like the swooping motions around the moving ship which he uses various times throughout the movie.They’re just breathtaking. Probably the most epic and mind-blowing camera moves were those during the collision and sinking of the Titanic. The way you see people falling from the ship slamming into the water, hitting the objects on their way down to the swallowing ocean, one character even hit the propeller. Before the movie hit the big screen, the press was trashing Titanic, mainly because the cost of this film extremely over bud get. Well let me be one of the many to say that it was worth every single penny.There is nothing I've seen in years that comes close to the power and glory of Titanic. Perhaps it’s because the movie was based on a real story. And, of course, it was a movie that contained drama, action, adventure and we cannot forget the romance. Titanic is also a symbol of a time when the movies swept you away in another world and kept you there. Even knowing what is to come at the end, your eyes will be transfixed. It's that good. That’s why I believe this movie will be as popular and well known for many generation to come as it was the year it premiered and as recognizable as it is today. Titanic One of the best known films of all time, in my opinion, is â€Å"Titanicâ€Å". Directed by James Cameron in 1997, this film captured both my attention and my heart with the plot of a tragic event hand in hand with a love story with everything but a happy ending. He managed to combine TragedyThe real story behind this film is that of the ship of dreams also believed to be the unsinkable ship and its tragic journey to the ocean floor. The love story that caught all of our hearts is that of Jack Dawson and Rose. They’ve been brought together by this majesty boat from opposite ends of the spectrum in an era where status is everything.Timing was also against them with the pressure of Rose’s engagement to Cal Hockley. Rose’s snobby mother Ruth Dewitt was also a major obstacle to their relationship from the beginning and insists on the marriage of Rose and Cal Hockley because of his inheritance. The story is narrated by aged Rose to a group of explorers who wanted to know more details about the wreck of the Titanic. The movie begins with the exploration of the sunken Titanic by treasure hunter Brock Lovett and his team. They are searching for a necklace called the â€Å"Heart of the Oceanâ€Å".They believe the necklace is in Cal’s safe, which they recover. Instead of finding the priceless diamond, they find a drawing of a nude woman wearing the necklace, dated the same night the Titanic hit the iceberg, April 14, 1912. Rose Dawson sees the painting on TV and immediately contacts the explorers and tells them she is the woman in the drawing. Brock Lovett, being very interested in her story, brings Rose and her granddaughter Lizzy to the ship. When asked if she knows the whereabouts of the necklace, Rose recalls her memories in a flashback and brought us aboard the Titanic.The story begins with Jack and his best friend, Fabrizio, betting everything they have on a game of poker for life changing tickets to board the Titanic, minutes befor e its departure. They win the tickets and head for America on what was believed to be at the time, mans greatest creation, the Titanic. Rose and Jack were part of opposite social classes on the ship. Rose being the part of the wealthy stayed in first class quarters while Jack being part of the third class passengers belonged in the bowels of the ship.It wasn’t until one night that Rose was just fed up by the distress by the engagement and the pressure from her mother, that she come out to the dock and considers suicide. Seconds aways from reaching the point of no return and jumping, Jack comes from behind and talks her out of jumping. From that night on Jack and Rose develop a relationship of friendship with undeniable potential to be soul mates. Jack soon discovers the not so pleasant people of â€Å"high society,† and sees clearly why Rose is so desperate to break away from that world.Jack was looked down upon by Cal, Ruth, and most of Rose’s acquaintances. It was long before Cal and Ruth forbid that Rose see Jack. Weighing out her options, Rose decides to defy her mothers orders and meet with Jack. She soon realizes that Jack’s world and Jack himself is an escape from her marriage to Cal. This leads to one of the best scenes, where Rose takes Jack back to her room and asks him to draw a portrait of her wearing nothing but the heart of the ocean necklace, an engagement present from Cal.The same portrait that was found years later in Cal’s safe in place of the necklace itself. Afterwards, the two find their way to the ship's cargo hold, where, for the first time, they make love. Perhaps one of the most steaming, lust filled scenes in movie history. After that scene Jack and Rose go up to the deck and experience what is going to change everyone’s life on that ship. The ship collides with an iceberg that the ships crew weren’t in time to prevent. They also overhear the crew speaking of the seriousness, so they ge t a heads up. They then rush to inform Cal and her mother.But before Rose reaches her mother and Cal to warn them about the collision with the iceberg, Cal confronts her. He has found the sketch that Jack had painted of her. He then plots against Jack by dropping the necklace into his coat pocket and frames him for being a thief. Jack is then arrested, taken to a room, and handcuffed to a pipe. Rose, being lied to about Jacks action, is then left with no choice but to leave with Cal. Cal, Ruth, and Rose then rush to one of the few life boats on the ship to try and escape what they already know will be a deadly end.As the minutes pass and the ship stands still on the icy cold sea water, panic on the ship grows immensely. As Rose takes her place in the lifeboat, she decides to leave Cal, he mother along with her safety and rejoin Jack on this shipwreck to be. Rose is racing frantically against the panicking crowds in an effort to fin and save Jack. She soon realizes that the deck she has to go thru is already a couple of feet underwater. Without hesitation, she continues and goes on to find the room where Jack is handcuffed.The room quickly begins to flood; and without a key to set Jack free, Rose goes back into the hallways and finds an axe. After only a couple practice hits, she swings the axe down and cuts thru the cuffs. By the time they get back to the deck the ship is halfway underwater. They make their way to the lifeboats but they were only letting the woman and children board. Rose of course didn’t leave him the first and doesn’t leave him this time either. Moments later everyone including Jack and Rose are racing to the front of the boat and it rises higher and higher into the sky.The ship now being