Torture during the Algerian War and its relevance on the War on Terror

During the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962), the French forces mercilessly tortured their opponents. Although the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) also tortured their enemies, the French military use of torture was more widespread.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Torture during the Algerian War and its relevance on the War on Terror specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Torture is defined as â€Å"any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him, or a third person, punishing him for an act he or a third person has done†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (United Nations, para.3). The French experience during the Algerian war proves that the use of torture, though regrettable, is important to defeat successfully terrorist organizations around the world. Therefore, is the use of torture justifiable in some instances? The milit ary combat of the FLN was being propelled by self-determination and the French state was equally determined to win the war. The French forces did not acknowledge that the colonial conflict was indeed a war, as this would recognize their opponents as a legitimate entity; therefore, it was until August 1999 that they stopped calling it â€Å"fight against terrorism.† That is why although France was bound by the Geneva conventions it had signed in 1951; it consistently used brutal warfare tactics in fighting against the FLN. As shown by the experience of the French military during the Algerian war, torture is a good way of gaining timely and relevant information from terrorists. For example, in an imaginary situation when a terrorist has planted a nuclear bomb in Washington City, the detonation is going to take place in the next forty-five minutes, and cause widespread destruction. However, when the terrorist is captured, although he knows the exact location of the bomb, he is n ot giving any relevant information. What is the best thing to do in such a scenario? Is he left to go scot-free because torturing him will interfere with his â€Å"human rights?† If the individual is not forced to give out the vital information, then thousands of innocent lives are at risk. In such an instance, the choice of the use of torture is allowable in order to acquire certain life-saving information that could not be retrieved easily. Therefore, the use of torture as a tool in the global War on Terror is important in defeating terrorist groups around the world. Concerning this issue, Levin states, â€Å"there are situations in where torture is not only permissible, but morally mandatory† (para.2). Levin illustrates how liberal societies do not allow the use of torture, and how other governments fear the fury of the United Nations if they are suspected of using or even planning to use it; however, he gives a different opinion on this attitude. Levin terms the us e of torture as â€Å"a weapon that is important in winning the War on Terror.† At one point, he addresses the above imaginary situation by saying, â€Å"if you caught the terrorist, could you sleep nights, knowing that millions died because you could not bring yourself to apply the electrodes?† (para.4). Some people argue that the use of torture against terrorists is unconstitutional; however, the thousands of lives lost after a terrorist incident far outweighs issues of constitutionality.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More More so, is the use of torture barbaric? The many innocent lives lost due to negligence is more barbaric (Buchanan, para.2).Therefore, the use of torture is permissible in extreme cases since in some intricate situations, it is a matter of balancing between mass murder and the life of one or a few people. As Levin puts it, â€Å"letting millio ns of innocents die in deference to one who flaunts his guilt is moral cowardice, unwillingness to dirty one’s hands† (para.4). According to this statement, if harsh interrogation tactics can be used as a way of protecting the lives of the innocent, then no one should shy from using them when it is necessary. When a nation fails to use torture, it puts thousands of lives at risk due to terrorist threats. This makes the nation to portray the same cowardice being portrayed by the terrorists. During the Algerian war, the French military did not shy off from torturing the terrorists who were potentially dangerous. If these harsh tactics could be used, then the strategies used by terrorists to wreak havoc could have been discovered by now. Assuming that a victim does not die after he or she has been harshly interrogated, the victim will less likely commit the same crime. Currently, most of the interrogation methods available are laughable and dumb. The French soldiers succes sively used torture to extract vital information from their opponents. These punishments were meant to ensure that the victims either co-operated with them or confessed some of the enemy schemes. In some circumstances, the use of torture, besides being essential, is the only available option. For example, in 1994, an Israeli was held captive by some Palestinian terrorists. After searching for clues, the Israeli police detained the driver of the car, which was used for carrying out the attack. For them to get the information about the whereabouts of the kidnappers, they were compelled to torture the driver to extract some useful information from him. This is just one example of how torture as played a significant role in the war against terrorism. The Algerian war induced the French military to use torture against its opponents. The French troops were in a difficult situation since most of the time it was not easy to differentiate their opponents from civilians at first sight. This s ituation was worsened by the fact that their opponents rarely wore easily identifiable war clothes. More so, the civilians were well informed of enemy movements; thus, most of the time they were under suspicion from the French military.