List of countries with unique cultural traits related to education Essay

1. JAPAN Every class has its own fixed classroom where its students take all the courses, except for practical trainings and laboratory work. During elementary education, in most cases, one teacher teaches all the subjects in each class. At public elementary and junior high school, school lunch (kyuushoku) is provided on a standardized menu, and it is eaten in the classroom. Nearly all junior high schools require their students to wear a school uniform (seifuku). A big difference between the Japanese school system and the American School system is that Americans respect individuality while the Japanese control the individual by observing group rules. This helps to explain the Japanese characteristic of group behavior. 2. BHUTAN The usual school day in Bhutan varies based on the population of the school and whether it is a boarding school or not. Typically, boarding school teachers will have additional duties such as overseeing meals, dorm life and evening study. The school day begins at 8:00 am with the overseeing of â€Å"Social work† which is a time for the students to clean the school and campus grounds. Morning assembly follows at about 8:30 am which consists of Morning Prayer, songs, speeches by students and announcements. First period begins at roughly 9:00 am. There are about seven to eight classes throughout the day, with a break for lunch. After classes each day there are various activities such as club meetings, sports and evening studies. Every classroom has two captains, one male one female, each house has two captains as well, there is a meals captain, sports captain, overall captain, and who knows how many other captains. These students take care of attendance, not just for class but for all scheduled program during the day, they organize many weekend activities, and they take care of all of the details of the school. The teachers teach, attend and oversee many of the activities, but the details are taken care of by the captains. Bhutanese culture is such that these students do get a lot of respect and response from the student body. 3. THAILAND Thai culture helps contribute to some intriguing differences. These range from simple things such as shoes not being allowed to be worn in the school buildings to the annual Wai Kru Ceremony where all of the students bow down low in obeisance towards their teachers. They also have quiet hour. Quiet hour is when they sit with their eyes closed facing a statue of Buddha. 4. AUSTRIA In Austria the relationship between students and teachers is quite laid back. The students address their teachers by their first name and they are not required to stand up when a teacher enters the room. 5. ITALY One interesting and very successful aspect of Italian schools is how the entire system works to promote social unity among the students. In public high schools, each class – by law – has two elected representatives, to protect the students’ interests within the institution. Each class may use two class periods per month for a class meeting in which to discuss class business, unencumbered by the presence of teachers. The representatives refer any complaints, troubles, or suggestions to their teacher committee or, if they think they won’t get a fair hearing from their teachers, to the principal. Class representatives meet regularly with their class’ teacher committee, and once each semester there’s an assembly of all class representatives in the school, headed by a pair of â€Å"institutional† representatives elected by the entire student body. Class representatives also attend the biannual parent-teacher meetings. This gives students some direct and useful experience with leadership, representative government, and bureaucracy. The elected leaders learn to deal with authority (we hope in a constructive manner). Class government helps to unite the class: they must act together to find solutions to problems, and elect leaders who can carry through those solutions effectively. 6. FINLAND Students address teachers by their Christian names, do not wear uniforms, and are encouraged to relax in their surroundings. Finnish schools don’t assign homework, because it is assumed that mastery is attained in the classroom.

The main idea behind use of biomimicry techniques

Biomimicry, also called bionics, is a new branch of science that explores natural designs and processes so as to transplant these ideas to finding solutions to human problems.The main idea behind use of biomimicry techniques is that â€Å"nature, imaginative by necessity, has already solved many of the problems we are grappling with†, and the organisms that survived to this day are the secret to success, in contrast to those that are buried as fossils (Benyus, n.d.).Scientists can discover the principles underlying natural phenomena to apply them later to design of human practices and products. The closer human society and production approaches nature, the closer is the goal of sustainable development.Biomimicry can help solve a number of problems in the most diverse areas of science. One of those is the production of extra strong materials. In contrast to humans that use the â€Å"heat, beat, and treat† for this purpose, nature makes tough stuff like collagen and bone from natural materials within the body.The spider’s web is in fact much more enduring than regular steel and produced of inexpensive materials in an environmentally friendly way. Knowledge of how humanity can copycat the spider’s work would help people make fiber in the same way would produce a revolution in the industry. The same is true of the proposal to introduce natural agricultural systems that would replace traditional annuals with plant cultures indigenous to the territory that would supply the land with natural fertilizers if allowed to overwinter.Biomimicry can alter the way we categorize living species. As of today, most biologists follow the traditional classification grouping organisms in accordance with their origin. A cow and a dolphin are placed in the same class of mammals even though they have a completely different habitat and adaptation mechanisms.From the bionic perspective, animals and other species that have similar adaptive mechanisms and employ similar processes can be grouped together so that their special features can be evaluated and studied by scholars. Under this perspective, dolphins can be grouped together with fish so that their methods of moving under water can be investigated effectively.Biomimicry would mean that humans would get strengthened grip over their evolutionary development. No longer would humanity be in conflict with nature, trying to re-shape it in its own way. All things produced and lifestyle would become less artificial and more natural.The greatest advancement would come from the application of biomimicry techniques in medicine where it is used in â€Å"replacement or enhancement of organs or other body parts by mechanical versions† that differ from regular â€Å"prostheses by mimicking the original function very closely, or even surpassing it† (Wikipedia, 2006).Examples include the cochlear implant intended for people with hearing impairments, artificial hearts, respirocyte, a red cell designed with the help of nanotechnologies, and a silicon retina functioning like the human one (Wikipedia, 2006). Looking at these technologies, one can draw the conclusion that human species can now control its own evolution in the way no other species had ever been able. Relying on scientific technologies to reproduce natural processes and designs, humans can correct â€Å"failures† of nature for disabled and sick individuals, helping them return to normal life.The use of biomimicry has important implications for pharmaceutical companies. They can now produce new, improved medication mimicking the designs and techniques used by nature. Exploring sharks, anemones, and other animals, scientists have discovered that â€Å"mrine creatures, which live surrounded by pathogens in the sea, are full of novel defenses† (Benyus, n.d.). Following nature in the composition of new drugs, pharmacologists can re-create this natural variety by creating medication that will mir ror these natural products and help humans in the same way.Natural substances are often the best solutions to human problems since they are applied in nature to heal and cure. As stated above, organisms that were inefficient in their design and failed to develop reliable ways to deal with diseases are long gone, after they had been shoved to the sidelines of the evolution. Those that survived can offer humanity reliable ways to fight with disease.Many pharmaceutical companies have recognized the emergence of new opportunities to improve their offerings. The Danish pharmaceutical company Novosymes that leads in industrial enzymes and microorganisms is one of the pioneers in this area. Production of enzymes for many other industries contributes to the manufacturing of â€Å"laundry detergents, bread, olive oil, wine and even the turf on the local golf course† (Fried, 2004).For example, in the detergent manufacturing it makes sense to use enzymes because they perform better than regular cleaning substances. Enzymes that are present in virtually every living organism are basically â€Å"biodegradable proteins that speed up all vital biological processes† (Fried, 2004). Growing organisms such as bacteria and fungi, Novozymes tries to identify organisms that produce a high amount of enzymes. In fact, scholars even combine microorganisms relying on DNA sequences to produce new enzymes.Thus, the use of biomimicry in pharmaceutical business and other corporate environments allows companies to better meet the needs of their customers and grant human beings greater control over their lives. This does not mean that companies using biomimicry techniques will be controlling human lives. However, by imitating nature, they will hopefully be able to make human society more sustainable and economic growth and technologies more balanced and environmentally friendly.ReferencesBenyus, J. Biomimicry. Retrieved August 7, 2006, from www.biomimicry.netFried, R. (2004). A Business Built on Biomimicry. Retrieved August 7, 2006, from http://www.tidepool.org/original_content.cfm?articleid=120228Wikipedia. (2006). Bionics. Retrieved August 7, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimicry

Benefits of Coffee Essay

How much coffee have you consumed already this morning? One cup? Or maybe even two? Like most college students I enjoy my cup of Joe in the morning! Coffee is one of the greatest sources of antioxidants in the global diet. Consuming large amounts is not advised, but having reasonable amounts everyday can be very beneficial to your body. Today, I would like to inform you about some of the benefits of drinking coffee. 1. Lower Chances of Death. a. Let’s face it we are all going to die b. Appears to lengthen time for people with heart disease and diabetes c. Kristen Kirkpatrick said that a study in 2012 showed that three or more cups of coffee a day lowers the risk of death regardless of whether participants drank caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee. 2. Makes your reproductive system happy d. Men would you like a drink that could lower your chances for prostate cancer? And ladies wouldn’t you like to lower your risk for endometrial cancer? e. Kirkpatrick also says that a 2011  study  found that men consuming at least six or more cups a day reduced their risk of prostate cancer by 20 percent! Another  study  published in the  Journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention  found that women who drank more than four cups of coffee a day had a 25 percent lower risk of endometrial cancer. 3. Lower risks of Type 2 diabetes. f. A 2012  study  found that a compound in coffee can actually help block a substance in the body called human islet amyloid polypeptide that may play a role in the development of diabetes. Further  studies  have  demonstrated  that caffeinated coffee consumption is linked to decreased diabetes risk as well. 4. Protects your brain. g. When you wake up to the smell of coffee in the morning do you usually smile? h. Coffee drinkers are less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s later in life according to a study done in 2009 i. The smell of coffee can help reduce stress that could be associated with loss of sleep 5.   Good for skin. j. Drinking coffee may help you to ward off basal cell carcinoma So, the next time you are wondering whether you should have that second cup of coffee to perk you up, relax. At least now you know how it could help you!

Journal assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal - Assignment Example From a personal experience, you are connected with other people whom you share the same profession when you join this organization. You learn and share experiences with people who understand you because you work in a similar environment. I have been a member of Nevada Nurses Association; hence, I have been able to enjoy this great opportunity. Becoming a full member of American Nurses Association is equally important and beneficial to me as a nurse. This is because I regularly receive journals every month on any emerging issue or trend in my profession. This information is very resourceful when it comes to making important decision and moves in my profession. I have also been able to network with other members in this organization. This has enabled me to form and maintain long lasting relationship with other nurses in this movement. Hence, joining this association has been of importance to my profession (McQuilkin, 2005). Every practicing nurse should be a member of a professional organization in order to enjoy the benefits as stated above. It will also help them protect and champion for their rights in the course of duty. Hence, through this association, I will ensure that all nurses are registered members in order to network and connect with each of them. Further, nurses have an obligation to be advocates politically. For example, Nevada has a good name because of its impact in championing for the rights of nurses in US. These political activities enable the association to establish powerful relationships, which can be used to prevent or change any issue that is affecting well being of nurses. As a political organization whom members are nurses, it has been able to protect the rights and welfare of nurses. I believe that nurses have an obligation to be political advocates. This is because they will be able to influence and act on issues that affect them in the line of their duty. For example, it could increase in

Graffiti as a Spatial Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Graffiti as a Spatial Practice - Essay Example This is the type of people who air their views through graffiti and put them up in strategic places in the city. Taking a tour around suburbs this can be confirmed for sure. Besides putting up encouraging words or even passing across messages graffiti can be used to comfort people who tend to know where they come from and who relate to it. Speech does not necessarily mean word of mouth in this case thus can be used manipulatively to achieve the main goal of communication. A symbol is a giant tool when it comes to relaying messages because they can easily be interpreted and require a short time to come up with. In a way, graffiti conveys most sensitive information by putting up symbols and images for the purpose. Names point out without necessarily having meaning they too tend to ring a bell to the readers. Graffiti cannot be related to a given group of people because it’s universally applicable across the globe. Relating graffiti with an interpretation of de Certeau wouldn’t be deemed wrong because all in all graffiti as sure as any other functional tool qualifies to be a spatial practice that needs to be allocated.  

