Admitting Turkey to the European Union

Turkey’s accession to the European Union (EU) has created such a hype over the years since its membership was suggested during the Helsinki European Council in December of 1999. Negotiations to Turkey’s accession started in October of 2005 with the discussion of EU’s set criteria for Turkey to examine and abide by.The formal conditions to which the EU has presented in the negotiations were based on the Copenhagen principle that was created in the 1993 European Summit. It stands on three precepts: First, that the candidate member should fully adapt to the EU law legislation. Second, the candidate should possess a fairly functional democracy, which naturally illustrates the principles that most EU members adhere to, which are respect for human rights and maintain cordial relations with their neighboring states.The last precept focuses on the candidate’s economic stance in the international community, which demonstrates the EU’s desire to maintain secu re economies both domestically and internationally (Arnold, 2007).Despite efforts to make Turkey’s transition into the EU community as smooth as possible, its progress has been hampered by political and cultural issues that has plagued the country’s socio-political environment, causing them to postpone its acceptance to the terms enlisted in the Copenhagen Criteria.The negative opinions of other EU member states does not help in moving the accession talks forward either as major players like France and Germany have openly expressed their concerns about admitting Turkey into the EU and has suggested that Turkey should be given the privilege to develop a close partnership with the EU instead (Arnold, 2007).These issues have been a topic of debate during the EU-Turkey accession talks and until both parties find a compromising position on all matters at hand, Turkey’s admittance to the EU might take a little bit longer.Geographical issueAccording to Arnold, the EUâ €™s predicament regarding Turkey’s accession is certainly deep-rooted in geopolitical terms. He has stated that a general consensus of creating the EU was to unify Europe, so in essence its precepts only encompasses those within the so-called European territory. It has been noted that what defines the EU is its geographical borders, clearly accentuated by lands and seas with centuries of shared poiltical, cultural and religious histories.Still, geography is an extremely difficult case for contention since it is an arbitrary construction which does not seem to correspond to any tangible reality. Moreover, the European territory is only real in the physical sense of the term, since Europe is part of the Eurasian plate (Arnold, 2007).In this case, the dispute on Turkey’s geopraphical location makes no sense as reservations about its European character has already been resolved by its default membership in numerous organizations, namely the Organization for Security an d Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), of which Turkey is a founding member, and its participation in international sports competition such as the UEFA cup, of which it has its own foorball team. Turkey is also a member of NATO, a Euro-Atlantic alliance that justifies its European placement (Arnold, 2007).Turkey location on the map is situated at the gateway to the Middle East, the Caucasus and central Asia, which makes them a key strategic player in all three regions. Based on these grounds, it is necessary for the EU to reconfirm the foundations of the core of all EU policies, and in particular, its geographical definition before it considers another country like Turkey as part of its community (Arnold, 2007).ImmigrationCifti’s article Reviving Turkey’s Stalled EU Drive mentioned that if EU would grant Turkey full membership status, it would invite additional problems to its member states in terms of population.Given that there is an understading of general freedom of move ment within the EU, internal instability in Turkey could result in the influx of migration to other parts of the EU member states.It is expected of EU member states to comply in accomodating such changes within their communities since it is honored in treaties created on behalf of the EU and its governmental policies but it could be considered a dilemma by those countries receiving the migration flows, most especially in France and Germany where a good number of Muslims and Turks populate certain parts of their communities (Cifti, 2008).One problem that could develop if ever this should come about, is the granting of citizenship to Turkish migrants, especially in countries like Germany, France and Sweden, who have no intention of granting citizenship to migrants living in their countries. Immigrants living in closed communities usually have more social, cultural and political difficulties living in harmony with the native citizens of their host country.This question gains additional weight as Europeans are witnessing efforts made by Turkish political, social and cultural institutions to target Turkish immigrants in EU countries (Demesmay &   Weske, 2007).There remain significant political challenges that Turkey must face up to, if it is to be ready for membership. For instance, the presence of the current Justice and Development (AKP) government   has created hesitations among EU members of Turkey’s ability to control its religious sect from affecting the democratic institutions of the country.The recent move to amend the constitution and lift the ban on wearing hijab or Islamic headscarves on college campuses has established the notion that Turkey may not be ready to integrate democratic policies into their systems as it will be met by opposing forces from the Islamic-ran government, alienating