Reading a Book or Watching Its Adaptation: Which Is Better?

Reading a book or watching its adaptation:  Which  is better? When a film is made from a book, it is called  Ã‚  an adaptation. From the beginning, film-makers have  made films based on novels, short stories, biographies and plays;  of these adaptations,  Ã‚  novels  have always been the most popular choice (Difference). And what are the main differences between books and adaptations? Films have limited time, whereas books can be lengthy, so books can develop more of a plot and characterization.A classic complaint about movie versions concerns the omission of material that the reader finds important. If the director must make a film that is the proper length for a theatrical release, there is no way to include everything, especially when it comes from a long novel. Some people consider this an advantage of adaptations; others, on the contrary, find it a great disadvantage. Here are two opinions of people discussing Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring in the co mments on â€Å"WiseGEEK† website.Anon272367 writes: â€Å"Imagine, for example, a â€Å"Fellowship of the Ring† [sic] movie that covered every single damn detail in the book. Trust me when I say this: I wouldn't watch it† (Better). His opponent, anon260109, writes: â€Å"Jackson's ear was deaf to Tolkien's elaborately crafted back story of ancient mysteries and he threw away their music, not realising that the books are unlike any other fantasy novel in that they were written by a man who constructed them on an intimate knowledge of the Old English language, mythology and storytelling† (Better).One more difference is that books require the reader to use his or her imagination to visualize what is happening while films normally visualize it for the viewer. Films leave little to viewers' imaginations. When reading, a person is creating his or her own movie in a sense, and he or she decides many of the important parts: how the characters speak, what they lo ok like, and what their surroundings look like. Hr30 expresses the same opinion: â€Å"Often when a writer uses description, the way I imagined it is far different to the way it is interpreted in the film.I think the beauty of books is that you can develop your own way of thinking about them, whereas often (though not always) a film directs you into one way of thinking† (Prefer). Films have one thing that is a book cannot: sound. Music, environmental sounds and sound effects make adaptations thrilling and interesting. Even some boring (in my personal opinion) episodes from books, such as battles of war, look fascinating in films. There is no right answer to the question stated in the title of this text, and there is no common opinion.There are people who prefer books; for example lou1987 wrote the following: â€Å"I prefer the books. I suppose, [sic] one of the main reasons is that the books are what the films are based on, and so contain far more detail than can ever be por trayed in a film. Also, films present to you what is happening visually, and for me, I prefer to read a book and create the setting and build characters in my head† (Prefer). Some people, though there are few of them, choose films. Anon122072 writes: â€Å"i [sic] think movies are better because it's easier with a visual aid† (Better).But the majority of people like both books and their adaptations. Anon272367: â€Å"Reading for me is not more enjoyable than watching a movie. They are on 100 percent equal footing. Why would anyone ever in a million years walk into a theater and expect a similar experience to opening a book? It's foolish to expect them to be the same† (Better). Sometimes people who prefer books admit that there are good adaptations: â€Å"I guess what I’m trying to say is that sometimes  movies  do  get it right.There are quite a few examples that fall into this category: The  Wizard of Oz,  The Lord of the Rings, and  Gone Wit h the Wind  are ones that spring to mind† (Page). To my mind, books are better than films because watching a movie is almost always a passive experience, so there is far less thought process involved. I like closing the book and thinking about the problems it deals with. Don't get me wrong; I love watching movies, but nine times out of ten, watching movie adaptations is disappointing. Sometimes it is bad to read a book before watching its adaptation, but it is even worse to read after you’ve watched  the movie.So I still read books and watch adaptations and try to find something good in every version. Works Cited 1) â€Å"Book Adaptations: From the Page to the Big Screen. † Bookosaur. Web. 17 Nov. 2012 ;http://www. thebookosaur. com/2012/01/book-adaptations-from-the-page-to-the-big-screen/; 2) â€Å"Books vs. Movie Adaptations – which do you prefer? † The Student Room. Web. 17 Nov. 2012 ;http://www. thestudentroom. co. uk/showthread. php? t =198 2240; 3) â€Å"What is the difference between books and films? † Kvenno Web. 17 Nov.

Feasibility Report Guide Essay

Intro– Samsung Electronics is based in Seoul, South Korea and operates in 65 countries worldwide with 157,000 people working for the company. Samsung Electronics products include semiconductors, hard drives, digital displays, home electronics, mobile phones, and others. All Samsung products have the same tone when the device is turned on, so that customers can easily get used to them and this tone is mentioned when Samsung products are being advertised as well. â€Å"Smarter Life† theme was introduced recently in Samsung that is based on the innovative approach in improving the company’s current products, and introducing new products to the market. For instance, Android-based Samsung Galaxy Player 50 is to be introduced soon, containing a range of innovative features the product is expected to change the current media players’ market condition significantly SWOT Samsung– Samsung Strength as Becoming a world known brand (over 200 countries) R&D (investing on scientific talents) Innovation (new digital technology) Customization (new products every year) New allocation of marketing resources (M-Net). Samsung enjoys the widest range of product portfolio which includes : Mobile phones Tablet TV/Audio/Video,Camera,camcorder, Home appliance Pc‟s,Laptop, peripherals, printer, memory cards and Well diversified and differentiated product line toother accessories meet changing customer needs . Samsung electronics has 4business areas to cover customer electronics needs. Practice the good leadershipBrand value through multiple sponsorships High market share that continues to growtheory (Mobile Phones and Design with an attractive styling that interestsmemory chip)and LCD the customer, as the result of the development of Samsung‟s new products that involve team of product designers. product variation Samsung’s Opportunities unique products and existing products introduce userwith variety friendly mobile phones could launch sub brandsat affordable price. to the company. Samsung’s Opportunities O open more stores â€Å"Newmore customers O Launch creative products Technology,† â€Å"Innovative Products,† and â€Å"Creative Solutions. Weakness–Aver age pr i ces of pr oduct s seem t o bea l ow qual i t y pr oduct s-Not pr o-act i ve intro oduci ng a newpr oduct s. low cost competitors in China2. legal war between Samsung and its competitors such as Apple & nokia. Threads–Low-cost competitors Samsung is facing threats from many other low cost companies in China. While Samsung was busy competing with others, Huawei a company which focus on low cost products; is now a leader in fixed-line networks, mobile-telecommunications networks, and budget smart phones. Market share- Samsung Mobile eyeing 60% marketshare in India. The Indian mobile handset market is estimated to reach 251 million units in 2013, an increase of 13.5% over this year. The threat of potential new entrants (Low)- New entrants would have issues with overcoming patent issues if they didn’t plan on investing in their own R&D to create a unique product. These things together would require a new entrant to establish a competitive brand name while achieving economies of scale via investments in a supply chain process and developing a distribution infrastructure to remain competitive. The costs of accomplishing these things make a very strong barrier to entry. The threat of substitutes (High) Market share-Holding a revenue market share of 20.6%, Vodafone India is the country’s second largest telecom operator by revenue share after Bharti. Strengths: * Diversified geographical portfolio with strong mobile telecommunications operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and to some extent the US * Network infrastructure   * Leading presence in emerging markets such as India Weaknesses: * Little focus of impact of mobile on climate.   * Negative return on assets (ROA) under perform key competitors like AT&T, Airtel, Uninor etc * US business not nearly as strong as European/rest of the world operations * 80% of its business is generated in Europe. Opportunities: * Improve accessibility to wide range of customers * Focus on cost reductions improving returns * Majority stake in Hutchison Essar in India * Research and development of new mobile technologies Threats: * Highly competitive market * Still lags behind major competitors in the India and other countries. * Extremely high Porter’s five forces Buyer power The bargaining power of buyers in the telecommunications industry is high due to the cutthroat competition and lack of differentiated products. The strong buyer power effectively reduces the cost prices in the industry though not to the level of its competitors. As such, Vodafone will keep making reasonable profits compared to its competitors. Supplier power Vodafone’s suppliers have a high bargaining power since the company operates with greater margins compared to its competitors. As a leader in the market, the market share is large meaning that it can easily absorb any price increments from the suppliers more than its competitors can. As such, Vodafone can easily maintain low prices from its suppliers and continue making profits (MarketLine, 2012, p. 9). Threat of substitutes Vodafone faces a considerable threat for products and services. The landline and CDMA services are fast declining while broadband services are fast becoming common. Video conferencing, VOPI such as Skype, Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger, email and social networking have emerged as substitutes to mobile services. However, due to the strong buyer power and effective economies of scale, Vodafone does not need to pass down the costs attributed to substitution to consumers (MarketLine, 2012, p. 8). Threat of entrants The threat of fresh market entrants is low because of barriers to entry. Companies wishing to enter the market must pay huge licensing fees coupled by spectrum availability and regulatory issues attached to the industry. Similarly, the costs of setting up network infrastructure are high, and the rapidly changing technology make is difficult for new entrants to cope. However, Vodafone can cope with this by maintaining high-level efficiency of its services to unrivaled heights. Industry rivalry Vodafone faces extremely high rivalry from its competitors due to the low call rate prices charged by its closest competitors. Similarly, the competitors constantly provide innovative products and services to the customers, which mean that Vodafone has to provide the same to its customers. Vodafone PEST Analysis. PEST analysis is a strategic tool used to analyse external factors affecting the business and stands for political, economical social and technological factors. The main political factors affecting Vodafone include EU Roaming Regulation that aims to decrease charges for mobile phone usages Economical factors also affect Vodafone main of which are the growth of GDP and the level of inflation rate within markets where the company operates. Generally any external economic changes affecting Vodafone can be classified as external economic factors. There is a range of social factors as well that affect Vodafone. For instance, changing work patterns that are becoming very popular make people work from home increasingly relying in communication technologies. Also, there are issues like people going ‘green’ and ageing population in developed countries that are going to affect Vodafone directly or indirectly. The impact of technological factors on Vodafone is without any doubt due to the nature of the telecommunications industry. Specifically, a technological innovation in communications and emergence of alternative means of communication such as online chatting, and Yahoo! Messenger are going to affect Vodafone strategy in a way that the company is left with a choice of either to form strategic alliances with above companies or to commit to considerable amount of research and development in order to introduce innovative products and services to the market.

