Lebanese Security Issues and Solutions - Syrian Involvement Essay

Lebanese Security Issues and Solutions - Syrian Involvement - Essay Example Other groups that worsen the complication are the participation of the Libyans, Iraqis, Americans and the Russians ("The Lebanese War", 2005). The 15-years war in Lebanon (1975-1990) has begun from the disputes and political clash since the colonial period. One of the factors that aggravated the war was the conflict between the Christian and the Muslim. Added to these are the nearness of the country to Syria, the political revolutions and many other events in Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The growing Arab Nationalism and Socialism in the perspective of the Cold War are the other contributing factors to the conflict in Lebanon. Also included were the trouble between Arab and Israeli, the revolution in Iran and the Palestinian terrorism. To complete the list, the Black September in Jordan, Islamic fundamentalism, and the war between Iran and Iraq are the rest of these factors. The war brought countless of victims. More than 100,000 people were killed and almost 100,000 persons were injured and added to this were the thousands who lost their limbs resulting from the explosion of land mines. More than 900,0 00 innocent civilians were dislocated. More than double of this number migrated to other countries to keep away from the trouble. The Lebanese war can be divided into a number of periods. The outburst of the war was in the middle of 1970s then in late 1970s came the intrusion of the Syrian together with the Israeli. It was then followed by the intensification of the war between the PLO and the Israeli that occurred in early 80s. The invasion of Israeli in 1982 and the involvement of the multinationals were the added factors to the conflict which happened after was the resolution of the Syrian occupation ("History of Lebanon", 2006). Large contingent of Syrian Army was remained in Lebanon as early as 1976. Although the war has ended, the Syrian keeps a total of 14,000 soldiers to maintain the peace and order in the country. With their presence and involvement in Lebanese political affairs, the major political decisions are mostly made in Damascus ("Young in the Arab World: Lebanon", 2005). At first, the Syrian's presence in Lebanon is supported by America for more than 30 years together with the Israelis they favored the stay of the Syrian forces to keep the control of the 300,000 Palestinian refugees in the country. At present, the continuous stay of Syrian troops and its domination to the internal affairs of Lebanon is becoming the concern of U.S. President Bush (Fisk, 2005). Growing number of Lebanese are becoming displeased in long stay of the Syrian troops in the country. The Christians are believed to be the most affected group in the peace and security situation. The presence of checkpoints can be noticed in many parts of the country. Large posters of former President Hafez Assad can be seen everywhere. Spies or undercover agents who are dispersed anywhere brought fear to the people. The Lebanese Government is largely influenced by the Syrian particularly in their major decision making and political exercises. Tension are felt during election, the officials to be elected should be endorsed by Syria. It was only until last year

Recent new york history with short essay format questions Assignment

Recent new york history with short essay format questions - Assignment Example the inefficiencies within the governments, as well as introduced reform coalitions and invented â€Å"methods of mobilizing public opinion† through â€Å"muck racking, celebrity picket line, forcing of an official witness-calling investigation, launching of a referendum campaign,† and poring over the city planner or commission government’s outputs (Rodgers, â€Å"Atlantic Crossings† 52; Thelen 1885 qtd. in Rodgers, â€Å"In Search of Progressivism† 117). Progressivism caused a lot of civil-focused reforms via the amendment of the Constitution; these reforms covered or created the personal income tax, Federal Reserve, antitrust laws, immigration-restrictions and food regulation (Leonard 207). A significant highlight of progressivism in New York City is its participation in the reformation of prostitution in the Tammany Hall. A published report, which linked â€Å"Tammany Hall with police-protected brothels,† paved the way to â€Å"redefine† policies that caused the proliferation of prostitution (Engs 76). In an incumbent party’s view, the Progressives took its opportunity to strike whenever government inefficiencies are spotted. Exploiting government flaws through reform proposals is a foolproof idea to firmly root the Progressive Party in New York. The only drawback of this movement is the simultaneous reforms’ sustainable capacity; with all the reformation occurring, there may be not enough people to watch its effectivity. Consequently, feedback is not captured to be incorporated to reform-improvements. The fiscal crisis in New York consisted of the primary and secondary cause. While the primary cause is considered the root cause, the secondary causes were government responses to the primary cause. The primary cause was the â€Å"city’s exaggerated forecast of real estate revenue collections† (Fuchs 56). This forecast left the city with significant deficits. However, instead of cutting spending, the government resorted to short-term borrowing (Fuchs 56).