The Weather Underground Review

The Weather Underground Review During the Vietnam War, a radical protest group rose up on the campus of the University of Michigan. Weathermen, as they became called in everyday vernacular, were actually nothing like weathermen at all – they protested, rioted, bombed, and broke people out of jail, to mention a few of their actions. The name was formally changed to Weather Underground Organization a year after the founding, and their acts of terror followed shortly after.Earlier in the semester, a documentary about the Environmental Liberation Front was viewed. In this documentary, titled If a Tree Falls, a radical protest organization rises up to confront environmental issues. In this essay I will compare and contrast the two. The Weather underground Organization was formed in order to protest the United State Government's intervention in Vietnam, although it expanded to an array of other issues as time passed. The Civil Rights Movement became another catalyst for protest, as the notion of â€Å"black power† was not something very appealing to the members.Bill Areas, a prominent leader of the group, owned because he was upset with the war in Vietnam and wanted to do something about it. The group was nonviolent towards people and to this day says that they never killed an innocent person. Three of their members died when a bomb they were making exploded, but that was all. They bombed mostly government buildings and some banks, with notable attacks being done on the United States Capitol building, The Pentagon, and the New York Police Department.These attacks were all done to send a message of fear to the people in power in an effort to make them change their ways. To justify the actions of the group, Bill Areas was quoted saying, â€Å"Large numbers of people are broken from the notion that the system is working for people, that the system is just or humane or peaceful. † The United States government reaching peace with Vietnam toward the mi ddle of the sass was the reason for the organization going out of style, as they had no Issue left to protest.The Environmental Liberation Front was formed after a group of people became upset with how government policies were favorable for businesses looking to expand and remove forestry. Within the group, which only served o protest, there was a small cell that turned to arson in order to perpetuate their views. The leader, Daniel McGowan, organized various attacks on businesses and corporations that were cutting down trees. One of the better- known attacks was at a Colorado ski resort that resulted in hundreds Of thousands of dollars in destruction.The group was also nonviolent toward people, having never claimed a life. The Environmental Liberation Front leaders that were purporting the violent attacks were captured and arrested by United States Federal officials and tried in court in the last couple of years. Both of these organizations have many things in common; beginning wit h them being categorized as terrorist organizations. The terrorist organizations were founded in response to a public issue that they felt was not receiving enough attention and quickly turned to violence to get their message sent to the people in power.Both Bill Areas and Daniel McGowan were strong leaders with a substantial following of people, too. The attacks carried out by the organizations were also very meticulously planned out as to not kill any civilians, which would have seen the reaction from the government and police be much more significant. Their targets were similar then, in that regard, as it was entirely buildings that were bombed. The Weather Underground Organization's reason for formation and action was due to the Vietnam War, which they strongly opposed.The reason that the Environmental Liberation Front's formation was entirely different; it was completely related to the destruction Of trees by businesses. Therefore, their targets differed in scope. The Weather u nderground Organization almost exclusively bombed government buildings, with some banks added in. To the contrary, The Environmental Liberation Front targeted businesses that cutting own forests for their personal benefit. The organizations both differed in how they faded out.The end of the Vietnam War saw the Weather underground Organization lose it's relevance while the arrests of leaders in the Environmental Liberation Front caused it to cease its violent attacks. The class defines a terrorist act as something that has political motives, involves violence or the threat of violence against noncombatants, intends to have far-reaching psychological repercussions, and is perpetrated by people who believe they are altruists. The Weather Underground Organization had al the makings of a terrorist organization based on this four-part definition.The motives of the group were entirely political; it was created in response to the United States Government authorizing involvement in the Vietn am War and also grew in scope during the Civil Rights Movement. Without the political catalysts to get the organization started, it would not have been formed in the first place. Violence was found throughout the organization, as their attacks involved bombs on buildings, as well as freeing a person from prison. The threat of violence continued in the wake of attacks, as people ere constantly worried that their building was next.Moreover, the victims were noncombatants, as they were simply working for the government. The psychological repercussions were intended to be far reaching -? to the executive branch of the United States Government. They intended to influence the government at all levels to change their ways. Finally, the perpetrators were acting as if they were altruists. Clearly they felt that the Vietnam War was wrong and that, by their actions, they were going to make things right. During the Vietnam War, a radical protest group rose up on the amass of the University of M ichigan.

Critical Summary of Conflicts as Property Essay

Introduction The article I will be critically summarizing is â€Å"Conflict as Property†. It is an influential article written by the criminologist Nils Christie in the late 1970s. Throughout the entire article Christie argues â€Å"criminology to some extent has amplified a process where conflicts have been taken away from the parties directly involved and thereby have either disappeared or become other peoples property†1 This statement is what I have found to be Christies thesis in which all of his points refer back to. Christies Argument Throughout the article Christie reflects on why he believes the conflict between two parties, the victim and defendant has been â€Å"stolen† by the authorities, the state, and by professionals. Christie said that not only does the victim loose his or her say in the proceedings but is relatively thrown out of the case in which it becomes between one party and the state. He found this unsatisfying and argued that it should be given back to the initial parties involved, the victim, the defendant and the neighborhood. He says when a conflict is created that we are less capable to take on the situation and are more likely to hand it off to some one else. This is where there is a lineup of professionals willing to take the conflict from us and we are just as willing to give it away. Christie explains his notion of â€Å"conflict as property† as not referring to material compensation but rather to the ownership of the conflict itself. He then recognizes the effects of victim losing the â€Å"property† initially and puts forth a method as a remedy for this process. He proposes a new court model for dealing with conflicts in which the court is victim centered and lay-oriented. My Opinion For most of the part I agree with what Christie has to say. I believe that throughout a proceeding it should be of most importance that the victim’s situation is to be heard whether it is relevant to the law or not. Instead of letting the state or professionals take over and say what they think has the most relevance to a case the court should hear the entire story from the victims point of view. This would show the courts to what affect this act by the offender has caused in the victims life. Also they should hear out what the victim seems fit as a fair punishment or payment in forms of restitution whether it is labour or monetary to go along with the judges sentence. I think that by having the initial parties involved instead of being pushed to the side, society will be more concerned to make sure that everyone is given a fair, equal, and consistent resolution to a conflict. It would ensure that the neighborhood and state have the same set of shared values and goals that the y are working towards to support social order. Most offenders after committing crimes do not want to see the victims or their families that they affected. It is an emotional encounter in the courtroom where the offender can show his remorse and the victim(s) can show pity I think that the two types of segmentation that are observed in our highly industrialized societies are the most important factors in why we don’t have the ability to deal with conflict. The segmentation in space is how we go through our daily lives and not recognizing any of the people we see as who they are but by what they do. Secondly we segregate people based on their physical attributes such as race, gender, and sex. This segregation has many consequences on society as a whole. The most influential consequence that we experience is depersonalization as Christie said. Not having this person-to-person relationship is detrimental, especially when conflicts arise seeing as how we can’t deal with them between the parties involved. We need professionals to step in and take the roles from us, which results in us being cast aside. Conclusion â€Å"Except for execution, castration or incarceration for life, no measure has a proven minimum of efficiency compared to any other measures†2 instead of continuing with the traditional way of a legal proceeding we need to change  things. People need to be able to interact face to face and have a more personal interaction. Conflicts must be given back to the initial parties and not â€Å"stolen† by these other powers. Is it not what somebody deserves? To have a case in which they are heard. Bibliography Nils Christie, â€Å"Conflict as Property† (1977) 17:4 The British Journal of Criminology Pg. 1-15

Analysing Strategy And Operations Management

Analysing Strategy And Operations Management Today’s business environment is complex, dynamic and uncertain and is influencing the strategies of modern enterprises (Beirnat, 2004). It is generally understood that there is a growing change in relationships between buyers and sellers which are impacting the way in which business is conducted (Buttle, 2007). Industry reports suggest that changes in today’s social and economic environment have had an impact on consumer spending behaviours. In such an unpredictable environment, the management of customer relationships becomes vital to the success of a business (Dyche, 2002). This realisation has prompted studies in the area of strategic management with the aim of gaining an understanding of a firm’s internal and external environment and developing strategies to exploit internal capabilities and external opportunities (Slack et al, 2006). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the activities of John Lewis and explore its business operations in relation to Mich ael Porters generic strategies model. The paper will continue by examining Michael Porters value chain analysis and apply the theories practically to John Lewis. The paper will also discuss how the added value creates distinctive competences and lead to a competitive advantage for the business. Company Background John Lewis plc John Lewis is a UK retailer which comes under the umbrella name of John Lewis Partnership. The Group comprises of John Lewis department stores, Waitrose supermarkets, John Lewis Direct and the direct services company Greenbee. It is a public limited company owned by its employees (Partners) who influence the running the business and who benefit from a share of the company’s annual profits. The chain has an upmarket image which appeals strongly to a middle class core customer base. Chart 1: John Lewis Plc market share 2003 – 2007 (Mintel, 2007) The chart shows the market share growth for John Lewis from 2003 to 2007. The chart displays a steady g rowth pattern during this period. It would be fair to suggest that John Lewis has been performing well within the market as it market share has grown year on year. Mintel reports forecast that the retailer will continue to witness steady growth within its industry and states that John Lewis will be one of few retailers who will sustain growth despite changes in the economic climate and consumer spending behaviours. Activities John Lewis department stores offer a wide range of goods, including electrical, home playing fields and tennis courts; two large country estates with parklands; a sailing club with five cruising yachts and two country hotels offering holiday accommodation for partners. Partners are also enrolled in a pension scheme, given very generous holidays, and are part of a death in service insurance scheme. Additionally, upon completing twenty five years of service with the Partnership, they are given six month paid break.