Baldwin Norman

The profundity of silence is a theme that plays a significant role in the works â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† by James Baldwin and â€Å" ’night, Mother† by Marsha Norman. The two tales represent confessions by family members that uncover the profound effect that each person’s communication method has had on the other. In particular, one identifies a lack of communication within both family relationships that demonstrates itself in an overabundance of silence.Baldwin’s tale recounts the woes of a certain brother who feels himself somehow responsible for the tragic events that have faced his younger sibling, and it portrays a relationship that lacks effective communication. Likewise, Norman portrays a family that has spent its usefulness in the avoidance of conversation. She eventually reveals the inadequacies of the mother who is at last unable to rescue her child from the pressures that cause her to contemplate death as the only acceptable option.The protagonists of each story find themselves in family relationships that fall short of the support necessary to prevent each from receding beyond the point of recovery. The tale rehashed in Marsha Norman’s play â€Å" ‘night, Mother† explores the hopelessness that leads to suicide, and in so doing, closely maps the psychological condition of the character Jessie (Whited 65). It takes the analysis of the situation into the realm of the family and considers that cocoon to be the engine that generates and exacerbates the problem Jessie faces. The â€Å"problem† is given its lineage in the relationships experienced by the members of the family.The relationships appear to be filled with action and devoid of communication. Of her own culpability, Mama says, â€Å"I didn’t tell you things or I married you off to the wrong man or I took you in and let your life get away from you or all of it put together† (lines 611-613). This circumstance points tow ard an overemphasizing of action and the downplaying of the type of conversation that allows true feelings to come to the fore. Jessie also recalls the silence of her father, and Norman hints that this silence has for the past decades stabilized or subdued the appearance of Jessie’s mental condition.Yet, this same silence has perhaps created the environment in which her mental or psychological illness has been allowed to germinate (Whited, 67). The idea that Jessie breaks her silence precisely at that hour in which her mental condition has become overwhelming and irreparable gives the idea that the lack of communication within her family setting may actually have been to her detriment. The exploration of the relationship between the narrator and his brother Sonny in James Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† also represents a crisis of silence and suffocation within a family setting.This family in which Sonny resides also betrays a tendency toward continual act ion that precludes the kind of conversation which might have allowed the brothers to truly understand each other. Without understanding Sonny, the narrator (his brother) and their mother make plans to protect him for the rest of his life. They encourage him to live in situations that are not conducive to his spirited nature, such as his residence with Isabel while his brother goes off to war. Yet the silence Sonny endures, like that of Jessie, has the appearance of being his preferred mode of existence.The narrator says, â€Å"Sonny has never been talkative,† yet he goes on to say something more insightful that hints at the true desires that Sonny has always had. He continues, â€Å"So I don’t know why I was sure he’d be dying to talk to me when supper was over the first night† (Baldwin, 8). This hints at the underlying idea that though silence prevailed within the family, probing by his brother and mother might have dispelled both the silence and the dis mal circumstances that later defined Sonny’s life.Literary analyst Tracey Sherard writes: â€Å"the narrator comes to understand his brother Sonny through the latter’s apparent struggle to strike out into the deep, unexplored waters of jazz improvisation† (691). Therefore, it is only through the music that Sonny’s brother is able to communicate with and understand him in the end. Comparisons between the two tragic characters of the stories, Sonny and Jessie, can be made in regard to their life choices. The two characters can be seen to choose silence during the early years of their lives, and this might be connected to another form of silence throughout the later stages of their lives.Sonny’s choice of life has led him to heroin, and this dangerous drug might be considered one that paves a path to death in a manner that is very similar to the suicide that Jessie contemplates. Both characters, therefore, choose suicide as the only means of silencing the worries and discontent of their lives. Jessie expresses a desire to sleep â€Å"whenever she wanted to, just by closing her eyes† (line 637), and this she has not been able to do since she was a â€Å"pink and fat† baby (639-40). This choice to commit suicide is therefore an extension of the idea of closing one’s eyes to problems of life.Sonny, in a similar way, chooses to close his eyes to his problems via his use of heroin. And likewise, the extension of this action (continued heroin use) is precisely concurrent with the death that Jessie so openly craves. Jessie’s mother, who desires not death, says â€Å"I’m not like you, Jessie. I hate the quiet and I don’t want to die† (lines 626-27) and this juxtaposition of death and quietness underscores the idea that the death desired by Jessie and Sonny can be seen also to be a form of silence.The motif of silence can be carried through even further within the analysis of the stories t old by these authors. During the few short moments before her death, Jessie takes a break from her silence to explain the essence of it to her mother. Within this time she uncovers all the pain that her silence has embodied for the years preceding (Whited, 67). She also enumerates the problems that her ensuing death will hope to silence within her. This moment of conversation can be compared to (and in fact prefigures) the bullet that breaks for a split second the silence that has defined Jessie’s life.It also effects the reconstruction of that silence by guaranteeing its continuation in death. Death guarantees not only that the disappointments and fears in Jessie’s psyche will be quieted, but also that the events that have generated or exacerbated these problems will also cease to trouble her. The forms of silence to which Sonny subscribes are heroin (as has been uncovered above) and music. While heroin promises to lead him toward that final and inexorable death of th e body, music provides a spiritual release for him that also provides an effective (if temporary) silence from his turmoil.Sonny’s escape to music as a means of silencing his demons can be compared to the way his brother describes their father as being â€Å"on the lookout for ‘something a little better. ’† Yet he goes on to say that his father â€Å"died before he found it† (Baldwin, 8). Sonny, too, looks to music as a form of escape—a means of quieting his dissatisfaction with his circumstances, a way of searching for something better. While as a youth he annoyed Isabel’s family with his constant piano playing, everyone was able to sense that â€Å"Sonny was at that piano playing for his life† (16).The piano’s music silenced not only the troubles that haunted his mind, but also the voices of hoodlums and vagrants on the street that would have called him into a life of crime and dissipation. It was, in fact, the eventual silencing of the piano by the screams of Isabel’s family that precipitated the demise that his music had been holding at bay. This re-establishes and supports the idea that music was a means of silencing the call of the inner city life and pressures that threatened to overtake Sonny in his youth.The lives and relationships explored within â€Å"’Night, Mother† and â€Å"Sonny’s Blues,† as told by Marsha Norman and James Baldwin respectively, speak loudly and portray vividly a distinct and almost impenetrable silence that enveloped the main characters. For Jessie, silence has been the defining characteristic of her relationship between her father during both his life and his death. During his life, he demonstrated his love with actions, and while Jessie appeared to be comfortable in that silence, the very essence of it provided the environment in which her psychological demise germinated and matured.Her mother, though disliking silence, has rarely been able penetrate Jessie’s, and this proves to facilitate the more permanent form of silence to which she graduates: that of death. Sonny too experiences silence within his relationships—a silence that becomes extended and embodies by the activities of his life. He refuses to speak to his family, silencing the discomfiture with music or heroin. Like Jessie, Sonny’s major life decisions place him on a path toward the ultimate silence: death. Works Cited Baldwin, James. â€Å"Sonny’s Blues. † Wright State University.1957. Online Text. http://www. wright. edu/~alex. macleod/winter06/blues. pdf Norman, Marsha. â€Å"’Night, Mother. † Literature: Reading, Writing, Reacting. Laurie G. Kirzner & Stephen Mandell (Eds). 4th Ed. New York: Harcourt College Publishers, 2001. 1708-1743. Sherard, Tracey. â€Å"Sonny’s Bebop: Baldwin’s ‘Blues Text’ as Intracultural Critique. † African American Review. Vol. 32, Iss ue 4. (Winter 1998): 691-705. Whited, Lana A. â€Å"Suicide in Beth Henley's Crimes of the Heart and Marsha Norman's ‘night, Mother. † Southern Quarterly 36 (Fall 1997): 65-74.

Building Germany's Holocaust Memorial Term Paper

Building Germany's Holocaust Memorial - Term Paper Example The problem with a memorial that deals exclusively with the remembrance of the Jews is that it marginalizes the other victimized groups, no matter what the intentions were. People often erroneously think of the Holocaust as only having effected the Jewish population. This memorial could help to propagate that falsity. Another issue about the memorial has stemmed from designer Eisenman himself. He wished the subterranean museum to be a part of the memorial. However, the two seem disjointed; almost antithetical to one another. The memorial itself is stoic in its design. It doesn’t even have a plague stating what is supposed to be memorialized by the structure. The museum beneath however, is a testament to another time and place. The stone work is almost a cemetery and the museum is filled with a kind of life through the various letters and pictures on display. The memorial in Berlin is, of course, not the only memorial to the Holocaust that exists in the world. In Washington, D.C. there is a Holocaust memorial and museum. Some have complained about this. Norman Finkelstein, for example, has complained that since the Holocaust did not occur in the United States, American tax money should not go to construct a memorial. World War II brought in people from around the globe to fight what they believed was a political battle. Only after discovering the atrocities committed by the Nazis did people come to rethink the war as an occasion of good versus evil. Although the camps were not on American soil, family members of Americans, particularly American Jews, were slaughtered in Germany and Nazi territories. Additionally, American soldiers died in the attempt to emancipate the camps and end the terrors. The memorial stands as much for the Americans as it does for the

Philosophy, Enlightenment and Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Philosophy, Enlightenment and Education - Essay Example curriculum is designed and committed to use learning as a tool to stimulate and encourage the best attainable academic progress and results for all students. However, as Aristotle argues, attaining high grades is not the only measure of successful learning. Students at the early learning stages should not be subjected to tests because moral values and character states cannot be assessed through exams. They should, rather, be encouraged to achieve character by practice before intellectual skills are taught. For every subject in each key stage, the study programmes lay out what the students must be taught while the achievement targets lay out the performance standards expected of the students. However, the performance standards do not give any provisions for students with their own views. It would not be right for students to score low marks, denoting a failure, simply because they gave their own views on their understanding of what they have been taught. The curriculum should give roo m for finding a relationship between the learners’ ideas and what is stipulated in the standards. Conversely, its rigidity may only succeed in creating a block of stereotyped knowledge, not considering the flexibility of the learners’ minds. It is only through training mental skills and giving ways of discovery that the aim of making achieving and progressive learners can be achieved. Otherwise, the curriculum is biased towards handing over instruction and thus, presupposed knowledge. It is then up to the teachers to organise their individual curricula and available technology to target individual students’ experience, interests and strengths. The aim of creating confident students, as per the curriculum, assesses confidence by the students’ ability to meet standards. However, confidence cannot be correctly judged by meeting preset standards. A display of confidence would be more accurate if students knowingly followed what they understood from the instru ctions given, rather

Standardized Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Standardized Organization - Essay Example Following Ruest and Ruest (2006): "Standards are the key here. Organizations that run non-standard systems are faced with several potential issues on an ongoing basis" (3). Design of the structure involves such central issues as how the work of the organization will be divided and assigned among positions, groups, departments, divisions, etc., and how the coordination necessary to accomplish total organizational objectives will be achieved. This, it is important to note that standardized organizations can be found outside IT environment. In general, standardized organization means a structure of the organization based on certain standards and rules which guide and support organizational performance. Standardized structure allows companies to maintain control through the use of certain rules. Choices made about these issues are usually publicized in organizations charts. "Standard processes are a lot easier to automate because they are repeatable and predictable" (Ruest and Ruest 7). The behavior in a standardized organization is influenced by a system of variables (technical, individual, social and organizational inputs), it is obvious that such formal documents are only one method of signaling to individuals what behavior is expected of them. Nevertheless, this method is important because it is so widely used by managers to define and communicate their expectations of other organization members, encourage them to undertake collaborative activity. While our central focus is on the basic structure, we shall have more to say about these operating mechanisms later. In standardized organization, units which are required to integrate their activities closely are grouped together, because the common superior can then work to achieve the required integration through the management hierarchy (Robbins 8). In the stable environment, successful organizations tended to be what the authors called "automation." There is more reliance on formal rules and procedures. Decisions are made at the lower levels of the organization. The spans of supervisory control are narrow. They found that successful organizations in industries with different production technologies are characterized by different structures. The structure of organization is one variable in a system affecting behavior in organizations and providing a conceptual framework which is sufficiently comprehensive for analyzing and solving structural design problems. As such, "standardized processes rely on automation to reduce potential diversity within deployed systems" (Ruest and Ruest 2). Rather than thinking of division of work as only affecting the economies and efficiencies of task performance, Ruest and Ruest (2006) recognize that each unit is itself a subsystem in which members would develop particular orientations and structura l patterns, depending on their task and their predispositions. Since different units are working with different parts of the environment, these units would develop differentiation to some degree or other, depending upon the specific environment. For instance, "In a non-standard environment, there is simply no such thing as service level agreements. It is understandable: how can you predict how well a service will run if you cannot state with determination how it was

Know What Youre Watching Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Know What Youre Watching - Article Example Why has media piracy increased in recent years? Karajanis argues that the high growth witnessed in media piracy when traced from the 1990s has been attributed to lack of copyright laws world over and where they exist there has been reluctance on the part of law enforcement agencies to implement the full spirit of the law. In effect, piracy has contributed to the disruption of market equilibrium thus providing loopholes for innovations in emerging economies that outdo the technologies which are again correspondingly cheaper when compared to the original creations. At the same, several factors including pricing strategies used by multinationals, trade agreements, and diffusion of technology bear a significant relevance as factors that continue to contribute to the rising effects of piracy. Understanding the meaning of Piracy There seems to be a universal agreement that â€Å"Piracy† does not have a stable and legal definition, and in most circumstances, it is understood as a product of legal enforcement rather than its true implication. On one hand, the IFPI contends that the term implies an omnipresent practice of copying that falls outside the provisions of copyright law â€Å"up to 95% of it if industry estimates of online music piracy are taken as an indicator†. However, in its simplest definition, piracy is understood as the illegal copying and distribution of any media in print, DVDs, videos or electronic files.

