The Sources of Conflict in the Middle East Essay

The Sources of Conflict in the Middle East - Essay Example 142). Other theories such as international relations, religious conflict and civil war theories have been used to explain the sources of conflict in the Middle East. Theories of international relations conceptualize what drives state-to-state relations and state behaviour. There are essentially two main theories of international relations: liberalists and neo-realists theories. Liberalists theorize that the spread of liberal politics will eventually lead to world peace while neo-realists theorize that the forces driving the international system encourages all states to â€Å"look to their own self-interests and to prepare for war† (Linklater 2000, p. 833). Looked at from the liberalist theory of international relations the sources of conflict in the Middle East derive from the fact that the region is comprised of non-liberal or non-democratic regimes. Liberalists argue that â€Å"political systems externalize norms of behviour that characterize their domestic process and inst itutions† (Attar 2009, p. 97). Therefore, democratic political systems focus on â€Å"peace† and â€Å"compromise† (Attar 2009, p. 97). Non-democratic political systems on the other hand, focus on â€Å"the elimination or subjugation of political opponents and the forceful resolution of political conflict† (Attar 2009, p. 97). ... It is conceptualized that liberal states temper conflicts among the citizenry because it not only protects human rights, but encourages citizens to express discontent (Sorli 2001). However, it can be argued that non-liberal states can also temper conflict by suppressing citizens’ rights to express discontent (Sorli 2001). It therefore follows that the liberalist theory of international relations is not a satisfactory explanation for the source of conflict in the Middle East. The non-democratic regimes in the Middle East can just as easily contribute to peace as it can contribute to conflict. According to Maoz, Landau and Malz (2004), the neo-realists theory of international relations finds currency in the modern history of the Middle East. According to the neo-realist theory of international relations, states are driven by self-interests and power politics to such an extent that conflict regionally and/or globally is unavoidable. As Maoz et al (2004) argues, Arab states in the Middle East often express a â€Å"common heritage†, yet they may exhibit conduct and values that are inconsistent with that heritage. Egypt made an attempt to harmonize Arab heritage in the Middle East during the 1950s and 1960s and was frequently in conflict with Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Other attempts to harmonize the Arab Middle East such as the Baghdad Pact sponsored by the UK and the US also resulted in regional conflicts such as the Egyptian-Iraqi conflict during the 1950s (Maoz et al 2004). Power politics as espoused by neo-realist theories is also confirmed by Nasser’s attempt to circumvent and dismantle the monarchies in Arab and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and Jordan responded with hostility. As Maoz et al (2004) observed:

Should Human cloning be allowed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Should Human cloning be allowed - Essay Example Development in genetics and biotechnology has led to formerly unexpected probabilities, one of which is human cloning. Research in cloning has been in existence since 1970s where frogs and toads have been researched upon. Tests related to plants and animal origin has been carried out for many years. On the other hand, tests on human beings have not been attempted or thought likely. This is until â€Å"Dolly† was scientifically tested. The birth of â€Å"Dolly† surprised many in the medical and nursing industry leading to a lot of arguments on the probability of human cloning. As a result of the cloning of â€Å"Dolly†, animals such as calves, mice, monkeys, pigs and rabbits were tested on a wide range of somatic cell nuclear donors (Campbell, McWhir, Ritchie & Wilmut, 1996). Cloning of animal has created a lot of debates and arguments in the recent times on the subject of the probability of human cloning. Numerous organizations for instance the World Health Organ ization (1997) and the European Parliament (1997) have articulated the argument that human cloning is ethically undesirable and have called for banning of its development. In USA, The National Bioethics Advisory Commission suggested a suspension on cloning offspring via somatic cell nuclear transplants. Over and above, it is not merely a probability but a reality to all stake holders and nurses at large.... Numerous organizations for instance the World Health Organization (1997) and the European Parliament (1997) have articulated the argument that human cloning is ethically undesirable and have called for banning of its development. In USA, The National Bioethics Advisory Commission suggested a suspension on cloning offspring via somatic cell nuclear transplants. Over and above, it is not merely a probability but a reality to all stake holders and nurses at large. The Definition of Cloning Cloning is the invention of one or more distinctive plants or animals which are hereditarily the same to distinctive plants or animals. This is a practice that has been applied for many years now in plants and insects by the use of varying medical procedures. On the other hand, cloning of the mammals is a new advancement in spite of â€Å"Dolly† the sheep which was the earliest achievement. In reproductive cloning, two procedures have been applied which includes the embryo division and somatic cell nuclear transplant. In this paper, the term ‘cloning’ implies to the creation of hereditarily similar creatures through somatic cell nuclear transplant, a medical procedure that entails getting rid of the nuclear of an unfertilized egg cell and substituting it with materials from the nucleus of somatic cells and triggering these cells to begin cell division. The nucleus of the somatic cells supplies the hereditary information, whereas the oocyte offers the food and the mitochondria is responsible for growth of the embryo. There are 2 distinctive kinds of human cloning by use of somatic cell nuclear transplant. This include reproductive and restorative. The significance of human reproductive cloning is to generate an offspring that is