Controversy between Safe and Pure Drinking Water Essay

Controversy between Safe and Pure Drinking Water - Essay Example Health impacts of some of the contaminants in drinking water are not clear; however, the availability of contaminants does not always mean that they will harm an individual’s health. The basis for determining safe drinking water is the national or international guideline, with the significant one being the WHO guideline for quality of drinking water. Drinking water can be obtained from two basic sources, which include surface water like reservoirs and rivers, and groundwater. Water has natural contaminants, especially inorganic contaminants from geological strata upon which water flows, and different microorganisms and chemical pollution. Generally, ground water is less susceptible to pollution compared to surface waters that are prone to various sources of fabricated contaminants. Moreover, in case there are no improved water management, the unhealthy residues of substances used in its treatment can lead to pollution, giving rise to presence of deposits in water pipes. In add ition, contamination of drinking water can occur during the distribution of water arising from materials like iron, which corrodes and releases iron oxides into the supply system. Diffusion process taking place in plastic pipes may result in contamination of drinking water; for example, split oil in the surrounding area may result in water problems concerning its taste and smell. Drinking water treatment applied in public water supply includes a series of treatments that vary in accordance with the requirements of supply and nature and susceptibility of the source. Water treatments comprises of systems that coagulate, flocculate, filter and oxidise drinking water. The common oxidative disinfectant is chlorine and it provides effective and robust protection against pathogens. Standards upon which the safety of drinking water is gauged are revised regularly and supported by detailed documents that describe the various aspects of safety (Larason). Pathogen contamination of drinking wat er causes diarrhoea disease and is a significant characteristic of the drinking water quality. This problem is a result of water contamination by faecal substance, particularly human faecal substance comprising of pathogenic organisms. Many regions in developing countries, pathogens remain a significant cause disease. Therefore, breaking the faecal-oral cycle is crucial by preventing the entry of faecal matter into water sources and treating drinking water in order to kill pathogens. Nevertheless, such approach needs to function alongside hygiene practices like hand washing, which helps reduce the chances of person-to-person infection. Detecting and enumerating pathogens in water is not appropriate in many circumstances because of the difficulties and resources necessary; therefore, only two kinds of pathogen are used as indicators for faecal contamination. There is the assumption that once the indicators are detected, pathogens like viruses could be presents; thus, the appropriate action is necessary. Nevertheless, the time taken in analysing the sample means that if there is contamination then, the contaminated water will get to the consumers and probably it will be consumed by the time the analysis results are obtained. Moreover, the small volume of water sample implies that monitoring is not adequate for ensuring safe drinking water (Workshop on Emerging Drinking Water Contaminants, National Research Council 202). The most serious contaminants of water are chemicals that occur naturally and they are found in groundwater. Waterborne contaminants bring about disease in

How organizations change toward a high reliability culture evaluate Essay

How organizations change toward a high reliability culture evaluate and discuss - Essay Example In a high reliability organization, there is psychological inertia, thinking inertia and behavioral habits of most employees (Verweij, 2011). Thus, any organizational change has to consider encouraging cultural reliability. The essay tends to study how organizations change toward a high reliability culture, that is, a culture that has systems in place that enables organization to accomplish its goals and avoid catastrophic errors. A high reliability organization is an institution that has succeeded in avoiding catastrophes in an ecosystem where accidents are expected because of complexity and risk factors. Besides, it refers to the internal efficient management mechanism and investigation on early warning mechanism of safety (Stacey, 2011). Reliability culture entails the use of behavioral science theory of human beings to plan, organize, distribute, lead and control their behaviors to increase the safety and reliability of organizations. High reliability organizations mainly focus on risk management that originates from organizational demand on risk mitigation model (Von, 2008). The risk reduction model applies to organizations in which certain changes can create catastrophes. The risk mitigation model masters the complexity and risk factors in organizations effectively. For instance, the model applies to aviation and aerospace fields, aircraft control system, nuclear power plant, medical industry and fire p rotection sector. In an analysis of high-risk organizations, the continuous increase of complexity of operation system and interdependence among each part increases (Johnson, Scholes & Whittington, 2011). Organizations with high risk and complexity, the failure of a system would influence the functions of other sections that may cause further catastrophes. Under such background, it is necessary to study how to mitigate risk in high reliability organizations. Therefore, organizations often change

Information Filtering System Based on Clustering Approach

Information Filtering System Based on Clustering Approach A PRIVATE NEIGHBOURHOOD BASED INFORMATION FILTERING SYSTEM BASED ON CLUSTERING APPROACH ABSTRACT The quantity of web information has been increased day by day due to fast development of internet. Now-a-days people make their decision based on the available information from the internet. But the problem is how the people successfully choose or filter the useful information from the enormous amount of information. This problem is referred as information overload. Recommendation System is a supportive tool to resolve the information overload problem. It is part of information filtering system used to recommend the user based on their own interest, neighborhood similarity and past history. Collaborative Filtering is one of the popular techniques widely used recommendation system. Every recommendation system should ensure privacy for both user’s neighbour and their data. To overcome the scalability and model reconstruction problem, a power graph based private neighborhood recommendation system is proposed to ensure the user’s privacy. First, the compressed network is constructed and then the feature set is extracted from the compressed network using transformed data. The data is transformed using hybrid transformation fuses principal component analysis and rotation transformation to protect users privacy with accurate recommendations. Finally the item to be recommended is predicted which achieve better performance than the existing technique. MovieLens Dataset is used to evaluate this method. INTRODUCTION Recommendation System is one of the information filtering system which provides valuable information to the users by filtering the information according to user’s interest. Traditional approaches of recommendation systems are collaborative filtering, content based filtering and hybrid Approach. Content Based Filtering (CBF) approach predicts the recommendation based on the rating given by the user for the similar items in past history. Collaborative Filtering (CF) recommends the user based on rating of that item by similar users. Hybrid approach combines both the approaches. All the approaches have their own advantage and disadvantage. CF mainly classified as memory based CF and model based CF. Memory based CF first calculate the similarities between the requested user and all other user to find the neighbors then calculate the prediction based on identified neighbors rating pattern. Model based method first built a model based on the preference of the user. Main aim of the recommender system is to minimize the prediction error. The main issues in CF recommender system are scalability, sparsity and privacy. Scalability: Large number of users and items in the network led to the increase in the computational complexity of the system. In E-commerce, scalability plays a important issue because it contain huge number of users. Sparsity: All the users dont show their interest to rate all the items they interact private, which will lead to data sparseness in the system. This will not give exact recommendation to the seekers. Cold Start: Lack of information for new items and users in recommendation system will leads to unpredictable items in the system. Privacy: Users may provide false information inorder to protect their personal information. This leads to inaccurate recommendation. The proposed work mainly focuses on two fundamental issues in CF namely scalability and privacy. The first challenge is how to improve the scalability of CF, because these systems should search the entire user for finding the neighbors. The second problem is how to protect the individual users privacy while prediction. Both an issues lead to poor performance of the system. So the important challenge is to handle both a situation properly for better performance. LITERATURE SURVEY Recommendation system helps the people to get exact information based on neighbors’ pattern. Remarkable growth in e-commerce site makes the online vendors to develop their sales and profits. They use this technique which suggests product to users’ by their neighbors’ preference about the item. Scalability issue in RS mainly due to enormous growth in users tends to decline in accuracy of prediction on recommendation. Clustering approach reduces scalability problem by grouping the similar users. Recommender System may demand the users’ to expose their ratings to recommendation server to give a proper recommendation. But exposing the rating may allow the recommenders to learn the private information about users. Revealing rating may also direct to do violent behavior by several competitive companies’. CLUSTERING IN RECOMMENDER SYSTEM Several different clustering methods are adapted to reduce the scalability problem in RS. A new cluster based matrix tri-factorization is proposed to cluster the user and item simultaneously to get a better recommendation in model based CF. But when the new user enter the system it is necessary to rebuilt the whole model again for other user [].In [0] a cluster based binary tree is built by splitting the dataset and the recommendation is predicted based on the average rating of cluster. Later [] a combined k-means bisecting clustering is performed to overcome the scalability problem while preprocessing and pseudo prediction is adapted. But performance is not much better. Community based clustering model based CF is proposed [] to predict the recommendation but it underperform on outliers. Multilevel clustering is adapted to extract the subgraph which is clustered and propagated to reduce scalability which improved the performance than existing approach. But it will be more complicate d when the aspect of the network increases. Therefore it is necessary to group the data in all the aspects to reduce the scalability. PRIVACY PRESERVING RECOMMENDER SYSTEM In CF, neighbors are identified by collecting the information for the entire user. Thus the server maintain user preference, purchase, usage data etc which may contain identifiable information may violate the privacy. There are several techniques to protect the user’s sensitive information []. Initial method to ensure the privacy protection in CF was proposed by canny (2002a, 2002b), mainly focus on aggregation. In this method sensitive data are aggregated with some common distribution. In cryptographic approach, Individual user data can be protected using homomorphic encryption to avoid exposing of individual data but it requires high computational cost [5]. In perturbation approach, users mask their data before storing it in a central server. The central server collects the disguised data instead of original data to provide predictions with decent accuracy [18]. In [2] a randomized response techniques (RRT) is proposed to preserve users’ privacy by generating naive Ba yesian classifier (NBC) based private recommendations. Another technique, data obfuscation was used to implement privacy preserving collaborative filtering algorithm [16]. In this technique, sensitive data are obfuscated through additive or multiplicative noise in order to protect individual privacy before allowing for analysis. The actual data can be revealed in this technique by applying reverse engineering process [7]. Sensitive information is either concealed or eliminated for the purpose of analyzing the data to extract the knowledge in anonymization technique. The major fault of this technique is some distinctive data may lead to the re-identification of data [1]. In proposed work, a scalable privacy preserving recommendation system is proposed. First the user to user network is constructed from the user preference then compressed network is formed based on the power graph approach. Then feature set extracted from the compressed network based on transformed rating to ensure the privacy during prediction. Finally the linear prediction model is adopted instead of similarity prediction to improve the accuracy besides reduces the complexity. OBJECTIVE To protect the individual’s neighbour information while prediction based on clustering approach this reduces complexity of model reconstruction. To protect the individual data using data transformation technique. PROBLEM FORMULATION A cluster based approach is proposed to protect the individual neighborhood privacy and hybrid data transformation technique is proposed to protect the individual data with accurate recommendation using feature extraction based linear regression prediction. MODULES Data Transformation Experiment is performed using MovieLens Public (MLP) dataset which is the standard dataset to show the better performance of the proposed method. MovieLens dataset is collected by the GroupLens Research Project at the University of Minnesota. This data set consists of three different files of three different sizes 10M, 1M and 10K which mainly contain ratings of different movies provided by the users. To evaluate the proposed method 1M size dataset is used which contains 6040 users, 1 million ratings and 3900 items. The rating values are on five star scales, with five stars being the best and one star being the least. Data collected consist of four attributes separated with double colon as the delimiter [userid :: itemid ::rating :: Timestamp]. To evaluate the proposed work userid, itemid, rating is extracted from the dataset and then extracted data is converted into user x item matrix with dimension (6040 x 3952).Unrated items are filled with value zero to overcome computation comple xity. Data Transformation A hybrid data transformation technique which fuses Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Rotation Transformation (RT) is proposed to transform the data in order to protect the user’s data. The input to the PCA technique is the rating matrix. This technique first finds the principal components and then rotates these components which cannot be reverted easily. Rotation transformation will be efficient by identifying the appropriate range of angle such that to satisfy the least privacy requirement. Optimum privacy threshold is determined from range of angle which leads to good privacy protection effect. To determine the range of angles, sequence rotation should be performed on vectors with successive angles. For each pair of attributes, pairwise optimum privacy threshold is assigned by multiplying the privacy threshold and the privacy angle which should be maximum. To determine the privacy angle, calculate the variance of each attribute. For each pair of attribute, minimum varia nce will be considered as privacy angle. After determining pairwise optimum privacy threshold, select the range of angles to transform the pair of attribute. While choosing the range of angle make sure that it satisfying the following constraint which is mentioned in Eqn(1) Var(Pi-Pi) ≠¥PoptEqn(1) An angle is randomly chosen from the interval to rotate each and every pair of principal component. After rotating the principal component, it is multiplied with normalized data in order to obtain the transformed data. The Transformed value of the original data for the data is shown in Table 2. Private Neighborhood Network Construction Original network is compressed using power graph analysis. Power graph analysis is a representation of complex network which represent the graph into power graph without loss of information. Graph can be clustered to construct a power graph using modular decomposition method in which modules represents the nodes with same neighbour. Power graph cluster both, the nodes and edges to obtain the most compressed network. Power graph analysis is widely used several biological networks such as protein-protein interactionnetworks, domain-peptide binding motifs,Gene regulatory network and Homology/Paralogy networks. Matrix R can be used to represent the social relationship between the users. If any two users rate the same item then there will be a relationship between them. Thus the user-user network is represented as where U is the set of users represented as nodes and is the set of relationship denoted as edges, and then a power graph is a graph defined on the power set of nodes which are connected by power edges. The concepts of power graphs are as follow: if there is a power edge between two power nodes, then nodes in one power nodes are connected to all the nodes in the second power node. In same way if all the nodes are connected to each other which is represented as power node with self loop. Based on power graph analysis this module involves two steps, power node identification and power edge search. Power nodes are recognized using hierarchical clustering based on jaccard index. The greedy search is performed to identify the power edge. Feature Set Extraction After construction of private network, feature set of each user is extracted by categorizing the users into cold start user, powerful user, and malicious user. Cold start is a user who rate exactly twenty items. Powerful user is user who rate more than thirty five items and malicious user who rate less than twenty five items but the difference between any ratings of a particular item and the standard deviation of that item is greater than one. For the constructed compressed network following features are extracted for each category of the users to predict the rating of unrated item. Feature set of particular user includes features of directly connected power node and Friend Of A Friend (FOAF) in the other power nodes. Each category is measured according to number of particular category of user present in the power node and their joint probability of that particular category. Bayes theorem is used to calculate the most probable rating each category of user. The following Table shows t he feature set measured for each user. Table 5.2 Feature Set of User X Linear Regression prediction From the above extracted features a linear predictive model is constructed which is user for predicting particular item. Then top predicted items are given as recommendation to user. The model takes the following form as in Equation. (5.6) (5.6) where ÃŽ ± represents the slope of the dependent variables, X represent the feature vectors and represents the error vector which is assumed to be zero. In linear regression, the value to be predicted is commonly computed from the best fitting line which reduces error in prediction. PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS: The proposed method is preserves both the individual neighbors privacy and data privacy. It also reduces the scalability issues and give accurate recommendation when compared to the previous work (privacy preserving information filtering system). MAE obtained is compared with the proposed method in previous Chapter TRPC as in Table 5.7. Figure shows that MAE is reduced to 0.62 because of coupling of clustering approach with data transformation to handle large volume of data. CONCLUSION The power graph analysis helps to overcome the scalability problem by compressing the original network and results better recommendation to users. The existing methods apply power graph analysis to various domains for analyzing complex networks in a simpler way. And at the same time it also preserves the communities’ information. Therefore, in proposed work this type of clustering approach is used to preserve the neighbours information which also results better prediction. The efficiency of the proposed methodology is evaluated with the experimental results using MovieLens dataset. It performs better compared data transformation and clustering approach. This type of cluster based collaborative filtering recommendation helps to reduce the edges in the original network without loss of any information.

