U.S.–China Strategic and Economic Dialogue
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For other uses, see G2.
The United States–China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) (simplified Chinese: 中美战略与经济对话 pinyin: Zhōng Měi zhànluè yú jīngjì duìhuà) is a high-level dialogue for the United States and China to discuss a wide range of bilateral, regional and global security and economic issues between both countries. The establishment of the S&ED was announced on April 1, 2009 by President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao. The upgraded mechanism will replace the former Senior Dialogue and Strategic Economic Dialogue started under the George W. Bush administration. The format is such that high-level representatives of both countries will meet annually at capitals alternating between the two countries.[1][2]
The S&ED has both a "Strategic Track" and an "Economic Track". U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo will co-chair the "Strategic Track". U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner and Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan will co-chair the "Economic Track".
יום רביעי, 29 ביולי 2009
יום חמישי, 25 ביוני 2009
מצרים
Egypt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the country of Egypt. For a topical guide of this subject, see Outline of Egypt. For other uses, see Egypt (disambiguation).
Egypt (
Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The great majority of its estimated 76 million[1] live near the banks of the Nile River, in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi), where the only arable agricultural land is found. The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with the majority spread across the densely-populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.
Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and some of the world's most famous monuments, including the Giza pyramid complex and its Great Sphinx. The southern city of Luxor contains numerous ancient artifacts, such as the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings. Egypt is widely regarded as an important political and cultural nation of the Middle East. Having regained its sovereignty in 1922 from the United Kingdom, it was the first modern-day Arab country to achieve independence.
Egypt possesses one of the most developed economies in the Middle East, with sectors such as tourism, agriculture, industry and service at almost equal rates in national production. Consequently, the Egyptian economy is rapidly developing, due in part to legislation aimed at luring investments, coupled with both internal and political stability, along with recent trade and market liberalization.
Arab statesמדינות ערב
Arab states of the Persian Gulf
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Persian Gulf States)
File:Arabian Gulf Arab States.PNG
Arab states of the Persian Gulf
The labels "Arab states of the arabian Gulf" or "Persian Gulf states" or "Gulf Persian states" or "Persian Gulf states" or "Persian Gulf Arab states" , are usually reserved for the six Arab monarchical states joined since 1981 in the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, or Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the sultanate of Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Although Iraq is an Arab state with a shore on the Persian Gulf, it was never considered as a possible member of the GCC: indeed the organisation was set up in part to secure the specific interests of the six monarchical oil states, at the moment Iraq was embroiled in the Iran-Iraq war. Iraq's membership in GCC-related and other Gulf-related bodies was terminated after the invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Yemen similarly is not a member of the GCC, although it has been admitted to several GCC bodies. Both countries lack some of the properties held by the other six such states, such as government by hereditary monarchy. It is useful to view the other six Arab states of the Persian Gulf as a group because they share similar economies, a similar culture, and similar political characteristics - even if they also show internal diversity.
Persian Gulf - המפרץ הפרסי
Persian Gulf
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Jump to: navigation, search
Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf - Persian Gulf from space
Persian Gulf from space
Location Southwest Asia
Ocean type Gulf
Primary sources Sea of Oman
Basin countries Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Oman (exclave of Musandam)
Max length 989 km (615 mi)
Max width 56 km (35 mi) (min)
Surface area 251,000 km2 (97,000 sq mi)
Average depth 50 m (160 ft)
Max depth 90 m (300 ft)
The Persian Gulf, in the Southwest Asian region, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.[1] Historically and commonly known as the Persian Gulf, this body of water is sometimes controversially referred to as the Arabian Gulf by certain Arab countries or simply The Gulf, although neither of the latter two terms is recognized internationally.
The Persian Gulf was a focus of the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers. In 1991, the Persian Gulf again was the background for what was called the "Persian Gulf War" or the "Gulf War" when Iraq invaded Kuwait and was subsequently pushed back, despite the fact that this conflict was primarily a land conflict.