ORGANIZATION THEORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

ORGANIZATION THEORY - Essay Example Edgar H. Schein’s article basically looks into the possibility of coming up with a viable definition for the term â€Å"organizational culture.† He has approached the endeavor from the symbolic-interpretive perspective and he has utilized the metaphor of culture as he tries to define and understand â€Å"organizational culture.† I have classified his work under symbolic-interpretive perspective because one can read from his work the pervading idea that it is persons themselves who have negotiated and created the symbols and have provided the meanings of the symbols that they themselves are using in organizations. And this â€Å"empowerment† is clearly manifested by these people when they work from the same underlying assumptions, hold onto similar values and norms, affirmed and accepted behavior patterns and other similar signs. As such, Schein is operating from the metaphor of culture. Not because he is to define culture, but because he presents the ideat ion that organization behaves or acts in a particular manner because it is the â€Å"pattern of meaning created and maintained by human association itself† (Hatch, 1998, p52) Edgar Schein’s (1988) article â€Å"Defining Organizational Culture,† presented the notion that the term culture â€Å"has different implications and meanings† (p.371). However, the moment that you attached it to the concept of organization one has more or less limited its application to the notion that one is to deal with a particular group in society. And it is in this context he claims that culture though ambiguous, can be appreciated as the coming together of concepts on the basis that is commonly shared by the players creating basic assumptions that becomes the foundation of values, norms, behaviors and traditions. In trying to come up with a working definition for â€Å"organizational culture†, Schein has taken us back to the important dynamic roles and functions that human beings play and perform in the organization. Some

NEWS ARTICLE SUMMARY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NEWS ARTICLE SUMMARY - Essay Example Standard & Poors is an important financial company in the United States that provides services within the credit and stock industries. The issue between the SEC and Standard & Poors stems from the fact that the latter company may have violated â€Å"federal securities laws related to its ratings of collateralized debt obligations in 2007, as the financial crisis was getting under way†(Rizzo). Standard & Poors is a company that often provides a service to the country by raising and lowering credit ratings of companies and countries. When it raises or lowers the rating, it is essentially providing a report card for how well that company/country is doing in their business and their business practices. The SEC believes that Standard & Poors basically did not do their job in monitoring companies like Sallie Mae and Freddie Mac which were significant contributors to the housing/ mortgage crisis that ultimately led the United States into this severe recession in the first place. According to Patrick Rizzo, â€Å"Some critics have said it(Standard & Poors) and other ratings agencies helped contribute to the crisis by not warning about the dangers of sub-prime mortgages(Rizzo). So, by publicly considering legal or civil action against Standard & Poors, the SEC is making a statement about this company and casting a negative light upon their practices. It is important to think about what the SEC’s motive might be however in doing this. Last month, Standard & Poors lowered the United States credit rating from AAA to AA+(Swann). This was done in August 2011 and was said to be done due to the conflict going on in the United States government over raising the debt ceiling. The lowering of the credit rating was seen as a big deal and an overall comment on how the United States was doing in handling their economic woes. Therefore, it does not seem inconceivable that the SEC, which is a part of the

Pedestrian and bicycle facilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pedestrian and bicycle facilities - Essay Example Both regional and local authorities have the responsibility of planning, and implementi8ng cycling policies. National level commitment is essential for putting right the legal, regulatory, and financial framework that lead to successful implementation of cycling initiatives. This is the city in the region with a well advanced form of League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Community where bicycling is an important means of transport and recreational activity. According to the 2007-2011 American Community Survey, 4% of Newark households engage in bicycling for recreation (Delaware Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan Survey). It is a normal phenomenon that all cyclists at one time have felt to be invisible to motorists. Bike Delaware has provided the â€Å"intentional blindness† that addresses this phenomenon. Another issue of safety is the question as to why cyclists’ and pedestrians’ safety is termed as invisible to traffic engineers. Most traffic engineers pay close attention to road safety and traffic congestion. Despite this safety, little is realized on the ped/bike safety projects. The federal program called the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) is responsible for funding Road Safety in Delaware. According to the data collected from the research, Delaware has spent more than $8 million HSIP dollars every year on road safety improvement projects but none focused on reducing pedestrian or cyclist fatalities. As a result, motor vehicle occupant fatalities have reduced while pedestrians’ fatalities have not. Cycling around Delaware University and Newark area is a favored means of transport to students, staff, faculty, and locals living in the area. Cyclists are assisted by the Newark Traffic Relief Committee (NTRC) that has prepared a Newark City Bicycle Map. The map shows cycling and pedestrian routes in the city and provides

Implement part Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Implement part - Essay Example It is pertinent to mention here that the scheduled date of the training course is 6th December 2012, from 0900 hours to 1700 hours at Delta Airline’s Auditorium. Moreover, during the training hours, the employees would not perform their daily office routine work. Therefore, they need to manage their office work scheduled on the training day before or after the training, as per the requirement of the work. You are requested to visit the News section of the internal portal of the Delta Airline to subscribe to get course material well before the training time. The training course is compulsory to attend by all the selected employees, therefore, make it convenient to attend the training course. There are three parts of the format; in the first part the trainer would be provided the learner profile (given above at Appendix – I) and summary analysis. In the second part, the designer of the course would provide the relevant course contents (given at Appendix – II) to the trainer. Furthermore, at this time, the role of the trainer would be a student. In the third part, the designer would provide the instructional materials to the trainer by â€Å"walk-through-talk-through† method. In this way, the trainer having above mentioned qualifications would be trained to provide training to the employees of the Delta Airline. The time duration of the train-the-trainer would be two (2) hours. Initially, there would be an introduction for fifteen (15) minutes that would be followed by the goals and objectives (given in the Office Memorandum) of the training for twenty (20) minutes. The course material (prepared in the development phase) would be provided to the trainer within thirty (30) minutes that would be followed by an informal walk-through for forty five (45) minutes. And in the end, there would be a question-answer session for fifteen (15) minutes. As the participants /

Transitional Media Corporations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Transitional Media Corporations - Essay Example New World Information and Communication Order (NWIO) activists at UNESCO and structural theorists revisit this argument over and over when naming the believed destructive impact that the existing global communication system has on world’s culture (Aris & Bughin 2009). The structural argument states that Western media function as a medium of Western culture, Western customs, and Western values. In conjunction with entertainment and news, Western media transmit to Third World countries depictions of a more affluent life and more adventurous ways of life (Herman & McChesney 1997). To the point that LDCs are reliant on the West for the broadcasting of their global news and entertainment, they supposedly become embedded in the cultural representation of the West. Images of Western culture are believed to generate economic, political, and social changes in world’s culture via the demonstration effect. Western media supposedly kindle aspirations on the part of the LDCs to imit ate the culture of Western countries (Thussu 1998). This is a culture rooted mostly on consumer-oriented and capitalist economies. As aspirations for a more westernised culture heighten, so do the desires for Western products and services. Consequently, this purportedly results in elevated importation of goods from Western countries and heightened reliance by Third World countries on their Northern trading partners (Chalaby 2009). As stated by Anthony Smith. The structural argument states that Western media function as a medium.

Accounting for Managerial Decision Making Research Paper

Accounting for Managerial Decision Making - Research Paper Example Traditionally, there are two things which are calculated while performing the cost volume profit analysis. These are calculating the contribution margin and contribution margin ratio. (Navaro, 2005) Contribution Margin = Sales – Variable costs Contribution Margin Ratio = Contribution / Sales The above calculations therefore focus on the overall fixed and variable costs of the firm while at the same time providing insight into how the costs vary with the output. However, when this technique was developed, firms were more labor intensive and had different manufacturing costs break up. The new firms have more constant costs which normally do not wary because most of the modern organizations are now capital intensive organizations with fixed labor costs. For example, a supervisor may be paid the same wages regardless of the fact that whether the machine works at its full capacity or not. As such many argue that the maximization of the contribution margin may no longer be relevant for the modern organizations. (Luther, and O’Donovan., 1998)... Further, since the capital intensive firms have higher fixed cost ratio in their total cost structure therefore capital intensive firms may not be able to clearly identity their breakeven point based on the CVP analysis as this may be misleading. In a capital intensive firm, more costs goes to the management and operations of the capital intensive equipment with little costs going towards the labor and other overheads. The excessive contribution by the manufacturing overheads therefore makes it irrelevant for the capital intensive firms to actually use the CVP analysis. 2) The traditional theory on corporate finance and accounting suggests that the major task of the managers is to ensure that their actions result into the generation of value for the shareholders. Thus the common objective of the firm or the business has been focused upon the profit maximization and the maximization of the shareholders’ value. Any business activity which does not result into the above two there fore may not be considered as the real objectives of the firm. The traditional accounting therefore seems to portray only the above basic aims of the firm i.e. capturing how value and profitability can be maximized and based on these principles different accounting estimates and procedures are made. The latest trends however suggest that the firm’s only objective cannot be limited to just the maximization of the profits or the shareholders’ value. Now firms also being viewed as larger part of the society with different other objectives too including sustainability of the environment as well as corporate social responsibility.( Islam, and Dellaportas,

Cesar Guarin First Filipino Ultra-Marathoner Essay Example for Free

Cesar Guarin First Filipino Ultra-Marathoner Essay Will you gamble your own welfare for the sake of others? Cesar Guarin, a 56-year-old entrepreneur and the first Filipino, first Asian and fourth person in history to run around the world proved that with a strong determination and with a purpose to help, anyone can bring their dream into reality. Guarin is known as the â€Å"Father of the Philippines Ultramarathon†. He joined Global Run which considered as one-of-a-kind marathon and the toughest run ever that began 1983 and will end in 2016. He already finished the first four legs of his Global Run wherein he run 11,583 kilometers from 1983 to 2009. After his last run in US-Canada (2009), he will again venture in another run, 2,053 kms. in the Australia marathon, the fifth leg of his Global Run. After completing the Australia leg, he will run across- Middle East (2012), England-Norway (2012), Finlan-Moscow (2013), Egypt-Israel-Jordan (2013), Japan-Korea (2014), India-Myanmar (2014) and Thailan-Singapore (2014) to complete the marathon. Despite of different hindrances like injuries, Guarin continuously run and this time it’s for a mission. He started a fund raising projects called â€Å"Batang Pangarap† and â€Å"Global Run, Alay sa Pilipino† to help poverty alleviation in the Philippines, to reduce the number of children on the street by encouraging them to venture into sports, to campaign the tourism of the Philippines and to show his appreciation to the Filipino community abroad for helping the country (Philippines). Guarin as an Ultramarathoner showed to the world that Filipino is a one-of-a-kind race.