Women in Ancient Civilizations Essays -- essays research papers

The role of women in different civilizations, even though on different spectrums of the world, had many similarities and only a few differences. Women in these four civilizations: Greece, Egypt, China, and India faced many of the same hardships, struggles, and prejudices. Some of this treatment of women didn’t even end until present day (1920’s). In some of these civilizations women were able to rise up somewhat in their communities but it didn’t come without some kind of interference. When it came to the rights of these women, they really didn’t have any at all. In Greece women were considered to be second class citizens at best. All women were forbidden to own property, inherit their own name, vote, or attend political debate. Men viewed them as nothing of real importance. To them they were irrational, fearful, and only to be used for their physical desires. They were considered to be the ward of a man (Sacks 263). Women in Egypt were treated fairly well compared to the others. They shared the same legal and economic rights as men they were capable of owning land, slaves, and could acquire possessions for themselves in many ways. Elite women did have more rights and opportunities than the nonelite but they were both very fortunate. Regardless of class though, all women had only a few main concerns and expectations. They were all expected to get married and raise a family, maintain the management of the household, and bearing and rearing children (Harrison 510). The rights of women in China and India were similar as well. In India the rights of women have barley changed since ancient times. Women in this country are not allowed to own property, show their faces in public, and are the complete property of a man (www.geocities.com/hinduism/hindu_women.html). The women of china were also inferior to men. For around two thousand years they lived under the rules and laws set by Confucius. The Confucius doctrine said that women weren’t equal to men because they were unworthy and incapable of an education. These women were the property of men from birth till death (Andrea and Overfield 82-90). Their rights were not only limited to their families though in some cases there were actual laws passed that limited the rights of women. In ancient times The Code of Hammurabi for example had several laws that restricted women when it had to do with marriage and what a hus... ...ng their own property, they were encouraged to join athletics such as gymnastics, and some rose to be estate managers. They were even capable of participating in religion and could leave the house during holy days. During the Hellenistic age the treatment of women started to lighten up. Many started to realize that they have a greater value including their intelligence (Sacks 264). Chinese women didn’t start to rise up until the 20th century when communism began. Communists believed that women were equal to men; they felt that it would help the population of china to thrive (Dillion 346). The women of Egypt were treated well and did have a say in many of the things that involved them so they didn’t rise up too much more. Unfortunately for the women in India they have never truly risen up. They are still victims of being very subservient to men. In conclusion, women in all of these cultures have faced many hard times. Either from their community, husbands, fathers, or any man they were put down and restricted but though it all many women found a way to rise up through it all. There is still a long way for women of other culture to go but times are changing and anything is possible.

Discipline in High School and Elementary Education

When it comes to special education, discipline is a major concern in this area because many students are incessantly being expelled for their behavior issues that are caused by their disabilities. With the previous law students were excluded from school and received long suspension time because of their behavioral problems but when the new law was passed in 2004 students that are disable, is entitle to a free appropriate education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and can no longer be expel from school if their behavior is due to their disability.With the new law, students can no longer be suspended for more than 10 days during a school term for behavioral issues and 45 days for weapon and illegal drugs. A Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) should be included within the special need students Individualized Education Plan (IEP) at the beginning of each school year so that the general education teachers is aware of the students behavioral problems and is able to handle them before the student get out of hand and the other students learning is disruptive.If students know what is expected of them in the beginning, I believe that they will try to keep their behavior under control especially when they are in a more controlled and structure classroom. During the interview process, I learned that both high school and elementary education follow the same guidelines and rules when it comes to discipline special needs students; they have to follow the laws under Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004.The only difference that I reconginzed is that high school administrators feel that special need students at their school should be comfortable with their disabilities and have their behavioral under control because they have dealt with many issues throughout their elementary education and had various behavorial intervention plan in place which are various techniques that are used to help alleviate their behavior. With special educatio n teachers being a high demand now, newteachers should be well informed on how to discipline special needs students. Mrs. Davis expressed, issues that frequently occur with special needs students will be, if their wrongdoing is a direct manifestation of the student disability and new or experience teachers should be aware if the student disability is affecting their behavior. Since discipline is a major issue that appears to occur in schools due to special education students being included into regular education classrooms.Students tend to act out because they are not on the same level as their non-disable peers and feel as though they are not able to complete the same course work and receive a passing grade therefore they begin to disrupt the class instead of asking for help when it is needed. I can understand the student frustration when they are not able to answer questions or other students make fun of them because they could not get the correct answer.These students are in a ma instream classroom with their peers but are not on the same reading level as them and it is difficult for them to participate in class and feel as if they are up to part (T. Davis, personal communication, December 16, 2013). Ms. James stated that discipline issues that occur with special needs students in her school are students that are emotionally disturbed. These students disrespect their authority figures, fight other students and it even goes so far as them threatening to harm teachers and other students (S.James, personal communication, December 18, 2013).The court case that influence the school district is Honig v. Doe, the court ruled that students with disabilities can not be excluded from school for any misbehavior that is disability related but the educational service could cease if the misbehavior is not related to the disability (wrightlaw, 2011). We discussed the challenges that administrators and teachers face related to special education students. According to Mrs.Da vis a special need student has a plan of action in place which drives his/her instructions, if special need students commit serious wrongdoings which is not a manifestation of his disability then he/she will be reprimanded; the same as a regular education student (Ms. Davis, 2013). Doe v. Koger (1979) court case influence the school district because the court implied that students with disabilities could be expelled when there was no relationship between their misconduct and their disabilities, a perspective that became known as the manifestation of the disability doctrine (Osborne, 2007).Ms.James stated that this is a big challenge for administrators and teachers because special needs students do not receive the same disciplinary actions as regular students although they committed the same misconduct. It is unfair that their learning and others students learning is being disruptive and teachers have to accept their inappropriate behavior because they are protected under IDEA (S. Ja mes, 2013). The disciplinary procedure is perplex between the two groups; some individual may think that it is fair for the two groups to received different action against them for their misbehaving in the classroom but Mrs.Davis think that disciplinary action is demanding when managing these two groups because it require the teachers to stay abreast of all of the individuality of the special need student so that instructional as well as behavioral problems maybe avoided by quick adjustments in the classroom. On the other hand, Ms. James felt that special needs students are not sent to the office quicker than regular education students. Teachers have to deal with their behavior and try different positive behavior techniques with them.Some students are not aware of disciplinary decisions and actions between both groups of students, special needs students do not realize that they can not be expelled from school. According to Osborne, the court did not leave school officials without re course; it added that they could suspend students with disabilities for up to 10 days if they posed an immediate threat to the safety of others. I also learned that it is imperative that the parents are involved and provided with procedural safeguard information which identifies their child’s rights related to special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.The interview goes on to discuss how parents react to how their children are being punished different from a special need student, they are not happy with the rules because they feel that every student should received the same punishment regardless. We also discussed the decision that the district makes and the ladies stated that the district stands behind Tribunal’s decision and the special education director is responsible for training.

