How to Add Leading Zeroes to a Number (Delphi Format)

Different applications require specific values to conform to structural paradigms. For example, Social Security numbers are always nine digits long. Some reports require that numbers be displayed with a fixed amount of characters. Sequence numbers, for example, usually start with 1 and increment without end, so theyre displayed with leading zeroes to present a visual appeal. As a Delphi programmer, your approach to adding a number with leading zeroes depends on the specific use case for that value. You can simply opt to pad a display value, or you can convert a number to a string for storage in a database. Display Padding Method Use a straightforward function to change how your number displays. Use  format to make the  conversion by supplying a value for  length (the total length of the final output) and the number you want to pad: str : Format(%.*d,[length, number]) To pad the number 7 with two leading zeroes, plug those values into the code: str : Format(%.*d,[3, 7]); The result is  007  with the value returned as a string.   Convert to String Method Use a padding function to append leading zeroes (or any other character) any time you need it within your script. To convert values that are already integers, use: function LeftPad(value:integer; length:integer8; pad:char0): string; overload;  begin     result : RightStr(StringOfChar(pad,length) IntToStr(value), length );  end; If the value to be converted is already a string, use: function LeftPad(value: string; length:integer8; pad:char0): string; overload;begin  Ã‚  Ã‚  result : RightStr(StringOfChar(pad,length) value, length );end; This approach works with Delphi 6 and later editions. Both of these code blocks default to a padding character of 0  with a length of seven  returned characters; those values may be modified to meet your needs. When  LeftPad  is called, it returns values according to the specified paradigm. For example, if you set an integer value to 1234, calling LeftPad: i: 1234;r : LeftPad(i); will return a string value of 0001234.

Property in Second Treatise of Civil Government and...

Property in Second Treatise of Civil Government and Robinson Crusoe Both John Lockes Second Treatise of Civil Government and Daniel Defoes Robinson Crusoe deal with the question of property. In these two texts, the following questions arise: when does common property become an individuals property; and what factors make the appropriation of property justifiable or not? These questions may be answered by looking at each authors political views, followed by how they are incorporated in their work. Locke outlines the procedures for the transition of property to private ownership, while Defoe details the way Crusoe appropriates property (i.e., food, accommodations, and slaves) during the course of his stay on the†¦show more content†¦But even though the topic came up incidentally, Locke had much to say about it. He dedicated an entire chapter in his Treatise to discussing property and its importance in the laws of nature and government. Throughout Chapter V of his Second Treatise, Locke uses the term property†¦to connote that something is ones own, either inclusively or exclusively. That is, anything which is in any sense ones own is ones property. This seems to be the conventional seventeenth-century use of the term (Tully 112). Locke argues that natural reason†¦tells us, that men, being once born, have a right to their preservation (Locke 352). After establishing this principle, Locke continues to surmise that God has given the earth†¦to mankind in common. But this being supposed, it seems to some a very great difficulty how any one should ever come to have a property in any thing (Locke 353). This puzzling question may have different answers that all seem relative. Nonetheless, says Locke, every man is his own property and this nobody has a right to but himself (Locke 353). But, beyond this view, where else does private property originate? According to Locke, common property becomes individual property the moment one adds his or her labor to it. As Locke argues, The labour of his [theShow MoreRelatedCrusoe’s Island as an Allegorical Expression of Locke’s Theories on Property and Government2212 Words   |  9 Pagesas an Allegorical Expression of Locke’s Theories on Property and Government Two prolific writers captured what was pressing to the economic and political zeitgeist of 18th century England. John Locke’s ideas on property influenced readers like Thomas Jefferson who would be a prolific politician involved in the founding of the United States. Locke’s views on an individual’s right to property is discussed in his Second Treatise of Government. But what also are compelling to readers at the time wereRead More Observations on Property in Robinson Crusoe and Second Treatise2874 Words   |  12 PagesObservations on Property in Robinson Crusoe and Second Treatise  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚         People have been fighting over land and possessions since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden. But what actually constitutes the ownership of property? In the eighteenth century John Locke and Daniel Defoe addressed this question. In his Second Treatise, Locke defends the rights of people to property and he explains the basis for obtaining and maintaining dominion over it. In Robinson Crusoe, Defoe suggests a definition

Factors Affecting Trust in Market Research Relationships

Question: Discuss about the Factors Affecting Trust in Market Research Relationships. Answer: Introduction Decision-making is widely seen as certainly one of the relevant enterprise functions for the business. Throughout the method of decision making contemplating on the internal factor is essential together with the external factors (Bryman Bell, 2015). The organizations and their decision-making are usually influenced by the internal elements that should be managed as well as controlled in a manner that is effective to achieve better results. This essay will discuss on the various internal contextual factors, which affect a business and its decision-making (Calantone, Kim, Schmidt Cavusgil, 2006). The internal environment will include the factors, which are within the organization, and they affect on the success as well as the approach to the business functions. Contrary to the external environment, the business could be in a position to control on the internal business enterprise elements. It is very important determine on the feasible opportunities and threats, that happen to be ou tside the procedures of the business and influential