Showing results by author "Ryan Webb" in All Categories

In 1914, Sir Edward Grey, the British Foreign Secretary, explained to his Parliament the danger posed by German aggression. In The British Rational for Entering World War I, he said moral and security interests necessitated British involvement. Morally, Britain needed to defend Belgium and uphold independence for the Low Countries. As for security, a stronger Germany in control of Western Europe threatened British dominance. Grey pointed out that Britain would suffer whether or not she entered the war. Financing the war and British casualties would hurt her if she entered the war and, if ...

While globalization is not a perfect economic system, it has been overwhelmingly beneficial to the world. According to Thomas Friedman, the “Golden Straightjacket” of market capitalism benefits you the more you tighten it (Lexus and Olive Tree). The system promotes competition and rewards those who work the hardest with a better standard of living. Still, Noreena Hertz, in The Silent Takeover, focused on the negatives of the system, arguing that it drowns democracy and leaves too many people in the hole of poverty. In addition, author Paul Blustein focused on the complexity of the ...

In "The Art of the Long View," published in 1991, Peter Schwartz presented scenario-building as a useful planning tool. First, he argued that “driving forces” move the plot of a scenario. These forces often involve developments in society, technology, economics, and politics. Next, Schwartz identified “predetermined elements,” or events that seem certain to occur. Examples include population change, resource constraints, and inevitable collisions. Third, Schwartz explored “critical uncertainties,” which are important unknown events. After identifying these three factors, ...

Using Peter Schwartz’s scenario-building model, several outcomes of the COVID-19 crisis can be considered. These future scenarios are not meant to predict events, but to guide one’s understanding of the operational environment, which can inform planning. Furthermore, by identifying three scenarios, one should not conclude that there are only three possible scenarios. Rather, there are a myriad of potential outcomes, which could include some, or even none, of the elements identified.

This paper explores President Truman’s decision to intervene in the Korean War and then cross the 38th parallel and invade North Korea. An analysis of Truman’s foreign policy reveals that intervention in the Korean War was part of a new global offensive against the spread of communism. Domestically, Truman believed that a Korean offensive across the 38th parallel would quiet his critics and allow him to mobilize the economy for a long-term Cold War. Militarily, Truman’s advisors overwhelmingly supported the invasion of North Korea. They concluded that Korea could be unified after ...

Purpose: In "Errand into the Wilderness," one of Perry Miller’s goals was to explain the establishment and development of the Puritan Massachusetts Bay Colony using the two meanings of the word errand, in order to gather insight into the genesis of the American experience. Key Questions: Miller first asked whether the Puritans were sent on a mission, like an errand boy, or whether they were acting alone, doing their own errand. He then asked whether the Puritans fell short of their goal by 1660, and, if so, in what sense had they failed. Finally, he examined whether there was a further ...

In the Greco-Roman world, the Stoics practiced a school of philosophy which held that a wise man should be free from passion and submissive to natural law. In Encheiridion, Epictetus articulated this view and offered advice on life. His ideas can be categorized into the areas of practical advice, inhuman advice, and thoughts that emulate Christian morality.

Both the history of the American West and the history of the world contain numerous examples of opposing forces engaged in conflict over religious, economic, or social issues. For example, in the American West, tragedies include the conflict between small farmers and social bandits against wealthy elites, the Indian Wars, and the industrial conflict between wageworkers and big business. In world history, the American Civil War, the serfdom of tsarist Russia, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict all represent tragedies. In the American West, small farmers and social bandits challenged an ...

In the final decades of the 19th century, America experienced rapid industrial growth, corporate mergers, an influx of immigrants and a rise in urban population and development. These modern changes resulted in crowded tenements, low wages, long working hours, child labor, and bad factory conditions. In response, the American people called for an end to corruption in government and supported legislation aimed at reducing these new evils of society. Indeed, during the Progressive Era the United States experienced one of its highest rates of reform. Government became more democratic and laws ...