in a 90 degree angle, Jack and Rose hold their breath as the boat finally goes underwater. After a few seconds of being separated they find each other in the icy cold water surrounded by fifteen hundred others shouting for help. They are hopin g for the lifeboats to return for them. Meanwhile they come across this floating wooden board, buts it’s only big enough to sustain one of them. Rose lies on the wooden board and holds jacks hands and wait. Wait to die, wait for rescue, just wait. It gets quieter and quieter as the minutes pass, and finally one boat comes back.When Rose realizes that there’s a boat, she tries to wake up Jack only find him lifeless still holding on tight to her hand. Definitely the saddest moment of the movie, this scene brings me to tears. Rose then blows a whistle she had taken from one of the already dead officers floating next to them. With nothing but just a memory of Jack Dawson, Rose survives that’s horrific night to grow old and live life like Jack said she would. Rose finishes her remarkable story, and that same night she reveals that she had this diamond all along and returns it to where she always thought that it belonged.In my opinion of the most memorable scenes was the image of the thousands of people struggling in the ice cold dark waters when Rose came out of the water without Jack. I can picture it so vividly. Another scene that I remembered is where an old couple embraces each other in bed knowing that they were going to drown. The love scene in the car where the windows of the car are fogged up show the passion that Rose and Jack had for each other. Titanic is filled with the most impressive camera movements like the swooping motions around the moving ship which he uses various times throughout the movie.They’re just breathtaking. Probably the most epic and mind-blowing camera moves were those during the collision and sinking of the Titanic. The way you see people falling from the ship slamming into the water, hitting the objects on their way down to the swallowing ocean, one character even hit the propeller. Before the movie hit the big screen, the press was trashing Titanic, mainly because the cost of this film extremely over bud get. Well let me be one of the many to say that it was worth every single penny.There is nothing I've seen in years that comes close to the power and glory of Titanic. Perhaps it’s because the movie was based on a real story. And, of course, it was a movie that contained drama, action, adventure and we cannot forget the romance. Titanic is also a symbol of a time when the movies swept you away in another world and kept you there. Even knowing what is to come at the end, your eyes will be transfixed. It's that good. That’s why I believe this movie will be as popular and well known for many generation to come as it was the year it premiered and as recognizable as it is today.

University as I see it

Mr.. Rater, ladies and gentlemen I am grateful for the opportunity rendered by all of you to express my opinion in this fiercely controverter subject. To me the period between high school and work, or Post-graduate education, which is called by all of us University, is inevitably the most defining period in our life, as it ends our acquisition in school as well as precedes our career of utilizing what we've learned. For the sake of its special position – between learning and work, that defining period is ordained the special duty of being well seed to acquire some knowledge and abilities that will be soon made use of.Unlike any other period we've ever experienced or will experience, it is never a single period simply to learn something or to use what we've learned; it is a combination of learning and using. Another extraordinary identity of this period is that It's time when we are young and active. Being impressively influenced by the quotation â€Å"Be crazy before being ol d†, many of us have recognized that this is not only a period to forge us but a wonderful while to enjoy, as it will possibly be the last chance that we eve plenty of time to think, to plan, and dodo what we desire.Unfortunately many of us have only realized one of the two major use of university – mostly the entertaining one. They have well but Insufficiently enjoyed the paradise with least rules and restrictions; they are doing whatever gratifies them – spending almost all the time they're awake playing computer games, having fun with their friends all the time, of course while absent from classes.The rest of whoever realized only one use of the period are completely doing oppositely to the former ones; they have always en studying and studying, any time they are not sleeping, even sometimes when they are. The commonly seen phenomenon mentioned above does not stand for what modern university students are all about; In fact It Is something that, If treated wisel y and courageously, can be largely reduced. And such wisdom and courage will be no more than a clear recognition of our Identity and the enormity attached to that Identity.With such recognition, our entertainment will be more relaxing when letting go the fatigue of working; with such recognition, we will realize that we are now not only students that shall learn as much as possible, but adults that need some abilities to take the responsibility of our life; with such recognition, we will soon have a vision of our future that's being more and more clear and close. We are still very young, so we have a lot of time and energy to make our life crazier, more wonderful, and more unforgettable.But we are no longer Immature, so we cannot bear the loss of some Irresponsible deeds that are thought, however, enjoyable when being done. And all these should be kept In mind during the defining period – university. Thank you all. University as I see it By rises career of utilizing what we'v e learned. For the sake of its special position – between any other period we've ever experienced or will experience, it is never a single period simply to learn something or to use what we've learned; it is a combination of learning and using.Another extraordinary identity of this period is that it's time entertaining one. They have well but insufficiently enjoyed the paradise with least the time they're awake playing computer games, having fun with their friends all the hat modern university students are all about; in fact it is something that, if treated be no more than a clear recognition of our identity and the enormity attached to that identity.With such recognition, our entertainment will be more relaxing when letting and more unforgettable. But we are no longer immature, so we cannot bear the loss of some irresponsible deeds that are thought, however, enjoyable when being done. And all these should be kept in mind during the defining period – university. Thank