Leading and Changing world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leading and Changing world - Essay Example I believe that involving workers in vital organizational matters would play a significant role in motivating them and increasing their dedication to achieving corporate objectives. It is also my ambition to be a charismatic leader, who prioritizes the welfare of his employees, by providing a friendly, fun and motivational work environment. I want to be a team-oriented leader, amply upholding work ethics, and influencing individuals to be both productive employees and diligent community members. After an in-depth analysis of management and its potent attributes, I acknowledge the fact that my prospective leadership should be channeled toward the right environment for the realization of the organizational goals. I, therefore, intend to be genuinely committed to following up on whatever has to be done to realize organizational goals. I will also be realistic when setting management objectives, in order to ensure that the specified goals and targets can be attained. My greatest leadershi p icon, from whom I get my inspiration, is the late Nelson Mandela. He was not just a charismatic individual, but also a highly influential leader. Mandela prioritized the interests of South African citizens, as opposed to his own; strongly advocating for the end of the apartheid and integration of the racially fragmented South African society. His inclusive and team oriented leadership, coupled with personality traits like humility, honesty, and diligence undoubtedly makes Mandela a leader worth emulating (YouTube n.pg). Being an avid advocate of positive leadership behavior, principles and standards, I will strive to continually improve my leadership attributes. Since an effective leader must always be ready to learn through accepting criticisms and owning mistakes, I intend to account for colleagues’ opinions in the attempt to improve my leadership capacity. Thus far, I have been able to embrace positive and negative feedback

Development of Cloud Computing Technology Thesis

Development of Cloud Computing Technology - Thesis Example As compared to a private cloud, the community cloud is shared among many organizations having identical business requirements. Moreover, the required infrastructure is shared among all the organization that is connected to the cloud saving the cost and demonstrates one of the advantages of cloud computing (Cloud deployment models). Public computing is a traditional approach where the resources are accessible on the Internet. Third party providers, known as the cloud vendors, organize the hosting for these resources on the Internet. The services and resources on this cloud are accessible to the public and groups of various industries (Cloud deployment models). A hybrid cloud comprises of a mixture of all types of clouds i.e. public, private and community. Most organizations deploy this type of cloud as it provides a range of options in the context of accessibility. By incorporating hybrid clouds, issues such as PCI compliance can be eliminated (Cloud deployment models). Cloud computing consists of applications that are represented as a service on the web and the provision of hardware / software services provided by companies operating data centers. Likewise, the services provided over the Internet are referred as (Software as a Service) ‘SaaS’. There are few sellers who use the term (Infrastructure as a service) ‘IaaS’ and (Platform as a service) ‘PaaS’ in order to demonstrate their products and services. However, these terms are avoided and not accepted globally, due to variation (ARMBRUST, FOX et al. 2010). The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have illustrated some helpful definitions that focus on three concepts (Ryan & Loeffler, 2010): The core components of a cloud are consists of the data center hardware and software. When these resources are made available to the public, they are referred as public clouds and the service provided by the cloud is called as utility computing.

Chapter 4 exercises Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Chapter 4 exercises - Essay Example Internet connected the world and thus made the communication process more effective. In the early days a base phone and a dial up modem was used to connect the internet, but after that cable connection was invented and it increased the speed of internet. Soon after that, wireless connections were also introduced and it offered a speed of 20 Mbps. Another advantage of wireless connection is the wider area of coverage, which is not possible in cable connections. With the passage of time, the hardware section also got tremendously modified. There were enhanced and modern versions of computers were invented. The new forms came forward in the form of laptops, notebooks, tablets, Smartphone etc. Similarly other peripherals also got invented, such as printers, webcams etc. However, all the aforementioned computing devices have different uses and different functions. The software market is also the same, there have been large developments. Software such as SPSS and Office suite has changed the business world. Also there were introduction of open source software, which offered free software to the customers. Advancement of technology has also allowed the manufacturers to come up with large number of variants for a product. A user therefore gets the opportunity to choose from various technical specifications. One of the most important digital inventions came in the form of digital cameras. In simple words it revolutionized the world of photography. It not only got technologically advanced but succeeded in making ‘unlimited photography’. With the help of memory cards, users can now click as much pictures as they want. Now whether it is a digital camera or a computing device, users chooses to buy it depending upon the purpose of the user. Once the purpose gets decided the next step is to compare the technical specifications and price of the items. Most of the users consider the present trends of market in deciding the

History of Contemporary Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of Contemporary Music - Essay Example Just as other terms that confine the artistic vocabulary like neoclassicism and totalitarianism, this category is forming arguments and a spread of various approaches and clear distinction. Contradictory to the globalization explanations that talk about a new age of the post historical. This essay will consider the age of the post modern music as an aesthetic paradigm that is illustrated by a specific type of music and focused on one musician, Neil Young. This will show the deconstruction that these expressions are carried out in both the historical accounts and the concepts of pure music, which features in the modern music. Contemporary History of Music: Neil Young The history of contemporary music can be summed up as modernism, which was featured in the twentieth century between the years 1900 and 1950, which was followed by post modernism from 1960 till present. This is one of the many comprehensions of contemporary music and other deductions are simply possible. By the year 1970, the term rock and roll had become almost meaningless, because it saw the break up of the rock and roll groups like the Beatles and death of the king of rock, who was significant influences on the genre. However, this era saw the rise of an influential young musician, Neil Young. Young became one of the most soughted after musicians of that era. This is because he was a philosopher, as seen in his lyrics and thoughtful, when it came to singing and writing songs that were reflective. His lyrics were mostly deep and from the heart, and this made it difficult to understand. Young was also the only musician who could change from one style of music to another seamlessly. After Young had moved from the California folk rock band in 1968, he made a name for himself as one of the most influential and eccentric singer and songwriter of his generation. His only rank second to that Bob Dylan in terms of being deep, and was able to maintain his record sales and reputation, for a longer time than Bob Dylan. This was because of his on purpose, obstinate work ethic. From the start of his solo musical career, fro the late sixties through to the twenty first century, he did not stop recording, writing and performing, and kept numerous unreleased songs in his safe. As much as he was influential, he only had one hit song, titled Heart of Gold, from his number one album Harvest, in 1972. The song sounds like a claim for emancipation of all conquering love. The song was made for a hit, since he included Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor as back up singers. The song is still among the most requested at concerts, presently. The song has been performed five hundred and forty eight times, since its debut on 1/10/1971. Young went on to explore new territories and genres of music, from rock, blues to electronic music. However, these stylistic exercises only gained significance as compared to his two primary genres namely: country rock and gentle folk, and also loud electronic guitar rock t hat he regularly. He usually alternated from these two extreme genres, which both proved equally influential. There emerged various bands and individual artists who claimed that they were influenced by Neil Young. Regardless of his massive influence and catalogue, he went on exploring new music. His restlessness ensured that he was one of the few veterans of rock as vital in his old age, as he was in his early stages of life. Neil Young and the song Heart of Gold is mostly taught in