In Plato’s, The Ring of Gyges, Glaucon believed that man created justice by coming to an agreement not to inflict injury or suffer it. Glaucon also pointed out that man struggled to act justly since his natural tendency was to be unjust. This hypothesis is demonstrated in the story of the ancestor of the Lydian Gyges. In this story, a man found a ring that could make him invisible. Leaving his life as a quiet shepherd, he decided to engage in an affair with the king’s wife, killed the king, and then took over the kingdom. Would other men act similarly? Glaucon believed the only way to ...

Purpose: To outline a course of action that will prevent refusal of the anthrax vaccine by military personnel up and down the chain of command. Since each member of the United States military is valuable, even small resistance to the vaccine ought to be avoided. Furthermore, any resistance has the potential to spread and cause a more widespread problem. Lastly, refusal of the vaccine is detrimental to unit cohesiveness and morale. With the proper approach, junior officers and the chain of command can suppress this problem at multiple levels before it becomes an issue.

On 17 December 1903, Wilbur Wright watched his brother, Orville, fly a biplane a distance of one hundred and twenty feet over the dunes of North Carolina. While obtaining an altitude of only twenty feet, their flying machine, powered by a twelve horsepower engine, accomplished a remarkable feat. In just twelve seconds, their “Flyer” broke the barrier of powered human flight. In less than twenty years, major world powers integrated the new technology into their militaries. In Great Britain, Hugh Trenchard predicted the airplane would transform warfare. From 1914 to 1945, Trenchard ...

Despite their alliance against the Persian invasion in 480 B.C., the Greek city-states of Athens and Sparta created separate spheres of influence. Following periods of intermittent conflict, in 431 B.C. they began a destructive war against each other that lasted twenty-seven years. To help explain this struggle, Thucydides, an Athenian military general and historian, looked for cause and effect relationships. He concluded that human emotions and interests, a nation’s pursuit of power, and influential leaders proved instrumental. These elements, which are all part of the theory of realism,...

This study researched the occurrence of post-traumatic anniversary reactions in Gulf War veterans. The article defines an anniversary reaction as “a specifically timed, emotionally invested episode during which an individual experiences significant psychiatric or medical symptoms.” In other words, an anniversary reaction occurs when a veteran develops abnormal physical or mental symptoms on the anniversary of a previous traumatic experience. The goal of the study was to more fully explain these reactions so that the veterans who experienced them, and the clinicians who develop treatment...

Jesus Christ is the source of true Joy. We discuss how His joy can be found in everything we do, everything we experience. Come experience Jesus Christ and His Joy.

Join Simon Webb and Scott Ryan as they round up everything going on in the world of Ultimate Pool.

Raised by Sisters is a comedy podcast hosted by two longtime friends who analyze, discuss, and oversimplify some of the world's most basic concepts.

Husbands Ryan and Chance are watching Grey’s Anatomy... Again! Join them as they watch every episode starting from the beginning and immediately find a way to make it competitive. New episodes release weekly on Friday. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ryan-webb07/support

Globalization is bringing international populations into ever-greater contact. Media and the Internet is reaching across nations and continents like never before. While many cultures welcome diffusion and are interested in different ideas and values, this is not always the case. People are wary of those unlike themselves and some cultures feel threatened by the West, the major force behind market capitalism. Specifically, many in the Muslim world feel their religion and customs are incompatible with western culture. This conflict is not unique to the modern era, but is a resurgence of an ...

The Cynefin framework provides a method to analyze systems and can help prevent the application of the same decision-making process to different situations. According to the framework, disorder is the condition where one is unaware of a system’s domain. The domains, or quadrants, are identified as chaotic, complex, complicated, and obvious. As one comes to identify the dominant system, the framework offers a mental tool to guide decision-making. It also helps illuminate the impact if the system bridges the gap between one of the other domains. For example, obvious or complex systems could...