further its Armenian citizens (Jimenez, 2008).Based on this notion, Turkey presents itself to Europe as a country in which decisive political forces are sai d to be influenced by radical nationalism and religious fundamentalism and where much depends on the whims of theAKP government.The government’s incapacity to fully assimilate democratic procedures, independent jurisdiction, and evaluation of respect for human rights have created huge setbacks in its progress for development, which in turn has clouded the judgments of EU member states to gain trust of its fair imposition of the law.Other outstanding issues include restrictions on freedom of speech, which has been an issue of contestation as it is considered to be a pre-requisite for democratic processes, and the challenges faced by the Kurdish community over language rights and identity (Demesmay & Weske, 2007).The problems connected with the Armenians and Kurds create strong and lasting doubts in Europe which points out whether satisfactory standards will be reached in the foreseeable future (Jimenez. 2008).Foreign RelationsIn Arnold’s article, Political Arguments aga inst Turkey’s Accession to the European Union, he has stated that integrating Turkey would also be a strategic and diplomatic challenge for the EU, since its borders would run alongside countries as unstable and and unruly as Iran, Syria, and Iraq.Not to mention, the fact that the EU would have to face a possible handling of the Kurdish and Armenian problem since Turkey’s population is made up of small Kurdish and Armenian communities that are scattered between Turkey, Iraq and Iran. It was reported that Turkey has not excluded the possibility of military action in the Iraqi Kurdistan if the latter supported the slight signs of an independence movement amongst the Turkish Kurds   (Arnold, 2007).On the side of the EU, it has been observed that the bloc lacks cohesion, especially in dealing with its position in international relations. Its limitations to act as a single entity in major international decisions would be further divided if Turkey is granted EU membership since it would have to deal with common border issues with Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.Politically, it would get sucked into the messy political problems of Western Asia, most especially the situation in and around Iraq and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict (Arnold, 2007).Turkish foreign policy, moreover, is no longer passive since the beginning of the war against Iraq and the Turkish refusal to let American forces pass through Turkey has indicated that it has loosened its ties with the US and has begun to be active in the affairs of West Asia on a pro-Islam and pro-Arab basis   (Arnold, 2007).Although advocates of Turkish EU membership cheerfully label the Turkish role of being a bridge between Europe and the West Asia, its nature not be so loyally liberal and democratic and that the possibility and perhaps even the necessity of a Turkish orientation sometimes in the European, but at other times in another direction (Arnold, 2007).Therefore, one should beg the q uestion of whether social, cultural and political harmonization could be expected from EU’s relations with Turkey, parallel to what each member states currently possess with each other, or would Turkey’s accession to the EU perhaps only be possible if either camps were ready to give up essential parts of their cultural identity?Such questions are related to the argument that Turkey’s EU accession would be a historical milestone, as it sets forth in creating a European identity in Turkey (Arnold, 2007).Economic ImplicationsOn a positive note, Turkey could turn out to be a geo-strategic asset for the EU, notably by allowing the Union to bring an end to the US monopoly of the West Asia and by allowing it to control the flow of petrol and gas from the Caspian sea and the Gulf, thereby securing, in part, energy supplies for its member states.According to Barisch and Hermann, the key dynamics of the economic relationship between Turkey and the EU are clearly establish ed. Records show that 56% of Turkish exports goes to the EU, which is ten times that of any other export destination. Consequently, Turkey is the fifth largest export market of the EU, with European firms annually investing over â‚ ¬3bn (Barisch & Hermann, 2007).After economic setbacks in 1994 and at the turn of the millennium, economic reports illustrate that Turkey’s average has grown an annual rate of 6.8%.According to the World Bank, Turkey’s eventual membership could boost its GDP per capita growth by 1.5% per year, and allow it to expand as a market for European goods (Barisch & Hermann, 2007). In essence, the expansion that would take place if Turkey was granted membership in the EU would signify more weight in influencing world affairs.The Cyprus caseAnother major hindrance to Turkey’s accession is said to be its non-recognition of the Greek Republic of Cyprus. Common sense would argue as to how a country could ever become a part of an organization if the former does not recognize one of the organizations members?This was the reason for the closing of eight of the thirty five chapters of accession negotiations in 2006 as the EU cannot fully proceed with these conditions if Turkey refuses to abide by them   Ã‚  (Arnold, 2007).The Cyprus problem is more complex than it first appears. In fact, the two parts of the island were supposed to reunify in 2004 and enter the EU together. But when the Turkish part of Cyprus voted in favor of the UN plan for reunification, the Greek part voted agains it. The latter, therefore entered the EU alone, to the great displeasure of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots (Arnold, 2007).