environment factors. Nonetheless, dealing with strength of the internal business capabilities could possibly be the key factor to the results of the business as well as provision of the competitive business making (Epstein Rejc, 2006). The contextual factor, which will have effect in the organization, and the ones the essay will look at are the following: Organizational structure Environment forces Risk confronting the firm The governance and the legal requirement Organization and the business practices Function of the organization Organizational structure The groups of individuals who have the purpose of achieving the effect in which one person could not achieve individually form the organization. All the organizational components when combined with relations and systems of their co-ordination are important for functioning of any business (Epstein Rejc, 2006). The organization usually are based on numerous factors, which comes from the dynamic environment or maybe from the organization itself (Anderson, Hkansson Johanson, 1994). Because of the interference nature of the structures of the organization occasionally, they are not able to meet on the specifications of efficiency as well as adoptability. The classics in the area of the organization theory have characterized numerous diverse schools of influencing factors on the organizational structure. A few have claimed that there are specific elements for example the size, environment or maybe the technology effect the organizational structure. The business external environment has ma jorly influenced the organizational framework (Tran Tian, 2013). Based upon study it has showed that organization organized in dealing with dependable along with sturdy market would not be as effective just like the complex together with rapidly changing environment. In the event that there environment is much more particular you will discover more centralized hierarchy the firm organizational structure might have with the guidelines and techniques which are formalized . The organization, which have environmental scepticism, could decentralize on the decision making, so they depend on the formal rules along with policies as well as flatten on their hierarchies (Weske, 2012). The impact of numerous factors on the organizational structure happens to be split up into two main variables they may possibly be external factors as well as internal factors (Tran Tian, 2013). The external factors are factors are from the permitting environment, which are not under the control of the busines s, and they influence on the structure in addition to the development. Other are the socio economic factor of which defines on the socio economics context that the organization operates, and political administrative elements that determine on the legal boundaries (Papadakis, Lioukas Chambers, 1998). The internal elements are the ones, which the business features develop a basis for measuring along with evaluating organization. The formal structure offers a positive influence on the functionality of the organization whilst the dynamic environment has a negative effect, which can be accomplished. Consequently, it could be concluded that there is fundamentally an adverse impact on the structure on the organizational efficiency (Tran Tian, 2013). Depending on the researchers, they have claimed that if the organizational theory is intended to be pertinent there need to be prominence that needs to be positioned on the effectivenessof the organizational as well as on the influencing elem ents. Environment forces In every organization works within the framework of particular environmental factors since there is certainly generally continuous interaction that exists between the businesses along with the environment. The organization can be thought to be an input output system. Normally it takes various inputs such as human, capital, technical from the environment. These kind of inputs are then transformed to produce the outputs goods that is given back to the environment (Bryman Bell, 2015). The organization usually performs the function of the mediator on the input as well as output. In this practice, the environment is in the interaction with the internal aspects of the organization, which determine on the kind of the inputs that should be taken or perhaps the outputs to be given (Cheng, 2007). The environment business interaction might have some implication from the management point of view. The environmental forces might influence the various parts of the business in various ways since di fferent part interact with their relevant environment. An illustration might be the technological environment that could affect the organization R D department. The regulatory pressures for the purpose of the assessment of the risk as well as reporting on the internal control has increased all over the world. The decision makers should understand the various organizational risk, and minimize on the mistaken investment, which could have significant organizational cost (Nlke, ten Brink, Claar May, 2015). When the organization decides to engage in any international financial activities, they are also faced with the additional risks as well as opportunities. The major risk, which could be associated with the businesses engaging in the international finance, could be the political as well as the exchange risks (Cheng, 2007). The internal audiences needs to be offered clear along with adequate data to be able to allow them to comprehend the prospective or maybe existing functional along with financial effect of the disclosed risk ( Tran Tian, 2013 ) . The internal risks reviews capability to report across the organization might help the internal users to recognize the risks taken together and ascertain on the gaps in the risk management strategy. The governance and the legal requirement The governance aspect is the composition of the procedures, that happen to be established along with executed by the directors, and they reflect in the organization framework and precisely how it might be managed and also led when it comes to attaining of the goals ( Jeston Nelis, 2014 ). The governance emphasizes on all the management strategy that the senior executives direct and control the entire organization through combining management information and the hierarchical management to control the structure (Van Der Aalst, Ter Weske, 2003). Legal requirement are the procedure, which ensures that the organization has, follows relevant laws, regulations and the business rules (Nlke, ten Brink, Claar May, 2015). With lack of these aspects in the business there could be ramification