The United States has been known for helping out foreign countries in a time of need, starting back to the first World War. But when it comes to war should we rethink the idea of helping out a country or go in with no hesitations. For when doing so there maybe repercussions for our acts, and worry more towards the protection of our own people before strategizing a plan to save other countries people. A question our government should ask themselves about foreign affairs is what US should get involved in and what they should leave up to the United Nations or other countries to intervene with.

The threats we receive from terrorist attacks should be our governments top concern , countries that are helping out the issue in Syria and bringing in some of the people of Syria are being hit by terrorist attacks. The US has been involved with many problems due to terrorists. People fear that their lives may be at risk, if The US is aware of the risks they put on there own people should they still get involved or let others step in and US just give help.

Elected president Donald Trump has implanted his ideas of Syrian refugees and decided to take our men out or there and close off the gates for letting these Syrians in. Saying that there are already many other countries getting involved with this crisis who have a strong handle on the situation. Also by getting involved we’d open up the doors to much bigger problems such as dealing with Russia. Which Trump goes on to say in The New York Times, “We end up fighting Russia, fighting Syria.” Now by doing so not only are we letting in refugees that we clearly have no idea who we are but also would be going to war with another country just because of our beliefs on society and how these Syrians should be treated.  All that has happen by getting involved with these Syrian refugees should convince the government that the people of America need to be safe and let others intervene and stay out of this disaster. 

Since 9/11 there has been a significant amount of refugees that the US has let in. In an article By Russell Berman in the Atlantic, he asks the question of can isis ruin the refugee program, through out the article he claims that “And within that population, three people have been arrested for activities related to terrorism. None of them were close to executing an attack inside the U.S., and two of the men were caught trying to leave the country to join terrorist groups overseas.” Even though those do not seem like giant numbers you have to look at it in a different perspective that if they were caught doing a terrorist acts there are many more of them out there who may not have been caught. As well as we don’t have a perfect government as does no one else which leads to asking that there are many more groups of people creating an ideas of terroristic attacks who have yet to been caught, even though we may not find them the only way to prevent future attacks is by not letting in future refugees.

A giant problem that countries letting in refugees have to figure out is the fake passports for allowing these Syrians into the countries. After the bombing in Paris the French had found a the passports of the bombers and they had no information of this man ever being allowed into the country. “The fingerprint was not in the French database, the senator said, and therefore officials believe the man was among a group of refugees and migrants.” France could have prevented this tragic accident from happening, the US should learn from there mistakes and realize many people in France who very hurt by this attack. Protect there people and do whatever it needs to ensure the safety of the people and one way to ensure that is by cutting off the borders to these refugees.

Work Cited

Miller, Jake. CBS “How do Americans feel about U.S. involvement in foreign crises?” Sep 14, 2014. Oct 30,2016. Web                                                   http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-do-americans-feel-about-u-s-involvement-in-foreign-crises/

Sanger, David. The New York Times “Donald Trump Likely to End Aid for The Rebels Fighting Syrian Government.”  Nov. 18 2015. Nov 19 2016. Web                                                   http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/world/middleeast/donald-trump-syria.html

Berman, Russell. The Atlantic “Can ISIS Terrorists Really Infiltrate The Syrian Refugee Program?” Nov 18 2015. Nov 20 2016. Web.   http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/11/can-terrorists-really-infiltrate-the-syrian-refugee-program/416475/

Amanpour, Christiane. CNN. ” Passport Linked to Terrorist Complicates Syrian Refugee Crisis” Nov 15 2015. Nov 20 2016. Web                                                                                               http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/15/europe/paris-attacks-passports/

DBT Should Help, Not Hurt

In its purest form, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is very regimented and time consuming. Clive J. Robbins and Zachary Rosenthal describe the therapy, originally developed by Marsha Linehan, as requiring multiple group and individual therapy sessions weekly, skills training, phone coaching, and meetings among a person’s team of therapists. I do not subscribe to this definition, described in the DBT section of Acceptance and Mindfulness in Cognitive Behavior Therapy. DBT is, essentially, whatever dialectical behavior skills a person needs in order to improve their life.