Behind Mud Walls Paper

Modern India Behind Mud Walls Paper In order to understand India, one needs to understand its villages. Behind Mud Walls does a great job in providing a detailed background of an ordinary village life in India. Since seventy percent of Indians live in villages, it is important to learn about village lifestyle and the changes that take place in it. Only then one can learn about the cities because one needs to understand the relationship between the two in India. Behind Mud Walls provides the opportunity to examine a north Indian village from a non-Indian point of view; in other words, a non-biased point of view.Since the book is broken up into parts by years, it gives the reader a great way to examine the changes that take place in this village; it shows how it was then and how it is now. Karimpur in 1930 was very different from Karimpur in the 80’s and 90’s. Many changes were observed by Wisers and Susan Wadley, who writes the later chapters in the book. These changes w ere social, economic, educational, technological, political and cultural but most significant of these were social, and educational. The social changes with an emphasis on role of women, the slowing down of the Jajmani system and the rise in education will be the focus of this paper.What was Karimpur like in 1930? Women in Karimpur in late 1920s were very traditional. They had a purdah (covering of the face) on at all times and were dependent on males (husbands, father or brothers). They were uneducated and illiterate. They had limited movement outside the house and were usually tied to raising children and doing household work. They worked almost entirely in mud enclosures. Their days were spent largely in menial labor, ensuring that their family could subside on a day-to-day basis. Their days began at dawn, when they gathered water for their family and their daily tasks of cooking, brushing, and cleaning.They ground flour for bread. They milked the family's cow or buffalo. They pr epared the ovens or chulas for the day's cooking. They swept. They collected dung for fuel. They gathered vegetables from the fields. It is safe to say that these women lived entirely behind â€Å"mud walls†. (144). They were also not allowed to go to the fields by themselves to relieve themselves. (46). Moreover, a system called Jajmani was widespread in Karimpur when the Wisers first visited. It was basically a system that bounded upper castes to lower castes in the villages.There was exchange of goods and services between landowning higher castes and landless service castes. The relationship was to be permanent, hereditary and lower castes generally received grains against rendered services. Dhobis (washers), chamars (tanners), faqirs (beggars) dhanuks (midwives), sudras (lower caste), and bhangis (sweepers) were all treated in a degrading manner. (47). The upper caste people, the Brahmins, would not like when the Wisers’ children played with those of bhangis. A tou ch of a bhangi would bring pollution to the upper caste Brahmins since they carry human waste and clean the courtyards.The Brahmins dominated the village. They owned most of the land and also took part in religious rituals due to their priest roots. Therefore, the caste system was a major social structure in Karimpur. Every individual had to stay within their caste boundaries; everyone had a hereditary job to do. Two different castes could not marry and an upper caste could eat or drink anything offered by the lower caste. Even when the Wisers offered peanuts to the children, their parents refused to let them eat. Only food offered by Brahmins would be acceptable for other upper castes.Therefore, caste system played a huge role in the lives of people in Karimpur. Furthermore, education was very low in Karimpur in 1925. Both males and females could barely read or write. As a result, there were no technological developments and therefore, agricultural production was low. Lower educati on rate also meant that people strictly followed the caste system to keep order in the society. Another observation made by the Wisers during their first was that most village houses were made of mud and were called â€Å"kaccha† houses. An interesting relationship noticed by the Wisers was that of newly wed girls and their mother-in-laws.Mother-in-laws would keep an eye on their daughter-in-laws or â€Å"bahus. † These bahus would have to please their mother-in-laws and take care of the household and everyone living in the family or in this case joint-family where brothers and their families live together with their parents under one roof. Therefore, one can see that Karimpur described by the Wisers in 1930 was quite backward and orthodox. The next half of the paper will be focused on the changes that took place over the decades in Karimpur. What were the changes in the second half of the century when Wisers and Susan Wadley visited Karimpur?Firstly, the role of women had changed a little bit. Secondly, education had increased and more and more villagers had B. A. degrees and moved to cities to find work. Thirdly, technological changes had brought enormous agricultural growth in the farms. The rigid caste system had slowed down a little bit and the mutual relationship of Jajmani system had declined as well. Finally, the younger generation was more in touch with the world through cities and education, the lower castes had more access to land ownership and most of the mud houses were transformed into brick houses or â€Å"pakka† houses.The roles of women had started to change in the 60s and later as observed by Susan Wadley. The purdah declined except during ritual occasions. The dress style also changed. Head was less covered. They started to show more head and face unlike before. When women went out in the fields to work still wore long sleeve blouses and had their head covered. The ones who worked in their own courtyards or left their ho use briefly started wearing dhotis which was something shorter than saris and other traditional long sleeve garments that they wore. (193).This was a radical change. It really showed that times had changed and people were becoming a little more open-minded. The younger generation of women was far more educated than their mothers or sisters and also wore baggy pants (Panjabi suits) by 90s. At times they would refuse to help their female figures in preparing and collecting cow dung, calling it â€Å"dirty. † They no longer had to collect water for their families since the introduction of hand pumps in their courtyards. This made their job a lot easier. Women also experienced change in their work.Due to the decline in the jajmani system and male employment in the farms, women no longer worked on the farms. The decline in the jajmani system meant more opportunities for women. Female servants were more acceptable as household servants. The decline in the purdah also helped women s ince now they could get their own water without males, carry their own messages and pick their own flowers from the fields. (289). They also took part in Hindu rituals. At the same time, one can argue that the voice of women in a household declined. Females were excluded from farm work since men had moved to the cities for work.They were replaced by machines and pumps on the fields and farms, and traditionally employed women in caste-based jobs through the jajmani system were no longer employed. Therefore, the changes in the lives of women were both negative and positive although the changes in the levels of education in Karimpur definitely helped women. Education was beneficial to both men and women. Better opportunities for jobs and marriage increased education rates among men and women. Women were expected to be educated to train their future generations. An educated girl was a likely girl for a marriage proposal.In 1984, three schools were set up for both boys and girls. An asto nishing forty nine percent of boys attended school. That is a big percentage for a backward village like Karimpur. (291). Fifty seven percent of girls attended primary schools. (291). All these numbers aside, education was still a luxury not a privilege in Karimpur. It was only accessible to upper castes that had money and the poor could not afford the cost of books and clothes. It is also important to note that it was extremely difficult to pass the sciences in schools without proper tutoring. As a result, the spread and benefit of education remained low.Still, it was a crucial change because it did make life better for some of the people. Many Brahmins obtained B. A. and M. A. degrees and most were literate including women. Increased education for men meant more opportunities in the cities for work which meant more money to provide for families back in village. Those who stayed in villages chose to be intermediates between the Brahmins and the government officials in matters of th e village. Another reason why education was an important change for Karimpur was because it changed caste relationships. Education loosened the bonds of Brahmin dominance.Education brought knowledge and knowledge brought changes in caste relationships. Different lower castes were no longer tied to their jajmans or patrons. They were able to deal with banks, lawyers, doctors and government officials. There was a decline in the traditional jajmani system due to abundance of labor. The farmers no longer needed to maintain their workers when they could hire labor for a cheaper price. Wealthy farmers in the 80s did not need that many laborers. They had machines that took care of their daily work. Hand pumps were a great tool for rich farmers. (285).There were two new tractors in the village. As a result the whole relationship between the jajmans and their servants declined due to abundance of cheap labor and new technology in the farms. The jajmani system no longer provided services, wag e labor was more focused and employment networks were more focused and laborers were in constant demand. (283). Some lower castes were also able to raise their status in the society by changing their caste names. Scheduled or backward castes like the chamars and telis became jatavs and rathors, both subcastes of the Kshatriya. (262).This type of upward mobility shows that progress did take place and this is the type of mobility is portrayed in the sacred Hindu texts like the Vedas. The system of hereditary caste system was never propagated by any texts. Rather, a system based on meritocracy was promoted in ancient Sanskrit texts and it was good to see such changed in a small north Indian village. Thus, one can see many social changes in Karimpur starting in the 60s and lasting till the 90s. Other important changes that took place were the transformation of the kuccha houses into pakka houses. Pakka houses were no longer limited to Brahmins.Even a sweeper had a pakka house. (248). Ec onomic growth enabled people to buy bricks and build these new types of houses. Payments are done in rupees rather than grains due to cash economy. Jajmani system no longer controlled the exchange of goods. Agricultural production was booming due to technological changes and introduction of necessary materials by the government to increase production. Better seeds, more fertilizer and more irrigation were provided by the government. One can credit increased education for more interaction between the villagers and the government officials. 252). Crops other than grains were produced and more number of farmers from all castes planted more crops and vegetables unlike only the Brahmins forty years ago. Green revolution also brought tremendous change in agriculture along with introduction of pumped irrigation water. Family incomes increased for many castes and access to land ownership also increased for middle and lower castes. The dominant Brahmin influence declined over the years but t hey still had a huge presence in the village. Overall, Karimpur in 1920s was different from Karimpur in the second half of the century.The reason why it was different was because of the changes in the roles of women over the years, the decline in the caste and jajmani system, and increased education. These changes were tied to each other and a change in one system brought a change in another. Finally, Karimpur serves as a model for modern India; it shows how a socially orthodox and economically backward place can experience changes at all levels in the society and improve the lives of its people. Works Cited Wiser, Charlotte, William Wiser. Behind Mud Walls. Berkeley, Los Angeles, London: University of California, 2000.

Jonathan Edwards Essays - Christian Philosophy, Hell, Free Essays

Jonathan Edwards Essays - Christian Philosophy, Hell, Free Essays Jonathan Edwards The Puritan man must tread lightly and avoid sins in order to enter the good graces of God. Otherwise, the undeserving man will plunge by Gods own hand into the pits of hell. Mercy is not easy to come by and those sinners who are not embraced by the kingdom of Heaven will live in eternal, painful misery. Jonathan Edwards sermon was obviously not intended to encourage his congregation, but to frighten them into good, pure submission. He sears his point onto their brains by using extensive figurative language, including multiple gothic metaphors and similes. For example, Edwards repeatedly preaches about how each man walks on Gods thin hand, which is all that holds the man above the fiery lakes of Hell. If the man becomes or is a sinner, God releases the man into Hell, not because of His wrath, but because the man has chosen his own path by his sins. Edwards God seems, in fact, to be somewhat indifferent towards the fate of each human and only releases or embraces the man when his acti ons warrant it. God plays no part in the fate of men. Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards Hell. Edwards implies that no matter how righteous or healthy a man is, wickedness counts for more in the eyes of an angry God. Each transgression adds weight to the sinners shoulders, and when God releases the man to Hells fiery depths, his good qualities weaken under the burden of the sins and can no longer hold him out of the pits of Hell. Edwards compares the fragility of a mans righteousness and the weight of his sins to a spiders web trying to hold up a heavy rock. Both are futile attempts that will only end in the rocks fast descent to the earth. Whatever the situation, no man wants to suffer the wrath of God. According to Edwards, the wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present, rising higher and higher until they are released and flow slowly over. As the water continues to flow, it become s stronger and more powerful to the point where it overcomes the lives of men. However, until evil and wickedness surface in Puritan society, His vengeance remains trapped behind His hand, rising and gathering, much like the guilt of sinners. If God decides to release His floodgate, all dishonorable men will be swallowed by wrath and descend to fire and brimstone. Edwards reiterates that his God acts on whim, sometime merciful, sometimes cruel and pitiless. In fact, Edwards says, it is nothing but His mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction. Not only do Edwards uses of figurative language contribute to the black mood of his sermon, they enhance it. His sermon was meant to instill terror in the hearts of his congregation, and as he spoke of Hell, brimstone, and a merciless God, his audience could probably see the dark clouds of guilt above their heads. Edwards was a powerful, persuasive speaker, and each dark metaphor created fear t hat was great enough to convince his audience never stray off of the path to the gates of Heaven. The Puritans seemed to be greatly concerned with guilt and an entrance to Heaven, so Edwards stressed that mercy is hard to come by from a God who sees his creations only as worthless insects who are easily dropped into eternal misery. Most importantly, when the day of judgement actually arrives, many sinners will be left behind, or, as Edwards described it, dropped from the hand of God into Hell. In conclusion, the Puritans had a very thin line to walk between righteousness and wickedness, and it was necessary to tread on the line very lightly. Barely moving onto the evil side of this moral line could plunge a man into shame, possibly getting him shunned from both his village and the gates of Heaven. Jonathan Edwards knew exactly how to herd his frightened congregation onto the pure side of the imaginary line entirely through the use of black, horrific, figurative language. The

Questions every artist should ask themselves essays

Questions every artist should ask themselves essays There are very few young people today who know what careers they want to pursue. A student should never close doors that might lead to something significant, but if she or he, has decent grades in art and have sustained intrest in art related activities, a career in art could be the right ticket. Contrary to popular belief, artists do not have terrible temperments,and mood swings. They do not necessarily spend their whole livesfighting for causes, dreaming, and well stariving. Art students wo ask themselves the following questions about their personalities may discover how suited they are to a career in the arts. Self-dicipline: Can you meet deadlines? Can you set goals for yourself? Achieve them? Can you motivate your self? Working: Do you like to work with your hands? Are you always trying to out do yourself? Are you willing to satart over again? Do you think about what you are working on, even when you are not working on it? Seeing: Are you aware of both the good and bad in all walks of life? Do bad designs make you angry? Are you constantly trying to get your friends to see something you think is off balance or wrong? Are you aware of colors and shapes and how they work with one another? Creativity: Do you come up with different ideas not always in the art field? Are you constantly trying to find new ways of expressing yourself? Do you find ways to appreciate art, even if it does not appeal to you at first glance? Are you always on the lookout for new and refreshing ideas? Working with Others: Can you truly accept criticism of others? Do you enjoy talking about your works of art with others? Do you enjoy other people? Can you truly praise the works of others? All of these questions can help students understand themselves a little better. These should all be considered, whenconsidering a career in the art field. ...

