Eisenhowers New Look Defence Policy Analysis

Eisenhowers New Look Defence Policy Analysis Dwight D. Eisenhower could be arguably of the most influential presidents in United States of Americas History. Elected as the 34th president of the United States, he was previously a General in the American army with a rank of five stars and he was a Supreme Commander during World War II and oversaw key battles such as the Normandy Landings. This general, after the United States, victory would go on to win a bid to become President of the United States. One of the most important areas in which his leadership would be most notable is his New Look policy to deal with rising tensions with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. This essay will scrutinize the goals and achievements of Eisenhowers New Look policy and how efficacious it was in design, intent and execution. In order to grasp the motivations, timings and reasons behind Eisenhowers New Look defence policy -which had a focus on upholding U.S military commitments at lesser costs -one must realize that after the successful utilization of nuclear weapons in the World War II in Hiroshima, Japan on the 6th of August, 1945, and the subsequent atomic bomb in Nagasaki on the 9th of August, 1945, traditional forms of battle -which involved a heavy and almost singular reliance on troops on the ground -was made obsolete (Barlow, 1972:2). Furthermore, by the time Eisenhower began his first term as President in 1953, Soviet Union and The United Kingdom had already been exploring their nuclear capabilities, however, despite the United Nations call for an abolition of atomic weapons in January of 1946, the USSR tested its first atomic bomb on the 29th of 1946, while the United Kingdom tested nuclear weapons on the 3rd on October, 1945 (Icanw.org, 2017). This non-compliance by both the United Kingdom -an ally of the U.S -and the Soviet Union, meant that the rising tensions caused USSRs expansionist ambitions, its war with Japan and seizing of southern parts of and the Japaneses Kuril and Sakhalin islands in 1945, its Berlin Blockade, it alliance treaty with communist China for three decades (1950) and the Korean War (1950 1953) -which heavily weakened its relationship with the West -meant that the USSR, when combined with its nuclear capabilities, could not be ignored by the West or the U.S, and proved to be an antagonism to its virtues of liberty (BBC, 2013). Another reason as to why tensions with the USSR and communist China was an issue of much unease was communism. The rising tides of communism where particularly of interest to the US because had begun to witness a slackening of solidarity and hesitancy with its allies when it came to supporting solid action against communist aggrandizement (Cooling and Watson, 1989). In the face of the aforementioned actions by the USSR, the relationship with a post-war Eisenhowers U.S was, to say the least, strained. Eisenhowers campaign for president included his ideas that would later become known as his New Look Policy. In his campaign, he was sure to stress that after the costs attributed to World War II, the Soviet threat to the U.S would negatively affect the U.S. in two major ways: economically and militarily (Barlow, 1972:11). After hearing the recommendations of the out-going Truman Administration, which supported the USSRs opponents in Europe, Eisenhower favoured Trumans Containment policies which, according to Barlow (1972:10), placed and emphasis on enlarging the numbers of the armed forces, putting more effort into conventional forces located in Europe, launching a Far Eastern Defensive Perimeter and security system, increasing assistance to Formosas Chinese nationalists and French forces in Indochina and extending more aid to countries surrounding the USSR and CPR. This stance by the Truman administration was prudent, but it would soon become insufficient. This insufficiency would become apparent not only because of the Soviets nuclear test in August on 1953 -which was seven months into Eisenhowers presidency -but because of the economic stability Eisenhower longed for and campaigned for, was now threatened by the USSR. Due to this ostensible gridlock, Eisenhower suffered from much indecision because he knew that another war could impart irreparable damage to the U.S. economy, nut he also wished to somehow mitigate or contain the growing threat that he USSR and its allies had become. Moreover, the first crucial modification in the U.S. nuclear strategy under Eisenhower took place on the 12th of January of 1954 (Njolstad, 1994:16). This shift -which would later become known as massive retaliation -was announced by Eisenhowers Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, and stated that if the any future mà ªlà ©es with communist countries should occur, the U.S. would decide to depend primarily upon a great capacity to retaliate, instantly, by means and at places of our own choosing (Njolstad, 1994:16). This stance, which is decisive and steadfast stance in terms of foreign policy, could be argued to be decisive, but harboured a spirit of offensiveness that Eisenhowers predecessors (Truman and Roosevelt) were reluctant to take. In fairness to Eisenhower and his Secretary of State, Barlow (1972:1) clarifies that the words massive retaliation were not used in a context that involved the U.S.s response to a foreign conflict, but concerned only local defences. In contrast , Njolstad (1994:16-17) argues that even if the words massive retaliation were not uttered by Dulles, the message within Dulles speech on the 12th of January, 1954, the speech was unambiguous; the United States, it seemed, would respond to any future aggression or attacks it overseas bases, itself or its allies within the Cold War with a swift nuclear attack on Chinese and Soviet cities, military installation/bases and industrial plants. The differences, based on the massive retaliation were most notable because they signalled the United States viewed nuclear weapons a device one only uses when all other strategies have been exhausted, but it suggested the United States had now adopted a nuclear-first response to attack or aggression from the Soviet Union or Chinese (Njolstad:1994:17). Furthermore, Eisenhower utilized press conferences at the time to stress the fact that unlike Truman, he would utilize nuclear weapons against attacks or conflicts that strategic targets that were imperative to the U.S. and its allies (Njolstad:1994:17). Another key tenet of massive retaliation was the imprecise timing and location of