The Persian Gulf has many good fishing grounds, extensive coral reefs, and abundant pearl oysters, but its ecology has come under pressure from industrialization, and in particular, petroleum spillages during the recent wars in the region.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf - Persian Gulf from space
Persian Gulf from space
Location Southwest Asia
Ocean type Gulf
Primary sources Sea of Oman
Basin countries Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Oman (exclave of Musandam)
Max length 989 km (615 mi)
Max width 56 km (35 mi) (min)
Surface area 251,000 km2 (97,000 sq mi)
Average depth 50 m (160 ft)
Max depth 90 m (300 ft)
The Persian Gulf, in the Southwest Asian region, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.[1] Historically and commonly known as the Persian Gulf, this body of water is sometimes controversially referred to as the Arabian Gulf by certain Arab countries or simply The Gulf, although neither of the latter two terms is recognized internationally.
The Persian Gulf was a focus of the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers. In 1991, the Persian Gulf again was the background for what was called the "Persian Gulf War" or the "Gulf War" when Iraq invaded Kuwait and was subsequently pushed back, despite the fact that this conflict was primarily a land conflict.
The Persian Gulf has many good fishing grounds, extensive coral reefs, and abundant pearl oysters, but its ecology has come under pressure from industrialization, and in particular, petroleum spillages during the recent wars in the region.
יום שני, 15 ביוני 2009
Society
Society
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Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Society (disambiguation).
Young people interacting within an ethnically diverse society.
Society portal
Wikipedia:Books has a book on: Society
A society is a body of humans generally seen as a community. or group of humans or other organisms of a single species that is delineated by the bounds of cultural identity, social solidarity, functional interdependence, or eusociality. Human societies are characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive culture or institutions. Like other groups, a society allows its individual members to achieve individual needs or wishes that they could not fulfill separately by themselves, without the existence of the social group. Society, however, may be unique in that it is ontologically independent of, and utterly irreducible to, the qualities of its constituent individuals. As a reality sui generis, or "of its own kind", it is emergently composed of social facts that often hinder rather than help the pursuits of the subjects that form its physical and psychological underpinnings.
More broadly, a society is an economic, social or industrial infrastructure, made up of a varied multitude of individuals. Members of a society may be from different ethnic groups. A society may be a particular ethnic group, such as the Saxons; a nation state, such as Bhutan; a broader cultural group, such as a Western society; or even a social organism such as an ant colony.
The word society may also refer to an organized voluntary association of people for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes. Sociology is the study of society and social behavior.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Society (disambiguation).
Young people interacting within an ethnically diverse society.
Society portal
Wikipedia:Books has a book on: Society
A society is a body of humans generally seen as a community. or group of humans or other organisms of a single species that is delineated by the bounds of cultural identity, social solidarity, functional interdependence, or eusociality. Human societies are characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive culture or institutions. Like other groups, a society allows its individual members to achieve individual needs or wishes that they could not fulfill separately by themselves, without the existence of the social group. Society, however, may be unique in that it is ontologically independent of, and utterly irreducible to, the qualities of its constituent individuals. As a reality sui generis, or "of its own kind", it is emergently composed of social facts that often hinder rather than help the pursuits of the subjects that form its physical and psychological underpinnings.
More broadly, a society is an economic, social or industrial infrastructure, made up of a varied multitude of individuals. Members of a society may be from different ethnic groups. A society may be a particular ethnic group, such as the Saxons; a nation state, such as Bhutan; a broader cultural group, such as a Western society; or even a social organism such as an ant colony.
The word society may also refer to an organized voluntary association of people for religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes. Sociology is the study of society and social behavior.
Technology
Technology
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Jump to: navigation, search
"Advanced technology" redirects here. For the Advanced Technology form factor, see AT (form factor).
By the mid 20th century, humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the atmosphere of the Earth for the first time and explore space.
Technology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species' ability to control and adapt to its environment. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek "technologia", "τεχνολογία" — "techne", "τέχνη" ("craft") and "logia", "λογία" ("saying"). [1] However, a strict definition is elusive; "technology" can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines, hardware or utensils, but can also encompass broader themes, including systems, methods of organization, and techniques. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include "construction technology", "medical technology", or "state-of-the-art technology".