Prevention Strategies for Escherichia Coli

Prevention Strategies for Escherichia Coli a) As the snack food is made from meat, there are four types of bacteria that will possibly contaminate it which are Escherichia.coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus,and Listeria monocytogenes (FSIS, 2015). Escherichia.coli is a bacterial that is usually present in the intestines of humans and animals. Although, most of them are harmless as they play an important role in the intestinal tract of a healthy individual. However, there are a few of them that are pathogenic as they can result in diarrhea and can be transmitted through the contact of human or animalfaeces. Altogether, there are sixpathotypes that are linked with diarrhea which are as follows Shiga toxin-producing   Escherichia.coli (STEC), Enterotoxigenic Escherichia.coli (ETEC), Enteropathogenic Escherichia.coli (EPEC), Enteroaggregative Escherichia.coli (EAEC), Enteroinvasive Escherichia.coli (EIEC), Diffusely adherent  Escherichia.coli   (DAEC) (CDC, 2015). However, the Escherichia.coliO157 strain, which is classified under Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia.coli (STEC), is considered the most harmful as it causes bloody diarrhea, kidney failure and can result indeath (Anon., 2015). It infects its host by producing large amounts of Shiga toxins that damages the intestinal lining severely to cause Hemorrhagic Colitis or otherwise known as bloody diarrhea. It can also cause Hemolytic uremic syndrome which results in kidney injury (Koo, 2014). Salmonellais a common bacterial that usually cause food poisoning which targets the stomach and intestines. It is normally present in meat, eggs, unprocessed milk and poultry (Bech, 2014). The symptoms are diarrhea, nausea, fever, stomach cramps, and vomiting which usually last for 4 to 7 days. The incubation period is between 12 and 72 hours upon infection (England, 2014). However, one must consume Salmonella contaminated food in order to cause infection (FSIS, 2015). Staphylococcus aureusis a common bacteria found on the skin, nasal passages, throats and hair of healthy individuals.Staphylococcalfood contamination can occur when a person who is infected with the bacteria handles the steakwithout proper sanitary handling procedures. Other possible sources of meat contamination of Staphylococcus aureus can also take place such as the surfaces and equipment that the meat is prepared on (Anon., 2015). Staphylococcal food poisoning happens when an individual ingest the enterotoxins that are produced in the contaminated meat, often due to the improper heating up of the meat to kill off most of the bacteria (USFDA, 2014). Listeria monocytogenesis a bacterium that is usually found in soil, water, uncooked and processed meat, cooked or processed food, smoked salmon, vegetables and dairy products (CDC, 2013). Ingestion of food contaminated with this bacterium can cause Listeriosis which is a serious infection (CDC, 2013). AlthoughListeria monocytogenescan be killed by proper cooking, the bacteria can still contaminate the cooked meat due to physical hazards such as poor food handling practices and sanitation (FSIS, 2015). Another potential food safety hazard that I have identify is the use of herbs and spices to marinate the steak. Herbs come from plants and spices are from seeds, bark or roots of plants (Ward, 2010). Because they are from plants, which contains spore-producing bacteria, this indicates that the bacteria spores is capable of further contaminating raw meat which is in contact with soil and vegetative origin.This would introduce additional microbiological hazards such as Bacillus spp. and spore forming organisms which are able to survive the drying process and continue to germinate to produce toxins. During the process of handling with this dried snack food, there should be a food safety management system such as The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system. This system is used worldwide by all food businessesto identify and control microbiology activity as well as physical and chemical hazards that might be present during production. It consists of seven principles that govern and maintain food hygiene procedures (ASQ Food, 2014). Therefore, I would advise her to take note of the possible food safety hazards that have been mentioned and the procedures of manufacturing this dried snack food has to be in compliance to the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system. b) There are several information that I would like to know as to assist the businesswoman in preparing the dried snack food safely for consumers. The following are the information required: Where was the meat from? Normally, the cattle are raised till maturity in a farm where they are given formulated food. During cattle raising, the cattle are injected with antibiotics to prevent diseases. In order to slaughter the cattle legally, a withdrawal period is needed from the time the antibiotics is given. This is to give sufficient amount of time for the antibiotic residues to be released from the cattle. The United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) would conduct sample testing for antibiotic residues upon slaughtering. Results have shown that the percentages of residue violations are very low and there are no traceable antibiotic residues present in the tissues of the cattle (FSA, 2015). There are several factors that have to be taken into consideration such as the conditions of the farms that the cattle are living and the food that they consume. For example, improper drainage of faeces, design of feeders and drinkers can contribute to the accumulation of bacterial contamination in the farm which leads to the dirty cattle. The cattle are then infected with diseases such as pneumonia, coccidiosis and salmonellosis. Thus, it is important to have a healthy livestock of cattle to avoid all these problems. There are two factors that can contribute to the contamination of meat production chain such as direct and indirect contact of contamination. Direct contact can occur when bacteria that are present on the skin of the cattle such as excrement and mud which can contaminate the meat during the slaughtering process. Whereas, indirect contact could occur when the hands, tools and equipment that are used to slaughter the cattle contains bacteria which will then infect the meat (FSA, 2002). How was the uncooked meat handled? For proper handling of raw beef, place them in a sealed disposable plastic bag. You can either freeze it at -17.8 °C so as to keep it longer (about 6 to 12 months)or refrigerate at 4.4 °C but have to consume it within 3 to 5 days (Safety, 2015). The reason why the meat is to be kept at cold temperatures is because this is to inhibit bacterial growth. Time, temperature and conditions of marinating and cooking the meat? First, the raw steak is marinated with herbs and spices which will introduce additional microbial hazard such asspore forming bacteria to the meat. Thus, for safe marinating procedures, do not marinate at room temperature as most bacteria are able to grow quickly. Instead, marinate the meat in a cold environment so as to avoid entering the danger zone, which is between 4 °C and 60 °C. For beef steak, the approximate time taken to marinate would be 2 to 4 hours (Stradley, 2014). For safe cooking of steak, cook them at a minimum internal temperature of 62.8 °C for about 4 5 minutes per side and allow the meat to rest for at least 3 minutes before eating. This is done to kill off most of the bacteria that might be present on the meat. However, do not cook the steak partially as this does not destroy most of the bacteria and might multiply (USDA, 2015). Time and temperature of the drying process? I would suggest drying the marinated steak strips using an oven at 75 °C as there is a constant circulation of dry air and heat source. The temperature is important in drying this snack food because gentle heatingwill not be sufficient as this does not ensure that any bacteria that might still be present on the meat prior to cooking are killed (USDA, 2015). For example, bacteria such as Bacillus flavother musT  have a maximum temperature cardinal value of 72 °C and if the meat is cooked to the temperature of 60 °C, the bacteria will still be able to survive (Todar, 2008 2012). Thus, they will continue to multiply in numbers and colonize the meat. Storage of final dried meat product? How long is the meat product stored? Always ensure to store dried meat in a vacuum packaging as this will minimize oxygen levels which inhibit the growth of aerobic bacteria. It also helps to reduce the oxidation of the meat which will result in meat spoilage. These will extent the shelf life of the snack food (Anon., 2012). A sealed dried meat product can be stored to a period of 12 months. However, if the dried meat product is made from home, then it can only be kept for about 1 to 2 months (USDA, 2013). Is water activity taken into consideration? Water is a requirement for bacteria growth, thus, it must be removed so as to inhibit the growth of microorganisms. It can be reduced by the drying process and the addition of salt to preserve the meat. How the salt works is that it would absorb all the water on the meat by the process called osmosis (Martin R. Adams and Maurice O. Moss, 2008). Are there hygiene practices done in the preparation of the dried snack food? To prevent cross-contamination, good hygiene practices and procedures are required in regards to handling the snack food. Food handlers should always wash their hands thoroughly with surfactants such as soap before and after handling with meat products. Always clean and disinfect all utensils, equipment and work surfaces before the preparation of the meat product. And do not mix raw and cooked food. Instead, incorporate the use of separate working and storage areas of raw, cooked and dried meat products (FSA, 2015). c) I would suggest the use of aerobic plate count and immunomagnetic separation to test the presence of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia.coli O157 In aerobic plate count, dilutions of the food sample are carried out and are then plated onto agar plates which contain suitable growth nutrients to favor the growth of microorganisms. The plates are then incubated at temperatures that bacteria can grow. After the incubation period, the total numbers of bacterial colonies arecounted; therefore, the total number of viable cells can be estimated (Hayes, 1995). Thelevels of Aerobic Colony Count (ACC) are used as a guidance to determine if the food product is safe for consumption (Agency, 2009). For example, if the Aerobic Colony Count (ACC) levels of bacteria have exceeded the expected level, the product cannot be consumed. For Salmonella spp., the infectious dose is normally 105 organisms, which is quite a big number. Whereas, as for Escherichia.coli O157, the infectious dose isless than 50 organisms (Inc., 2004). For Escherichia.coli O157 and Salmonella, Immunomagnetic separation is used as the â€Å"gold standard† to detect and isolate the bacteria as it is specific and sensitive. Then targeted organism is then isolated which will undergo serotyping for characterization (Inc, 2004). According to the guidelines for the microbiological safety of ready-to-eat foods, they are to be cooked and processed properly, especially with the addition of herbs and spices. It also includes bacteria that can possibly be from the source of poor hygiene. Lastly, tests on ready-to-eat foods are required so that food products which are not in compliance with the microbiological food safety criteria can be identified to protect public health (Agency, 2009). References Agency, H. P., 2009. Guidelines for Assessing the Microbiological Safety of Ready-to-Eat Foods Placed on the Market. [Online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/363146/Guidelines_for_assessing_the_microbiological_safety_of_ready-to-eat_foods_on_the_market.pdf Anon., 2012. Vacuum Packaging of Food Products. [Online] Available at: http://modifiedatmospherepackaging.com/modified-atmosphere-packaging-resources/vacuum-packaging Anon., 2015. E. coli. [Online] Available at: http://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/causes/bacteriaviruses/ecoli/ [Accessed 12 May 2015]. Anon., 2015. Food Safety. [Online] Available at: http://www.foodsafety.gov/poisoning/causes/bacteriaviruses/staphylococcus/ [Accessed 12 May 2015]. ASQ Food, D. a. C. D., 2014. The Certified HACCP Auditor Handbook. 3rd ed. Wisconsin: American Society for Quality. Bech, C., 2014. Salmonella and food poisoning. [Online] Available at: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/salmonella.htm [Accessed 3 February 2014]. CDC, 2013. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [Online] Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/sources.html [Accessed 10 January 2013]. CDC, 2013. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [Online] Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/listeria/definition.html [Accessed 2 January 2013]. CDC, C. f. D. C. a. P., 2015. E.coli (Escherichia coli). [Online] Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/general/index.html [Accessed 16 April 2015]. England, P. H., 2014. Salmonella: guidance, data and analysis. [Online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/salmonella-guidance-data-and-analysis [Accessed 7 June 2014]. FSA, F. S. A., 2002. Red Meat Safety. [Online] Available at: http://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/multimedia/pdfs/publication/redmeatsafety.pdf [Accessed March 2004]. FSA, F. S. A., 2015. Cleaner cattle and sheep. [Online] Available at: http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/farmingfood/cleaner-animals/cleaner-cattle-sheep FSA, F. S. A., 2015. Food hygiene for businesses. [Online] Available at: http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/caterers/food-hygiene FSIS, 2015. United States Department of Agriculture. [Online] Available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/meat-preparation/beef-from-farm-to-table/ct_index [Accessed 24 March 2015]. FSIS, F. S. a. I. S., 2015. [Online] Available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/meat-preparation/beef-from-farm-to-table/ct_index [Accessed 24 March 2015]. FSIS, F. S. a. I. S., 2015. United States Department of Agriculture. [Online] Available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/meat-preparation/beef-from-farm-to-table/ct_index [Accessed 24 March 2015]. Hayes, P. R., 1995. Food Microbiology and Hygiene. In: 2nd ed. London: Chapman Hall, p. 189. Inc., T. A. S. f. M., 2004. Microbiology Australia. In: D. P. Bishop, ed. Qualitative vs quantitative microbiology. 3rd ed. Melbourne: Cambridge Publishing, p. 11. Inc, T. A. S. f. M., 2004. Microbiology Australia. In: D. P. Bishop, ed. Qualitative vs quantitative microbiology. 3rd ed. Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge Publishing, p. 20. Koo, I., 2014. Bloody Diarrhea, or Hemorrhagic Colitis, Caused by E. coli O157:H7. [Online] Available at: http://infectiousdiseases.about.com/od/diseasesbyname/a/E_coli_O157H7.htm [Accessed 30 April 2014]. Martin R. Adams and Maurice O. Moss, 2008. Food Microbiology. 3rd ed. Guildford: The Royal Society of Chemistry. Safety, F., 2015. Storage Times for the Refrigerator and Freezer. [Online] Available at: http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html [Accessed 12 May 2015]. Stradley, L., 2014. Marinating Meat Guidelines Marinating 101. [Online] Available at: http://whatscookingamerica.net/MarinatingSafely.htm Todar, K., 2008 2012. Nutrition and Growth of Bacteria. [Online] Available at: http://textbookofbacteriology.net/nutgro_5.html USDA, U. S. D. o. A., 2013. Jerky and Food Safety. [Online] Available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/meat-preparation/jerky-and-food-safety/ct_index [Accessed 6 August 2013]. USDA, U. S. D. o. A., 2015. Beef from Farm to Table. [Online] Available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/meat-preparation/beef-from-farm-to-table/ct_index USDA, U. S. D. o. A., 2015. Jerky and Food Safety. [Online] Available at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/meat-preparation/jerky-and-food-safety/ct_index USFDA, U. F. a. D. A., 2014. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [Online] Available at: http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/CausesOfIllnessBadBugBook/ucm070015.htm [Accessed 16 December 2014]. Ward, E. M., 2010. Spices Herbs Health Benefits and Adding Spices To Foods. [Online] Available at: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/spices-and-herbs-health-benefits [Accessed 5 August 2010].