especially when it comes to decision making where the employees should follow the ethical codes within their entire professions. The legal requirement and governance are part of the business structure an d they should be complied in order to include self-monitoring of governed behavior within the industry (Moorman, Deshpande Zaltman, 1993). It is important to keep in mind presence of a strong legal governance component is in place to enable the risk to be accessed more accurately and monitor on the legal compliance is carried out efficiently. The decisions are made at individual level or organizational. The business practices influences the decisions, which are made by the individual. The organizations which have a robust, effective communication mechanisms influences their managers as well as the workers to make decision that are informed, since they comprehend on the enterprise context . The business extent to risk will ascertain the extent to which the managers and the employees feel at ease particularly while taking of risk in the decision-making. The business practices such as innovations as well as creativity could be stimulated in the organization and thus encourage informed risk taking decisions. Function of the organization Without having appropriate organization on variety of fronts, the business limps along unable to set or perhaps achieve strategic plans. The presence of the structures provides the business with the guide under which they could operate more efficiently and be able to reduce duplication. Organizations functions as the glue, which retains every part of the company together directly after the ultimate goal, which is good results (Cheng, 2007). In relation to different environmental situations, the organizational framework continues to be conditioned by the decisions in irrespective of the internal organizational level generally in addition to designed variables much more in particular. According to research the centralization usually fosters a hierarchical organizational structure in which the final decision-making is focused at the very top instead of shared with the lower level of the organization (Jeston Nelis, 2014). The organization structure defines on the character of the organi zation and how the decision are made between the various departments. Conclusion The influence on various factors on the business continues to be in researchers emphasis for several years. Many factor identified that influence the business as well as the decision making process are from the environment in which the traditional view has divided them to internal and the external factors. This essay display findings to evaluate the influencing factors and their effect in the organization. Moreover, the influencing factors, which have been considered, are among those, which are described by the contingency theory as well as incorporating on the facets of the strategic choice approach. References Anderson, J. C., Hkansson, H., Johanson, J. (1994). Dyadic business relationships within a business network context. The Journal of Marketing, 1-15. Bryman, A., Bell, E. (2015). Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA. Calantone, R. J., Kim, D., Schmidt, J. B., Cavusgil, S. T. (2006). The influence of internal and external firm factors on international product adaptation strategy and export performance: a three-country comparison. Journal of Business Research, 59(2), 176-185. Cheng, J. L. (2007). Critical issues in international management research: an agenda for future advancement. European Journal of International Management, 1(1-2), 23-38. Epstein, M. J., Rejc, A. (2006). The reporting of organizational risks for internal and external decision making. CMA Canada. Jeston, J., Nelis, J. (2014). Business process management. Routledge. Moorman, C., Deshpande, R., Zaltman, G. (1993). Factors affecting trust in market research relationships. the Journal of Marketing, 81-101. Nlke, A., ten Brink, T., Claar, S., May, C. (2015). Domestic structures, foreign economic policies and global economic order: Implications from the rise of large emerging economies. European Journal of International Relations, 21(3), 538-567. Papadakis, V. M., Lioukas, S., Chambers, D. (1998). Strategic decision?making processes: the role of management and context. Strategic management journal, 19(2), 115-147. Teece, D. J. (2014). A dynamic capabilities-based entrepreneurial theory of the multinational enterprise. Journal of International Business Studies, 45(1), 8-37. Tran, Q., Tian, Y. (2013). Organizational structure: Influencing factors and impact on a firm. Van Der Aalst, W. M., Ter Hofstede, A. H., Weske, M. (2003, June). Business process management: A survey. In International conference on business process management (pp. 1-12). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Weske, M. (2012). Business process management architectures. In Business Process Management (pp. 333-371). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

The Sucessful Developement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Essay Example

The Sucessful Developement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Essay To start off this essay, try painting a picture about a certain neighborhood. This neighborhood does not have any overarching governing body, nor is there a single overarching security force. In short, this neighborhood’s residents are left to fend for themselves. Assuming that there has been an unfortunate event in the neighborhood, whereby one house was broken into by some thieves, what could possibly be the reaction of the residents in that community? Will they seek to protect their own homes and not bother to care about their neighbors? Will they protect their homes and be malicious of their neighbors, thinking they could have been conspirators to the crime? Or will they work together and cooperate in one collective effort to solve the case and to protect themselves? This is an analogous picture of what the international realm may look like for scholars and the questions posted are classic questions that theories of International Relations seek to shed light into. In an international world that is ruled by anarchy, it has been a classic notion that states are left to fend for themselves. In this scenario, security of states is of great importance, if not the outright priority. As international events unfold, different scholars seek to explain the various international phenomena by choosing a theoretical framework that will best explain and account for the phenomenon they choose to account for Be that as it may, what this paper will aim to discuss is the recent development is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), as an association of states, by using the pertinent theoretical frameworks in the discipline of International Relations.   