The Golan Heights: A Storied Past, An Unpredictable Future
Situated just north of Lake Kinneret overlooking the Huleh Valley in Israel and the Al Raquad Valley in Syria sits a plateau, which rises to between 700 and 1,400 feet above sea level and is perhaps the most strategic piece of land in the Middle East, depending on one’s perspective. (Jewish Virtual Library, 2001) The antiquities left behind by the Romans, Turks, Greeks, and Mongols, just to name a few of the empires that have conquered this area, date back several centuries. This relatively small area of land, roughly the size of Queens, New York, is approximately 40-45 miles long and 15.5 miles across at its widest point, and controls the Kinneret, Israel’s only lake and foremost water resource. (Bard, 2002) This much-disputed piece of land is called the Golan Heights.
Israel’s History of the Golan Heights
Israel’s claim to the Golan Heights dates back centuries to Biblical times when Abraham promised the Bashan Region, the Biblical name for the Golan Heights, to the people of Israel. Israeli citizens did not settle in the Golan, however, until the First Temple Period, which began in 953BC. Half of the Israeli tribe of Menasseh settled in Transjordan and later named the area after another Biblical city of the same name, Golan. (Web Golan) During this era, the town acted as a refuge for criminals awaiting trial, which could also account for the town’s name, as the word “golah” means exile. In 732BC, the Israelis were exiled from the Golan by an Asyrian Emperor, Tiglath-Pileser II, and did not return to Bashan until after 586BC, which was the start of the Second Temple Period. From 732BC to 586BC, the Asyrian Emperor populated the entire region with citizens from various parts of his empire. When the Israelis returned to their homes, though, they lived in peace alongside the non-Jewish inhabitants. (Camera Media Report,1995) The Golan Heights changed hands several more times and was influenced by various cultures throughout the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Talmudic Periods from 65BC to 636AD. From 636 to 1516 during the Islamic Conquest, also known as the Mamluk Period, most of the Jewish settlements from previous periods disappeared entirely and the Druze were the primary inhabitants of the Golan. The Druze remain in certain areas of the Golan to this day. (Israeli Governme...
... middle of paper ...
...ved on September 10, 2002. .
"Israeli Reponse to Arab League to Divert Jordan". Jewish Virtual Library. From a speech by Levi Eshkil given on January 21, 1964. Retrieved on September 10, 2002. .
Kortenoeven, W. "What Makes the Golan so Vital for Israel?". Christians for Israel Today. Canada: 2000. .
Nyrip, R. Syria: A Country Study. Washington, D.C.: American University, 1979.
Orvedahl, J. The Middle East, 9th ed. Washington, D.C.: CQPress, 2000.
"Peace Talkers Study Key Paper" BBC. January 9, 2000. Retrieved September 11, 2002. .
Rabin, Yitzhak Address to residents of the Golan Heights. June 10, 1992. (As quoted from http://www.golan.org.il/vip.html).
"Short Historical Overview of the Golan Heights". Web Golan. Retrieved on September 11, 2002. .
Wiesenhofer, H. Library of Nations: Israel. London: Time-Life Books, 1986.
The Middle East has historically rebuked Western influence during their process of establishing independence. When Britain and France left the Middle East after World War II, the region saw an unprecedented opportunity to establish independent and self-sufficient states free from the Western influence they had felt for hundreds of years. In an attempt to promote nationalistic independence, the states of the region immediately formed the League of Arab States in 1945. The League recognized and promoted the autonomy of its members and collaborated in regional opposition against the West until 1948 when Israel declared independence. Israel represented then and now an intrusive Western presence in the Arab world. The ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict typifies this cultural antagonism. The Cold War refocused attention to the Middle East as a site of economic and strategic importance for both sides, yet the two hegemons of the Cold War now needed to recognize the sovereignty of the Middle Eastern states. With their statehood and power cemented, the Middle Easte...
The CIA wanted to use drug trafficking because there was good money in the process, and put an end to it at the same time, when there was lots of cash, the story turned around, the CIA tried to keep it a secret and that it would be a good idea, well they were wrong, the whole conspiracy was dead, the CIA wanted currency by selling drugs, it was an easy way to make some dirty cash, they knew it was a bad decision, this theory that they had done, karma came back and got the CIA, this conspiracy ended up taking lives away from families, the CIA had others distress because there plans weren’t all that.
There are similarities and differences when it comes to these two icons childhood. Black Mamba and King James both started at an early age with being interested in basketball. They both played basketball on their high school basketball teams scoring immensely and leading their teams to victory and after high school went straight to the NBA Draft. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James both are married to two beautiful women and they also have two children. The only difference about their children is that Kobe has two girls and LeBron has two boys. Finally, their NBA career is a tremendous difference when it comes to peers. Kobe has accomplished more because he is older but LeBron has also accomplished quite a bit for his age.