Roles of State and Federal Governments in employment Regulation Essay

Roles of State and Federal Governments in employment Regulation - Essay Example The employee is protected from employers whose tendency, as business people, is to try to maximize their profits by engaging their employees more and more in the work. Some of the employees are also protected from their employers due to their vulnerability and special need which may make the employers to discriminate against them. The real estate industry in California, like many other industries, is affected by most of the laws and regulations that govern employment. The labor act called the Labor Code in California is one law that affect the whole employment exercise and shows the direction of the services that should be availed to the employees. Some of the articles in this act which touch real estate includes, the payment of wages for the various categories of labor, working hours for laborers, agricultural labor relations, employees’ occupational privileges and restrictions, suits involving employers and labor unions, farm labor contractors, sanitary conditions, safety measures and other health provisions in the places of work and so on (Guerin, 2006). Real estate employs different categories of workers like janitors, estate managers, seasonal laborers such as repairers and others. One law of importance in the employment of these groups of people is found in SECTION 1060-1065 defines a contractor and subcontractors and other terms relating to contracts and how they are to be awarded. Section 1020-1024 of the California labor code which revolves around person employing people who have no contractor’s license to do a job for which such license is needed, misrepresenting an employee as an independent contractor in order to evade tax and other provisions that involve contractors and their obligations. Section 250-257 also has provisions for payment and wages of people hired in California but work in other states and the dispute resolution arising from such cases. Then sections 1400 -1408 talks

CURRENT ISSUES IN FINANCIAL REPORTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

CURRENT ISSUES IN FINANCIAL REPORTING - Essay Example Such statements, however, have inaccuracies due to increased off-balance sheet activities devised by firms to escape legal bondages. In this case, the aspect of OBS transactions and their relative representation of economic substance in a business setup is explored. This refers to the structures put in place by corporate to reflect their economic reality for the purpose of facilitating various transactions including tax optimization. In the United States, the doctrine of economic substance is used to direct tax policies, with focus on reducing tax burdens on the given firm. Through this doctrinal setup, the validity and intentions of various organizational structures relative to tax-policy compliance are determined. It provides precise procedures used in computation of taxable income, and other deductions payable by a given entity (Jacobson, 2009; 3). Through court processes, various amendments have been made on the standard economic substance doctrine. Such amendments have been aimed at curbing unethical practices which may be motivated by financial gains. Through legislative reforms, it is widely acceptable that courts can deny firms or individuals from enjoying specified tax benefits if such transactions are ill-intentioned. By all indicatio ns, however, the application of this doctrine has been marred with several instances of inconsistencies, with courts challenged with determination of the liquidity of various entities. Such challenges in ascertaining accurate financial positions of firms have been compounded by the increasing adoption of OBS transactions, a prospect that has rendered financial statements of many firms inaccurate and unreliable in predicting financial position of the firms. One of the common ways through which firms promote off-balance sheet transactions is through sales of receivables (Molina and Preve, 2009: 653). Basically, accounts receivable are representative of sales that are yet to be collected.

Justification and Excuses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Justification and Excuses - Essay Example In his defense, Sandusky’s lawyers have put forth the unlikely and implausible excuse that he is suffering from a histrionic personality disorder, a condition since removed from the DSM-IV-TR itself. It has been described as "a pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking" that is "often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive conduct. His lawyers tried to use this condition as an excuse for their client’s behavior and to justify his actions. This justification is part of a defense based on circumstances and excuses, a broad set of defenses in which defendants claim a lack of responsibility for their criminal acts. (Lippman, 2010). Jerry Sandusky has been accused of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault, criminal intent to commit improper assault, unlawful contact with minors, corruption of minors and endangering the welfare of children. However Dr. Glen Gabbard, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and an expert on personality disorders states that histrionic personality disorder could in no way be seen as a reason or explanation for the abuse of children. "That diagnosis, if he has it, would be completely irrelevant to anything having to do with criminal responsibility for acts of pedophilia†. Mr. Sandusky had no excuse or justification for his action, for the crime he committed he knew very well what he was doing to those boys, over a period of 15 years and he knew the consequences of his actions; and he used his respectable position in society to sexually abuse those kids. He deserves to be sentenced for life and is only plea bargaining because at his age settling for 12-15 years may give him some chance of living some of his life out of jail rather than dying in it. I personally think that this kind of defense does not stand a chance and should be thrown out of court. Pleas for insanity or other mental conditions are not appealing to jurors because it is

Starbucks Service Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Starbucks Service Marketing - Case Study Example Starbucks is one of the most-known names in the industry of coffee marketing services. The creation of a unique taste that carries the trademark of the business has made it possible for the owner of the organization to make a great name in the face of global market. Undeniably, this strategy of making everything unique while continuously developing has helped the entire business to make it possible for every plan to get along with the aims of the business. In this study, an understanding on how Starbucks operates as a part of the modern industry of commerce and servicing businesses in the world making it possible to make a great name known to many markets around the globe. Primarily, this paper shall focus on how much the business is able to create effective marketing strategies that are noted to have a great impact on the global recognition of the business' trademark. In the aspect of providing specific services to the public in exchange of personal gains mainly the profit, marketing plays an important role. Using effective marketing strategies, one can actually publicly discuss their intentions and the nature of their services to the society attracting prospective clients willingly to avail it as an answer to their respective needs. One of the most important elements to be considered in marketing services in the public is the aspect of pricing. Pricing basically identify one's offered services apart from the others. This concept, if used properly, can be a significant advantage of the one offering or a detrimental factor to the public identity of the person or corporation offering the service. Thus, the important elements regarding pricing must always be considered in effectively applying this approach. In the aspect of pricing, one must always consider competition with the general group and with the other entities offering the same service. The established price must be competitive to that of the others with an attractive nature with the general public to convert them to prospective clients. The price must cater to the public giving them the capability to acknowledge and utilize the service being offered by that of the specific servicing entity. Another element is the quality wherein the price can significantly stand as a marketing agent for the quality of the service. The price should be established not too low to be viewed as a low quality service but not too high to become an expansive mean of acquiring the said service. The price must be determined in the middle signifying that it is commensurable to a high-quality service in the cheapest possible approach. In addition, the price must also be established as appropriately synchronize with the present economic condition and pref erence of the society making it highly noticeable in the present market. In determining the effective price in the aspect of marketing services in the public, one must critically consider the important elements such as economic competition, quality identity, current market trends, and the public preferences regarding the service being offered. With a significant consideration of the said concept, servicing companies can establish an

Comparing the novel of 'jesus's son' by Denis Johnson with the movie Essay

Comparing the novel of 'jesus's son' by Denis Johnson with the movie of 'jesus's son' - Essay Example He tries to explain in the connection of the short stories, through the different aspects of the drug connection the author articulate a different take on drug abuse. On the other had the movie is a compilation of the short stories with parts of the book edited to fit the characters. The book is detailed, which gives the reader a chance to make images of descriptions articulated in the book. The main issue is that the main character is involved in a flow. The movie borrows Johnson’s ideas on the stories of the characters. The contemporary fiction is made in the 70s fashion of the hippies and junkies. Some will protest that the scenes in the movie push too freely against one another citing it as a description of a squashy narrative in which the guns go wrong and the cars lack have brakes in some people’s perspective. I believe the short stories are accurate for an account concerning druggies. Their lives are too sporadic, the good times, lows settle out into detached esc apades and story, estranged by emptiness, and pass outs. The movie is not as indulging as the books since people have different opinions on what they see more compared to the things they read. The book and the move have several differences, which are going to be tackled. The first difference in the movie that the book does not depict is the character ambiguity. The main character does not resemble the books character. The movie is strongly presented in the fashion of the 70s where it was a clear directionless time and the characters take the audience spinning from the moments of hilarity to the heartbreak. The book is geared to making the people to change the drug trends into respectability. The author takes the reader into the dungeons of drug use and hopelessness with the aim to give the reader the extent of drug abuse in the society. The movie has a different take n the drugs. It does not condemn or appraise the use of drugs but gives the reader the point of view of a survivor. T he lives of the characters are framed so episodically to add up to the novels depictions of the stories these difference makes the book more interactive and fluid compared to the movie. With disconnects depicted in the movie, characters come out to give the audience the feelings of desperations they have. The author coined the book depicting the Para-realities of the characters as they aspire to walk in the tattered cruelties that they bring on themselves and the deplorable treacheries. The movie lacks the oomph the author put in the expression of the Para-realities. For instance, the unlovely trauma that the narrator’s girlfriend has that eh author explains with no excuses or apology. The lies in the relationships and the constant reliance on the company of their fellow drug users is more clear in the book as compared to the novel where it is faded. The imagery of the title is not given more emphasis in the movie. Rather the producer gave the movie a velvet underground in it s entirety. Another clear character difference is the lack of plot in the film where the producer did not have one. The movie is told in complete flashbacks watering the books purpose that the author had on the flow of the events of the druggies depicted in the book. The swearing in the movie characters dilutes the articulation of the books information. The characters have several arguments where they have they

Reaction response 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reaction response 6 - Assignment Example Instagram encourages user engagement in the process. Compared with Facebook and twitter, Instagram allows the targeted audience to develop the necessary image because it employs the use of photos. People find reading boring, but the use of photos increase the rate of information transfer by allowing the audience to scheme through the photo provided. In addition, photos can be edited in Instagram thereby improving the quality. It can be used to offer better image of a product or service offered by the company, but target a smaller audience than Facebook. Sharing of photos and information on Facebook is challenging when restriction is required. In fact, Facebook shares the information with all the friends in the list. Instagram allows the user to identify the people to access thus limit access to the picture or information shared. Therefore, when targeting a small audience, Instagram will ensure fast information transfer while allowing the participants to offer their views on the idea presented. In conclusion, Instagram is highly effective when handling a smaller target group and is supported by

