Thursday, October 10, 2019
What Are in Your View the Main Principles Governing International Trade Policy
Course: International Political Economy [GT27M/ GOVT 2049] ID Number: 620033630 Name: Matthew Thomas Lecturer: Sheldon Barnes Date of Submission: 7/9/2012 Question I: What are in your view the main principles governing international trade policy in the context of the WTO and which would be the main provisions in which you find these principles reflected in the WTO agreements? Please elaborateFormed in 1995 to replace its predecessor the General Agreement on Tariffs and Tradeà (GATT), under the Treaty of Marrakech, The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only international organization that deals and treats with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible. The goal of the WTO is to aid and facilitate producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business.At its core are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by a majority of the worldââ¬â¢s trading nations and approved within their respective parliaments. These principles aid in the efficient government of international trade policy ensuring that all signatories adhere to the contract they are bind to, by this governments are now required to create national trade policies transparent by notifying the WTO about present laws in actions and measures implemented, and through regular reports by the secretariat on countriesââ¬â¢ trade policies.The WTO agreements cover goods, services and intellectual property. They explain the principles of liberalisation, as well as the allowed exceptions. They include individual countriesââ¬â¢ commitments to lower customs tariffs and other trade barriers, and to open and maintain open services markets. The agreements set procedures for settling disputes; prescribe special treatment for developing countries.The agreements of the WTO are detailed and intricate as they are legal texts that facilitate a wide range of activities such as: agriculture, cl othing and textiles, banking and finance, telecommunications, government purchases, industrial standards and product safety, food sanitation regulations, intellectual property, among others. A number of simple, fundamental principles run throughout all of these documents. These principles exist as the foundation of the international multilateral trading system.Given that the core of the WTO, especially leading out of the Doha Round of Trade Negotiations [2001- present], is to focus and adjust the concerns that are faced by developing nations; the main principles within the context of the WTO that validate international trade policy are: i) Trade without discrimination ii) Freer Trade iii) Promotion of fair competition v) Development and economic reform. These principles of international trade within the legislation of the WTO can be reflected in trade agreements drafted by the organisation.The principle of ââ¬Å"Trade without discriminationâ⬠has two key underlying principles: Most Favoured Nation [MFN] and National Treatment [NT]. The MFN, in essence is simply treating other people equally. As legislated by WTO agreements, countries are prohibited from discrimination between their trading partners. Wherein one country is restricted from granting a particular country a special favour e. g. such as a lower customs duty rate for one of their products and this favour is not extended to all the other members of the WTO. This principle is known as Most Favoured Nation (MFN) treatment.The first article of theà General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) [1947], which is the governing legislation for the trade in goods, this article speaks to prohibition of member nations to discriminate between ââ¬Å"likeâ⬠products originating from other member nations. In Article I of the GATT it states ââ¬Å"any advantage, favour, privilege or immunity granted by any contracting party to any product originating in or destined for any other country shall be accord ed immediately and unconditionally to the like product originating in or destined for the territories of all other contracting parties. MFN is also a focus inà Article II of General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), where it states ââ¬Å"each Member shall accord immediately and unconditionally to services and service suppliers of any other Member treatment no less favourable than that it accords to like services and service suppliers of any other country. â⬠Likewise Article IV on theà Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)à which states ââ¬Å"With regard to the protection of intellectual property, any advantage, favour, privilege or mmunity granted by a Member to the nationals of any other country shall be accorded immediately and unconditionally to the nationals of all other Members. â⬠The agreements in essence cover all three main areas of trade handled by the WTO and gives guidelines as how to WTO member nations execut e their trade policies. Though the essence of the MFN treatment is to permit some sense of equality among WTO signatories exceptions are permitted. For example, countries can set up a free trade agreement that applies only to goods traded within the group ââ¬â à discriminating against goods from outside.Or they can give developing countries special access to their markets. Or a country can raise barriers against products