It's been twenty years now since my wife and I arrived on the Promised Land. I can remember even now, very clearly, how scared we were. As time went by, I realized that on top of my wonderful family I had something very precious here: an adoptive country that welcomed us with open arms. This provided us with the support network we needed to feel home. Why am I choosing diplomacy? We’ve always been proud for achieving our dream to become Americans. I grew up with my grandfather pointing to the skies and reassuring me that one day the Americans will come to save us. This was happening behind the Iron Curtain, in Communist Romania. Growing up, I experienced fear of the secret police, bread queues and other nasty manifestations of life in a one-party …show more content…
It was thus a country where people were obliged to withdraw into themselves to survive. Under these circumstances it was possible, in spite of everything, to celebrate with family and friends and read books; the theatres were packed and people flocked to the mountains or sea for their holidays. The standard car, the Dacia, was a trusty means of transport, taking Romanians wherever they needed to go, in particular to search for food from friends or relatives in the country – even when fuel was rationed and people had to queue for days to fill the tank. The black market flourished: everything was available, from domestic staples to Western goods like deodorant, soap, coffee, whiskey or even VCRs, which would be bought and sold for the price of a car. But the owners of such appliances could then spend evenings watching American films, also smuggled into the country on …show more content…
My primary motivation is to serve my adoptive country—a desire born from the desire to give something back to the country that welcomed me with open arms. I had considered the armed forces in the past but was more interested in other areas of public service. A secondary motivation is for my family to have broad cultural experience. I’ve always felt that early and often foreign exposure taught me to relate with humility to other cultures, instilled a love of learning, and built a respect for history. I want the same and more for my children. I can also think of many more motivating factors. People in the Foreign Service enjoy daily challenges, variety of work, and opportunities to learn new languages, experience other cultures, and make a real difference in people’s lives. My final motivation is my belief in the power of diplomacy. I know that diplomacy can’t solve everything, but I know from experience that people separated by vast geographical and cultural gulfs can find common ground in an afternoon of conversation. I know that diplomacy happens every time two people interact. So I’m committed to a lifestyle of personal diplomacy that, while it may never directly influence world leaders or policy makers, will hopefully impact the hearts and minds of individuals I meet on a daily basis. And who knows, maybe those individuals will go on to preach against terrorism, treat their wives and
Steven Hook and John Spanier's 2012 book titled “American foreign policy since WWII" serves as one of the most important texts that can be used in understanding the underlying complexities on American foreign policies. Like the first readings that are analyzed in class (American Diplomacy by George Kennan and Surprise, Security, and the American Experience by John Lewis Gaddis), this text also brings history into a more understandable context. Aside from being informative and concise in its historical approach, Hook and Spanier also critiques the several flaws and perspectives that occurred in the American foreign policy history since World War II.
The first SO Imperative that I will discuss is understanding the operational environment. The Honorable Louis Sears was the American Ambassador to the country of Sarkhan. He was disliked by the Sarkhanese because his manners annoyed them and he only knew a few words of their language. Those characteristics led the Sarkhanese to believe that he was stupid and their editorial cartoons reflected that. Louis Sears is a good example of not understanding the operational environment. Had he understood the operational environment he would have had a deep understanding of the Sarkhanese culture. Through his actions or lack there of he demonstrated that he knew practically nothing about the Sarkhanese. As an Ambassador, Louis Sears was a disgrace. To be an effective ambassador one should know their operational environment inside and out.
President Jimmy Carter assumed the role as Commander-in-Chief with very little experience in foreign policy, hence why the few diplomatic achievements and foreign affairs he orchestrated were overlooked due to being too regionalized and or utterly ineffective. Carter was a sensational humanitarian, with the emphasis of his foreign policy on human rights, but it was also his kryptonite to being an effective leader. His policy efforts to achieve peace took decades to see results, and moreover ironically produced greater global instability and never established peace. Carter’s international campaign to bring awareness towards human rights and the negative impacts of communism on the people lives failed because “By the time Carter became
Imagine standing at the gate of the happiest place on earth. Completely in awe at its beauty, it's magic, and it’s history; knowing you can't go in. Living in the United States, you may be thinking the magical place I can't get into is Disneyland, but it is my home country, Iran. My family had to leave Iran during the revolution; the Iran I left, the home I loved and the place I grew up in no longer exists. What stands now is what's left of a country torn apart by war. I cannot return to my country for fear I will be imprisoned for treason; I can stand on the mountain top and look at its beauty and remember what was, but I cannot go inside. As in this example, after civil unrest, war, and revolution, people sometimes live in exile. They fear for their lives because their lives appear to not mean anything to their government. They will be able to watch their native land change, for better or for worse, but they will not be able to affect or experience it firsthand. Fortunately, countries
The American Dream was derived from the United States Declaration of Independence which states that, “All mean are created equal” and that they are “endowed by their creator with certain inalienable Rights” including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (US 1776). This means that every person has equal opportunity
There are various individuals throughout the world who believe that the American Dream cannot be achieved by all people. Those who agree with this view believe that our culture contains too many roadblocks and obstacles. Some of these obstacles include prejudice, poverty, and social inequality. Another view on this matter is that others believe that America is the “Land of Opportunity”. They also believe that if you can believe it, you can achieve it. Back in the early 20th century, The American Dream meant something to people; nowadays it is a term that various people loosely throw around. The American Dream is not realistic because it is not attainable to everyone like Cal Thomas presumes and although education, budget cuts and lack of employment may seem of some concern to only a small group of people, it should in fact concern anyone who cares about the status of the economy.
missing works cited It is the intent of this paper to prove that the "American Dream" can. best be explained as a "city upon a hill." "City upon a hill" meaning " being above and superior to those below. The Civil War, the imperialistic race of the 19th century, the Korean War, the KKK, and the Gulf War are all.