Employment Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Employment Law - Assignment Example An employee is deemed to have been wrongfully dismissed if there is no adequate notice by the employer as per their employment contract. Notwithstanding a breach of contract, unfair dismissals occur if they do not fall under one of the six fair reasons allowed by law. Besides, unfair dismissal occurs if the employer has not followed a fair procedure and has acted unreasonably in the dismissal of the employee. Under certain circumstances, employer must comply with the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedure failing which the Employment Tribunal will find for the employee. The Tribunal has the discretion to increase the award by 25 % if the employer has not complied with the Code. Employees have the right to insist on reasons for dismissal in writing under section 92(1) of the Employment Rights Act 1996. (ERA) since a written statement can serve as evidence in any subsequent Tribunal proceedings. If the employer has not shown lawful reasons for dismissal, not foll owed the set procedure and not given sufficient notice, the employee can claim unfair or wrongful dismissal. Requirement of a notice depends on the terms of employment contract i.e whether the employment is for a fixed period or an indefinite period. If indefinite, the contract must have a provision for the period of notice by the employer or employee. In case of notice period mentioned in the contract, a reasonable notice is a must though the length of notice can vary according to circumstances and industry norms. However, an employer is required to give a statutory minimum period of notice i.e one week’s notice if the employee has worked continuously for one month or more but less than two years. If the period of service is two years or more but less than 12 years, one week’s notice is required for each year of continuous employment. If the employee has worked for 12 years or more, employee is entitled to minimum 12 weeks’ notice. This is regardless of any sho rter period mentioned in a contract, though longer period than statutory period is allowed. A notice already issued cannot be withdrawn without a mutual consent. If there is no notice given by the employer, it will amount to wrongful dismissal entailing payment of damages equivalent to the wages and benefits for the stipulated period of notice. In case of a PILON (payment in lieu of notice) clause in the employment contract, it will not amount to breach of contract if the employer has given money to the employee in lieu of notice. However, if the employee has committed serious or gross misconduct, summary dismissal without notice with immediate effect is justified. The seriousness or gross nature of misconduct will depend upon the circumstances. Theft, fraud, physical violence, serious negligence or serious breaches of health and safety rules are instances of serious misconduct. Examples are usually illustrated in the disciplinary procedure prescribed by the employer. For claiming w rongful or unfair dismissal, an employee must have put in one year of continuous employment with the employer. The qualifying period of employment has been increased to two years from the date of 6 April 2012. This will not apply to those employees whose qualifying period commences before 6 April 2012. A fair dismissal exists in the following circumstances as mentioned in section 98 (1) of the ERA: Lack of skill or qualifications. 2. Misconduct by the employee. 3. Redundancy. 4. Retirement. 5 Breach of an Act in case of continued employment. 6. Any other reason of substantial nature. Even then, it is expected of an employer to follow a fair procedure to dismiss the employee as mentioned in section 94(4) of the ERA. Of these reasons, conduct on the part of the dismissed employees herein is of immediate relevance. In order to decide whether the employer has acted fairly in dealing with his employee’

