Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 22

Reflection paper - Essay Example It really felt like college and I pondered those great alumni that this university has produced must have stood to where I stood and felt what I felt. Suddenly, I felt like I am part of a bigger community, of the university’s rich history and to some extent, kinship to its alumni. I was also excited because this would be the first time that I will be away for a long time from the shelter and comfort of my family. In a way, I am venturing into the unfamiliar which gave me a sense of independence to have the freedom to do what I really like. That sense of freedom that I felt when I first got here felt so good and liberating. There were some less than ideal thoughts that entered my mind like partying all night since I will be away from the watchful eyes of my parents but I also cautioned myself that I came here to study and not to party. The class started and I felt that vastness of university that in a way represented the vastness of our world. There were a lot of different kinds of people with different kinds of background and ethnicity, different kind of accents that it could be overwhelming the first time. But I felt excited. It was like being in the real world for the first time. School work begun and then reality set in. The excitement abated because I now have to focus with reports, researches, exams and all sort of school work. But I thought to myself that this is what I came for in the university, to study. The adjustment was not exactly that easy because school work in college can be tough and very demanding. Well, I just said to myself that this is college and it should be this way. It may not be that easy but I think I am doing just fine because I am still here. I already have some friends. Really interesting people who I go out with, have fun and do some crazy things just like what a normal teenager would do in their teenage years. Right now, I am still in the process of discovering the university life. School works

Humanitarian intervention Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Humanitarian intervention - Case Study Example These abstract definitions, which are often social constructs, become even more problematic when viewed through the lens of legitimate ethical concerns. Does a foreign power have the right to intervene and restore order when the disruption of food supplies results in the starvation of massive numbers of children' Does a world military power have the moral obligation to inflict democracy on a people that are oppressed economically, politically, and socially and do not have the benefit of free elections and choice' These questions have come before the international bodies such as the United Nations (UN) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in recent years as the Palestinian oppression, the atrocities in Kosovo, and the genocide in Darfur beg for resolution and are met with impasse and impotence on the world stage. Humanitarian relief and armed intervention is an issue too complex to be limited by preset rules and needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis with morality a nd ethics as the only relevant veto powers available. The problems that are presented by international bodies in pursuing an armed humanitarian intervention are very clearly evident in the conflict that arose in Kosovo in 1998-1999. International law presented several obstacles to any unilateral or multi-lateral actions without the near unanimous consent of the United Nations. Article 2(4) of the UN Charter explicitly prohibits military intervention into the internal affairs of any state, and that prohibition extends regardless of ideology (democratic or dictatorial), morality of the ruling government, or intervention for humanitarian purposes (Henkin, 1999, p.824). According to UN rules, certain ruling members have a veto power and in the case of Kosovo, Russia and China were willing to block any unanimous consensus on military intervention. Due to post Cold War animosities, "geography and politics rendered unanimity by the permanent members in support of military action (especially in the Balkans) highly unlikely" (Henkin, 1999, p.82 5). The United Kingdom, with support of the US, moved forward without the approval of the UN, opting instead to invoke the collective approval of NATO as a legitimate international body that took precedence over the UN based on regional concerns and authority. Legal scholars generally agree that the NATO action in Kosovo was in violation of international law, though it can be justified through ethical and moral reasoning. While there is some debate on the ultimate effectiveness of the campaign and the amount of suffering alleviated, the focus should remain on the intent of the action. There is no doubt that there were political pressures that moved the impetus to provide humanitarian relief. The NATO action in Kosovo was taken to provide humanitarian relief, avert further catastrophe, prevent the destabilization of key parts of Europe, and to maintain the legitimacy of NATO (Wedgwood, 1999, p.829). Taken one at a time these goals may be insufficient, but their collective weight makes the action more acceptable. However, the fact that this was a Caucasian country and a Euro-centric action cannot be overlooked. Would this action have been initiated if the population were a black African nation' According to Coady (2002, p.26), "responses to exterminations need close examination lest they do contain elements of mere prejudice,