Is US foreign policy driven by oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Is US foreign policy driven by oil - Essay Example The U.S. foreign policy is thus energy driven and security driven and these factors are integrated to exhibit the American dominance over the world (Bromley, S 2005 p.225 - 227). ‘Blood for oil’ is the term coined by social and political analysts to explain the overt actions of the United States to secure the oil fields in the Middle East. Michael Klare critises the national security policy of United States in Blood and oil. The author argues that the military and foreign policy of US has been driven by the need to ensure a safe method to source foreign oil specifically from the Middle East. Dependence on oil from foreign sources is continuously gowing and the US forces are deemed to fight to secure oil producing nations and supply routes. It is further argued that even if the United States diversifies its foreign oil supply sources, there is very less probability that the dependence on Gulf oil would reduce and the diversifiication of sources may increase the probablities of American involvement in conflict in other parts of the world. In the race to secure major shares of oil from other competitive nations, the U.S. is also highly probable to engage in war with China and Russia. Klare concludes by suggesting methods to reduce the costs involved for oil dependence that comes in the way of war and disharmony. The alternative methods suggested include a better national energy strategy of integrity and autonomy that detaches its method to secure energy from security obligations to governments abroad, reduction of oil consumption and to speed up methods to develop alternative energy sources. In short, Klare critices the foreign policy of U.S. that brings in consequences that are much underappreciated (Klare,M 2004). The national interest of United States is to remove any encumbrances or obstacles that obstruct the Americans in their pursuit for a better living and happiness. In

Life History of an Elderly Person Anthropology of Aging Essay

Life History of an Elderly Person Anthropology of Aging - Essay Example Collecting and preserving first-hand information about a person is the aim of oral history, alongside making it available to researchers. Researchers should give careful attention to equipment selection, legal and ethical issues, and processing techniques which all characterize the oral history process (Sommer and Quinlan, 2002: 1). This paper ultimately aims to answer the question, "Can a particular theory of ageing help explain aging in mainstream culture" Mr. WB is a 71-year old retired and divorced Irish-American man who presently lives in Illinois. Before proceeding to his actual life history, it is deemed important as well to mention his vital physical characteristics, as they might contribute to further analyzing health associations. He measures 5'9" in height, weighs 200 lbs., has impaired vision due to a developing cataract in both eyes, and has thinning white hair. The interview process was undertaken at daytime in his rented apartment, in which the informant expressed willingness to participate in order to fulfill the purposes of this paper, and requested for anonymity which shall be the case nonetheless. The interview took place for about two and a half hours. Mr. WB's Life from Birth to Present Mr. WB was born on June 29, 1937 in an Irish family who decided to settle in Salem, Oregon and moved to Illinois after seven years. He is second in the siblings of four, in which he has two brothers and a sister. His father, a tailor, died of a heart attack when he was eleven, and his mother, a nursing aid who never remarried, became a lone parent since. Because of poor economic condition, none among the four was able to make it through college and Mr. WB himself managed to finish through the ninth grade only. Mr. WB had his first sexual encounter when he was fifteen, with a girl he was fondly infatuated. This rite to passage made him want to explore more things, such as chasing girls and trying 'new stuffs' like smoking, going to the woods to hunt squirrels, and working in a local burger stand upon turning sixteen. He met Ms. EW when he was nineteen, felt he was in love, wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and finally got married. The first few months of their marriage were happy and memorable. Ms. EW, now Mrs. WB, had two miscarriages occurring both in the first trimester of pregnancy. The second miscarriage, which almost took her life, made the couple decide not to have a child at all anymore. Mr. WB worked as a clerk at a local manufacturing firm while Mrs. WB stayed at home for a while and took care of the household chores and decided to work at a nursing home after a few years. Twenty-eight years ago, Mr. WB, who was 50 by then, had an illicit relationship with a younger woman in their office which was later discovered by his wife. The affair had been going on for almost a year upon the discovery. The woman, a 25-year old co-worker, was