The first part will discuss a brief introduction of the Shanghai Cooperation and what are the recent developments pertaining to it, while the second part of the paper will discuss briefly what theories in International Relations exist that may be of use to the discussion of the recent events in SCO. Using the chosen theories, this paper will discuss how the core tenets of such theories can possibly explain the recent developments in the SCO for example, using a certain theory, why would a certain actor in the SCO story act this way and what were the interests of that actor etcetera. We will write a custom essay sample on The Sucessful Developement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Sucessful Developement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Sucessful Developement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer A lot of international organizations exist in status quo. The reasons for their establishment may vary from one case to another. And for scholars, it is interesting to take a look at this phenomenon in the context of the emerging new world order. With the end of the Cold War, it is interesting to observe how states and other emerging world players will configure themselves. In line with recent developments, the formation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is worthy of scholarly attention. Upon its formation on June 15 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has six permanent members: the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation (Brummer, 2007). It is an international organization through its founding members that cover about three fifths of Eurasia (GlobalSecurity.org, 2007). This organization or association of states, though fairly young compared to other international organizations has turned out to be an influential political, economic and security international player (Brummer, 2007). The SCO had a predecessor and it was called, the Shanghai Five mechanism, which came from the five of the, now, six members’ (except the Republic of Uzbekistan) effort to further disarmament in the border regions and to strengthen confidence-building (GlobalSecurity.org, 2007). Upon the signing of the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions and the Treaty on Reduction of Military Forces in Border Regions by these five member states, what started off as an annual meeting of their leaders ended up to be a regular practice (GlobalSecurity.org, 2007). The coverage of their agenda soon expanded to talk about cooperation in various areas like politics, security, diplomacy and economics, and then later on extended the membership to Uzbekistan (GlobalSecurity.org, 2007). When asked in why Uzbekistan wanted to join the organization, the reply of President Karimov indicated that the primary reason was to protect the country from any possible aggressive move by the SCO (Nich ol, 2005). The Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization gave birth to the organization as it is known now (GlobalSecurity.org, 2007). Recently, however, there have been some developments in the SCO and some issues have risen from these developments. Firstly, the inclusion of other states to the membership of the SCO has caught the attention of a lot of scholars and players in the international field, not so much as a reaction to its expansion but to the profile of the members that wish to be included.   Iran, as a very controversial country in terms of its relationship with the rest of the world vis-à  -vis the United States of America, has been subjected to a series of deliberation (Brummer, 2007). The question of whether it will be granted membership in the SCO is something that has interested the keen observers of international relations. The main concern was what would be implications of Iran’s inclusion to the six-member association and consequently, how would the United States of America react to this inclusion. Secondly, post 9/11, the evaluation of the policies and reaction of the Shanghai Coopera tion Organization towards perceived (or otherwise) terrorist threats in their region, is something that the United States of America has concerned itself with (Nichol, 2005). The next section of this paper will juxtapose these recent events with the literature in International Relations—focusing on pertinent theories in the discipline that can explain the milestones in the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and using a comparative approach in discussing them. While it is not true that international phenomenon may only be explained by either realism or idealism, it is interesting to juxtapose discussions of different international events using the two because of the contrasts in their basic assumptions and tenets. Before this paper further discusses the developments in the SCO, it would first help to have a quick overview of the premises of each of these two theories, as these will be the tools to help understand and hopefully explain what transpired in these milestones and why they were so. Realism, as espoused by scholars like E.H. Carr, asserts that states are the main actors in world politics and that their interests lie in the pursuit of power at the expense of others (Mearsheimer, 2005). In a way, it more or less follows the logic of a zero-sum game, whereby one player’s gain is another player’s loss. The implication of this in policymaking is that decision-makers will most likely base their decisions on power calculations, as opposed to that of Idealism which focuses on the moral dimension and on liberal ideas for decision-making considerations (Mearsheimer, 2005). One of the canons of idealism, and most often cited by other scholars, is that of Immanuel Kant’s Perpetual Peace, whereby he asserts how states should act towards each other to achieve peace and prevent war (Kant, 1975). Writers, like Herz, argue that idealists believe that it is an imperative to change the world and champion the realization of a world turning into a secure global community—that would entail states abiding by international law and observing respect and recognition of each other (Hacke and Puglierin, 2007). The inception of the SCO may be seen as an idealist characterization of what international cooperation can do, whereby states seek to cooperate with each other to achieve a common goal. As stated earlier, when the SCO was established, the initial intent was to push the