Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Research paper - Essay Example In addition, the course has helped to ward off my ignorance about the environment, culture, geopolitics, oil, Islam, conflict and war in the Middle East region. From the course, I learned the importance of global significance of the Middle East to the entire world. The Arab world has a significant value at political, cultural, economic, and religious levels domestically, regionally and internationally. The significance of religion in the region centers on the fact that it is perceived to be the original place of single or monotheistic Islam (Mohamed n.d). There is changing nature of geopolitics in the Middle East or Arab world in the sense that the impact of Iranian and Turkish rapprochement will make the Middle East nations to experience pressure from Iran and worsen the situation in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. These complexities and pressure may have been exacerbated by the U.S president’s recent moves. Combined, the nightmare in the Middle East has been redoubled. The United Arabs Emirates, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia form an effective political bloc in the Middle East. These countries would soon come up with a single currency for the Gulf countries thus isolating certain Middle East countries such as Iran, Palestine, and Kuwait. Israel has isolated itself and formed a formidable relation with the U.S. For instance, I learned that currently, both Israel and the U.S. clearly expressed their goal to control their competitors economically throughout the next 10 years. Furthermore, California is currently a laboratory for energy research and development led by Israel such as the Bright source Company energy. It is vital to note that the U.S. support to Israel is destroying the country. The U.S. is been supporting Israel financially when its own internal economy is weak or struggling (Wright 78). Issues and problems in the Middle East The main issues and problems in the Middle East are the water crisis, war or conflict and dictatorship. In countries of Middle E ast, water shortage is a common problem. For example, in Jordan ‘the drying of streams has led to the lowering of water levels across the country. The water scarcity or shortage in the Middle East has been attributed to the extremely dry climate and the rapid economic development of the country supported the increase of population, which, in its turn, led to the increase of need for water (Wright 89). Water has an additional economic aspect in countries that have scarce water resources. Due to this, the Arab world or Middle East import water for both agricultural and domestic use. This is costly because under certain circumstances, the needs surpass the availability of the resources. The above issue is of critical importance if taking into consideration the fact that the needs for water tend to be increased in countries where the rate of increase of population is high; in Middle East countries such trends have been reported the last decade. For example, the population of Abu D habi ‘has been increased with an annual rate of 6.5% since 1975. In addition, in Jordan, a key member of the Arab league or Middle East, the needs for water supply are expected continuously increase for the next 27 years. The crisis of water in the Arab world or Middle East has been worsened by the deteriorating quality of water in recent years. The utilization of water for industrial, agricultural,

Substance use Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Substance use - Essay Example It appears that availability of opioids and subcultural factors are key in opioid use† (Encylopedia of Mental Disorders par. 19). In recent times, opioid abuse has increased through being given routine 30-day prescriptions for opioids as painkillers for illnesses requiring only a day or two for the pain to subside (Kluger par.2). 2. Give some examples of the use of hallucinogenic plants or drugs in connection with religious practices. The article on hallucinogens published in Medical Discoveries indicates that hallucinogenic plants or drugs have been used in connection with religious practices. (1) â€Å"Medicine men, shamans, and other spiritual leaders have used natural hallucinogens found in plants and mushrooms since ancient times, believing in their power to help contact the spiritual world or mystical beings for guidance in serving their people† (par. 4); (2) â€Å"In Mexico, mushrooms called Psylocybe mexicana, which contain the fungi psilocybin and psilocin, hav e been used in religious rituals since the time of the Aztec civilization† (par. 6); (3) â€Å"Peyote is the only psychedelic agent that has been authorized by the federal government for limited use during Native American religious ceremonies† (par. 7). 3.