Case study #2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

#2 - Case Study Example With the intention to solve these issues, the CEO started his activities firstly from visiting the workplace of one of its rigs, named ‘Voyager 7’. The rig was quite small comprising 150 employees with a blend of skilled, unskilled and immigrant labours. Soon he began to depict that there was clear discrimination practiced in the workplace with regard to the living conditions and the working conditions of the lower level employees and the upper level employees. The upper level employees, who were also the immigrants, were provided with far better treatment in comparison to that of the local African employees. The local authorities of the government, despite being aware of the situation were never involved in taking any potential action to resolve the racial discrimination practiced within the organisation. After analysing the situation from the view point of the CEO, inferences have been drawn through the SWOTT analysis. Weaknesses: The situation has major drawbacks with the workplace environment being full of discrimination. Employees are treated differently on the basis of their nationality, race and designations, raising Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) related concerns, which might diminish stakeholders’ confidence on the company. Threats: The discrimination prevailing in the workplace is a threat to the integrity of the workplace. Owing to the absence of communication between the lower level employees and upper level employees, the expectation of effective performance of this rig is highly unrealistic. Trends: If the situation continues in this trend, chances of conflicts between the upper level and lower level employees are highly uncertain. Moreover, legal authorities might also halt the operations of the entire business owing to the illegal practices of discrimination in the workplace. The alternatives will need to be evaluated considering the objectives of the company regarding CSR, ensuring equality

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Humanitarian Cases in Africa - Essay Example Several different causes may have played a vital role in the stimulation of this famine, most prominent being lack of rain and inability of the Government officials to provide sufficient funds to the agricultural and irrigation schemes of the country. Out of the four countries majorly affected, the most affected one is Somalia, where at least 6 out of 10,000 children are dying everyday due to inadequate amount and poor quality of edible material. (BBC News 2011) The question here rises as to why is Somalia most affected by this nature’sdisaster? According to senior journalists and analysts, Somalia had become a failed state since its establishment collapsed in the earlier 1990s. Adding to the situation, the major areas of the country including Southern, Central and the famine affected areas are under the control of a militant group called â€Å"al-Shabab† which is said to have links with â€Å"al-Qaeda†. People of Somalia, after two decades of non-stop struggle for their land, were already in astate where they fought for their very existence everyday. And when one thinks that what would be worse than this, the al-Shabab group forces out most of the Western Agencies from the areas under their control in 2009, which were mostly working for the aid of the aboriginals.(BBC News 2011; Ross 2011) A major portion of the people living in countries of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, are pastoralists and nomads. They are mostly dependent on earning from livestock. But the intensity of the famine is so severe that even their drought-resistant camels also could not bear this famine and died. And their farms will now take many years of rain to recover to their previous state. The famine-hit areas of Somalia mostly receive rain in the month of November and the people who fled the famine are unlikely to return any time soon to plant crops in their fields. A prediction has been made by The Famine Early System Network that thewhole of Somalia is likely to experience a famine in the upcoming months.The area of Lower Shebelle which was considered as the bread-basket of Somalia has also been affected severely by the drought which forced many of the famers and businessmen to find an alternate for their home. (BBC News 2011) It has been reported that some 10,000 people have entered in the city of Mogadishu during the last two months with the plans of aiding the natives by several methods possible. While at the same time, danger and the fear of the al-Shabab group has made it difficult for the aiding agencies to perform their functions effectively. However it has been said that al-Shabab group has been escorted out of this city but still some armed members of this group can be seen patrolling certain areas. (Ross 2011) African pastoralists are among the most famine-vulnerable groups in the modern world. The long-term results of the famine crisis can be great or small, depending, in part, the form of relief. When famine strikes, the first problem which may arise is related to the transportation of food to the affected people. Can ways be found to offer relief to the pastoralists who discourage the formation of camps? For pragmatic reasons, donors or governments must institute food-for-work projects, how well can these involve the affected people in decisions regarding the o bjectives and beneficiaries of work? Where the traditional political leadership is credible and respected, can relief be administered in a manner which is more sensitive to such structures, even to the point of simply giving the relief food to the elders to distribute in a local fashion? The types of long-term development into which agencies and governments often drift

The U.S. Constitution- Bill of Rights, needed changes and amendments Research Proposal

The U.S. Constitution- Bill of Rights, needed changes and amendments to meet a changing World - Research Proposal Example All these acts have led the Bill of Rights being disregarded in the rush to make it quicker to investigate people after which they are put in jail and tortured if necessary. According to Giraldi, P (2008), a recent executive has authorized the President to get the property of anyone found or suspected of threatening the stabilization efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. To him, the order does not give permission for the concerned party to challenge the information which seizure is based on. According to Giraldi, P (2008) further, the United States will have to deal with home grown terrorists soon and that, for the country to be on the safe side, something has to be done in anticipation so as to neutralize the problem. The bill of rights should deals firmly with this issue by creating of a commission which will be charged with holding hearings, conducting investigations and to determine whether various groups which exist in the country can be called terrorists. To him, this commission should be allowed to propose a new dispensation that will enable the government to take punitive action as it deems fit against the said groups as well as the individuals who are associated with such groups. Unlike in the past, this commission should go around the country holding hearings meant to find the terrorists and root them out completely. This commission will empower its members to prepare for hearings to obtain testimonies while administering oaths to potential witnesses. This translates to more hearings running at the same in various parts of the country. However, homegrown terrorism prevention Act can easily be abused against any group which pressures the political system and be dumped as terrorists. The September 9/11 unleashed American lack of trust towards foreigners. The country has spent billions of dollars while strengthening law enforcement as well as intelligence

Role of IGR and Communication in Public Administration Essay

Role of IGR and Communication in Public Administration - Essay Example One such way is through shaping the work of governmental institutions. One situation that helps to illustrate this is the â€Å"Wichita Confronts Contamination† case study. In 1990, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) in partnership with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave a disturbing report concerning Wichita, Kansas (Stillman, 2009). According to the report, Wichita sat on a large polluted underground lake. The causes of the all the pollution involved different commercial and industrial chemicals. The contamination spread at a faster rate coupled with fears that it could cause serious health complications such as cancer. The polluted aquifer lay directly below the city’s central business district. Banks, residential homes and industries lay within the six-square mile area. The reaction of the local communities involved persistent calls on the government to respond and do something serious to relieve the situation. In addition to that, the ba nking sector also stopped giving loans to residents and business owners within Gilbert-Mosley area. The banks became more careful demanding certain requirements before giving out loans. To this effect, banks required inspection of sites and analysis of water and soil samples from a prospective businessperson before granting loan to individuals. The 1990 Listing Site Investigation was the first comprehensive report on the adverse contamination of Wichita. The City Manager’s office estimated that it would cost $20 million to clean the aquifer. The negative thing about the entire process was that it would take as many as 20 years. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) report recommended only two options to remedy the situation. These were either for the companies responsible for the contamination to undertake joint cleaning of the area or for the state to push the inclusion of the contaminated area in the National Priority Listing. This problem had serious effec ts for the city. The potential economic impact would drain the city of its economic achievements. About 508 businesses got identification as Potential Responsible Parties as determined by the Superfund Law. The city’s tax base faced risk from liability and bank-imposed real estate freeze. Cherches, who was at the time the city manager, had the responsibility to map a way forward in solving the problem. He took into account the two recommendations given by KDHE. The most important things to the city were to clean the aquifer and maintain the values of properties. They could only achieve this if the banks agreed to continue giving loans. Finally, the city manager decided to throw out the two options suggested by KDHE and came with a third option. The city was to take full responsibility for the cleanup. This presented the question of how to raise funds to finance for the cleanup. The dilemma presented a number of intergovernmental relations (IGR) actors. These included the busi ness owners, KDHE, EPA, the city manager’s office, Wichita City Council, the school board, lenders and the state legislature. Each of these actors had a role to play in ensuring proper representation of interests. KDHE, for instance, had a reputation to uphold. The Wichita School Board and Sedgwick County Council’s tax base faced destabilization. Banks had a role to pay in ensuring that Wichita’

Three Questions on Ultrasound (500 words per question) Term Paper

Three Questions on Ultrasound (500 words per question) - Term Paper Example In the Spatial Substance Picture strategy, pictures of an item are taken from different perspectives, and then are mixed to form an averaged picture quickly. This picture gives the better representation of the item, finding all the minute details. The resulting picture is the compound picture, displaying better picture quality as compared to the traditional ultrasound examination pictures. A study of research of difference reveals that the spatial compound imaging gives better meaning for the soft-tissue of the body with reduced disturbance distortions, in evaluation to the traditional top quality sonographic ultrasound examination The drawback of speckle reduction in compound sonography is overcome by the frequency compound imaging, using higher harmonics of frequencies. The conventional sonography is performed on lower harmonics, which are more probable to the speckle noise effect, thus altering the sonogram information. The using of advanced harmonics in frequency compound imaging ensures that a much wider bandwidth of the transducer frequency is achieved, where the received frequency is double the intensity of the transmitted frequency. Therefore, the echo of the transmitted sound wave that is reflected back after striking a tissue is stronger in the case of frequency compound imaging, thus generating a clearer image (Chan & Perlas, 2011). Also in the diagnosis of deeper organs and lesion, the 3D/ 4D techniques are very useful, as it has a simple and reproducible methodology. This makes it easier to get the image of the same organ at different intervals (Layyous, 2012). The multi beam technique generates multiple lines of the transmitted beam to be sent at once from the probe. These multiple lines then overlap when several beams have been sent, and carry the detailed information about the test organ. They are then separated in the reconstruction stage of the analysis where all the information is dealt separately. The

Gender as a Structure of Social Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender as a Structure of Social Practice - Essay Example Hegemony refers to the subordination of one group by another by mere implication that the other is greater. Hegemonic masculinity is exemplified in patriarchal systems where government is controlled by men. Narrowing down to hegemony among groups of men brings up the concept of subordination. The best example of subordinated masculinity is gay masculinity. Homosexual men in society are subordinate to heterosexual men who dominate society (Connell, p. 78). Complicity refers to the quiet acceptance by men of hegemonic structures because they benefit them at the expense of women. Marginalization brings into play class and race as factors that affect the masculinity of an individual. For example, black masculinity in the United States of America is marginalized by white hegemonic masculinity that holds economic power. Black men become associated with poverty, crime, violence, prison and other negative traits (Connell, p.79). Quentin Tarantino’s crime movie Pulp Fiction, considered a classic study of society’s underworld, contains outstanding examples of how society constructs masculinity. All the leading characters are male. The movie has been said to glorify violence among men; all the men in the movie are either career criminals or commit a crime at some point. The men are not above killing other men to achieve their goals, and do not hesitate to physically and emotionally abuse women. To illustrate the workings of Connell’s theory of masculinity, the focus is on the movie’s crime boss, Marcellus Wallace. Marcellus, a black character, is the biggest crime boss in the area. From the onset, he illustrates marginalization masculinity; a black man in oppressed America can only rise to immense wealth and power through crime. It is implied that Marcellus has risen to the top by being ruthless, cold and calculating. He also has a beautiful white trophy wife, played by Uma Thurman. His wealth qualifies him to marry a white woman, representing marginalization masculinity as manifested in the fantasy of the black man as a sexual predator of white women. Black men such as Marcellus actualize the worst fears of the white men in the hegemonic repressive system; taking their women. The ideology here is that a black man has to be extremely wealthy and successful to qualify to marry a white woman as a way of breaking society’s restrictions. Marcellus as boss of the underworld deals in different criminal operations such as drug rings, extortion, prostitution and gambling dens. He represents complicity to hegemonic masculinity as he has adapted the system to his benefit. The businesses he conducts involve prostitution, a form of exploitation of desperate women. He uses these women to enrich himself. He further illustrates hegemonic masculinity by controlling his wife’s every move and treating her like personal property. She has round-the-clock bodyguards under the guise of protection; in reality, he guards her jealou sly and monitors her every move. His paranoid actions seem justified however, when one of his henchmen succeeds in seducing his wife. To men like Marcellus, women are one more thing to be owned and used. Marcellus also treats his henchmen and underlings as disposable, illustrating further compliance to the hegemonic system. He does not hesitate to order assassinations of those who displease him. When a boxer, who was supposed to throw a match, played by Bruce Willis, ends up killing the

Three Questions on Ultrasound (500 words per question) Term Paper

Three Questions on Ultrasound (500 words per question) - Term Paper Example In the Spatial Substance Picture strategy, pictures of an item are taken from different perspectives, and then are mixed to form an averaged picture quickly. This picture gives the better representation of the item, finding all the minute details. The resulting picture is the compound picture, displaying better picture quality as compared to the traditional ultrasound examination pictures. A study of research of difference reveals that the spatial compound imaging gives better meaning for the soft-tissue of the body with reduced disturbance distortions, in evaluation to the traditional top quality sonographic ultrasound examination The drawback of speckle reduction in compound sonography is overcome by the frequency compound imaging, using higher harmonics of frequencies. The conventional sonography is performed on lower harmonics, which are more probable to the speckle noise effect, thus altering the sonogram information. The using of advanced harmonics in frequency compound imaging ensures that a much wider bandwidth of the transducer frequency is achieved, where the received frequency is double the intensity of the transmitted frequency. Therefore, the echo of the transmitted sound wave that is reflected back after striking a tissue is stronger in the case of frequency compound imaging, thus generating a clearer image (Chan & Perlas, 2011). Also in the diagnosis of deeper organs and lesion, the 3D/ 4D techniques are very useful, as it has a simple and reproducible methodology. This makes it easier to get the image of the same organ at different intervals (Layyous, 2012). The multi beam technique generates multiple lines of the transmitted beam to be sent at once from the probe. These multiple lines then overlap when several beams have been sent, and carry the detailed information about the test organ. They are then separated in the reconstruction stage of the analysis where all the information is dealt separately. The

Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor Essay Example for Free

Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor Essay Recently the spotlight has been set on renewable energies to assist with weaning off of greenhouse gas emissions, solving issues with energy independence, and to exploit their inherent renewability. Unfortunately our technology is not quite up to speed economically with our wish to rely completely on renewable energy, thus many non- renewable energies are recognized as viable options to power our economy (Fraser, 2011). The United States current position on diversifying with non-renewables onsists of oil, natural gas, coal, and the less spoken of, nuclear power. Nuclear power is the process by which a reactor contains a slow explosion called fission, which gives Offa positive net amount of energy that can be harvested. Of course the social stigma around nuclear is so strong that even if there were an undiscovered completely safe type of nuclear power plant, Justifying the complex science would be challenging. After events such as Fukushima, Chernobyl, and Three Mile Island, the vast majority of society believes nuclear energy is nothing more than a death wish. Contrary to popular belief, a safer alternative in nuclear energy has been discovered and has been gaining popularity over the past few years despite the recent tragedy in Japan (Sorensen, 2011). Though newly rekindled, the non-mainstream nuclear power known as Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) was discovered in the 1960s and had been proved to be a very attractive option to the more popular Light Water Reactor (LWR). It all began with nuclear physicist Alvin Weinberg, who would graduate from the University of Chicago soon become research director at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Weinberg was given the freedom to experiment with designing multiple types of nuclear reactors including the prominent LWRs that are in commercial use today. Subsequently Weinberg had noted the potential danger of a LWR and moved on to designing a safer nuclear power technology that he would end up supporting for the rest of his life. His research team at ORNL created a fluid fuel in a MSR, opposed to the traditional solid fuel in LWRs, in order to decrease the pressure and overall danger of the system. To Weinbergs delight, although this rototype MSR had corrosive issues because of the salt involved, Weinberg deemed this technology far more superior to LWR. Furthermore, the worst part about current hatred for LWRs is that although it can be a dangerous process, the technology is revolutionary and its power has potential that we are seriously unaware of. For now with our current state of knowledge about nuclear power combined with our worlds predicament with how we generate power so ineffectively, MSRs must be and should have always been the governments number one priority (Sorensen, 2011). This pecific type of nuclear reactor is certainly on the minds of at least China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, South Korea, and Australia (Furukawa, 2008). Since these countries showed interest at least by 2008 it can be assumed that they are already in the process of construction. An example for our worst-case scenario would be for the United States to simply stand back and watch as the rest ot the world capi talizes on the best power generating technology known to man. A technology that of course the United States developed and had in operation fifty years ago, but the idea simply aded away. As the majority of the US would like to go green, it may not be too early to claim the MSR as green nuclear power. Nuclear reactors do not emit greenhouse gases taking care of one of the three major concerns with the future of energy. Though observing an entire life cycle of Thorium and materials to make the power plant, there are transportation emissions involved. It turns out however, that Thorium is extremely accessible in the US as it is already mined concurrently with other rare earth minerals but is typically discarded for lack of utility. The United States has omewhere in the order of 15% of the worlds total Thorium stockpile at around 15 million tons (Bonometti, 2008). Even if we were to run out of Thorium, the Moon has even greater amounts that by the time we begin to hit peak Thorium it will surely be so far in the future that extracting moon materials would not be a challenge. As an investor this further assures a safe bet, but what is so safe about the LFTR design is that a meltdown or explosion is so much more unlikely to occur than in LWR systems. Since the carrier of thorium is a liquid, liquid fluoride, it allows standard pressure at igh temperatures. Traditionally, in LWR, water had to cool down the solid fuel since it couldnt handle the high temperatures because of high pressure, which had always been a fine line behind meltdowns (Sorensen, 2011). In the LFTR, the system can naturally correct an over heated system by melting a frozen salt plug at the base of the system to enter into an emergency cooling tank. If LFTR technology has already been proved, proved to be safe, proved to be powerful, and proved to be available and cheap, then why doesnt the world run on it? The technology itself seems to be a it mysterious itself or maybe doubtful since it has already been ignored once before. What it comes down to is the timescale that nuclear reactors had been created. Back at Oak Ridge Laboratory where Weinberg had designed nuclear power he first designed the LWR, which happened to be more dangerous, but nevertheless reported his results. Quickly academics and politicians alike were astounded by the amount of power that could be generated through nuclear fission. Academics such as Weinberg understood the dangerous design of the LWR and proceeded to design afer alternatives, hence the MSR. Politicians on the other hand, had deadlines to meet, people to please, Jobs to create, and the LWR went commercial. There is even a specific phone call between President Nixon and a California LWR director expressing swift actions to commercialize the technology before elections (Sorensen, 2011). As Weinberg fought the Nixon administration to stop continuing with LWRs he was soon fired from the Oak Ridge Lab and so did the MSR department. Thus many scientists have since seen and admired his work and have finally had reason to express its arious benefits once the inevitable failures of LWR ensued, for example, Fukushima. In addition, it is important to note how resultant issues with LWR nuclear plants in the past have all been due to the intrinsic difficulty with handling a solid fuel at its required high pressure for fission to take place. In other words, none of those accidents would have happened if they would have simply listened to their founder, Weinberg, and chose to go with an MSR design. As the public is informed with this somewhat difficult science I imagine it will take about as long to understand the itterence in types ot nuclear reactors as it did tor the majority ot the population to understand the science behind the greenhouse effect. This is based on the fact that the same oil and coal industries will be threatened along with ill-educated environmentalists who will viciously support only renewable energy.