Analysis of China as a Superpower

Analysis of China as a Superpower The Dragon Awakes – Will China be the next superpower? China is a sleeping dragon. When it awakes, the world will shake†. (Eccleston H, 2004, p290). Napoleon Bonaparte made this prophetic comment regarding China in 1808 and it would seem that today China has indeed awoken. (Optimize, 2004p. 1). China has had unprecedented economic growth at around 9.5% perineum, a statistic even more impressive amazing bearing in mind that only in 1978 China was poorer than Korea and Taiwan were in the 1960s. (Nye 1997-98 p. 67). China also shows signs of extending its economic reach and is expanding its ventures into developed states. Only recently the Chinese firm Nanjing bought the British ailing car firm MG rover for  £50 million. (BBC News 2006 p. 1). Also in 2005 the Chinese Lenovo Group acquired IBM’s PC business making Lenovo the third largest PC Company in the world. (Economic Times, 2005 p. 1) There is also a huge inflow of FDI (foreign direct investment) into China. China has established 22,245 new firms attracting $59.2 billion in FDI making a total of $33.4 billion in 2003. This makes China the top destination for FDI and a country that firms want to do business with. (People’s Daily, 2003). It is thought by some observers that China’s economy at its present rate could eventually overtake that of the US(United States). (Nye 1997-98 p. 67). If this is so, could China surpass the US in other areas and displace the US as the world superpower. There will be huge implication for international relations if this is to be the case. The writer’s hypothesis is that China’s rise to superpower status will mean a shift of economic, military and cultural power from the west tithe east. Drawing on the work of John Mearsheimer that states are power maximizes, China will continue to pursue power in a bid to become the most powerful state in the international system, a position currently occupied by the US. (Mearsheimer 2001 p. 21). Even those who advocate that the spread of liberalism will lessen the need for the pursuit of power have not been able to ignore this development. Fukuyama in his book â€Å"America at the Crossroads† says that social engineering like that seen in Iraq leads to unexpected consequences and undermines its own ends. Therefore actions which are put forward as promoting peace and democracy turn into something they were not intended to be, the promotion of the national interest of the US. (New York Times, 2006 p. 2). Therefore a state whose power is so big it is unchecked is unable to police itself and act benevolently in the anarchic system. Its main concern is the accumulation of power and it will not be satisfied as purported by Waltz’ defensive realist view, by only seeking to acquire as much power so as to feel secure. (Bailys Smith 2005 p. 169-170). A world dominated by China A world dominated by China may be very different than the present world that has for the last two centuries been dominated by a western power. As already mentioned China’s rise will not result in it being status quo power and therefore it will not be happy to work within system determined by western values. (Guardian 2005 p. 2). China has different values to that of the west and its rise will lead to the promotion of those values through its economic, military and institutional power. Therefore as Huntingdon notes, the new fault-lines will not be between ideologies like the two World Wars and the Cold War but between civilizations. This is due to the different views that cultures have in regard to relationships such as the citizen and the state, husband and wife, liberty and equality. (Huntingdon 1993 p.25). The west has promoted its values of liberalism as being the universal values of the world community. But due to the anarchic structure of the system these values have been used to promote its national interest. China will appeal to those states who have different view of the world that the one being put forward by the US and other western states. These states will have similar cultural values to China which stress the subordination of individual rights and elevate consensus differ from the western beliefs of liberty, equality and individualism. (Huntingdon 1993 p. 29). Indeed China is forging links with states that the US deems as rogue states such as Iran with its recent gas deal worth $100 billion. The US has imposed economic sanctions on Iran and this gas deal is a clear sign that China does not intend to work within a system determined by the US. Further, Iran is looking to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which could act as a counterweight to US institutional power. (Asia Times 2004 p.1-2). The writer will look at China’s potential superpower status using the neo-realist theory and its conceptual and methodological framework. This will entail the use of secondary research methods by exploring the concepts of neo-realism through the scholars in this field. This theory rose to prominence during the late 1970s due to the writings of Kenneth Waltz. (Buzau in Zale ski 2002 p. 49). It rests on the earlier realist perspective of writers such as E H Carr and Hans Morgenthau, which was dominant in international relations in the post-World War II era. Realism also rose due to the inability of the liberal perspective and its principles to maintain peace in Europe. (Bur chill, 2001 p. 71). It was concerned with the causes of war and ways in which it can be prevented. (Buzau in Zale ski 2002 p. 48). EH Carr’s â€Å"The Twenty Years Crisis† was a critique of the liberal view that co-operation, under institutions such as the League of Nations, would render war obsolete. Carr’s theory was proven when World War I broke out the day after his book was published. (Bur chill 2001 p.71). Morgenthau’s work, Politics Amongst Nations (1948) sought to apply positivist methodology used in the natural sciences to international relations. Thus we can draw objective knowledge and laws from the social world in the same way that we can from the natural world. (Bur chill 2001 p. 77). He maintains that politics is governed by objective laws rooted in human nature and that human nature is reflected in the way states behave. The outcomes of the interaction of states are due to the behaviour of statesmen and thus human nature. (Bur chill 2001 p. 83). Morgenthau and Carr draw on a long philosophical heritage going back to the writings of Thucydides 460BCto 406BC and Niccole Machiavelli 1469 to 1527. The neo-realist perspective came about in response to the rise of liberal internationalism and their interdependency theory in the1970s. Neo-realism engages with this approach that deems the state tube less significant in an interdependent world due to the rise of institutions, regimes and transnational corporations. (Bailys Smith 2005 171). Realism recognised that it had to develop new tools to analyse these new developments. Thus realism reinvented itself sane-realism, acknowledging that such non-governmental actors exist, but they have to work within an anarchical international system where there is no overall authority above that of the sovereign state. This means states can never fully co-operate within these institutions due to the possibility that one state may gain more out of this co-operation. The anarchic structure of the system is where neo-realism departs from the earlier realist theory that human nature determines how states behave. Waltz’ systemic approach Waltz’ systemic approach is that it is the structure of the international system that determines the way states behave and not human nature. Despite this departure it can be said that there are core theoretical elements that underpin the earlier classical realism, modern realism of Carr and Morgenthau and Waltz’s structural realism. This is known as the realist triangle of state, survival and self-help. (Bailys Smith 2005 p. 163). The primary actor in the international system is the state. This can be traced back to Thucydides’ time when the unit of analysis waste city-state or polis. (Bailys Smith 2005 p. 163). That said, Carr and Morgenthau were less state-centric in that they did not envisage the state as the final form of political community. (Burchill2001 p. 76). The state is the only legitimate representative of the people and it uses this legitimacy to wield its authority within and outside the state. (Bailys Smith 2005 p. 163). The second core element is that of survival. The priority of the state is to ensure its own survival in the anarchic structure of the international system. This concept is present in Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Prince† which details what leaders must do to keep hold of their power. (Bailys Smith 2005 p. 174). The third concept is that of self-help that Waltz deems necessary to gain security in an anarchic structure. Hedley Bull’s â€Å"The Anarchical Society†(1977) concurs with Waltz that all states exist in an anarchical society where there is no higher authority than the sovereign state. Therefore national interest is the state’s first duty that ensures the right for citizens to feel secure within state borders. Self-help is necessary as this cannot been trusted to anyone else and this is achieved through the accumulation of power to reduce vulnerability in the anarchic system of states. The state’s first â€Å"law of motion† is to preserve the state and in order to do this it must pursue power. (Bailys Smith p. 162-3, 169). The writer has also been inspired by the academic Paul Kennedy (1989)in his book: â€Å"The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. The writer will use this thesis to assess whether China is rising at the expense of the decline of the US. According to Kennedy’s thesis the rise and fall of power is cyclical thus once a great power has arisen it must inevitably fall. A state that has achieved economic strength will protect that strength using military power but this involves great cost. Eventually the cost will be too great and the power will decline and be replaced as evidence by the decline of Britain in 1873. (Nye 1990 p. 3) The United States has undoubtedly been the great power of the 20thCentury. Will it remain so during the 21st century or will it fall and be replaced by China thus confirming Kennedy’s thesis that all great powers will eventually follow this decline thus paving the way for the next great power? There are those who believe the era of the superpower is coming to amend. Fukuyama believes that states will not need to rival each other for power. The spread of liberal democracy and its sidekick liberal economy has â€Å"triumphed† over other regimes. (Fukuyama 1992). It is further believed that open economies create interdependency and sharing of common interests. (Nye 1997-98 p. 76). Also, the state is in relative decline due to the emergence of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and (World Bank) and also MNCs (multinational corporations. (Bailys Smith 164). Even in the US Congress the former House of Representatives speaker Newt Gingrich does not regard China’s growth as in any way a threat whilst there are those who have views to the contrary. This highlights how the theoretical debate translates into apolitical one. There are those who view the universalism of western liberalism as unchallengeable and now the norm. This view may be borne out by the fragmentation of the Soviet Union but Matthew Rees views China’s position as similar to that of the Soviet Union in that it threatens western values of liberty and democracy. (Nye 1997-98 p.65-66) . Mearsheimer has also warned of complacency against the Chinese threat, stating of the current good relation between the two states: â€Å"this US policy (of containment) is misguided. A wealthy China would not be a status quo power, but an aggressive state, determined to achieve regional hegemony† (Mearsheimer 2001) Another writer in this field Joseph Nye refutes the claim that the state is in relative decline. His thesis is that the classic realist view of states as the most important actors cannot be disputed due merely to the rise of NGOs. This is because it underestimates the nature of the system of states that is anarchic in structure. Therefore if there is no higher authority to settle disputes the state cannot leave its survival to others. It must ensure its own survival and the only way this can be done is for the state to increase its power capabilities. (Bailys Smith 164). Thus in regard to on-state actors it is â€Å"business as usual† in that non-state actors must still work within a system of states. Thus states will still vie for power within these organisations. (Bailys Smith p. 173). This is the soft power element of the state. Definition of power