Marsha Linehan (as relayed to me by clearviewtreatment on borderlinepersonalitytreatment.com) found that there are five different types of dysregulation that occur in patients with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). These are emotion dysregulation, interpersonal dysregulation, self dysregulation, behavioral dysregulation, and cognitive dysregulation. On the whole, each type is characterized by some sort of dysfunction in each aspect of a person’s life. DBT was created to treat this dysregulation, which, though commonly found in patients with BPD, can affect anyone at any time.

According to the website of Sierra Tucson, there are four main principles of DBT; these are “1. The primacy of the therapeutic relationship, 2. A non-judgmental approach, 3. Differentiating between effective and ineffective behaviors, and 4. Dialectical thinking.” These principles, specifically the first two, apply to both patient and therapist, assuring that all parties are comfortable with and prepared for what is to come. The third and fourth dictate what the patient will learn. Dialectical thinking leads to radical acceptance by teaching patients to become aware of their own judgements and accept them, according to Rachel Gill of ilovedbt.com.

There are also four treatment modules that go along with DBT’s principles. They are “1. Mindfulness, 2. Distress Tolerance, 3. Emotion Regulation, and 4. Interpersonal Effectiveness.” These go hand in hand with the principles, teaching patients through various methods to accept and handle the reality in front of them. Mindfulness leads to learning distress tolerance and so on, each skill building on the next, teaching patients how to handle their life’s dysregulation.

The workbook Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens breaks down DBT perfectly to fit most people’s lifestyle. The book teaches individual skills and outlines which situations call for which skills, giving exercises on how a person is going to apply said skills. It builds upon itself, starting with the basics that apply to everyday life and getting more specific as it goes. That is how DBT should be, and that is how I learned to apply it to my own life.

For a person with BPD, life is hard enough already. The disorder is almost entirely made up of life-interfering behaviors such as impulsive actions, dysregulated relationships and emotions, and some symptoms of depression such as lack of motivation. We cannot expect such individuals to keep up a schedule like Robbins and Rosenthal require. However, we should supply them with the skills necessary to improve their daily lives.

For someone without BPD, say, a college student who still shows many signs of dysregulation, life is incredibly busy. No college student has time for class, homework, and a social life in general let alone when paired with multiple therapy sessions a week with phone coaching in between. Along with the lack of time, society still stigmatizes going to therapy as a sign of weakness, which may deter many college students from such a regimented form of DBT. Students will still need to go to therapy, but at a more relaxed pace, giving them more time for it and welcoming less judgement.

A less intense form of DBT is an effective compromise for all recipients of the therapy. Going to therapy once a week and working from a book like Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens was enough to make a difference in my life, and could do the same for many others. For BPD patients, it requires less effort and is not as overwhelming. For college students, it takes up less time and welcomes less stigma. DBT can be redefined, and this new definition will help many people.

Works Cited

@DbtPeers. “An Introduction to Dialectical Thinking According to DBT.” DBT Peer Connections. N.p., 18 Oct. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.

Clearviewtreatment. “Five Areas of Dysregulation in People with BPD – Borderline Personality Treatment.” Borderline Personality Treatment. N.p., 12 Oct. 2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.

“Dialectical Behavioral Therapy & Treatment – Clinical Excellence at Sierra Tucson.” Sierra Tucson. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.

Robbins, Clive J., and Zachary Rosenthal. “Dialectical Behavior Therapy.” Acceptance and Mindfulness in Cognitive Behavior Therapy. John Wiley & Sons, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Van Dijk, Sheri. “Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Teens.” Google Books. Instant Help Books, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

Potential Superpowers

Superpower nation possesses the ability to influence worldwide events and project its power on a global scale. Ever since the disintegration of the soviet union, America has been the only superpower. America has been dominating through the combined-means of technological, cultural, military and economic strengths. However, with more and more countries contributing to the global economy and becoming stronger in all the other aspects, there have been rise in the speculations of the next Potential Superpower. Potential Superpower is a term used for the countries who can possibly achieve superpower status in the 21st century; due to their economic potential, large markets, growing military and influence in international affairs. China, The European Union, India and Russia are the most speculated contenders for supremacy, but because of the problems such as poverty, corruption, population explosion and pollution these countries might simply remain emerging powers, as opposed to potential superpowers.