The human species' use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons.
Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of the Earth and its environment. Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society and new technology often raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.
Philosophical debates have arisen over the present and future use of technology in society, with disagreements over whether technology improves the human condition or worsens it. Neo-Luddism, anarcho-primitivism, and similar movements criticise the pervasiveness of technology in the modern world, claiming that it harms the environment and alienates people; proponents of ideologies such as transhumanism and techno-progressivism view continued technological progress as beneficial to society and the human condition. Indeed, until recently, it was believed that the development of technology was restricted only to human beings, but recent scientific studies indicate that other primates and certain dolphin communities have developed simple tools and learned to pass their knowledge to other generations.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"Advanced technology" redirects here. For the Advanced Technology form factor, see AT (form factor).
By the mid 20th century, humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the atmosphere of the Earth for the first time and explore space.
Technology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species' ability to control and adapt to its environment. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek "technologia", "τεχνολογία" — "techne", "τέχνη" ("craft") and "logia", "λογία" ("saying"). [1] However, a strict definition is elusive; "technology" can refer to material objects of use to humanity, such as machines, hardware or utensils, but can also encompass broader themes, including systems, methods of organization, and techniques. The term can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include "construction technology", "medical technology", or "state-of-the-art technology".
The human species' use of technology began with the conversion of natural resources into simple tools. The prehistorical discovery of the ability to control fire increased the available sources of food and the invention of the wheel helped humans in travelling in and controlling their environment. Recent technological developments, including the printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons.
Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted by-products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the detriment of the Earth and its environment. Various implementations of technology influence the values of a society and new technology often raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.
Philosophical debates have arisen over the present and future use of technology in society, with disagreements over whether technology improves the human condition or worsens it. Neo-Luddism, anarcho-primitivism, and similar movements criticise the pervasiveness of technology in the modern world, claiming that it harms the environment and alienates people; proponents of ideologies such as transhumanism and techno-progressivism view continued technological progress as beneficial to society and the human condition. Indeed, until recently, it was believed that the development of technology was restricted only to human beings, but recent scientific studies indicate that other primates and certain dolphin communities have developed simple tools and learned to pass their knowledge to other generations.
Iraq
Iraq
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Jump to: navigation, search
This article needs additional citations for verification.Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2007)
An editor has expressed a concern that this article lends undue weight to certain ideas relative to the article as a whole. Please help to discuss and resolve the dispute before removing this message. (April 2009)
For a topic outline on this subject, see List of basic Iraq topics. For other uses, see Iraq (disambiguation).
Republic of Iraq
جمهورية العراقJumhūriyat Al-ʿIrāq (Arabic)كۆماری عێراقKomara Iraqê[1] (Kurdish)
Flag
Coat of arms
Motto: الله أكبر (Arabic)"Allahu Akbar" (transliteration)"God is [the] Greatest"
Anthem: Mawtini (new)Ardh Alforatain (previous)1
Capital(and largest city)
Baghdad233°20′N 44°26′E / 33.333°N 44.433°E / 33.333; 44.433
Official languages
Arabic, Kurdish3
Demonym
Iraqi
Government
Developing parliamentary republic
-
President
Jalal Talabani
-
Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki
Independence
-
from the Ottoman Empire
October 1, 1919
-
from the United Kingdom
October 3, 1932
Area
-
Total
438,317 km2 (58th)169,234 sq mi
-
Water (%)
1.1
Population
-
2009 estimate
31,234,000[2] (39th)
-
Density
62/km2 (125th)171/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2009 estimate
-
Total
$114.151 billion[2]
-
Per capita
$3,655[2]
GDP (nominal)
2009 estimate
-
Total
$68.553 billion[2]
-
Per capita
$2,194[2]
Currency
Iraqi dinar (IQD)
Time zone
(UTC+3)
Drives on the
right
Internet TLD
.iq
Calling code
964
1
The Kurds use Ey Reqîb as the anthem.