â€Å"Man’s control over the minds and actions of other men†. (Morgenthau (1948) cited in Bailys Smith p. 173) Power is a highly contested concept because it is difficult to assess what elements actually constitute power. The traditional view of powers the possession of resources that include the size of population and territory, military might and economic strength. (Nye 1990 p. 26). Thus the resources of each state can be measured and compared. But measurement is not enough as evidenced during World War Two when France and Britain had more tanks that Germany but still Germany was able to outmanoeuvre the allies. Therefore when assessing power we also need to assess a state’s ability to convert its resources into such power assume states can do this more effectively than others. (Nye 1990 p.27). These avenues to power will be explored and the evidence that China has these capabilities will be extrapolated. The basis for power does not remain unchanged and must be assessed in its own context. For example the basis for power in 18th Century Europe was its population as it provided soldiers and tax resources. Today it is much more difficult to pinpoint the resources that provide the basis for power. (Nye 1990 p. 27) It is therefore not sufficient to look at the concept of power merely in terms of hard power or tangible resources. As Nye has noted in the post-cold war era there has been a shift in the balance of power in the anarchic system. The bipolar world has shifted to one that is unipolar with the US as the sole superpower. The US has exhibited all the usual traits associated with this position such as military, economic and territorial strength. But advances in technology and the emergence of NGOs and MNCs have meant a closer more interdependent world. Interdependence between states does not mean co-operation as liberals purport. It can be used to further national interest and this type of influence is the intangible soft power element of state apparatus. (Nye 1990 p.30). We can see soft power in action through the Washington consensus where the US is the leader in these institutions. We can also see soft power through the spread of the US’s liberal ideology in terms of economics and politics in what Fukuyama has called the â€Å"Triumph of Liberal Democracy†. (Fukuyama, 1992). This soft power has served to reinforce the US’s hard power resources by gaining it consent and legitimacy as the dominant power. (Nye 1990 p. 33). The universalism of American culture has also helped to further the power of the US by enabling it to establish values and beliefs that are consistent with its own society. Therefore the thesis of this dissertation is that China will be the next superpower by maximizing it’s hard power resources to secure itself in the anarchic system of states. Also, due to interdependence among states and the growth forgoes and MNCs it will seek soft power in its pursuit of power capabilities. The consequences of this systemic shift will mean the promotion of Eastern collective values over Western liberal individualistic tendencies. Part One: Hard Power Resources The Economy: If, as Kennedy suggests, China’s rise will be at the expense of the US, then at present most US concerns are directed at rapidly growing Chinese economy. There are certainly some impressive claims being made about the rise of Chinese economic power. Jeremy Warner writes that â€Å"like it or not, from China’s impact on finite world resources to climate change and the laws of supply and demand, it is transforming the way we live with a speed barely imaginable just a few years ago(The Independent January 27, 2006). Over the last 27 years, China has grown at an average rate of 9.6 present per annum, reaching a GDP of  £2.2 trillion in 2005 (The Independent January 27, 2006). In 1979, China represented 1 per cent of the world economy, with foreign trade totalling $20.6 billion. Today China accounts for 4 per cent of the world economy, with $851 billion in foreign trade, the third largest in the world (Fijian 2005, p19).There is of course still a lot of progress to be made – China’s economy for example is still only one seventh the size of that of the US(Fijian 2005, p19) but it is the rate of growth, along with plans for future expansion, the country’s high savings ratio, and plans to expand supplies of nuclear , clean coal, hydro-electric and renewable forms of energy that lead US experts to believe that one day China will challenge the US as the world’s dominant superpower. Larry Summers, former US Treasury Secretary has compared the integration of China into the w orld economy as one of the three great economic events of the last millennium – on a par with the renaissance and the industrial revolution (The Independent, July 23, 2005). The US has had similar fears about economic competition in the past. In the early 1980s it had concerns about the economic successes being enjoyed by Germany and Japan – fears that were allayed after stagnation in both countries. With China however, US fears appear to be deeper-rooted, primarily at the incredible rate of progress seen in China. Whilst the US economy may still be much larger at present, the rate of growth in China will continue to narrow the gap quickly. And of course, there is an ideological issue at the heart of the US fears about China– how is a Communist country succeeding where others have stumbled? The answer lies partly in America’s own attempts to take advantage of the economic conditions in China when Deng Xiaoping began to open up China to the rest of the world. China had historically been an insular nation, separated from the rest of the world and failing to make the most of its earlier technological advances. Deng understood that whilst China had a huge labour force, to succeed it needed to be organised, competitive in international markets and producing the type of goods that the rest of the world wanted to buy. For this to happen, China would need help from the outside world. The result has been huge foreign investments as companies from across the world have attempted to take advantage of China’s low labour costs. As Stephen King concludes, foreign investors have turned China into the world’s biggest assembly plant: â€Å"China may be a one-party state, but the authorities know all about Adam Smith and the division of labour† (The Independent, February 13, 2006). China is gradually picking off the economies of other G7 nations. Whilst its economy is still considerably smaller than Americas, by the end of 2004 it was bigger economically than France, Italy and Canada(The Independent, February 13, 2006). Germany and Japan are likely tube overtaken soon and then China will have the US firmly in its sights. It will have the opportunity to challenge US regional and global hegemony. Whilst there is an optimistic view that the economic growth in China will lead to long-term mutually beneficial cooperation with the US, more likely outcome is growing tension between the two. As China continues to grow, it will gradually begin to demand more of the world’s scarce resources – oil prices for example are already high and may be pushed higher by Chinese demand. The same will happen with other commodities with the result that China’s success increases the commodity bill for US consumers and increases global competition for raw materials. The US consumer may also put pressure on the government to curb Chinese economic expansion. With petrol being so lightly taxed in the US, motorists are affected directly by oil price rises. As The Economist reports: â€Å"they want somebody to blame and they may have heard that China is scouring the world to lock op oil supplies for its own ‘energy security’† (The Economist, September 3, 2005). Both the US and China have some common economic interests. Both benefit from free trade for example. However, with China now exporting six times as much to the US as it imports from it (The Economist, September3, 2005)., it is now China that has the most to gain, something of an irony after years of America hammering on its door to access Chinese markets. There have also been concerns in the US that China is trying to but its way into strategic assets within the US. In June 2005,CNOOC, a Chinese state controlled company attempted to buy Unocal, medium sized US oil company. Hawks within the US administration argued against allowing oil firms to fall into Chinese hands and, with public opinion in the US against the deal, it eventually fell through. The Chinese view on globalisation has been mixed. There is a view that globalisation gives a stronger reason for economic cooperation between economically strong states and certainly the acceptance of global brands into Chinese culture supports the argument that it has embraced globalisation. On the other hand, globalisation tends to reinforce US and Western interests first and foremost and the 1997-99 Asian financial crisis has convinced many within China that it could expose Chinese economic vulnerability. As Foot concludes: â€Å"with America’s advantage in technological innovation, revolution in military affairs and cultural domination, globalisation seemed to confer gains on Washington and thus further to reinforce the unipolar structure† (Foot2006 p82). Military Power To assess China’s rise to Superpower status we need to look at how it ranks in regard to military strength and capability. (Waltz 1979 p.131). The Neo-Realist view is that the nation-state is the most natural form of society and it should be defended for the national good. (Kennedy p. 90). Armies are essential for controlling land and bringing security to the nation state and which is the main objective in a world of states in a system of anarchy. (Mearsheimer p. 86). Due to competition for resources in a world of anarchy military powers a crucial instrument of the national interest. (Garnett, 1987 p.71). Thus military power is monopolised by states and used to protect states from external force. It is the capacity to kill, coerce or destroy and plays a significant part in international politics that will not be supplanted until the system of states is transformed. (Garnett 1987, p. 69-71). Those who have the most military strength are usually the most influential and the most respected in the system and certainly a proposition shared by Mao Ste-Tung’s saying that â€Å"political power grows out of the barrel of a gun†. (Garnett 1987, p.74). Recent analyses of the Chinese military threat from Washington have expressed growing concern. The 2005 Pentagon report concluded that China could threaten not just its smaller regional neighbours like Taiwan but eventually â€Å"modern militaries operating in the region.† This can be taken to include the US. (Washington Post July 23, 2005). Yee and Storey suggest that there are a number of contributing factors to the belief that China is gradually attempting to extend its influence in the region – 1)its territorial disputes with other countries in the region have intensified, 2) its rapid economic development has accelerated its military modernisation process and 3)China has elevated re-unification with Taiwan as a higher priority following the successful retrocession of Hong Kong in 1997 and Macau in1999(Yee and Storey, p4). These factors can be interpreted as evidence of strategic expansion in the region, with territorial claims on the islets in the South China Sea being seen in particular by China’s neighbours as a sign of a policy of expansion. The hard-line policy on Taiwan and the refusal to abandon the threat of military force against it is also seen as evidence of an aggressive state. As Harry Harding writes: â€Å"the rest of the world has viewed the prospect of a Greater China with both fascination and alarm. Some see it in benign terms, as a dynamic common market that provides growing opportunities for trade and investment. More frequently, however, there has been concern that the combination of economic and military resources available to China will pose a significant threat to the commercial vitality and the strategic stability of the rest of the region† (Yee and Storey p4). There is certainly evidence that China is building up its military capability to the point where it could at least challenge the US in the region. Whilst Kennedy had written in 1989 that China’s army is strong numerically but â€Å"woefully under equipped in modern instruments of war†(Kennedy 1989, p577), more recently China has bolstered its naval, submarine and cruise missile capabilities, is in the process of purchasing advanced aircraft systems and is building a nuclear missile arsenal that is capable of striking virtually all of the United States(Washington Post, July 23, 2005). Whilst much has been made of Chinese reforms since 1979 since in terms of