The predictions of the potential superpower are never perfect and keeps on changing with the changing economy of the countries and the power they posses on a global domain. For example, in the 1980s, Japan due to its large GDP and high economic growth was anticipated to be the next superpower.  However, Japan’s economy crashed in 1991, creating a long period of economic slump in the country which is yet to be recovered. As per the world bank annual GDP growth statistics; In 1961 Japan was estimated to reach a GDP of 12.5 by 2015. However, it declined to 0.5 by the end of 2015. Gaining supremacy is a tough task. It’s about gaining stability and keeping it consistent on a global level. Any of the countries who wish to attain the superpower status have a tough road ahead. The government and the people will have to work together and stand out as a strong and a united nation.

Talking about China, In the past few decades China has been identified as the most prominent economic growth and military superpower. China’s rise is demonstrated by its terrific share of trade in its gross domestic product. It has already outpaced USA in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP).  Prableen Bajpai, in her article, “The World’s Top 10 Economies,” states that “China is estimated to pull ahead of the U.S. steadily in the following years, taking over the lead position as the world’s largest economy; in fact, in its October 2012 World Economic Outlook report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected that China’s gross domestic product (GDP) would outpace that of the U.S. as early as 2017.” According to which, china is predicted to outpace U.S. in terms of GDP and be the number one economic superpower in the world. It is only possible if china continues to grow its economy. However, Chinese economy has recently taken a decline,  which is a major concern. Along with the economy, it must also meet its internal and external challenges and make some fundamental political changes. It must deal with its aging population and gender imbalance produced by its one child policy.  Also deal with its water shortage problems, pollution problems and create more and more jobs to deal with the unemployment. It must also make contributions in the field of science, research and innovation and build a stronger military in-order to become the superpower.

The biggest competition of China in the race of being the Superpower is India. India is the biggest democracy in the world and with its 1.2 billion population, mostly consisted of young people, it possesses a great potential. India can benefit from china’s declining economy and can quickly attain the spot of the fastest emerging economies in the world. In an Economic Times Article, “India’s growth rate set to surpass china this year: World Bank,” Kaushik Basu, World Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice President, claims that “With an expected growth of 7.5 per cent this year, India is, for the first time, leading the World Bank’s growth chart of major economies,” which means India will surpass China whose growth rate is 7.1 per cent this year and be the major economy in the world. Along with the economy, the factors that plays in Indias favor are its magnificent resources, its foreign relations, role in international politics, science and technology, Indian Armed forces etc. On the other hand poverty, pollution, unemployment, illiteracy, communal violence, social divide, gender and caste inequality and disputes with its neighboring countries are the factors that don’t play in Indias favor and it will have to pass these hurdles to become the superpower.

The European Union(EU) is also a great contender for the superpower. With its large economy probably largest in the world, large population, high quality lifestyle and low inflation rates it certainly is in a very good position. Despite of that, it hasn’t been very successful in establishing a unified foreign policy and project strong military power, which are essential for a superpower nation. If we consider Russia it only has powerful armed forces at the moment and it hence may never become a superpower. Brazil is another emerging nation with great potential. It has managed to sought a serious global economic and political power, however presently it can only manage to be the emerging power rather than the potential superpowers, with a hope to shape the world in the future.

The World Wars and many other Cultural, Demographic and Geographic conditions have crumbled the superpower nations of the past and continues to crumble the current contenders. It’s difficult for countries to get back on their knees or fight against their problems. The  U.S. has never observed massive industrial destruction or civilian casualties unlike Europe or Asia. Post War it has been able to build up a strong industrial and technological infrastructure, advanced military strength which is the strongest in the world and has managed to retain it since. Other countries have a great potential in being the superpower but their problems are way more drastic and impossible to overcome, at least at the moment. They will have to be a lot more than just the biggest economy if they want to attain the title of the Superpower nation of the world.

