George F. Kennan’s strategy of Containment: an assessment of Kennan’s coherence and consistency

This thesis examines George F. Kennan’s coherence and consistency when he formulated the strategy of containment. Kennan’s work went through different stages which depended on the political context it was set in as circumstances evolved and the position he held. The aim is not to criticise Kennan but understand whether he remained consistent and coherent and why changes occurred. When Kennan sent the Long Telegram and delivered lectures at the National War College, the strategy had not been structured. In 1946 and early 1947, containment was not a strategy, it was still an idea. The Long Telegram provided him with the opportunity to move to the National War College to develop and structure a strategy. The invitation in 1947 to enter the official bureaucracy as the Director of the Policy Planning Staff did not demand that Kennan create a strategy but he was able to use it as an opportunity to build the strategy he had been advocating which was to contain Soviet expansion through the economic rehabilitation of Western Europe, Germany and Japan. Kennan remained consistent with his recommendations for a political-economic containment, specifically avoiding any military intervention. Kennan became trapped by the X article, as it distorted his views, making it appear that he was contradicting his original approach to containment. Kennan attempted to fight back against the misunderstanding of this article by focusing on political-economic policies, but it became clear that he was losing his influence and struggling to implement a coherent strategy. The extension of the containment strategy beyond strategic areas, the rejection of Program A, along with the continued division of Europe and the more militarized tone of the containment strategy stopped Kennan from implementing a coherent containment strategy. By 1953, Kennan and his containment strategy had been defeated

An Evaluation of the Economic, Environmental and Social Impacts of NSW DPI Investments in IPM Research in Invertebrate Rice Pests

Research into IPM technologies has been conducted by NSW DPI for over 20 years. Evaluating the returns from investment in specific research and development projects is an important component of the NSW DPI science and research program. An economic evaluation has been conducted of IPM in managing invertebrate pests in rice in NSW. We found that there has been widespread adoption of many IPM practices amongst NSW rice growers leading to a flow of economic benefits to the rice industry and the community. Important environmental and human health benefits were also identified. A benefit-cost ratio of 9.05 was calculated for the return to NSW DPI investment in rice invertebrate pests IPM research. The net present value of the benefits of this research to 2020 was $67.9 million. Important environmental and human health benefits were not valued nor were ‘spillover’ benefits to other States.benefit cost analysis, rice, IPM, invertebrate pests, evaluation, Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Production Economics, Q160,

Communication of military couples during deployment predicting generalized anxiety upon reunion

This study draws on the emotional cycle of deployment model (Pincus, House, Christenson, & Adler, 2001) to consider how the valence of communication between military personnel and at-home partners during deployment predicts their generalized anxiety upon reunion. Online survey data were collected from 555 military couples (N = 1,110 individuals) once per month for 8 consecutive months beginning at homecoming. Dyadic growth curve modeling results indicated that people’s anxiety declined across the transition. For at-home partners, constructive communication during deployment predicted a steeper decline in anxiety over time. For both returning service members and at-home partners, destructive communication during deployment predicted more anxiety upon reunion but a steeper decline in anxiety over time. Results were robust beyond the frequency of communication during deployment and a host of individual, relational, and military variables. These findings advance the emotional cycle of deployment model, highlight the importance of the valence of communication during deployment, and illuminate how the effects of communication during deployment can endure after military couples are reunited

The Ayahuasca Patent Revocation: Raising Questions About Current U.S. Patent Policy

This Note explores the discriminatory effect of U.S. patent law and policy on indigenous communities in developing countries. For years, Western researchers have relied upon local people to point them to useful regional plants and animals so that they could then isolate, develop and patent the chemical compounds found in the organisms. Yet, the U.S. patent system does not recognize or value the traditional knowledge of indigenous groups regarding their regional biodiversity. Rather, the researchers who isolate the compounds can obtain a patent with no recognition for the indigenous knowledge upon which they relied. Recently, the World Trade Organization has succeeded at globalizing Western intellectual property systems through international treaties. These efforts have met with significant resistance in several developing countries. The controversy over the ayahuasca patent is one example of developing countries\u27 opposition to Western-style intellectual property rights. By implementing the suggestions described in this Note, the United States could ensure that indigenous knowledge would be recognized and thus could avoid future controversies like the one surrounding the ayahuasca patent

An Evaluation of the Economic, Environmental and Social Impacts of NSW DPI Investments in IPM Research in Lettuce

Research into IPM technologies has been conducted by NSW DPI for over 20 years. Evaluating the returns from investment in specific research and development projects is an important component of the NSW DPI science and research program. An economic evaluation has been conducted of IPM in managing invertebrate pests in lettuce in NSW. We found that there has been widespread adoption of IPM practices amongst NSW lettuce growers leading to a flow of economic benefits to the lettuce industry and the community. Important environmental and human health benefits were also identified. A benefit-cost ratio of 2 was calculated for the return to NSW DPI investment in lettuce IPM research which while satisfactory, is lower than returns calculated for other agricultural R&D. It does not include ‘spillover’ benefits to other States nor have human health or environmental benefits been valued.research, benefit-cost, evaluation, IPM (Integrated Pest Management), lettuce, Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Production Economics, Q160,

A Phrenological Assesment of Rebecca Harding Davis’s Sketch, “Blind Tom”

In this essay, I examine how the nineteenth-century cultural phenomenon of phrenology is made apparent in the abolitionist arguments of Rebecca Harding Davis’s “Blind Tom” (1862), a nonfiction character sketch of the popular blind slave and idiot savant-musician. The first portion of my argument constructs a probable reality that allows for the influence of Davis’s exposure to phrenology first as a student, then later as a writer. I then perform a critical assessment of “Blind Tom,” revealing how Davis relies upon phrenological terminology, such as that employed by famous phrenologist Orson Squire Fowler, in her descriptions of the musician’s physical appearance in order to call for his freedom, from not only slavery on the Georgian planation he called home, but also, from being paraded as an sideshow and a spectacle before audiences across America

Teaching Presence: Co-Creating a Multi-National Online Learning Community in an Asynchronous Classroom

Effective teaching presence in a multi-national online class involves building student confidence, affirming student voice, and the strategic use of groups. Effective instructor techniques include setting up the class, having ongoing public and private interaction with students, giving effective feedback, and valuing cultural differences