Geographies of war, occupation, resistance, and terrorism Essay

Geographies of war, occupation, resistance, and terrorism - Essay Example Unlike Britain and France, the major European powers, the US were highly recognized by Middle East as a good country with good people. Some of the key factors that improved US image in the eyes of the Middle East countries include the introduction of up-to-date medicine initiatives in the region, establishment of educational institutions, and provision of qualified petroleum engineers. As a result of the contributions of the US made in Middle East, the two regions had a strong connection prior to the Second World War. However, in the recent past, the two regions had a negative relationship that had triggered political unrest. This paper seeks to analyze the causes and solutions of the conflicts between Middle East and US. Even though Arabs and Israel have been involved in conflicts for a long period of time, the vested interest of the foreign countries, also referred to as foreign elite, has triggered the violence that led to large number of deaths in the Middle East countries. In ad dition to the US, China, Britain, Germany and Russia have also focused at controlling the oil in the Middle East countries. It is worth noting that as long as the foreign elite continue to be involved in the Middle East politics, the conflicts will remain unresolved. ... According to the Arab countries, US is the major cause of the conflict based on its political suppression, occupation of native land, military invasion as well as continued support of Israel on its political suppression against Palestine (Wu Sike 15). Additionally, Middle East countries argue that the US have negatively affected the culture of Arab countries by bringing about western values that have sabotaged the significant values of Islam community. As a result of the US invasion, the radical in the Middle East have gone to the extreme in their endeavor to resist the US control resulting to the emergence of terrorism. Another major cause of the animosity between the US and Middle East is the aim of the former to control the Middle East oil. In their efforts to expand their oil reserves, the US and other powerful states interferes with Arab-Israel conflicts with an aim of controlling the vast petroleum resources that acts as the major source of income for the Middle East countries. As a result, Arab countries have joined together to attack US interests in their countries such as the embassies, diplomats and other expatriates. In their efforts to improve their economy and intensify their control over the Middle East foreign countries have continued to sell weapons to the Arab countries an aspect that instigated conflicts in the Middle East. In this regard, it is fundamental for the UN and other international organizations to ban the sale of weapons to the Middle East countries to eliminate the war that has decapitated the economy of the Arab countries. Morris (37) argues that the emergence of corrupt and poor leadership in Middle East is one of the

Culture and Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Culture and Business - Research Paper Example Despite Brazil being one of the countries experiencing a high economic growth, the existing cultural differences may affect business interactions in this country. As earlier indicated, communication is the most important thing in effective transaction of business. In this regard, there are striking differences between in the communication styles. According to the Centre for Intercultural Learning (2009), â€Å"Brazilians tend to get close to each other when a conversation is taking place, no matter what the relationship is between them.† In Western culture, there is a tendency to create a less social distance especially with strangers. In effect, we may experience such differences, which the Brazilians may misconstrue as unfriendly. In addition, the average distance between two people having a conversation in Brazil is around 30 or 40 cm (Centre for Intercultural Learning, 2009). However, only close friends will exhibit such a distance in most cultures. Nevertheless, it is imp ortant for an individual to appear relaxed and friendly when having a conversation since they may talk to an individual while touching them now and then. Such cultural behavior in Brazil is the expectation, which in the Western world is akin to sexual harassment in some cases. In business, modest dressing is one of the major characteristics in our society. In effect, the way of dressing in the Brazilian business setup is similar. However, the way Brazilians address each other in business is informal. In this regard, Brazilians will only use the titles during the introductions stage. Effectively, they will keep referring to each other in their first name during the rest of the conversation following the introduction, which is different from our business culture (Centre for Intercultural Learning, 2009). In this case, Western business culture dictates that we should refer to our colleagues in their titles. In fact, some business cultures will not allow us to address our supervisors at work in their first name, which is unheard off. However, this is the norm rather than the exception amongst the Brazilians. In effect, acquainting oneself with this distinct cultural factor will help an individual realize that Brazilians is not a sign of disrespect but a culture. According to Global Edge (n.d.), Brazilians behavior in meetings appears to be unstructured and natural. In effect, they may appear to lack objectivity while negotiating a business transaction. Therefore, this can negatively affect a business transaction since one can perceive the other party as not interested. In addition, the unstructured behavior may result to deviation from the objectives that the meeting set to attain. In addition, there might be instances in which a Brazilian may bring in personal information during a business conversation. However, it is the culture of Brazilians to talk openly to their partners in business as they seek to form a relationship for successful business. In effect, unde rstanding such differences is crucial for successful business transactions. We all realize the importance of maintaining a proper eye contact while communicating in a business transaction. In fact, our business cult