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Torture during the Algerian War and its relevance on the War on Terror specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More During the war, every French soldier was obliged to be alert and give all the relevant information about the enemy by collecting all the vital intelligence information (Branche, 548). Therefore, to achieve this, the soldiers sometimes tortured their opponents. Against this background, torture was permitted as a way of combating the increasing threat of terrorists’ activities. Though the use of harsh tactics is regrettable, it is good way of gathering intelligence information about the movement of terrorists around the world. Another reason why the French used torture during the Algerian war was to provide it with all the necessary resources for the protection of its citizenry. When a country wants to preserve a strong national security, it is obliged to use harsh interrogation methods as the best alternative. In a situation when torture is used, prompted by the urge to save innocent lives, by just getting vital information from one individual, then it should be justifiable. The nation of France had always upheld principles of freedom, from freedom of speech to freedom of religion. Nevertheless, when the safety of its citizens was under threat, it had to sacrifice some of its rights. This was to make the country as safe as possible because insurgents could easily enter the country from Algeria. These rights, which were sacrificed, ensured that its citizens at home and army in the combat zone were safe from acts of terrorism. As much as the use of harsh interrogations can be considered as an inhumane practice, it shoul d be used when the need arises. To fight the growing insurgency in the world, torture is a vital tool that can be used effectively to achieve this. The formal arguments against the use of torture are absolute; they state that it has no exceptions. This widely held statement is not true because it is a misguided opinion that always comes from social commentators. This type of absolutist has created a void between good intentions and good consequences. As mush as the use of torture sounds inhumane, it is necessary to defeat successfully terrorist organizations around the world. In extreme circumstances, as experienced by the French military, radical measures ought to be done to avoid mass murder. If this consists of making a terrorist to feel pain in order to preserve thousands of innocent lives, then it is permissible. However, it is important to note that torture is more beneficial when used as a means of preventing future evils, rather than as a form of punishment. Terrorism will n ot be completely obliterated from the face of the earth if individuals settle down and stop making efforts to win the War on Terror. The use of torture, in extreme cases, is one way of making efforts to win the war.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Works Cited Branche, Raphaelle. â€Å"Torture of terrorists? Use of torture in a â€Å"war against terrorism†: justifications, methods, and effects: the case of France in Algeria.† International Review of the Red Cross 89.867 (2007): 543-560. Print. Buchanan, Patrick J. â€Å"The case for torture.† Worldnetdaily. 10 March 2010. Web. https://www.wnd.com/2003/03/17663/ Levin, Michael. â€Å"The case for torture.† People.brandeis. N.d. Web. http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/torture.html United Nations. â€Å"Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.† UN convention. 10 Dec. 1987. Web. https://www.un.org/ruleoflaw/blog/document/convention-against-torture-and-other-cruel-inhuman-or-degrading-treatment-or-punishment-commentary/ This essay on Torture during the Algerian War and its relevance on the War on Terror was written and submitted by user Rumiko Fujikawa to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

WEB AUDIT of FRESHLINE ORGANICS

WEB AUDIT of FRESHLINE ORGANICS Free Online Research Papers The purpose of this report is to present the finding of the web audit for the company named above. The company is owned by certified grower Werner Frtsch while the online website is the partnership venture equally owned by Werner Frtsch and his wife Lily that distributes Freshline’s groceries. Organisational Objective The organisational objectives of Freshline Organics Pty Ltd are as follow:- Promoting Sale of Organic Groceries and Products Online. Similar to Freshline’s differentiated high quality focus strategy for its’ physical stores, its online activities aim to extend this strategy to the internet. Freshline.com.au has taken over the main purpose of the online activities, namely the sale of organic groceries over the internet and their delivery. To supplement the online sales, it also sells other organic dry products (i.e. nuts, grains and dried fruits) as well as environmentally-friendly products (i.e. skin care, hair care, bath/shower, baby care and household cleaning). On time Deliveries of Fresh Groceries to Customer at an affordable price. Freshline differentiates its service with high freshness, accuracy and punctuality enabled by delivery teams of efficient van drivers. Promoting Health Eating Lifestyle by consuming organic harvested food. Much of the organic produce comes directly from organic farms certified by Australian Certified Organic (ACO) in the Serpentine district south-east of Perth. The remainder of the produce is purchased from organic and conventional wholesalers. For instance, the biodynamic meats which sell to customers are supplied by Boatshed Quality Meats. Positioning of the digital strategy and web site image. The messages promoted from Freshlines’ traditional and online media are complementing each other. Just like its’ physical shops, their online offer uses a differentiation strategy targeting the upmarket. The services is designed to target affluent, busy people who have no time to shop, possible not living close to Freshline shops, but still prefer Freshline over other grocery shops or supermarkets. Using the table below, Freshline online does try to attract the same kind of