Transformational Leadership Paper Essay Example for Free

Transformational Leadership Paper Essay Abstract The purpose of this paper is to identify the the role a transformational leader can play in order to minimize the volatility that a change or transformation brings about in an organization. The paper discusses the two most common leadership styles, transactional and transformational leadership, and their differences. The qualities and traits of a transformational leader have been discussed. Most importantly this paper tries to associate the qualities of emotional intelligence to a transformational leadership style, and how the two feed into one another. Introduction Today the world has become a global village and markets have expanded to the extent that now firms are competing on a global level. This on one has provided firms with a massive opportunity and on the other hand it also demands more hard-work and effort from the workers. The challenge therefore is how to tackle the ever-changing work-environment. When one speaks of the dynamic work environment one has to realize the importance of Good Leadership in such a scenario. So, the leaders of todays companies have a lot to care about and a lot of responsibilities to take care of. Therefore, it is totally up to the leadership to make most of the human skills at hand and motivate them in order to make sure that they adapt quickly and easily to the work environment and thus maximize efficiency. Leaders broadly may be categorized into two groups, transactional leaders and transformational leaders. Transactional leaders are the kind of leaders whoguide or motivate their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements (Robbins and Judge, 2005). The other type of leaders inspire followers to transcend their own self interest for the good of the organization. They are able to have a profound and extra-ordinary effect on their followers, these are transformational leaders (Robbins and Judge, 2005). Transformational leaders are are charismatic in nature and have the ability to provide individualized consideration and intellectual simulation (Robbins and Judge, 2005). Transformational leaders pay attention to the concerns and development needs of individualized followers; they change followers’ awareness of issues by helping them to look at old problems in new ways, and are therefore able to excite, arouse and inspire followers to put in extra effort to achieve group goals (Robbins and Judge, 2005). Analysis Leadership at the top is never easy for even the most experienced people. For someone taking on the job of CEO for the first time, mastering the new skills and sorting out the uncertainties that go with the position can be an overwhelming challenge. The fact is that for most of the CEOs especially the freshly appointed ones it is exceedingly difficult to familiarize themselves with the responsibilities and the risks that are associated with the job, and usually it requires some time and experience before they can deliver. The Centre for Creative Leadership has estimated that 40% of new CEOs fail in their first 18 months (Dan Ciampa 2005). What’s more, the churn rate is on the rise: In a 2002 study, the centre found that the number of CEOs leaving their jobs had increased 10% since 2001 (Dan Ciampa 2005). As a recent report from the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray Christmas points out, â€Å"The biggest challenge looming over corporate America [is] finding replacement CEOs.†(Dan Ciampa 2005) Take Coca Cola for an example, when the company lost its CEO Robert Goizueta in 1997, the two subsequent CEOs suffered in his shadow, as people expected them to perform the same way Goizueta did, however, leading as suggested earlier is the toughest job amongst all. Goizueta had guided Coke through its glorious years of the 1980s and the most of 1990s, leading it to perennially unrealistic expectations by shareholders. This is why change management is regarded as a tough job, because changes can occur in the external macro-environment and at the same time in the internal environment, as incase of Coke, whose CEO Robert Goizeuta died of cancer. And since then Coke has never been able to make up for the loss, and Pepsi has gained a significant market share since then. Jack Welch is probably the first name that comes to mind when we speak of transformational leaders. Richard Branson of the Virgin group is another very famous transformational leader (Robbins and Judge, 2005). When we speak of transactional and transformational leaders, they shouldn’t be considered or viewed as opposing approaches to getting things done. Transformational leadership is built on top of transactional leadership, as it produces levels of follower effort and performance that go beyond what would   with a transactional approach alone (Kotter, 1995). A transcational leader believes in exchange of rewards for effort as a major source of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. He rewards good performance, and recognizes accomplishments. He tries to identify deviations from rules and standards, and subsequently reverts to corrective measures, and intervenes only if he believes that the standards have not been met. Transactional leaders usually abdicate responsibilties to others empowering them but also avoiding to go throw the challenging phase of decision-making. Trasformational leaders, on the other hand, are charismatic by nature, i.e. they provide vision and sense of mission, instills pride, gains respect and trust of his followers (Kotter, 1995). But, transformational leadership is more than just charisma. Because all charismatic leaders would want is to make sure their followers share the same viewpoint on things as they do, whereas transformational leaders will try to instill in followers the ability to question views, views established by the leaders themselves. Transformational leaders act as a source of inspiration to their followers, communicating high expectations, using symbols to focus efforts, expressing important purposes in simple ways. Transformational leaders also promote intelligence, rationality and careful problem solving skills (Robbins and Judge, 2005). But the most obvious and impotant trait of a transformational leader is that they offer individualized considerations to their followers, giving them personal attention, treating them all individually, coaching and advising them on a one to one basis. The evidence supporting the superiority of transformational leadership over the transactional variety is overwhelmingly impressive. For instance, a number of studies were conducted with American, German and Canadian military officers, belonging to different ranks, and the eventual verdict was that transformational leaders were evaluated as more effective than their transactional counterparts. Similarly, managers at Federal Express who were rated by their followers as exhibiting more transformational leadership were evaluated by their immediate supervisors as higher performers and more promotable. Much has been written about leadership and the qualities that fuel leadership such as intelligence, passion, toughness, determination, ethics, credibility, integrity, vision, etc. Often left off are the lists softer and more personal qualities, but recent studies have proven that they are equally important. Researchers have proposed a new term called Emotional Intelligence, and it may well help differentiate the outstanding leaders from the merely adequate ones. Emotional intelligence is one of the major aspects of transformational leadership. This may be because, effective transformational leaders rely on the expression of feelings to help convey a message; therefore, they possess a higher level of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence helps leaders manage the mood of their organizations which is an integral part of the transformation process (Satterlee, 2007). Emotional intelligence is what makes transformational leaders self-aware and empathetic to a greater extent. They can read and regulate their own emotions while intuitively grasping how others feel and gauging their organization’s emotional state. According to Daniel Goleman, who conducted a lot of research on Emotional Intelligence, there are five main components to emotional intelligence. Self-awareness is the trait where emotional intelligence actually begins (Goleman, 1998). Transformational leaders with a greater degree of self-awareness are never hesitant to talk about and discuss their weaknesses and it is this attitude that later brings upon a positive change in them as they are able to improve upon such weaknesses with time. This helps a leader in bringing about a transformation as he is someone who knows his limitations and he knows when and where he can actually stand-up and deliver for the rest of the workforce and be a motivator for them, i.e. when can he lead by example. Thus he knows which tasks and changes can actually be brought about in an organization and which ones cannot. The second trait is self-regulation, and that leaders with this trait can control their emotions and impulses better and channel them for good purposes (Goleman, 1998). This brings about an openness to change and transformation in their attitude and behavior, and increases their trustworthiness and integrity, and also helps them remain comfortable in ambiguous situations and scenario. And this is what subordinates try to see in their leaders, especially in times of change and transformation. Motivation is perhaps the most important trait and the most obvious one that a leader is judged upon. It’s the motivational abilities of a leader that gives the sub-ordinates the notion that the leader has a strong drive to achieve. It portrays the optimism of the leader towards the followers, such that they know their leader would still be optimistic when facing failure, so it has to do more with the mind than anything else. It is the positivity of the mind, it emanates from the mind of the leader and leads its way to the minds of the followers (Michael Roberto and David Garvin 2005). Empathy is the ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people. Empathy is the trait that enables a leader to be an expert in building and maintaining talent, something that is critical to the process of transformation. It enables him to treat people according to their emotional reactions. This is why he can be successful in getting the most out of the talented people that work under him, making him a better man manager. He is able to manage and lead people from various different backgrounds and cultures, belonging to various social and economic classes, i.e. it increases the cross-cultural sensitivity of the leader himself. With the businesses and economies globalizing, leaders have to lead and manage people belonging to different cultures which is the major reason why change management in such a scenario is very difficult, however, if only a leader can empathize with his followers, it makes the job half as difficult as before. The last trait that comes under emotional intelligence is the social skills of the leader. Transformational leaders need to be proficient in managing relationships and constructing networks that lead to effectiveness in change management ans transformation. Such a leader is able to find common ground between individuals and situations and scenarios and is able to build rapport. It also improves his persuasiveness and the ability to build and lead teams. A transformational leader combines emotional intelligence with the courage to raise the tough questions, challenge people’s assumptions about strategy and operations and risk losing their goodwill, i.e. he does not care about pleasing individuals but rather believes in the greater good of the company. A leader gets into trouble when there’s dissonance between the inside and outside what today we’d call a â€Å"disconnect.† (Mayer 2004) If a single theme runs through this issue, it’s the importance of keeping the two aligned. Every leader ought to want a more supple emotional intelligence, and â€Å"Leading by Feel† is a great place to begin (Mayer 2004). Another important tool in ensuring effective transformation is collaboration and good communication, which is essential and plays a vital role in process. All processes, practices and functionalities give more values to customer, goals and performance for achievement of goals. There should be internal solutions. Horizontal, Vertical and multi directional interaction must be carried out before change in organization. For a transformational leader, it is important to study the present culture of the organization and to know where one is. It is also necessary for a him to identify employees who want change and those who are not happy with the process of transformation. Take examples from existing model that has effectively implemented change and also communicate with them regarding their experience with transformation. The process has to be subtle and gradual, and a transformational approach would not demand immediate and complete change in the existing culture. Transformational approach to leadership also encourages one to seek advice from people about ways to implement change and methods to solve the problems while transformation. A clear vision definitely accelerates the transformation process. References Ciampa, Dan (2005). Almost Ready: How Leaders Move Up. Harvard Business Review. Goleman, Daniel (1998).What makes a Leader?. Harvard Business Review. Mayer, John (2004). Leading by Feel. Harvard Business Review. Kotter, John P. (1995). Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard Business Review Leadership As A Boss In The Workplace. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from Manager Newz Web site: http://www.managernewz.com/managernewz-21-20070125LeadershipasaBossintheWorkplace.html Roberto, Michael and Garvin, David (2005). Change through Persuasion. Harvard Business Review. Robbins, Stephen P.   and Judge, Timothy A. (2005). Organizational Behavior, Twelfth edition: Pearsons Publishers Satterlee, Anita (2007). Essential of Management: Core principles, concepts, and strategies. Synergistics Inc.

Paths To Salvation In Bhagavad Gita Religion Essay

Paths To Salvation In Bhagavad Gita Religion Essay This essay is about the paths to salvation in Bhagavad-Gita. Others religion such as: Christianity, Islam and Buddhism have one path to salvation. This path to salvation means complete devotion to god. In the Bhagavad-Gita, there are three paths to salvation. They are Bhakti, Janna and Karma yoga, also kwon as the yoga of knowledge, the joga of devotation and the joya of action. Those paths have the same goal. This goal is to achieve salvation. The first path, Bhakti, also known as the Goya of devotion, means loves and blisss goal. The way to attain Morsha is through devotion for god. Keep me in your mind and devotion, sacrifice to me, bow to me, discipline your self toward, and you will reach me![ 1]. In the Vaishavana pantheon, this path has five forms: Santa, Dasya, Sakhya, Vatsalva and Madhura. The first of them is calm devotion for god. The other four involve emotional attachment with god. For example Sakhya is treating god as a friend. Dasya is serving god. Madhuara is treating god as husband. Vatsalya is treating god as a child. In Bhagavad-Gita, there are nine acts of devotion: Sravana, which is hearing of god, Kirtana which is praising god, Sharama, which is remembering god, Padasevana, which is service in general, Arcana, which is worshiping, Vandana which is bowing, Dasya, which is serving like a servant, Sakhaya which is befriending god and athanivedana, which is making total surrender. The salvation and moksha are achieved through complete devotion to krisha. The second path, Janna is also known as the yoga of knowledge. When ignorance is destroyed by knowledge of the self, then, like the sun, knowledge illumines ultimate reality.[ 2]. This path allows people to discover the way of wisdom, to discover what truth is, what is eternal, and what is not eternal. Knowledge leads to the achievement salvation. With the knowledge, people find spiritual peace, which means salvation. With the knowledge, people can break the barrier of the ignorance that trapped the person. Knowledge is like the sunlight that illuminates the dark path. With the knowledge people can find the union with god. Sravana, Manana and Nidhidhyasana are the three means in Janna. The first one is learning from or listening to a teacher. The second one is to remember and reflect on the teaching, and the third one is to meditate on the truth spoken. These means in Janna lead to the discovery of truth. The third path, Karma is also known as the Yoga of action. Be intent on action, not on the fruits of actions, avoid attraction to the fruit and attachment to inaction[3]. This path teaches that the people should act in good faith, which should help other people without anything in return, to act without rancor, without malice, without hate, and to act selflessly. Doing these acts is the only way to find the truth of Brahman that leads to salvation. In conclusion, I would say that the three paths lead to salvation. Gita is considered the most important because require a total and unconditional surrender to god. This path is the devotion of Yoga. This essay is about the central elements of Vedic religion. During this time, there were written sacred scripture. Those scriptures talk about the religion practices that occurred in this time. Those scriptures are known as the four Vedas: Rig Veda, Althar Veda, Sama Veda, and Yagur Veda. Those texts contains hymns and chants that describe this particular moment .During this period, the priests who represent the highest and well educated class in the society were responsible for the rituals and read of the text. Performing rituals became an important part of their daily life. One common ritual was the sacrifice of animals. Also, chanting and prayer were common religious practices too. The rig Veda is considering the most important of the four Vedas. It Contains 1028 hymns, those are divided into eight or ten books. Those hymns contain some wonderful pieces of poetry and were used in rituals. The rituals were performed by the priests, who were responsible for everything. I would say that those rituals were for some noblemen and for the wealthy. In these rituals people prayed for rain, prayed for their family, for the long life and for their harvest. Jajna was an important method of sacrifice. This means building an altar. The performance was around the altar. Fire and offering were thrown into it. The offering included things like butters, milk, meat, cooked grain, intoxicating drink, and other items. The priests invoke gods to seek their blessing. These rites were performed during various interval of the year. Many purposes were associated with this sacrifice. For example they did it during sowing period, during harvest time, and for some social events. The sacrifice of horse was performed in this period only by the kings. This sacrifice was made in order to prove their influence and valor. In this period, there was no scientific explanation for natural phenomena such as rain, wind, and thunder. People feared them and thus worshipped them. This mean that people worshipped different forms of nature as god like earth, moon, sun, rain, sun and other natural phenomena. They believe that the priest posses supernatural power and could control adverse forces by magical means. In conclusion, I would say that during this period the power of the priest increased and animal sacrifice also increased in the name of the religion. Rituals and hymns became common practices of their daily life. The evolution of this religion gave raise to new beliefs and new gods. This essay assignment is about comparing and contrasting both Hinduism and Buddhism religion. Both the Hindus and Buddhist believe in reincarnation or what happens after the life, both follow the same path in order to achieved salvation. Another point they have in common is that both religions were originated in India. There are differences between both religions. For example, Hinduism believes in the caste system and it has three main gods. Buddhism does not believe in the caste system and does not believe in god. Another difference is that Buddhism spread into others countries and Hinduism stayed in India. One similarity is that both the Hindus and Buddhist religion believe in reincarnation that means freedom or release from the cycle of birth and death. Both believe that there are two places that you could go after the death, either you could go to heaven or you could go to hell. Another point that it has in common is that both Hinduism and Buddhism follow the same path to achieve salvation. A further dissimilarity is that both religions were originated in India. One difference is that Hinduism has many gods that govern different aspects of their life. For example, there are three main gods called Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva. Vishnu, who is the preserver, is represented by water. Brahma, who is the creator, is represented by earth, and Shiva, who is the destroyer, is represented by fire. Those gods were believed to control the forces of the nature. Sacred animals are used in Hinduism in order to invoke gods and seek their blessings. Buddhism is a religion that does not believe in god and follows the four noble truths, which are: suffering, origin of the suffering, selflessness and truth of the Path. The eight fold path describes the ways in which every person must live and also advocates the pursuit of many goals in ones life including wealth, prosperity, happiness and love. Another difference is that salvation in Hinduism is known as morksha. This mean release or freedom from the cycle of birth and death. In Buddhism, salvation is known as nirv ana. This means release from this world and the suffering of the human condition. Another difference is that Hinduism believed in the caste system, which means that the society is divided in four classes; those are Brahmins, which were the highest and well educated class represented by the priests. Kshatriyas , which were responsible for the society. Merriments, which were represented by the merchants and Sudras, which were represented by the lowest class and excluded from the religion. Buddhist religion does not believe in caste system. Another difference is that Buddhism spread into many other countries and Hinduism stayed in India. Hinduism is more understable and comprehendible than Hinduism. Buddhist accepted everybody openly and Hinduism accepted people who were born into the caste system. In conclusion, I would like to say that both religions have differences and similarities. The most common similarities is that both religions have the same goal. This goal is to achieve salvation after the death. Both religions prescribe different ways in order to achieved freedom. One religion believes in god and in the caste system, and the other one does not believe in god and does not believe in the caste system.

Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies

Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies CHAPTER I: Violence perpetrated by Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) increased dramatically in 2006 and continued to rise dramatically through 2010.   According to the National Drug Intelligence Centers â€Å"National Drug Threat Assessment, 2010†, published in February 2010, â€Å"Mexican DTOs dominate the transportation of illicit drugs across the Southwest Border.   They typically use commercial trucks and private and rental vehicles to smuggle cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin† (National Drug Threat Assessment, 2010).   The increase in DTO activity has resulted in an increase of military involvement in counterdrug operations along the U.S. southwestern border region.   The tables in the appendices outline the statistical extent of the problem and the geographic penetration of Mexican DTOs within the United States.   Americas densely populated southern border with Mexico stretches nearly 2,000 miles in length and possesses several established crossing points.   In areas along northern Mexico, DTOs organize and equip themselves with resources that out match Mexican military forces (McCaffrey 2009).   With these developments, it is necessary to consider increased U.S. military support to drug interdiction along the southwest border, as DTOs are a national security threat that directly plays a role in destabilizing the heavily trafficked areas in both the U.S. and Mexico. Problem Statement The problem is to determine what Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies (MSCLEA) should be brought to bear against Mexican DTOs to interdict and reduce the flow of drugs across the Southwest Border. Research Objective This research aimed at answering and elucidating the following objectives: What capabilities does the U.S. military already have in the southwest border region to counter drug trafficking? What is the DTOs current capability to interdict drugs across the border (e.g. weapons, funding, resources)? What are the American laws and regulations governing the use of MSCLEA?   Is it financially feasible to increase MSCLEA? Assumptions The main premise to this research is based on the assumption that increasing the resources used to interdict the drug trafficking in the southwest border region will have a positive impact in disrupting DTOs operations, decreasing the amount of drugs trafficked and aiding in stabilizing the southwest border region.   Some groups advocate other approaches to the problem such as legalization and establishing additional treatment programs for users and abusers of illegal drugs.   Moreover, on the supply side, the assumption is diplomatic pressure on the countries that produce the drugs or assistance to their military and police organizations is necessary to increase the effectiveness.   This proposal assumes that enhanced interdiction efforts on the Southwest border will negatively impact Mexican DTOs and reduce use of illegal drugs within the United States. Additionally, the results and recommendations for this research assumed that all military assistance falls within Title 32 Duty and Article I,  § 8 of the Constitution that allows the National Guard to be used under the command and control of the governor to execute the laws of the Union, in order to suppress rebellion and deter invasions (Withers, 2010 p. 6). Definition of Terms Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies (MSCLEA):   Technical assistance rendered to civilian law enforcement agencies.   This can include military resources that are not available to civilians such as aerial surveillance, technical assistance with these resources, and tactical advice.   It does not include actual law enforcement powers (Sergienko, 2006, p. 395). Interdiction efforts:    All efforts used to reduce the flow of illegal drugs into the United States on the ground (or underground) across the Southwest border.   Success equals increased levels of drug seizures. Southwest border:   The land border between the U.S. and Mexico; also called the U.S.-Mexico border. Limitations and delimitations This study is limited to ground interdiction.   Drug smuggling is an incredibly profitable enterprise.   If ground interdiction efforts are to prove effective, it presumes that DTOs would attempt to move their operations into marine and aerial operations.   However, this study will only consider the deployment of marine and aerial assets as they relate to ground operations.   This study will limit its focus of the Southwest to the three major DTO interdiction routes located in Texas, New Mexico, and California.   The strategies proposed or dismissed in this research may or may not be appropriate to compare with the interdiction efforts on other borders such as the northern border with Canada. This study will be limited to cooperation with civilian law enforcement agencies within the United States.   It will not consider support for Mexican civilian law enforcement agencies nor will it consider cooperation with the Mexican military although it will acknowledge that they are now the lead agency in struggle with DTOs within Mexico. All proposals for MSCLEA will be governed by the U.S Constitution, relevant U.S. laws and the USNORTHCOM directives on MSCLEA, â€Å"Military support to civilian law enforcement is carried out in strict compliance with the Constitution and U.S. laws and under the direction of the president and secretary of defense† (USNORTHCOM). CHAPTER II: Literature Review This chapter provides an overview of the literature examined.   It identifies the dominant literature and sources that will provide arguments addressing DTOs drug smuggling, MSCLEAs and the current situation along the Southwest border.   The academic debate concerning MSCLEA on the border focuses primarily on the issue of illegal immigration and second on drug interdiction.   There are only a few books on the topic.   Therefore, research will focus on scholarly articles, government studies, and statistical data available through the U.S. Border Patrol and Department of Enforcement Administration. Timothy Dunns 1996 book, The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1978-1992: Low Intensity Conflict Doctrine Comes Home is a study that compares data collected through interviews with military doctrine, law enforcement, congressional documents, and personal observations.   Dunns intent is to illustrate that increased activity along the southwest border escalated forcing military involvement in immigration and drug enforcement to a level unintended by Congress and defense officials.   Dunn provides insight to the difficulty associated with MSCLEA along the southwest border.   This historical data requires comparison to the post 9/11 challenges. There are numerous government studies and reports related to previous and current U.S. counterdrug program.   The Congressional Research Service (CRS) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) prepared most reports for members of Congress.   The National Drug and Control Policy also have a number of useful products.   Stephen Vina CRS report in 2006, Border Security and Military Support: Legal Authorizations and Restrictions outlines military support legal and policy limitations with in the U.S.   His study states military support to DTO is feasible however, it must be restricted to the employment of Nation Guard for border security missions vice the employment of active duty (GAO, 2003).   The 2010 report Department of Defense Needs to Improve Its Performance Measurement System to Better Manage and oversee Its Counternarcotics Activities demonstrates congressional interest in measures of effectiveness to justify MSCLEA in the early 1990s.   The 1993 Heavy Investment in Military Surveillance is Not Paying Off   report   findings suggest some military assets, such as rotary wing transport and lower-end unmanned aerial vehicles are relatively inexpensive and within the potential budget of federal law enforcement.   Other assets such as large multi-role aircraft and naval vessels, are very expensive operate and maintain.   The GAO (2009) study concluded that military surveillance is costly particularly when modern technology systems designed to detect and control highly sophisticated weapon systems in combat situations are employed against a DTO smuggling threat. Together, these two reports support content from the recent Washington Office on Latin America report that strongly suggest there must be a separation of military and police roles in America.   George Withers would agree there is a lack of measures of effectiveness justifying military support on the border. The GAO study, Secure Border Initiative: Observations on Deployment Challenges discusses the challenges of integrating sensors and obstacles along the 2000-mile Southwest border.   Conversely,   the 2007 report, U.S. Assistance Has Helped Mexican Counternarcotics Efforts, but Tons of Illicit Drugs Continue to Flow Into the United States clearly demonstrates the difficulties of combating the supply of drugs.   This study bring about discussion to identify the gaps in capability could be leveraged with unique available military resources.   The Rise of Mexican Drug Cartel and U.S. National Security hearing conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice illustrated the success of interagency cooperation against targeting DTOs.   The report provides an overview of the capability of the DTOs operating along the southwest border and describes their ability to conduct drug trafficking, kidnapping, bribery, extortion, money laundering and smuggling of profits, and trafficking and use of dangerous firearms.   The report concludes that the best strategy to combat the full spectrum of the drug cartels operations is a holistic approach that employs the full spectrum of our law enforcement agencies and its resources, expertise, and statutory authorities.   The Mexican border states have become much like a war zone with heavily armed military units on the street (since the President deemed local police too corrupt to deal with the cartels) and frequent firefights between the military and the cartels.   According to L.A. Times, as of November 29, 2010, 28,288 people have died in Mexico since January 2007 because of the drug wars.   In relative terms, that number is higher than the number of American troops that have died in Iraq in the last seven years (Mexico under Siege The Drug War on Our Doorstep, 2010). â€Å"Mexico Under Siege The Drug War on Our Doorstep†, is an L.A. Times website that includes all of their coverage of drug smuggling along the Southwest border along with interactive maps, links to television coverage and a host of other information.   This website is the principle primary source for details of recent events and media coverage of the situation.   Additionally, the website â€Å"Drug Trafficking in Mexico† maintained by latinamericanstudies.org traces the history of the drug trafficking between Mexico and the U. S. from 1998-2009.   This website provides links to hundreds of other articles on the subject as well. The Congressional Reporting Service publication â€Å"Terrorism: Some Legal Restrictions on Military Assistance to Domestic Authorities Following a Terrorist Attack† by Charles Doyle and Jennifer Elsea presents the legal definition of MSCLEAs in the wake of post 9/11 developments (Doyle and Elsea, 2005). Increased MSCLEA issues emerged in the 1980s and 1990s with regard to the interdiction of drugs.   However, since 9/11 they have largely revolved around the role of MSCLEA around terrorism related incidents.   The official policy of the United States Army on MSCLEA is contained in the Catastrophic Disaster Response Staff Officers Handbook â€Å"Appendix I: Legal Considerations/Law Enforcement† published by the United States Army Combined Arms Center in May 2006.   This document is supplemented by a paper prepared by Colonel Thomas W. McShane entitled, â€Å"United States Northern Commands Mission to Provide Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies: The Challenge to keep Homeland Security and Civil Liberty Dancing in Step with the Current Legal Music† (2004). There are varieties of publications that deal with the history of MSCLEA for Counter-drug Operations.   Most of the U.S. policy affecting domestic counterdrug MSCLEA require updates and fails to reflect the realities of the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.   Two of these stand out as having particular importance for this proposal.   The first is The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1978-1992: Low-Intensity Conflict Doctrine Comes Home by Timothy J Dunn, published in 1996.   The second is a Rand Corporation report entitled Sealing the Borders: The Effects of Increased Military Participation in Drug Interdiction written by Peter Reuter, Gordon Crawford, and Jonathan Cave published in 1988.   Both of the documents are dated however, they will provide a historical context to compare to current operations.   Reuter concludes that military support provided in the war on drugs in the 1980s w as costly, ineffective, and distracted military forces from preparing for interstate combat missions. Both documents are roughly twenty years old and this means that their consideration of everything from the technology of interdiction efforts to the scope and influence of DTOs is dated.   On the other hand, both documents precede the emergence of the overwhelming threat of terrorist attacks and therefore the focus is on MSCLEAs in a pre-9/11 context with the emphasis on drug interdiction, not anti-terrorism operations. Most importantly, both of these documents present a negative image of interdiction efforts.   The U.S. military interdiction efforts, although criticize provides an approach from two different perspectives.   The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1978-1992: Low-Intensity Conflict Doctrine Comes Home published by the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas, Austin focuses on the negative effects of the militarization of the border in terms of lost economic opportunities and threats to civil liberties. More condemning, however, is the Rand Corporation document, Sealing the Borders: The Effects of Increased Military Participation in Drug Interdiction.   It concludes that interdiction efforts in general have little impact on the flow of drugs into the United States.   Furthermore, it concludes that an increase in military involvement did not improve the interdiction effectiveness efforts and was unlikely to do so in the future.   The Rand study strongly suggests that the military cannot be the primary interdiction agency and that a major increase in military support is unlikely to reduce drug consumption significantly in the United States (Reuter, Crawford and Cave, 1988). The findings are not practical for exploring renewed efforts to employ enhanced MSCLEA in the interdiction effort in the twenty-first century.   There are numerous reservations about applying this study directly to the current situation.   This study will examine interdiction in terms of interdiction (seizure) rates, not reduced consumption, and the price of illicit drugs as examined by the Rand study. In addition, the circumstances of the drug trade across the Southwestern border have changed considerably over the past nine years, as have the military resources available to employ against interdiction effort.   The DTOs are now using RPGs and other military type weaponry consequently the military has UAVs and other surveillance equipment that was not available in the 1980s. The Rand study is incredibly important to understanding the history of military involvement in drug interdiction on the Southwest border.   