economic growth, it is important to realise that there have been great efforts made to reorganise the military from the early 1980sonwards. Plans were put in place to reduce the People’s Liberation Army from 4.2 million to 3 million (Kennedy 1989, p579) and develop a much more professional force with a higher quality of personnel. In 2000, the total estimated strength of the Chinese military was 2.5million, of which an estimated 1.8 million are ground forces. The overall strategy for the PLA is an overall reduction and reorganisation of both equipment and personnel with a view to creating a more modern and mobile army. In terms of equipment, China falls a long way behind the US military but is looking to modernise. It has a tank inventory of around10,000,many of which are Soviet or Chinese built. Its air force possesses around 4,350 aircraft, the majority of which are combat aircraft. The government is also looking to develop a local aerospace industry that would have the capability to produce technologically advanced aircraft, whilst continuing to import aircraft from Russia. The government also has plans to buy a number of AWAC aircraft from Israel. More recently there have been statements from Chinese military strategists that indicate that China is gearing up to use its military hard power resources. Taiwan will be the most likely arena for the flexing of Chinese military power. General Wen Zinger , political commissar of the Academy of Military Science has stated that the Taiwan problem â€Å"is of far reaching significance to breaking international forces blockade against China’s rise†¦ to rise suddenly, China must pass through oceans and go out of the oceans in its future development(Washington Post July 23, 2005). For proponents of the Chinese threat, such statements support the realist view that China is seeking to increase then demonstrate its power in the international arena. Just as Morgenthau argues that the pursuit of power in world politics is both natural and justified, surrealists will argue that China will become unsatisfied with the existing global power structure and adopt a policy of imperial expansionism aimed at attaining both regional and global hegemony (Yeaned Storey 2002, p7). Whilst China also has the option of economic and cultural means to accomplish its strategic objectives, military force remains the most traditional form of imperialism, and the most likely course for China to take once its economy is fully developed. Joseph Nye observes that the ‘rise’ of China is actually a misnomer and that a more accurate term would be the re-emergence of China. Certainly, China has long been a major power in East Asia, and technologically and economically it was the world’s leader (though without global reach) from 500 to 1500, before being overtaken by Europe and America. Indeed, China’s re-emergence would equate with Kennedy’s argument that power across the globe is cyclical. China already has some issues with the US and the other great powers over foreign policies. As a member of the UN Security Council it has traditionally opposed the views of Western states on the international arena and is continuing to do so in spite of its closer economic ties with the West. Whilst China may accept that at the present time it must operate in a US-dominated unipolar world, it believes that its future should at least lie in a multipolar world encompassing the US, China, Europe, Russia and Japan (Foot, 2006, p81). Certainly during the 1990sthere was Chinese unease at the continued American dominance in global affairs with issues such as further NATO expansion eastward, the renegotiation of terms of the US-Japan alliance, US defence missile systems and intervention in Kosovo being of particular concern. China’s population can be both a hard power resource and a burden. Its current population of 1.3 billion is expected to continue to rise until2030 when it will peak at 1.5 billion before going into decline. Population of such a size is of course a huge resource in terms of manpower, yet a huge burden on the domestic economy and from a domestic security point of view and massive number of people over which to maintain effective control. Western states continue to lobby the Chinese government for greater democratisation, yet the fear of anarchy from a more liberalised system would appear to be keeping the leadership committed to an authoritarian regime. From a realist perspective, it is the combination of economic and military power of China that will ultimately lead to conflict with thus. The build-up of such hard resources will be seen as a threat by thus regardless of any ‘good neighbour’ policies that Chinese diplomats may point to. Realists within the US policy making sphere will argue that China is merely biding its time until its economy is strong enough to provide a basis for future hegemony. Thucydides argument that the belief in the inevitability of conflict can be the cause of war is appropriate here – if both sides believe they will eventually end up in conflict, the military build-up will continue, economic cooperation will fade away, and conflict will become unavoidable. China will eventually have to seek further power in order. Certainly, as the Chinese economy continues to grow, it is likely that its military power will increase. For example, early in 2005, it announced a 12.6 per cent increase in defence spending (Nye, Daily Times March 27, 2005), something that makes it appear more dangerous touts neighbours and further complicating US military commitments in Asia. A RAND study has projected that China’s military expenditure will be more than six times higher than Japans by 2015 and accumulated military capital stock at around five times higher (Daily Times, March27, 2005), again something that suggests it is looking to achieve regional hegemony before aiming its sights higher and looking for global hegemony. Whilst a global military challenge to the US in the short term is unlikely, there is certainly a possibility that China could challenge the US in East Asia, or even more probably over Taiwan. China would almost certainly intervene militarily if Taiwan were ever to declare independence, irrespective of the military or economic cost. No Chinese leader can afford to be seen as the one that lost Taiwan permanently and at present, the West’s main concern about the Chinese military rests ar Analysis of China as a Superpower Analysis of China as a Superpower The Dragon Awakes – Will China be the next superpower? China is a sleeping dragon. When it awakes, the world will shake†. (Eccleston H, 2004, p290). Napoleon Bonaparte made this prophetic comment regarding China in 1808 and it would seem that today China has indeed awoken. (Optimize, 2004p. 1). China has had unprecedented economic growth at around 9.5% perineum, a statistic even more impressive amazing bearing in mind that only in 1978 China was poorer than Korea and Taiwan were in the 1960s. (Nye 1997-98 p. 67). China also shows signs of extending its economic reach and is expanding its ventures into developed states. Only recently the Chinese firm Nanjing bought the British ailing car firm MG rover for  £50 million. (BBC News 2006 p. 1). Also in 2005 the Chinese Lenovo Group acquired IBM’s PC business making Lenovo the third largest PC Company in the world. (Economic Times, 2005 p. 1) There is also a huge inflow of FDI (foreign direct investment) into China. China has established 22,245 new firms attracting $59.2 billion in FDI making a total of $33.4 billion in 2003. This makes China the top destination for FDI and a country that firms want to do business with. (People’s Daily, 2003). It is thought by some observers that China’s economy at its present rate could eventually overtake that of the US(United States). (Nye 1997-98 p. 67). If this is so, could China surpass the US in other areas and displace the US as the world superpower. There will be huge implication for international relations if this is to be the case. The writer’s hypothesis is that China’s rise to superpower status will mean a shift of economic, military and cultural power from the west tithe east. Drawing on the work of John Mearsheimer that states are power maximizes, China will continue to pursue power in a bid to become the most powerful state in the international system, a position currently occupied by the US. (Mearsheimer 2001 p. 21). Even those who advocate that the spread of liberalism will lessen the need for the pursuit of power have not been able to ignore this development. Fukuyama in his book â€Å"America at the Crossroads† says that social engineering like that seen in Iraq leads to unexpected consequences and undermines its own ends. Therefore actions which are put forward as promoting peace and democracy turn into something they were not intended to be, the promotion of the national interest of the US. (New York Times, 2006 p. 2). Therefore a state whose power is so big it is unchecked is unable to police itself and act benevolently in the anarchic system. Its main concern is the accumulation of power and it will not be satisfied as purported by Waltz’ defensive realist view, by only seeking to acquire as much power so as to feel secure. (Bailys Smith 2005 p. 169-170). A world dominated by China A world dominated by China may be very different than the present world that has for the last two centuries been dominated by a western power. As already mentioned China’s rise will not result in it being status quo power and therefore it will not be happy to work within system determined by western values. (Guardian 2005 p. 2). China has different values to that of the west and its rise will lead to the promotion of those values through its economic, military and institutional power. Therefore as Huntingdon notes, the new fault-lines will not be between ideologies like the two World Wars and the Cold War but between civilizations. This is due to the different views that cultures have in regard to relationships such as the citizen and the state, husband and wife, liberty and equality. (Huntingdon 1993 p.25). The west has promoted its values of liberalism as being the universal values of the world community. But due to the anarchic structure of the system these values have been used to promote its national interest. China will appeal to those states who have different view of the world that the one being put forward by the US and other western states. These states will have similar cultural values to China which stress the subordination of individual rights and elevate consensus differ from the western beliefs of liberty, equality and individualism. (Huntingdon 1993 p. 29). Indeed China is forging links with states that the US deems as rogue states such as Iran with its recent gas deal worth $100 billion. The US has imposed economic sanctions on Iran and this gas deal is a clear sign that China does not intend to work within a system determined by the US. Further, Iran is looking to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which could act as a counterweight to US institutional power. (Asia Times 2004 p.1-2). The writer will look at China’s potential superpower status using the neo-realist theory and its conceptual and methodological framework. This will entail the use of secondary research methods by exploring the concepts of neo-realism through the scholars in this field. This theory rose to prominence during the late 1970s due to the writings of Kenneth Waltz. (Buzau in Zale ski 2002 p. 49). It rests on the earlier realist perspective of writers such as E H Carr and Hans Morgenthau, which was dominant in international relations in the post-World War II era. Realism also rose due to the inability of the liberal perspective and its principles to maintain peace in Europe. (Bur chill, 2001 p. 71). It was concerned with the causes of war and ways in which it can be prevented. (Buzau in Zale ski 2002 p. 48). EH Carr’s â€Å"The Twenty Years Crisis† was a critique of the liberal view that co-operation, under institutions such as the League of Nations, would render war obsolete. Carr’s theory was proven when World War I broke out the day after his book was published. (Bur chill 2001 p.71). Morgenthau’s work, Politics Amongst Nations (1948) sought to apply positivist methodology used in the natural sciences to international relations. Thus we can draw objective knowledge and laws from the social world in the same way that we can from the natural world. (Bur chill 2001 p. 77). He maintains that politics is governed by objective laws rooted in human nature and that human nature is reflected in the way states behave. The outcomes of the interaction of states are due to the behaviour of statesmen and thus human nature. (Bur chill 2001 p. 83). Morgenthau and Carr draw