disarmament of the states in the border areas and to strengthen confidence-building. These reasons are liberal in nature—disarmament is antithetical to the realist push that states should be wary of other states and should protect themselves at any cost, and confidence-building is founded on trust and cooperation among partner states. While its inception is liberal in intent, as the time progresses, the developments in the SCO soon lend to realist assumptions. When it expanded membership, the intention of the new member (and even those seeking membership in status quo) may be contended to have realist bearings. As stated above, when Uzbekistan sought membership, it was not for cooperation nor was it based on tru st on other states but, instead, it was to ensure its own safety by establishing ties with China and the other states in the SCO. But the annexation of Uzbekistan is not the only development that lends to realist assumptions. Lately, Iran sought membership to the SCO as well, although it was not granted, there stands a chance that it can happen (Brummer, 2007). From a geopolitical perspective, Iran’s inclusion would have been a political statement saying that between the West and Iran, China and Russia would have taken the side of Iran (Brummer, 2007). This scenario can lend to realist assumptions by focusing on the intention of Iran to gain allies, against a perceived threat and clearly this puts security above all other concerns. It can also lend to liberal assumptions by focusing on the fact that Iran has chosen to be part of a collective effort in dealing with adversaries, as opposed to a unilateral aggressive approach that will more probably lead to war and heightened co nflict. The intention of China on forwarding the SCO agenda can also be explained using realism. There have been writings that talk about China’s effort to gain influence in its regional area and the intention behind the formation of the SCO may well be subsumed under this. In fact, there have been assertions that China has had the intention of challenging the unipolar order by taking on the leadership position of a anti-hegemonic coalition against the United States of America (Foot, 2006). Foot further stresses that China may well be building up its military and economic capabilities to challenge the USA (Foot, 2006). Taken from this angle, this obviously lends to realist assumptions of China using a formation of an international institution to forward its own interest—that is, to secure itself and to gain power by challenging the strength of the leading international player. But it can also be explained in a realist point of view, by showing how this is China’s way to achieve a level of security for itself, but at the same time, it may also be a form of cooperating with the international community. Terrorism being a global problem has also been addressed by the SCO by having its members hold anti-terrorist exercises to promote common security and to gain economic benefits as well (Foot, 2006). Taken from this context, it is logical to say that the SCO has acted in favor of liberal ideas of forwarding collective cooperation. China being one of the torchbearers of the SCO has also coursed cooperation through economic ties with the United States (Langlois and Langlois, 1996). Fighting against terrorism by joining forces with other states lends to liberal ideas of aiming for peace and preventing war, even if it sounds moralistic, and forwarding causes for global security through collective action. But just as the previous discussions, the actions of China towards terrorism may also lend to realist assumptions. One particular example is in reference to the efforts of the United States of America in its fight against terrorism. Post-September 11, the members of the Shanghai Cooperati on Organization did not have a collective response to the proposal of the United States, but instead its members acted individually (Nichol, 2005). This proves the realist argument that states, despite the existence of international institutions, will still act selfishly and in favor of its own national interests. It is obvious that China did not want to lend a hand to this specific United States policy, although it was willing to cooperate with its members in dealing with terrorism in their regional area. China’s definition of its national interests, in this context, was to ensure that terrorism does not thrive in its region, and yet not give the United States the leverage to dictate or influence its policies toward security. This shows how there can be an interplay in the way realism and idealism explains a certain international phenomenon. The next question is, how does this make sense and does this not mean that one of the two theories may lose its ability to explain things if the other can explain it the same phenomenon with equal validity? In seeking to explain political phenomenon, one can use theories as tools to help account for such events. In doing so, scholars may fall to the trap of focusing too much on dichotomies the North and South, Realism and Liberalism. While mutual exclusivity increases the validity of a theory (or a school of thought, for that matter) to distinguish it from other existing theories, this does not necessarily mean that the truth of the other is the shadow of the doubt for the other. In fact, if theories are made to help us explain political phenomenon, then perhaps it pays to have a more comprehensive picture by using the lens of various theories to account for an event. Does realism and liberalism really have to be categorized as contrasts or is it possible that they can complement each other? Lucian Ashworth even asserts that the debate between these two schools of thought may have never existed, as the liberals’ (often called â€Å"idealists† by later realist writers call them) writings were not really addressed properly by realists (Ashworth, 2006). This is not to point out that liberalism has lost its capacity to explain, but what Ashworth is pointing out, is the fact that the line establishing this dichotomy is not absolute, and hence, may be blurred. There have been points raised by writers like Joseph Nye Jr.,that lend to the idea that perhaps the two can complement each other. He argues that in cases when mutual interests or a possibility in the future may suggest that there are plenty of benefits to be had for cooperating, states may actually adopt new strategies in their quest to forward their interests (Nye, 1988). This point may be used to explain why the members of the SCO chose to cooperate in their fight against terrorism in their own region, but