that are considered to be traded unfairly from specific countries. And in services, countries are allowed, in limited circumstances, to discriminate. Though these exceptions exist, they are permitted under highly strict conditions. In essence, the MFN policy acts a facilitator to ensure that every time a country lowers a trade barrier or opens up a market, it has to do so for the same goods or services from all its trading partners ââ¬â regardless of their economic development.National Treatment eliminates discrimination between the products of national a nd foreign services or nationals, in this sense the protocol for national products are expected to be reciprocated to that of foreign entities. Once foreign goods enter a local market, the expectation exists that they should be treated equally as the locally-produced goods. This expectation extends pass produce; it should apply to foreign and domestic services, and also foreign and local trademarks, copyrights and patents.Given that NT covers various areas of trade it is highlighted in three main WTO agreements. In Article III of the GATT it is stated that ââ¬Å"The products of the territory of any contracting party imported into the territory of any other contracting party shall be accorded treatment no less favourable than that accorded to like products of national origin in respect of all laws, regulations and requirements affecting their internal sale, offering for sale, purchase, transportation, distribution or use. Article XVII ofà GATSà states that ââ¬Å"â⬠¦each Mem ber shall accord to services and service suppliers of any other Member, in respect of all measures affecting the supply of services, treatment no less favourable than that it accords to its own like services and service suppliers. â⬠Article III ofà TRIPS, speaks to the issue of Intellectual Property [IP] by stating that ââ¬Å"Each Member shall ccord to the nationals of other Members treatment no less favourable than that it accords to its own nationals with regard to the protectionà (3)à of intellectual propertyâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ The three treaties highlights the areas of trade the WTO governs, from that of goods exchange, services exchange and the importance of ensuring the proper utilisation of Intellectual Property rights such as copyrighting and patenting. According to the WTO ââ¬Å"National treatment only applies once a product, service or item of intellectual property has entered the market.Therefore, charging customs duty on an import is not a violation of national treatment even if locally-produced products are not charged an equivalent tax. â⬠In conclusion, the ââ¬Å"Trade without Discriminationâ⬠principle with its two underlying principles of Most Favoured Nation [MFN] and National Treatment [NT] policies The National Treatment principle constitute the two pillars of the non-discrimination principle that is widely seen as the foundation of the GATT/WTO multilateral trading regime. The concept of ââ¬Å"Freer Tradeâ⬠assists in the decrease of trade barriers which acts as an excellent facilitator for encouraging trade.Such barriers include: customs duties (or tariffs) and measures such as import bans or quotas that restrict quantities selectively; it can also span to include the decrease of other administrative barriers such as red tape- including policies of exchange rate. The WTOââ¬â¢s global system lowers trade barriers by means of negotiation and applies the principle of non-discrimination [MFN and NT]. This brings a bout a result of a reduction in the costs of production, as imports used in production are far cheaper; a reduction in the prices of finished goods and services, which in essence can contribute to a lower cost of living.Since the GATTââ¬â¢s creation in 1947, there have beenà eight rounds of trade negotiations. The ninth round, under the Doha Development Agenda, is still in negotiations for the past eleven years. The initial focus was geared towards lowering tariffs on imported goods; however the 1980s, the negotiations had expanded to cover non-tariff barriers on goods, with the inclusion of areas such as services and intellectual property. As a result of the negotiations, the tariffs on industrial goods declined to less than 4%, during the mid-1990s. Opening markets can be beneficial, but it also requires adjustment.The WTO agreements allow countries to introduce changes gradually, through ââ¬Å"progressive liberalizationâ⬠. Article XIX of the GATS states ââ¬Å"â⬠¦w ith a view to achieving a progressively higher level of liberalization. Such negotiations shall be directed to the reduction or elimination of the adverse effects on trade in services of measures as a means of providing effective market access. This process shall take place with a view to promoting the interests of all participants on a mutually advantageous basis and to securing an overall balance of rights and obligations.The process of liberalization shall take place with due respect for national policy objectives and the level of development of individual Members, both overall and in individual sectors. There shall be appropriate flexibility for individual developing country Members for opening fewer sectors, liberalizing fewer types of transactions, progressively extending market access in line with their development situation and, when making access to their markets