1991: An Amazing Year! :: The Year 1991

History is replete with examples of the rise and fall of once great empires. December 1991 saw the end of a two super power world with the fall of the Soviet Union. In December, â€Å"as the world watched in amazement, the Soviet Union disintegrated into fifteen separate countries† (Cold War Museum). The United States was overjoyed as its enemy was, â€Å"brought to its knees, thereby ending the Cold War which had hovered over these two superpowers since the end of World War II† (Cold War Museum). The split of the Soviet Union made extremely large transformations in the world’s political and economic situation, which resulted in a reduction of global nuclear weapons, world economic cooperation, and the commercialization of once classified military technology. In Moscow on July 31, 1991, President Bush and Gorbashev, the leader of the Soviet Union, signed the START treaty to reduce nuclear weapons on both sides to 6,000—which was a 30-percent reduction of the previous amount being used. This was the first large-scale reduction of nuclear weapons in the history of the Cold War. As a result of this treaty, â€Å"The dangerous category of missiles with multiple independently targeted warheads (MIRVs) was reduced by half† (End of the Cold War). On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigned from presidency and the Soviet Union was officially broken up. All the former, â€Å"dependent republics within the old USSR proclaimed their independence, secured international recognition, and were admitted to the United Nations† (End of the Cold War). As a result of the strong working relationship between President Bush and Michael Gorbashev, as well as the relationship between Baker, the Secretary of State, and Foreign Minister Shevardna dze, the Soviet Union began to drastically reduce its military spending. This cooperation between Gorbashev and the West led to a backlash by the Soviet military and resulted in a failed coup attempt, which ended Gorbashev’s rule and resulted in the final collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia, no longer the Soviet Union, was now under a new leadership. Boris Yeltsin became the head of Russian republic and continued to integrate with the Western world. Russia took over the permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and was invited to join the G-7 gathering of the world’s largest economic powers, therefore making it the G-8. This created a level of cooperation and communication between the two countries that did not exist during the Cold War.

Analysis for “Two truths are told… but what is not” speech Essay

Macbeth’s speech (Act 1, scene 3, lines 128-142) is very important to the play’s plot. This is because of three reasons. Firstly, the first truth is told from the witches’ prophecies. Secondly, this extract shows Macbeth’s reaction to the first prophecy coming true in his thoughts. Lastly, his speech shows the start of Macbeth’s vaulting ambition. The three witches revealed to Macbeth that he will soon become the Thane of Cawdor, and later onwards, the King. You see the plot slowly advancing when Macbeth is pronounced Thane of Cawdor by Ross and Angus, Kind Duncan’s messengers, (â€Å"happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme† Act 1, Scene 3, lines 129-130) Thus, with the first prophecy coming true, Macbeth’s trust for the witches becomes slightly stronger as he starts to believe that â€Å"If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me†. Macbeth’s speech shows his confusion and fear of what him becoming King could mean. Macbeth was confused between good and evil, for example † If ill, why hath it given me earnest of success†. Here Macbeth is wondering, if this supernatural persuasion is wrong, then why has it given me the honour of becoming Thane of Cawdor. Another example, † If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make my seated heart knock at my ribs†. Here, Macbeth is questioning, if this is right, then why am I so afraid. Macbeth is also afraid of what him soon to be becoming a King would mean to the present King, Duncan. If Macbeth were to be King, that would mean that both Duncan and his son Malcolm would have to die or be executed. Macbeth wasn’t as much thinking about what might happen to Duncan but rather, what Macbeth would do to him†¦ murder. This extract of the play reveals the start of Macbeth’s vaulting ambition. Macbeth’s ambition to kill Duncan and Malcolm and finally become King rises with every new scene. It shows that there is conflict between Macbeth’s ambition and his conscience. For example, in lines 139-141, its states â€Å"my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise†. There he is firstly saying that  the idea of murdering Duncan is fantastic, but then his conscience kicks in and tells him that he is too scared of doing so. However, his ambition steps forward and finishes Macbeth’s speech with â€Å"nothing is but what is not†. Hence, this extract is very important to the rest of the play because the first of the two prophecies become true and thus this unfolds the plot, you are told of Macbeth’s reaction to this coming true and finally, the ambitious Macbeth begins.

Apple Competitve Strength Assesment

What does a competitive strength assessment reveal about Apple, as compared to the leaders in the personal computer industry? †¢Design and innovation oriented. †¢Greater horizontal and vertical integration. †¢R&D oriented. †¢Everything ready device. ? 5. )Use the methodology in Table 4. 4 to support your answer. Among these competitors, who enjoys the strongest competitive position? †¢Dell Inc. enjoys the strongest competitive position. †¢Apple’s operating in a fast-cycle market. †¢Firm’s capabilities that contribute to competitive advantage aren? shielded †¢from imitation. †¢Where imitation is very fast and inexpensive. †¢Apple’s products and services have more restriction than its rivals 5. )Who is in the weakest overall competitive position? †¢Acer. †¢Most of its revenue (63. 8%) was rely in the mobile phone industry. †¢But mobile phone industry that have very intense competitive.†¢With Appl e and Nokia as major players. ? 5. )Has Apple’s strategy resulted in a substantial competitive advantage over its rivals in the computer industry? What is the basis for whatever competitive advantage it has? Innovation plays a dominant role in the competitive dynamics in fast cycle †¢markets. †¢Stronger brands value. MP3 PlayersOverallSound QualityEase of UseReliability Apple8. 38. 78. 68. 3 Microsoft8. 18. 78. 38. 2 Creative7. 88. 47. 58. 1 Archos7. 68. 17. 68. 0 Iriver7. 68. 47. 28. 1 Toshiba7. 68. 58. 18. 0 SanDisk7. 58. 07. 57. 9 Samsung7. 48. 07. 57. 9 Sony7. 38. 07. 47. 8 Industry Average7. 48. 17. 67. 8 6. ) What does a competitive strength assessment reveal about Apple, as compared to other main players in the digital music industry?Use the methodology in Table 4. 4 to support your answer. Among these digital music player competitors, which company enjoys the strongest competitive position? Who is in the weakest overall competitive position? Has Appleâ€℠¢s strategy resulted in a substantial competitive advantage over its rivals in the digital music player industry? What is the basis for whatever competitive advantage Apple has? Other Apple’s competitive advantages Marketing Features and technology Best Replacement in TV shows