chose not to cooperate as a group with the United States of America. This is so, because states and the associations they form can define their interests differently and their interests can also change (Nye, 1988). In this example, what happened was what the other theory cannot account for; the other can shed light to. Realism cannot fully explain how states define their interests and how these interests change, but liberalism can answer that by pushing forward the concept of co llective security, albeit this term needs more discussion as to how it can be operationalized (Nye, 1988). To be blunt about it, the true value of theories being able to explain political phenomenon rests not solely on the exclusivity of their explanations, but on the comprehensiveness of its account. Following Hacke and Puglierin’s   point, the realism in its absolute form can only offer a naked struggle for power, and hence any sound political thought must have elements of both utopia and reality (Hacke and Puglierin, 2007). To have a more comprehensive account of why members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization behaved in certain ways, in certain points in time, one must go beyond the dichotomy of what is considered realist and idealist. Instead, it pays to keep in mind that using relevant aspects of theories (as tools) can help paint a more comprehensive picture that will help account for the explanation of a political phenomenon. REFERENCES Ashworth, Lucian M. â€Å"Where are the idealists in interwar International Relations?† Review of International Studies Vol.32, No. 2 (2006): 291-308. Brummer, Matthew. â€Å"The Shanghai Cooperation Organization.† Journal of International Affairs 60 (2007): 185-199. Foot, Rosemary. â€Å"Chinese strategies in a US-hegemonic global order: accommodating and hedging.† International Affairs Vol.82,   No.1 (2006): 77-94. GlobalSecurity. â€Å"Shanghai Cooperation Organization.† Military. 2007. 15 Oct. 2007 http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/int/sco.htm . Hacke Christian and Jana Puglierin. â€Å"John H. Herz: Balancing Utopia and Reality.† International Relations Vol.21, No.3 (2007): 367–382. Kant, Immanuel. â€Å"Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch 1975†. 2007. 15 Oct 2007 http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/kant/kant1.htm Langlois, Catherine and Jean-Pierre P. Langlois. â€Å"Rationality in International Relations: A Game-Theoretic and Empirical Study of the US-China Case.† World Politics Vol.48 (1996): 358–90. Mearsheimer, John J. â€Å"E.H. Carr vs. Idealism: The Battle Rages On.† International Relations   Vol.19, No.2 (2005): 139-152. Nichol, Jim. â€Å"Central Asia’s Security: Issues and Implications for U.S. interests.† CRS Report for Congress. (2005): 1-49. Nye, Joseph S. Jr. â€Å"Review: Neorealism and Neoliberalism.† World Politics Vol. 40, No. 2. (1988): 235-251. The Sucessful Developement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Essay Example The Sucessful Developement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Essay To start off this essay, try painting a picture about a certain neighborhood. This neighborhood does not have any overarching governing body, nor is there a single overarching security force. In short, this neighborhood’s residents are left to fend for themselves. Assuming that there has been an unfortunate event in the neighborhood, whereby one house was broken into by some thieves, what could possibly be the reaction of the residents in that community? Will they seek to protect their own homes and not bother to care about their neighbors? Will they protect their homes and be malicious of their neighbors, thinking they could have been conspirators to the crime? Or will they work together and cooperate in one collective effort to solve the case and to protect themselves? This is an analogous picture of what the international realm may look like for scholars and the questions posted are classic questions that theories of International Relations seek to shed light into. In an international world that is ruled by anarchy, it has been a classic notion that states are left to fend for themselves. In this scenario, security of states is of great importance, if not the outright priority. As international events unfold, different scholars seek to explain the various international phenomena by choosing a theoretical framework that will best explain and account for the phenomenon they choose to account for Be that as it may, what this paper will aim to discuss is the recent development is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), as an association of states, by using the pertinent theoretical frameworks in the discipline of International Relations.   The first part will discuss a brief introduction of the Shanghai Cooperation and what are the recent developments pertaining to it, while the second part of the paper will discuss briefly what theories in International Relations exist that may be of use to the discussion of the recent events in SCO. Using the chosen theories, this paper will discuss how the core tenets of such theories can possibly explain the recent developments in the SCO for example, using a certain theory, why would a certain actor in the SCO story act this way and what were the interests of that actor etcetera. We will write a custom essay sample on The Sucessful Developement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Sucessful Developement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Sucessful Developement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer A lot of international organizations exist in status quo. The reasons for their establishment may vary from one case to another. And for scholars, it is interesting to take a look at this phenomenon in the context of the emerging new world order. With the end of the Cold War, it is interesting to observe how states and other emerging world players will configure themselves. In line with recent developments, the formation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is worthy of scholarly attention. Upon its formation on June 15 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has six permanent members: the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Russian Federation (Brummer, 2007). It is an international organization through its founding members that cover about three fifths of Eurasia (GlobalSecurity.org, 2007). This organization or association of states, though fairly young compared to other international organizations has turned out to be an influential political, economic and security international