Trajectory of US Foreign Policy Essay Example for Free

Trajectory of US Foreign Policy Essay Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The credo for â€Å"strong America and secured world† re-echoes the vision for retaining global alliances yet draws future challenges to US foreign policy in re-aligning socio-political confidence in the contemporary shift of political power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The rise of third forces is critically perceived in the interplay of emerging political powers that may desolate convergence to US foreign policy. The perceptive basis of power shifting may in itself central to the change of US interstate (domestic) leadership and the clamor of the American people to reform the US foreign policies.    In contrast, the US economic, financial and military establishments can possibly absorb the vacillating pressure upon the change of political leadership.   The reconfiguration in the trajectory of US foreign policy may absorb the vacuum of power within the confines of socio-economic-political individualism. This individualism may be depictive to walking down a narrow road that is less traveled, as there goes an excerpt from the song ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ (Elton John; in Taupin, B., 1973): â€Å"†¦So goodbye yellow brick road where the dogs of society howl, you cant plant me in your penthouse, Im going back to my plough†¦Ã¢â‚¬  From this pretext, what holds America’s foreign policy is to maintain the yellow brick road of economic and financial convergence ensuring the American people never to go back in the 1890’s US’ experience of great economic depression, in which today the US government controls its economic and political interests in a global landscape. This may be a classical overture leading to the contemporary challenges of US foreign policy, but an annotation to the modern political genre and re-structured geopolitical archetype in US’ shift of power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper will discuss the contemporary interstate (domestic) political interactions and the intrastate (foreign) shifting of political powers relating to the trajectory and future challenge in US foreign policy. Methodology   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The review of literature will guide the overall discussions of issues and will be the basis of analyzing the situation. The method will adopt a 2-prong approach in examining the trajectory and challenges of US foreign policy to situate (2) interstate factors, and (2) intrastate responses. Rationale   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This section of the paper will present, review and discuss the January 2008 State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President George Bush in order to situate the interstate factors effecting the character-role of US executive, legislative, judiciary and military branches of government, and the intrastate affairs or foreign policy agenda.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   President Bush’ 2008 SONA emphasizes the credo for â€Å"strong America and secured world†. The credo calls on the critical character-roles of US’ governmental agencies in advancing the socio-economic-political-cultural well-being of the state from domestic to foreign abode. As quoted from the speech of President Bush, he implored â€Å"expanding opportunity to protecting the country, as the US government have made good progress, and yet it has unfinished business in which the American people expect to get it done† (The White House, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The quotation highlights the empowerment of US economy to which has been faced with uncertainties as indicated by job shortage, depleted market in housing, hurdled distribution of healthcare benefits, and reduction of revenues from increased government spending. Basically, President Bush refers both private and public financial incapability and the global economic recession. As further emphasized, the economic agenda is to draw a more empowered financial establishment and labor market, in which Bush stressed out the making of top quality American product as what he calls to be proudly labeled as â€Å"Made in the USA†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Science and technological innovations were also critically addressed by investing on research ingenuity and the unlimited development of scientific inventions and discoveries which aimed to create and provide â€Å"energy security.† Current technologies of adversaries must comply with human and environmental protection. President Bush reiterated the passing of the â€Å"No Child Left Behind Act† as encompassing the state immediate domestic need to education and urged US Congress for $300 Million scholarship budget.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On top of the domestic social-economic agenda for labor market, education, healthcare and revenue generation [through tax rebate package], President Bush cited the additional deployment of 3,200 Marines to Afghanistan, as he concluded that   â€Å"homeward bound† soldiers out of the 20,000 troops deployed in the Middle East must be replaced to ensure maintenance of peace and security.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The rationale of President Bush 2008 SONA was founded on recouping domestic uncertainties and pursuing the unfinished business in Middle East. Literature review: the shaping of US foreign policy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As presented and discussed in the rationale section of this paper, the literature review will examine the variety of â€Å"actors† and â€Å"factors† that relates the shaping of US foreign policy. The rationale section will also form part of derivatives to the overall discussions. The traditional foreign policy elites As an overview prior to discussing the topic, we may cite a quotation from the Director of Policy Planning Richard Haas of the US Department of State that may similarly define the traditional foreign policy elites: â€Å"Of the many influences on U.S. foreign policy formulation, the role of think tanks is among the most important and least appreciated†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (US Department of State, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the electronic journal, ‘US Foreign Policy Elites in a Post-Cold War Information Age’ published by Mark P. Lagon in 1996, the â€Å"special expertise† inside and outside of government that absorbs academics, quasi-academics, journalists, and polemicists becomes political appoint ­ees and career bureaucrats are referred to as â€Å"elites†. The â€Å"elites† creates the â€Å"inner circle† or sphere inside and outside of government.   Another representation correlated to the definition, the media has a crucial role in binding the â€Å"elite grouping† by providing medium of communication (or forum) for setting agenda (Lagon, 1996).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The 21st century â€Å"elites† may be also categorized or defined as a â€Å"political technocrat† because they have the capability to analyze or study a political-economic situation and influence the pre-condition effect or scenario of a situation. The elites may be also representing the â€Å"power brokering† between the governmental affairs and the social groups in a civil society. In domestic and foreign relations, most of business men and affluent academicians are the most likeable appointee or delegate to represent governmental functions. One that may exemplify the â€Å"representation† is by appointing a diplomatic functionary. The diplomatic function works within a â€Å"script† of function effective to carry out the mission at diplomacy level. In other words, the diplomacy level could only be functional in mediation and arbitration, in which the role of a â€Å"middle man† patterns the diplomatic functions. We may also refer the â€Å"at large† elites as belonging from the top social hierarchy [categorized by its family wealth and social academic status], in which may be â€Å"enticed† or drawn by political-economic sentimentalism [merely sympathetic to a cause, social conviction and plain beliefs] that allies with national advocacy and lobbyist groups or political activism. The capability of â€Å"at large† elites may have a â€Å"vacillating tendency† at crucial political standpoint, wherein to â€Å"toss coin† meant knowing both sides (pros and cons) of a national issue. In poor and undeveloped countries, like the Philippines in Asia, it has become a common knowledge that the traditional elites [mostly represented by disgruntled politicians, adventurous soldiers, government retirees, and idealistic academicians] have its own political grouping [even maintaining bureaucracy] inside and outside the government. In this case, the capability to be well-integrated in both â€Å"camps† and political grouping (opposition and government) attributes the ability to situate, adapt and formulate political configuration, in which the prognosis equates to being a â€Å"think tank†. In the US, the traditional elites are those belonging from a confederate political backing [that is also known as interest groups] that carry out a â€Å"national interest† agenda may it be through electoral processes, lobbying and issue advocacy. From that point of view, the capability to create impact could be publicly supported. Moreover, the special scholastic skill to substantiate political issues or able to expand prolific deductions or analogies could influence the policy making initiatives. The affiliation between elites and the gen ­eral public in a democratic processes of policy-mak ­ing is involving mobilization and ratification, wherein the elites configures the outline of a pol ­icy and mobilizes public convergence in which the framing of a policy is set at the dispensation of the legislative, executive and judiciary branches of government [and even the military establishments] for interstate (domestic) or intrastate (foreign) implementation. US political culture and mass public opinion In a joint lecture in year 2006 conducted by Bruce E. Gronbeck, A. Craig Baird from the University of Iowa and John D. Lees from Manchester University in England, they defined the contemporary political culture and mass public opinion under two categories; popularity and populism. Accordingly, popularity is more central to the personalities and characters involving the issues (be it social, economic and political). On the other hand, populism is drawn as an action-oriented response invoking the right to redress grievances and holding of assemblies. Combining both popularity and populism as a public response or action toward an issue is considered a relevantly critical public interest undertaking. The significance of political culture and mass public opinion which compose popularity and populism flows in the typologies of â€Å"information† and constructively appears in the public life. One example is the flow of information of economic uncertainty [as communicated by media] is the indication of depleted housing market, scarcity of healthcare benefits and shortage of labor markets, which was outlined in the political-economic agenda of President Bush’ 2008 SONA.    In contrast, political and economic analysts believe that government indecisiveness draws more â€Å"hostile popularity† of political leadership, in which populism resort to civic action or civil defiance. Like any other countries (poor and rich), the political culture and mass public opinion is focus at the governmental leadership and performance. The civil society [as composing various groupings] is the bulwark of indispensable opinion and perception consistent to the so-called â€Å"participatory or popular democracy†. The political culture and mass public opinion therefore refers to the existence of democratic processes that describes the type, category and classification of framing a public policy. The interest groups and the ‘military-industrial complex’ The interest groups being generally defined and perceived as grouping of individual types and stakeholders for socio-political interest or convictions are not representing the government neither functionaries of a government office. The interest group has varied classifications, such as endorser and financier of political candidates, advocates and lobbyist for legislative policy agenda, social work composing the non-governmental organizations and political activists. These classifications of interest groups are also described as â€Å"pressure groups† in a civil society. The US-based Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) found that the â€Å"pressure groups† are vulnerable to collaborating with â€Å"domestic extremists† being classified as hate groups that allies with â€Å"left-wing† radical activists motivated by religious-racial-cultural conservatism. To cite, the incident on April 1995 truck bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that accounted 168 deaths and wounded about 500 people has attributed to domestic terrorism, and suspected by the FBI as multi-perpetuated and politically motivated actions linking the â€Å"interest groups† of radical political activists opposing the World Trade Organization (WTO; in Fletcher, H., 2008). On the other hand, the military-industrial complex refers to the established institution of the US Armed Forces. However, a group of stakeholders [that are also classified as interest groups] acts as brokers, traders and suppliers of weaponry and armaments to the US Armed Forces. These stakeholders or interest groups also serve as a â€Å"pressure group† in dealing with the passing or enactment of a policy concerning homeland defense and most especially foreign security policy. The