A Brief History of the African Nation of Tunisia

A Brief History of the African Nation of Tunisia Modern Tunisians are the descendants of indigenous Berbers and of people from numerous civilizations that have invaded, migrated to, and been assimilated into the population over the millennia. Recorded history in Tunisia begins with the arrival of Phoenicians, who founded Carthage and other North African settlements in the 8th century B.C. Carthage became a major sea power, clashing with Rome for control of the Mediterranean until it was defeated and captured by the Romans in 146 B.C. Muslim Conquest The Romans ruled and settled in North Africa until the 5th century, when the Roman Empire fell and Tunisia was invaded by European tribes, including the Vandals. The Muslim conquest in the 7th century transformed Tunisia and the make-up of its population, with subsequent waves of migration from around the Arab and Ottoman world, including significant numbers of Spanish Muslims and Jews at the end of the 15th century. From Arab Center to French Protectorate Tunisia became a center of Arab culture and learning and was assimilated into the Turkish Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. It was a French protectorate from 1881 until independence in 1956, and retains close political, economic, and cultural ties with France. Independence for Tunisia Tunisias independence from France in 1956 ended the protectorate established in 1881. President Habib Ali Bourguiba, who had been the leader of the independence movement, declared Tunisia a republic in 1957, ending the nominal rule of the Ottoman Beys. In June 1959, Tunisia adopted a constitution modeled on the French system, which established the basic outline of the highly centralized presidential system that continues today. The military was given a defined defensive role, which excluded participation in politics. A Strong and Healthy Beginning Starting from independence, President Bourguiba placed strong emphasis on economic and social development, especially education, the status of women, and the creation of jobs, policies that continued under Zine El Abidine Ben Alis administration. The result was strong social progress – high literacy and school attendance rates, low population growth rates, and relatively low poverty rates – and generally steady economic growth. These pragmatic policies have contributed to social and political stability. Bourguiba,  President for Life Progress toward full democracy has been slow. Over the years, President Bourguiba stood unopposed for re-election several times and was named President for Life in 1974 by a constitutional amendment. At the time of independence, the Neo-Destourian Party (later the Parti Socialiste Destourien, PSD or Socialist Destourian Party)- enjoying broad support because of its role at the forefront of the independence movement- became the sole legal party. Opposition parties were banned until 1981. Democratic change Under Ben Ali​ When President Ben Ali came to power in 1987, he promised greater democratic openness and respect for human rights, signing a national pact with opposition parties. He oversaw constitutional and legal changes, including abolishing the concept of President for life, the establishment of presidential term limits, and provision for greater opposition party participation in political life. But the ruling party renamed the Rassemblement Constitutionel Dà ©mocratique (RCD or Democratic Constitutional Rally), dominated the political scene due to its historic popularity and the advantage it enjoyed as the ruling party. Survival of a Strong Political Party Ben Ali ran for re-election unopposed in 1989 and 1994. In the multiparty era, he won 99.44% of the vote in 1999 and 94.49% of the vote in 2004. In both elections he faced weak opponents. The RCD won all seats in the Chamber of Deputies in 1989, and won all of the directly elected seats in the 1994, 1999, and 2004 elections. However, constitutional amendments provided for the distribution of additional seats to the opposition parties by 1999 and 2004. Effectively Becoming President for Life A May 2002 referendum approved constitutional changes proposed by Ben Ali that allowed him to run for a fourth term in 2004 (and a fifth, his final, because of age, in 2009), and provided judicial immunity during and after his presidency. The referendum also created a second parliamentary chamber, and provided for other changes. SourcePublic Domain material, US Department of State  Background Notes.

Background of Transgenic Research essays

Background of Transgenic Research essays Genetic engineering has opened many doors for new sciences to develop. One such science is the research and alteration of the food we eat; this is commonly known as transgenic research. Whether through crops or agricultural animals, the common goal is to increase food surplus. Most of the GM (genetic modification) research is focused on causing crops to withstand herbicides and pesticides so more of these chemicals can be poured on the land without hurting the food. The national director of the BioDemocracy Campaign, Ronnie Cummins, lists that The leaders in biotechnology are the same giant chemical companiesMonsanto, DuPont, AgroEvo, Novartis, and Rhone-Poulencthat sell toxic pesticides. These companies sell crops that are resistant to their own herbicides and pesticides so they can sell those as well (115). This seems to be driven by the desire of money and profit gain. In a similar article, Brian Halweil observes that the seeds of these herbicide-resistant crops (HRCs), are packaged with Monsantos best selling herbicide, Roundup (143). The outcome for these GM crops is an increase of the use of toxic chemicals; this will at first cause a higher yield of grain, but will ultimately pollute our land With the main goal of transgenic research to cure world hunger, most people would be in favor if it did indeed meet the worlds food demand. Transgenic research is not the only way to treat the world hunger problem though. According to Norman Borlaug, in 1994 the world produced 5 billion metric tons of food, and if it had been distributed evenly, then a diet of 2,350 calories could have been distributed to 6.4 billion people for a year about 800 million more than the population of 1994 (134). This shows a major unbalance of food distribution to countries. The current solution taking place, instead of...

Leadership in Clinical Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Leadership in Clinical Practice - Essay Example Good leaders can develop their staff through education, training, experience, and self-study. Symptoms of a good leader are that they always keep on working and try to improve their leadership skills. Managers should be well versed and experience enough to guide the staff in relation to the convertibility of their academic knowledge in practical performance. In an emergency situation, mostly in clinics, there is a requirement of strong management and executive skills. This means not only the doctors, all other staff in a clinic should be efficient enough to deal with the situation. Managers should work for the development of staff members. Training and education programs should be implemented for staff. The evaluation process should be conducted in order to control and monitor the activities of members. Incentives, bonus and better compensation plans should be enforced to keep the staff members motivated towards the organization. Communication and leadership can also lead to the tran sformation of an organization. Culture and structure of a clinic should be flexible, so that staff members can share their preferences and knowledge with the managers. Therefore, communication and leadership are the main pillars for the success of clinics (Butler Gillian & Hope Tony, 1996). 1.2 Leadership Leadership is a key factor for an organizations success. It mainly depends on how managers are able to handle the organizational and management structure. A leader should have infinite flexibility. This means one should be able to adopt a leadership style in accordance to a particular situation. Leadership plays a most important role in clinical areas such as leading role of the doctor towards nurses and other staff, similar to that nurse play a lead role in guiding the supporting staff and trainees. These shows at all levels there are different leaders. (Blagg Deborah & Young Susan, 2001). Factors of leadership Mainly there are four factors in leadership, which are present in ever y organization i.e.: Leaders Followers Communication Situation Leader Leaders must have a clear understanding of who they are, what they know and what they can do. Therefore, it is imperative that doctors should have all knowledge in relation to their capabilities so that they can guide nurses and other staff appropriately. Before guiding other people they should know their inner capabilities, strength, and weaknesses. Because it is the nurses who help to identify whether a doctor is successful or not, therefore one will have to satisfy his followers not the boss, as they are the ones who are dependent on a leader. Followers In hospital many people are followers such as nurses, supporting staff, trainees etc. and each person has different styles and nature. Therefore, each one of them requires different leadership process and style. One should know the follower's nature, needs, emotions, and motivation. Communication Leading should be done through two-way communication, most of whic h is nonverbal. But in clinical areas, verbal communication is most important. It plays a vital role in the performance of the staff members. For instance in the case when one sets an example, this communication to people will lead them to perform only the things guided by the leader rather than performing in their own way.