(ICFAI), Prableen Bajpai CFA. “The World’s Top 10 Economies.” Investopedia. N.p., 14 Oct. 2016. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.

“World Economic Outlook Database October 2014.” World Economic Outlook Database October 2014. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.

Pti. “India’s Growth Rate Set to Surpass China This Year: World Bank.” The Economic Times. N.p., 11 June 2015. Web. 03 Dec. 2016.

Thesis :

Based on current research, these acts of violence involve citizens who are also African American. In this paper, I will discuss how African American males are historically targets of these senseless acts.

Argument:Over the past year , there has been an increase in police involved shootings where many citizens, who are unarmed, are injured by the officers.

Definitions :

• empowerment
• discrimination
• police brutality
• overrated
• violence
• corruption
•  oppression

Work Cited:

1. ThinkProgress.” ThinkProgress. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
2. Williams, Janice. “Police Shooting Statistics 2016: Are More Black People Killed By Officers Than Other Races?” International Business Times. N.p., 26 Sept. 2016. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.

What is fear?

P1. Police whose lives are often at risk may fear for their safety even from suspects whose guns are unloaded or who brandish what looks like a weapon. The fact that they were not in mortal danger in no way diminishes their reasonable fear. Are police officer’s wrong to shoot “an unarmed suspect” or are they within their rights to neutralize a suspect whose intention was to harm? On the night of August 9, 2014, police officer Darren Wilson of the Ferguson Police Department was on patrol when he received a call about a robbery and physical dispute between an 18 year old male and a Ferguson Market clerk. A nationwide study conducted in 2013 by USA.com found that the average crime rate in Ferguson, Missouri, is 2,6885.38, which trumps the Missouri crime rate of 1,858.24 and the national average crime rate of 1,669.05. Officer Wilson spotted Michael Brown walking down the street wearing a hoodie, a red hat and yellow socks that matched the offenders description. Michael Brown’s hands were in his pockets, which perhaps gave the illusion (from a police officer’s perspective) that he could be holstering a weapon. The high crime rate alone was enough to justify officer Wilson’s feelings of uneasiness. Officer Wilson had to acknowledge that there was already a physical altercation with the Ferguson Market Clerk, so his defensiveness is valid. When officer Darren Wilson confronted Brown, Brown reached through the window of the police car, disrespecting the barrier that separates Brown from officer Wilson. Darren Wilson pleads that Michael Brown reached for his hosteled weapon forcing him to fire through Brown’s hand, which signifies the heightened severity of the situation. Because Brown’s physical gesture posed a direct threat to the safety of Darren Wilson, officer Wilson got out of his car to pursue Brown and shot him six times. While six shots seems inexcusable, we can relate to his heightened sense of perceived danger. Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown because Brown appeared to have an apparent intent to cause harm. The fact that he may not have a weapon in no way diminishes officer Wilson’s fear for his life. One of the central questions in the case of Michael Brown that was argued is whether officer Darren Wilson’s response to a situation that calls for instantaneous reactions could hold him accountable. The decision made by officer Wilson reflects an officer’s moral instinct to protect the public at any time and place that the peace is threatened.

P2. As we learn from Chris Mooney in “The Science of Why Cops Shoot Young Black Men,” we are not “born with racial prejudices. We may never even have been taught them. Rather, prejudice draws on many of the same tools that help our minds figure out what’s good and what’s bad. In evolutionary terms, it’s efficient to quickly classify a grizzly bear as dangerous. The trouble comes when the brain uses similar processes to form negative views about groups of people.” A study conducted by Lewis Loflin, a former U.S. Army and military officer , in 2012 found that of the total 2,029 arrests made in Ferguson, Missouri, 558 were white/hispanic and 1,471 were black. It is entirely possible that officer Wilson reacted to many cues in addition to the race of Michael Brown. It has been argued that the six shots to Michael Brown’s body was both excessive and unnecessary. Perhaps police officers learn to be suspicious of individuals that the general public do not fear. Officer Wilson could have developed reflexes that we don’t have, causing him to react faster or with more force than we would.