US war on Iraq and the continuing anti-terrorism campaign of the US government favors the stakeholders, in which the demand for supplying weaponry and armaments to the US Armed Forces categorically defines â€Å"profitable business in war†. The traditional and new media Based on the journal, ‘The Interaction of Traditional and New Media’, authored by John D. Leckenby and Everett D. Collier from the Department of Advertising, College of Communication at the University of Texas, the medium of communication has evolved the typologies of media outfit. The type of traditional and new media is classified in terms of technology, in which the information delivery and access through the Internet has typified the â€Å"traditional† and â€Å"new† medium of communication and updating to social developments. However, the classification does not necessarily feature the newest approach to bringing information and accessibility to consumers. As cited, the televisions broadcast and print media although classified as traditional [in the cyber age] still captures and captivates impact to public interest (Leckenby Collier, 2003). It maybe recalled that the coverage of television, broadcast and print media in Iraq has kept abreast the development of war around the world. It may be also a fact that the electronic or cyber media outfit relies from the â€Å"feedback information† of correspondents in Iraq. Otherwise direct satellite connection to the Internet could be most promptly delivered. At hindsight, a significant number of consumers to information are inaccessible or inadequate [and do not have computer facility] to use the Internet. To compare and contrast, the â€Å"new† media is based on the above definition on the use of cyber-technology that differentiates â€Å"traditional†, but not yet totally recognized as a habitual utility in a society. The societal significance of the â€Å"new media† outfit [using the Internet] may only be considered as an added feature to bringing about interactions of affluent group of people, financially supported political campaigns, and the attempt of the government to develop online transactions. In addition, the cyber-technology that pertains to E-commerce may be remotely attributed to â€Å"new media† with regard to journalism. What is then more significant [aside from classification] is the emerging venue or medium of both traditional and new media that bring about and reach out the development and trends of governance and public interest. Examining the White House and executive agencies The â€Å"White House† symbolizes the seat of power of the President of the United States. Political analysts even put satire to the white house as the home of many kitchens and chefs, wherein what is cooking inside the white house might be sourly, distasteful, and spoiled. The parallelism of this political satire may be referring to the consistent, efficient and effective role-modeling of the Chief Executive being the symbolical figure head of the White House. What is then bestowed upon the mandate of the President must be retained to the sovereign will of the people; the vox populi. Therefore, the mandate shall immerse in the life of the Executive Cabinet. Department of State The US Department of State (USDS) emanated from the year 1789 establishment of the Department of Foreign Affairs. Its primary mandate is to protect the global interests of the US government by managing about 250 US embassies and consulates throughout the world. The functionaries of USDS represent the US government to the United Nation (UN), NATO (North American Treaty Organization), UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization), and the European Union. USDS also manages the issuance of travel advisory to its citizens at home and in abroad. In sum, the USDS may be referred to as a fortress of the US foreign relations, in which it accesses and reach out international boundaries. Through that, it serves as a pipeline and breadth of US’ foreign policies and diplomatic partnership. The USDS plays a vital role in US’ global governmental functions. Thus, the trajectory of US foreign policy can be substantively achieved at intrastate domains. Department of Defense Mandated to secure and protect the domestic abode, the US Department of Defense (USDOD) has expansive role in protecting the foreign interest of the US government. The claim for â€Å"soldier-heroes† has been brought in the US war to Iraq. President Bush addressed the USDOD as â€Å"champions† of restoring democracies from adverse governments around the world. In early 1960’s towards mid-1970, former President Nixon mandated the USDOD in deploying troops to Vietnam as â€Å"mandamus duty† of the President to participate in domestic war. However, it has proven the saying â€Å"not to fight an enemy in his own backyard†, wherein an approximate 58,000 US soldiers died in related combat operations. Today, the war in Iraq has accounted 20,000 US troops deployment, aside from the most recent calling of President Bush [in his 2008 SONA] to deploy 3,200 Marines. The USDOD maintains its â€Å"military-industrial complex† in collaboration with various international governments upon the US foreign policy to â€Å"secure the world† in pursuit of war against domestic and international terrorism. Intelligence Community The intelligence community (commonly called as IC) is described by Military experts as â€Å"eyes and ears† of the US government, wherein it gathers information, process information and package information as a derivative or aid for policy legislation. The labeling of â€Å"spying† has graduated from the post-cold war competition of mice-and-cat espionage activities of CIA to Russian KGB. The contemporary strategic approach is focusing on the open-source information gathering that uses the method of HUMINT (human intelligence). The IC reform has been outlined in the enactment of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004. The creation of the Office of the Director for National Intelligence (ODNI) empowers the strategic and tactical approaches to processing the global information. Upon enactment of IRTPA, the Executive and Congress has accessed the â€Å"transparent undertaking† of the CIA and put the work into a new â€Å"twist† of domestic and foreign intelligence and enforcement that synergize and harmonize working relationship with the FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the USDOD. Economic institutions   The Department of Treasury holds the coffer of the State. Just like the â€Å"yellow brick road† [partly discussed in the introductory section] that symbolizes the commercial district in New York, wherein the former seat of monetary transactions happens at Wall Street, it ensure and protect the financial wellbeing of the State and the US government financing of domestic and foreign projects. The role of the Department of Treasury is not limited to revenue generations, printing of receipts, bank notes, federal reserves, debt collections and banking. The versatile character of the Department of Treasury is to determine the financial viability of US foreign investments, in which fiscal management form part in shaping a feasible and optimal policy that protects the US interest. The US Congress and the Courts The legislative and judiciary has commonalities in policy undertaking. The only difference is the characterization of policy in terms of ratification and interpretation of law [with jurisprudential values] effecting and affecting the enforcement. The passing of the IRTPA of 2004 is regarded as a comprehensive policy enactment in US history of law enforcement. First, the reform in IC through establishment of ODNI has carried out significant enforcement in arresting â€Å"domestic terrorist†. Second is the empowerment of the President to enact on Executive Orders [as presidential decision] to harmonize the homeland defense system. And, third, the juridical justification of continuous deployment of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US Public Law endures the pursuit of foreign interest in a â€Å"witch hunting† expedition against the terrorist. The foreign ally governments receives the support to law enforcement, supply of weaponry and economic projects, somehow, the burden of vulnerability from so-called enemies are translated into committing of human errors in enforcement resulting human rights violations and domestic economic disturbance. It may be perceived that while US foreign policy instigates the war on terrorism, the host country or government suffers socio-economic-political derailment. Critical analysis on the character-role of shaping US foreign policy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This critical analysis is pertaining to the Executive branch of government that holds the key actors and factors relating the character-role of shaping US foreign policy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Executive Cabinet generally contains the governmental leadership. It may be said that the â€Å"office† itself is being protected and preserved but the â€Å"personality† (being the President) calibrate and spearhead the role-modeling. This means, the â€Å"political will† emanates from the personal character of a President. In the event of â€Å"changing the guards† as characterized by a governmental revamp, reorganization for new sets of political appointees and the change of leadership itself [through election], the reconfiguration process may take time to re-establish the political will.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Within the confines of the White House, the Defense, Treasury and ODNI are the three vital â€Å"guardians† of presidential decision [although Congress and the Courts of law collaborate]. It may be noted from the 2008 SONA of President Bush that the key elemental features of emphasis in delivering immediate governmental actions focuses and addresses selective governmental agencies, such as (1) the Treasury to handle the tax rebates and other fiscal management of economy; (2) the unfinished business in the Middle East as afflicted by political-economic reconstruction in Iraq, maintenance of security in Afghanistan and reconnaissance in Iran and Jordan for a potential stockpile of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), and mediation of conflict in North Korea; and (3) above all is the call for continuous   empowerment of domestic and foreign policies being aligned to contemporary global challenges. Conclusion The trajectory of the US interstate and intrastate policy is may be perceived to be aligning the shift of political powers. One that describes the shifting is the domestic or national political leadership in 2008. From the point of view of election campaign in the US, political groupings and individualism may surface and is carried out upon racial equation. Although it is only a perception, the shifting of leadership [or changing of the guards] is earlier been held to be re-aligned in the overall governmental function contingent to protecting and preserving the US foreign interest. Second that describes the shifting is the emergence of â€Å"third force† political power at the global perspective. The third force may not be categorized likened to US but the proliferation of technologies in advanced weaponry and armaments may interchangeably interact in the global power sharing. The lull of silence in Iran and North Korea is yet unfolding much discoveries of the US.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As what the US being envisioned for â€Å"strong America and secured world† is a perseverance of its hero-in-history model at the global perception, in which recouping gaps and assessing unforeseen factors may supplant political indecisiveness amidst contemporary challenges. It may be therefore concluded that the trajectory of US policy widens the roadmap with symbolical trail as a cornerstone of gaining foreign alliances that shall keep America strong. References Fletcher, H. (2008). ‘Militant Extremist in the United States’. Council on Foreign   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Relations. Retrieved 10 May 2008 from http://www.cfr.org/publication/9236/#10. Gronbeck, B.E., Baird, A.C. and Lees, J.D. (2006). ‘The Twenty-First Century   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Reconstitution of American Political Culture’. Retrieved 10 May 2008 from http://www.uiowa.edu/~commstud/faculty/gronbeck/21st_reconstitution.pdf. John, E. and Taupin, B. (1973). ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’. MCA Music. Retrieved 10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   May 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.eltonography.com/songs/goodbye_yellow_brick_road.html. Lagon, M.P. (1996). ‘US Foreign Policy Elites in a Post-Cold War Information Age’.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Questia Electronic Journal Vol. 158. Retrieved 10 May 2008 from http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=LmRRTn5L9B6QHgvqf161MJQzGmPyt0yV65zLljpZzy4TGkvYDppP!1427019383?docId=95865979. Leckenby, J.D. and Collier, E.D. (2003). ‘The Interaction of Traditional and New Media’. Department of Advertising, College of Communication, University of Texas. http://www.ciadvertising.org/studies/reports/measurement/newmedia_chapter_print.pdf. The White House (2008). ‘Pres. George Bush State of the Nation Address’. Retrieved 10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   May 2008 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/01/20080128-13.html. US Department of State (2002). ‘US Foreign Policy Agenda’. Electronic Journal Vol.7,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   No.3. Retrieved 10 May 2008 from    http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itps/1102/ijpe/ijpe1102.pdf.