In the Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels. The authors make sure that it’s very well known that proletarians (the working class), are being oppressed by the Bourgeois, and they also make sure every one knows that it is not the first time in history when there is a minority that rules over the majority, and that this ends up in class conflict, that leads to a revolution where the powerful are overthrown. The way that the Marx, and Engels demonstrate that the Bourgeois are inherently oppressive is by talking about the way their private land is giving them increase of power over the proletarians, and that the proletarians are being in a way enslaved by their labor (job). Instead of feeling enslaved by their job they should (in a ideal society) happy about their labor, but are instead, in the contrary, being exploited to mass produce, and not being paid enough for their labor; demonstrating that Bourgeois are benefiting from the
The pluralistic scholar David Truman notes that “the proliferation of political interest groups [is] a natural and largely benign consequence of economic development” (Kernell 2000, 429). That is, as American economic development increases, in the form of industry, trade, and technology, factions are produced in order to protect special interests. Factions have a large platform on which to find support from various political parties, committees, subcommittees, and the courts, as well as federal, state, and local governments (Kernell 2000, 429).
Due to the mark Michael Jordan has left on the world as the “G.O.A.T.”, it will be very difficult for any player to surpass his legacy. Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and LeBron James all have similarities of Michael Jordan but, out of all three players James is the closest. LeBron has the most similarities and the potential to surpass Michael Jordan’s legacy with his personality, stats and he popularity on and off the court. Even though James has the potential to surpass his legacy, there is still a very long journey ahead of James if he ever wants to be considered the “G.O.A.T.”.
Bourke, Dale Hanson. The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Tough Questions, Direct Answers. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity, 2013. N. pag. Print.
Likewise, “neo Marxist theories” are irrelevant in today’s society (Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda, 2012). Interest groups were highlighted by Bell, on the other hand, Riesman referenced veto groups as political power sources in the United states; however, both group are seen as countervailing power (Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda, 2012). In other words as groups form and organize in order to promote their personal interest, equally, other groups form in opposition to block their actions and efforts for the prevention of having too much control (Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda, 2012). In this model, policy is not mandated by the elite, however, by the same token, veto groups plays a major role making certain it goes through the legislative process (Robbins, Chatterjee, & Canda,
In today’s politics, interest groups play a large role in the government system. An interest Group is defined as 'an organized body of individuals who try to influence public policy.' This system is designed so that interest groups would be an instrument of public influence on politics to create changes, but would not threaten the government much. These organizations are either made up of people who represent a different organization or people who represent themselves. Interest groups represent the citizens’ interests and views, while expressing their own needs as well. They are the link between people and politics, giving a way for the public to voice their opinions. Members of interest groups use different tactics to basically impose their wants or needs onto the government by lobbying, educating, and campaigning.
Do you know how factory farms affect your health, the world around you, and your children 's future? Factory farms are one of the major leading causes of pollution ,which causes a great amount of problems. The animals produced by the masses on these factory farms are extremely exploited and treated inhumanely. The methane from tons of animal manure is causing detrimental global warming. Global warming is affecting much more than the temperature, its damaging crops, species of animals are going extinct, and humans are having health problems. Raising livestock requires a great amount of land ,including animal habitats and rainforests that used to nourish the planet. Factory farms have the U.S. food production
The “advocacy explosion” in the United States in the 20th century has been caused by the extreme increase in the number of interest groups in the United States. The general public views the increase and the groups themselves as a cancer that has come to the body of American politics and is spreading. The explosion in the number of interest groups and interest group members and finances has had an effect on the decline of the American political party and partisanship, the effect on democracy and the public interest, and the bias that has come with interest group competition.
In Marxist thought, the material conditions produce individual as objects that are subject to domination. Capitalist societies create alienation and commodity fetishism, and societal structures become reified in the consciousness of individuals within a society and seem to be natural and unchangeable. In this way, the self is oppressed and isolated from the species-being of humanity. Likewise, nature is turned into something that is to be exploited and commodified. The mechanisms of capitalism are fundamentally those of domination, both of humanity and the rest of nature.
Although factory farms may sound harmful, they are good to the animals, the environment, and the farmers that look over them. Just like humans, animals love to be around other animals. They want the contact between each other or they will get lonely. Factory farms help make this possible by raising an abundance of animals, whether it is beef cattle, swine, dairy cattle, or the most common, chickens. Like what the media portrays, Factory Farms have negative influences on animals in agriculture and society as a whole.
Quarterly, inc. "Syria." The Middle East. 11th ed. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2007. 437 - 456. Print.
In a capitalistic society, the owner exploits his workers by draining them of their self-worth. A worker gets paid only for his sustenance as the product he works on gets sold by the capitalists in the interests of creating a profit. This leads to the worker’s alienation from his surroundings and his work leading to the estrangement from the process of production. The existing social relationship is inherently antagonistic in nature and will give rise to class struggle that will eventually lead to the collapse of capitalism, and the creation of a new