available to foreign service suppliers, attaching to such access conditions aimed at achieving the objectives re ferred to in Articleà IV. The article clearly addresses developing countries which are usually given longer to fulfil their obligations. The principle of ââ¬Å"Promoting fair competitionâ⬠à portrays The WTO as an instrument of not just extending mechanisms of free trade but is also a system of rules dedicated to open, fair and undistorted competition. By this, the system of the WTO permits tariffs and, in limited circumstances, other forms of protection. More accurately, it is based on the rules on non-discrimination [MFN and NT] which are designed to secure fair conditions of trade.So too are those on dumping (exporting at below cost to gain market share) and subsidies. The issues are complex, and the rules try to establish what is fair or unfair, and how governments can respond, in particular by charging additional import duties calculated to compensate for damage caused by unfair trade. By removing some market barriers The WTO has promoted competition in the global trad ing market extending it beyond the borders of WTO membership; the trading principles set by the WTO are meant to allow fair and undisturbed market competition.The WTO extends and clarifies previous GATT rules that laid down the basis on which governments could impose compensating duties on two forms of ââ¬Å"unfairâ⬠competition: dumping and subsidies. WTO agreements are geared towards the support and maintenance of fair competition in the sectors of: agriculture, intellectual property, services. The WTO Agreement on agriculture is designed to provide increased fairness n farm trade, the agreement on intellectual property will improve conditions of competition where ideas and inventions are involved, and another will do the same thing for trade in services. The construct of the WTO contributes to development and as it encourages development and economic reform geared towards to the developmental process of developing nations. Given that notion, developing countries require an urgent sense of flexibility to effectively implement the agreements drafted by the organisation.The current agreements inherit the earlier provisions of GATT that allow for special assistance and trade concessions for developing countries. The WTO cannot claim to make all countries equal however it aids in the reduction of some inequalities; by doing this it gives smaller countries more voice, and at the same time freeing the major powers from the complexity of having to negotiate trade agreements with each of their numerous trading partners.A majority of over three quarters of the WTO membership comprise of developing countries and countries in transition to market economies. The 1986-1994 Uruguay Round saw over 60 of these countries implementing trade liberalisation programmes unconventionally. At the same time, developing countries and transition economies were much more active and influential in the Uruguay Round negotiations than in any previous round, this activeness has also transpired to the current Doha Development Agenda.Developing countries were prepared to take on most of the obligations that are required of developed countries by the end of the Uruguay Round. The agreements did grant developing nations transition periods to adjust themselves to the more stringent and arduous provisions of the WTO. The GATT has a special section on Trade and Development which speaks to provisions on the concept of non-reciprocity in trade negotiations between developed and developing countries. Both GATT and the GATS allow developing countries some measure of preferential treatment.Aà ministerial decision à adopted at the end of the Uruguay Round says more developed countries should accelerate the implementation of market access commitments on goods exported by the least-developed countries, while increasing technical assistance for them. More recently, developed countries have started to allow duty-free and quota-free imports for almost all products from least -developed countries. The current Doha Development Agenda includes developing countriesââ¬â¢ concerns about the difficulties they face in implementing the Uruguay Round agreements. ââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬âââ¬â 1 ]. The Marrakech Agreement developed out of theà General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which it includes; but it supplemented it with several other agreements, on such issues asà trade in services,à sanitary and phytosanitary (plant health) measures,à trade-related aspects of intellectual propertyà andà technical barriersà to trade. It also established a new, more efficient and legally binding means of dispute resolution. [ 2 ]. The Secretariat has a particular responsibility to provide technical support to developing countries, and especially the least-developed countries. 3 ]. As a result of theà Uruguay Roundà negotiations the treaty was created to extend the multilateral trading system toà service sector. [ 4 ]. (NAFTA)North American Free Trade Agreement is an example of one of the most successful trade agreements in history; it has contributed to significant increases in agricultural trade and investment between the United States, Canada and Mexico and has benefited farmers, ranchers and consumers throughout North America. The Mexican-Canadian agreement eliminated most tariffs either immediately or over 5, 10, or 15 years. 