Critically discuss the function of structure within the therapeutic relationship Essay Example for Free

Critically discuss the function of structure within the therapeutic relationship Essay Extensive literature shows no significant differences in therapeutic outcomes between therapeutic approaches, but yet, these approaches differ to varying degrees in regards to values, techniques and emphasis on structure. This then poses an equivalence paradox with clearly non-equivalent techniques. The explanation for this commonality in therapeutic outcome between therapeutic approaches is the client-therapist relationship also known as the therapeutic alliance. The therapeutic alliance is a more encompassing term for the underlying interpersonal interactions and the collaborative nature of the partnership between a therapist and a client. Meta analytic research studies show that the therapeutic relationship counts for . 21 in effect size, while in combinations with technical focus, the effect size is . 76. While not equally as effective as technique alone with an effect size of . 55, it is significant in its contributions to therapeutic outcome and has been worth the focus on how it develops over time and the subsequent development of a generic structure to establish and maintain across all theoretical approaches. This essay will aim to explore this partnership and the necessary steps or requirements on the part of the therapist in order to establish it and the ways client preferences and goals are incorporated into treatment, in other words, structure required for the establishment and maintenance of the relationship as there is research evidence to support the establishment of this alliance early for stronger therapeutic outcome. Generally, work with clients usually have a preparatory phase: a first phone call perhaps, and introduction on both parts to the tasks and goals ahead. A beginning phase that involves the face-to-face meet up, initial greeting an outline of the therapist’s agenda, contracting, negotiating and setting and summary of goals. A middle phase: the therapist is concerned with facilitating learning and change congruent with therapeutic goals and assumptions about change. The ending phase also involves process goals in order to seek resolution of client issues, consolidate learning and change and evaluate therapeutic outcome. There’s evidence to show that therapeutic alliance needs to be formed within the first three sessions for a good therapeutic outcome. Regardless of the therapeutic approach, there is evidence that certain generic skills are important and required for the establishment of a structure within therapeutic alliance. These generic skills include basic communication skills, but also more complex skills which the therapist needs. They can be learnt and practiced as techniques but the therapeutic use of them with the client depends not only on the communication skill but on the attitude and intention of the therapist, an inside energy of sorts, that comes from commitment to understand the person from their frame of reference and the therapists internal supervision, awareness and self-review. The following macro and micro skills ensure the therapist emphases the importance of inner work alongside their practice. 1) Making Psychological contact This is an intangible personal process that changes from moment to moment, a psychological exchange of energy between human beings. It is dependent on the skills, experience, attitudes and emotions that each brings to the situation and it presents itself on a spectrum. It ranges from clients who make no contact at all to those who invade the therapist’s personal space and on the other side, the therapist’s ability to make contact could be influenced by how they perceive new clients and other factors such as culture, class, race, gender, age and sexual orientation. The therapist’s experience of initial interpersonal contact can be developed by self-reflection. Impartial witnessing: The observation of inner processes without judgement. Awareness of how others experience the therapist’s psychological contact e. g. Is it warm or cool, intrusive or distant etc? And finally, skills of greeting appropriately and starting the interaction with particular adjustments made after attention is paid to and sensitivity of culture, age, gender etc. 2) Effecting Intake and Assessment In an interview or a formal assessment, specific skills are needed. They include: Asking for information: It is imperative that the client is made to understand the purpose of the questions and what will happen with the records. Purpose stating: What the therapist wants to happen and must happen. This helps to set the scene of openness to clients so that they know the therapist’s intentions or purpose and also to experience the therapist as congruent. Preference stating: What the therapist would like to happen  with an element of choice for the client. Knowing when to say â€Å"no† to a client and knowing how to communicate this congruently, respectfully and empathically. 3) Introducing tape recording This is something therapist’s approach with trepidation and technical skill and appropriate equipment is required to execute. The therapist requires confidence and conviction to obtain permission from the client and it needs to be part of the initial contract. 4) Contracting and clarifying therapy Negotiating a contract with a client requires particularly the multiple skills of active listening, paraphrasing, reflecting feelings, summarizing, asking questions, purpose and preference stating, a balance between assertion and flexibility. 5) Beginning to build a relationship The ability to communicate empathic understanding of the client, to show unconditional respect, and to be perceived as congruent, requires inner and outer, receptive and responding skills. The client needs to hear that the therapist understands him from his point of view, accepting and not judging him, and is openly present for him and genuine in the role. This openness conveyed by the therapist may vary with the orientation: Skills required to communicate this are: 1) Attention giving: The non-verbal show of accessibility, receptivity and presence which are all influenced by an inner attitude dependent on the awareness and sensitivity of the therapist. 2) Observing: Knowing what non-verbal and verbal cues to look out for. For example; posture, facial expression, tone and volume of voice, responsiveness etc. These clues are sought to begin to understand the client’s internal frame of reference. Also, the therapist needs to scan their own body for clues and observe how the client makes them feel. 3) Listening and Hearing. The former is merely the inner sensory activity that involves picking up sounds while the latter is the same inner sensory activity aligned with attention giving. When clients feel really listened to, they are encouraged to talk and reveal themselves. Accurate listening can help clients to increase self-awareness and reduce defensiveness and direct focus towards their own behaviour. It provides psychological space and support for client’s self-exploration. The use of a combination of the above skills to focus the therapist and client at appropriate points in the interaction. It can be used as a check for understanding, pulling together thoughts, bridge to help client move on, return to something significant and to structure the interaction if the therapist or the client is getting lost. 5) Responding or facilitating skills: Also known as active listening skills. These demonstrate and communicate empathy and acceptance and facilitate exploration. They are sometimes referred to as first level empathy, distinguishing them from deeper empathy. The latter is used when there is deeper understanding of the client’s inner world. Using advanced empathy too soon, exposes a risk of inaccuracy and poses too much of a challenge for the client. First level empathy consists of paraphrasing and reflecting feelings. Paraphrasing is picking up the meaning of the client’s words and having and extensive vocabulary to put it back to him reflecting accurately the feeling and meaning in a tentative way to check understanding. It is not parroting and using jargon or over technical terms. Done well, it enables clients to hear and understand themselves afresh. Reflecting feelings is identifying what the client is feeling often mainly from non-verbals like tone of voice, bodily expression and therapist’s own bodily resonance. Therapist’s need to be sensitive to different cultural subtleties as inaccurate reflections may neutralize the intensity of the client’s feelings. All these skills are the beginning blocks for building a relationship and for helping clients explore what they want from a therapist and therapy. In the main they are supportive skills. Skills which continue to build the relationship and develop the interaction will be considered next. These skills are challenging, both for the client and therapist. Development and maintenance of the therapeutic relationship: Moving the client forward As mentioned above, the skills discussed so far can be considered as supportive – helping clients feel safe enough to begin to explore themselves and their situation. To move on in the relationship and the interaction requires skills which will challenge the client to explore further – to gain new perspective and new frameworks and see the world in a different way. How the client will receive the challenge will depend on the relationship which has been built and how it is maintained and developed; all the supportive skills will still be needed, appropriately interspersed with the challenging ones. Inner skills: Challenging a client requires the inner skill of the therapist in examining their own feelings about challenging others. The therapist needs to know how comfortable they are with challenging a client. This skill is should be applied tentatively and timing is crucial. A therapist needs to be able to gauge implicitly and explicitly when and how to challenge a client and which of these interactions are based on theories of counselling and psychotherapy. This skill really requires an inner awareness and careful attention to personal development is required. This is where tape recording and supervision are important in the review and identifications of values, beliefs, thoughts, feelings and sensations guiding the choices made. Outer skills: Responsible challenging requires well-practised communication skills. Focusing. The therapist needs to help clients focus, if they are to move forward. Summarizing. As mentioned above, summarizing provides bridges, draws themes together and is used for keeping track. It is a useful skill that requires accurate listening, ability to filter relevant thoughts and feelings and ability to communicate them clearly. Both summarising and focusing provide challenge to clients Concrete examples. Sometimes it can be useful to ask clients for more specific thoughts, experiences and feelings. Communicating deeper empathy. The ability to pick up the real meaning behind the words, thoughts and feelings of the client which are buried, out of reach or implied and which may come to the therapist as a hunch. The skill is to put it into appropriate words when the timing is right. Challenging. Gently confronting clients to change their perspective, see a bigger picture, recognize strengths they are not using, note discrepancies between verbal and non-verbal behaviour or identify behaviour that is destructive to them and others. Self-disclosure. Here there are two types; the therapist disclosing past experience or the disclosure of thoughts and feelings about the client’s thoughts or experiences. There are advantages and disadvantages to this. Timing and discrimination of content disclosed is important. It could help as a model for the clients and help build the relationship or it may be perceived by the client as maladjustment and hence reduce confidence or the increased intimacy may be threatening to them. It is unhelpful at the beginning stages of therapy as the therapist should be concentrating on staying with the client’s experience. Disclosure needs a sufficiently secure relationship and should be used selectively at the later stages of therapy. Immediacy. Discussing directly and openly what is happening between therapist and client. It involves awareness of what’s going on inside the therapist and what is imagined as going on within the client and what is happening between the two. It is quite complex and challenging to do well, but when executed properly provides client with insight as to how their behaviours affect others. It involves competence in support skills as well as self-involving statements. It requires assertion and is very helpful to build or repair a therapeutic relationship, identify issues with class, age, gender, race, sexuality etc and in psychoanalysis and psychodynamic practice, identify transference and countertransference. All the skills so far require a lot of practice with feedback for development and lead to the final section. Monitoring self within the therapeutic process, evaluation and development of own work. This requires all the previous skills as well as the additional self-management skills which are: developing a caring acceptance of self, impartially witnessing of internal processes, identifying and using resources to meets learning, emotional, physical needs, ongoing identification and checking of belief and theories, planning ongoing training and personal development, reflecting, review of recordings and supervision, reviewing with clients and asking for feedback from clients Summary Both supporting and challenging skills, regardless of theoretical approach are necessary for the establishment of structure within a therapeutic relationship. This structure and framework is important in ensuring that therapists are mindful of what is required to provide a supportive base to establish trust and rapport and then in the later stages more challenging skill are utilized to provide the necessary challenge that is required to guide clients into awareness and positive change. Another possibly useful generic skill would be a termination skill to help the therapist during the end phases of therapy help the client consolidate learning and evaluate outcome and prepare for possible relapse prevention and management and finally, client autonomy. Theoretical considerations There is no denying that the generic skills discussed above have built around and extended from the conditions identified by Carl Rogers in person centred therapy, to reiterate, they would be the maintenance of an attitude of acceptance or unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding, as well as personal congruence or integration. Being a non-directive therapeutic approach that typically places emphasis on the above, supportive skills would be utilized mainly. Challenge skills, less so, but on occasion, as onus is placed on the client directing the therapy. Cognitive behaviour therapy utilizes an active-directive collaborative style. In its very nature, it is quite structured. In reductionist terms, it occurs in the following four stages: the assessment, cognitive, behavioural and learning stages. The therapeutic alliance needs to occur in the assessment stage, usually in the first session because quite rapidly after, from the cognitive stage, negative automatic thoughts are identified and challenged. This means, supportive skills and challenge skills are introduced quite rapidly and interwoven up till the learning stage and termination. In Psychoanalytic and psychodynamic approaches, a distinction is made between the real relationship, transference and counter transference and a working alliance. The real relationship would be akin to the therapeutic relationship as defined earlier and would only be encountered after transference and counter transference because they are considered to be more of a contamination to the real relationship and would need to be worked through and resolved. Meaning the therapist would take a more reticent stance, utilizing mostly support skills initially and challenge skills only during the working alliance, (the alignment of the client’s reasonable self or ego and the therapist’s analysing self or ego for the purpose of therapy) towards the later stages of therapy where interpretation of unconscious conflicts, defence mechanisms and resistances take place. Other considerations Having a framework is important in the development and establishment of rapport and therapeutic alliance but there are salient points to factor in. The therapist needs to have a level of awareness of the similarities and differences between them and their prospective clients to avoid the traps of varying degrees of gender inequality, ageism, disability and social class discrimination, homophobia and other sexual orientation based discrimination, religion, spiritual, agnostic and atheist discrimination, and also, racial, cultural and ethnical discrimination. Regardless of how well a therapist conceptualizes how to establish therapeutic alliance, lack of knowledge and experience on these socio economic and socio cultural factors could prove counterproductive.