P3. Officer’s lives are often threatened. They have an obligation to respect the rights of suspects. They also have a (sometimes conflicting) right to defend themselves against mortal danger. Under the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, American law enforcement personnel is partially protected from investigation and prosecution arising from conduct during official performance of their duties, and provides them with privileges based on due process additional to those normally provided to other citizens. But police officers are not fully protected. This leaves them vulnerable to due process for a natural instinct. Michael Brown posed a threat to officer Wilson by neglecting to respect the barrier that separates the inside of the car from the outside of the car, while attempting to retrieve officer Wilson’s gun. As we learned from Sunil Dutta, an advocate for police safety and 17-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, in “Column defending cops in Ferguson sparks online fury,” people should  “not challenge law enforcement — save that for lodging a complaint later. Do what the officer tells you to and it will end safely for both of you.” If people simply cooperated with police officers, there would be fewer arrests and less violence as a result. We can relate to officer Wilson’s sense of perceived danger.

P4. A study conducted by Police One showing the reaction time of a police officer when faced with different scenarios. The test subjects were 24 male volunteers recruited from an active-shooter training class at a regional SWAT conference. Each officer, equipped with a Glock training pistol, was to progress through 10 rooms in an abandoned school where an officer was to confront a suspect with a similar pistol at a distance of 10 feet. According to prior instruction, one-fifth of the suspects followed the officer’s order to surrender peacefully, whereas the rest, designated as attackers, were told to try to shoot the officer at any time they chose. Analysis showed that the suspects on average were able to fire in just 0.38 second after initial movement of their gun. Officers fired back in an average of 0.39 second after the suspect’s movement began. The officer and suspect effectively shot at similar times. Why should an officer be held responsible for a natural instinct? These numbers validate police officer’s rights to react in the way they do to certain situations. Officer Wilson shot Michael Brown’s hand out of pure response to the altercation. While the next six shots seems inexcusable, we cannot understand officer Wilson’s perceived sense of danger and excessive reaction to a potential violent situation. Effectively, it is either kill or be killed.

P5. Neil Bruntrager, a lawyer for Officer McMellon, said, “According to State v. Anthony, once a defendant injects self-defense into a case, the prosecution bears the burden of disproving the defense beyond a reasonable doubt.” Self-defense is an extremely difficult burden to carry in a court of law. The fear of imminent danger in law enforcement is a reasonable defense and may outbalance the burden of proof. (Explain why)

P6. Finally, police officers, as a highly scrutinized group, should not be held responsible for a potential threat to their well-being and others around them. The burden we place on police officers, to protect the safety of everyone they encounter, is incompatible with their human instinct to protect themselves from danger. When we scrutinize their actions without considering how often they place themselves in danger on our behalf, we impose an unjust burden on them. The threats they recognize, that we might not, are mitigating circumstances.

Works Cited

“http://www.policeone.com/Officer-Safety/articles/3705348-New-reaction-time-study-addresses-whats-reasonable-in-armed-suspect-encounters/” Police one. 26 May. 2011. 28 Oct. 2016.

“http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/20/us/ferguson-column-police-reaction/” CNN. Josh Levs. 20 Aug 2014. 28 Oct. 2016.

“http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/11/science-of-racism-prejudice” Mother Jones. Chris Mooney. 1 Dec. 2014. 28 Oct. 2016.

“https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/11/26/officer-wilson-had-a-powerful-case-for-self-defense-under-missouri-law/” The Washington Post. Paul Cassell. 26 Nov. 2014. 28 Oct. 2016.

“http://www.usa.com/ferguson-mo-crime-and-crime-rate.htm” USA.com. 1 Jan. 2016. 9 Nov. 2016.

“http://www.sullivan-county.com/racism/crime_missouri.htm” Lewis Loflin. 3 Feb. 2016. 10 Nov. 2016.