Cultures of Pakistanis and Native Americans Essay

Cultures of Pakistanis and Native Americans - Essay Example In fact, they are influential towards every key identifiable of a particular culture. Nevertheless, similarities are often observed among cultures situated in different geographical areas - especially in thoughts and rituals. Needless to say, differences do exist to make each culture distinct from every other. The two examples adopted in this paper are the cultures of Pakistanis and Native Americans. Pakistan is a South Asian country situated adjacent to India and China. Pakistani "culture" has been hugely impacted not just by weather and topography, but also by arrays of traditions and historical events (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan). Then again, "Native American culture" is the phrase used to designate the culture of the so-called "Indians" of America - indigenous inhabitants of the two Americas. This essay highlights some of the key themes including traditions, religious beliefs, arts, foods, family and entertainment in each of these cultures. The rich culture of Pakistan can be observed in the Western zone of the subcontinent of South Asia. Densely populated, this developing country happens to be an important agricultural center of the world. The culture exhibits evidences of historical and natural influences. (Malik; 2001) The European intrusio... The community being largely Muslim, mutton and beef are widely preferred as well, but fish and chicken are also consumed. In fact, meat is often an essential component of everyday meals in a Pakistani household. Typical Pakistani cuisine can be quite oily and substantial emphasis is laid on the richness of taste. Entertainment as an industry is yet to thrive in Pakistan, since performing arts face receive little praise as careers from the predominantly Muslim community. However, different kinds of sports including squash, wrestling, shooting and lawn tennis are quite popular, the country having national cricket and hockey teams as well. Singing and dancing are encountered, but not popular owing to the Islamic prohibitions. The impact of Hinduism and Hindu culture are negligible in the Pakistani community. (http://www.infopak.gov.pk/) Owing to recent political developments, many restrictive regulations have been relaxed - music, theater and movies becoming quite popular hence. However, conservative Pakistanis still refrain from pursuing them as career options. Painting is also strongly opposed by Islamic fundamentalists - painters being very few in number as a consequence. The prominent contrast is worth mentioning in this case, since Islamic thought is the sole influence for few fundamentalists. Then again, the history of the previous civilizations in the region has also resulted in some appreciation of entertainment and fine arts as industries. Joint families supporting numerous generations have long been prevalent in Pakistan. Most households still have grandfathers and grandsons living together. After all, the consideration of the family as the most significant unit

Is direct military action the best way to deal whith problems of Essay

Is direct military action the best way to deal whith problems of terrorism - Essay Example The reality is experience informs that any conceptualization or definition of terrorism reveals that it is vastly similar to peacetime war crimes.7 Today there is a growing perception that terrorism is growing more and more dangerous particularly with the aid of new technologies. Terrorists today are said to be more disorganized than in previous years and more inclined to use weapons of mass destruction and to bring about more catastrophic consequences. Moreover, it is largely believed that terrorists are comprised of â€Å"amateurs†, ad hoc and â€Å"transitory groups† with the result that â€Å"state sponsorship† is no longer necessary.8 In other words, the new structures of terrorism today make it more difficult to use traditional counterterrorism strategies to combat terrorism today. Counterterrorism Strategies Conventional Counterterrorism Strategies Before and After September 11, 2001. The complex and dangerous nature of terrorism today was demonstrated by the terror attacks in the US on September 11, 2001. Internationally, countries have come to the realization that traditional counterterrorism mechanisms are insufficient for preventing and deterring terrorism. As a result, there has been a proliferation of counterterrorism reforms, particularly in Western jurisdictions.9 Many of these reforms however, merely involved the expansion of laws that were directed at defining and prosecuting terrorism.10 Since September 11, 2001, and particularly since the terrorist bombings in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005, counterterrorism has been among the European Union’s (EU) top policy concern. For the EU this involves balancing security against human rights. 11 The EU’s legislative measures taken in the aftermath of the... From the research it can be comprehended that the 21st century has ushered in a new dangerous strand of terrorism. The death toll in the US on September 11, 2001 demonstrated that conventional methods of treating terrorism as a crime and dealing with it within the criminal justice system were futile. Obviously, terrorist were not deterred, but rather reenergized and committed to their political causes. Internationally, governments reformed counterterrorism approaches, but largely left terrorism within the criminal justice system. While the US and its coalition waged war against state sponsors of terrorism (Afghanistan and Iraq), terrorists and insurgents have continued to relocate and complicate the efforts of the US. The Israel experience with direct military action has also proved to be just as counterproductive as the US’s indirect military action. It would therefore appear that counterterrorism cannot be satisfactorily deterred by military action. It might be wise to focus attention on programmes that redirect the youth who are susceptible to recruitment. Providing young people with viable and legitimate alternatives appears to be the best approach to counterterrorism at far less expense to innocent civilians. Military action has proven to be just as costly to civilians and perhaps more so than terrorism. It would therefore appear that military action as an alternative counterterrorism strategy is counterproductive.