However, the findings do not constitute the final word on the subject today as it is over twenty years old. It is imperative to examine literature that relates to the policies and procedures for MSCLEAs and the organization of cooperative efforts between the MSCLEAs.   Doctrine for this already exists for both the military and civilian organizations.   The Joint Task Force North, â€Å"JTF-North Operational Support Planning Guide 2010† outlines the military perspective on joint military-civilian operations.   The police understanding of the relationship is outlined in â€Å"Civilian and Military Law Enforcement Cooperation† published in The Police Chief (Awtry, 2004). The study Preach What You Practice: The Separation of Military and Police Roles in the Americas argues that military employment to assist law enforcement agencies falls the Posse Comitatus Act limits however, there is no imminent â€Å"threat of attack† on the United States.   Therefore, they question the need for a heightened militarization of the southwest border (Withers, Santos, Isacsoni, 2010 p 8).   This report suggest that instead of supporting a military response, the U.S. government re align its resources to focus on additional aid for police and law enforcement capabilities within Mexico.   They recommend this aid be in the form strengthening law enforcement training, equipment, and technology rather than merely training in counter-drug tactics.   The JTF North website lists the following capabilities as operational support the U. S. military is prepared to provide federal law enforcement agencies: aviation transportation, including both insertion and extraction of personnel; aviation reconnaissance; air and maritime surveillance radar; unmanned aircraft systems; ground surveillance radar; listening post and observation post surveillance; ground sensor operations; and ground transportation.   The consensus within NORTHCOM appears to be the military is capable of supplying resources that enhance law enforcement ability to interdict the threats along the southwest border.   Under USNORTHCOM, the military conducts a variety of domestic exercises aimed at using the military and National Guard under the presidents control in a wide range of U.S. homeland emergencies such as terrorist events and even domestic violence.   Which is the threat currently demonstrated by DTOs.   The exercises do not involve any Mexican entities, NORTHCOM suggest that an exchange of military personnel and cadets with Mexico as a means of gaining Mexican involvement in NORTHCOM, as well as regular talks about cooperation could increase the effectiveness of combating DTO activity along the border.   Jose Palafox addresses militarization of the border and the applicability of military counterdrug operations along the U.S.-Mexican border in 1990.   He closely examines the 1996 structure of JTF-6 and then concludes that a JTF consisting of only a brigade-size unit could effectively conduct sustained operations to interdict border drug trafficking along the two-thousand-mile boundary.   JTF-6 was renamed JTF North in a ceremony Sept. 28, 2004, and its mission was expanded beyond the drug war to include providing homeland security support to the nations federal law enforcement agencies. The article states the Pentagon is spent approximately $800 million a year to help enforce the drug trafficking laws alone.   The missions ranged from ground reconnaissance, training, logistics, and research.   In 1995, the Department of Defense transferred military technology equipment to Border Patrol in order to upgrade legacy Vietnam War error equipment.   Due to a joint effort by the Justice and Treasury Departments and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Border Patrol also has its own high-tech Border Research and Technology Center near San Diego. The article suggests that JTF-6 operations supporting DTO activity was a success and a necessity for future operations between military and civilian organizations.   Although, Border Patrol received significant upgrades gaps along the porous border remain specifically training and intelligence collection. Major Mark Van Dries 1990 monograph titled Drug Interdiction: Can We Stop the New Pancho Villa, addresses the feasibility of military counterdrug operations along the border in the 1990s.   The study states that drugs are a legitimate national security threat and the vulnerability of drug cartels to military operations.   Drie conclusion supports employment of military forces along the border where legal restraints are not clear and domestic opposition is less likely.   He further articulates that effectively securing the southwest border in 1990 would require a cordon force of 65,000 U.S. troops. Both the article and monograph fail to mention the 1997 tragic death of a U.S. citizen at the hands of a military service member that exposed the difficulties and inherent risks in employing combat focused forces in training missions in support of domestic counterdrug MSCLEA.   Marine Corps Corporal Manuel Banuelos shot and killed Texas high school student Esequiel Hernandez with a single shot from his service rifle.   The incident inspired a backlash against armed military patrols along the border and resulted in cease of the practice.   The current approach is indirect support to law enforcement such as intelligence, engineering, and surveillance (Dunn, 2001, p 14-17).   In summary, this chapter discusses corroborative information relating to drug cartel along US-Mexico borders and its perpetuation within the region which caused escalation of violence, increasing number of death tool and its serious implication to Mexicos politico-economy as well as its diplomatic relation with nations, specially United States. The succeeding chapters will discuss the methodology. CHAPTER III:   Methodology This chapter tackles the research methodology that will be used to assess the military resource requirements to counter drug activity along the Southwest border.   The author will conduct analysis of secondary information by using (a) timeline analysis to account the historical context about the war on drugs, (b) evaluate the laws and regulations associated with MSCLEA and current MSCLEA support in order to determine the most appropriate MSCLEA to counter drug trafficking along the Southwest border, (c) illustrate key developments in the war on drugs and military involvement in supporting the domestic counterdrug effort and (d) evaluate the significance, extent, resource capacity and feasibility of deploying MSCLEA to assist in the interdiction of DTOs across the Southwest border. Research Design This chapter will examine the issue by means of qualitative and quantitative analyses using variety of sources from media accounts, government reports, academic works, and historical documents.   To a lesser extent, opinion pieces will be used when the information is valid and appropriate opposing viewpoints are available for inclusion. Analysis of the results will provide statistical validity to the interpretation of results for the military and for the other agencies such as drug threats provided by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC). Sample Sampling is irrelevant in this study. Researcher is not using survey method but will be maximizing secondary information from government reports and earlier studies conducted related to the issue on Mexican drug interdiction. Other related relevant sources will also be inclusively considered. Setting The study will be conducted within American soil although it will also make use of documents from Mexican government which will be accessed, reviewed and evaluated accordingly. Instrumentation This is a qualitative and quantitative longitudinal case study that will use a combination of timeline mapping, conflict-analysis, and triangulation to understand the complex and unending illegal drug trade within the region that has been affecting neighboring and the international communities worldwide due to increasing violence within the area despite security management measures. All historical accounts, records, testimonies and researchers from incessant intervention done by the United States of America will be reviewed, analyzed and be maximized in crafting conclusions and recommendations at the end of the study. Data Collection To address research objective number three, DTOs current ability to interdict drugs across the border, the author will review publicly available information from books, journal articles, and corroborated news media accounts.   The book, Drug Smugglers on Drug Smuggling, will be used to substantiate data from the perspective, motivation and experiences of DTO smugglers. This book interviews experienced smugglers who at one time successfully in defeated drug interdiction measures.   The purpose of this research objective is to identify the nature and extent of DTO exploitation of US Southwest border. Specifically, this question serves to identify DTO resources and methods that are uniquely vulnerable to US military capabilities or where the US military resources can augment civilian law enforcement agencies.   Researcher will further use all information that can be sourced from government agencies, libraries, online research institutions, magazines, journals, court documents, magazines and journals. Data Analysis The author will use historical mapping as an instrument to gather information to assess the length of period and extent of the drug trafficking problem within the region. Historical mapping will also be used to determine the MSCLEA method(s) of involvement introduced by US Southwest region, including the outcome and impact of these interdictions.   Historical mapping will also be used to outline the laws and policies governing MSCLEA that were legislated as a response to countering illegal drug trade in the region. Additionally, analysis of government documents produced by Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) will be analyzed to determine the MSCLEA ability to adequately curtail drug trafficking across the southwest border. Lastly, the author will identify and compare the relative combat power of DTOs and US law enforcement personnel operating along the Southwest border.   Determining the capability gap will exhibit the necessary MSCLEA requirement(s) to effectively reinforce the combat power of law enforcement agencies in order to adequately curtail drug trafficking in the region.   As a mixed quantitative and qualitative study, researcher will present an integrated analysis and inferences into coherent conclusions toward a comprehensive and meaningful explication of the subject studied. Validity and Reliability This research is undertaken with serious consideration of the international and professional standard. Inferences and sequential presentation of information are drawn from primary and secondary sources that are critically evaluated based on acceptable standards of sources. Some information used came from government authorities and decision-making bodies who are honored with their credibility as authorities of the state. Readers who may conduct follow-up research may triangulate information and database used here to further validate reports. Ethical Considerations Researcher observes the highest standard of professional ethics required by the institution. Matters of confidentiality are held sacred while authors, writers, and agencies whose contributions to these subjects are wisely utilized were credited and recognized in the references. The succeeding chapter will substantially discuss the theme of this study. Chapter 4- DISCUSSION Resolving the complex issues on narcotics in the south west border require in-depth reflection on historic interventions made by USA which help increase interdiction on illegal drug-related cartel; evaluate the political capacity of DTO to sustain its illegal operations; triangulate policies of USA in its decision to assist in decreasing the movements of illegal drug trade; and assess the fiscal capacity of the American government to allocate against increasing demand of budget for operations. US Military Capacity vs Drug Trafficking In mid-19th century, United States deployed US Army on its southern border and was mandated to protect the border, interdict bandits, secure lives and properties, conduct regular patrolling and support civil law enforcement against illegal drug cartel business (Matthews, 1959). More than a century have passed, USA is still deploying National Guard Soldiers to the Mexican border as post-9/11 politico-military undertakings (Matthews, 1959). To reckon, from 1846 towards this millennium, US Army sustained its security mandates at the borders hard and rugged terrain (Matthews, 1959).   Reports mentioned that amid disputes, there is also a demand to increase numbers of soldiers (Matthews, 1959).   This is further compounded with critical Mexican politics and US-Mexican diplomatic relations that is affecting Armys operations (Matthews, 1959).   Contextualized in such distinct social character, Armys role was fitted to support to local, state, and Federal civilian agencies. Such nature of intervention is already evident since 1920s (Matthews, 1959). During President George W. Bushs administration decided to deploy about 6,000 Army National Guard Soldiers in 2006 to conduct security border patrol as issues relating to potential terrorist infiltration, increase of illegal drug syndicates activity, and leveling-up of apprehension about illegal immigration to United States en route through Mexico (Matthews, 1959). Though this was regarded with disapproval, there is however recognition to improve border security works albeit controversial use of military personnel to support law enforcement (Matthews, 1959). Both America and Mexico shared ambivalent relations since the former tightened its political control in that shared border coupled with cross-border violent aggressions done by Indians and bandits which accordingly increased the level of enmity (Matthews, 1959). There was however a historic epoch when America and the Mexican governments explored revitalization of goodwill when Major General Philip H. Sheridan waged a campaign against the French.   That provided an opportunity to resolve issues relating to US Armys disposition at the border from 1870 to 1886, including its inherent weakness about lack of personnel and passive defenses against cross-border raids. It also discussed the raid in Mexico in 1873 led by Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzies   and that pre-emptive strike led by Lieutenant Colonel William â€Å"Pecos Bill† Shafters. There was subsequent reduction of attacks but this generated political conflict which grind down American and Mexican goodwill (Matthews, 1959). In 1911 to 1917, the Mexican Revolution caused insecurity in the border and US soldiers realized that static defenses and patrolling couldnt cease terrorist raiders who maintained interest to cross the border. This was also same period when Major General Frederick Funstons attempted to stop the Plan of San Diego plotters and Brigadier General John J. Pershing launched punitive action against Francisco â€Å"Pancho† Villa. The military strategies enforced hot pursuits and preemptive strikes into Mexico to restore order to the border (Matthews, 1959). US Army have also conducted responses to WETBACK Operation in 1954 until they increased their presence in 1978 in Mexican border as a response to same issue on illegal US immigration and anti-drug cartel. The military supports for law enforcement at southern border have also evolved (Matthews, 1959). The historic problem remained in these 20th centuries and the issues pertaining to militarys disposition reverberates (Matthews, 1959 ). It still re-echo the need for defensive position and the discussion on conducting cou Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies CHAPTER I: Violence perpetrated by Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs) increased dramatically in 2006 and continued to rise dramatically through 2010.   