2
The capital of Iraqi Kurdistan is Arbil.
3
Arabic and Kurdish are the official languages of the Iraqi government. According to Article 4, Section 4 of the Iraqi Constitution, Assyrian (Syriac) (a dialect of Aramaic) and Iraqi Turkmen (a dialect of Turkish) languages are official in areas where the respective populations they constitute density of population.
4
CIA World Factbook
Iraq (pronounced /ɪˈræk/ or /iˈrɑːk/; Arabic: العراق Al-ʾIrāq), officially the Republic of Iraq (Arabic: جمهورية العراق (help·info) Jumhūrīyat Al-ʾIrāq, Kurdish: كۆماری عێراق, Komara Iraqê[1]), is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.[3] Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south. Iraq has a narrow section of coastline measuring 58 km (35 miles) between Umm Qasr and Al Faw on the Persian Gulf. The capital city, Baghdad (Arabic: بغداد Baġdād), is in the center-east of the country. Two major flowing rivers: the Tigris and Euphrates run through the centre of Iraq from north to south. These provide Iraq with agriculturally capable land and contrast with the steppe and desert landscape that covers most of Western Asia.
Historically, Iraq was known in Europe by the Greek exonym 'Mesopotamia' (Land between the rivers), after the foundation of the Kingdom of Iraq in 1932, it became known by its ancient endonym 'Iraq'. Iraq has been home to continuous successive civilizations since the 6th millennium BC. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is identified as the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of writing and the wheel. Throughout its long history, Iraq has been the center of the Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Abbasid empires, and part of the Achaemenid, Macedonian, Parthian, Sassanid, Roman, Rashidun, Umayyad, Mongol, Ottoman and British empires.[4][5]
Beginning with the invasion in 2003, a multinational coalition of forces, mainly American and British, occupied Iraq. Under the Laws of War and UNSCR 1483, the occupying Coalition Provisional Authority completed the transfer of sovereignty on June 28, 2004 to the Iraqi Interim Government in accordance with UNSCR 1546, formally ending the "occupation." Elections on January 30, 2005 created the Iraqi Transitional Government, which drafted the Constitution of Iraq, approved by referendum on October 25, 2005. Under this new Constitution, elections chose a new Iraqi National Assembly to form the Government of Iraq. Some dispute whether Iraq is de facto sovereign (see Iraqi sovereignty, United States-Iraq relations).
The invasion has had wide-reaching consequences: increased civil violence, establishment of a parliamentary democracy, the removal and execution of former authoritarian President Saddam Hussein, official recognition and widespread political participation of Iraq's Kurdish minority and Shi'ite Arab majority, persecution of Christian and Mandaean minorities, significant economic growth, destruction of existing infrastructure, and use of the country's huge reserves of oil. In 2008 the Failed States Index, produced by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace, Iraq was the world's fifth most unstable country,[6] after Sudan,[7] and in 2007 the United States referred to it in court proceedings as "an active theater of combat."[8] Iraq is developing a parliamentary democracy composed of 18 governorates (known as muhafadhat).
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article needs additional citations for verification.Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2007)
An editor has expressed a concern that this article lends undue weight to certain ideas relative to the article as a whole. Please help to discuss and resolve the dispute before removing this message. (April 2009)
For a topic outline on this subject, see List of basic Iraq topics. For other uses, see Iraq (disambiguation).