Environmental Degradation Essay

The deterioration of the environment by natural or human forces is known as environmental degradation. Natural happenings like heavy rain, floods, storms, earthquakes, volcanoes etc. are not under human control and they play havoc with environment time to time by making the land unfit lor cultivation. Here man is helpless. He can do nothing except to see the havoc. But when man himself plays a vital role in degrading the environment in which he lives, and then the problem becomes more serious. Needless to say that environmental degradation is one of the major global issues. The overuse of resources is it land or water and the industrialisation process are the major causes of this phenomenon. Man has been felling the tress for his various purposes. He never minds if this process goes on without check it will lead to soil erosion, floods, silting of irrigation canals and cultivated lands, which finally degrade our environment. Our population is increasing fast, which has also degraded the environment to a great extent. Man’s insatiable needs and distress have disturbed the whole environmental equilibrium. The race of armament among countries is no less responsible for this global issue. Apart from these our industries emit smoke and discharge liquids including polluted water. The smoke contains many undesirable gases such as carbon monoxide and sulpher dioxide. All borne particles in solid, liquids and gaseous form. The pollution in atmosphere has tendency to form their layers and sinks in atmosphere. The chlorofluorocarbons which come from aerosol sprays nuclear weapons, refrigerators etc., have caused a hole in the ozone layer of atmosphere. This hole is allowing increased amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching our earth. The above mentioned factors have really degraded the environment and if ways to check it are not applied we will have face serious consequences. We must put an end to our ir satiable needs and desires. There must not be indiscriminate cutting of trees because it will lead to ecological imbalances. Instead, we should know the value of tree plantation and should plant trees as many as we can in our surrounding area. Next, our ever growing population must be checked because it puts an extra burden .on our natural resources. Last but not the least, factories should not be allowed to emit large quantities of harmful effluents into air through their chimneys. They should discharge them into the rivers aid other water bodies because this dirty water can be treated aid recycled to be used again. Our environment must be protected by all means. We must realise the fact that so long environment is there, our life is there. The day, when there is no environment, there will be a complete doom.

Creativity, Critical Thinking and Change Essay

1.1. Throughout this century, a famous painting entitled The Man with the Golden Helmet was believed to be the work of the Dutch master Rembrandt. Some years ago it was proved to have been painted by someone else. Some people would say that the truth about this painting changed. Do you agree? Explain. The book tells us that truth is the accurate representation of objective reality, and that our assumptions, and wishes do not affect the reality of the facts. With that being said; I would say yes the truth about the painting changed. Since there is hard evidence that proves it was not the work of Rembrandt then, the truth has changed. 1.2. Examine each of the following cases in light of what you’ve learned about truth in this chapter. State your view and explain why you hold it. a. Ira is a journalist. Will the belief that he can create his own truth make him more or less likely to value accuracy in his reporting? If Will believes he can make his own truth it will make him less likely to value accuracy in his reporting. The news is one thing and opinions are another. By creating his own truth he is interjecting his opinions, and ignoring the facts of the news. b. Bruce is prejudiced against minorities and women. Which of the following beliefs would be more helpful in overcoming his prejudice; the belief that truth is subjective and created; or the belief that truth is objective and discovered? Explain your reasoning. I would say that belief that truth is objective and discovered would help Bruce in overcoming his prejudice in minorities and women. This way of thinking about truth relies on facts, and historical truth; where Bruce could look back at history and find instances where women and minorities have excelled. If Bruce continues to believe that he can create his own truth, it is likely he will continue to not look at the facts and continue to judge people based on race and gender. c. Most students can use additional motivation to learn. Will the belief that they can create their own truth help or hinder their motivation? Explain. The book tells us that this belief can stifle success because it leads one to believe that just the belief – not talent or hard work will guarantee success. This will hinder motivation because belief in oneself is just part of the equation for success. If they believe that truth is discovered this will help motivate them to study hard and be successful. 1.3. Classify each of the following exchanges as (a) an actual contradiction or (b) a near contradiction. Briefly explain each choice. MAVIS: Big time college sports are corrupt. Near contradiction. The statement can be both true and false in the same way at the same time. Not all big time college sports or corrupt, but some are. CORA: You’re absolutely wrong, Mavis. Â  Actual contradiction. The statement cannot be true and false in the same way at the same time. Mavis is wrong or right. KAREN: There are very few real heroes today. Â  Near contradiction. This is an opinion so it can both be true and false in the same way at the same time. HANNA: I think there are more today than there have ever been. Actual contradiction. This statement cannot be true and false in the same way at the same time. BRAD: Look at that new Lincoln across the street. Actual contradiction. This statement cannot be true and false in the same way at the same time. CLARA: That isn’t a Lincoln – it’s a Mercury. Â  Actual contradiction. This statement cannot be true and false in the same way at the same time.

