Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Political Science - Essay Example It is against this background that the central premise of this essay is focused on conducting an exhaustive critique into the relevance or otherwise of nationalist sentiments in our day and age. This question clearly emanates from the recent trends of highly charged tensions generated in the global political landscape due to nationalism. The debate is even made more complex by the fact that in one breadth whilst nationalism is cited as a justifiable intervention in a bid to consolidate an existing heritage in the next breadth all the blame for the internecine conflicts that have engulfed some parts of the world with deplorable impacts have heaped on the doorsteps of nationalist sentiments. Nationalism remains one of the greatest issues in international politics that does not have a simple, straightforward answer1. Suffice to cite a few instances to buttress the forgoing points. The state of Bangladesh was carved out of Pakistan, fuelled mainly by the strong nationalist elements of th e then Pakistani Bengali populace. In many respects the Bengali people shared common features with the mainland Pakistani people, with their Islamic religious creed serving as the most shining example. Yet nationalist yearning for sovereignty far exceeded the underlining factors-- a drive that eventually lead to the establishment of the independent state of Bangladesh. Irrespective of how this issue is looked at it served as a landmark victory for the Bengali nationalist. In sharp contrast, the same cannot be said about the Yugoslavian massacre that witnessed the mass killing of both ethnic Serbians and Albanians on a purely nationalist alter. Neither can the Nazi extremist execution of over six million Jews be used as a good example of the benefits of nationalist. To this end, the essay proceeds to pose prying questions as to what constitutes and when the middle line can be towed with regards to the question of nationalist sentiment. One truism is acknowledged in conducting this review. Nationalism is an inevitable human reality that can never be eliminated, whilst acknowledging this fact there is need to also state in terms of the need for complementary moderation to work within the framework of established state structures. To achieve the stated goals of this essay, there will be a conscientious attempt to conduct a theoretical assessment of all the contending issues on the nationalist debate as a way of orienting the reader before delving into the analytical scope of the essay. The essay extensively uses, historical and contemporary precedents to conduct a comparatively and inferential analysis that will eventually lead to a tentative conclusion to support the underlining thesis of the essay. Theoretical Basis There is a general consensus among anthropologists and sociologists that the human being has an inherent inclination to crave for affiliation with a recognized group within an environment that is socially supported2. Indeed, this serves as the graphic illustration of Aristotle's saying that man is a social animal. Group structures provide viable grounds for the provision of perceived or even real security besides the cardinal goal of presenting an identity. The group structure

Should the drinking age of 21 be lowered to 18years old Why or Why not Personal Statement

Should the drinking age of 21 be lowered to 18years old Why or Why not - Personal Statement Example Adolescent brains are much more defenseless than adult brains to stand the ill effects of alcoholism. Consumption of alcohol at a young age badly affects learning, memory, thinking capacity, judgment, and decision-making capability. Grant (1998, p.144) states that the age at which a person starts consuming alcohol plays a very important role in deciding how much alcohol dependent he will be in his later life. He investigated the relationship between life time alcohol dependence and the age at which a person starts drinking. He used data from the 1992 National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey. He found in his research that â€Å"regardless of the family history of alcoholism, respondents with an earlier age of drinking onset were more likely to become alcohol dependent compared with respondents with a later age of drinking onset† (p.144) and that â€Å"the likelihood of lifetime alcohol dependence decreased with increasing age at drinking onset† (p.146). Young brains are more vulnerable to hazards of alcohol. Hence, it is very important not to lower down the drinking age to 18 in order to reduce the hazardous effects of alcohol when consumed at younger age. Grant, B.F. (1998). The impact of a family history of alcoholism on the relationship between age at onset of alcohol use and DSM–IV alcohol dependence. Alcohol Health and Research World, 22(2), pp.