In the summer of 2009, on June 29 the legendary Michael Jackson was announced dead. Michael Jackson was a music genius and prodigy. The King of Pop was the most successful entertainer of all time. For four decades, Michael Jackson changed the way artists all over the world looked at dance, music and fashion, making him a global icon in pop culture. He truly changed the world. Most people would look at him and say he lived the American Dream to the fullest. From the talent to the fame, he had it all. He was successful, rich, famous, and admired all over the world but do these aspects of his life really relate to those of someone who has lived the American Dream? Many people when talking about the idea of the “American Dream” primarily thinking of the romantic aspects of this idea. People think of the key elements of the American Dream such as equality, liberty, independence, hard work and success.These romantic elements of the American Dream are then emphasised in the world. People much like Walt Disney built an empire off of these romantic ideals such as “You can be who you want”, “ If you can dream it, you can do it”, and “Hard work equal success”. These parts of the american dream are the very appealing parts of the american dream characterize. This side talks about the reverse of the romantic ideals. For example, how hard work does not always result in success, there are many other factors that contribute to those that are highly successful. Every American wants to live out the american dream of equality, liberty,hard work equals success but in reality is it very rarely obtained. These ideals from both the romantic and the realistic side of the american dream are strongly expressed in books such as Great Gatsby, The Outlier...
Give an outline of how the American Dream is interpreted in texts 2, 3 and 4.
To do what makes oneself happy. The American Dream is represented in many different ways and every person lives and chases a different version of the American Dream. Chris McCandless lived his American dream by walking alone into the wilderness of Alaska. The song written by Toby Keith, “American Soldier”, shows the price some pay for their dreams and ours to come true. Jay Gatsby died trying to acheive his dream and get the girl he loved, but died happy because he had pursued her until his death. The band All Time Low wrote a song called “The Reckless and The Brave” that brings a new light to how we go about achieving our dreams. So I believe that the American Dream is all about doing what will make you the happiest in the end.
A writer, George Monbiot, once said, “If wealth was the inevitable result of hard work and enterprise, every woman in Africa would be a millionaire”. John Steinbeck’s views on the American Dream in his novella Of Mice and Men agrees with Monbiot because Steinbeck expresses the American Dream as obtainable, but not for everyone. In his novella, the characters George Milton and Lennie Small acquire a job at a ranch in the Salinas Valley during the Great Depression. These men have their own American Dream that they work towards, yet don’t achieve. Through these characters, Curley’s wife, and Crooks, Steinbeck illustrates that even through hard work and the drive to succeed, people may not always achieve their own American Dream.
In late 2013, my world completely changed. The news began showing violent protests happening in my hometown. It started over something as a demand for the corrupt mayor to step down, and has evolved into the heart wrenching beast that is civil war. Hindu-speaking laborers in North-East India began to experience attacks by rebel groups, claiming more than 300 lives and counting. Fortunately for myself and my immediate family, I live in the safety of a first-world country like Canada, and I can observe the events unfold from a distance. Checking the news daily and talking with relatives on the phone every weekend to get information from somebody who has seen the events in person. First of all, I have become a very strong patriot; I’m learning my country’s history, I passionately defend it if somebody makes a negative comment on it, and I even got a big flag on my wall.
While we were incredibly fortunate enough to escape the war, we continued to carry the trauma and distress of war well into our time in America, as several of our friends and relatives remained in our war torn hometown. I was too young to remember the trauma caused directly from the war that my parents are doomed to live with, However the pain of having to hear my mother sobbing through the night over the death of her sister is beyond enough to remind me of the tremendous opportunities I have been given here in America. My family was extremely fortunate to escape the war, but it would not have been possible without the best resource of all, my parents. The amount of steadfast, unconditional commitment which my parents had and continue to have for our family is beyond my level of comprehension. After escaping the war my parents were dedicated to giving our family an improved life compared to the one we left in the DRC. This dedication to a higher quality of life is the reason why my siblings and I have the opportunity to attend a university and accomplish something with our
Globalization has many implications for leadership today and in the future. Global perspectives are being spread to the farthest points in the world and to the most isolated people. People of different cultures come to the United States daily to live, travel, or engage in business. Leaders must respond to this challenge of globalization so they can effectively reach out to as many people as possible. Opening themselves to the world's changes allows leaders to compare and contrast their culture with the arts, language, beliefs, customs, philosophies, and ways of living of other people. By observing and questioning another culture, leaders can understand the origin of an individual's viewpoints and become more sensitive to the cultural needs of that individual. By continually exposing themselves to other cultures, young leaders can thoroughly develop this global perspective and devote themselves to making connections with the entire world.
Another casual night: the air is sticky, and the water is scarce, all throughout the country the sound of gunshots are ringing through the air. For most people, this “casual” night is beyond their wildest imagination, but for Syrians it is an ongoing nightmare. Faced with the trauma of a civil war, Syrian refugees seek protection and a more promising future than the life they currently live in their oppressive country. Many seek refuge in other Middle East countries like Turkey and Jordan, but others search for hope in the icon of freedom, the United States of America. However, in America, there is an ongoing debate about whether or not Syrian refugees should be accepted. America needs to accept the Syrian refugees because if they do not, the