Analysis of Indias Potential in the New World Order

Analysis of Indias Potential in the New World Order INTRODUCTION Background Dramatic changes at the global level have initiated a process of reorientation of the power distribution and emergence of new powers in international politics. The changes initiated with the disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR ), the unification of Europe in pursuit of an identity of its own ,a sharp decline of communism has set in a process of transition in world affairs, the sudden and consistent rise of asian countries mainly China, India ASEAN Bloc, emergence of resurgent Russia and establishment of new economic power blocs like the G20, BRIC RIC. The emergence of USA as the sole super power and its global war on terror have changed the security scenario for all and sundry. The existing obscurity has given rise to new opportunities, new speculations and new considerations regarding power distribution. A gradual shift from a geo-political world order to a geo-economical world order has come to stay. There is no doubt that any future order would have th e considerations such as comprehensive national power to incl Economy and the power it wields albeit indirectly, at the centre of any international power game. Global shifts happen rarely and are even less often peaceful. The transfer of power from west to east will dramatically change the context of dealing with international challenges. In the early 20th century the imperial order and the aspiring states of Germany and Japan failed to adjust to each other. That led to wars which devastated the better part of the world. The coming shift in power will have a greater impact globally and will require assimilation of diverse political and cultural systems. Todays rising powers seek redress of past grievances, are proudly nationalistic and want to claim their rightful place in the comity of nations. Asian rise in economic terms will translate into greater political and military power, thus increasing the potential damage from conflicts. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has noted that- In the next two decades China and India will undergo industrialisation four times the size of the United States and at five times the speedFor the first t ime in many centuries, power is moving East. Blair added that In this new world, we must clear a path to partnership, not stand off against each other competing for power. The worldcannot afford a return to the 20th century struggles for hegemony.[1] India being a part of this evolutionary and revolutionary strategic economic process needs to apprise herself of these changes and redefine: if required, her goals and objectives to emerge as a reckonable force from the present mesh of contradictions and complexities. The term reckonable force can be redefined as a regional power when one views Indias prospects vis-Ã  -vis her size, geo-strategic location, abundant natural resources, size of economy and military capability. The Indian nation is not just a nation, but a subcontinent. Being a subcontinent not only in size, but by its population which is in excess of One Billion, sets it apart in a World with a total population of a little above Five Billion means that in every Five Human being on Earth one is an Indian. It is on record that the Indian Armed Forces is the Fourth Largest in the World. India has since the past Twenty Eight years been exerting her influence in the South Asian sub-region. Thus India has functioned for over half her period of independence as a regional power in the literal sense. It is instructive that given the New World Order in which the US is about the only Super power, it is pertinent that in order to maintain the Balance of Power, that Nations like Brazil and India with a long period of History devoid of expansionist propensity, should emerge as a Super power to enhance the balance of power in the South Asian sub-region, and the World in general. The Indo-Pak conflict of 1971 leading to the emergence of Bangladesh, peace keeping operations in Sri Lanka, quick repression of an attempted coup in Maldives, deployment of Indian navy in Gulf of Aden and the enhanced engaegemnt and involvement of India in various international forums both on strategic geopolitical stage provide ample evidence that India possesses many of the attributes of a regional power. The emergence as a knowledge based economy and as a Human resource powerhouse, make India a force to reckon with today and strong vibrant economy in future. In the recent past, India enhanced role in plethora of world fora and the Indo-US Nuclear deal and subsequent ratification by Nuclear Suppliers Group IAEA. However, in some areas like all round economic development, poverty, population explosion, literacy rates and foreign policy to some extent, India is lacking at the moment. For India to emerge as a regional power, these unfavourable areas need critical attention and rea ppraisal. The Indian economy is growing at an average rate of 8 per cent a year. Most Indian and foreign observers are confident that India will sustain this tempo of growth in the near future, and will go on to become one of the worlds leading economies and a global political power in 2020. A few voices draw attention to the tremendous economic, political and social challenges facing India that the country must overcome before it can lay claim to being a world power [2]. Indians have always known that their nation has the potential to be significant power in a way in which citizens of nations with smaller populations do not. Nehru himself , for all that he emphasized the benign nature of Indian power, was clear in his mind that India, with its vast population, will always make a difference in the world Fate , he said, has marked for us big things.[3] Thus we need always be mindful of the developments that are occurring behind the veil of regional instability that is drawn across Indias rise to power. If that veil were ever to be drawn back, the world might witness the quite sudden advent of India onto the wider Indian Ocean stage as a significant pan regional player. That is not to say that India will quickly overcome the organizational and internal political difficulties alluded to above ; it is to make the point, rather, that as far as Indias Indian Ocean region is concerned, its power potential is very high when viewed in comparative terms. In this sense, it would be quite wrong to set India against the powers of the northern Pacific and to judge its power potential according to those standards.[4] Statement of the Argument A countrys role in the international system is not a random occurrence or a result of an accident; but is basically a function of its power position in the international hierarchy. To have a Subject Role in international politics is to be a part of the power structure and the inner circle that makes vital decisions about the fate and destiny of the international system and the nations within it. The Object Role nations are at the receiving end of the decisions made by the subject role nations. A third in-between category is that of an independent centre of power. These nations do not have the leverage to influence the course of the international system as a whole, but do possess enough capability to have, within a given configuration of power, a considerable degree of autonomy and the capability to resist the application of unwelcome and forced decisions. While subject nations have global influence, independent centres of power are often dominant or pre-eminent in a certain region. T hey may, therefore may also be referred to as Regional Powers . Typically a subject nation resists the emergence of a regional power; for to accommodate others to a similar role is to diminish ones own power. The tendency is to extend ones own power and exercise domination over others so as to reduce the emerging regional powers to the status of a mere object nation.[5] India gained pre-eminence in South Asia in the aftermath of the Indo-Pak war of 1971 but more recently with the steady economic growth, growing international stature and active interaction and involvement in various world forums have made it an independent power centre (regional power) in South Asia. With the recent changes in the world politics and diffusion of power, countries with regional prominence have come to possess a great capacity for asserting themselves. In this context, India has the capability and the potential to be elevated to the status of a regional power. An analysis of various factors in the light of international power structure would facilitate the prognosis of the status India is likely to achieve by 2020 AD i.e. Regional Power. Aim To assess Indias potential in the new world order so as to forecast the prospects of India emerging as a regional power in South Asia by 2020 AD. Justification for the Study Ever since gaining independence in 1947, India has moved slowly but steadily towards its role as a regional power. Historically, India has been the seat of famous ancient civilisations. It invokes memories of past greatness, though episodic; and of epochs of creativity, not only in Philosophy and Literature but also in Science and Mathematics. The fact that the last several centuries saw India under alien rule only makes aspirations in the restoration of greatness all the more deeply felt'[6]. Today, with the rapid economic growth and military stature, Indias influence in South Asia in particular and the world in general, is beginning to emerge and being felt by all and sundry A study of various factors that would aid Indias emergence, as well as various impediments that retard this process merit analysis. India is a fast steadily developing country and today stands among the top few industrial nations in the world and has a rapidly growing industrial service sector. Although pover ty, illiteracy and health deficiencies are some of the vexing problems, yet only few nations have larger pools of trained professionals, scientific, technological and executive talents than that in India. India, as a nation is about over half a century old not considering her ancient and erstwhile status as one of the oldest civilisations. In this period of her independence, she has exhibited character and pedigree. She was instrumental to the creation of the Non Aligned Movement in the cold war era immediately after independence and show her aspiration of emerging as an independent power centre in world polity. She has on the issue of Nuclear Non proliferation taken a consistent stance even though this posture has met with the ire of the developed world has not deterred her. This attitude was demonstrated by her refusal to sign the CTBT and also the NPT. It is on record that it took her more than a quarter of a century to carry out a follow up nuclear test. This could be placed at the doorstep of the fact that her good neighbours China and Pakistan have continued to arm themselves with these offensive weapons. India in her nuclear policy states that she would abide with the principle s of no-first strike, nuclear deterrence as the cornerstone of that policy. And to continue to advocate for a ban on nuclear weapons like the type achieved on Chemical and Biological warfare weapons and the ban on use of land mines. These stated positions have recently been understood and appreciated by the entire world polity and the Indo-US Nuclear deal and its subsequent ratification at Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) International Atomic Energy Asssociation (IAEA) have largely vindicated Indian stance on these issues. The engagement and involvement of India in G8, BRIC, RIC, ASEAN, IBSA in the geopolitical arena. The positions on WTO Climate change are also a case in point for growing stature of India on world stage. The Information Technology (IT) propels the world of technology in the present scenario. In this field, India has demonstrated outstanding abilities and progressed leaps and bounds in various facets, be it hardware or technology or software development. In the Silicon Valley of American, it is reported that 60,000 Indians operating there could collectively boast of assets worth more five hundred billion dollars. This is no mean achievement and the corresponding effect on India is the collateral development of the Asian Silicon Valley in Bangalore, Karnataka. In the field of IT, the Indian nation has arrived on the regional and the world stage. For this simple reason, her Engineers, Scientists, Doctors and Technologists are being sought across the globe. This is not to talk of the influence of Indian business houses and management gurus, in the entire world more so in the developing world, where they command an imposing stature in the fields of Textile technology and Pharmaceuticals. Indias stature as an IT Knowledge base powerhouse is a major factor in its rise at the world stage. India is a single democratic political entity, though slightly marred by mass/ public development issues and religious regional strifes varying from state to state. In view of the existing fluidity in the Asian region following the global paradigm, shift in the power distribution and the present status of India, an attempt to foresee Indias evolution as a regional power in South Asia by 2020 would be relevant. Scope The scope of this paper would be limited to analysing various factors governing the emergence of India as a regional power in South Asia by 2020 AD. Indias performance as an independent state would be given a brief overview along with her present status in the region. Preview To analyse the future, it is essential to critically evaluate Indias power potential as well as the impediments en-route. India has inherited a volatile, ethnic, religious and social mix that generates strong cross-currents of tension between the states of the region and added to this are the domestic under-currents of religious fundamentalism, communal tensions, demand for autonomous/ independent states and inherent problems of a multi-lingual and multi-racial society. Indias quest for the regional power status in this turbulent environment is underwritten by an increasingly open and vibrant economy and a Military Industrial complex that stretches deep into the bureaucratic structure of the nation. However, Indias attention has been primarily focused more on the problems associated with nation building and its immediate neighbourhood and, than on the Indian Ocean region, let alone the world. It is ironic that while on one hand, it is the problems of the neighbourhood that have largely driven Indias military build up, on the other hand it is these very problems that continue to limit its strategic reach. It is this combination of a drive for a great power status and intensifying regional and national problems that pose a number of questions about Indias future. This paper endeavours to understand and answer some of these questions. Source of the Data The source of the data are the various books in the college library, various magazines and articles written by various people from time to time. Internet was extensively used for collection of data, various study reports and articles. Bibliography is attached at Appx A. BRIEF HISTORY AND PRESENT STATUS The colonial powers that ruled India for centuries apparently visualised her potential and attempted to undermine it through a process of gradual disintegration. Formation of Pakistan is one vivid example of such designs. After independence, the citizens of India have displayed remarkable resilience to destructive forces. Despite impediments like poverty, corruption, ailing bureaucracy and population explosion, India has made significant progress in various fields to incl Education, Manufacturing, Knowledge based industry, IT, Space Technology, Pharmaceutical Industry. Today, India ranks among fastest growing economies of the world and IT Knowledge based industry powerhouse. In the past sixty years after independence, India has acquired great maturity and realism in the management of its strategic environment albeit with considerable pain and sacrifice. Indias posture has been based on a realistic assessment of its capabilities. It projects a defensive, progress oriented stance rather than an expansionist or a hegemonistic stance. India has continued to follow and propagate the ideology of non-alignment and is now on the threshold of coming out of its shell to play an important role at the world stage as a Global player if not as atleast as a major regional player. The case in point of the growing stature and understanding of the Indian nation has been- The nuclear agreement, which followed three weeks later, calling for the separation of Indias nuclear facilities into civilian and military, and bringing Indias civilian facilities under international safeguards in exchange for nuclear energy cooperation, demonstrated the growing strategic convergence bet ween the US India. Domestic political considerations have come in the way of the Indian government operationalising the nuclear deal. That notwithstanding, the deal was widely welcomed in India because it opened the doors for India to participate in civilian nuclear commerce with members of the NSG while allowing it to retain its nuclear weapons programme despite being outside the NPT. [7] PRESENT STATUS Contemporarily, India enjoys a leading status in South Asia. Militarily, she has displayed her potential either in a direct conflict, coercion or allaying any belligerence by its potential adversaries. Birth of Bangladesh, intervention in Sri Lanka Maldives, Indian Naval involvement in Gulf of Aden are a few indicators that India has acquired a great measure of the regional hegemony. Power status takes into account an ideological or political role and above all the economic health of a nation. Regional hegemony or dominance implies the existence of local military pre-ponderance and the availability of non-military instruments of pressure, including economic coercion. Studies of strategic power in the world politics commonly assign to India the status of a middle power of some regional significance, but little more'[8]. A nation state such as India, by virtue of its size, resources and geographical location, finds herself a power in regional terms whether or not it seeks the label and despite the fact that all its capabilities for regional dominance are not yet fully exploited. Indias current pre-eminence over its neighbours, however, is so substantial that its position has been recognised by the entire world, and implicitly so by all South Asian states as well.'[9] Recent years have witnessed a steady growth in Indias power, based upon a strong economic performance. According to the World Bank, Indias per capita income is now higher than Chinas and some reports put its rate of economic growth above Chinas in real terms. This increase in the underlying growth of the economy is what has underwritten Indias substantial growth in conventional military power. By virtue of its military growth, India has acquired , by default, a Maximalist position that would enable it to have a strategic reach throughout the Indian Ocean. Furthermore, with the prospect of a declining role for the superpowers in the region, Indias growth in military capability is likely to leave it stronger in relative as well as absolute terms. The erstwhile Soviet Union is no longer a major factor in the Indian Ocean and the peace dividend in the world politics may eventually lead to a reduced presence on the part of the United States. [10] While Indias emerging role is well acknowledged in the world, there are clear limitations both upon the current extent of Indias power and upon the rate at which that power will accrue. With India, it has been very much the question of WATCH THIS SPACE .'[11] INDIAS POWER POTENTIAL Geo-Strategic Location. India shares its borders with China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. It has close proximity to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Therefore, in South Asia, it has to directly interact with many neighbours. Strategically, India lies astride the Indian ocean, flanking the Persian Gulf and the Straits of Malacca. It lies across the routes from West Asia to South-East and East Asia and dominates the world trade routes. Therefore, the dominating position of India and its island territories would enable it to control the sea lines of communication between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans and consequently the world trade. Natural Resources. India has abundant natural resources. Its soil varies greatly from region to region. It is alluvial in the northern plains, sandy in the western desert, black in the Deccan Plateau and coarse in the hilly terrain. Each type is suitable for a particular group of crops. There are areas where trees grow on their own. They form the source of timber, pulp, resin, lac, gum and cane. Indias hydro-electric and coal reserves are massive. Oil exploration is limited but off shore potentials suggest a great amount of self reliance. Indias Thorium reserves are large. Its known reserves of Iron ore, which represent 10% of the worlds total and those of a wide range of other minerals suggest that India has the potential for a relatively independent economy.'