According to the National Drug Intelligence Centers â€Å"National Drug Threat Assessment, 2010†, published in February 2010, â€Å"Mexican DTOs dominate the transportation of illicit drugs across the Southwest Border.   They typically use commercial trucks and private and rental vehicles to smuggle cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin† (National Drug Threat Assessment, 2010).   The increase in DTO activity has resulted in an increase of military involvement in counterdrug operations along the U.S. southwestern border region.   The tables in the appendices outline the statistical extent of the problem and the geographic penetration of Mexican DTOs within the United States.   Americas densely populated southern border with Mexico stretches nearly 2,000 miles in length and possesses several established crossing points.   In areas along northern Mexico, DTOs organize and equip themselves with resources that out match Mexican military forces (McCaffrey 2009).   With these developments, it is necessary to consider increased U.S. military support to drug interdiction along the southwest border, as DTOs are a national security threat that directly plays a role in destabilizing the heavily trafficked areas in both the U.S. and Mexico. Problem Statement The problem is to determine what Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies (MSCLEA) should be brought to bear against Mexican DTOs to interdict and reduce the flow of drugs across the Southwest Border. Research Objective This research aimed at answering and elucidating the following objectives: What capabilities does the U.S. military already have in the southwest border region to counter drug trafficking? What is the DTOs current capability to interdict drugs across the border (e.g. weapons, funding, resources)? What are the American laws and regulations governing the use of MSCLEA?   Is it financially feasible to increase MSCLEA? Assumptions The main premise to this research is based on the assumption that increasing the resources used to interdict the drug trafficking in the southwest border region will have a positive impact in disrupting DTOs operations, decreasing the amount of drugs trafficked and aiding in stabilizing the southwest border region.   Some groups advocate other approaches to the problem such as legalization and establishing additional treatment programs for users and abusers of illegal drugs.   Moreover, on the supply side, the assumption is diplomatic pressure on the countries that produce the drugs or assistance to their military and police organizations is necessary to increase the effectiveness.   This proposal assumes that enhanced interdiction efforts on the Southwest border will negatively impact Mexican DTOs and reduce use of illegal drugs within the United States. Additionally, the results and recommendations for this research assumed that all military assistance falls within Title 32 Duty and Article I,  § 8 of the Constitution that allows the National Guard to be used under the command and control of the governor to execute the laws of the Union, in order to suppress rebellion and deter invasions (Withers, 2010 p. 6). Definition of Terms Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies (MSCLEA):   Technical assistance rendered to civilian law enforcement agencies.   This can include military resources that are not available to civilians such as aerial surveillance, technical assistance with these resources, and tactical advice.   It does not include actual law enforcement powers (Sergienko, 2006, p. 395). Interdiction efforts:    All efforts used to reduce the flow of illegal drugs into the United States on the ground (or underground) across the Southwest border.   Success equals increased levels of drug seizures. Southwest border:   The land border between the U.S. and Mexico; also called the U.S.-Mexico border. Limitations and delimitations This study is limited to ground interdiction.   Drug smuggling is an incredibly profitable enterprise.   If ground interdiction efforts are to prove effective, it presumes that DTOs would attempt to move their operations into marine and aerial operations.   However, this study will only consider the deployment of marine and aerial assets as they relate to ground operations.   This study will limit its focus of the Southwest to the three major DTO interdiction routes located in Texas, New Mexico, and California.   The strategies proposed or dismissed in this research may or may not be appropriate to compare with the interdiction efforts on other borders such as the northern border with Canada. This study will be limited to cooperation with civilian law enforcement agencies within the United States.   It will not consider support for Mexican civilian law enforcement agencies nor will it consider cooperation with the Mexican military although it will acknowledge that they are now the lead agency in struggle with DTOs within Mexico. All proposals for MSCLEA will be governed by the U.S Constitution, relevant U.S. laws and the USNORTHCOM directives on MSCLEA, â€Å"Military support to civilian law enforcement is carried out in strict compliance with the Constitution and U.S. laws and under the direction of the president and secretary of defense† (USNORTHCOM). CHAPTER II: Literature Review This chapter provides an overview of the literature examined.   It identifies the dominant literature and sources that will provide arguments addressing DTOs drug smuggling, MSCLEAs and the current situation along the Southwest border.   The academic debate concerning MSCLEA on the border focuses primarily on the issue of illegal immigration and second on drug interdiction.   There are only a few books on the topic.   Therefore, research will focus on scholarly articles, government studies, and statistical data available through the U.S. Border Patrol and Department of Enforcement Administration. Timothy Dunns 1996 book, The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1978-1992: Low Intensity Conflict Doctrine Comes Home is a study that compares data collected through interviews with military doctrine, law enforcement, congressional documents, and personal observations.   Dunns intent is to illustrate that increased activity along the southwest border escalated forcing military involvement in immigration and drug enforcement to a level unintended by Congress and defense officials.   Dunn provides insight to the difficulty associated with MSCLEA along the southwest border.   This historical data requires comparison to the post 9/11 challenges. There are numerous government studies and reports related to previous and current U.S. counterdrug program.   The Congressional Research Service (CRS) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) prepared most reports for members of Congress.   The National Drug and Control Policy also have a number of useful products.   Stephen Vina CRS report in 2006, Border Security and Military Support: Legal Authorizations and Restrictions outlines military support legal and policy limitations with in the U.S.   His study states military support to DTO is feasible however, it must be restricted to the employment of Nation Guard for border security missions vice the employment of active duty (GAO, 2003).   The 2010 report Department of Defense Needs to Improve Its Performance Measurement System to Better Manage and oversee Its Counternarcotics Activities demonstrates congressional interest in measures of effectiveness to justify MSCLEA in the early 1990s.   The 1993 Heavy Investment in Military Surveillance is Not Paying Off   report   findings suggest some military assets, such as rotary wing transport and lower-end unmanned aerial vehicles are relatively inexpensive and within the potential budget of federal law enforcement.   Other assets such as large multi-role aircraft and naval vessels, are very expensive operate and maintain.   The GAO (2009) study concluded that military surveillance is costly particularly when modern technology systems designed to detect and control highly sophisticated weapon systems in combat situations are employed against a DTO smuggling threat. Together, these two reports support content from the recent Washington Office on Latin America report that strongly suggest there must be a separation of military and police roles in America.   George Withers would agree there is a lack of measures of effectiveness justifying military support on the border. The GAO study, Secure Border Initiative: Observations on Deployment Challenges discusses the challenges of integrating sensors and obstacles along the 2000-mile Southwest border.   Conversely,   the 2007 report, U.S. Assistance Has Helped Mexican Counternarcotics Efforts, but Tons of Illicit Drugs Continue to Flow Into the United States clearly demonstrates the difficulties of combating the supply of drugs.   This study bring about discussion to identify the gaps in capability could be leveraged with unique available military resources.   The Rise of Mexican Drug Cartel and U.S. National Security hearing conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice illustrated the success of interagency cooperation against targeting DTOs.   The report provides an overview of the capability of the DTOs operating along the southwest border and describes their ability to conduct drug trafficking, kidnapping, bribery, extortion, money laundering and smuggling of profits, and trafficking and use of dangerous firearms.   The report concludes that the best strategy to combat the full spectrum of the drug cartels operations is a holistic approach that employs the full spectrum of our law enforcement agencies and its resources, expertise, and statutory authorities.   The Mexican border states have become much like a war zone with heavily armed military units on the street (since the President deemed local police too corrupt to deal with the cartels) and frequent firefights between the military and the cartels.   According to L.A. Times, as of November 29, 2010, 28,288 people have died in Mexico since January 2007 because of the drug wars.   In relative terms, that number is higher than the number of American troops that have died in Iraq in the last seven years (Mexico under Siege The Drug War on Our Doorstep, 2010). â€Å"Mexico Under Siege The Drug War on Our Doorstep†, is an L.A. Times website that includes all of their coverage of drug smuggling along the Southwest border along with interactive maps, links to television coverage and a host of other information.   This website is the principle primary source for details of recent events and media coverage of the situation.   Additionally, the website â€Å"Drug Trafficking in Mexico† maintained by latinamericanstudies.org traces the history of the drug trafficking between Mexico and the U. S. from 1998-2009.   This website provides links to hundreds of other articles on the subject as well. The Congressional Reporting Service publication â€Å"Terrorism: Some Legal Restrictions on Military Assistance to Domestic Authorities Following a Terrorist Attack† by Charles Doyle and Jennifer Elsea presents the legal definition of MSCLEAs in the wake of post 9/11 developments (Doyle and Elsea, 2005). Increased MSCLEA issues emerged in the 1980s and 1990s with regard to the interdiction of drugs.   However, since 9/11 they have largely revolved around the role of MSCLEA around terrorism related incidents.   The official policy of the United States Army on MSCLEA is contained in the Catastrophic Disaster Response Staff Officers Handbook â€Å"Appendix I: Legal Considerations/Law Enforcement† published by the United States Army Combined Arms Center in May 2006.   This document is supplemented by a paper prepared by Colonel Thomas W. McShane entitled, â€Å"United States Northern Commands Mission to Provide Military Support to Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies: The Challenge to keep Homeland Security and Civil Liberty Dancing in Step with the Current Legal Music† (2004). There are varieties of publications that deal with the history of MSCLEA for Counter-drug Operations.   Most of the U.S. policy affecting domestic counterdrug MSCLEA require updates and fails to reflect the realities of the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.   Two of these stand out as having particular importance for this proposal.   The first is The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1978-1992: Low-Intensity Conflict Doctrine Comes Home by Timothy J Dunn, published in 1996.   The second is a Rand Corporation report entitled Sealing the Borders: The Effects of Increased Military Participation in Drug Interdiction written by Peter Reuter, Gordon Crawford, and Jonathan Cave published in 1988.   Both of the documents are dated however, they will provide a historical context to compare to current operations.   Reuter concludes that military support provided in the war on drugs in the 1980s w as costly, ineffective, and distracted military forces from preparing for interstate combat missions. Both documents are roughly twenty years old and this means that their consideration of everything from the technology of interdiction efforts to the scope and influence of DTOs is dated.   On the other hand, both documents precede the emergence of the overwhelming threat of terrorist attacks and therefore the focus is on MSCLEAs in a pre-9/11 context with the emphasis on drug interdiction, not anti-terrorism operations. Most importantly, both of these documents present a negative image of interdiction efforts.   The U.S. military interdiction efforts, although criticize provides an approach from two different perspectives.   The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border, 1978-1992: Low-Intensity Conflict Doctrine Comes Home published by the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas, Austin focuses on the negative effects of the militarization of the border in terms of lost economic opportunities and threats to civil liberties. More condemning, however, is the Rand Corporation document, Sealing the Borders: The Effects of Increased Military Participation in Drug Interdiction.   It concludes that interdiction efforts in general have little impact on the flow of drugs into the United States.   Furthermore, it concludes that an increase in military involvement did not improve the interdiction effectiveness efforts and was unlikely to do so in the future.   The Rand study strongly suggests that the military cannot be the primary interdiction agency and that a major increase in military support is unlikely to reduce drug consumption significantly in the United States (Reuter, Crawford and Cave, 1988). The findings are not practical for exploring renewed efforts to employ enhanced MSCLEA in the interdiction effort in the twenty-first century.   There are numerous reservations about applying this study directly to the current situation.   This study will examine interdiction in terms of interdiction (seizure) rates, not reduced consumption, and the price of illicit drugs as examined by the Rand study. In addition, the circumstances of the drug trade across the Southwestern border have changed considerably over the past nine years, as have the military resources available to employ against interdiction effort.   The DTOs are now using RPGs and other military type weaponry consequently the military has UAVs and other surveillance equipment that was not available in the 1980s. The Rand study is incredibly important to understanding the history of military involvement in drug interdiction on the Southwest border.   