customers that also visit the store, but also tries to snap up customers that are not satisfied with the services offered by other online groceries shops. Source: Mohammed, Rafi A. Fisher, Robert J. Jaworski, Bernard J., Paddison, Gordon J. 2003. Internet Marketing, International Edition. New York, McGraw-Hill. Being located in western suburb of Perth, where Freshline has its strongest presence, allows a strong brand leverage of the existing Freshline brand. Added to Freshline’s high quality products, their online business can differentiate itself from online competitors with the service that focus on supplies of high freshness organic groceries to customers on time at affordable costs. Competitive Analysis 1) Orgainic Collective (organiccollective.com.au) The Organic Collective is a small West Australian owned business offering a reliable online service of delivering mixed seasonal certified organic groceries to customers in the Fremantle and Perth Metro area. Organic Collective centres on delivering right to your door and letting consumer decide the delivery arrangements. If customer was not at home to receive delivery, arrangement can be made with delivery man like placing of the delivery in a sheltered position on the front veranda or a pre-determined location, etc The vibrant site breaks down the products into 6 different categories(organic fruits vegetable mix box, organics groceries, environment cleaning products, personal care products, organic supplements and other organic products to choose from and, when clicking the link, gives you the different products under categories. The site offers PayPal system for customers to make payment online. 2) Mimsbrook Farm Biodynamic Food Stores (biodynamic-food.com/index.html) Mimsbrook Biodynamic/Organic Food Store provides a convenient farm location for the residents of Perth to purchase quality biodynamic/organic groceries, milk, dry goods and meat that are grown and farmed without using synthetic fertilisers or pesticides. It is a family business operated by Ms Carmel Bainbridge and her son Steven Bradtke, both of whom have been committed to certified biodynamic agriculture in Western Australia since Year 1995. Not only Mimsbrook website look very impressive, it also does has something that other online organic shops do not, that is â€Å"Holiday† other that organic groceries and products. Clicking on an icon †Holiday† on the left column of homepage links you to another webpage which offers a holiday accommodation at Mimsbrook farm Guesthouse near Perth, Western Australia. This webpage displays various prices for suites/studios at this fantastic farm Guesthouse. If customers wish to book an accommodation, all you have to is to click at this host name icon â€Å"Carmel Bainbridge† for website to generate an email to send it to the host. Once the receiving email with necessary information is verified and confirmed with customers, the host will prepare accommodation for them. 3) Organic N Green Shop (organicngreen.com.au) Organic N Green Shop is a â€Å"one stop† online shop comprising an organic shop and cafe in Wanneroo, Western Australia, Its’ services include the selling of full range of organic fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, groceries, cakes, personal care, baby care, laundry items, etc and home delivery of its products. The Organic green.com has a clean layout homepage with clear statement about what the company does. The company logo is prominently on top left hand corner of homepage and in proximity to a list of function keys, services and products offered within the site. The search key is also unique in the fact that the user can start shopping right away if they know the products they want by searching for keywords that brings up all products with that name, allowing for easy shopping. In addition, Organic Green shop offers cash discount for first time customers who surf the website; print homepage and show it entitles a 15% discount for the organic groceries purchases for the first time. Alternately, the customers can use to waive delivery charge for their first home delivery order. Content and maximisation of digital and Internet features An audit analysis includes a comprehensive evaluation of the following areas was carried out:- 1. Homepage Assessment The homepage of the freshline.com is quite neat and it provides online visitors with key information about the business as well as the products and services the business. The company logo† is prominently positioned on top centre of homepage and in close proximity to clickable menu which is easily accessible. 2. Framework and Navigation Overall, the framework and navigation of the Freshline.com is intuitive and easy to navigate. The navigation placed on the left column of the page is a consistent feature throughout the website. Navigation links for each page are also positioned prominently and easily located. The Navigation links do have expended information to further describe the content of the destination. The web pages contain anchor links to facilitate fast browsing. Standardize placement of navigation, header and footer helps to orient the online users at all times. 3. Layout Design / Use of Graph Page layout and design of Freshline.com looks simple and easy to understand. The recurring text, modules and graphics are consistent throughout the pages on the website. The fonts used on the website are of good sizes which the content easy to read. Freshline.com.au uses some of picture jpg and icons to enhance its’ webpage but it did not fully utilize graphics or picture to promote the online products 4. Site Content The site contents in Freshline.com are clear and concise enough regardless of the user’s field of expertise. The mention of the company history is brief and to the point. The website which strongly promoting health eating lifestyle further elaborate the meanings of some organic terms used (i.e. organic food, farming, biodynamic food, Australia certified organic, etc). This clarity of the site content as well as its’ organization has played a major role in keeping and converting the visitors into customers. 