The Iran-Contra Affair

Abrahamian points out the similarities between the Iran-Iraq War and World War I, most notably due to the use of chemical weapons and the tactics of trench warfare (171). Both Iran and Iraq suffered major consequences from eight years of warfare: great damage had been done to their infrastructure, economies, societal structures and service industries (Donovan 39). "Eight years of bloody war, with hundreds of thousands of casualties on each side, ended with the two sides basically in the same position as they had been when the war had begun" (Gause

The American Revolution affected the entire world in a very fundamental way not just in its own time but continues to affect the present time as well. Some of the major fundamental values that have emerged in the modern times as a consequence of the American Revolution were the rule of law and liberty. Apart from these two philosophical ideas, another major idea that emerged was that even colonialism by Britain, the most powerful nation at the time, could be defeated as longs the oppressed people stand together for their rights and resist

The early Americans were pushed to seek liberty through a revolution because of the constant mistreatment caused by the British, unfair taxation and lack of governmental representation. As the population of the thirteen British colonies in America grew, colonial settlements expanded westward. This expansion caused many conflicts between the British colonists, other European colonists and Native Americans. After the French and Indian war, the British king along with Parliament had thought it best to tighten their control on their colonies in America. Once Britain control became more prevalent in America, so did the desire for revolution.

The pressure on Britain was both internal and external - after World War II, many countries, particularly the United States, whose philosophy was rooted in freedom and democracy, and the USSR, at the time both newly established superpowers, opposed colonialism. Moreover, British political landscape was evolving with events including World War II and the Cold War, and majority public outlook within Britain advocated India’s independence. As Bertrand Russell expressed, ‘people began to feel that if British rule could be preserved only by such methods (referring to violence), then it was not worth preserving.’ This unpopularity of British imperialism, along with the British’s failed attempt at establishing India as a federation of states with the Government of India Act of 1935, which was refused due to suspicion amongst nationalists that the proposal’s ultimate agenda was not eventual independence, rather mere reform, led the British to accept that the most rational decision was to grant India its independence. Overall, upon evaluating the factors that contributed to India’s independence, I firmly believe that although Gandhi was pivotal inspiring the change and accelerating the process, the abdication of British imperial control in India stemmed primarily

Social cleavages are apparent in parts of the book which is a frequent topic in Comparative Government. Before the war started in Iran, there was a divide between the Islamic fundamentalists and the more westernized population. They had very different beliefs and this caused a divide between the people. This is similar to political cleavages in Russia, which was discussed in class during Unit Three. Some citizens have wanted the past autocratic rule of communism and others have wanted a more westernized democracy for the state.

The Iranian Revolution was an Islamic revolution for freedom against the current king of Iran. It began in 1978 and lasted until 1979. The king, or shah, of Iran at the time was Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The leader of the revolution was Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, an Islamic Shia cleric. The revolution was aimed toward the brutal rule of the shah who tortured almost anyone who disagreed with his rule.

The American Revolution is a significant historical event that brought a series of political, economical, and social changes. While some historians debate the degree to which this ideological movement was revolutionary, there is no denying the fact that it profoundly changed America, Britain and the rest of the world. The great political philosopher, John Adams asks “ but what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American War? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced.

First off it definitely affected the relationship between the countries. For instance,” The United States considered attacking Cuba..” (“The Cold War: Cuban Missile Crisis”) The United States decided not to because they did not want to start World War Three. Also they didn’t want to start any drama again with Cuba.

Are we experiencing a culture war? The term is unfortunate, as it is unnecessarily hyperbolic. There is no war. Yet there has been a restructuring in American religion that, in turn, is reflected in contemporary voting patterns. However, this is a case where “there is not a new thing under the sun.”

Paine’s arguments simply set aside the doubts Americans had, and gave them the motivation to actually pursue freedom. His views on government, monarchies, and independence correlated with the rest of the country, however, his views on religion differed significantly. If I were to be a colonist in America at the time, I would feel anger towards the British crown as well as the idea of monarchy. I would want to fight for my independence from an unjust mother country that imposed years of unfair taxes upon my household.

Carter was elected into office when America was looking for a great change in politics but soon after instances like the hostage crisis, Americans began to realize that Carter was not the type of representative that they wanted. The Carter administration and the State Department officials thought that the problem would be over quickly and the hostages would be returned quickly, giving Carter’s image a boost. Unsurprisingly, Carter’s political needs matched poorly with those of Ayatollah Khomeini, the Shah Muslim religious leader of the time. Americans pressured Carter to handle the issue in an American manner with gusto and military force as a small group of university students managed to humiliate and humble the “American tiger.” Carter’s strategy included sending a letter to Khomeini, calling for the resolvement of issues of Iran-America issues but the Carter administration quickly learned that it would take a great deal to get the Ayatollah’s attention.

America has been a nation with a lot of power and has the capability to make a lot of big decisions all across the world, but shouldn’t there exist a line that keeps the US getting involved in everything? I think so… America has always had big enemies and today ISIS is the biggest enemy.

United States presidents often make foreign policy decisions in an attempt to deal with international problems. These decisions have had an impact on both the United States and on other regions. Doctrines are highly debatable, whether they are for a good cause or bad. The purpose of a doctrine is a framework and superstructure than sustains and guides the way we live and act and even interpret the world around us. The Truman and Bush Doctrine were both for the best interest of the people that have made a life-altering impact on America to this day.

History is all about inspiring speeches, gruesome wars, and unexpected events that decide the course of the future. The Cold War is not an example of a war, but a highly important event, considering there was no actual fighting. The Cold War started because the Soviet 's wanted to spread communism, but America was getting in their way to stop it. Three major factors also contributed to the conflict of war, the most obvious one being the U.S. wanted to stop communism, another being both the Soviet Union and the United States were afraid of each other, and finally competition, because everyone needs some good competition. These factors are both reasons why the war started, and "weapons" that were used.

In the 1890’s, the United States began to act like a great power. At that time, it had passed a period of crisis; the civil war, industrialization, immigration and the aftermath of the Reconstruction era added to anxiety of its economic crisis. Imperialism was called upon to aid in this crisis because it would create a system of foreign relations based on the exchange of goods, but it did so without understanding the consequences of its actions. One way the exchange of goods was used in creating foreign relations was through corporations. Corporations at the time went abroad to look for resources that the continental United States did not have, such as bananas and coffee.