on a long philosophical heritage going back to the writings of Thucydides 460BCto 406BC and Niccole Machiavelli 1469 to 1527. The neo-realist perspective came about in response to the rise of liberal internationalism and their interdependency theory in the1970s. Neo-realism engages with this approach that deems the state tube less significant in an interdependent world due to the rise of institutions, regimes and transnational corporations. (Bailys Smith 2005 171). Realism recognised that it had to develop new tools to analyse these new developments. Thus realism reinvented itself sane-realism, acknowledging that such non-governmental actors exist, but they have to work within an anarchical international system where there is no overall authority above that of the sovereign state. This means states can never fully co-operate within these institutions due to the possibility that one state may gain more out of this co-operation. The anarchic structure of the system is where neo-realism departs from the earlier realist theory that human nature determines how states behave. Waltz’ systemic approach Waltz’ systemic approach is that it is the structure of the international system that determines the way states behave and not human nature. Despite this departure it can be said that there are core theoretical elements that underpin the earlier classical realism, modern realism of Carr and Morgenthau and Waltz’s structural realism. This is known as the realist triangle of state, survival and self-help. (Bailys Smith 2005 p. 163). The primary actor in the international system is the state. This can be traced back to Thucydides’ time when the unit of analysis waste city-state or polis. (Bailys Smith 2005 p. 163). That said, Carr and Morgenthau were less state-centric in that they did not envisage the state as the final form of political community. (Burchill2001 p. 76). The state is the only legitimate representative of the people and it uses this legitimacy to wield its authority within and outside the state. (Bailys Smith 2005 p. 163). The second core element is that of survival. The priority of the state is to ensure its own survival in the anarchic structure of the international system. This concept is present in Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Prince† which details what leaders must do to keep hold of their power. (Bailys Smith 2005 p. 174). The third concept is that of self-help that Waltz deems necessary to gain security in an anarchic structure. Hedley Bull’s â€Å"The Anarchical Society†(1977) concurs with Waltz that all states exist in an anarchical society where there is no higher authority than the sovereign state. Therefore national interest is the state’s first duty that ensures the right for citizens to feel secure within state borders. Self-help is necessary as this cannot been trusted to anyone else and this is achieved through the accumulation of power to reduce vulnerability in the anarchic system of states. The state’s first â€Å"law of motion† is to preserve the state and in order to do this it must pursue power. (Bailys Smith p. 162-3, 169). The writer has also been inspired by the academic Paul Kennedy (1989)in his book: â€Å"The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. The writer will use this thesis to assess whether China is rising at the expense of the decline of the US. According to Kennedy’s thesis the rise and fall of power is cyclical thus once a great power has arisen it must inevitably fall. A state that has achieved economic strength will protect that strength using military power but this involves great cost. Eventually the cost will be too great and the power will decline and be replaced as evidence by the decline of Britain in 1873. (Nye 1990 p. 3) The United States has undoubtedly been the great power of the 20thCentury. Will it remain so during the 21st century or will it fall and be replaced by China thus confirming Kennedy’s thesis that all great powers will eventually follow this decline thus paving the way for the next great power? There are those who believe the era of the superpower is coming to amend. Fukuyama believes that states will not need to rival each other for power. The spread of liberal democracy and its sidekick liberal economy has â€Å"triumphed† over other regimes. (Fukuyama 1992). It is further believed that open economies create interdependency and sharing of common interests. (Nye 1997-98 p. 76). Also, the state is in relative decline due to the emergence of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and (World Bank) and also MNCs (multinational corporations. (Bailys Smith 164). Even in the US Congress the former House of Representatives speaker Newt Gingrich does not regard China’s growth as in any way a threat whilst there are those who have views to the contrary. This highlights how the theoretical debate translates into apolitical one. There are those who view the universalism of western liberalism as unchallengeable and now the norm. This view may be borne out by the fragmentation of the Soviet Union but Matthew Rees views China’s position as similar to that of the Soviet Union in that it threatens western values of liberty and democracy. (Nye 1997-98 p.65-66) . Mearsheimer has also warned of complacency against the Chinese threat, stating of the current good relation between the two states: â€Å"this US policy (of containment) is misguided. A wealthy China would not be a status quo power, but an aggressive state, determined to achieve regional hegemony† (Mearsheimer 2001) Another writer in this field Joseph Nye refutes the claim that the state is in relative decline. His thesis is that the classic realist view of states as the most important actors cannot be disputed due merely to the rise of NGOs. This is because it underestimates the nature of the system of states that is anarchic in structure. Therefore if there is no higher authority to settle disputes the state cannot leave its survival to others. It must ensure its own survival and the only way this can be done is for the state to increase its power capabilities. (Bailys Smith 164). Thus in regard to on-state actors it is â€Å"business as usual† in that non-state actors must still work within a system of states. Thus states will still vie for power within these organisations. (Bailys Smith p. 173). This is the soft power element of the state. Definition of power â€Å"Man’s control over the minds and actions of other men†. (Morgenthau (1948) cited in Bailys Smith p. 173) Power is a highly contested concept because it is difficult to assess what elements actually constitute power. The traditional view of powers the possession of resources that include the size of population and territory, military might and economic strength. (Nye 1990 p. 26). Thus the resources of each state can be measured and compared. But measurement is not enough as evidenced during World War Two when France and Britain had more tanks that Germany but still Germany was able to outmanoeuvre the allies. Therefore when assessing power we also need to assess a state’s ability to convert its resources into such power assume states can do this more effectively than others. (Nye 1990 p.27). These avenues to power will be explored and the evidence that China has these capabilities will be extrapolated. The basis for power does not remain unchanged and must be assessed in its own context. For example the basis for power in 18th Century Europe was its population as it provided soldiers and tax resources. Today it is much more difficult to pinpoint the resources that provide the basis for power. (Nye 1990 p. 27) It is therefore not sufficient to look at the concept of power merely in terms of hard power or tangible resources. As Nye has noted in the post-cold war era there has been a shift in the balance of power in the anarchic system. The bipolar world has shifted to one that is unipolar with the US as the sole superpower. The US has exhibited all the usual traits associated with this position such as military, economic and territorial strength. But advances in technology and the emergence of NGOs and MNCs have meant a closer more interdependent world. Interdependence between states does not mean co-operation as liberals purport. It can be used to further national interest and this type of influence is the intangible soft power element of state apparatus. (Nye 1990 p.30). We can see soft power in action through the Washington consensus where the US is the leader in these institutions. We can also see soft power through the spread of the US’s liberal ideology in terms of economics and politics in what Fukuyama has called the â€Å"Triumph of Liberal Democracy†. (Fukuyama, 1992). This soft power has served to reinforce the US’s hard power resources by gaining it consent and legitimacy as the dominant power. (Nye 1990 p. 33). The universalism of American culture has also helped to further the power of the US by enabling it to establish values and beliefs that are consistent with its own society. Therefore the thesis of this dissertation is that China will be the next superpower by maximizing it’s hard power resources to secure itself in the anarchic system of states. Also, due to interdependence among states and the growth forgoes and MNCs it will seek soft power in its pursuit of power capabilities. The consequences of this systemic shift will mean the promotion of Eastern collective values over Western liberal individualistic tendencies. Part One: Hard Power Resources The Economy: If, as Kennedy suggests, China’s rise will be at the expense of the US, then at present most US concerns are directed at rapidly growing Chinese economy. There are certainly some impressive claims being made about the rise of Chinese economic power. Jeremy Warner writes that â€Å"like it or not, from China’s impact on finite world resources to climate change and the laws of supply and demand, it is transforming the way we live with a speed barely imaginable just a few years ago(The Independent January 27, 2006). Over the last 27 years, China has grown at an average rate of 9.6 present per annum, reaching a GDP of  £2.2 trillion in 2005 (The Independent January 27, 2006). In 1979, China represented 1 per cent of the world economy, with foreign trade totalling $20.6 billion. Today China accounts for 4 per cent of the world economy, with $851 billion in foreign trade, the third largest in the world (Fijian 2005, p19).There is of course still a lot of progress to be made – China’s economy for example is still only one seventh the size of that of the US(Fijian 2005, p19) but it is the rate of growth, along with plans for future expansion, the country’s high savings ratio, and plans to expand supplies of nuclear , clean coal, hydro-electric and renewable forms of energy that lead US experts to believe that one day China will challenge the US as the world’s dominant superpower. Larry Summers, former US Treasury Secretary has compared the integration of China into the w orld economy as one of the three great economic events of the last millennium – on a par with the renaissance and the industrial revolution (The Independent, July 23, 2005). The US has had similar fears about economic competition in the past. In the early 1980s it had concerns about the economic successes being enjoyed by Germany and Japan – fears that were allayed after stagnation in both countries. With China however, US fears appear to be deeper-rooted, primarily at the incredible rate of progress seen in China. Whilst the US economy may still be much larger at present, the rate of growth in China will continue to narrow the gap quickly. And of course, there is an ideological issue at the heart of the US fears about China– how is a Communist country succeeding where others have stumbled? The answer lies partly in America’s own attempts to take advantage of the economic conditions in China when Deng Xiaoping began to open up China to the rest of the world. China had historically been an insular nation, separated from the rest of the world and failing to make the most of its earlier technological advances. Deng understood that whilst China had a huge labour force, to succeed it needed to be organised, competitive in international markets and producing the type of goods that the rest of the world wanted to buy. For this to happen, China would need help from the outside world. The result has been huge foreign investments as companies from across the world have attempted to take advantage of China’s low labour costs. As Stephen King concludes, foreign investors have turned China into the world’s biggest assembly plant: â€Å"China may be a one-party state, but the authorities know all about Adam Smith and the division of labour† (The Independent, February 13, 2006). China is gradually