Ancient Indian Mathematics

There are opposing views prevalent regarding the prominence of mathematics in ancient India. One, there are those who make excessive claims for the antiquity of Indian mathematics with the motive of emphasizing the uniqueness of Indian mathematical achievements. Whereas, the other conflicting views denies the existence of any ‘real’ Indian mathematics before A. D. 500. This view is the result of deeply entrenched Euro centrism that does not negotiate with the idea of independent developments in early Indian mathematics. Whereas mathematics grew out of philosophy in ancient Greece, it was an outcome of linguistic developments in India. In fact the algebraic character of ancient Indian mathematics is but a byproduct of the well-established linguistic tradition of representing numbers by words. ? Around 800 B. C. Vedic mathematics declined and Jains School of mathematics gradually which was to do notable work in the field. ? From about 200 B. C. was period of instability and fragmentation due to foreign invasions but also of useful cross cultural contacts. Probably the only piece of existing mathematical evidence from this period is the Bakhshali manuscript. ? This period ranges from 3rd to 12th centuries and is referred to as the classical period of Indian civilization. Mathematical activities reached a climax with the appearance of the famous quartet: Brahmagupta, Mahvika and Bhaskracharya. Indian work on astronomy and mathematics spread westward, reaching the Islamic world where it was absorbed, refined and augmented before being transmitted to Europe. This last period described as the medieval period of Indian history, saw the migration of astronomy and mathematics from the north to south. Particularly in present day state of Kerala, this was a period marked by remarkable studies of infinite series and mathematical analysis that predated similar works in Europe by about three hundred years. Harappan society was a highly organized society. There is every possibility that the town dwellers were skilled in mensuration and practical ar ithmetic of a bid similar to what was practiced in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Archaeological findings from that period provide the following indications of the numerate culture of that society: ? It shows uniformity of weights over such a wide area and time which is quite unusual in the history of metrology. Taking 27. 584 grams as a standard, representing 1, the other weights form a series of 0. 05, 0. 1, 0. 2, 0. 5, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500. Such standardization and durability is a strong indication of a numerate culture with wellestablished, centralized system of weights and measures. Scales and instruments for measuring length have also been discovered with remarkably high accuracy. A notable feature of Harappan culture was its extensive use of kiln-fired bricks and the advanced level of its brick-making technology. These bricks are exceptionally well baked and of excellent quality and may still be used over and over again provided some care is taken in removing them in the first place. Fifteen different sizes of Harappan bricks have been identif ied with standard ratio of the three dimensions as 4:2:1. It was thought until recently that from them evolved first the Bakhshali Number system and then the Gwalior system which is recognizably close to our present day number system. In both Bakshati and Gwalior number systems, ten symbols were used to represent 1 to 9 and zero. With them it became possible to express any number, irrespective of its largeness, by a decimal place value system. Long lists of number- names for powers of 10 are found in various early sources. In the Ramayana, it is reported that Rama had an army of 1010 +1014 +1020 +1024 +1030 +1034 +1040 +1044 +1052 +1057 +1062 +5 men. The very existence of names for powers of ten up to sixty two indicates that the Vedic Indians were quite at home with very large numbers. This is to be compared with ancient Greeks, who had no words for numbers above the myriad (104). The Jains who came after the Vedic Indians were particularly fascinated by even larger numbers which were intimately tied up with their philosophy of time and space. For units of measuring time, the Jains suggested following relationship: 1 purvis = 756 * 1011 days 1 shirsa prahelika = (8,400,000)28 purvis The last number contains 194 digits! The word numeral system was the logical outcome of proceeding by the multiples of 10. Such a system presupposes a scientifically based vocabulary of number names in which the principles of addition, subtraction and multiplication are used. Â  Due to oral mode of preserving and disseminating knowledge, the wordnumeral system persisted in India. As a replacement to this, a new concrete system was devised to help versification and memory, known as bhutasamkhya, wherein numbers were indicated by well-known objects or ideas.