[12] Human Resources. Human resources are of paramount importance in any economy. A human being comes not only with a mouth and a belly for consumption, but also with two hands to work. The adverse effects of unchecked population growth cannot be ignored; however, given the right direction and awakening, the population can be utilised constructively. A large young population helps to boost demand by providing an extensive and growing market for industrial products. It can lower wages, increase profits and output, encourage industrial development and open employment avenues. This is borne out by the fact that numerous MNCs are investing huge sums of money to tap the cheap Indian labour and the immense ready market. Economic Base. Till recently, multiple restrictions on private business co-operation and the goal of achieving economic self reliance had shackled the Indian economy by hindering unprejudiced co-operation from industrial nations. With the adoption of a liberalised economic policy, an extensive economic relation is now growing. The new economic policy lays greater emphasis on private enterprise and intensified competition for dynamic industrial progress and mordenisation. Prospects for a substantial upswing of economic growth seem to be favourable now. India has huge reserves of important raw material and a large domestic market. It also has a large group of entrepenures and managers experienced in organising and managing industrial enterprises under difficult circumstances. Given the improved setting for entrepreneurial activities, the large number of scientists and engineers, some of them highly qualified professionals, trained overseas or with practical foreign experience, could be of immense benefit to the country[13]. The expectations of economic development are based on an economic policy that is yet in its infancy. For long term stability the creation of a congenial atmosphere for foreign investment is necessary. Our focus would have to shift from development of industrial sector to the improvement of institutional framework for long term development. Greater efforts to improve social security are needed to cushion the effects of intensified industrial competition and to open up new possibilities for the impoverished classes to take a share in the economic development. Science and Technology. India began to develop its capabilities in science and technology soon after independence. However, the overall programme while impressive compared to that of other poor countries is inadequate and poorly organised in relation to the countrys potential and requirements[14]. Of the total research and development in the country, only 25% is used to promote innovation in industry and agriculture, while the major chunk contributes to development in areas like atomic energy, space programme and defence equipment. The latest thrust to uplift the economy has renewed the vigour in the sphere of science and technology also. The private sector has shown great promise to measure upto the national requirements and a healthy competition with other nations can be seen specially in areas like computer software and electronics. Numerous institutions are doing some original and promising research in various fields. Political System Indias political system was initially dominated by the small urban elite comprising leaders of the nationalist movement and an elitist civil service. At the state level, elected representatives wielded impressive influence in directing benefits to their constituencies and acting as channels of complaint and pressure within the bureaucracy. The system moved rapidly to broaden its base of support by bringing the bulk of peasantry into the system and also by including small business and trading interests. The evolution of such a system from the authoritarian colonial rule was accompanied by tension and uneven progress. India had managed to operate a complex ; constitutional, federal, parliamentary and party dominated political system with remarkable effectiveness. Indias manifold diversity and communal problems often raise the spectre of disintegration; these are common to a nation state building process that the developed countries experienced a century ago. In the Indian democratic set-up, its people have displayed a great amount of maturity in preserving their rights. Any display of authoritarianism by a democratically elected government has met with stiff opposition. A vivid example is the imposition of emergency in 1975 by Mrs Gandhi and her subsequent electoral defeat in 1977. The emergency and the general elections of 1977 were a test of democracy, equivalent in significance to a social revolution[15]. A seemingly large section of illiterate electorate is well aware of its might and is critical of the people who represent them in higher offices. India has managed to solve or at least contain major disputes on language policy and regional autonomy. At the same time religious, caste based and even communist organisations have been brought in and operate in a largely peaceful democratic institution. Indias political leaders have shown a firm resolution in making of both foreign and defence policies. The military also operates under political direction. Inherent stability is provided to the system by the presence of well established institutions like judiciary, banking and stock exchange. Future political crisis no doubt loom large, but this can only be expected considering the countrys social and economic metamorphosis. The durability and resilience of the Indian democratic system indicates that not only would it continue in the coming years but would also gain more strength and experience. Military Capability. Since their debacle in the 1962 Sino- Indian conflict, the Indian Armed Forces have come a long way. Today India possesses adequate defence capability to look after her interests. India is able to produce diverse military items such as small arms, field and anti-aircraft recoilless guns, howitzers, support electronic items, anti-tank, anti-aircraft and naval missiles, armoured vehicles, supersonic aircraft, helicopters, anti-submarine frigates, fast patrol boats and missile boats[16]. It has also demonstrated Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) technology. In space science, India is amongst the world leaders. All this has been achieved at a moderate expenditure of 3% of GNP per annum. Nuclear Potential. Having successfully exploded its first nuclear device on 18 May 1974; India has continued to maintain a stance of using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes alone. However, the potential of India to develop a nuclear bomb cannot be denied. Indias nuclear structure is quite diversified. Beginning with the construction of Asias (outside erstwhile USSR ) first nuclear reactor in 1956, India has acquired the following major facilities[17]:- Half a dozen nuclear research reactors, all but one built without foreign assistance or participation. The ability to design and construct from equipment manufactured indigenously one 500 MW nuclear power station every second year. The competence to fabricate all sensitive nuclear instruments, fuelling assemblies, special alloys and materials, fissile plutonium and thorium from its own processes and plants. Asias first indigenously constructed variable energy cyclotron. Numerous other nuclear activities and support facilities, isotope production, mines, medicines, seismic arrays, fissile U-223, extraction processes, fusion, uranium enrichment research and so on. Openness and Resilience. Except for the brief period of emergency, India has had an open society with an active press and an intellectual community. Indian political and economic affairs are subject to constant criticism. Critics find information on India more readily available than for China, Pakistan and several developing countries. In addition, there is a constant flow of constructive criticism from internal sources. Viewed and used correctly, this criticism provides important inputs for betterment. Indian resilience is a widely recognised phenomenon. Many hostile designs to covertly disintegrate India became ineffective owing to the conciliatory approach of the polity. Factional and religio ethnic conflicts can only be expected in a country comprising of people with widely diversified religious faith. The phenomenon of sporadic flare ups is likely to continue in the coming decades too. At the same time, India would be able to absorb such irritants and continue its march forward into the 21st century. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NEIGHBOURS South Asian Strategic Environment. The gridlock imposed by the Cold War over South Asian relationships meant that an unprecedented number of lethal weapons were introduced into the region in the 1970s and 1980s. The Cold War also contributed directly to the introduction opf technology associated with nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.the most obvious example was the case of Pakistan. Because United States needed Pakistan as a front line state in its efforts to dislodge the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, Washington turned a blind-eye to Pakistans nuclear activities and continued to supply it with sophisticated conventional weapons throughout the 1980s. Similarly, the close relationship that developed between China and Pakistan under the structure of the Cold War assisted the transfer of ballistic missiles, ballistic missile technology and possibly also nuclear weapons technology between the two.[18] The strategic environment in South Asia has been remarkably conflict laden; characterised by wars or hostile relations between neighbours, especially between India and her neighbours. Despite this history of war, nations do engage each other in peaceful competition as well as in a large amount of outright co-operation. The changes in the Indian foreign and security policy since the end of the Cold War have been rapid and radical. They have taken place as a reaction to the perceived rather far reaching changes in the global and regional security environments. The growing problem with terrorism, in terms of domestic, Kashmiri and international terrorism, manifested itself in attacks in major Indian cities, the hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight and the attack against the Indian parliament. Moreover, the exponentially growing power of China, its strategic assistance to Pakistan and the sudden disappearance of the Soviet backing to balance Chinas growing global and regional power re sulted in a feeling of encirclement and Analysis of Indias Potential in the New World Order Analysis of Indias Potential in the New World Order INTRODUCTION Background Dramatic changes at the global level have initiated a process of reorientation of the power distribution and emergence of new powers in international politics. The changes initiated with the disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR ), the unification of Europe in pursuit of an identity of its own ,a sharp decline of communism has set in a process of transition in world affairs, the sudden and consistent rise of asian countries mainly China, India ASEAN Bloc, emergence of resurgent Russia and establishment of new economic power blocs like the G20, BRIC RIC. The emergence of USA as the sole super power and its global war on terror have changed the security scenario for all and sundry. The existing obscurity has given rise to new opportunities, new speculations and new considerations regarding power distribution. A gradual shift from a geo-political world order to a geo-economical world order has come to stay. There is no doubt that any future order would have th e considerations such as comprehensive national power to incl Economy and the power it wields albeit indirectly, at the centre of any international power game. Global shifts happen rarely and are even less often peaceful. The transfer of power from west to east will dramatically change the context of dealing with international challenges. In the early 20th century the imperial order and the aspiring states of Germany and Japan failed to adjust to each other. That led to wars which devastated the better part of the world. The coming shift in power will have a greater impact globally and will require assimilation of diverse political and cultural systems. Todays rising powers seek redress of past grievances, are proudly nationalistic and want to claim their rightful place in the comity of nations. Asian rise in economic terms will translate into greater political and military power, thus increasing the potential damage from conflicts. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has noted that- In the next two decades China and India will undergo industrialisation four times the size of the United States and at five times the speedFor the first t ime in many centuries, power is moving East. Blair added that In this new world, we must clear a path to partnership, not stand off against each other competing for power. The worldcannot afford a return to the 20th century struggles for hegemony.[1] India being a part of this evolutionary and revolutionary strategic economic process needs to apprise herself of these changes and redefine: if required, her goals and objectives to emerge as a reckonable force from the present mesh of contradictions and complexities. The term reckonable force can be redefined as a regional power when one views Indias prospects vis-Ã  -vis her size, geo-strategic location, abundant natural resources, size of economy and military capability. The Indian nation is not just a nation, but a subcontinent. Being a subcontinent not only in size, but by its population which is in excess of One Billion, sets it apart in a World with a total population of a little above Five Billion means that in every Five Human being on Earth one is an Indian. It is on record that the Indian Armed Forces is the Fourth Largest in the World. India has since the past Twenty Eight years been exerting her influence in the South Asian sub-region. Thus India has functioned for over half her period of independence as a regional power in the literal sense. It is instructive that given the New World Order in which the US is about the only Super power, it is pertinent that in order to maintain the Balance of Power, that Nations like Brazil and India with a long period of History devoid of expansionist propensity, should emerge as a Super power to enhance the balance of power in the South Asian sub-region, and the World in general. The Indo-Pak conflict of 1971 leading to the emergence of Bangladesh, peace keeping operations in Sri Lanka, quick repression of an attempted coup in Maldives, deployment of Indian navy in Gulf of Aden and the enhanced engaegemnt and involvement of India in various international forums both on strategic geopolitical stage provide ample evidence that India possesses many of the attributes of a regional power. The emergence as a knowledge based economy and as a Human resource powerhouse, make India a force to reckon with today and strong vibrant economy in future. In the recent past, India enhanced role in plethora of world fora and the Indo-US Nuclear deal and subsequent ratification by Nuclear Suppliers Group IAEA. However, in some areas like all round economic development, poverty, population explosion, literacy rates and foreign policy to some extent, India is lacking at the moment. For India to emerge as a regional power, these unfavourable areas need critical attention and rea ppraisal. The Indian economy is growing at an average rate of 8 per cent a year. Most Indian and foreign observers are confident that India will sustain this tempo of growth in the near future, and will go on to become one of the worlds leading economies and a global political power in 2020. A few voices draw attention to the tremendous economic, political and social challenges facing India that the country must overcome before it can lay claim to being a world power [2]. Indians have always known that their nation has the potential to be significant power in a way in which citizens of nations with smaller populations do not. Nehru himself , for all that he emphasized the benign nature of Indian power, was clear in his mind that India, with its vast population, will always make a difference in the world Fate , he said, has marked for us big things.[3] Thus we need always be mindful of the developments that are occurring behind the veil of regional instability that is drawn across Indias rise to power. If that veil were ever to be drawn back, the world might witness the quite sudden advent of India onto the wider Indian Ocean stage as a significant pan regional player. That is not to say that India will quickly overcome the organizational and internal political difficulties alluded to above ; it is to make the point, rather, that as far as Indias Indian Ocean region is concerned, its power potential is very high when viewed in comparative terms. In this sense, it would be quite wrong to set India against the powers of the northern Pacific and to judge its power potential according to those standards.[4] Statement of the Argument A countrys role in the international system is not a random occurrence or a result of an accident; but is basically a function of its power position in the international hierarchy. To have a Subject Role in international politics is to be a part of the power structure and the inner circle that makes vital decisions about the fate and destiny of the international system and the nations within it. The Object Role nations are at the receiving end of the decisions made by the subject role nations. A third in-between category is that of an independent centre of power. These nations do not have the leverage to influence the course of the international system as a whole, but do possess enough capability to have, within a given configuration of power, a considerable degree of autonomy and the capability to resist the application of unwelcome and forced decisions. While subject nations have global influence, independent centres of power are often dominant or pre-eminent in a certain region. T hey may, therefore may also be referred to as Regional Powers . Typically a subject nation resists the emergence of a regional power; for to accommodate others to a similar role is to diminish ones own power. The tendency is to extend ones own power and exercise domination over others so as to reduce the emerging regional powers to the status of a mere object nation.