US nuclear ambitions; this was deliberate on the part of Eisenhower because one of the major objectives of massive retaliation was to undermine whatever assumptions the Soviet leaders might have had about symmetry between their own aggressive acts and the subsequent American responses (Njolstad: 1994:18). In order to properly gauge the successes and failures of the New Look defence policy, the effectiveness and the environment which prompted its implementation must be discussed. During Eisenhowers early rule as President, the U.S had an evident and tactical superiority because of its vast stores of atomic weapons (hydrogen bombs), while the Soviet Union was significantly inferior because of the grave immaturity of its nuclear capabilities (Slanchev, 2014). This reliance on atomic weapons to help contain Soviet ambitions and communism, according to Barlow (1972:31), had more discernible influence -due to the fear of what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki -during Roosevelts and Trumans presidencies, but also held significant weight during Eisenhowers presidency. Despite the somewhat staunch reliance Eisenhower could be as having when it came to his Massive Retaliations dependence on nuclear weapons, Eisenhower was actually disinclined to a nuclear confrontation. According to Soapes (1980:58), Eisenhower not only had an interest in curtailing the nuclear arms race that had begun well before Nagasaki and Hiroshima, but he was also wary and fearful of a nuclear holocaust as it seemed this was the directions that the world was heading towards. This addition inputs a different dimension into the mind of Eisenhower because it replaces the image of Eisenhower being a general with and an enthusiasm for war, with one of a cautious leader that prioritized peace. During this time in history, it was no secret that America had, not only a stockpile of nuclear weapons, but a growing arsenal. Eisenhower, in response to this arsenal, stated that, security through arms is only a meansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦to an end. Peace, in a very real sense is an end in itself ( Soapes, 1980:58). In contrast to the aforementioned hesitation put forward Soapes (1980), Rubinson (2011:295) states that in all of Eisenhowers terms in office, a pronuclear inclination has always been present in his New Look policy, Massive Retaliation and brinkmanship policies (brinkmanship was a view that essentially threatened war to achieve a goal, but had no intention of following through), furthermore, in towards the end of January 1956, Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, and U.S. UN Representative, Henry Cabot Lodge, associated world peace to U.S. nuclear munitions by saying, The greatest single factor in the world today for peace is our atomic superiority. The effectiveness of Eisenhowers New Look policy is a topic solicits strong opinions from academics. An obvious weakness that one might gather from Eisenhowers administrations heavy reliance on nuclear weapons on the divergence from conventional forces. United States General, Maxwell Taylor, debated even if a conflict should arise, the U.S. would still need conventional forces, and the massive cuts that Eisenhower had subjected the army to -in favour of nuclear weapons -could not mitigate communist aggression in place Korea (Slanchev, 2014:5). Furthermore, General Taylor, in reference to Korean war -in which North Korea (backed by the USSR and China) invaded South Korea (backed by the U.S.) in hopes of unifying the country -stated that nuclear weapons would largely ineffective against a war that was fighting an ideology instead of a visible opponent (Slanchev, 2014:5). This weakness of the Massive Retaliation policy in Eisenhowers New Look policy is immensely striking because it brin gs to the forefront the point that much of the Cold War was a war of ideologies backed by military force. Because both the USSR and the US were polarized as figureheads in the conflict between communist and capitalism, the war in Korea was, in many ways, a proxy war. Secondly, nuclear weapons, if used in the Korean conflict, could geologically devastate the very country they wished to free from the clutches of communism or capitalism, and because both forms of governments needed the land to be viable for agriculture, a nuclear weapon could end up destabilising the countrys land in a way that persisted for many decades. Another weakness of the New Look was its lack of consideration that the USSR, which was severely behind in nuclear technology, would quickly develop its own nuclear capabilities. The USSRs nuclear capabilities were at a point where they could launch their own nuclear weapons in the year of 1957; this not only made the United States Massive Retaliation largely less effective, but it meant that the U.S. could no longer use its nuclear weight to acquire certain assurance from the U.S. (Slanchev, 2014). This outcome by Eisenhowers policies is described by Power (2014:14) a failed psychological threat, and, because this threat was no longer viable, the U.S. now looked weak (in terms of diplomacy) because the all-or-nothing premise which was the foundation of the New Look defence policy had now backfired massively. Furthermore, Massive retaliation received much backlash from Americans: former governor of Illinois and future United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Adlai Stevenso n II said in criticism of Massive Retaliation, Are we leaving ourselves the grim choice of inaction or a thermonuclear holocaust? Are we indeed inviting Moscow to nibble us to death? (Barlow, 1972:54). This backlash cost the Eisenhowers administration dearly because they had placed their defense and foreign policy on what was essentially a bluff, and now that the U.S. had lost its domination on nuclear weapons, it found itself uniquely vulnerable against a nation it had ostensibly bullied into submission with the threat of a nuclear assault. References Icanw.org, (2017). Nuclear weapons timeline | ICAN. [online] Icanw.org. Available at: http://www.icanw.org/the-facts/the-nuclear-age/ [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]. BBC, (2013). Soviet Union timeline BBC News. [online] BBC News. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17858981 [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]. Cooling, B. and Watson, R. (1989). History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Volume 5, The Joint Chiefs of Staff and National Policy, 1953-1954. The American Historical Review, 94(1), pp.100-356.