5. Feedback and Contacts Freshline.com encourages both current and prospective customers contact them with feedback and suggestion by using interactive form provided within the website. 6. Privacy policy Lack of privacy policy as online customers are increasingly concerned about their privacy with regards to online shopping and repayment of goods. 7. Interactive Elements (Forms) Freshline.com uses this feature to enhance some sections of the website:- o Contact and feedback from which allows user to input feedback and suggestion. o Ordering of organic product using online Shopping Cart. o Payment of online goods via the secure credit payment page. All form labels are alighted with their controls and positioned intuitively for the user. 8. Search Engine optimization (SEO) SEO refers to key components programmed into a web page which search engines will index, store and reference when queries into those topics. Based on my finding, though each contains title tags that summarise the content of the page. But the description tags are not utilized within each page which prevent the appropriate information from being displayed in a search engine listing as well as reduces search engine visibility of the page. 9. Search Engine Visibility Many web users start their search for product and company information through the use of a general search or directories. To determine how easy it is find this freshline.com.au from web, I have conducted search exercise on Australian Top five search engines using the company name and keyword/key phases. The results are summarized below. Keyword Position for Freshline.com.au on Australian Search Engines Directories as of 10 Sept 2009 Keywords Google Australia Yahoo!7 Nine MSM (Bing) Ansearch.com Australia AltaVista Australia Freshline 1 1 1 1 1 Freshline organics 1 1 1 1 1 Organics 15 Not on first 5 page Not on first 5 page Not on first 5 page Not on top 5 page Organics grocery 7 49 29 16 14 Biodynamic meat 8 9 6 12 9 Online groceries shop Australia 13 8 19 24 8 Basically, this website can be found across the web using the company name â€Å"Freshline† and Freshline organics. 10. Site Search Module No search function is available which used specified words or instruct a search engine to retrieve information within this website. Summary The Sample, Inc., website has a reasonably good, clean and simple design that will not intimidate or confuse visitors to the site. Navigation menus are well positioned and are consistent throughout the entire site. Good navigation is important for a site that contains so many products and pages. The current online strategy deployed (using digital and internet features that we discussed before the summary) has able to increase some foot traffic into their shops as well as visitors to Freshline.com but the impact of increase is not very significant. Because of website’s limitations:- Web-pages look unattractive, even quite boring for anyone to look further. Website did not use these: Search Engine Optimization (SE0), Search Engine visibility, site search module, etc to boost web traffic and visibility . Freshline is not able to attract big volume of online customers to the website. A more thorough dissuasion will be discussed in next assessment 3 on development of a digital strategy for this business. References freshline.com.au Australia Certified Organic (bfa.com.au/) Mohammed, Rafi A. Fisher, Robert J. Jaworski, Bernard J., Paddison, Gordon J. 2003. Internet Marketing, International Edition. New York; McGrawHill. organiccollective.com.au organicngreen.com.au/ biodynamic-food.com/index.html google.com.au/ http://au.yahoo.com/ http://ninemsn.com.au/ ansearch.com.au/ http://au.altavista.com/ Research Papers on WEB AUDIT of FRESHLINE ORGANICSAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanThe Project Managment Office SystemOpen Architechture a white paperInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesPETSTEL analysis of IndiaDefinition of Export QuotasAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of Self

Environmental impacts Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental impacts - Coursework Example While oil shale offers an important source of energy, the processing should comply with the regulations of Energy Information Administration and appropriate measures should be undertaken to combat the impacts. The conventional habitats of the living creatures are encroached upon and this adversely affects the biodiversity in a region. The variety in the species begin to shrink owing to unfavorable living conditions. (Kattel 2003). The gaseous, solid and liquid wastes emitted as a result of the extraction process interact with each other to produce more toxic and carcinogenic effects (Molder 2004). This causes immense harm to the health and habitats of all living creatures, including humans. Due to loss of habitat and a source of food, many species become rare and at times extinct from the earth. Also the extraction site has to be evacuated which leads to loss of homes for the inhabiting populations. Huge amounts of water are required during the extraction process and for cooling down the effluents. The discharged wastes run off into the local water bodies, causing water pollution. This harms the aquatic animals and plants. The discharged water laden with waste products like tar, phenol, etc. often seeps into the soil through a process called leaching and then comes in contact with underground water and other potable water sources. Consumption of such water by plants, animals and humans have serious aftereffects (Tuvikene 1999). The open dumping of solid wastes can create the risks of a fire or an accident owing to the self-ignition of some inflammable solids when they come into contact with certain atmospheric gases (Petts 2009). Few of the gases that are released as a result of the thermal processing of compounds and the combustion of wastes cause a rise in global temperature and lead to an irreversible damage to the protective ozone layer. The above figure shows that the temperatures in the Colorado Basin estimated on average over