Authority and Power

Your Name: JOHN PAULO N GREGORIO

Section Code: E2C

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It has become common to hear that American power in the Middle East is waning. The
recent U.S.-Russia deal on the elimination of Syria's chemical-weapons program, for example,
has even led some to talk of U.S. weakness in the region. This article instead argues that
American power in the Middle East is not declining but is, in fact, slightly increasing, due
principally to U.S. military domination, the strong positions of its regional partners and the
stagnation or decline of its rivals. It is true that U.S. ambition in the Middle East is diminishing,
albeit only slightly. This is distinct, however, from power. A pronounced and durable decrease
in U.S. regional ambition, moreover, is not sustainable. Because of structural pressures, it is
difficult for the United States to more than marginally reduce its regional presence. It is not
losing its grip on the Middle East but trying, with only partial success, to loosen it.

Power and Influence

Power corresponds to the possession by a state of assets it can leverage to shape events
in international politics in the pursuit of its national interests. Power is multidimensional: it
includes military, economic and ideational elements. It is also relative: a state is powerful to the
extent that its rivals are weaker.

Power in this sense is distinct from influence. While power corresponds to the
possession of assets, influence is defined by what a state achieves with those assets or its ability
to shape events, to steer them in a direction consistent with its interests. There is a clear
though imperfect correlation between power and influence: the more power a state possesses,
the more likely it is that it will be able to gain influence. Ambition, finally, consists of the
intensity of a state's interests. How much does it seek to achieve in a given area? Analyzing a
state's power is, therefore, a necessary first step toward understanding the foundations of its
success in the international realm.
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2. Make a timeline of ISIS use of social media(Twitter,FB,

youtube in the achievement of their organization’s goals.
Example is given below.
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3. Contrast the non-violent movement of Mahatma Gandhi

with the “strong-man rule” of

Donald Trump
Contrast the Non-Violent Movement of Mahatma Gandhi with the “strong man rule” of
Donald Trump The presidency of Donald Trump began on January 20,2017 and was inaugurated
as the 45th president of the United States, succeeding Barack Obama. Known as a Republican,
Trump at the 2016 presidential election won over a Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Through the years of his presidency, many people sought after this well- known president all
over the globe. Some of his actions were taken credits by the people. Trump signed the Tax
Cuts and Job Acts of 2017, which lowered corporate and estate taxes permanently, and lowered
most individual income tax rates temporarily while increasing them for some. He enacted tariffs
on steel and aluminum imports and other goods, triggering retaliatory tariffs to Canada, Mexico
and other European Union, and a trade war in China. These tariffs adversely affected the U.S.
economy. For most of Trump’s term until 2020, the economy kept improving, following the
trends from Obama presidency. Like any other presidents, lack of thorough decision making
imposed to his land, intrigues and accusations had been made by the public. Trump rolled back
numerous environmental protections, as well as reduced enforcement of existing regulations
that has caused negativity to the environment. He ended the Clean Power Plan, withdrew from
the Paris Agreement on climate change mitigation, and urged for subsidies to increase fossil
fuel production, calling man-made climate change a hoax. The Trump administration also
implemented a family separation policy for migrant apprehended by the U.S.- Mexico Border,
controversially separating parents from their children, resulting in bipartisan condemnation and
international outcry. The final year of Trump’s current term has been marked by the 2019-2020
coronavirus pandemic, which wiped out most of the economic gains made under both of his
and Obama’s administration. Trump’s initially slow response to the virus has been criticized by
the public. His strong ruling turned out to be vanishing and can no longer have a strong hold on
his people. Gandhi as a symbol of peace and innocence turned out to be the counterpart of
Donald Trump.
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DU30
Rodrigo Roa Duterte, also known as Digong, is a Filipino politician who is the 16th
incumbent President of the Philippines and the fist from Mindanao to hold the office. He is the
chairperson of PDP- Laban, ruling political party in the Philippines. Duterte took the office at the
age of 71, making him the oldest person to assume the Philippine presidency. Before Duterte
was proclaimed as today’s president, he worked as a lawyer and a prosecutor. He then became
as the vice mayor and subsequently, mayor of the city in the wake of Philippine Revolution of
1986. Duterte won seven terms and served as a mayor of Davao for over 22 years. Spreading
the news about his actions done in Davao and make it prosper, on May 9, 2016, he won the
Philippine presidential election defeating four other candidates. His domestic policy has focused
on combating the illegal drug trade by initiating the Philippine Drug War. Frequently described
as a populist and nationalist, Duterte’s political success has been aided by his vocal support for
the extrajudicial killing of drug users and other criminals. Human rights groups have
documented over 1,400 killings allegedly by the death squads operating in Davao between 1998
and May 2016; the victims were mainly drug users, petty criminals and street children. A 2009
report by the Philippine commission in Human Rights confirmed the systematic practice of
extrajudicial killings but he denied his involvement to this matter then latter closed the
investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman. Following the criticism from the United Nations,
Duterte threatened to withdraw the Philippines from UN and form a new organization with
China and African nations. With this actions he exercised, many people tend to revolt but
somehow his supporters tend to manage the surge that will occur. Under his current term, the
country has faced a serious problem pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic. He has clearly
declared his intentions to help the people in the best way that he can even if it is within the
constitution. Duterte, a man of his words that is currently acting as the father of the country
shows that he will never get tired of finding a solution to the problem. Unlike Duterte,
Mahatma Ghandi in the eyes of his million fellows, exercised peace and obedience without a
bloodshed but their similarity was wanting a common good for their people.
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Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician who has served as the
President of Russia since 2012, previously holding the position from 1999 until 2008. He was
also the Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008-2012. After serving as
a prime minister under Dmitry Medvedev from 2008 to 2012, Putin announced he would seek a
third term as president and won the March 2012 elections. During his first tenure as president,
the Russian economy grew for eight straight years. The growth was a result of the 2000s
commodities boom, recovery from the post-communist depression and financial crises, and
prudent economic and fiscal policies. Falling oil prices coupled with international sanctions
imposed at the beginning of 2014 after Russia’s annexation of Crimea and military intervention
in Eastern Ukraine led to GDP shrinking though rebounded in 2016 and that made Putin re-
elected for a six-year term. Recorded to the history, he has served his country for a long time
and imposed a strong-man rule but unluckily, under his leadership, Russia has experienced
democratic backsliding. Experts do not generally consider Russia to be a democratic country,
citing purges and jailing of political opponents, curtailed press freedom, and the lack of free and
fair elections. Human rights organizations and activists have accused Putin of persecuting
political critics and activists as well as ordering them tortured or assassinated; he has rejected
accusations of human rights abuses. Officials of the United States government have also
accused him of leading an interference program. Contrasting the non-violent movement of
Mahatma Gandhi, Vladimir Putin puts excessive usage to his powers under his leadership that
cause to a sudden fall down of Russia that was felt by his people during that time.
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References-APA style ( 3 online books or journals)