Republic of Iraq
جمهورية العراقJumhūriyat Al-ʿIrāq (Arabic)كۆماری عێراقKomara Iraqê[1] (Kurdish)
_of_Iraq_2008.svg){kind=link}
Flag
Coat of arms
Motto: الله أكبر (Arabic)"Allahu Akbar" (transliteration)"God is [the] Greatest"
Anthem: Mawtini (new)Ardh Alforatain (previous)1
Capital(and largest city)
Baghdad233°20′N 44°26′E / 33.333°N 44.433°E / 33.333; 44.433
Official languages
Arabic, Kurdish3
Demonym
Iraqi
Government
Developing parliamentary republic
-
President
Jalal Talabani
-
Prime Minister
Nouri al-Maliki
Independence
-
from the Ottoman Empire
October 1, 1919
-
from the United Kingdom
October 3, 1932
Area
-
Total
438,317 km2 (58th)169,234 sq mi
-
Water (%)
1.1
Population
-
2009 estimate
31,234,000[2] (39th)
-
Density
62/km2 (125th)171/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2009 estimate
-
Total
$114.151 billion[2]
-
Per capita
$3,655[2]
GDP (nominal)
2009 estimate
-
Total
$68.553 billion[2]
-
Per capita
$2,194[2]
Currency
Iraqi dinar (IQD)
Time zone
(UTC+3)
Drives on the
right
Internet TLD
.iq
Calling code
964
1
The Kurds use Ey Reqîb as the anthem.
2
The capital of Iraqi Kurdistan is Arbil.
3
Arabic and Kurdish are the official languages of the Iraqi government. According to Article 4, Section 4 of the Iraqi Constitution, Assyrian (Syriac) (a dialect of Aramaic) and Iraqi Turkmen (a dialect of Turkish) languages are official in areas where the respective populations they constitute density of population.
4
CIA World Factbook
Iraq (pronounced /ɪˈræk/ or /iˈrɑːk/; Arabic: العراق Al-ʾIrāq), officially the Republic of Iraq (Arabic: جمهورية العراق (help·info) Jumhūrīyat Al-ʾIrāq, Kurdish: كۆماری عێراق, Komara Iraqê[1]), is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.[3] Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria to the northwest, Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to the south. Iraq has a narrow section of coastline measuring 58 km (35 miles) between Umm Qasr and Al Faw on the Persian Gulf. The capital city, Baghdad (Arabic: بغداد Baġdād), is in the center-east of the country. Two major flowing rivers: the Tigris and Euphrates run through the centre of Iraq from north to south. These provide Iraq with agriculturally capable land and contrast with the steppe and desert landscape that covers most of Western Asia.
Historically, Iraq was known in Europe by the Greek exonym 'Mesopotamia' (Land between the rivers), after the foundation of the Kingdom of Iraq in 1932, it became known by its ancient endonym 'Iraq'. Iraq has been home to continuous successive civilizations since the 6th millennium BC. The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is identified as the cradle of civilization and the birthplace of writing and the wheel. Throughout its long history, Iraq has been the center of the Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Abbasid empires, and part of the Achaemenid, Macedonian, Parthian, Sassanid, Roman, Rashidun, Umayyad, Mongol, Ottoman and British empires.[4][5]
Beginning with the invasion in 2003, a multinational coalition of forces, mainly American and British, occupied Iraq. Under the Laws of War and UNSCR 1483, the occupying Coalition Provisional Authority completed the transfer of sovereignty on June 28, 2004 to the Iraqi Interim Government in accordance with UNSCR 1546, formally ending the "occupation." Elections on January 30, 2005 created the Iraqi Transitional Government, which drafted the Constitution of Iraq, approved by referendum on October 25, 2005. Under this new Constitution, elections chose a new Iraqi National Assembly to form the Government of Iraq. Some dispute whether Iraq is de facto sovereign (see Iraqi sovereignty, United States-Iraq relations).
The invasion has had wide-reaching consequences: increased civil violence, establishment of a parliamentary democracy, the removal and execution of former authoritarian President Saddam Hussein, official recognition and widespread political participation of Iraq's Kurdish minority and Shi'ite Arab majority, persecution of Christian and Mandaean minorities, significant economic growth, destruction of existing infrastructure, and use of the country's huge reserves of oil. In 2008 the Failed States Index, produced by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Foreign Policy magazine and the Fund for Peace, Iraq was the world's fifth most unstable country,[6] after Sudan,[7] and in 2007 the United States referred to it in court proceedings as "an active theater of combat."[8] Iraq is developing a parliamentary democracy composed of 18 governorates (known as muhafadhat).
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