5 ]. Page 248 the proliferation of rules and regulations prescribing the conduct of decision making in bureaucratic affairs (Politics Economic Welfare) [ 6 ]. The removal or reduction of restrictions or barriers on the free exchange of goods between nations. This includes the removal or reduction of both tariff (duties and surcharges) and non-tariff obstacles (like licensing rules, quotas and other requirements). The easing or eradication of these restrictions is often referred to as promoting ââ¬Å"free trade. à ¢â¬ [ 7 ].GATT (Article VI) allows countries to take action against dumping. The Anti-Dumping Agreement clarifies and expands Article VI, and the two operate together. They allow countries to act in a way that would normally break the GATT principles ofà bindingà a tariff andà not discriminatingà between trading partners ââ¬â typically anti-dumping action means charging extra import duty on the particular product from the particular exporting country in order to bring its price closer to the ââ¬Å"normal valueâ⬠or to remove the injury to domestic industry in the importing country. 8 ]. The WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures disciplines the use of subsidies, and it regulates the actions countries can take to counter the effects of subsidies. Under the agreement, a country can use the WTOââ¬â¢s dispute-settlement procedure to seek the withdrawal of the subsidy or the removal of its adverse effects. Or the country can launch its own investig ation and ultimately charge extra duty (ââ¬Å"countervailing dutyâ⬠) on subsidized imports that are found to be hurting domestic producers. 9 ]. This is a procedure when developed countries grant trade concessions to developing countries they should not expect the developing countries to make matching offers in return. [ 10 ]. The URUGUAY ROUND AGREEMENT: ââ¬Å"Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least-Developed and Net Food-Importing Developing Countriesââ¬
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Business Taxation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1
Business Taxation - Essay Example is legally used to the tax payers advantage to reduce the amount of tax that is to be paid to the government but this is all done while staying within the boundaries of law, just the tax regime is manipulated in a manner so as to reduce the amount of tax. The difference between evasion and avoidance as highlighted above is that evasion is something which is outside the boundaries of law and can be punished by law if the evidence for tax evasion is found out by the tax authorities of the country but tax avoidance is something which is done within the prescribed boundaries of the law and the tax regime and is not punishable by the law of the country, the difference can be slight but it could lead to severe consequences, for example in countries like the USA tax evasion is a serious matter and could lead to imprisonment if evidence is found of tax evasion against a company or a person. The canons of taxation were developed by Adam Smith and are still widely regarded as the best parameter to judge the effectiveness of a tax regime in a country. It is a set of rules to judge whether the tax regime is a good one or not or if any changes need to be made to the tax regime, it also helps identify in which areas the changes have to be made. 2) The timing and the amount of the taxes that a payer has to make must be certain to him and they should be known well before the payment time so that gives him adequate time to calculate and make arrangements for the payments. The canons of taxes have provided the guidelines for any government to follow and develop a fair and a convenient tax regime and tax collection and implement it with the point of view of being convenient to the tax
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
IMac Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
IMac - Case Study Example There was a compatitbility issue. The expensive hardware was hard to replace. It seemed the iMac was not what it was cracked up to be for Ronny. It was not reliable. There was a compatitbility issue. The expensive hardware was hard to replace. The iMac was not reliable. Ronny's computer skills were well-known because he had created an interesting geography puzzle for his classmates. He had also worked on secretly creating a new video game aim at improving mental skills of younger people. He needed to run the program on the latest version of the iMac so he could take advantage of the multimedia capabilities. The failure of the iMac saddened and worried Ronny. Trips to the repair shop wasted important time. He planned on entering his video game in contest by IBM. The iMac was not compatible with certain Microsoft builds. The video game development relied upon advanced technology. Testing is an important step in software development. The failure of Ronny's iMac to accept program modules created in Microsoft software turned out to be the biggest problem. iMac's are some of the most advanced computers. The weakness in this machine to run the important parts of Ronny's programs shook his confidence in Apple's products. The iMac hardware was too expensive. Ronny's father was also not able to replace his computer for him because of the expense.