Political Dilemmas and the Theories of the German Idealists :: Politics Political Science Papers

Does the Solution to our Present Moral and Political Dilemmas Lie in the Theories of the German Idealists? ABSTRACT: In the wake of the postmodernist onslaught one thing is certain: morality is in crisis. Where are we to look for answers? Perhaps to the German idealists—that is, to their bold synthesis of right and freedom. This paper seeks to bring the timely issue of absolute freedom and the possibility of its total realization back into ethical-political discussion. Through a close comparison of the theories of Fichte and Hegel via a critique of the former by the latter, I show that the antidote to many of our political, moral and theological distresses may well be found in Hegel’s concept of the State and Sittlichkeit-i.e., truly understood as the realization of absolute freedom, or the "We that is I." In the wake of the postmodernist onslaught one thing is certain: morality is in crisis. Where are we to look for answers? Perhaps to the German idealists.—That is, to their bold synthesis of right and freedom. This paper seeks to bring the timely issue of absolute freedom and the possibility of its total realization in today's world back into the center of ethical-political discussion. Through a close comparison of the theories of Fichte and Hegel via a critique of the former by the latter, I hope to show that the antidote to the bulk of our political, moral and theological distresses may well be found in Hegel's concept of the State and Sittlichkeit—i.e., truly understood. Namely, as the realization of absolute freedom, or the "We that is I." In a recent interview, Derrida was asked the following question: "We are . . . in a period of highly perfected, nearly consummate nihilism. Everyone is waiting to know where we are going, toward what should we be moving ourselves. Toward what does work such as yours lead?" Derrida responded: "I don't know. . . . I have no message."(1) In the wake of the postmodernist onslaught—or charade—one thing is certain: morality is in crisis. Where are we to look for answers? Perhaps to the German idealists—and to their bold synthesis of right and freedom. This paper seeks to bring the timely issue of absolute freedom and the possibility of its total realization in today's world back into the center of ethical-political discussion. Through a critical comparison of the theories of Fichte and Hegel I hope to show that the antidote to the bulk of our political, moral and theological distresses may well be found in Hegel’s concept of the State and Sittlichkeit—as truly understood.