However, the findings do not constitute the final word on the subject today as it is over twenty years old. It is imperative to examine literature that relates to the policies and procedures for MSCLEAs and the organization of cooperative efforts between the MSCLEAs.   Doctrine for this already exists for both the military and civilian organizations.   The Joint Task Force North, â€Å"JTF-North Operational Support Planning Guide 2010† outlines the military perspective on joint military-civilian operations.   The police understanding of the relationship is outlined in â€Å"Civilian and Military Law Enforcement Cooperation† published in The Police Chief (Awtry, 2004). The study Preach What You Practice: The Separation of Military and Police Roles in the Americas argues that military employment to assist law enforcement agencies falls the Posse Comitatus Act limits however, there is no imminent â€Å"threat of attack† on the United States.   Therefore, they question the need for a heightened militarization of the southwest border (Withers, Santos, Isacsoni, 2010 p 8).   This report suggest that instead of supporting a military response, the U.S. government re align its resources to focus on additional aid for police and law enforcement capabilities within Mexico.   They recommend this aid be in the form strengthening law enforcement training, equipment, and technology rather than merely training in counter-drug tactics.   The JTF North website lists the following capabilities as operational support the U. S. military is prepared to provide federal law enforcement agencies: aviation transportation, including both insertion and extraction of personnel; aviation reconnaissance; air and maritime surveillance radar; unmanned aircraft systems; ground surveillance radar; listening post and observation post surveillance; ground sensor operations; and ground transportation.   The consensus within NORTHCOM appears to be the military is capable of supplying resources that enhance law enforcement ability to interdict the threats along the southwest border.   Under USNORTHCOM, the military conducts a variety of domestic exercises aimed at using the military and National Guard under the presidents control in a wide range of U.S. homeland emergencies such as terrorist events and even domestic violence.   Which is the threat currently demonstrated by DTOs.   The exercises do not involve any Mexican entities, NORTHCOM suggest that an exchange of military personnel and cadets with Mexico as a means of gaining Mexican involvement in NORTHCOM, as well as regular talks about cooperation could increase the effectiveness of combating DTO activity along the border.   Jose Palafox addresses militarization of the border and the applicability of military counterdrug operations along the U.S.-Mexican border in 1990.   He closely examines the 1996 structure of JTF-6 and then concludes that a JTF consisting of only a brigade-size unit could effectively conduct sustained operations to interdict border drug trafficking along the two-thousand-mile boundary.   JTF-6 was renamed JTF North in a ceremony Sept. 28, 2004, and its mission was expanded beyond the drug war to include providing homeland security support to the nations federal law enforcement agencies. The article states the Pentagon is spent approximately $800 million a year to help enforce the drug trafficking laws alone.   The missions ranged from ground reconnaissance, training, logistics, and research.   In 1995, the Department of Defense transferred military technology equipment to Border Patrol in order to upgrade legacy Vietnam War error equipment.   Due to a joint effort by the Justice and Treasury Departments and the Office of National Drug Control Policy, the Border Patrol also has its own high-tech Border Research and Technology Center near San Diego. The article suggests that JTF-6 operations supporting DTO activity was a success and a necessity for future operations between military and civilian organizations.   Although, Border Patrol received significant upgrades gaps along the porous border remain specifically training and intelligence collection. Major Mark Van Dries 1990 monograph titled Drug Interdiction: Can We Stop the New Pancho Villa, addresses the feasibility of military counterdrug operations along the border in the 1990s.   The study states that drugs are a legitimate national security threat and the vulnerability of drug cartels to military operations.   Drie conclusion supports employment of military forces along the border where legal restraints are not clear and domestic opposition is less likely.   He further articulates that effectively securing the southwest border in 1990 would require a cordon force of 65,000 U.S. troops. Both the article and monograph fail to mention the 1997 tragic death of a U.S. citizen at the hands of a military service member that exposed the difficulties and inherent risks in employing combat focused forces in training missions in support of domestic counterdrug MSCLEA.   Marine Corps Corporal Manuel Banuelos shot and killed Texas high school student Esequiel Hernandez with a single shot from his service rifle.   The incident inspired a backlash against armed military patrols along the border and resulted in cease of the practice.   The current approach is indirect support to law enforcement such as intelligence, engineering, and surveillance (Dunn, 2001, p 14-17).   In summary, this chapter discusses corroborative information relating to drug cartel along US-Mexico borders and its perpetuation within the region which caused escalation of violence, increasing number of death tool and its serious implication to Mexicos politico-economy as well as its diplomatic relation with nations, specially United States. The succeeding chapters will discuss the methodology. CHAPTER III:   Methodology This chapter tackles the research methodology that will be used to assess the military resource requirements to counter drug activity along the Southwest border.   The author will conduct analysis of secondary information by using (a) timeline analysis to account the historical context about the war on drugs, (b) evaluate the laws and regulations associated with MSCLEA and current MSCLEA support in order to determine the most appropriate MSCLEA to counter drug trafficking along the Southwest border, (c) illustrate key developments in the war on drugs and military involvement in supporting the domestic counterdrug effort and (d) evaluate the significance, extent, resource capacity and feasibility of deploying MSCLEA to assist in the interdiction of DTOs across the Southwest border. Research Design This chapter will examine the issue by means of qualitative and quantitative analyses using variety of sources from media accounts, government reports, academic works, and historical documents.   To a lesser extent, opinion pieces will be used when the information is valid and appropriate opposing viewpoints are available for inclusion. Analysis of the results will provide statistical validity to the interpretation of results for the military and for the other agencies such as drug threats provided by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC). Sample Sampling is irrelevant in this study. Researcher is not using survey method but will be maximizing secondary information from government reports and earlier studies conducted related to the issue on Mexican drug interdiction. Other related relevant sources will also be inclusively considered. Setting The study will be conducted within American soil although it will also make use of documents from Mexican government which will be accessed, reviewed and evaluated accordingly. Instrumentation This is a qualitative and quantitative longitudinal case study that will use a combination of timeline mapping, conflict-analysis, and triangulation to understand the complex and unending illegal drug trade within the region that has been affecting neighboring and the international communities worldwide due to increasing violence within the area despite security management measures. All historical accounts, records, testimonies and researchers from incessant intervention done by the United States of America will be reviewed, analyzed and be maximized in crafting conclusions and recommendations at the end of the study. Data Collection To address research objective number three, DTOs current ability to interdict drugs across the border, the author will review publicly available information from books, journal articles, and corroborated news media accounts.   The book, Drug Smugglers on Drug Smuggling, will be used to substantiate data from the perspective, motivation and experiences of DTO smugglers. This book interviews experienced smugglers who at one time successfully in defeated drug interdiction measures.   The purpose of this research objective is to identify the nature and extent of DTO exploitation of US Southwest border. Specifically, this question serves to identify DTO resources and methods that are uniquely vulnerable to US military capabilities or where the US military resources can augment civilian law enforcement agencies.   Researcher will further use all information that can be sourced from government agencies, libraries, online research institutions, magazines, journals, court documents, magazines and journals. Data Analysis The author will use historical mapping as an instrument to gather information to assess the length of period and extent of the drug trafficking problem within the region. Historical mapping will also be used to determine the MSCLEA method(s) of involvement introduced by US Southwest region, including the outcome and impact of these interdictions.   Historical mapping will also be used to outline the laws and policies governing MSCLEA that were legislated as a response to countering illegal drug trade in the region. Additionally, analysis of government documents produced by Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Government Accountability Office (GAO), U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) will be analyzed to determine the MSCLEA ability to adequately curtail drug trafficking across the southwest border. Lastly, the author will identify and compare the relative combat power of DTOs and US law enforcement personnel operating along the Southwest border.   Determining the capability gap will exhibit the necessary MSCLEA requirement(s) to effectively reinforce the combat power of law enforcement agencies in order to adequately curtail drug trafficking in the region.   As a mixed quantitative and qualitative study, researcher will present an integrated analysis and inferences into coherent conclusions toward a comprehensive and meaningful explication of the subject studied. Validity and Reliability This research is undertaken with serious consideration of the international and professional standard. Inferences and sequential presentation of information are drawn from primary and secondary sources that are critically evaluated based on acceptable standards of sources. Some information used came from government authorities and decision-making bodies who are honored with their credibility as authorities of the state. Readers who may conduct follow-up research may triangulate information and database used here to further validate reports. Ethical Considerations Researcher observes the highest standard of professional ethics required by the institution. Matters of confidentiality are held sacred while authors, writers, and agencies whose contributions to these subjects are wisely utilized were credited and recognized in the references. The succeeding chapter will substantially discuss the theme of this study. Chapter 4- DISCUSSION Resolving the complex issues on narcotics in the south west border require in-depth reflection on historic interventions made by USA which help increase interdiction on illegal drug-related cartel; evaluate the political capacity of DTO to sustain its illegal operations; triangulate policies of USA in its decision to assist in decreasing the movements of illegal drug trade; and assess the fiscal capacity of the American government to allocate against increasing demand of budget for operations. US Military Capacity vs Drug Trafficking In mid-19th century, United States deployed US Army on its southern border and was mandated to protect the border, interdict bandits, secure lives and properties, conduct regular patrolling and support civil law enforcement against illegal drug cartel business (Matthews, 1959). More than a century have passed, USA is still deploying National Guard Soldiers to the Mexican border as post-9/11 politico-military undertakings (Matthews, 1959). To reckon, from 1846 towards this millennium, US Army sustained its security mandates at the borders hard and rugged terrain (Matthews, 1959).   Reports mentioned that amid disputes, there is also a demand to increase numbers of soldiers (Matthews, 1959).   This is further compounded with critical Mexican politics and US-Mexican diplomatic relations that is affecting Armys operations (Matthews, 1959).   Contextualized in such distinct social character, Armys role was fitted to support to local, state, and Federal civilian agencies. Such nature of intervention is already evident since 1920s (Matthews, 1959). During President George W. Bushs administration decided to deploy about 6,000 Army National Guard Soldiers in 2006 to conduct security border patrol as issues relating to potential terrorist infiltration, increase of illegal drug syndicates activity, and leveling-up of apprehension about illegal immigration to United States en route through Mexico (Matthews, 1959). Though this was regarded with disapproval, there is however recognition to improve border security works albeit controversial use of military personnel to support law enforcement (Matthews, 1959). Both America and Mexico shared ambivalent relations since the former tightened its political control in that shared border coupled with cross-border violent aggressions done by Indians and bandits which accordingly increased the level of enmity (Matthews, 1959). There was however a historic epoch when America and the Mexican governments explored revitalization of goodwill when Major General Philip H. Sheridan waged a campaign against the French.   That provided an opportunity to resolve issues relating to US Armys disposition at the border from 1870 to 1886, including its inherent weakness about lack of personnel and passive defenses against cross-border raids. It also discussed the raid in Mexico in 1873 led by Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzies   and that pre-emptive strike led by Lieutenant Colonel William â€Å"Pecos Bill† Shafters. There was subsequent reduction of attacks but this generated political conflict which grind down American and Mexican goodwill (Matthews, 1959). In 1911 to 1917, the Mexican Revolution caused insecurity in the border and US soldiers realized that static defenses and patrolling couldnt cease terrorist raiders who maintained interest to cross the border. This was also same period when Major General Frederick Funstons attempted to stop the Plan of San Diego plotters and Brigadier General John J. Pershing launched punitive action against Francisco â€Å"Pancho† Villa. The military strategies enforced hot pursuits and preemptive strikes into Mexico to restore order to the border (Matthews, 1959). US Army have also conducted responses to WETBACK Operation in 1954 until they increased their presence in 1978 in Mexican border as a response to same issue on illegal US immigration and anti-drug cartel. The military supports for law enforcement at southern border have also evolved (Matthews, 1959). The historic problem remained in these 20th centuries and the issues pertaining to militarys disposition reverberates (Matthews, 1959 ). It still re-echo the need for defensive position and the discussion on conducting cou