Wanting to become an auditor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wanting to become an auditor - Essay Example The spirit of the law is demonstrated by examining the legitimate goals of a company, which provide it with ethical direction and by examining the duties of the accounting professionals who are accountable to the company as well as the general public. These professional responsibilities are determined by their legitimate economic functions. The major responsibilities of the external auditor are first, to evaluate financial statements and ensure that such statements reflect the financial facts of a company and second, to closely monitor the financial markets and query irregular practices that would obfuscate the facts. To achieve these objectives the auditor has to resort to professional skepticism.1 The competence of an accountant is dependant to a very large extent on the skill possessed in handling numbers. Since, this skill can be used to misrepresent and distort the true position, it has to be concluded that in the absence of morality a good accountant is not a moral or ethical accountant. The auditor’s duty is to ensure that accounting or the language of business is properly utilized so that the financial data is interpreted correctly. Moreover, the function of the independent auditor is that of a watchdog and the auditor has to ensure that the companys assessments are reasonable and not at variance with the reality. Further, these assessments are to be made on the basis of a consistent policy, which does not change over the years. It is the duty of the external auditor to certify that the financial statement of a company fairly represents its financial position as such certifications are essential requirements for an efficient financial market. The spirit behind these functions has been seriously violated in recent years. Blind insistence on compliance with the principles, practices and conventions has relegated to the background the all important requirement that financial statements should provide clear and unambiguous details of the

Population Impact on Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Population Impact on Environment - Essay Example The size of population has a great impact on the environment. With the increasingly growing number of the world population, the natural resources are also under increasing pressure. If the population continues to grow with the current rate, more and more resources will be consumed, which will be a major threat to public health and development. Only 10,000 years ago the world population was one million, by 1960 it was 3 billion and currently the world population is seven billion (Emmott). According to estimates, the world population by 2050 will increase by 9 billion and maybe in some part of the future there will be ten billion of us (Emmott). The numbers of the growing population are shocking and outrageous. The large population numbers have a humongous impact not just on the environmental resources, but also the world climate, human health and the economic situation. The last century exhibited a rise in the population number and also revealed some major effects on the environment and public health. Developing countries consume more and more resources, because of the fast rate of population growth and need the resources to improve their living standards. On the other hand, developed countries have stronger economies and consume more resources than they can regenerate (Hinrichsen and Robey). The environmental sector showed that unclean water is supplied to major part of the population and kills 12 million people annually, majority of the victims are in the developing countries.

UNDERSTANDING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Research Paper

UNDERSTANDING FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - Research Paper Example A balance sheet is split into three parts; assets, liabilities and stockholder’s equity. Assets are the economic resources possessed by a firm. Liabilities are a firm’s debt or obligations to acquire its assets. Stockholder’s equity is the total value of a firm’s common stock in addition to the additional paid-in capital and retained earnings. A basic rule of finance is that all business transactions are documented on the balance sheet at the dollar value actually decided at the time of the transaction. This suggests that, recording all of the firm’s transactions at their historic cost is the factor that the net worth of the firm illustrated on the balance sheet should not be mixed with the sales or appraised value. Net worth or stock holder’s equity on the balance sheet simply shows the difference between assets and liabilities (Bernstein & Wild, 2000). Income statement, which is also known as the profit and loss statement, statement of operations or statement of income, is another major financial statement. Income statement summarizes the firm’s revenues and expenses over a specified time, concluding with the net income or loss for the period. The income statement is divided into three parts; revenue, expenses and the net income. Revenue is cash inflows or acquiring of assets of a firm during a specified period. Expenses are the outflow or using of the assets, or incurrence if liabilities during a specified period. Net income on an income statement is the total sum earned or lost by the firm during the accounting period. Using the accrual method of accounting, sales are documented on the income statement when the goods and/or services associated with those sales are delivered or shipped to the customer. The cost of goods sold is recorded on the income statement at the same time the sales are recorded. Sales and cost of good s sold are also recorded in spite of of when the firm gets cash for the goods delivered