Biography of Catherine the Great Essay examples -- Empress Russian His

Biography of Catherine the Great One of the most interesting, hard-working and powerful people to grace the pages of history during the eighteenth century was Catherine II, Empress of Russia. Historians have not always been so kind to her memory, and all too often one reads accounts of her private life, ignoring her many achievements. The stories of her love affairs have been overly misinterpreted and can be traced to a handful of French writers in the years immediately after Catherine's death, when Republican France was fighting for its life against a coalition that included Russia. Catherine was born Sophia Augusta Frederika of Anhalt-Zerbst on April 21, 1729 in Stettin, then Germany, now Poland. Her father, Prince Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbst, was a high-ranking officer in the Prussian Army and a minor prince among the principalities in Germany. He married the much younger Princess Johanna of Holstein-Gottorp. Years before, Johanna's brother Karl August of Holstein-Gottorp had gone to Russia to marry the Princess Elizabeth Petrovna. However the Prince died of small pox, leaving Elizabeth heart-broken. Elizabeth's sister, Anna gave birth to a son named Peter Ulrich, however tragedy once again struck as Anna's died of tuberculosis three months after giving birth to Peter. Peter, who eventually became Tsar Peter III, was the only surviving male descendent and the potentially heir to the throne of Russia after his father died. In November 1741, Elizabeth seized the throne with the help of the Imperial Guards, and formally declared her nephew Peter heir to the throne. Peter was now 14 years old, and it was time for him to find a bride. Elizabeth had always remembered the family of her dead fiancà ©e with fondness, and chose Sophie as the bride to be. The Empress Elizabeth seemed to have taken an instant liking to Sophie at an early age. Sophie began to learn the Russian language and studied the Orthodox religion, which of course pleased the Empress. On June 28, Sophie was received into the Church in a great ceremony, and as a result changed her name to Catherine. Catherine was now the second highest-ranking lady in the country. Shortly after, Peter obtained measles, which started to show all the symptoms of small pox. Catherine found him to be a most pitiful creature, and it was with dismay that she looked towards her wedding day. The royal... ...h the many relationships she formed with men. Perhaps we misunderstand her many attachments. She loved to teach, and she had much knowledge to give. We can see from her many letters to Baron von Grimm, that she took pride in the education of her young protà ©gà ©s. Perhaps what many historians interpret as promiscuous behavior, was nothing more than her filling the lonely hours by sharing her vast knowledge with the young men she deemed worthy of her attention. She had long and lasting relationships with Orlov and Potemkin, and it seems that she was capable of being faithful and devoted. Russia owes her much. After a long reign of thirty-four years, Catherine died of a stroke on November 17, 1796. History knows her as Catherine the Great, a title she was offered during her lifetime and rejected. "I leave it to posterity to judge impartially what I have done" she said at the time; and Catherine has done well. Domestically, She dealt with peasant revolts, pretenders, and noble opposition. Abroad, she increased Russia's territory, prestige and international importance. Regardless of her much emphasized personal life and sexual relations, she deserves the title because she earned it.

Thought Provoker

Assignment 1. 2 Dialogue 1 — Thought-Provokers Survey Derrick Crank Jones International University Leading from a Global Perspective BC607 Dr. Michael Jazzar February 09 2013 Thought-Provokers Survey Part 2 Thought-Provoker # _15_ Gist: Some Christian just hypo-critics and don’t really follow what they learn and teach at their church. Your reaction (from above): _ I agree Explanation of your response: I think when you gather several people in a small area: gossips tend to spread, people become jealous, and competition tends to develop.I have been in several churches around the country and all believe in the some beliefs. People tend to think with the God’s power they are right with their beliefs even though they go to church and pray for their sins. If we look at our history, most wars and deaths are due to the church and Christianity beliefs. They particularly destroyed the American Indian cultures and confine them to reservation and boarding schools in the late 1800s.Christianity burned witch at Salem, MA, because several people were thought to be witches. Christians don’t follow what they teach but use parts of what they learned to better themselves for their own needs. Thought-Provoker # __19___ Gist: That are some many religions and cultures around world and there is really no right answer. Your reaction (from above): Who really says that? Explanation of your response: I have been all over the world and I have come to the conclusion that there s no right religion. I believe all religions are equal. Each religion is set at its highest because people believe in their religion due to their demographics, family values, and how they were taught at a young age. Christianity belief is just one of the many religions around the world and continues to spread as the other religions have. Thought-Provoker # __21___ Gist: _Homeless have a reasons why they have chosen to be homeless. Your reaction (from above): What? Really? Explanation of yo ur response:I have worked from several homeless shelters and my conclusion is that they are not lazy. They are the hardest workers I know but they have a mental illness that clouds their judgments. Most of the homeless have mental illnesses due to post trauma stress, depression, bipolar, and schizophrenic tendencies. Some are veterans from past wars to child abused victims when they were growing up. Some homeless are unable to hold jobs because these mentally illnesses. They are not lazy but they are determined to survive on what they have.