Monday, October 7, 2019
Writing Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Writing Report - Essay Example As an accounts executive of a PR consultancy, I would like to stress upon the fact that Public Relation trends have been experiencing serious changes and technological advancements. ICT has grown inevitably throughout the past few years. It has seeped into other industries other than the field of information technology. ICT is one of the sectors driving the new economy and also the public relations sector. It is also one of the sectors most directly affected by the recent trends in globalization. The rapid growth in Internet usage and rapid growth of mobile usage with broadband networks all point towards the fact that this technology is impacting every moment of our day to day lives and businesses. But how precisely does ICT affect economic growth and the efficiency of firms? In many studies and recent surveys it has been proved that even in this recession, ICT has kept a steady growth and has no doubt contributed to the GDP and economic growth. The introduction ICT to small medium enterprises has allowed them to compete with larger competitors. ICT is a very dynamic area. The tools and frameworks of ICT expand and advance continuously; these expansions demonstrate the usage and improvements. If we take a broader look at advanced technologies, satellites, mobile phones video news releases etc are the latest tools of ICT that are used by PR agencies and influence public relations policies and practices. Twitter, mash-up media and blogging are the publics eyes and ears nowadays, this latest trend has created more implications and has definitely raised the bar for public relations. In other words, it has raised the bar for public relation practitioners. The Internet and World Wide Web have created mediums for the public to accesses information, whether in the form of blogs, podcasts or videos from YouTube. The traditional role of media is constantly changing with regular upgrading. If we take a quick briefing of
Sunday, October 6, 2019
Explain Geoffrey Parker's concept of the western way of War How does Essay
Explain Geoffrey Parker's concept of the western way of War How does the Western way of war influence current US action in I - Essay Example From the fifteenth century, the role of the Western military has been to propagate and uplift the cultures of the western nations.à Writers of various genres of military history had a variety of reasons for writing about military life.à Three factors have contributed to the excellence of the western military over those of the neighboring non-European nations and the Americas. First of all, widespread politicization and acceptance of Christianity in the western world contributed to this. Later, the industrial revolution led to innovations in military technology.à Finally, there was imposition of Western cultures into the non-western word through means such as trade and colonialism.à Currently, the imposition occurs through western globalization. Therefore, these three factors have played a role in the western worldââ¬â¢s military dominance. This has led to the phenomenon referred to as, Eurocentric Supremacy1. Military historians who describe the phenomenon of Eurocentri c Supremacy explained that many non-Europeans were compelled to convert to Christianity.à The first military officer to convert to Christianity was Constantine. ... It, therefore, led to numerous military attacks and campaigns by the western military. A great number of military attacks resulted from conflicts between the Orthodox Church and Christianity. à The western military took its campaigns outside their jurisdiction. This phenomenon led to widespread colonization of other nations by the west and the norm of slave trade. At this time, the other nations had the difficulty in opposing the western colonies because the western colonies were well equipped due to the dominant industrial revolution and innovation. It is, therefore, clear that the spread and development of Christianity throughout the western nations contributed to the Euro-centrism that was typical of the Western military. The technological advancements and innovations that resulted from the western industrial revolution all led to a supremacy in the western militaryââ¬â¢s mechanisms of war2.à In his work concerning the advent of technology and modern war, Martin Van Creve ld illustrates the point of technology that was typical of the western way of life. Creveld quips that the modern war is adversely infiltrated by technology. He further adds that technology has now governed war. This he attributes to the western culture which has ensured that the principles of war have been upheld since time immemorial. The western power has experienced invincibility from the past. This is due to the fact that the western word is motivated towards usage of technology in war either at the beginning of the war or at the middle and end of the war. The western world also has unyielding thirst in its quest to discover newer forms of technology that will improve its war and military activities. These are the factors that have all along made the
Friday, October 4, 2019
Trade unionism in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Trade unionism in the UK - Essay Example They organise a particular section of skilled or unskilled workers and with them as members of the Union, the office bearers become the legal representatives of such workers and union by attaining the power of representing them in all matters of employment and thus, in most of the countries they attain the status of an important legal entity. They negotiate collectively on behalf of their members over pay, working hours, wages, terms and conditions, cleanliness, perks, benefits, pensions, etc. If bargaining fails, Unions can undertake industrial action and strike and can cause immense harm to a well-running business and in major cases, to the economy of the entire country. Since the late 1970s there had been a rapid decline in unionisation in UK. This failure had been attributed to the inability of unions to organise new establishments in the same lines as they did twenty years ago, though it is not as simple as that. "The sharpest falls in unionization occurred in private manufacturing establishments set up post-1980, with significant falls also occurring, but from a lower initial level, in private sector services" http://158.143.49.27/machin/pdf/bjir2000.pdf There had been overwhelming arguments that the age of establishments has a lot to do with the decline of unions. Younger