International Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

International Relations - Essay Example After the disintegration of the Soviet Union that led to the end of the Cold War, there was a general perception that the world had turned into a unipolar one on the political front, with America being the sole country that had the power to influence decisions by arm-twisting other countries into agreeing with it. However, while America and the Soviet Union were busy in propaganda and other activities of the Cold War, several countries which had been devastated by the Second World War or had acquired freedom from their colonial oppressors, were in the process of rebuilding their state. This has resulted in a situation where the world today has a number of important and powerful countries that have the military and economic might that enable them to be significant players in any process of decision-making in the world. The presence of various formations of countries such as SAARC, BRICS and others represent a shift from the political scene that was dominated by the NATO, which was dom inated by the USA. In the recent past, the summits that these formations conduct have attracted considerable attention from the world media that has recognized the shifts that the world has undergone, from bipolarity to unipolarity to the present situation which is of a multipolar world. This shift has also found expression in the increasing power that the G- 20 has acquired in determining the affairs of the world, as opposed to the earlier situation where the USA-dominated G-8 was more powerful in deciding on major issues that the international community was called on to look at. The growing power that has been exhibited by countries like China and India is also something that proves the multipolar nature of the world at this point of time. These two countries have both economic and military resources. China’s military might has been seen as a threat to the might of the USA. With huge populations, both these countries have armies that are large in number and with the steady improvement in the research capabilities of both these countries, the quality of their military is also not in question. Concerted and far-sighted plans that the governments of these countries had laid down for themselves have been rewarded with the military might that they enjoy today. Apart from this, both these countries also possess rates of economic growth that are staggering. China has maintained a rate of ten percent in its economic growth in the past decade, while India has been right behind them. In fact, China has overtaken Japan to become the second largest economy in the world. The social policies that these two countries have adopted are such that they would provide results only in the long run, since both of them have to deal with the difficulties of post-coloniality and damage to the local economy as a result of the Second World War. Another proof of the fact that we live in a multipolar world is the existence of the United Nations and its very structure, where the vo tes of a majority of the nations that are a part of it are required to push reforms through and take major decisions. The members of the permanent Security Council have the power to veto proposals that are brought to the notice of the Security Council. This creates a situation wherein a certain amount of power is invested in the hands of different powers of the world, thereby ensuring mutipolarity. The clamor that various countries such as Germany, South

Engineering drawings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Engineering drawings - Essay Example These manuscripts speak about the science of mechanics, laws of movement. The manuscripts give details about how Leonardo understood each small components individually that goes into the making of big machines. When he studied screws, he studied its varied forms and methods to fabricate them. In this list are the components such as hoists, rollers, pulleys, flywheel, winches and many more. It is his remarkable understanding of these components in those days that made it possible for him to create many functional machine designs. War Machines Leonardo developed many war machines when he was in the long service of Lodoviko Sforza, a duke at Milan. He displayed his abilities as a civil and mechanical engineer designing many useful devices. Some of the devices such as cannons, a giant wheel were developed by him as his military activities during the time. Leonardo developed a drawing of a bridge as a civil engineering project that spanned 240 meter. Though its real construction never mat erialized, it continued to inspire engineers that followed him. His note books spoke about war machines that included a tank that could be operated through crank shafts. The design and mechanics though were not fully developed – perhaps his intention was not to allow it to fall in the hands of wrong people. He developed cannons that would spew small pebbles on the enemy to prevent them inflicting a frontal attack. A Device Resembling Flywheel Leonardo designed an engine kind device that is currently known as flywheel and crank. It is important to note here that when James Watt developed a steam engine, he never made use of flywheel – a wheel that provides high angular momentum. It was much later that a design expert added flywheel to achieve steadiness in the shaft operation. A Device for Lifting Loads Lifting loads has been always a most cherished requirement of humans since time immemorial. No wonder than that Leonard worked on a system to lift heavy loads. What he d esigned in those days is known as the worm gear in current parlance. The device employed an endless screw that is turned by a crank to mesh with the teeth of a gear rotating and raising the load. His device provides more safety that usually a single tooth gear design lacks. Worm gear as prevalent in current times came into existence much later. That shows Leonardo’s genius in designing a device that has hundreds of application in the modern machines including analog clocks. Bicycle Design One of the vehicle designs that he has drawn is a two-wheeled vehicle with spokes. Two wheels are joined by a single rod gives an indication that his vehicle takes a shape of a bicycle for an easy movement by humans. Rear wheel is attached to a cogged-wheel through a chain and cogged-wheel has pedals as found in the modern bicycles in current times. Flying Design He studied motion and movements in depth. While building canals and locks he tried to understand the water flow and whirlpools. In the same way, he tried to understand the flying of birds – the operations and anatomy of the wing. That helped him to build flying designs. Many of the Leonardo's drawings present theoretical understandings or initial intuitions before an idea takes some concrete shape. One of the design looks like a helicopter provided with a huge spiral. It is not understood what idea he had in his mind to