Analysis Of Radicalisation And Extremism Criminology Essay

Analysis Of Radicalisation And Extremism Criminology Essay Radicalisation is a complex term which has different meanings and can be used in different contexts. To be radicalised does not necessarily mean that one has to resort to violence or terrorism. It is not a synonym to extreme religious teachings or activities either. Radicalism can be intolerant behaviour or intolerance towards the views of other people. It can be intolerance towards homosexuality, ethnicity, race, colour, religion. Being radical can be intolerance towards the western culture or Asian immigrants living in Britain as well. The US Southern Baptists do not recognise homosexuality as a valid alternative lifestyle (Kahn, 2006). The army of God, a Christian extremist group in the US murders doctors who practice abortion (Gray, 2007). A former Dutch immigration minister sought to deny asylum to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Iranians, threatening to deport them back to Iran which imposes a death penalty on homosexual conduct (Human Rights Watch, 2007). Do the above examples not illustrate radical and extremist behaviour? Therefore Radicalisation can vary from having extreme views about something to intolerant behaviour towards certain people, to violent radicalisation which has severe consequences. For the purpose of this research we shall look into extremist radicalisation or violent radicalisation with religious or political aims. According to Precht (2007), Radicalisation is a process of adopting an extremist belief system and the willingness to use, support, or facilitate violence and fear as a method of effecting changes in society. In this definition we can see that a person is radicalised when they adopt an extremist belief system and perceive society as defective and aim to change it through non-violent or violent ways. There is a very fine line between extremism and radicalisation. According to Archbishop Desmond Tutu extremism is when you do not allow for a different point of view; when you hold your own views as being quite exclusive; when you dont allow for the possibility of difference (Tutu, 2006). One could argue that there is nothing wrong with extremism or radicalisation, as it does not necessarily lead to violence but on the other hand the very fine line can easily be crossed over. However when extremism starts to have a political end, for example to force governments to the table of negotiation or to changes in policy it then converges into radicalisation (Davies, 2008). And when the willingness to use violence for a political or religious change combines with this radicalisation it can lead to terrorism. Radicalisation is a process where an individual adopts extreme political or religious ideas and goals, becoming convinced that the attainment of these goals justifies extreme methods (Ongering, 2007). In the context of this research we shall look into Islamist radicalisation or violent Islamism. Before we look into the literature we should not confuse the terms Islam and Islamist. Islam is a religion and the follower of this religion is known as a Muslim not an Islamist. Islamist or Islamism is a term coined by the West to differentiate between Islam the faith or religion and Islamism as the ideology or political Islam. Islamism refers to a political ideology that strives to create a state and society in conformity with religious doctrine and Shariah (Islamic) law. An Islamist is a person who uses religious arguments to further political goals; in contrast a militant Islamist or violent Islamism is when there is a willingness to use violence to advance their goals (Precht, 2007). Again there is a difference between adopting political Islam in a non-violent way, as many Muslim organisations in the contemporary world do, and adopting political Islam in a violent way portrayed by the violent acts perpetrated in the name of Islam by certain groups and individuals who distort the teachings of Islam in their own extremist ways. It is the latter that leads to terrorism. How do young Muslims become radicalised and resort to violence. There have been numerous studies with respect to the process of radicalization. In the view of the NYPD (New York City Police Department) study, the adoption of the Salafi-Jihadi ideology is a key driver that motivates young men and women to carry out acts of violence and terrorism (Silber and Bhatt, 2007). This study conducted by the NYPD (Silber and Bhatt, 2007) suggests that the radicalisation process is composed of four distinct phases. The first phase is pre- radicalisation, in which an individual has a normal life and this is a period before the journey to extremism and the adoption of Salafi-Jihadi ideology. The second stage is self-identification, where individuals explore Salafi Islam and move away from their old identity towards a new world view and begin to associate themselves with like minded people. The catalyst in this phase usually is a cognitive opening or a crisis like losing a job or international conflicts involving Muslims. The third stage in the process is indoctrination, where the adopted Salafi-Jihadi ideology intensifies. This leads the individual into militant jihad and this phase is usually facilitated and driven by a spiritual sanctioner. While the final and fourth stage is jihadization, where individuals accept their duty to participate in jihad and self designate themselves as holy warriors. Ultimately they begin operational training for jihad or terrorist attacks (Silber and Bhatt, 2007). For Silber and Bhatt (2007) a person is radicalised when they go through these stages in a systematic way as if it were a funnel. Some would go all the way through the funnel and become terrorists and others would exit in any of the early stages. An important point to note in their study is: Entering the process does not mean one will progress through all four stages and become a terrorist. However, it also does not mean that if one does not become a terrorist, he or she is no longer a threat. Individuals who have been radicalized but are not jihadists may serve as mentors and agents of influence to those who might become the terrorists of tomorrow (Silber and Bhatt, 2007:84) I beg to differ with Silber and Bhatt (2007) on the observation quoted above. It is not necessary that if a person does not go through the whole process of radicalisation and exits at some stage, we should still perceive him or her as a threat. There is ample evidence that many individuals who have been radicalised and who do not become terrorists can still continue and live as normal peace loving citizens. They do not always serve as mentors or agents of influence for the terrorists of tomorrow. If we study biographies of former Islamist radicals or extremists, we do come across real life examples of people like Ed Husain, Majid Nawaz, Shiraz Maher and Hassan Bhatt who joined radical Islam in Britain, got radicalized to a great extent and then left it, becoming normal peace loving citizens of their country (Biggar and Hogan, 2009). Ed Hussain, a former Islamist radical tells his story of how he joined radical Islamist groups in Britain, moving from Jamaat Islami to Young Muslims Organisation (YMO) and then to the more radicalised Hizb-ut-Tahrir. After several years of activism in radical Islamist groups he finally realized in the mid 90s that he was disillusioned with these groups and became more interested in traditional Sufi Islam and non political scholars in Islam. Living a normal life with his wife in Britain, he is a devout Muslim and a believer in traditional Islamic teachings and has shunned radical and political Islam (Husain, 2007). Realizing how he misinterpreted Islam initially and fell prey to radical and political Islam; and viewed Islam as an ideology rather than a religion, he states: For me, being a Muslim is not a political identity- Islam does not teach us a monolithic approach to life. The Prophet did not create new systems of government, but adopted existing paradigms from seventh-century Arabia (Husain, 2007:269) This refutes Silber and Bhatts (2007) study because their radicalisation process does not acknowledge that radicalized individuals can revert back to a normal peace loving life. It does not have room for individuals who have been radicalised and then shunned radicalisation, as they are still seen as a threat in their model. Husain furthers his argument and explains how he feels about the non political nature of Islam, In Mecca I met Muslims who were unalike in their background and culture but united in their belief. For me that is the true ummah- a spiritual community, not a political bloc (Husain, 2007: 269-70). Another example is Majid Nawaz, who got involved with radical Islamist groups in Britain and later realized how he had misinterpreted Islam: As I studied various branches of traditional Islamic sciences, however, I grew more and more surprised. The sheer breadth of scholastic disagreement that I found, on issues I had believed were so definitive in Islam, surprised meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ It slowly dawned on me that what I had been propagating was far from true Islam. I began to realise that what I had subscribed to was actually Islamism sold to me in the name of Islam (Nawaz, 2007). However, having explicated that, it does not mean that the study carried out by Silber and Bhatt (2007) does not hold any relevance at all regarding the radicalisation process. I concur with their view that extreme religious ideology (Salafi-Jihadi) is a key driver that motivates young people to get radicalised. The spread of Salafi-Jihadi ideology and books by radical ideologues such as Mawdudi and Syed Qutb have proven to have great influence in the radicalisation process of individuals (Husain, 2007; Nawaz, 2007; Change Institute, 2008) I will shed some light on another model of the radicalisation process with similarities to Silber and Bhatts (2007) model. Tomas Prechts (2007) analysis on the radicalisation process is similar with the four stages by Silber and Bhatt (2007). Precht (2007) explains that there is no single cause or catalyst for radicalisation. One of the differences in these models is that in Prechts model, he focuses on the far broader cause of extremism rather than the individuals adoption of the Salafi-Jihadi ideology in his conversion and identification stage. He focuses on three broad sets of causes which are: Background factors: a Muslim identity crisis, experiences of discrimination, alienation and perceived injustices Trigger factors: Western foreign policy and provocative events, the presence of a charismatic leader or adviser and the glorification of jihad Opportunity factors: These are venues or locations where like minded people meet for the purpose of radicalisation by giving inspiration or serving as recruiting grounds. For example the internet, mosques, schools and universities and sports activities (Precht, 2007). For Precht radicalisation or terrorism is: Largely viewed as a sociological phenomenon where issues like belonging, identity, group dynamics, and values are an important element in the transformation process. Religion, as such, play an important role, but for some it probably rather serves as a vehicle for fulfilling other goals (Precht, 2007:71) Criticizing the religious ideology driven radicalisation process, Sageman (2004), emphasises the role of social bonds in the radicalisation process, social bonds play a more important role in the emergence of the global Salafi Jihad than ideology (Sageman, 2004:178). In another research study he concludes that the terrorists studied during trials in Western Europe and North America were not intellectuals or ideologues (Sageman, 2008:156-7). He believes that less focus should be placed on ideology and religion and instead the discourse should focus more on social networking to radicalisation and the jihad movement. Studying the profiles of radical Islamists we can see many inconsistencies. Some are well educated, some are well off, others genuinely poor, some are married, others single, some are western born and educated, others are foreign students, and some had integrated well in western society while others less so (Al-Lami, 2008) On the other hand certain similarities have also been identified in studying radicalised individuals. A key factor is that the majority of Muslim youth in the west who became radicalised or got involved in terrorism were religious novices. They had superficial knowledge of Islam and were easy lured into radical and extremist ideologies, distorting their interpretation of Islam. Since they were novices they could not authenticate this extreme version of Islam taught to them by radical preachers (Sageman, 2004; Choudhury, 2007; Husain, 2007). An interesting concept about radicalisation is offered by Mandel (2008), who says to be radical is to be extreme relative to something that is defined or accepted as normative, traditional, or valued as the status quo. What he means is that its a matter of perspectives. What one group may regard as radical, another may regard that as normal or acceptable. Adversaries may each regard the others act and motivating belief systems as extreme, perhaps overly so. In this sense, the attribution of being a radical or radicalised may be intended by the attributer as a negative characterization of the attributee. More specifically, the attributer may use the term radical to convey that the attributee poses a source of threat to the attributers traditional way of life (Mandel, 2008:9) Keeping this concept of perspectives in mind, it implies that for liberal governments in Britain, Islamists or Jihadists are seen as radicals who threaten their way of life. But for the Islamists the label may be seen as a virtuous characteristic associated with attempts to return to a society in line with their own belief systems and values. But this kind of concept can be a bit problematic in the sense that there is no universal definition of what is right and what is wrong. There are no black and white truths when it comes to belief systems or ways of life. What would be the limit of going radical in either direction, whether liberal or Islamist? Some scholars do not differentiate between the different forms of Islam and see the problem with Islam as a whole rather than with Islamism or radical forms of Islam. In their view Muslims are a different civilization altogether, and are convinced about the superiority of their culture (Huntington, 1996). The problem with this view is that it treats Islam as monolithic and uniform religion. In reality Islam is not like that and has many different faces and interpretations across both historical time and at the present (Murshed and Pavan, 2009:3). Identity politics is another key factor that contributes to radicalisation. Muslim youth in the West feel a need to carve out their own identities, because they cannot relate to their parents ethnic communities and the Western societies they live in simultaneously. Another key catalyst for radicalisation and terrorism is western foreign policy, which has backfired domestically; conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Bosnia and Chechnya come to be seen as crusades against Muslims (Al-Lami, 2008). Socio-economic disadvantage and political factors such as the Wests foreign policy with regard to Muslims and certain historical grievances play a part in the development of radicalisation (Murshed and Pavan, 2009). There have also been instances where opportunistic politicians in Western Europe have created hatred amongst the majority and minority communities, producing a backlash. Racism and anti Muslim immigration has also been seen as a driver for the radicalisation process, All over Western Europe there has been growth in single issue, anti-immigrant, especially anti-Muslim immigrant partiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦racist messages that breed fear of minorities like Muslims, can emanate from attention seeking politicians, who campaign on a single issue that scapegoat a particular group for all of societys ills (crime, unemployment and so on) (Murshed and Pavan, 2009). Socio-economic deprivation, low education and unemployment have been one of the most common explanations for radicalisation. Statistics show that Muslims, compared to other religious groups, have the highest rates of unemployment, high prison population and poor housing facilities (Awan, 2007:211). However Sageman (2004) does not accept this explanation of radicalisation. He mentions that out of the 172 biographies of Salafi-Jihadists he examined, over 60 percent were well educated and a high proportion of them were professionals and most had semi-skilled occupations. Another interesting illustration of the radicalisation process in British Muslims is given by McRoy (2006). He suggests that there has been a systematic radicalisation in British Muslims mainly due to a number of incidents or events starting from 1988 with the controversial and anti-Islamic book, The Satanic Verses. The publication of Salman Rushdies book The Satanic Verses in 1988 was the defining watershed for British Muslim Identity and activism (McRoy, 2006:10). The book was publically burned in Birmingham, giving very strong signs of radical behaviour. The second major event was the Gulf Crisis of 1992-93, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, which was seen as an anti-imperialist action by Iraq. And when Britain supported the war against Iraq whilst rejecting similar action to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine, it created more hatred towards the West and Muslims felt that the West had double standards when it came to helping out Muslims. And then came the Bosnian Crisis, when Muslims lost faith in the West and this fuelled radicalisation amongst British Muslims (McRoy, 2006). It is almost impossible to say with certainty what the causes of radicalisation are, as it is difficult to know whether a factor is instrumental or merely present. It is more helpful to think about radicalising agents- factors which are present and appear frequently across different cases, for example, key places, charismatic leaders, relationship links, experiences and assumed grievances (Briggs and Birdwell, 2009). As we have seen in the literature, there are many reasons scholars have stated for the radicalisation process. Religious ideology (Salafi-Jihadi), political ideology, social bonds, perceived injustices against Muslims around the world (Bosnia, Kashmir, and Palestine), Western foreign policy, influence by charismatic leaders, poverty and deprivation, low education, unemployment, identity politics, racism, anti- Muslim immigration and so on. Having understood that the radicalisation process can occur by any of these reasons or factors, for the purpose of this research I shall look into another factor that has not been given the attention and importance it deserves by many Western governments, that is radicalisation and violence caused by state power or by the policies which are developed for countering radicalisation and violence. How the UK counter terrorism policies have impacted on radicalising individuals in the UK. It is surprising why the UK government and the intelligence committees, while assessing the effectiveness of the counter-terrorism policies, did not acknowledge the potentially damaging effect counter-terrorism measures themselves can have in contributing to radicalisation (Blick et al, 2006). When we say counter terrorism policies it implies both domestic and foreign policies for the purpose of this research. Although there has been literature regarding this aspect, but this factor (state-power) has rare ly been treated as an independent factor which added to other factors could also perpetuate or contribute to the radicalisation process. I am undertaking this research to contribute to the growing literature in this area. Chapter 2: Policy Development and UK Counter terrorism strategy: If we look at UKs history in creating coercive counter terrorism laws, which targeted specific communities, it dates back to 1974, when the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) was introduced, to deal with the Irish political violence (Hillyard, 1993). These laws were targeting the Irish community as a whole and were seen as a cause of the continuity and increase in the scale of the Irish related violence. The PTA established a dual system of justice, where conventional criminals who committed crimes such as murder, rape, theft were tried in the ordinary criminal justice system while a shadow and more draconian system developed to deal with those suspected of Irish terrorism'(Hillyard:1993). However For the purpose of this research, I shall discuss and analyse the legislation and counter terrorism strategies, post September 11th 2001. This chapter is divided into two parts. The first part shall discuss the Counter terrorism strategy (CONTEST) of UK with special reference to the developments after September 11th 2001. The basis of the analysis on the legislation will be drawn from the terrorism act 2000. It will unfold the important components of the anti terror legislation through the analysis of CONTEST. The second part will focus on how this counter terrorist strategy was developed and the sources which have influenced these developments by examining it through a policy transfer model. This chapter will provide a foundation for the remaining part of the research. I. UK Counter terrorism strategy (CONTEST) There are five major pieces of legislation in the UK to combat terrorism, and these legislations and laws are the foundation of the CONTEST. They are Terrorism act 2000; Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001; The Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005; The Terrorism Act 2006 and The Counter-Terrorism Act 2008. The UKs Counter-terrorism strategy knows as CONTEST, has been in existence since 2003 but was first published in 2006 and revised in 2009 to acknowledge the changing threat of terrorism (HM Government, 2009). The strategy has four elements- the four Ps: Pursue, Prevent, Protect and Prepare. For the purpose of this research I shall discuss the Pursue and Prevent elements of the CONTEST. Pursue, is the most important priority for the government because it deals with stopping terrorist attacks. The pursue element of CONTEST aims to reduce the terrorist threat to the UK and UK interests overseas through the detection and investigation of terrorist networks and the disruption of their activities (HM Government, 2009:61). The Pursue element of CONTEST is intelligence led and it aims at close coordination and collaboration of domestic police and intelligence agencies as well as international agencies. This intelligence gathering is used to disrupt terrorists, by the use of prosecution as the first option but if that is not possible then other options like, deportation, control orders, freezing and seizing financial assets and proscription of organisations, can be used as alternative means. Successful prosecution in the courts, based on gathering the necessary evidence and apprehending those involved in planning acts of terrorism before they can carry out their intentions is the preferred method of disrupting terrorist activities according to CONTEST (HM Government, 2006:20). In facilitating the prosecution of suspected terrorists, section 44 of the Terrorism act 2000 extended the police powers of stop and search, which were widely and sometimes disproportionately used as a component of the pursue element of CONTEST. According to section 44, a senior police officer may specify or designate areas or places in which an officer may stop and search vehicles, drivers or pedestrians on suspicion of being involved or aiming to carry out terrorist activity (Terrorism Act, 2000 online: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/pdf/ukpga_20000011_en.pdf) These stop and search powers of the police have been very controversial and are disproportionately used against some communities. In 2004-2005 police stopped and searched 35,800 pedestrians, vehicles and occupants under section 44 and arrested only 455 people (just over 1 percent of those stopped). Very few of these 1% arrested, relate to terrorism. This law has been targeting Asians communities and has created a wedge between community relations which has dangerous consequences (Blick, et al 2006). There has always been speculation about the disproportionate use of these stop and search powers on certain communities. On one hand ethnic profiling could be seen as necessary to identify criminals or terrorists, as some people would argue that it is amongst some ethnic groups that terrorists belong. But on the other hand if a terrorist belongs to the Muslim community for example, is it fair to target the whole Muslim community and assume that there are more terrorists amongst them. Or do we need the help of that particular community to identify terrorists. If we target them disproportionately, there is a chance of isolating them and losing that opportunity of winning their support and confidence in order to identify terrorists or criminals. After the September 11th 2001 attacks there was greater collaboration between UK and US police and homeland security departments which led to greater searches. Between 2001 and 2007 there were 205,000 police searches for terrorist related activities in England and Wales. Out of these 205,000 stops and searches there were only 2,571 arrests, just 1 percent of the total (Pantazis and Pemberton, 2009a). Another controversial law is the pre-charge detention. Under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000, the police may arrest someone on reasonable suspicion that they are a terrorist and keep them in detention without charge till seven days (Terrorism Act, 2000). Pre-charge detention was further extended to 14 days in 2003 and then to 28 days by the terrorism act 2006, and now it is the highest number of days (pre-charge detention) compared to any democracy in the world (Liberty, 2007). The Joint Committee on Human Rights has noted that preventive detention is not permissible under article 5 (the right to liberty and security of a person) of the European Convention and warned that it could not be introduced without a derogation, which would require the government to claim that the life of the nation is in peril (Blick et al, 2006:48). This 28 day pre-charge detention has been vilified by human rights organisations all over UK. They are of the view that the police dont need 28 days to investigate someone on suspicion of terrorist activities. Between the time the pre-charge detention for 28 days was passed and October 2007, there were 204 arrests under the terrorism act. Out of 204 suspects only 11 were detained for more than 14 days. Eight of these were charged and three were released without charge (Liberty, 2007). This shows how14 days are more than sufficient for investigating suspected terrorists. The Terrorism Act 2000 gives the home secretary the power to proscribe groups involved in terrorism, and membership of a proscribed group is illegal. By 2009, 59 terrorist groups were proscribed by this act, including 14 groups belonging to Northern Ireland (HM Government, 2009). The 2006 terrorism act also makes it a criminal offense to encourage terrorism directly or indirectly inciting or encouraging others to commit acts of terrorism. This includes an offense of the glorification of terror- people who praise or celebrate terrorism in a way that may encourage others to commit a terrorist act. The maximum penalty is seven years imprisonment (Guardian, 2010: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/jan/19/terrorism-act-2006). Many political groups and organisations are banned as a result of the pursue element of CONTEST, granted by the terrorism act 2000. A range of activities, including non violent activities of some of these groups, whose aims are geographical and political with regards to internal strife and conflict in their home countries such as Kurdistan, Sri Lanka, and Kashmir are banned and criminalized. These groups have connections to minority ethnic and refugee communities in UK. Supporting and even attending meetings of these groups is banned (Pantazis and Pemberton, 2009a). Some of these groups are not terrorist organisations but aim to over throw their local governments due to oppression and violence against them. Are we not limiting the freedom of expression through the use of these coercive measures? The UK has always been seen as a champion of the freedom of expression and the freedom of speech, but it is not true any more. The 2001 Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act (ATCSA), which was introduced as a result of the September 11th attacks, led to new measures on asset freezing, account monitoring and cash seizures (HM Government, 2009). The 2008 Counter-Terrorism Act further strengthens police investigatory powers by introducing post-charge interviews. Other measures have been introduced to deal with suspected terrorists who cannot be prosecuted. There are control orders, created by the 2005 Prevention of Terrorism Act, for individuals suspected of posing a terrorist risk but for whom a trial or deportation is considered impossible. These place indefinite and severe restrictions on an individuals movement, communication and associations through curfew, tagging and surveillance. They have proven to be among the most controversial of measures because they require no finding of guilt by the courts (Pantazis and Pemberton, 2009b). The Prevent element of CONTEST is concerned with radicalisation of individuals and how to stop them from becoming terrorists. The aim of the prevent element is to stop radicalisation, reducing support for terrorism and discouraging people from becoming terrorists (HM Government, 2009:83). In order to understand how this strategy works I shall look into the definition of terrorism, provided by the terrorism act 2000, around which all these laws and legislations are established. But the Irony is that the definition of terrorism provided by the government is so broad, that it includes a lot of non-violent activity, threats or acts of serious violence against a person, damage to property and serious disruption of an electronic system as well as acts that create a serious risk to the health or safety of persons, whenever such acts or threats are made for the purpose of advancing a political, ideological or religious cause (Terrorism Act 2000, online) This definition gives the police and law enforcement agencies too much discretion. Many legitimate gatherings can be targeted by the use of this definition. For example, for several years cyclists have taken to the streets in cities around the world. The aim of the gatherings has been described as to reclaim the streets. However due to such a huge number of participants these rides can seriously disrupts traffic and can be said to pose danger to the health and safety of cyclists as well as other road users. They can also intimidate a section of the public; they arguably fall within the definition of terrorism (ARTICLE 19, 2006). The important components of the prevent element of CONTEST (HM Government, 2009) involves, challenging the ideology behind violent extremism and supporting moderate Muslim scholars and influential voices in order to defy the extremist ideology. Disrupting those who promote violent extremism and supporting the places where they operate. According to the government, the radicaliser is as important as the radicalised. Therefore using the powers under the 2006 terrorism act, the police will prosecute those who encourage or glorify terrorism and take action against the places where they operate. Supporting ind