organisations pitted against the older ones, have shown totally different trends of conducting business, recruiting people, retaining them, or even retrenching them, to which unions are not fast enough to adjust themselves. "Finally, there is some evidence that age of workplace, rather than age of worker, is the critical age based factor as the negative association with unionization is found for all age groups in workplaces set up post-1980" ibid. Unions of yore had different sets of principles and ways of working. They were mainly centralised with highly centred authority wielded by the Union Leaders, who could sway the entire massive group of workers by a word or deed. In recent years, this trend has received a set back, with more and more vociferous demands by workers for a democratic set up. "Since the 1960s a democratic ethos has developed within the trade union movement Whilstleaderships may be formally in control, their power is constrained and checked on a number of issues (Hodgson 1981: 135)", in Webb (1992, p.83). Lately, there had been extensive arguments about the possible reasons for decline of Trade Unions in Britain. As a matter of fact, it is a universal trend, which came before the globalisation started and Britain had only been part of it. Her participation in the decline could not be stemmed and we have to agree that the influence and strength of trade unions have definitely suffered a major set back, with managements having an upper hand in every situation. "In the economic arena, unions face more confident managements, implementing politics of restructuring often without explicit reference to Unions. No longer are trade union leaderships party to the formulation of policy and programmes which take into account the specific concerns and interests of their memberships," Fairbrother (2000, p.10). The trend started with a steady decline in trade union membership. In last three decades and to put it mildly, it had been
Mahatma Gandhi Essay Example for Free
Mahatma Gandhi Essay Mahatma Gandhi was a believer of sorting out conflicts through peaceful means. Ahimsa wishes no harm to any living being, whether human or not. It included not only a lack of physical harm to oneââ¬â¢s opponents, but also a lack of hatred or towards them. Ahimsa originated from ancient India, evidenced by scriptures, and is practiced in the religions Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Living in the period of time when India was being colonized and unjustly treated by the British, Gandhi used ahimsa as a weapon to free India from British rule. He believed that the best way to resist tyranny is through civil disobedience, which is founded upon Ahimsa. Even if this was an event of the past, it says so much about the present. Nowadays, most conflicts cannot be solved without shedding blood. It is sad to think that violence is the solution of the people to problems when in fact, it just makes things worse. There are many things we can learn from this, which is why it is so important for us to study history in the first place. Like Mahatma Gandhi, we should be advocators of peace and respect. Every living being has value, which most people need to understand. There are so many people who are abused, raped, killed, or unjustly treated through other means every single day while the rest of the world remain unconcerned and go about their busy yet meaningless life. I really admire and look up to Mahatma Gandhi for the fact that he remained righteous up to his death despite being arrested and faced with many challenges. He united much of India through his efforts. The people will always remember him for his struggle and sacrifice to free India from slavery, poverty and end untouchability. The title Mahatma or ââ¬Å"Great Soulâ⬠given to Gandhi is really befitting to him. Our world needs more people like Mahatma Gandhi in order for it to be in peace, order, and harmony. There is just too much chaos going on, more than we are aware of. Ahimsa or non-violence would make our world a better place to live in. We just have to believe and practice it. Ahimsa is not only significant to the present but also to the future. We can have a ââ¬Å"peacefulâ⬠future if we start following Ahimsa. The continous use of violence could bring serious consequences for the future. This is why we have to stop and think of what is best for this world Practicing ahimsa is definitely not easy, itââ¬â¢s probably very difficult but it doesnââ¬â¢t mean that we can use it as an excuse. We have to strive hard by struggling in the beginning until it becomes a habit or norm. Gandhi also believed in Satyagraha, ââ¬Å"soul forceâ⬠or ââ¬Å"truth forceâ⬠, a particular philosophy and practice within nonviolent resistance. The term was conceived and developed by him. One who practices satyagraha is called a satyagrahi. The theory of satyagraha sees means and ends as inseparable. Gandhi believed that nonviolence is infinitely superior to violence, forgiveness is more manly than punishment. He insisted on the harmony and unity of thought, word, and deed. To Gandhi, the Hindu creed was: Search after Truth through nonviolent means. Satyagraha, Gandhis approach to conflict, was to hold firmly to the Truth. He also believed that violence shuts off channels of communication. The Satyagraha theory has influenced many other movements around the world on civil resistance. Gandhi had become a role model to other great leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. If Mahatma Gandhi can influence great minds, he should be able to influence the common people. He has left with us great teachings which would be able to help us solve many problems. If only we are open to them, we will be gaining access to peace and harmony. Even today, he is looked up to and well-respected. In India, Mahatma Gandhiââ¬â¢s face is on every rupee note. Moreover, there are Gandhi Ashrams and shops which continue to support his ideas of rural education and cottage industries. The Sarvodaya movement keeps alive the Gandhian approach. Indians consider him as the father of their nation. Many Jains regard Gandhi as possessing and spreading the highest Jain principles. Millions around the world have been inspired by Gandhi and he is thought of today as an international saint. Not much people have left such large footprints in this world. One has to be truly great in order to be etched in our minds and hearts. Mahatma Gandhi is an example of a great individual. He deserves the recognition he has received, and the honor that is present upto today.
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