player (Brummer, 2007). The SCO had a predecessor and it was called, the Shanghai Five mechanism, which came from the five of the, now, six members’ (except the Republic of Uzbekistan) effort to further disarmament in the border regions and to strengthen confidence-building (GlobalSecurity.org, 2007). Upon the signing of the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions and the Treaty on Reduction of Military Forces in Border Regions by these five member states, what started off as an annual meeting of their leaders ended up to be a regular practice (GlobalSecurity.org, 2007). The coverage of their agenda soon expanded to talk about cooperation in various areas like politics, security, diplomacy and economics, and then later on extended the membership to Uzbekistan (GlobalSecurity.org, 2007). When asked in why Uzbekistan wanted to join the organization, the reply of President Karimov indicated that the primary reason was to protect the country from any possible aggressive move by the SCO (Nich ol, 2005). The Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization gave birth to the organization as it is known now (GlobalSecurity.org, 2007). Recently, however, there have been some developments in the SCO and some issues have risen from these developments. Firstly, the inclusion of other states to the membership of the SCO has caught the attention of a lot of scholars and players in the international field, not so much as a reaction to its expansion but to the profile of the members that wish to be included.   Iran, as a very controversial country in terms of its relationship with the rest of the world vis-à  -vis the United States of America, has been subjected to a series of deliberation (Brummer, 2007). The question of whether it will be granted membership in the SCO is something that has interested the keen observers of international relations. The main concern was what would be implications of Iran’s inclusion to the six-member association and consequently, how would the United States of America react to this inclusion. Secondly, post 9/11, the evaluation of the policies and reaction of the Shanghai Coopera tion Organization towards perceived (or otherwise) terrorist threats in their region, is something that the United States of America has concerned itself with (Nichol, 2005). The next section of this paper will juxtapose these recent events with the literature in International Relations—focusing on pertinent theories in the discipline that can explain the milestones in the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and using a comparative approach in discussing them. While it is not true that international phenomenon may only be explained by either realism or idealism, it is interesting to juxtapose discussions of different international events using the two because of the contrasts in their basic assumptions and tenets. Before this paper further discusses the developments in the SCO, it would first help to have a quick overview of the premises of each of these two theories, as these will be the tools to help understand and hopefully explain what transpired in these milestones and why they were so. Realism, as espoused by scholars like E.H. Carr, asserts that states are the main actors in world politics and that their interests lie in the pursuit of power at the expense of others (Mearsheimer, 2005). In a way, it more or less follows the logic of a zero-sum game, whereby one player’s gain is another player’s loss. The implication of this in policymaking is that decision-makers will most likely base their decisions on power calculations, as opposed to that of Idealism which focuses on the moral dimension and on liberal ideas for decision-making considerations (Mearsheimer, 2005). One of the canons of idealism, and most often cited by other scholars, is that of Immanuel Kant’s Perpetual Peace, whereby he asserts how states should act towards each other to achieve peace and prevent war (Kant, 1975). Writers, like Herz, argue that idealists believe that it is an imperative to change the world and champion the realization of a world turning into a secure global community—that would entail states abiding by international law and observing respect and recognition of each other (Hacke and Puglierin, 2007). The inception of the SCO may be seen as an idealist characterization of what international cooperation can do, whereby states seek to cooperate with each other to achieve a common goal. As stated earlier, when the SCO was established, the initial intent was to push the disarmament of the states in the border areas and to strengthen confidence-building. These reasons are liberal in nature—disarmament is antithetical to the realist push that states should be wary of other states and should protect themselves at any cost, and confidence-building is founded on trust and cooperation among partner states. While its inception is liberal in intent, as the time progresses, the developments in the SCO soon lend to realist assumptions. When it expanded membership, the intention of the new member (and even those seeking membership in status quo) may be contended to have realist bearings. As stated above, when Uzbekistan sought membership, it was not for cooperation nor was it based on tru st on other states but, instead, it was to ensure its own safety by establishing ties with China and the other states in the SCO. But the annexation of Uzbekistan is not the only development that lends to realist assumptions. Lately, Iran sought membership to the SCO as well, although it was not granted, there stands a chance that it can happen (Brummer, 2007). From a geopolitical perspective, Iran’s inclusion would have been a political statement saying that between the West and Iran, China and Russia would have taken the side of Iran (Brummer, 2007). This scenario can lend to realist assumptions by focusing on the intention of Iran to gain allies, against a perceived threat and clearly this puts security above all other concerns. It can also lend to liberal assumptions by focusing on the fact that Iran has chosen to be part of a collective effort in dealing with adversaries, as opposed to a unilateral aggressive approach that will more probably lead to war and heightened co nflict. The intention of China on forwarding the SCO agenda can also be explained using realism. There have been writings that talk about China’s effort to gain influence in its regional area and the intention behind the formation of the SCO may well be subsumed under this. In fact, there have been assertions that China has had the intention of challenging the unipolar order by