[5] India gained pre-eminence in South Asia in the aftermath of the Indo-Pak war of 1971 but more recently with the steady economic growth, growing international stature and active interaction and involvement in various world forums have made it an independent power centre (regional power) in South Asia. With the recent changes in the world politics and diffusion of power, countries with regional prominence have come to possess a great capacity for asserting themselves. In this context, India has the capability and the potential to be elevated to the status of a regional power. An analysis of various factors in the light of international power structure would facilitate the prognosis of the status India is likely to achieve by 2020 AD i.e. Regional Power. Aim To assess Indias potential in the new world order so as to forecast the prospects of India emerging as a regional power in South Asia by 2020 AD. Justification for the Study Ever since gaining independence in 1947, India has moved slowly but steadily towards its role as a regional power. Historically, India has been the seat of famous ancient civilisations. It invokes memories of past greatness, though episodic; and of epochs of creativity, not only in Philosophy and Literature but also in Science and Mathematics. The fact that the last several centuries saw India under alien rule only makes aspirations in the restoration of greatness all the more deeply felt'[6]. Today, with the rapid economic growth and military stature, Indias influence in South Asia in particular and the world in general, is beginning to emerge and being felt by all and sundry A study of various factors that would aid Indias emergence, as well as various impediments that retard this process merit analysis. India is a fast steadily developing country and today stands among the top few industrial nations in the world and has a rapidly growing industrial service sector. Although pover ty, illiteracy and health deficiencies are some of the vexing problems, yet only few nations have larger pools of trained professionals, scientific, technological and executive talents than that in India. India, as a nation is about over half a century old not considering her ancient and erstwhile status as one of the oldest civilisations. In this period of her independence, she has exhibited character and pedigree. She was instrumental to the creation of the Non Aligned Movement in the cold war era immediately after independence and show her aspiration of emerging as an independent power centre in world polity. She has on the issue of Nuclear Non proliferation taken a consistent stance even though this posture has met with the ire of the developed world has not deterred her. This attitude was demonstrated by her refusal to sign the CTBT and also the NPT. It is on record that it took her more than a quarter of a century to carry out a follow up nuclear test. This could be placed at the doorstep of the fact that her good neighbours China and Pakistan have continued to arm themselves with these offensive weapons. India in her nuclear policy states that she would abide with the principle s of no-first strike, nuclear deterrence as the cornerstone of that policy. And to continue to advocate for a ban on nuclear weapons like the type achieved on Chemical and Biological warfare weapons and the ban on use of land mines. These stated positions have recently been understood and appreciated by the entire world polity and the Indo-US Nuclear deal and its subsequent ratification at Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) International Atomic Energy Asssociation (IAEA) have largely vindicated Indian stance on these issues. The engagement and involvement of India in G8, BRIC, RIC, ASEAN, IBSA in the geopolitical arena. The positions on WTO Climate change are also a case in point for growing stature of India on world stage. The Information Technology (IT) propels the world of technology in the present scenario. In this field, India has demonstrated outstanding abilities and progressed leaps and bounds in various facets, be it hardware or technology or software development. In the Silicon Valley of American, it is reported that 60,000 Indians operating there could collectively boast of assets worth more five hundred billion dollars. This is no mean achievement and the corresponding effect on India is the collateral development of the Asian Silicon Valley in Bangalore, Karnataka. In the field of IT, the Indian nation has arrived on the regional and the world stage. For this simple reason, her Engineers, Scientists, Doctors and Technologists are being sought across the globe. This is not to talk of the influence of Indian business houses and management gurus, in the entire world more so in the developing world, where they command an imposing stature in the fields of Textile technology and Pharmaceuticals. Indias stature as an IT Knowledge base powerhouse is a major factor in its rise at the world stage. India is a single democratic political entity, though slightly marred by mass/ public development issues and religious regional strifes varying from state to state. In view of the existing fluidity in the Asian region following the global paradigm, shift in the power distribution and the present status of India, an attempt to foresee Indias evolution as a regional power in South Asia by 2020 would be relevant. Scope The scope of this paper would be limited to analysing various factors governing the emergence of India as a regional power in South Asia by 2020 AD. Indias performance as an independent state would be given a brief overview along with her present status in the region. Preview To analyse the future, it is essential to critically evaluate Indias power potential as well as the impediments en-route. India has inherited a volatile, ethnic, religious and social mix that generates strong cross-currents of tension between the states of the region and added to this are the domestic under-currents of religious fundamentalism, communal tensions, demand for autonomous/ independent states and inherent problems of a multi-lingual and multi-racial society. Indias quest for the regional power status in this turbulent environment is underwritten by an increasingly open and vibrant economy and a Military Industrial complex that stretches deep into the bureaucratic structure of the nation. However, Indias attention has been primarily focused more on the problems associated with nation building and its immediate neighbourhood and, than on the Indian Ocean region, let alone the world. It is ironic that while on one hand, it is the problems of the neighbourhood that have largely driven Indias military build up, on the other hand it is these very problems that continue to limit its strategic reach. It is this combination of a drive for a great power status and intensifying regional and national problems that pose a number of questions about Indias future. This paper endeavours to understand and answer some of these questions. Source of the Data The source of the data are the various books in the college library, various magazines and articles written by various people from time to time. Internet was extensively used for collection of data, various study reports and articles. Bibliography is attached at Appx A. BRIEF HISTORY AND PRESENT STATUS The colonial powers that ruled India for centuries apparently visualised her potential and attempted to undermine it through a process of gradual disintegration. Formation of Pakistan is one vivid example of such designs. After independence, the citizens of India have displayed remarkable resilience to destructive forces. Despite impediments like poverty, corruption, ailing bureaucracy and population explosion, India has made significant progress in various fields to incl Education, Manufacturing, Knowledge based industry, IT, Space Technology, Pharmaceutical Industry. Today, India ranks among fastest growing economies of the world and IT Knowledge based industry powerhouse. In the past sixty years after independence, India has acquired great maturity and realism in the management of its strategic environment albeit with considerable pain and sacrifice. Indias posture has been based on a realistic assessment of its capabilities. It projects a defensive, progress oriented stance rather than an expansionist or a hegemonistic stance. India has continued to follow and propagate the ideology of non-alignment and is now on the threshold of coming out of its shell to play an important role at the world stage as a Global player if not as atleast as a major regional player. The case in point of the growing stature and understanding of the Indian nation has been- The nuclear agreement, which followed three weeks later, calling for the separation of Indias nuclear facilities into civilian and military, and bringing Indias civilian facilities under international safeguards in exchange for nuclear energy cooperation, demonstrated the growing strategic convergence bet ween the US India. Domestic political considerations have come in the way of the Indian government operationalising the nuclear deal. That notwithstanding, the deal was widely welcomed in India because it opened the doors for India to participate in civilian nuclear commerce with members of the NSG while allowing it to retain its nuclear weapons programme despite being outside the NPT. [7] PRESENT STATUS Contemporarily, India enjoys a leading status in South Asia. Militarily, she has displayed her potential either in a direct conflict, coercion or allaying any belligerence by its potential adversaries. Birth of Bangladesh, intervention in Sri Lanka Maldives, Indian Naval involvement in Gulf of Aden are a few indicators that India has acquired a great measure of the regional hegemony. Power status takes into account an ideological or political role and above all the economic health of a nation. Regional hegemony or dominance implies the existence of local military pre-ponderance and the availability of non-military instruments of pressure, including economic coercion. Studies of strategic power in the world politics commonly assign to India the status of a middle power of some regional significance, but little more'[8]. A nation state such as India, by virtue of its size, resources and geographical location, finds herself a power in regional terms whether or not it seeks the label and despite the fact that all its capabilities for regional dominance are not yet fully exploited. Indias current pre-eminence over its neighbours, however, is so substantial that its position has been recognised by the entire world, and implicitly so by all South Asian states as well.'[9] Recent years have witnessed a steady growth in Indias power, based upon a strong economic performance. According to the World Bank, Indias per capita income is now higher than Chinas and some reports put its rate of economic growth above Chinas in real terms. This increase in the underlying growth of the economy is what has underwritten Indias substantial growth in conventional military power. By virtue of its military growth, India has acquired , by default, a Maximalist position that would enable it to have a strategic reach throughout the Indian Ocean. Furthermore, with the prospect of a declining role for the superpowers in the region, Indias growth in military capability is likely to leave it stronger in relative as well as absolute terms. The erstwhile Soviet Union is no longer a major factor in the Indian Ocean and the peace dividend in the world politics may eventually lead to a reduced presence on the part of the United States. [10] While Indias emerging role is well acknowledged in the world, there are clear limitations both upon the current extent of Indias power and upon the rate at which that power will accrue. With India, it has been very much the question of WATCH THIS SPACE .'[11] INDIAS POWER POTENTIAL Geo-Strategic Location. India shares its borders with China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan. It has close proximity to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Therefore, in South Asia, it has to directly interact with many neighbours. Strategically, India lies astride the Indian ocean, flanking the Persian Gulf and the Straits of Malacca. It lies across the routes from West Asia to South-East and East Asia and dominates the world trade routes. Therefore, the dominating position of India and its island territories would enable it to control the sea lines of communication between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans and consequently the world trade. Natural Resources. India has abundant natural resources. Its soil varies greatly from region to region. It is alluvial in the northern plains, sandy in the western desert, black in the Deccan Plateau and coarse in the hilly terrain. Each type is suitable for a particular group of crops. There are areas where trees grow on their own. They form the source of timber, pulp, resin, lac, gum and cane. Indias hydro-electric and coal reserves are massive. Oil exploration is limited but off shore potentials suggest a great amount of self reliance. Indias Thorium reserves are large. Its known reserves of Iron ore, which represent 10% of the worlds total and those of a wide range of other minerals suggest that India has the potential for a relatively independent economy.'[12] Human Resources. Human resources are of paramount importance in any economy. A human being comes not only with a mouth and a belly for consumption, but also with two hands to work. The adverse effects of unchecked population growth cannot be ignored; however, given the right direction and awakening, the population can be utilised constructively. A large young population helps to boost demand by providing an extensive and growing market for industrial products. It can lower wages, increase profits and output, encourage industrial development and open employment avenues. This is borne out by the fact that numerous MNCs are investing huge sums of money to tap the cheap Indian labour and the immense ready market. Economic Base. Till recently, multiple restrictions on private business co-operation and the goal of achieving economic self reliance had shackled the Indian economy by hindering unprejudiced co-operation from industrial nations. With the adoption of a liberalised economic policy, an extensive economic relation is now growing. The new economic policy lays greater emphasis on private enterprise and intensified competition for dynamic industrial progress and mordenisation. Prospects for a substantial upswing of economic growth seem to be favourable now. India has huge reserves of important raw material and a large domestic market. It also has a large group of entrepenures and managers experienced in organising and managing industrial enterprises under difficult circumstances. Given the improved setting for entrepreneurial activities, the large number of scientists and engineers, some of them highly qualified professionals, trained overseas or with practical foreign experience, could be of immense benefit to the country[13]. The expectations of economic development are based on an economic policy that is yet in its infancy. For long term stability the creation of a congenial atmosphere for foreign investment is necessary. Our focus would have to shift from development of industrial sector to the improvement of institutional framework for long term development. Greater efforts to improve social security are needed to cushion the effects of intensified industrial competition and to open up new possibilities for the impoverished classes to take a share in the economic development. Science and Technology. India began to develop its capabilities in science and technology soon after independence. However, the overall programme while impressive compared to that of other poor countries is inadequate and poorly organised in relation to the countrys potential and requirements[14]. Of the total research and development in the country, only 25% is used to promote innovation in industry and agriculture, while the major chunk contributes to development in areas like atomic energy, space programme and defence equipment. The latest thrust to uplift the economy has renewed the vigour in the sphere of science and technology also. The private sector has shown great promise to measure upto the national requirements and a healthy competition with other nations can be seen specially in areas like computer software and electronics. Numerous institutions are doing some original and promising research in various fields. Political System Indias political system was initially dominated by the small urban elite comprising leaders of the nationalist movement and an elitist civil service. At the state level, elected representatives wielded impressive influence in directing benefits to their constituencies and acting as channels of complaint and pressure within the bureaucracy. The system moved rapidly to broaden its base of support by bringing the bulk of peasantry into the system and also by including small business and trading interests. The evolution of such a system from the authoritarian colonial rule was accompanied by tension and uneven progress. India had managed to operate a complex ; constitutional, federal, parliamentary and party dominated political system with remarkable effectiveness. Indias manifold diversity and communal problems often raise the spectre of disintegration; these are common to a nation state building process that the developed countries experienced a century ago. In the Indian democratic set-up, its people have displayed a great amount of maturity in preserving their rights. Any display of authoritarianism by a democratically elected government has met with stiff opposition. A vivid example is the imposition of emergency in 1975 by Mrs Gandhi and her subsequent electoral defeat in 1977. The emergency and the general elections of 1977 were a test of democracy, equivalent in significance to a social revolution[15]. A seemingly large section of illiterate electorate is well aware of its might and is critical of the people who represent them in higher offices. India has managed to solve or at least contain major disputes on language policy and regional autonomy. At the same time religious, caste based and even communist organisations have been brought in and operate in a largely peaceful democratic institution. Indias political leaders have shown a firm resolution in making of both foreign and defence policies. The military also operates under political direction. Inherent stability is provided to the system by the presence of well established institutions like judiciary, banking and stock exchange. Future political crisis no doubt loom large, but this can only be expected considering the countrys social and economic metamorphosis. The durability and resilience of the Indian democratic system indicates that not only would it continue in the coming years but would also gain more strength and experience. Military Capability. Since their debacle in the 1962 Sino- Indian conflict, the Indian Armed Forces have come a long way. Today India possesses adequate defence capability to look after her interests. India is able to produce diverse military items such as small arms, field and anti-aircraft recoilless guns, howitzers, support electronic items, anti-tank, anti-aircraft and naval missiles, armoured vehicles, supersonic aircraft, helicopters, anti-submarine frigates, fast patrol boats and missile boats[16]. It has also demonstrated Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) technology. In space science, India is amongst the world leaders. All this has been achieved at a moderate expenditure of 3% of GNP per annum. Nuclear Potential. Having successfully exploded its first nuclear device on 18 May 1974; India has continued to maintain a stance of using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes alone. However, the potential of India to develop a nuclear bomb cannot be denied. Indias nuclear structure is quite diversified. Beginning with the construction of Asias (outside erstwhile USSR ) first nuclear reactor in 1956, India has acquired the following major facilities[17]:- Half a dozen nuclear research reactors, all but one built without foreign assistance or participation. The ability to design and construct from equipment manufactured indigenously one 500 MW nuclear power station every second year. The competence to fabricate all sensitive nuclear instruments, fuelling assemblies, special alloys and materials, fissile plutonium and thorium from its own processes and plants. Asias first indigenously constructed variable energy cyclotron. Numerous other nuclear activities and support facilities, isotope production, mines, medicines, seismic arrays, fissile U-223, extraction processes, fusion, uranium enrichment research and so on. Openness and Resilience. Except for the brief period of emergency, India has had an open society with an active press and an intellectual community. Indian political and economic affairs are subject to constant criticism. Critics find information on India more readily available than for China, Pakistan and several developing countries. In addition, there is a constant flow of constructive criticism from internal sources. Viewed and used correctly, this criticism provides important inputs for betterment. Indian resilience is a widely recognised phenomenon. Many hostile designs to covertly disintegrate India became ineffective owing to the conciliatory approach of the polity. Factional and religio ethnic conflicts can only be expected in a country comprising of people with widely diversified religious faith. The phenomenon of sporadic flare ups is likely to continue in the coming decades too. At the same time, India would be able to absorb such irritants and continue its march forward into the 21st century. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NEIGHBOURS South Asian Strategic Environment. The gridlock imposed by the Cold War over South Asian relationships meant that an unprecedented number of lethal weapons were introduced into the region in the 1970s and 1980s. The Cold War also contributed directly to the introduction opf technology associated with nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.the most obvious example was the case of Pakistan. Because United States needed Pakistan as a front line state in its efforts to dislodge the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, Washington turned a blind-eye to Pakistans nuclear activities and continued to supply it with sophisticated conventional weapons throughout the 1980s. Similarly, the close relationship that developed between China and Pakistan under the structure of the Cold War assisted the transfer of ballistic missiles, ballistic missile technology and possibly also nuclear weapons technology between the two.[18] The strategic environment in South Asia has been remarkably conflict laden; characterised by wars or hostile relations between neighbours, especially between India and her neighbours. Despite this history of war, nations do engage each other in peaceful competition as well as in a large amount of outright co-operation. The changes in the Indian foreign and security policy since the end of the Cold War have been rapid and radical. They have taken place as a reaction to the perceived rather far reaching changes in the global and regional security environments. The growing problem with terrorism, in terms of domestic, Kashmiri and international terrorism, manifested itself in attacks in major Indian cities, the hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight and the attack against the Indian parliament. Moreover, the exponentially growing power of China, its strategic assistance to Pakistan and the sudden disappearance of the Soviet backing to balance Chinas growing global and regional power re sulted in a feeling of encirclement and