picking off the economies of other G7 nations. Whilst its economy is still considerably smaller than Americas, by the end of 2004 it was bigger economically than France, Italy and Canada(The Independent, February 13, 2006). Germany and Japan are likely tube overtaken soon and then China will have the US firmly in its sights. It will have the opportunity to challenge US regional and global hegemony. Whilst there is an optimistic view that the economic growth in China will lead to long-term mutually beneficial cooperation with the US, more likely outcome is growing tension between the two. As China continues to grow, it will gradually begin to demand more of the world’s scarce resources – oil prices for example are already high and may be pushed higher by Chinese demand. The same will happen with other commodities with the result that China’s success increases the commodity bill for US consumers and increases global competition for raw materials. The US consumer may also put pressure on the government to curb Chinese economic expansion. With petrol being so lightly taxed in the US, motorists are affected directly by oil price rises. As The Economist reports: â€Å"they want somebody to blame and they may have heard that China is scouring the world to lock op oil supplies for its own ‘energy security’† (The Economist, September 3, 2005). Both the US and China have some common economic interests. Both benefit from free trade for example. However, with China now exporting six times as much to the US as it imports from it (The Economist, September3, 2005)., it is now China that has the most to gain, something of an irony after years of America hammering on its door to access Chinese markets. There have also been concerns in the US that China is trying to but its way into strategic assets within the US. In June 2005,CNOOC, a Chinese state controlled company attempted to buy Unocal, medium sized US oil company. Hawks within the US administration argued against allowing oil firms to fall into Chinese hands and, with public opinion in the US against the deal, it eventually fell through. The Chinese view on globalisation has been mixed. There is a view that globalisation gives a stronger reason for economic cooperation between economically strong states and certainly the acceptance of global brands into Chinese culture supports the argument that it has embraced globalisation. On the other hand, globalisation tends to reinforce US and Western interests first and foremost and the 1997-99 Asian financial crisis has convinced many within China that it could expose Chinese economic vulnerability. As Foot concludes: â€Å"with America’s advantage in technological innovation, revolution in military affairs and cultural domination, globalisation seemed to confer gains on Washington and thus further to reinforce the unipolar structure† (Foot2006 p82). Military Power To assess China’s rise to Superpower status we need to look at how it ranks in regard to military strength and capability. (Waltz 1979 p.131). The Neo-Realist view is that the nation-state is the most natural form of society and it should be defended for the national good. (Kennedy p. 90). Armies are essential for controlling land and bringing security to the nation state and which is the main objective in a world of states in a system of anarchy. (Mearsheimer p. 86). Due to competition for resources in a world of anarchy military powers a crucial instrument of the national interest. (Garnett, 1987 p.71). Thus military power is monopolised by states and used to protect states from external force. It is the capacity to kill, coerce or destroy and plays a significant part in international politics that will not be supplanted until the system of states is transformed. (Garnett 1987, p. 69-71). Those who have the most military strength are usually the most influential and the most respected in the system and certainly a proposition shared by Mao Ste-Tung’s saying that â€Å"political power grows out of the barrel of a gun†. (Garnett 1987, p.74). Recent analyses of the Chinese military threat from Washington have expressed growing concern. The 2005 Pentagon report concluded that China could threaten not just its smaller regional neighbours like Taiwan but eventually â€Å"modern militaries operating in the region.† This can be taken to include the US. (Washington Post July 23, 2005). Yee and Storey suggest that there are a number of contributing factors to the belief that China is gradually attempting to extend its influence in the region – 1)its territorial disputes with other countries in the region have intensified, 2) its rapid economic development has accelerated its military modernisation process and 3)China has elevated re-unification with Taiwan as a higher priority following the successful retrocession of Hong Kong in 1997 and Macau in1999(Yee and Storey, p4). These factors can be interpreted as evidence of strategic expansion in the region, with territorial claims on the islets in the South China Sea being seen in particular by China’s neighbours as a sign of a policy of expansion. The hard-line policy on Taiwan and the refusal to abandon the threat of military force against it is also seen as evidence of an aggressive state. As Harry Harding writes: â€Å"the rest of the world has viewed the prospect of a Greater China with both fascination and alarm. Some see it in benign terms, as a dynamic common market that provides growing opportunities for trade and investment. More frequently, however, there has been concern that the combination of economic and military resources available to China will pose a significant threat to the commercial vitality and the strategic stability of the rest of the region† (Yee and Storey p4). There is certainly evidence that China is building up its military capability to the point where it could at least challenge the US in the region. Whilst Kennedy had written in 1989 that China’s army is strong numerically but â€Å"woefully under equipped in modern instruments of war†(Kennedy 1989, p577), more recently China has bolstered its naval, submarine and cruise missile capabilities, is in the process of purchasing advanced aircraft systems and is building a nuclear missile arsenal that is capable of striking virtually all of the United States(Washington Post, July 23, 2005). Whilst much has been made of Chinese reforms since 1979 since in terms of economic growth, it is important to realise that there have been great efforts made to reorganise the military from the early 1980sonwards. Plans were put in place to reduce the People’s Liberation Army from 4.2 million to 3 million (Kennedy 1989, p579) and develop a much more professional force with a higher quality of personnel. In 2000, the total estimated strength of the Chinese military was 2.5million, of which an estimated 1.8 million are ground forces. The overall strategy for the PLA is an overall reduction and reorganisation of both equipment and personnel with a view to creating a more modern and mobile army. In terms of equipment, China falls a long way behind the US military but is looking to modernise. It has a tank inventory of around10,000,many of which are Soviet or Chinese built. Its air force possesses around 4,350 aircraft, the majority of which are combat aircraft. The government is also looking to develop a local aerospace industry that would have the capability to produce technologically advanced aircraft, whilst continuing to import aircraft from Russia. The government also has plans to buy a number of AWAC aircraft from Israel. More recently there have been statements from Chinese military strategists that indicate that China is gearing up to use its military hard power resources. Taiwan will be the most likely arena for the flexing of Chinese military power. General Wen Zinger , political commissar of the Academy of Military Science has stated that the Taiwan problem â€Å"is of far reaching significance to breaking international forces blockade against China’s rise†¦ to rise suddenly, China must pass through oceans and go out of the oceans in its future development(Washington Post July 23, 2005). For proponents of the Chinese threat, such statements support the realist view that China is seeking to increase then demonstrate its power in the international arena. Just as Morgenthau argues that the pursuit of power in world politics is both natural and justified, surrealists will argue that China will become unsatisfied with the existing global power structure and adopt a policy of imperial expansionism aimed at attaining both regional and global hegemony (Yeaned Storey 2002, p7). Whilst China also has the option of economic and cultural means to accomplish its strategic objectives, military force remains the most traditional form of imperialism, and the most likely course for China to take once its economy is fully developed. Joseph Nye observes that the ‘rise’ of China is actually a misnomer and that a more accurate term would be the re-emergence of China. Certainly, China has long been a major power in East Asia, and technologically and economically it was the world’s leader (though without global reach) from 500 to 1500, before being overtaken by Europe and America. Indeed, China’s re-emergence would equate with Kennedy’s argument that power across the globe is cyclical. China already has some issues with the US and the other great powers over foreign policies. As a member of the UN Security Council it has traditionally opposed the views of Western states on the international arena and is continuing to do so in spite of its closer economic ties with the West. Whilst China may accept that at the present time it must operate in a US-dominated unipolar world, it believes that its future should at least lie in a multipolar world encompassing the US, China, Europe, Russia and Japan (Foot, 2006, p81). Certainly during the 1990sthere was Chinese unease at the continued American dominance in global affairs with issues such as further NATO expansion eastward, the renegotiation of terms of the US-Japan alliance, US defence missile systems and intervention in Kosovo being of particular concern. China’s population can be both a hard power resource and a burden. Its current population of 1.3 billion is expected to continue to rise until2030 when it will peak at 1.5 billion before going into decline. Population of such a size is of course a huge resource in terms of manpower, yet a huge burden on the domestic economy and from a domestic security point of view and massive number of people over which to maintain effective control. Western states continue to lobby the Chinese government for greater democratisation, yet the fear of anarchy from a more liberalised system would appear to be keeping the leadership committed to an authoritarian regime. From a realist perspective, it is the combination of economic and military power of China that will ultimately lead to conflict with thus. The build-up of such hard resources will be seen as a threat by thus regardless of any ‘good neighbour’ policies that Chinese diplomats may point to. Realists within the US policy making sphere will argue that China is merely biding its time until its economy is strong enough to provide a basis for future hegemony. Thucydides argument that the belief in the inevitability of conflict can be the cause of war is appropriate here – if both sides believe they will eventually end up in conflict, the military build-up will continue, economic cooperation will fade away, and conflict will become unavoidable. China will eventually have to seek further power in order. Certainly, as the Chinese economy continues to grow, it is likely that its military power will increase. For example, early in 2005, it announced a 12.6 per cent increase in defence spending (Nye, Daily Times March 27, 2005), something that makes it appear more dangerous touts neighbours and further complicating US military commitments in Asia. A RAND study has projected that China’s military expenditure will be more than six times higher than Japans by 2015 and accumulated military capital stock at around five times higher (Daily Times, March27, 2005), again something that suggests it is looking to achieve regional hegemony before aiming its sights higher and looking for global hegemony. Whilst a global military challenge to the US in the short term is unlikely, there is certainly a possibility that China could challenge the US in East Asia, or even more probably over Taiwan. China would almost certainly intervene militarily if Taiwan were ever to declare independence, irrespective of the military or economic cost. No Chinese leader can afford to be seen as the one that lost Taiwan permanently and at present, the West’s main concern about the Chinese military rests ar