taking on the leadership position of a anti-hegemonic coalition against the United States of America (Foot, 2006). Foot further stresses that China may well be building up its military and economic capabilities to challenge the USA (Foot, 2006). Taken from this angle, this obviously lends to realist assumptions of China using a formation of an international institution to forward its own interest—that is, to secure itself and to gain power by challenging the strength of the leading international player. But it can also be explained in a realist point of view, by showing how this is China’s way to achieve a level of security for itself, but at the same time, it may also be a form of cooperating with the international community. Terrorism being a global problem has also been addressed by the SCO by having its members hold anti-terrorist exercises to promote common security and to gain economic benefits as well (Foot, 2006). Taken from this context, it is logical to say that the SCO has acted in favor of liberal ideas of forwarding collective cooperation. China being one of the torchbearers of the SCO has also coursed cooperation through economic ties with the United States (Langlois and Langlois, 1996). Fighting against terrorism by joining forces with other states lends to liberal ideas of aiming for peace and preventing war, even if it sounds moralistic, and forwarding causes for global security through collective action. But just as the previous discussions, the actions of China towards terrorism may also lend to realist assumptions. One particular example is in reference to the efforts of the United States of America in its fight against terrorism. Post-September 11, the members of the Shanghai Cooperati on Organization did not have a collective response to the proposal of the United States, but instead its members acted individually (Nichol, 2005). This proves the realist argument that states, despite the existence of international institutions, will still act selfishly and in favor of its own national interests. It is obvious that China did not want to lend a hand to this specific United States policy, although it was willing to cooperate with its members in dealing with terrorism in their regional area. China’s definition of its national interests, in this context, was to ensure that terrorism does not thrive in its region, and yet not give the United States the leverage to dictate or influence its policies toward security. This shows how there can be an interplay in the way realism and idealism explains a certain international phenomenon. The next question is, how does this make sense and does this not mean that one of the two theories may lose its ability to explain things if the other can explain it the same phenomenon with equal validity? In seeking to explain political phenomenon, one can use theories as tools to help account for such events. In doing so, scholars may fall to the trap of focusing too much on dichotomies the North and South, Realism and Liberalism. While mutual exclusivity increases the validity of a theory (or a school of thought, for that matter) to distinguish it from other existing theories, this does not necessarily mean that the truth of the other is the shadow of the doubt for the other. In fact, if theories are made to help us explain political phenomenon, then perhaps it pays to have a more comprehensive picture by using the lens of various theories to account for an event. Does realism and liberalism really have to be categorized as contrasts or is it possible that they can complement each other? Lucian Ashworth even asserts that the debate between these two schools of thought may have never existed, as the liberals’ (often called â€Å"idealists† by later realist writers call them) writings were not really addressed properly by realists (Ashworth, 2006). This is not to point out that liberalism has lost its capacity to explain, but what Ashworth is pointing out, is the fact that the line establishing this dichotomy is not absolute, and hence, may be blurred. There have been points raised by writers like Joseph Nye Jr.,that lend to the idea that perhaps the two can complement each other. He argues that in cases when mutual interests or a possibility in the future may suggest that there are plenty of benefits to be had for cooperating, states may actually adopt new strategies in their quest to forward their interests (Nye, 1988). This point may be used to explain why the members of the SCO chose to cooperate in their fight against terrorism in their own region, but chose not to cooperate as a group with the United States of America. This is so, because states and the associations they form can define their interests differently and their interests can also change (Nye, 1988). In this example, what happened was what the other theory cannot account for; the other can shed light to. Realism cannot fully explain how states define their interests and how these interests change, but liberalism can answer that by pushing forward the concept of co llective security, albeit this term needs more discussion as to how it can be operationalized (Nye, 1988). To be blunt about it, the true value of theories being able to explain political phenomenon rests not solely on the exclusivity of their explanations, but on the comprehensiveness of its account. Following Hacke and Puglierin’s   point, the realism in its absolute form can only offer a naked struggle for power, and hence any sound political thought must have elements of both utopia and reality (Hacke and Puglierin, 2007). To have a more comprehensive account of why members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization behaved in certain ways, in certain points in time, one must go beyond the dichotomy of what is considered realist and idealist. Instead, it pays to keep in mind that using relevant aspects of theories (as tools) can help paint a more comprehensive picture that will help account for the explanation of a political phenomenon. REFERENCES Ashworth, Lucian M. â€Å"Where are the idealists in interwar International Relations?† Review of International Studies Vol.32, No. 2 (2006): 291-308. Brummer, Matthew. â€Å"The Shanghai Cooperation Organization.† Journal of International Affairs 60 (2007): 185-199. Foot, Rosemary. â€Å"Chinese strategies in a US-hegemonic global order: accommodating and hedging.† International Affairs Vol.82,   No.1 (2006): 77-94. GlobalSecurity. â€Å"Shanghai Cooperation Organization.† Military. 2007. 15 Oct. 2007 http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/int/sco.htm . 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