Why might democracies be more peaceful in their relations with each Essay - 1

Why might democracies be more peaceful in their relations with each other than with state that are not democracies - Essay Example A State is formed when a group of people organize themselves and decide to live together peacefully in society on the bases of common goals, identity, ancestry, language, culture, religion, ethnicity, history, customs, and territory. Society may also be defined as a broad grouping of people living in a common area and having common traditions, institutions, activities, and interests (Laswell and Kaplan 1960). The family is the basic unit of society, and a family is formed when two or more human beings decide to live together to pursue common goals. From these commonly accepted definitions can be distinguished one characteristic that defines families, societies, and states: they share common interests. Social scientists have observed that, normally, sharing common interests help people to live together peacefully, because each one is different and unique in terms of capabilities. Through personal experience, people learn that they cannot do everything, so they have to depend on each other. In the process, they realize they cannot have everything, so they surrender some of the things they want to get others they want more or that would help them survive. In society and among States, the balance of power between two or more agents is what ultimately decides their courses of action. The same holds true for nations and States, which is why until now, wars are fought and peace has been elusive. It has been only some sixty years since a bloody world war was fought, and less than two decades since the Cold War ended (Kennedy 1999). These show that more than common interests and balance of power, there is a third factor that governs the relationships among States: ideologies. An ideology is "a set of ideas that are in some logical way related to one another" (Ranney 2001, p. 69-70). Macridis (1992) suggested four criteria to distinguish ideologies from ideas: comprehensiveness, pervasiveness, extensiveness, and intensiveness. Ideologies that are well-developed contain five basic components: values, vision of the ideal polity, conception of human nature, strategy of action, and political tactics. Among the well-known ideologies (Ranney counted at least fifty-five, mostly ending in -ism), this discussion focuses on democracy, one of the most difficult to understand and define because many along the wide spectrum of political ideologies use it to support their aspirations, from left-wing Communists to right-wing Fascists, from liberals to conservatives. What is Democracy Ranney (2001, p. 95) defines democracy as a "form of government organized in accordance with the principles of popular sovereignty, political equality, popular consultation, and majority rule." This definition specifies that there are four principles of democracy (p. 96-98). The principle of popular sovereignty requires that "the ultimate power to make political decisions is vested in all the people rather than in some of them or one of them". The principle of political equality requires that "each adult citizen has the same opportunity as every other adult citizen to participate in the political decision-making process"; this is also known as the "one person, one vote" principle. The popular consultation principle has two requirements: first, there should be an institutional machinery through

Effectiveness of Internet and electronic communiation policy against Essay

Effectiveness of Internet and electronic communiation policy against Canadians - Essay Example Therefore, Canada's place in the world economy requires the best use of ICT and this paper will attempt to study policies, information, and services that relate to Canada and the various benefits that can be derived from use of ICT. With the ability of Canadians to communicate worldwide, new problems arise and innovative solutions are necessary. Rapid developments in telecommunications require new communications and digital and analog systems technologies. Innovations in applied science, particularly in computer systems and applications, are necessary due to economic factors in Canada, which, together with other major countries of the world, are in turmoil. Ryerson University, based in Toronto, is involved in research in all areas of communication. Information and communications technology adoption has been necessary, and ongoing research is investigating the organizational and social implications of what can be called "anytime, anywhere computing" (Ryerson, 2006). This paper will attempt to study the policies, information and services put in place by private and public means and determine the ways in which Canadians can benefit from ongoing global communications systems. Before individuals can access the Internet, they need a service provider (ISP). The purpose of the ISP is to have some economic control over individual Internet use. But once the connection is made, the Internet has expanded to a point where individuals can interact online and offer opinions, suggestions, and product promotions, as well as personal movies, on sites such as MySpace and YouTube, and the Stock Market in Toronto is able to use mobile phones to buy and sell stocks. In fact, it is now possible to hold a global communications command center in one's hand, with voice mail, text mail, caller ID, video, a news banner, and music available 24-7. In addition, the Internet offers online banking and online shopping. There are many ways to go online, but once connected to an ISP, most everyone has Internet Explorer or a facsimile as a method of connecting to different sites online. The major search engine online is Google, with competition from Yahoo, and Ask.com. With so much onli ne freedom, policies are necessary to offer guidelines and easy safe access for Canadian users. Technology can be used to unite society, but it can also divide. Privacy and security are major concerns and related issues require policies that relate to Canada specifically. One particular aspect is the fact that Canada recognizes two major languages-English and French. Therefore, it is important that policies are accessible in both languages. Exactly what are the policies presently in place for Internet users Some areas in which policies have been introduced and are under review are in government online strategy, telecommunications, natural resources, advertising, and issues of personal privacy (Introduction, 2008). Government Online Strategy In 2001, the Canadian government acknowledged that policy should include a citizen focus involving Canadians in the "development, review and evaluation of policies, programs, services,