Lord of the Flies as an Allegory Essay

The Lord of the Flies if read at face value can be interpreted as short book about the struggle to survive on a deserted island and its physical and psychological impacts on its inhabitants. But when the reader looks deeper, they see a novel that is an allegory that is filled with rich and detailed symbolism in almost all aspects of the book. An allegory is defined a type of writing that presents abstract ideas or moral principals in the form of symbolic characters, events, or objects. â€Å"The theme is an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects of human nature† (Golding 204). The novel begins as our protagonist wanders along the beach. Ralph represents leadership, order, and civilization for the island. He uses his power for the good of the people, especially to protect the â€Å"littluns.† The littluns represent the people ruled by a government. In their case, the â€Å"bigguns† (the older boys), take advantage of the little boys and soon neglect them entirely. As the conch was blown â€Å"A deep harsh note boomed under the palms, spread through the intricacies of the forest and echoed back from the pink granite of the mountain† (Golding 17). Giving off a mighty sound, the conch also possessed the qualities of authority, unity, and power. When the society is formed, the boy who holds the conch is the only one allowed to speak. Jack first instituted this when he said â€Å"I’ll give the conch to the next person to speak† (Golding 33). As the story progresses, the conch looses its power and influence over the children and is eventually crushed when Piggy is trampled by a boulder. This marks the end of any democratic and civilized society on the island. Piggy represents intelligence and mortality. He acts with reason like a grownup would in his situation. Besides acting like a parent figure, Piggy also provides leadership before and after the tribe is split in half. â€Å"But nobody else understands that about the fire. If someone threw you a rope when you were drowning. If a doctor said take this because if you don’t take  it you’ll die- you would, wouldn’t you? Can’t they understand? Without the smoke signal we’ll die here?† (Golding 139). The signal fire is another symbol that changes to reflect the downward spiral of the children. The fire was instituted by Ralph and Piggy as an attempt to draw attention in hopes of rescue. The fire can be seen as a connection to civilization and as civilization itself. When the fire burns well at a normal pace, the island is at peace. â€Å"We’ve got no fire. That thing just sits up thereÆ’{ we’ll have to stay here† (Golding 129). But when the fire is out, the boys seen to loose interest in civilization and revert to primitive, savage beings, which cause problems for the fragile island society. Oddly the fire that brings about the boy’s rescue is not the signal fire, but a forest fire started by Jack to drive Ralph out into the open. The fire symbolizes power and the leadership of the tribe, as it provides warmth and heat for cooking. When Jack gains the ability to make fire, he seizes control of the tribe. Piggy’s glasses allow for the creation of all fire on the island. The glasses symbolize science and intelligence and their impacts on society. The glasses also play a pivotal role in the foreshadowing of the chaos that will eventually ensue on the island. â€Å"Jack smacked Piggy’s head. Piggy’s glasses flew off and tinkled on the rocks. Piggy cried out in terror: ‘My specs'† (Golding 71). The breaking of Piggy’s glasses can be considered the start of the events that will cause the island to descend into complete and inescapable chaos led by Jack’s anarchy. Jack Merridew represents a thirst for power and savagery comparable to primal instincts. Jack uses his power for pleasure only, slowly evolving into a total dictator by the time the tribe splits. â€Å"There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! I’m chief† (Golding 181). Jack cannot accept compromises in his authority and systematically takes part in, if not responsible for, the deaths of those who oppose him in his path to power. Jack uses the beast as a means to hunt more often and later gain power. The beast is nothing but the evil and primal instincts imbedded deep within all of us. Everyone on the island is afraid of it, while in reality it is simply does not exist. It appears that the more the boys act savagely, the more real the beast becomes. Soon the boys start to worship the beast and leave offerings to the beast. This head is for the beast. It’s a gift† (Golding 137). The lord of the flies is the gift left for the beast. It’s a bloody pig’s head on a stick. The lord of the flies is a physical manifestation of evil who invokes the inner beast within us all. When Simon speaks to the lord of the flies, its true nature is revealed. â€Å"You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you† (Golding 143). Throughout the story Golding uses his characters, objects and events as symbols to get a deeper meaning across. The book weaves a compelling tale of optimism against the darkest side of human evil. Even though the novel shows that evil in every person exists, the basic human goodness still appears to prevail when all is said and done. The Lord of the Flies is truly a modern classic with a message for everyone.

Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 Essay

The law allowed an increased cost exemption, which stated that employers that can demonstrate a one percent or more rise in costs due to parity implementation will be allowed to exempt themselves from the law. The Mental Health Parity Act did not include rules for service charges, designations for the number of inpatient hospital days or outpatient visits that must be covered, coverage in connection with Medicare or Medicaid, restrictions on a health insurance plan’s ability to manage care, and coverage for treatment of substance abuse or chemical dependency. I do not think that the Mental Health Parity Act was successful, because there are many people still in this world who don’t have insurance have to pay more than what people with insurance do. Even some people with insurance have to pay a lot out of pocket for services. Even when it was still in act, it only took effect to people with major disabilities. This left most of the population having to pay for many of the services themselves.

Understanding text as it is meant to be Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Understanding text as it is meant to be - Essay Example When trying to maneuver through such information, an important issue that arises comes down to a fundamental idea. That is, the question of where exactly the meaning of the subject matter lies within.The written word is one of the most beautiful things ever to be created.Beauty that can differ.In terms of biblical interpretation, a common term to come about in research is that of Hermeneutics. "It is more broadly used contemporary philosophy to denote the study of theories and methods of the interpretation of all texts and systems of meaning.Is it with the author, within the text body, or is it something that actually lies within the reader themselves through their individual understanding and interpretation of what it is they are trying to read and learn about in the first place. The concept of "text" is here extended beyond written documents to any number of objects subject to interpretation, such as experiences. A hermeneutic is also defined as a specific system or method for inte rpretation, or a specific theory of interpretation. However, the contemporary philosopher Hans-Georg Gadamer has said that has said that hermeneutics is an approach rather than a method and, further, that the Hermeneutic circle is the central problem of interpretation," Going on to say that, "Essentially, hermeneutics involves cultivating the ability to understand things from somebody else's point of view, and to appreciate the cultural and social forces that may have influenced their outlook. Hermeneutics is the process of applying this understanding to interpreting the meaning of written texts and symbolic artifacts (such as art or sculpture or architecture), which may be either historic or contemporary," ("Hermeneutics" p.1). Throughout the course of time, history has played an important role in the creation of some of the greatest works of literary art that have survived the ages. "In the last two millennia, the scope of hermeneutics has expanded to include the investigation and interpretation not only of oral, textual and artistic works, but of human behaviour generally, including language and patterns of speech, social institutions, and ritual behaviours (such as religious ceremonies, political rallies, football matches, rock concerts, etc.). Hermeneutics interprets or inquires into the meaning and import of these phenomena, through understanding the point of view and 'inner life' (Dilthey) of an insider, or the first-person perspective of an engaged participant in these phenomena," ("Hermeneutics" p.1). As they set out to create their work, the author uses their understanding of the material to set forth a creation of literary discovery that seeks to aid in furthering greater study on a wide variety of subject matter, whatever the subject may be. In the case of the bible, "In the history of interpretation the rise of the historical-critical method opened a new era. With it, new possibilities for understanding the biblical word in its originality opened up. Just as with all human endeavor, though, so also this method contained hidden dangers along with its positive possibilities. The search for the original can lead to putting the word back into the past completely so that it is no longer taken in its actuality. It can result that only the human dimension of the word appears as real, while the genuine author, God, is removed from the reach of a method which was established for understanding human reality," ("Interpretation" p.1). The source goes on to discuss that, "Accordingly, the text of the document inquires into how the meaning of Scripture might become known-this meaning in which the human word and God's word work together in the singularity of historical events and the eternity of the everlasting Word, which is contemporary in every age. The biblical word comes from a real past. It comes not only from the past, however, but at the same time from the eternity of God and it leads us into God's eternity, but again along the way through time, to which the past,