Maghreb

Why do Southwest Asia and North Africa form a useful world region? What are some of the problems associated with defining the region? Southwest Asia and North Africa form a useful world reason because the countries that make it up are fairly similar in climate and culture, and in their wealth of oil. In terms of climate, this region consists mostly of desert, making this region useful in grouping these countries together. Culturally, this region is cited as the place the major world religions…

On the 7th of January 2015, gunmen entered the office of Charlie Hebdo and shot dead 12 people, injuring a further 11. Then ensued what the BBC describes as ‘three days of terror’, as the police attempted to track down the gunmen before they escaped. (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30708237) In the end, the gunmen were shot dead by the police. These series of events raised a massive public outcry, from within France itself, throughout Europe and all over the world. The events of charlie…

Introduction The horrific terrorist attacks conducted on September 11, 2001 (regularly referenced as 9/11), grievously effected the lives of countless Americans, and forever changed the course of the nation’s history. The once seemingly impervious nation became defenseless, as a faceless enemy emerged, converting large passenger jets into offensive weapons. The unanticipated siege resulted in the death of approximately 2,977 Americans, with another 6,000 wounded. The horrendous event…

Summary: Chapters 1-5 The book The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra’s first five chapters introduce the reader to an overview of the four main characters and shows the theme of mob mentality. Atiq Shaukat whips the people in his way so that he can move through the crowd quicker. Atiq is getting late, he needs to go to the jail in order to hand over prisoners for execution. Mohsen Ramat is in a crowd of people that are chanting for the blood of a woman. The woman is to be publicly stoned to…

The latter half of the nineteenth century was an era of unprecedented rapid expansion for European civilization. This growth was the result of multiple factors originating from within Europe— such as the Industrial Revolution, and the development of the highly organized nature of European nation-states— but had consequences that resonated far outside European borders (Jones). The expansion of European industry and economy created an inter-European power struggle, and “one way to demonstrate…

The eighteenth century highlighted the strengths of the European powers , and the weaknesses of the Ottoman Empire. For three hundred and eighty three years , the Ottoman Empire, built and managed to maintain their territories over the Middle East. However, the West was achieving political , military and economic superiority at a rapid pace. This sort of rivalry was not unfamiliar with the Ottomans , yet it was quite alarming to them. They were not fond of the thought that perhaps the European…

Marxist theory states that “capitalists enjoy profits due to surplus value” (Aviles). Rodney argues that this so called ‘surplus’ was African labor and raw materials: “colonies should exist for the metropoles by producing raw materials and buying manufactured goods, the underlying theory was to introduce an international division of labour” (177). This point was demonstrated through examples such as the slave trade, wage labour, technological advancement, and politico-military advances. These…

1. Cultural boundaries- boundaries between states that coincide with differences in ethnicity, especially language and religion; another cultural boundary is drawn according to geometry. Example: Based on language, Quebec, and a can be considered a cultural boundary. In Quebec, french is their official language, but the rest of the country predominantly speaks English. Chinatown, which exists in New York City, is another example. Asian’s predominantly inhabit this area, and languages such as…

Al-Qa’ida (‘the Base’) is an international terrorist organization that was founded by Osama bin Laden in August of 1988. Bin Laden, a son of a wealthy and prominent Saudi family, trained and fought with the mujahedeen in Afghanistan during the 1989 Soviet Invasion of the country. The organization continues to pose a threat to regions of North Africa and the Middle East, as well as various Western countries. This organization seeks to unite Muslims as a means of overthrowing any regimes that the…